In the early ’80s, The Go-Go’s were the epitome of bright and cheery pop from fun girls, culminating in the first wave of MTV stardom. But the band’s true story is much darker, awash in depression, drug addiction, and disputes within the band that belied the group’s candy-colored facade. Documentary filmmaker Alison Ellwood continues her encyclopedic efforts to chronicle the California music scene (following Eagles history and Laurel Canyon) with a new Showtime documentary about the first girl band in the US to have a No. 1 record playing their own instruments and writing their own songs. As one band member says in the intro to the film, “People automatically assume that a guy put us together, but we did it all by ourselves.”
The story Ellwood presents is simple and familiar, and travels from the band’s beginnings to the dangers of fame that would inevitably become its ruin. The Go-Goes started in the decidedly un-sunny arena of the Los Angeles punk scene, finding empowerment in an environment where they were free to express themselves, and it really didn’t matter how well they could play their instruments. “We hate society and our parents, but we support each other,” says guitarist Jane Wiedlin. While Wiedlin, guitarist Charlotte Caffey, and vocalist Belinda Carlisle were together in the band’s first incarnation, other original players were replaced, such as drummer Elissa Bello who was rotated by Gina Schock, a move the group attributes to helping consolidate louder sound. Schock, who clicked better with the band, insisted that they practice constantly. In 1980 The Go-Go’s toured England briefly for ska bands Madness and The Specials, which, while exhausting, helped them refine their stage presence.
Candid photos and old images help Ellwood paint the gritty image of the band’s early years (when their “set had three songs and two were the same song,” says one follower), effectively making the band jump. of Whiskey A Go Go House. to rock star arena. Although the tour in English was not so good abroad, the band was welcomed with open arms upon their return to the United States, building on the strength of the first single “We Got The Beat”. The Go-Go’s then switched to their most punk bassist, Margot Olavarria, who disapproved of the more populous path the band’s sound was taking, for Kathy Valentine, who says here: “Basically I learned all of their songs on a coca binge.” .
The misogyny of the music industry is portrayed in The Go-Go’s as an almost insurmountable obstacle for the gang to conquer. Despite his devoted following and radio-ready sound, the band’s then manager, Ginger Canzoneri, remembers the rejection of one label after another due to the novelty of a girl rock band. Meanwhile, Ellwood uses colorful animations to help explain the genesis of hits like “Our Lips Are Sealed” (which Wiedlin wrote based on a love letter from Terry Hall, then-boyfriend of The Specials). The five Go-Go relays their memories of the band’s early years, as do IRS label chief Miles Copeland, who eventually signed the band, and his brother, Stewart Copeland, who remembers opening The Go- Go for The Police during their debut album. the charts skyrocketed (“They created something that exploded on stage,” he says). Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill recalls the importance of seeing the Go-Go live for the first time, five women dominating a rock stage with no boy in sight.
But as the gang rose, Caffey’s heroin addiction worsened (“Charlotte was so out of control at the time that Ozzy Osbourne kicked her out of her dressing room. That’s pretty bad,” Schock describes), as was the drug and alcohol use by other Go-Go’s. Conflicts over how much songwriters were paid compared to the other Go-Goes led to fractures that the young band members couldn’t repair. “We would say, ‘We are like sisters,'” says Wiedlin. “Sure, like sisters who stab each other in the back.” Schock agrees: “The fight and the real drugs happen when we all get money … [It] destroys everything. “Wiedlin was the first to leave, in 1984 after the release of the band’s third album, Talk show, and despite the fact that Paula Jean Brown came in as a replacement (who is credited with eventually bringing Caffey to rehab), the band disbanded soon after.
The indescribable chemistry between Carlisle, Wiedlin, Schock, Caffey and Valentine is exhibited throughout the document; There is a sad moment near the end when everyone describes how to try to form other bands after the Go-Go disbanded, but they could never recreate that brash combination of youth, fizz and charisma. But in its fairly short period of time, there is a lot The Go-Go’s glosses; for example, even though the five members have met in recent years, Valentine and Schock have filed claims for compensation. While Caffey is remarkably outspoken about her heroin addiction, Carlisle isn’t so frank about her long-standing cocaine habit that she has discussed it extensively. in the British press and in other places
And while Hanna’s point of view is definitely welcome, it would have been great to hear more female musicians describing the effect of Go-Go’s vast legacy. The fact that they had a debut album that went to # 1 is remarkable, a feat only equaled by a handful of artists like Elvis Presley and The Beatles, as former MTV veejay Martha Quinn points out; That they had the first No. 1 album in the United States by a women’s band that played their own instruments and wrote their own songs is historical. Therefore, The Go-Go’s story is the mainstay for a documentary like this, even if the stories behind the songs (like their “Lost Weekend” trip to Palm Springs) are probably darker than some fans. they would have expected. The most valuable views of Ellwood are these most sincere and candid looks as there is something refreshing about the band cleaning themselves up, revealing all their dirty laundry in an unrestricted way. As a result, The Go-Go’s sweet pie personality was almost as real as the water skiing in the “Vacation” video. Canzoneri describes the band walking away from filming the video on La Brea Boulevard, smoking and hanging out at a bus stop in costumes, no longer polished and poppy, but happily, perfectly themselves.
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