I'm pretty sure there was no way gay boys of a certain age wouldn't have been disappointed by a song promising the likes of Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry. But "Gonna Be You," with its nod to "9 to 5" opening, is cute enough -- I can totally hear it playing during the closing credits of "80 for Brady" -- and gave gay boy Gus Kenworthy the opportunity to do a cameo (and red-carpet turn) with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda (that fun hair!), Rita Moreno and Sally Field, which is all of our '80s dreams come true!
P.S. There's been a lot of speculation about why Debbie doesn't actually seem to be involved here -- she's not in the video, and if she's singing it's not noticeable. Some think she balked after hearing the song Diane Warren had written, or refused to be seen in a Patriots jersey. Whatever the case, it's probably just as well!
We gays may not care about football, but at least Tom Brady is good for SOMETHING!
Day 12 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11. This one is interesting because like "Head Over Heels" by the Go-Go's, "Leave a Light On" kind of portended the beginning of the end for Belinda Carlisle's solo record sales, just as "Head Over Heels" did for the Go-Go's. After hitting the Top 10 with "Mad About You" (No. 3), "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (No. 1), "I Get Weak" (No. 2) and "Circle in the Sand" (No. 7) from her first two solo albums, the premiere single off "Runaway Horses" (1989) peaked at No. 11.
But rather than being a hiccup, it would prove to be her last decent hit, with just one more song ever making the Top 40: "Summer Rain" off the same LP reached No. 30 in early 1990. (Likewise, after "Head Over Heels," the Go-Go's had one more Top 40 hit -- "Turn to You" at No. 32.) Then Belinda only had one more single on the Hot 100: "Do You Feel Like I Feel?" hit No. 73 in 1991 and that was all she (didn't) wrote. (Ditto for the Go-Go's, who had "Yes or No" place at No. 84 only to never chart again.) Like "Head Over Heels," "Leave a Light On" remains one of the Go-Go's singer's best songs to date, further proof that the American record-buying public generally has terrible taste. (It reached No. 4 in the U.K., where her solo hits continued through the '90s.)
Last summer I wrote about "The Most '80s Night Ever," when a Who's Who of the Los Angeles music scene got together for one night at the Palace Theater to raise money for the homeless. With a backing band consisting of Kathy Valentine (the Go-Go's), Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac), David Lindley, Gary Myrick, Ran Manzarek (the Doors), Phil Chen and Curly Smith, three of my favorite women -- Belinda Carlisle, Molly Ringwald and a not-quite-super-famous Susanna Hoffs -- took the stage to perform the Grass Roots song "Midnight Confessions," the audio of which just popped up on YouTube over the weekend. Enjoy!
Can anyone hear Susanna? Her voice is very distincitive and all I hear are Belinda and Molly!
ICYMI: Would love to hear from anyone who attended this "Trouble in Paradise" gala, benefiting the Inner City Law Center's efforts on behalf of the homeless.
A little research reveals that it took place March 10, 1985, at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles. Molly Ringwald, Belinda Carlisle and Susanna Hoffs teamed up to perform "Midnight Confessions," which sounds about right given the Bangles beauty's fondness for the Grass Roots.
Kathy Valentine -- who would be blindsided by the demise of the Go-Go's right around the time this event took place -- wrote on Twitter that she was in the backing band and helped select the artists and material for the night. In addition to Kathy, the band consisted of Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac), David Lindley, Gary Myrick, Ran Manzarek (the Doors), Phil Chen and Curly Smith
Someone on Twitter asked Kathy:
Is Christine McVie the coolest person or what?
To which she replied:
YES
Looks like a total riot. I also spot Vicki & Debbi Peterson and Michael Steele of the Bangles, Terri Nunn and John Crawford of Berlin, Jackson Browne, a pensive Carla Olson (Kathy's former Textones bandmate) and the late Phil Seymour, among many others.
As one person on Facebook put it, "There has never been so much cocaine in one room since Nicholson’s '79 Christmas party."
Just came across this 2018 clip by the head Go-Go, who recorded the song for the musical adaptation of "B Is for Beer," Tom Robbins's 2009 novel about a young girl exploring the world of beer. (Was that the sequel to Carrie Bradshaw's book about the little girl named Cathy and her magic cigarettes that allowed her to “go anywhere in the whole wide world, like Arabia or New Jersey"?) Belinda also played the role of the Beer Fairy, alongside Laura Silverman, Jon Cryer, Paul F Tompkins, Busy Philipps, Rose Byrne, Alex Wyse and Cary Brothers.
Apparently it was workshopped at the Largo in West Hollywood -- with Steven Weber! -- but never officially got off the ground.
At least it's not chanting or in French this time ...
Of the Hollies' post-Graham Nash material, I'm a "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" man -- released in 1972, natch! But this one from two years later has been on my mind ever since I heard Belinda Carlisle warble it as part of her weekly pandemic covers series on Instagram -- where apparently she BLOCKED ME(!) even though I didn't follow her. (I only found out when someone sent me a link to this song, so logged out to watch it!)
And how about this: When I played this the other night, Damian said to me: "Is this Radiohead?" I had no idea what he was talking about -- I barely knew what Radiohead is -- but just discovered that their 1992 song "Creep" was determined to have too much in common with the Hollies track, resulting in a copyright settlement and writing credits for the old-timers being added to "Creep."
Can't think of a better addition to Cyndi Lauper's Home for the Holidaysthan Belinda Carlisle, who is such an LGBTQ activist she even gave birth to a gay son! Pity Cyn's too much of a pill to get what Belinda was asking when she said, "What song?"
Go-Go’s fans were driving in risk upon seeing this photo dated today outside the Whisky on the Sunset Strip. A call to the venue informed me that there is no (public) performance tonight -- marquee be damned -- so I’m guessing there is some additional footage being shot for the upcoming documentary about the band. Can it possibly top their "Behind the Music"?!!!
UPDATE:
Kathy confirmed they are filming for the Showty doc.
For those of you in the New York area, it seems Belinda Carlisle will be performing on Long Island on Aug. 31 at the Steppingstone Waterside Theatre in Long Beach, home of Joan Jett. More info HERE.
'80s ladies: Molly Ringwald, Susanna Hoffs, Belinda Carlisle and an unknown woman impersonating Debora Iyall
This one's notable for a few reasons: It's sung by the lead babes of the two biggest female bands of all time; I was in the audience at the Largo the night it was recorded; and, shockingly (to me), it was the last time I was in Los Angeles -- after having gone every year since leaving in 1993! I miss you, L.A. :-(
The Go-Go's made a surprise appearance on Broadway last night, where I hear they performed "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Head Over Heels" with the cast of their new musical. The New York Times did a fun piece about five of the show's songs, -- producer Richard Gottehrer is pretty bitchy about the "Vacation" album(!) and Belinda Carlisle had this to say about the title track:
That was the beginning of the end, that album. We were run ragged, we didn’t know how to say no. The song has an upbeat, cheerful melody and lyrically it really captures the darker side of fame and fortune — I had an appreciation for the lyrics then but not like I do now in hindsight.
I'm slated to finally see a preview of the show a week from tomorrow!
I've been on a Connie Francis kick lately, which is probably why YouTube recommended this scream of a clip featuring Belinda Carlisle on a U.K. reality show impersonating the Italian-American legend! Pay close attention for the young woman who previously went on the show as Belinda -- and the Go-Go's singer's son, James Duke Mason, as a very young boy in the audience!
When I look at this photo and watch this clip I must admit that I actually feel sorry for people who didn’t experience the ‘80s. I wouldn't trade record stores, thrift-shop clothes, 12-inch singles, John Hughes movies, music magazines, wooden tennis rackets, men with unironic mustaches, hanging out at the mall, dance clubs, MTV veejays and world premiere videos, camping out for concert tickets, old-fashioned stalking, and New Wave and other great music on the Hot 100 for anything. Maybe this is why aging doesn't hurt as much as you thought it would when you were a kid: You don't envy the young because the world they live in is so much less cool than the one you got to be a part of.
P.S.:
Can you imagine someone thinking this is a life? What's sad is I know for a fact this isn't an anomaly.
They've got the beat: Kathy Valentine, Charlotte Caffey, Jane Wiedlin, Belinda Carlisle and Gina Schock
The world's head was a little less lost Monday night when Kathy Valentine reunited with the Go-Go's for a short concert at Bowery Ballroom to promote "Head Over Heels," the upcoming musical heading to Broadway featuring 17 of the band's songs.
An inspired mash-up of posh and punk, "Head Over Heels" is an unpredictable, Elizabethan romp about a royal family that must prevent an oracle's prophecy of doom. In order to save their beloved kingdom, the family embarks on an extravagant journey wrought with mistaken identities, jealous lovers, sexual awakening, scandal and self-discovery, where everything (and everyone) is not quite what it seems.
Insider buzz on “Head Over Heels” is strong. The show’s had a few workshops since it premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015. It’s gotten better each time, sources say.
It did hit a bump in the road when the original writer, Jeff Whitty, left the production. Whitty, who wrote the script to “Avenue Q,” is a talented writer. And at the Go-Go’s concert Monday night, people involved in the show told me much of his original script was “great fun” and “brilliantly theatrical.”
But it was long. “Head Over Heels” ran three hours in Oregon, prompting one of the Go-Go’s to remark, “I love the Go-Go’s. I’m in the Go-Go’s. But I can’t take three hours of the Go-Go’s.”
James Magruder stepped in to streamline the script, under the supervision of director Michael Mayer, who won the Tony for his terrific production of “Spring Awakening.”
While “Head Over Heels” uses Go-Go’s music, it’s not the band’s story. The show is based on “Arcadia,” a 16th-century prose poem by Sir Philip Sidney, and is set in a magical land of dukes, oracles, lions, bears -- and more than a couple of cross-dressers. The cast includes Jeremy Kushnier, Taylor Iman Jones, Andrew Durand, Rachel York and Peppermint (of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fame).
While it's no secret I'm not a big musical theater goer, I don't know that there was anyone more excited to be there than I was -- especially with this guy by my side.
Damian's future's so bright ...
Legendary MTV veejay Mark Goodman spoke with director Michael Mayer -- who described the show as the perfect escapist antidote for today's troubled times -- before introducing the band.
And then out came the ladies ...
who launched into "Vacation," Kathy's classic written for her old band the Textones ...
followed by "How Much More," which Charlotte wrote with Jane ...
Andy Cohen and Sandra Bernhard -- (S)Andy -- were to my right, loving every minute of it ...
Was a little surprised that they then did "Mad About You," which was technically written (by replacement Go-Go Paula Jean Brown) for the band's first post-Jane album before ending up on Belinda's solo debut ...
Then came their cover classic, "Cool Jerk." Belinda really seemed to get into the song with Kath and her bad, bad bass ...
The play's title track was next -- a Caffey/Valentine collaboration ...
Followed by the one-two "Beauty and the Beat" punch of "Our Lips Are Sealed" (Wiedlin/Terry Hall)
... and "We Got the Beat” (Caffey).
Afterward we got to spend a little time with Kathy ...
And I confronted Mark Goodman about his missing trademark curly locks. (He hates them and gets his hair straightened these days!)
Miss Guy -- my all-time favorite deejay -- did not disappoint ...
Then I bumped into Charlotte and showed her the photo I took of her when my friend Mark and I stalked the Go-Go's on their 1984 tour. She was so tickled she went running -- with my phone -- across the venue (with no warning) to show her posse, laughing and saying, "That was definitely 'Talk Show' hair!"
It remains to be seen if "Head Over Heels: The Musical" is my cup of tea -- the music's obviously great and the cast is adorable, so that helps! -- but seeing these five women onstage again most definitely is. Here's hoping they continue to play together. We wouldn't want them to be rusty (or estranged) when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally comes knocking.
I'm not a sci-fi guy. But Damian has been dying for me to watch the "'80s episode" of "Black Mirror" for months -- and now that "San Junipero" won an Emmy, I did just that. (Loved it -- and it was the best use of Belinda Carlisle's music ever!)
It's been 35 years since Madonna released her first single, yet I'm still more interested in what my mentally unstable friends found in her trash(!) on Oriole Way back in the day than anything Taylor Swift says, does or releases.This could confirm that I'm old. Or it could reveal that today's pop stars just aren't very compelling. Or both.
P.S. Count your blessings I didn't take a photo of Belinda Carlisle's IUD another friend found in the trash in front of her home on Benedict Canyon Drive!
The legendary Go-Go's played the final show of their so-called farewell tour Tuesday night at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, the city where it all began nearly four decades ago. Like many fans, I skipped this tour, and the previous ones that occurred after bassist Kathy Valentine was unilaterally dismissed in early 2013. While some have pointed out that I've never thought twice about seeing dozens of other bands that have had revolving band members -- Blondie, the Pretenders, Hole and the Beach Boys come to mind -- what made the Go-Go's wonderfully unique in the rock 'n' roll landscape is that they spent more than three decades together with their classic lineup intact, making them a very special exception to the rule. So while the Eagles and Van Halen were acting like "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," these five adult women were consummate professionals, never giving in to the stereotypes of women being other women's worst enemy. That all ended when Kathy Valentine broke her wrist and missed some touring dates. Not only did the four other women gang up on her in her absence to create an evil caricature that no one would want anything to do with, Kathy's hand-picked fill-in pulled an Eve Harrington, eventually usurping Kathy's place in the band. How they went from being the only group of women in music history to have written and played a No. 1 album to 50-something "Mean Girls" by way of "All About Eve" is one of the saddest and most disillusioning stories in rock 'n' roll history.
With the band now on permanent vacation, it was somewhat heartening to see that Kathy Valentine's attempt to reach out to her former bandmates was greeted with a kind response from Belinda Carlisle, who many think was merely the enforcer for one petty and vindictive singing telegram ...
Next stop: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? A gay can dream!
UPDATE:
Mrs. Mason (and the other women invarious interviews) continues to spread lies, trying to lead fans to believe there had to be "legitimate reasons" Kathy Valentine was ousted from the band. First we were told all would be laid out in the lawsuit, but that turned out to be a lot of gas. Now we're being told the Go-Go's can't discuss it because of "legal reasons." Note to world: "Confidential settlement" means you can't discuss how much was (or wasn't) paid to make a lawsuit go away. It DOES NOT mean you cannot discuss why you wanted to part ways with someone -- so fess up or shut up. Way to reinforce negative stereotypes about how "catty" women are to one another, ladies.
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