Wednesday, June 8, 2022

The Go-Go's


Last night, while Dave finished his final concert of the school year (7th Grade), I seized the opportunity to watch another movie that I knew wouldn't interest him -- Alison Ellwood's documentary about the Go-Go's. I was a huge Go-Go's fan in the early '80s when I was in high school, and it was fascinating to see in the movie how they came together and formulated their sound.

They were a product of the punk music scene in Los Angeles, a bunch of teenage girls who decided to form their own band because, basically, that's what you did if you were a rebellious teenager in that time and place. Some of them didn't even play instruments when they started out, but they taught themselves and were fortunately gifted with a couple of members who turned out to be skilled songwriters. Before long, with a slightly shifting lineup, they became a ground-breaking all-female band, even managed by a woman.

I first heard the Go-Go's in 1981 when their single "Our Lips Are Sealed" hit the charts. I remember being curled up next to the stereo in our living room and listening to it on the American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. I bought their album "Beauty and the Beat" as well as the next album, "Vacation," and I loved both of them and knew (and still know) every track by heart.

I can't believe I haven't already written about my Go-Go's fandom on this blog, but when I do a blog search I don't see a significant mention of them anywhere. How is that possible?!

As you can see, I even saved my ticket stub from the night I went to see them in concert at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, a little more than a month after I graduated from high school. Can you believe it cost only $12.50? That was a crazy night. It was my first rock concert and it was general-admission, so there was intense pressure to get into the arena early and get close to the stage. I went with my girlfriend and we were close to the glass doors when they opened. There was a huge crowd surge behind us and we were smashed against the doors -- I was able to push back enough to make space for my girlfriend to get inside, and I followed. It was actually quite a dangerous situation and more than a few concert-goers got injured at other rock shows in scenes like that. But we just took it in stride as part of the fun. (Teenagers!)

By this time the Go-Go's were on their tour for the album "Talk Show," which proved to be their last for many years. In fact, as I learned from the movie, Jane Wiedlin had already essentially quit the band, but they were touring to fulfill their contracts. As a fan I saw nothing indicating any discord (or their significant drug use) and in fact I had a blast. I still remember lead singer Belinda Carlisle energetically fronting the band, wearing dangling ball earrings and a gauzy pink top that grew progressively more shredded as the evening went on. I also remember a blonde girl in the crowd wearing an oversized, yellow men's business shirt as, basically, a dress. I thought it was the coolest look. (For her, obviously. It wouldn't have worked on me!) I bought a concert tee shirt that would probably be worth a couple hundred dollars now if I hadn't worn it thin and, ten years later, given it to Goodwill.

The opening band was INXS -- before they hit it big themselves a few years later. Crazy!

Anyway, not long after that show the Go-Go's broke up and they stayed broken up for more than a decade. Carlisle went on to her successful solo career and they dropped off my radar for a while, though I still listened to their old records. Then, in 2001, they reunited for a show in New York's Central Park, and as I was living in Manhattan by then, I went. There's a video of the show online. I can't find myself in that crowd, but I was there, and I remember it was a great evening (with better crowd control!).

So, anyway, I loved watching the movie and re-living my years of Go-Go's enthusiasm.

(Top photo: Apropos of nothing, a rose from our garden on our living room windowsill.)

20 comments:

Moving with Mitchell said...

What an experience and what memories. Can’t believe INXS was the opening band. I loved the Go-Gos and was disappointed when they broke up so quickly. But, oh my god, $12.50. Then again, I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Brooklyn around ´77 or ´78. Probably the same ticket price, if not cheaper. Sadly, I don’t have the stub.

Anonymous said...

What a great reminisce. I haven't heard of the band but of course I have of INXS. Hutchence still makes me feel like a swooning school girl and like so many who died young, he hasn't become an old man.

Lovely single rose. It looks like an old variety.

River said...

I'd forgotten Belinda Carlisle began with the Go-Go's. I don't even remember their songs, but I have a couple of Belinda's on my playlist.

Michael said...

And now I can't get the Go-Gos "Vacation" out of my head! Remember the video where they were water skiing?

Ed said...

I know I liked the Go-Gos and I'm sure I know quite a few of their songs but they don't come to me right now. I'll have to ask my Alexa for a reminder.

I attended a general admission concert of a band in their early heydays of fame, I can't recall who they were but my friends with me were all fans. Long story short, we got there fairly early so were near the front and it was early afternoon outside in the summer and things were heating up really fast to dangerous levels. They started breaking out hoses to cool off the crowd. Some of the smaller girls in our group were starting to get crushed and so I spent twenty minutes forcing my way back away from the stage with a congo line of girls and guys hanging off my belt to slip through gaps I made in the crowd. We couldn't even make it out of the gate because too many people were still trying to cram into the area so ended up climbing over the fence. It made an impression on me and I would never put myself in that position ever again.

Bob said...

I liked that documentary as well; so much I didn't know.
I will also say that Belinda was one of my few girl crushes, and to be fair, she probably still is.

Ms. Moon said...

I'm not sure I ever would have seen you as a Go-Go's fan. Sounds like they've given you a whole lot of listening pleasure over the years.

NewRobin13 said...

I don't think I've ever listened to the Go-Go's. In the early 1980s I was a 30-year-old freshman in college and working part-time for the City of Boulder, Colorado. I can't even remember if I was listening to any music back then. I may have to go find a good Go-Go's song to listen to today to see what I was missing!

Kelly said...

I haven't thought of the Go-Go's in years, but I really liked their music at the peak of their fame. I wonder why their name has the apostrophe in it?

Linda Sue said...

happy party Go-gos- "had to get away". Good for cleaning -the -house music.First rock concert? Makes an impression no matter who the rockers were. I am curious to see the DOC now.
Beautiful rose in the window!

Margaret said...

I think I like the Go Gos but I'm terrible at identifying songs and groups. One of my older cousins was a music lover and he enjoyed discovering obscure bands, then inviting me to their concerts. I went reluctantly to hear some guy I'd never heard of named Bruce Springsteen but turned him down on Fleetwood Mac. Boy, was I dumb.

Sharon said...

Ahhh...sweet memories. I remember the Go-Go's but I remember Belinda Carlisle even more. I had at least one of her records. $12.50??? Amazing.

Ellen D. said...

I don't know many of the GoGos songs but I had heard of them. "We Got the Beat" is the only one I remember, I think. How nice that you have so many happy memories of them!

Allison said...

Well, that took me back. I loved the Go-Gos. There was another female band, The Flirts, that was good.

Jeanie said...

That sounds good. I haven't heard about the Go-Gos for years. Boy, Belinda C. did well after, didn't she? They were fun.

Jennifer said...

I love the Go-Gos! I envy you having seen them live.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I must confess that until I read this blogpost, I had never even heard of The Go-Go's! I thought you had just made them up. To you this is probably on a par with never having heard of Beethoven or Chopin.

Catalyst said...

Well, I was a little older than you and I remember my first rock concert was one I promoted, as a d.j., for Fats Domino. Quite a different sound. I interviewed him live on the telephone . . my first interview!

Steve Reed said...

Mitchell: I consider seeing INXS at that stage of their careers quite a coup! I think seeing Springsteen back then might have me beat, though.

Andrew: I have no doubt you would know some of the Go-Go's songs if you heard them.

River: I wonder if some of the Belinda songs you have are actually Go-Go's songs? Belinda only had a handful of hits as a solo artist, as I recall.

Michael: YES! I loved that video, silly as it was. There's funny footage in the documentary of them walking around LA in their water-skiing tutus at the time of the filming.

Ed: It's crazy how disorganized crowd control (or lack of it) could be at that time. It's no wonder people died in that stampede at the Who concert in Ohio.

Bob: Belinda IS pretty awesome, and her voice was integral to the success of the band. But it's interesting that she wasn't making as much money as the band members who wrote the songs.

Ms Moon: See? I'm full of surprises! LOL

Robin: I bet their most famous songs will be familiar to you. They were all over the radio in 1981-84.

Kelly: That is a very good question! I guess Go-Gos looked weird?

Linda Sue: It's definitely worth watching! I like the description as "cleaning the house music" -- LOL!

Margaret: Well, at least you accepted the Springsteen invitation!

Sharon: It really IS amazing. The price allowed high school kids like me with minimum-wage jobs to attend concerts. (Although $12.50 was the equivalent of about three hours' work!) I don't know how kids do it now. I guess mommy and daddy pay.

Ellen D: Most people seem to remember "We Got the Beat." That was always a lesser favorite for me -- I preferred "Our Lips Are Sealed."

Allison: I never heard the Flirts, but of course a few years later we got the Bangles and Bananarama. I'm not sure they were singing their own stuff, though, or were managed by a woman. The Go-Go's really were an all-female act.

Jennifer: One of my best concert memories!

YP: I bet you'd recognize some of their songs if you heard them. They actually toured England very early in their careers, opening for the band Madness.

Catalyst: Wow! Here's some trivia about Fats that I just learned: Despite his name, which would suggest a certain degree of ill health, he lived to be 89!

Mage said...

What great memories, and all for 12 bucks.