Gary James' Interview With Kathy Valentine Of
The Go-Go's



Their debut album "Beauty And The Beat", released in 1981, is one of the most successful debut albums of all time. It stayed at number one on the Billboard charts for six consecutive weeks. From that album came the hits, "Our Lips Are Sealed", named one of Rolling Stone's Top 100 Pop Singles, and "We Got The Beat", which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. They are the only all-female band to write their own songs and play their own instruments on a number one album. Their follow-up, "Vacation" hit the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 chart and produced the Top Ten title track, "Vacation". They have sold over seven million records world-wide. Of course we are talking about The Go-Go's. On May 14th, 2021, The Go-Go's critically acclaimed album, "God Bless The Go-Go's" celebrates its 20th anniversary and will be reissued on CD, vinyl and digital formats on Eagle Records. This is the first time the original album version of "God Bless The Go-Go's" will be available on LP and is pressed on 140 gram, blue colored vinyl. The deluxe CD and digital versions feature new cover art and includes the bonus tracks, "I Think I Need Sleep" and "King Of Confusion". "God Bless The Go-Go's" was the band's first studio album in seventeen years, following 1984's "Talk Show", and reached #57 on the Billboard 200 chart and #17 on the Top Internet Albums chart. The Go-Go's documentary, which first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, aired over the Summer of 2020 on Showtime to rave reviews. Beginning in June of 2021, The Go-Go's will embark on a North American Tour.

Go-Go's bassist Kathy Valentine spoke with us about the upcoming tour, the band's history, her friendship with John Belushi and her autobiography, All I Ever Wanted.

Q - I see that The Go-Go's will be going on tour in the U.S. beginning June 18th. Are those tentative dates? Will those concerts be performed or you just have no idea?

A - I have no idea at all because of the pandemic. If it can be done and done in a way that is safe and you can travel and sell tickets and have an audience, I don't really know. I'm kind of taking things one day at a time. I'm not booking other stuff during that time just in case it does happen.

Q - On May 14th (2021) your "God Bless The Go-Go's" will be reissued on CD, vinyl and digital. Why vinyl? Is there a strong enough marketplace for vinyl these days?

A - Yeah. One of my good friends, who plays in my Austin band, runs a record store. I'm not a big vinyl nut, but I know there's a huge interest in it. We have a lot of support from U.M.G. (Universal Music Group) now since the documentary came out. Basically we're on a major label for the first time with funds. We're not a real functioning band right now, but if they want to put something out on vinyl, why would we say no? So it's like we've got the support of a great label that's willing to do some cool things. I think fans and collectors are really excited to have some different Go-Go's product, even though it's not new product. It's different.

Q - You were a member of this band, Girlschool. Were you there when they had a road manager named Rabbit?

A - No. I was out of the band way before they became any kind of touring entity. I was at the very beginning. I was at one gig, very casual gig, and then I got sick and then I was replaced with Kelly Johnson. They continued on and became successful in their own right, but nothing with me at that point.

Q - You saw Suzi Quatro on Top Of The Pops in 1973 and it changed your life. You didn't realize a woman could be a Rock star. But how about Janis Joplin and Grace Slick? They were around before Suzi Quatro.

A - Yeah, and I was aware of them. I was a fan of Rock bands. As a fan of The Stones I was just as much a fan of Keith Richards as I was Mick Jagger. I noticed all the musicians. What I'm talking about is I'd never seen a woman playing an instrument, fronting a band as a band leader, and being a musician playing. To me, a lead singer was not unusual. That I had seen. I had never seen a woman playing an instrument in a band, rockin' out, hands on a guitar neck, plugged into an amplifier.

Q - And seeing Suzi Quatro wearing leather pants.

A - Yeah. She said she was inspired by Elvis Presley.

Q - Who came up with the name The Go-Go's? Was it inspired by the group playing at the Whisky A Go Go?

A - No, it did not. I'm not sure who thought of the name. I joined the band when they already had the name and I was never that curious about where it came from. I've heard that Jane (Weidlin) thought of it and I've also heard that a guy in The Germs thought of it.

Q - You played The Whisky on New Year's Eve in 1980. What was that like? You must have had an idea of the history of that club, didn't you?

A - Yeah. I had lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years. I've been to The Whisky many times. I know its history. I played there with my band, The Textones. So pretty much everybody in L.A. who was in the scene was familiar with The Whisky and its history. It was a legacy place always.

Q - Did any famous musicians come through the door that night and watch The Go-Go's play that you were aware of?

A - Just a lot of locals, probably people like The Blasters. Just friends that were in bands. I don't think anybody famous. John Belushi was there.

Q - He was one of your friends, wasn't he? You used to hang with him, didn't you?

A - Not at that point, but when he became a fan and would come see The Go-Go's, then we would hang out at times.

Q - What kind of guy was John Belushi?

A - I thought he was wonderful. Very sweet and caring and interesting on a musical level. We bonded 'cause I'm from Texas and I grew up with Blues and he was really into Blues. I'm probably the person in the band who could talk about Blues and knew who Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf was.

Q - You went to an alternative school. What's that? Is that another name for an arts school?

A - No. This was a commune. It's an alternative because it wasn't part of the traditional, conventional school system. It was a commune out in the country, a community that grew their own food, built their own structures to live in. They decided to start a school for their kids that lived out there and then some kids from the town started going out to it. All the teachers were qualified, graduate degree holding people, but it was not credited. You did not get a diploma and you could choose whatever you wanted to learn. So, it was very alternative.

Q - What did they teach you?

A - Whatever I wanted to learn.

Q - Did they teach singing or maybe an instrumental instruction?

A - That's where I started playing guitar. You could learn whatever you wanted to learn there. I read. I would take a math class. Their philosophy was that kids were curious. They want to learn. You don't have to shove it down their throats. It's an interesting philosophy because I followed up on a lot of the kids that were there and they're all very successful. They're business owners. There's one that's a researcher at the Smithsonian. One is a professor at Oxford. One is at Edinburgh University. One owns a landscaping company. One is a neurosurgeon. These are kids that were just running around the woods, doing whatever they wanted, yet they grew into very functional, successful humans. I think at some point it would be a very interesting research project or documentary.

Q - I can appreciate what you're saying. Traditional education seems to focus so much on memorization.

A - I think so. It's funny because the people I knew that were in regular school from that era, there are so many tragic stories, jail and ODs. I think it's fascinating. I think if you had wandered into Greenbriar (the name of the alternative school) one day, you would've thought, what the hell are they doing here? Kids are just running around in the woods. But it was very hands on. You'd get there and there would be a big blackboard which would say, "Today We're Doing Biology." Biology might be walking through the woods, him showing you things and then going down to the creek. It was very hands on. So, it was an interesting concept. It was the first time I remember being happy in my adolescence and where I learned the guitar and found what I wanted to do in life. If I'd been in a normal school that might not have happened.

Q - Your father wasn't too supportive of you when you told him you wanted to pursue a career in music. He told you, "That's not a career of substance."

A - Yeah.

Q - Maybe he was just looking our for you, thinking not many people can make a career in the music business.

A - I understand. My dad wasn't in my life. He's in Oklahoma, raising his second wife's daughters and pretty much ignoring me. He was just not a part of my life at all. He was very much an academic. He was an Economics professor. I understand exactly where he was coming from, but I also felt like he didn't have a say in my life. You don't ignore your kid and then come sweeping down with a judgment about what they want to do or not do. So, it was the only time I asked him for anything. I asked him to help me get an electric guitar and amp and it was the only thing I asked for in the time him and my mom divorced. But to his credit, a couple of years later I was succeeding and he acknowledged that he was wrong and that he was proud of me, and much, much later in life we became close and had a relationship. He was always proud. I understand, but he wasn't living with me. He wasn't part of my life. So he didn't really get to say. I'm grateful that my mom was supportive.

Q - I'm glad your father got to see your success in the music business and that you proved him wrong.

A - Yeah.

Q - You received a degree in Inter Disciplinary English in Fine Arts. What did you want to do with that degree? Did you want to become an English teacher?

A - I haven't gotten my degree yet. I graduate in the Spring (2021). The reason it's Inter-Disciplinary is they gave me some credit for my music career. They acknowledge a woman at my age and my experience equal other things you might learn in college, but they don't offer me this degree at this university, so they just kind of folded it into Fine Arts and gave me some credit. They worked to help me do it. I've been going to college classes on and off for years. I enjoy learning. I enjoy taking classes. It was around 2010 that I thought I've got so many classes under my belt, why not graduate? I thought that would be a nice thing to do. I think it was a good thing to model for my daughter. I enjoy learning and accomplishing things and I live having goals. But I also thought it would keep me writing and learning how to be a better writer. I stopped for several years to write my book because I couldn't really be in school working for a degree and writing a book and being a musician and being a mom. So I just started back at the beginning of the Fall and took a few classes and now I'm on my last stretch here.

Q - Speaking of writing, how long did it take you to write the song "Vacation"?

A - I don't know. I wrote the lyrics on an airplane. I don't remember in terms of hours or days. It was a very long time ago. I'm sure I didn't agonize over it for months or weeks. I probably just had an idea in my mind after writing the lyrics and put music to it. So I would just be making a wild guess to answer that question.

Q - Was that a feeling you had at the time, that you were stressed out and wanted to take a vacation?

A - No, not at all. I was 19 years old. I had gone home to Austin after being in L.A. for awhile and I met somebody and had like a fling while I was there and then I went back to L.A. and it was just like a sincere and heartfelt little kind of ode to the person I had met and what I enjoyed about being there. So it's very much from a genuine, authentic place in the heart, which I think it resonates.

Q - Did everybody in The Go-Go's write? And were the royalties split evenly among the other members?

A - No. Not everybody wrote. When I joined the band, Charlotte and Jane had written a lot of good songs. When I joined I started contributing songs. Gina and Belinda contributed minimally, but not as much as the other writers. It wasn't spread equally.

Q - Did it create problems in the group?

A - Yes, it did create problems.

Q - Some groups like led Zeppelin and Aerosmith shared songwriting royalties.

A - That's pretty rare that bands do that. A lot of bands, whoever wrote it will have their name on the song, but you can still split up the money equally without giving credit to someone who didn't write the song. If you're in a band, you don't have to put someone's name on a song that didn't write it. There's no reason you can't split up the money equally. If I wrote a song I would not want to put people who didn't write it, their name on it. I would be happy to give them an equal share. I'm just saying for me. Every band has to figure out what works for them, but for me personally I don't want somebody who didn't put any talent or creativity or time or effort... I don't want their name on my song. I'm happy that we're all out there working together, being a band together, promoting together, touring together. I'm happy to have a check go to them for an equal share. That's my personal way. There's not a right or wrong. It's whatever works for the band. That's my personal feeling. I would never want credit for a song I didn't write. I don't want my name on "We Got The Beat" because I didn't write it. I didn't have anything to do with it. Would I like one fifth of the money? Yes, because I'm out there helping make it a song.

Q - I'm not sure the public realized The Go-Go's wrote their own songs and played their own instruments on the albums they made. They probably thought The Go-Go's were like The Monkees, put together by some record producer. Did you ever encounter that type of thinking?

A - No. I mean, we were fairly well known. We were on television. We were in Rolling Stone. We were on tour. It was very clear to anybody that was paying attention to the band what we were and that we did it ourselves. Anybody that read an article would know it. If you were just sitting at home and had no idea who The Go-Go's were, maybe you'd think that, but anybody that paid attention and wanted to know about us; any fan wants to know about the band. If you're not a fan you'll just think anything.

Q - How important was MTV to the success of The Go-Go's?

A - I think it was very helpful. We got a lot of resistance from radio, from programmers. We were selling out everywhere we went and we were selling records, but they weren't really adding us to the play list. Radio was very important back in those days. So, MTV kind filled that gap and pretty soon radio had to add us because we were selling so many record and doing so well that they kind of were going to get left out if they didn't add us to their play list. MTV put us in people's living rooms and a lot of younger people had never seen a female band and we were different. We weren't looking like a man's version of a Rock star or a Rock band was supposed to look like. We just looked like ourselves. We weren't trying to be sex pots. We weren't trying to look like Keith Richards. We looked like us. We were writing really good songs and executing that and out there rockin' and touring. So it brought us into people's homes.

Q - I take it everybody in the band got along and really liked each other?

A - At times. It was the same as any other band.

Q - I ask that because in 2013 you sued your bandmates and won an out of court settlement. Five years later you were back in the band. To me, that suggests there were no hard feelings and you and the others got back together and did what you've always done.

A - We don't do a lot. We haven't made a record since 2000. That's twenty-one years ago. We did one new song for the documentary. So it's not like we were working all the time. The only reason I sued the band is because I broke my wrist. They went out on tour with a substitute and then they decided to kick me out and keep the substitute because it was a very toxic, dysfunctional environment in the band. I wasn't the first person to be targeted. When they decided to replace me and kept me out of my income that the band made after I had helped build the band for thirty-five years, I had no choice but to sue to protect my financial interest. A few years later our musical came out and I went to help promote that and they realized that they were sad and sorry that they had done that and treated me that way. I loved the band. I didn't hold a grudge, writing my book, which I've been promoting all year. I was very aware of the joyful, wonderful things that we had accomplished and the good times we had were to me much stronger than somebody having some kind of dysfunctional power crazed moment. I didn't take it that personally 'cause I'd seen other people try to kick them out. I didn't take it personally and I was happy to go back in the band, but it's still not my favorite time to think about. It still hurts. It was a very hurtful time of my life. It was devastating actually, but I've lived long enough to know that most people disappoint you at some point. (laughs) People are very susceptible to acting in their self interest. and not thinking about the consequences of their actions. Stuff happens.

Q - Did everyone in The Go-Go's realize what they were getting themselves into when they became an recording/touring group?

A - Well, I moved to L.A. to make it in a band and make in the music business. I couldn't be positive what it entailed, but I knew that bands I liked toured and made records, so I wasn't surprised that that was part of it. I don't think any band realizes how hard it is and how much work it it, but we were having a good time. I was always very grateful when I joined The Go-Go's. I felt successful from the minute I joined 'em because I didn't have a day job and I was playing in a band that people liked with my best friends. Then we got a record deal and I was like, "This is great! How does it get better than this?" Then we were on tour and had a tour bus. Each step of the way was it wasn't like it all happened at once. It was incremental increases of success. Each step of it I was happy and excited and grateful for what was happening to me. I never felt like I took it for granted. My goal was to not have a job. Make it in a band. So I was kind of whatever it takes to do that. If it means getting up a seven in the morning and going to do an interview at a radio station, or if it means doing a photo session for five hours or making a video, that was all what you did. I wanted to be in a band and be successful. So, whatever that meant in a given day was great with me.

Q - That's the kind of attitude you have to have! You knew what you wanted and you got it. You were successful. You are successful.

A - Yeah. I feel very, very lucky. I've been a musician my entire adult life, since I was 16. I've been a professional musician since I was 22. So I feel very lucky and I've been in a lot of bands and done a lot of music since I've been out of The Go-Go's. The Go-Go's are successful. Other things aren't. I enjoy it just as much. I enjoy writing now too.

Official Website: www.KathyValentine

© Gary James. All rights reserved.

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