In the mid-’70s, The Runaways were the baddest band on the planet. In amongst the cock rock maestros and spit-flecked punks, these five teenage girls from California embarked on one of the most unlikely rides the decade, enjoying four blistering years on the road before drugs and rivalry finished them off.

Kristen Stewart (Joan Jett) & Dakota Fanning (Cherie Currie) in The Runaways

At the heart of The Runaways was one of rock’s most intriguing relationships, between guitarist Joan Jett and lead singer Cherrie Currie – the virginal temptress of glam rock, surfer chick turned cherrybomb whose tight corsets and thigh high boots were a statement of intent for an entire generation of young women.

Currie’s well documented problems with drug abuse eventually led to the band’s demise. While Joan Jett forged a successful career with a new band, Currie got out of music to piece her life back together. Today she is an author, illustrator, chainsaw artist and mother. Her 1998 book Neon Angel served as inspiration for Floria Sigismondi’s upcoming film biopic, The Runaways, released in cinemas on September 10.

The Runaways

TCOLondon: Who or what inspires you creatively?

Cherrie Currie: David Bowie always was my inspiration and my hero. And I have to say, back then… I really don’t follow anybody now to be honest with you – I’m the mother of a 19-year-old musician and artist – but back then it was David Bowie and Suzi Quatro. And I’ve always been a big admirer of Joan – that Joan stuck with this and she truly is the embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll, so I’ve always admired Joan. And I admire, like, Melissa Etheridge and those people who get out there and wear their heart on their sleeve because it’s a hard thing to do and people who don’t have the guts to do it will always judge it. Just like people would like to see me sorry, or not be proud of what I did. But you know what, if I hadn’t done what I did, a lot of women wouldn’t be able to do what they’re doing today. So the people that judge are the ones that don’t have the guts. I respect anyone who has guts. Anyone.

With the fifth birthday issue of LWLies currently Stack’s mag of the month, Steve sat down with TCOLondon editorial director Matt Bochenski to talk about the magazine’s evolution over the last year and, indeed, the growth of TCOLondon as a creative agency.

You can read the full interview over at Stack’s website.

Due to limited space, however, we were forced to leave out a huge amount of fascinating material from the tens of thousands of words of interviews we assembled.

Rather than let it go to waste, we’ve created an exclusive digital mini-mag called Future Rules: How To Save British Film.

In it, we’ve asked our industry experts – actors, directors, producers, distributors and executives – a single, searching question: if you could pass one rule to safeguard the future of British film, what would it be?

You can see the results for yourself in our free digital edition right here.

TCOLondon has commissioned a one-off A3 print of Paul Willoughby‘s illustration that appeared in Huck #021, which was then signed by members of the band.

The auction is running until July 22 and all money raised from this auction will go to One Love for Chi to raise awareness of Cheng’s condition and ensure that he gets the best possible care.

Inspired by the Future, we’ve gathered together a team of industry experts to discuss the state of the nation’s film scene. We’ve travelled to China to find out whether Mandarin film is set to become the mainstream. We’ve been to Palestine to visit a picturehouse that has become a symbol of peace in this troubled region. Edgar Wright has been telling us about the new videogame aesthetic in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. We’ve been cocking an ear at the changing relationship between film and music. And we’ve been asking whether it’s finally time for people power to return to cinema. All that, plus you can check out some cool pictures of abandoned cinemas.

We’ve also been chatting with Catherine Breillat, Romain Duris, Francçois Ozon and lots of other interesting people.

All that and we’ve reviewed all the best films for July and August. Check it out now.

Videogames have long been ring-fenced as junk culture, relegated to a ghetto populated by the slack-jawed adolescents of critics’ imaginations. Not any longer.

The videogame generation has come of age, but as the medium has found itself financially successful and culturally influential, videogame magazines have become stuck in a rut.

Tied to old formulas of news, reviews and previews that have been made redundant by the spread of passionate online communities, the days of their unquestioned authority are long gone.

A fresh perspective on videogames is now required. It’s time to look more closely at where the industry is heading because it’s dragging all of us along with it. Music, cinema, art, pop culture – they’ll all soon be in the hands of people who have grown up as gamers. We want to find out what it means.

The result is Invert Look, our attempt to assess The New State of Play. We’re kicking things off with a 36-page taster issue inspired by the theme of Origins. It’s available for free to LWLies subscribers and will be followed by an expanded full-fat issue in September.

Have a sneak-peak at the digital edition below.

David Slade is a British filmmaker who in just five years and three films has established himself as a key creative force in mainstream cinema.

With an idiosyncratic eye and vast knowledge of his craft, Slade broke onto the scene in memorable fashion with 2005’s Hard Candy, which was promptly followed by the widely acclaimed vampire chiller 30 Days of Night.

As a fresh twist on a stale subgenre, it was this latter effort that earned Slade a shot at helming the third instalment in the phenomenally successful Twilight franchise, Eclipse, for which he drew extensively on his personal influences.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in Twilight: Eclipse

Who or what inspires you creatively?

Nicolas Roeg more than anyone. Nic Roeg’s early films – Track 29, which was a TV movie, Performance, Don’t Look Now… Because he really tore the craft apart, he really shoved the form of filmmaking in the audiences face. And at the time they accepted it. So he is really the biggest influence on me. Man Who Fell to Earth is, for me… It’s a phenomenal film. Growing up there was also Wim Wenders… It’s often the idiosyncratic stuff… Such astonishing films that were not just visually but emotionally so good. It hits you in the heart in such a powerful way. These are filmmakers I feel a certain affinity to because I don’t sense a reference in their work. There is no homage to other filmmakers. They are doing something totally unique and original. These guys really opened my eyes.