The Go-Go's: punk rock au féminin

"The Go-Go's" (2020 release; 98 min.) is a documentary about "the most successful female rock band of all time". As the movie opens, we are reminded (for the first, but not the last, time) that the Go-Go's are the only all-female rock band to write and perform their own songs who scored a Billboard No. 1 album. We then go to "Los Angeles, 1979" as the local punk scene is small but ferocious and a number of the eventual Go-Go girls are very much a part of it (check the footage and photos of Jane Wiedlin attending a show at the Masque). We then turn to Belinda Carlisle as she too came up through the SoCal punk scene. "The punk scene was safe and welcoming" she comments. "You don't know what you are doing? Just do it!" At this point we are 10 min. into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from long-time documentarian Allison Ellwood. Here she brings the story of the Go-Go's, very much like those erstwhile VH-1 "Behind the Music" episodes. The documentary's first 45 min. are absolutely flawless, benefiting from the amazing amount of archive footage and pcitures from the early days. The band's first (1980) tour of the UK (opening for the Specials and Madness) gets ample attention, and rightfully so. Equally transfixing is the band's evolution from punk to new wave to pop. Confesses Charlotte Caffey (on writing "We Got the Beat"): "I was sacred. I thought the girls would throw me out of the band for writing a pop song." Absolute genius! The band's meteoric rise is as dazzling as it is dizzying (reaching No. 1 on the Billboard album chart with their 1981 debut album). They would never achieve such heights again. The second half of this documentary isn't nearly as compelling as, predictably, it focuses on the band's in-fighting, drug addictions and ultimate demise (and return). The biggest flaw, or annoyance, of this film, though, is the repeated pleas to get the Go-Go's in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Do they belong? For sure. But hitting you over the head with this in a documentary isn't really the way to go.

"The Go-Go's" premiered a few days ago on Showtime, and is now available on SHO On Demand, Amazon Instant Video and other streaming platforms. If you are a fan of the Go-Go's from back in the day, or simply are a music fan, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Showtime does subpar documentaries in comparison to their rival, HBO, but this one was okay. Just a lot of glossing over relevant information. So, Charlotte has a massive drug problem. How about you tell us HOW that was and how it affected everything and everyone around her? Band members repeatedly state Charlotte was out of control, even saying, "She was so out of control, Ozzy Osbourne banned her from his dressing room." And that's it. No details, whatsoever. Now THAT'S a story everyone would want to hear. Outside of those details, it was fun watching all the footage of these adorable cutie pies. I didn't realize how many of their songs I actually knew, probably because they appeared on so many movies and tv commercials. Worth a watch if you're an 80's baby and general music fan.

I recently discovered their first album in a thrift shop. Thought I would give the documentary a view. W0W what a great history lesson!! A must watch for any music buff.

Alison Ellwood's (Laurel Canyon) Documentary does a pretty fair job of covering the story of the all-girl band who made good in the early 80s. It's an authorized Doc with the full participation of all five main members, but they do speak pretty openly of their the squabbles and feuds which led to their breaking up after only three albums. Two founding band members who were fired before they hit the big-time are also given time to speak their minds, as is the group's original manager who was forced out when they were at their peak of fame. Still, there are obvious gaps in the storytelling (including a major lawsuit by bassist Kathy Valentine that kept her out of the band's reunion shows for a few years), and while the two guitarists, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey, talk openly about their personal issues, singer Belinda Carlisle is very circumspect. Gina Schock is refreshingly candid. As someone who was a big fan of the band when they hit the scene, there's a sense of sadness about band's story. For a band who's music and public image was all big and bouncy, one comes away feeling that they didn't enjoy their couple of years of fame. Sure, the sex, drugs and booze standard rock 'n roll rise and fall story applies to many bands, but, the Go-Gos rise and fall tale seems to have happened on speed dial. Indeed, the unspoken message here is that it was their comet-like rise to the top that caused them to crash and burn even that much more rapidly. They were the first all woman band to play their own instruments to have a Number One album (and still are!!), but the pressure to cash-in on that newfound fame caused jealousies and divisions within the band and accentuated Wiedlin and Caffey's personal demons to the breaking point. Still, for all the turmoil, Ellwood shows that the women have patched things up. The band also shows personal photos of the good times they had together. They do seem to be, if not content now, at least more at peace with themselves - and each other. And, their new song, 'Club Zero' ain't half bad, either.

I liked the Go-Gos as much as anyone back in the day, but really, they were no more than a come and go band that played catchy music for a couple of years in the 80s - like many other bands at the time. Having said that, this doco really does create a really interesting exploration of the foundations of the band. They all seem to rabbit on about what great rebels they were and what crazy punk stuff they did, but that's not why they became famous. It was their American pop princess music and image that got them there. It has all the usual elements of pop band life - kicking people out, drugs, jealousy and fights over royalties. It's a very familiar tale, but still interesting to watch.

So why is there still some interest in this band after all these years? I basically think that it was because Belinda Carlyle cleaned up, became super hot, had a few hits and this helped maintain an interest in the band. They also tour every now and then and really emphasize the punk/party animal aspect of their lives which is ultimately more interesting than the popular music they produced. As for their campaign to get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it will probably happen, proving that anything is possible if you hang around long enough and change your narrative to whatever is fashionable at the time.