Former Vixen singer Janet Gardner recalls Ozzy Osbourne tour
Janet Gardner, the former singer of ’80s glam metal band Vixen, is now a part-time dental hygienist. The rocker is reflecting on her rise to stardom and touring with the “Prince of Darkness” in the docuseries “I Wanna Rock: ‘The ’80s Metal Dream.”
When Janet Gardner found herself “Cryin’” after the plug was pulled on her rock star career, she turned to dentistry.
The former lead vocalist of the glam metal band Vixen went on to pursue the family business after the Sunset Strip music scene went silent. The 61-year-old recently joined several artists who survived the decadent era of the ‘80s for the three-part Paramount+ docuseries, “I Wanna Rock.”
The series, produced by MTV Entertainment Studios in partnership with Gunpowder & Sky, features new interviews with Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, John Corabi of Mötley Crüe, Dave “Snake” Sabo of Skid Row, and Winger’s Kip Winger, among others.
Janet Gardner, the former frontwoman of ’80s glam metal band Vixen, is now a part-time dental hygienist. (Courtesy of Janet Gardner)
Garner said that when Seattle’s grunge scene hit pause on her music career, she became a dental hygienist in Connecticut, a trade she still practices today.
“My grandfather was a dentist,” the singer explained to Fox News Digital. “My uncles, a couple of them were dentists. Their kids are now dentists, a couple of hygienists – lots of dental people. And they all had really good lives. They were able to do their work and have the sort of work/life balance [that] was very good… I needed something that would allow me enough time for my family, for my music, other things in life. That work/life balance really appealed to me. If I had this kind of skill, I could work more when I needed more money, and I could work less when I needed more time for other things.”
“It worked out great,” she shared. “And I like learning. I like school. So going back to school for me was very satisfying. And I loved what I was learning. We had to take pharmacology… And I love science. It was invigorating. I loved it. I studied my butt off. I kicked a–… Not only did it give me something that I could do in my life… for money and security and for my family. [But], I also [get] to use a side of my brain that hadn’t been used in a while.”
Janet Gardner performing onstage, circa 1989. ( Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
Garner is a part-time dental hygienist, which allows her to still make music and hit the road on her terms. In June of this year, she and guitarist/producer husband Justin James released a new album, “No Strings.”
She said few of her current patients know about her rock star past.
“I do it three days a week, and then I have four days a week for other things,” Gardner explained. “And music is one of those things, and of course, my family. I don’t know when I’ll stop. I’ll do it as long as I can still do it.”
Janet Gardner still performs when she is not attending to her patients. (Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
“Back in Connecticut, I worked at the same practice for a lot of years,” she noted. “And by the time I left there most of my patients knew. They would be like, ‘Where is she today?’ And they would be told, ‘She’s on a tour with her band.’ But where I currently work, I’ve only been there for about a year, so not many people know. It doesn’t come up. It’s never, ‘Any concerns with your teeth? Oh, by the way, I was in this band in the ’80s.’ Some of them know, but a lot of people don’t. But I guess after they see this docuseries, they’ll go, ‘Hey, isn’t that the girl who just cleaned my teeth?’”
Janet Gardner said few patients know about her rock star past. (Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
It was founding member and lead guitarist Jan Kuehnemund who formed the all-female band in high school. She and Gardner moved the group to Los Angeles in 1985, and within two years, the lineup was formed with Roxy Petrucci on drums and Share Pedersen on bass, The Hollywood Reporter revealed.
According to the outlet, their self-titled debut album was released in 1988 and spawned two hit singles, “Edge of a Broken Heart” and “Cryin’.” Their music videos were featured heavily on MTV, and they even appeared in Penelope Spheeris’ film, “The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years.”
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From left to right, Share Pedersen, Janet Gardner, Roxy Petrucci and Jan Kuehnemund of American all-female rock band Vixen performing “Cryin'” on a TV show in Germany, circa 1989. (Photo by Bernd Muller/Redferns)
They also toured with the “Prince of Darkness” in 1989.
“He was awesome,” Gardner gushed about Ozzy Osbourne. “We toured with him during a time when he was very clean. He wasn’t drinking, he wasn’t doing any drugs. He was working out every day. His kids were little, and they would come out. [His wife] Sharon was out there quite a bit. He was really on an upswing. He was very positive, hilarious – a very funny guy. Easy to talk to.”
Gardner admitted she was “really intimidated” – but the singer quickly put her at ease.
Vixen toured with Ozzy Osbourne in 1989. (Getty Images)
“He stopped me and just started a conversation about singing and how difficult it is to be out there every night,” she recalled. “We shared vocal tips, what to eat, what not to eat. It was amazing. He was really in a good place when we toured with him… And it was great to see him in such a good place.”
Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne is seen here holding a cup of tea in the garden of his home, circa 1988. (Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
WATCH: FORMER VIXEN SINGER JANET GARDNER RECALLS OZZY OSBOURNE TOUR
Gardner vividly recalled the moment Vixen had made it. She was driving in Southern California and “Edge of a Broken Heart” started blasting through her speakers.
“I can’t even explain to you that feeling inside of me,” she said. “It was a dream come true… I couldn’t keep driving. I had to… sit on the side of the road and listen. I went to a payphone and I called my mom… That was a huge moment of just elation, excitement and gratefulness. I was so grateful that this was happening.”
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Vixen attempted to follow up their breakout success with “Rev It Up” in 1990. (Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vixen followed up their breakout success with “Rev It Up” in 1990. However, the album did not have the same impact as its debut.
Then the whispers started. There was a new rock music scene coming out of Seattle known as “grunge.” At the time, Vixen was in Europe touring with Deep Purple for their second album.
“We were calling home and not getting answers,” said Gardner. “People were avoiding talking about what was happening back there. And we were just really focused on what we were doing, playing the best shows that we could every night and just enjoying ourselves in Europe. But I started to get a funny feeling. A few people that I talked to at home said, ‘Yeah, MTV’s not playing any of you guys anymore.’… I just got a sinking feeling. And once we got home, that’s when we realized we were a dying breed here.”
Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana, left, and Garth Brooks contributed to the demise of the ’80s glam metal scene. (Getty Images)
“It was tough,” she admitted. “It was devastating. It’s like getting fired from your job. It’s hard to recover from. We had just gotten back from a big tour, a great tour. And it was all over.”
Nirvana was the most prominent of the era’s series of Seattle grunge bands, including Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, that would go on to release best-selling records. Their angst-filled lyrics struck a chord with young people who were exasperated with the marathon partying and sickly sweet lyrics coated with Aqua Net hairspray coming out of the West Coast.
Grunge, along with country star Garth Brooks and his sold-out arena shows, contributed to the demise of glam metal.
From left to right, Share Pedersen, Janet Gardner and Jan Kuehnemund of Vixen perform on stage at Hammersmith Odeon on March 15, 1991, in London. (Pete Still/Redferns)
“I do think people were clamoring for something new, different and exciting,” said Gardner. “There were a lot of great musicians, a lot of great songs and talent, but we all just got shoved into this small space. And the rock star fantasy just got more and more outrageous. It was refreshing for people to see something so earthy and maybe not quite so happy, something rebellious… And then you had others who were craving something that wasn’t as depressing as grunge. So a lot of displaced fans took to country, which had a similar vibe to the rock shows we were putting on in the ‘80s.”
Jan Kuehnemund of the group Vixen passed away in 2013. (Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
Vixen was dropped by their label shortly after. They disbanded for several years but reformed with various new members. The group also had a brief reunion for VH1’s “Bands Reunited” in 2004. They eventually parted ways. Kuehnemund passed away in 2013 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The ride was brief for Gardner, but today, she is grateful to tell her story.
Vixen has reformed with various new members over the years. (Mick Hutson/Redferns)
“We had everything we could dream of, but there was another side to it,” she said. “And we’re still here.”
“I Wanna Rock: The ’80s Metal Dream” is currently available for streaming. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
