August 31, 2023 • 38 mins
They got the beat! Kevin and Jenna go "Head Over Heels" for trailblazers Kathy Valentine and Gina Shock of The Go-Go's. . . the most successful female rock band of all time!
Kathy and Gina share their honest opinions about the Glee covers of their iconic 80's hit songs, "We Got the Beat" and "Vacation," and they don't mince their words.
Plus, they open up about their experiences trying to make it as an all-girl band in a male-dominated industry, reuniting for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, and you won't believe how long it took for one of their biggest hits to crack the charts!! It's a chat you won't want to miss.
**We stand in solidarity with our union, SAG-AFTRA, during the strike. For more information, go to SAGAFTRAStrike.org.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
And that's what you really missed with Jenna.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
And Kevin An iHeartRadio podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Welcome to and That's what Really missed podcast. I just
peed my pants a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Legends, John Icon's Legends, people who have broken the mold,
made a new one.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I mean, we've got the go Gos today, We've got
Gina Shock and Kathy Valentine of the Go Gos, the
go joking they are, they are the Go Gos. They
need no introduction, but wow, what a great conversation and
one an honor. I think I said one and honor
to have you guys about fifty times.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I found myself just staring a couple of times.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
We're here.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah, it was really really special.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, we got to do two of their songs on Glee,
so we get to hear their thoughts. Also, just the
insight of having such a long and successful career and
varied career.
Speaker 5 (01:08):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
They're just so wise and so creative. And I learned
a lot and a lot about myself during this interview.
So strap in, get ready. It is just a wonderful,
wonderful conversation with rock legends, Gina Shock, Kathy Valentine. Listen,
(01:34):
Thank you both for being here and joining us. This
is very exciting.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah, sure, sure, I don't think.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
I don't think I got to meet you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
You know, I did the reading of Head Over Heels
at Vassar with Michael and Spencer and all the fun people.
But I don't know that I got to meet Jane.
But I didn't. I don't think I got to.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Meet you guys.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
I wasn't there.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, but Kathy, you're working on a production now, right.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Yes, I'm having the best time.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Production is awesome, and I'm the band leader and I'm
in every performance.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
I'm having the best time.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I thought it might be a grind, you know, like
hut me up the same place, but it feels fresh
and exciting and original every single time.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Oh that's great. That's really exciting. It must be exciting
for them to have you there as well.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
It is. I feel like a big star.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
You are a big star finally.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Like moving away from Austin and like now I'm getting
all this, Like, well, I just went to get juice
at my juice place and there was these guys talking
about Head.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Over Heels and they have a go go and she
lives here.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And I'm like it's me. I'm here. I'm the go
Go Wow.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Well, welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us, you guys.
It is such an honor to have you here. We're
just so excited to talk to you guys. First of all, obviously,
since this is a Glee podcast, we did two of
your iconic songs. We got the Beat in Vacation. Do you,
guys remember or were you involved in any of the
(03:03):
process of like allowing the song to be used, either
song to be used on the show.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Yeah, I can.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
I can tell you that for musicians these days, it's
not easy to earn a living unless you're touring all
the time. You don't sell a lot of records anymore
with streaming and so it's touring and merch it's really
how you make money and licensing. So if you've got
a song that is ever asked to bensing licensed for anything,
(03:33):
it's kind of like a godsend. We all wait for
something like that to happen, because it's not easy out
there for musicians these.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Days, certainly, certainly so.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Yeah, if I got a request to use any song
I wrote for just about anything, unless it was like gross,
then I would say no.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
There's certain we won't get into it, but there's certain
things I would say no too.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Totally.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
That's good news.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
That's good I imagine too, like you've these songs have
taken on a life of their own, They've become massive.
What you achieved hasn't been achieved before since where I
imagine the amount of people asking for permission to do
these songs or the amount of versions you've heard of
these songs over the years has been pretty incredible, incredible.
(04:23):
Have you did you get a chance to see the
Glee versions of these songs or the performances.
Speaker 6 (04:28):
I just looked at them again today and it was
pretty cool. It was actually like what you guys did
with it. You you injected new life into the songs
that your versions of them both. And it's also really
cool to have a go those song and something as
big as Blee was and still sort of is.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
You know, yeah that really those sort of nods keep
the band's name and legacy alive. So especially before we
got in the rock hall, these kind of that kind
of exposure and to younger people. You know, my daughter
was a Glee fan and I'm at first she was
(05:08):
just like over the moon when Mom, Mom.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
They're doing your song.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I mean it was so cool for us too to
get to do those songs too, because these are songs
we grew up with and then, you know, we've talked
about before how like you hope, we hope that we
do them justice, and you hope that the people who
actually wrote and performed these songs like them. So to
be able to you know, have you both say you've
watched it and you approve the kids approve is pretty big.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
And yeah, the.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
Vocals on them were really good too, and the backing
harm it sounded really cool for it was perfect. It
was absolutely perfectly for the show.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
It was right in the part that means a lot.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
I think we learned when we when the musical was
on Broadway that it kind of made us really out
at the strength of the material because of a song
can be done in that setting, in a theatrical setting,
and a musical shows. It's just a testament to how
(06:15):
good the material is. And it's it's really exciting for
us to see that, and I think that it just
kind of makes us feel even more proud of our legacy.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, I mean yeah, when when they came around saying
that they were going to do a Go Go's musical.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
It was like a no brainer.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
You're like one thousand percent, there's a thousand songs you
could use, Which ones? How are they going to be used?
In what context? It's just you could go and just
close your eyes and listen to the music and it
would still be greats.
Speaker 6 (06:46):
That were done were fantastic, every perfection that I've seen
this far, like one, and it was in Baltimore. We
saw them one up the Broadway, Kathy doing hers. Where
else I saw a loved one somewhere elseon I just
love the different like you know, original touches that are
put to each production from the cast members, but everybody
(07:08):
doing such like giving it. They're absolute all to make
these songs come alive. And it really it was. I
was smiling ear to ear and I like when I
first went because I was never a big stand of musicals,
you know, and when this happened, when I saw brow,
it knocked me out because how they were made these
songs work in this in these you know, these settings
(07:30):
and a musical. I thought, oh, I can't imagine we're
like this, but it was really good and it continues
to be good in every places. I'd like to be down,
I can't. I hope I can come down pictures.
Speaker 5 (07:42):
Yeah, I'd love for you to come there. Are you kidding?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
You'd be like a huge star here and they're like, oh,
that tired old go go Kathy.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
We need some fresh go go meat.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
What's better than one go go? You know?
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
And I do think that having us in Glee and
some there's a couple of other big shows that did
us featured us musically, and I think that that helped
pave the way for the.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Idea for the music to work in a musical.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
So we actually, oh, you you know, Glee, we owe
the producers and the cast and the people a huge
debt of thanks for you know, acknowledging us and honor us.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
They helped us a lot. So we're glad to be
here to kind of pay it forward.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh, We're so glad. The fans will be happy to
hear that.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
We We always say that Glee was above all things.
Hre Ryan murfeat Lee said, this is like Glee is
a love letter to all the artists that we idolized
that shaped us, impacted us growing up and into the
artists we are today, So it felt so natural for
us to be doing the Go Gos, especially as a female.
(08:53):
I'm just curious for you guys, as an all female
rock band during such a time I am where it
was like all very male dominated, what that was like
for you guys. Was it challenging at all or what
was that experience? Like?
Speaker 6 (09:09):
Yeah, I mean, the thing is is I love. I
love being in a band. I know Kathy likes in
a band, you know, because you have each other to
fall back on, rely on, and us knowing each other
as well as we did, we're like a pack of
wild animals let loose, cut loose over the world when
we're together, and we always we always had each other
(09:31):
to rely on, and you know if we I mean,
of course, the odds were against us because nobody wanted
to sign an all female band back then, because there
had been no all female bands that had been hugely
successful on an international level, and so everyone was hesitant,
and we just made up our minds that we're just
going to keep doing what we're doing. We love what
(09:52):
we're doing, we're good friends, we're having a great time,
and we have something to say, and we were just
going to keep pushing and pushing. And also the scene
back then was so inclusive with our like the punk scene,
the rock scene in La back then. Man, it was great,
all each all the beings supported each other. We'd all
go to each other's shows. So Sert of Us, the
(10:14):
Fire of Us, and then all our colleagues, all our
buddies and other bands against you know, the man, and
we were all we were there to show everybody, you know,
check us out. We got something happened here.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Certainly did.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
That's so important to have that community too, especially when
you know, I imagine when you're in it, you may
not feel it, but you were doing something that hadn't
really ever been done before. And then when the man
did see that there was that other people had a
hunger and desire to hear that, to consume that, did
(10:48):
it feel like, yeah, thanks for catching up. Now finally
we knew we were good and everybody or was it
one of those things We're like, we were just you know,
keeping our head down, doing our thing, and we're lucky
that this happened.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Well, we know, I think, I mean I Gina and
I have a lot in common in terms of the
go gos because we were both you know, on a
as musicians, we both planned bands, and we moved from
our hometown so here from Baltimore, me from Austin to
LA to make it in the business. And we both
(11:22):
saw the Go Gos and saw that this was the
this was the band that could make our dreak. So
we shared that we saw it. I just you could
sense it. You just knew that the band was going
to be. It had chemistry and to this day, if
you were to put us in a room, the chemistry
would be very evident to anyone else. So we had
that in common. But we also were the only two
(11:43):
people in the band that don't have sisters. I'm an
only child. Jena had a brother, and so for me
it was such a sisterhood. It really felt like a
family to me. And I'd never had that feeling of
big sisters, little sisters, or you know, sit close in
age sisters. And I loved that aspect of the Go Gos.
(12:05):
And it's actually something I still love about playing with women.
It feels like the sister I never got to have.
I just love you just.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
Because of my wisdom and perceptive insights.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
I mean absolutely, it took the words out.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
Of a round.
Speaker 7 (12:22):
Yeah, can you talk about like how your songwriting process,
like what it's like or how it evolved over the years.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Do you guys write together.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I know, Kathy, you wrote Vacation, Like tell us about
that a little bit.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
I wrote Vacation before I was in the band, and
the Go Gos were very much like a lot of bands,
and that you're out playing the clubs and you're kind
of getting better, and by the time you make your.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
First record, the songs are pretty much much there.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
You've been playing them, you've ditched the ones that are duds,
and you've you know, you kind of know. And by
the time you get to your second record, you've been
working that first record and you don't have a lot
of material. So the first record was was dominated by
Charlotte and Jane's writing, and they'd hit they had hit
a real just like it happens a lot with Lennon
(13:23):
McCartney and just different writers.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
They just hit this vein almost of.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Just gold we're tapped in.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
It a magical flow, a magical flow that happens at
that particular time, you know, in their songwriting career and
in history whatever, when it is flowing and it seems
like it's all gold.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
Yeah, it was, it was, and it made for a
great record.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
I was very happy to get one song on the
album because I was the newest member.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
But when it came.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
Down to the second record, we didn't have that material
that was tried and through, that had been road tested
and everything, so we were kind of scrambling and we
started getting I started bringing in more material like vacation
and we don't get Along, and Gina started writing more.
Even though she hadn't been a writer, she started getting
(14:17):
in their writing, and that continued to go. I think
if we'd stepped together past a talk show our third album,
I think we would have done a lot of collaborative
writing in the room. But other forces were at play
and that didn't happen. But that's the direction we were headed.
And regardless of who stayed home with us with their
(14:37):
notebook and cassette deck and wrote a song, regardless of
who did that, it was very much the musicians that
brought that song to life. I mean, if you don't
hear that drum beat first singing and go that's we
got the beat, then you don't you know what I mean?
It's like that is that's what signals that song, and
it's really there's not a lot there or without that,
(15:01):
you know, and there's not a lot there without certain
guitar riffs, you know, like here or just there's little
hooks that everyone brought to whatever, whoever wrote the song.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
But Linda's voice. She might not have written a song,
but that voice singing the songs.
Speaker 6 (15:20):
Kathy, what you're saying, and this was the great thing
about our band is that we were noted with hooks,
melodic and musicals like guitars, you know, bassed katy bok
boto boom boto, boom bo. I mean, you know what
when Kathy and I used to we rehearse the two
of us by ourselves for hours before we'd even get
(15:41):
with the band. So when the ban would come in,
we were tight.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
We were rocking hard already.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I love that.
Speaker 6 (15:46):
Yeah, And you know, Kathy being a really good musician,
and she had you know, said it like we both
came to the same sort of thing. Kathy was also
a writer. I wasn't really a writer when we started,
but I was like, Kathy really actually did encourage me
to write. Was like, Gina, let me write with you.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
It was like I remember I remember exactly what I said.
I go, you know more about music than anybody I know,
and I said, and you have a very strong point
of view and opinion about your perspective.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
And that's what that's what writing is.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
You put your you put your opinion to words, you
put your musical knowledge. And I saw that, Gina, and
I remember saying that because you were like, no, I know,
she was.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
Sort of championed. She was my champion certainly in the beginning.
It always has been, and so I didn't fall into
my songwriting like gold Golden Years until much later. But
you know, Kathy was certainly one of the few people
that really encouraged me initially to push to keep pushing,
you know, in that area of my musical career. And
(16:50):
you know, it's all worked out great.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
That's what good friends do.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Yeah, good friends. And I think that's a great point
that you were both making about when it comes to songwriting,
people identify just the lyrics or just the song melody,
where in a band like that, I don't think a
lot of credit is given to the collaboration that is
necessary to make its lightning in a bottle. Anytime you
(17:17):
have a single hit, you guys had hits upon hits
upon hits, and that can only be explained by everybody
contributing their own weight and skill and talent to a
collaborative process like that where you talk about the drum
beat or a bassline or a guitar riff, all of
those things are coming from individuals. But when you look
(17:38):
necessarily on the credit sheets, like well this person did
the music and the lyrics, where it takes an entire
group to make that happen, and natural chemistry and encouraging
each other absolutely, And.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
It's not only that, I don't know what it's like
these days, but back then, to work a record, you
would get in your vand and you would play every set.
The whole band's not doing that, not just the songwriters.
You're going to morning radio shows shaking hands or doing
station IDs.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
You're showing.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
You promoting like crazy, and you know, with no disrespect
at all.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
Let's see how.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Far a song goes without five big personalities shoving that
thing down the road day after day after day. And
the case our first singles, our lips are sealed. We
it took eight months for that song to crack the
top thirty. Oh god much, and that's a lot of
radio as it's in a lot of glad handling, and
(18:39):
a lot of a lot.
Speaker 6 (18:40):
Of travel around the country in a band, all of
us with our equipment.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
You know.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
So then we'll he's working and everybody's up there on stage,
and people have a great time at the concert and
they go buy the record or they go they want
to hear it, and they request it. And that's why
impletely agree, you know. And I do feel strongly about
it because it undoes a lot of bands. And when
young bands come to me and they ask for advice,
(19:09):
I always say, get the get the equality thing sorted
out right away. Doesn't mean you have to give writing
credit if someone didn't write a song, but boy, you
better find a way to acknowledge the work and effort
everyone is doing.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
You know, somebody you do, all.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
Being smart or different, you know, and and you know,
I mean Kathy and I. We can just speak for
our brand and how we worked and the amount of
work each put into making each song happen, each record,
each tour, everything. It was a lot of work. But hey,
we we were loving it ultimately, or we would wouldn't
have done it.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
I wanted to talk briefly about those two performances, because
I I liked that we got the beat one on
Glee Moore, because just it was just felt more in
line with the song.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
The Vacation one would like the show Girls thing. It's
like it.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
I didn't quite feel like the essence of the song
was really matched well, and I know the context.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
I don't know the context of why it's done like that.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Those those competitions are our competition numbers, and they're always
you know, if you go back, like we're doing this
podcast and rewatching the show now, you know with these
fresh eyes you have to look at as a satire.
The show is a satire, right, and so when you're
watching it, these these other you know, glee clubs that
(20:37):
come from nowhere, you have no context of the characters
who they are. There are competition essentially, and so that's
what Vacation was.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
So if the glee if the high school glee club
had done it, it would have been different.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
But yeah, it would have been much more in line
if we got the Oh wow, But that is fair opportunar.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
If there's a reboot, then we can readdress.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
It, revisit vacation.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah, the college, right, they got the color scheme was
really good.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Very true.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Hates it.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
The insight of having like the musical perspective of like
hearing about working a record, and it made me think
there has to be a direct correlation or do you
think there's a direct correlation to how these songs have
lived on for generations of people?
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Is?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
I mean? I feel like the music business is tiny, tiny,
teeny tiny, and when you're going out there and meeting
all these radio people, record executives, seeing fans in all
parts of the US. When you are working a record,
even the first single, second single, whatever it may be,
those impressions last time, those last general, those carry on
(22:02):
from generation generation and so then when you have those
songs become hits, people root for you, and those radio
stations work for you and root for you. That I
feel like, do you feel when you work a record
like that, can you see a line from there to
you know, a song ending up on Glee to the
songs ending up on Broadway because you've built those relationships.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
No, I don't think that that's amazing. I don't think it.
I don't think that's a straight line.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
I think the go gos occupy a place in pop
culture that everything our songs matched where we belonged in
pop culture and longevity. But like my daughter will play
I'm not going to name any names, but she'll play
something today and I'm like, yeah, that's fun, but you're
not going to be hearing it in forty years like.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
My current right totally.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
So that's it's all. It's so much about the songs.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
But we we really have a place in pop culture
that we're so grateful for, Like we we capture an era,
and I think a lot of it is like, you know,
we happened at a dark time where you know, not
to get heavy political, but you know, Aids and Reagan
and things were changing big in this country and there
(23:15):
were some dark times and the Go Gos were light
and fun, and you know, our first misstep was when
we decided we wanted to be taken seriously and like
everybody thinks we're just lightweight, so we need to be serious,
and you know, it took us a while to realize.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
No, we don't. We're fun. We're like to be fifty two's.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
We're like, we're a fun band that people come to
and and forget.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Still want to come to our shows exactly Katy Exactly.
I couldn't be any more. People want to come to
our shows and forget about, you know, what's any heavy
things that are going on in our lives, because at
our shows, everybody's singing, everybody's dancing. It's just a really light,
sort of like joyous affair. You know, people are smiling,
(24:04):
they're having a good time. And really that's where that's
what our music is a bad and that's a great
legacy cat on that.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Yeah, it really is, and I think that's I think
that's one of the reasons that we're embedded into like
the zeitgeist of pop culture is because we were.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
There at a time.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
And also just the eighties in general are like people
look back with a lot of fondness. But I'm really
happy and proud that our music does it really sound eighties,
Like when you listen to it, you don't go, oh,
there's that snare drum sound. That's I mean, it sounds
very timeless. And we owe Richard Goughter or our producer, yeah,
(24:42):
a big, a big because we weren't convinced, you know,
we weren't convinced that he'd done what needed not that
we wanted to sound eighties, but because we didn't know
the eighties sound in nineteen eighty one.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
But we wanted to sound more like the Ramones or Blondie.
We wanted we wanted to sound more I don't know,
like raw and a.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
Little more tougher, a little more at the ende of it,
like you know what, at the heart of those songs,
all those songs might have been a little more fronted
we played love, but when they were recorded, at the
heart of them all, they're just great pop songs.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
You know, yeah, oh totally. That's fine to be in
it is. I mean, your music really does transcend time.
I mean even now we put it on in our
house and like it just it brings joy. You get
lost in the music, You get lost in the joy
and like you know, even in times like today, we
still need that, we need levity, and we need to
(25:37):
kind of just forget. So you guys continue to do that.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
Well, you know, neither Gina or me wants to walk
around being frustrated and upset. But you know, we would
both love to still be touring because the when when
we would get out there on in our concerts, you
would see you would see little children eight year old
nine year olds looking at you like they've never seen
anything like this, you know, thirty five years after we
(26:03):
first came out and had nine year olds watching MTV today,
and you'd have teenagers and college kids and their moms
and grandmothers. I mean, we had such multi generation, multi
generational reachover fans, and I just think it would be
such a strong message now for us to be out
(26:25):
in our sixties, kind of just making that like Deborah
Harry does, you know in Blondie, like saying, hey, just
because you're a woman that's not in her thirties and
in her physical prime, doesn't mean.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
That you can't still be out there. And you know,
it's it's.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Not like it's not like the like everybody's in a
different place, which you can't expect everyone to act like
they're in their twenties, you know.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
So I get why.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Some people don't want to do it anymore, but it's
it would be so such a great message to be
out there doing the go gos.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
Know still it's role like, hey, this is what this
is what sixty four or sixty five is.
Speaker 6 (27:06):
Yeah, perfect time to be doing that. But you know,
tough to get everybody.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Together, sure, I mean watching you guys at the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame, Like, congratulations, what an honor. Huge,
It was so what a great intro you guys got
from Drew and then to watch you guys perform like
that all together, it just like it was so there
was just so much joy to see you guys. I
was so happy to see you guys all together.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
So it was really really great.
Speaker 6 (27:31):
It was definitely that night was almost a complete blur
for me because I I it was all very surreal,
you know. I mean everybody that we were hanging out
with backstage, from Paul McCartney to Brandon cart out of
you and you name it, everybody in between. It was
like wow. And then to get playing in front of
all the audience that we you know, we're playing in
(27:54):
front of, you know, like jay Z was sitting right
in the front road. I mean, it was really something.
Food Fighters, I don't know, craft work got inducted off.
What a great time we had. And I don't know
about you, Cathy, but playing those three songs, I don't
even remember playing them. The atreatment was pumping so hard, men,
(28:14):
it was fun. I was kind of scared to really
go in one of those books. But I think it turned.
I think it did well.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
It's so great.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
It was a great night.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
Yeah, and and and some of the people in the
band feel like, you know, this was the height, let's
go out on top.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
And I do understand that that.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
Mentality, especially when you know you've got homes and pets
and lives that you don't want to leave.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
You know, it's not easy for us to leave either.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
You know, you've got I'll sit her in a pet
sitter and and all that.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
But so I get that it was a definite high point.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
And maybe but you know, there's a band is like,
you know, it's like a family, it's like a marriage,
and you don't always see eye to eye and agree.
And the last thing any of us wants to do
is go out and tour with somebody that doesn't want
to be.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
There, you know, So that's never work.
Speaker 8 (29:09):
You know, we don't have to be we don't have
to be on the same page wanting wanting to go
out there as a band and play these songs for
our Go Gos fans, which there it just seems like,
you know, it seemed like we could just play forever.
Speaker 6 (29:26):
We were constantly getting offers to play, so it is it
kind of sucks that we're not out there, but you know,
you can't control everybody. Everybody's doing their thing. I mean, look,
you know what that being said, I know, I've been
incredibly busy with what I'm doing, and so is Kathy.
Kathy's out there playing all the time. I'm oh, by
the way, you guys, I have a new single out, yes,
(29:49):
and it's called Small Pretty with my band House of Shock.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
So I'm excited, yeah today.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
And so you know, and I'm getting ready to go out,
you know, and tour in twenty twenty four. Try to
put that together with my band. I'm getting the always
early and so I mean.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
I'm working on that.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
And I've got a new art project coming out in
two days that's been a premiere what a company called
Seinport and it is these incredible led technology with drumming
look and you guys, you've got to check it out
ginashock art.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Dot com, ginashock art dot com.
Speaker 6 (30:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
And the thing is, I would argue that if if
you don't have the space, you don't tend to look
and go into these other outlets. You know a lot
of ways. It's true, sureles seeing to have that space
open up. I know, in twenty twenty, I wrote and
put out a book that if I'd been touring and
(30:51):
been in, you know, in the band, I wouldn't have
had time to do. And that changed my life, you know,
it made me want to step out. And I think
another thing Gena and I have in common is we
were always we were always just satisfied and happy being
in a cool band.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
That made it. That was enough.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
And if I had one thing I wish I'd done,
I wish that I had stepped out sooner and been
not so comfortable just.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
Being a cool chick and a cool band.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
I wish I'd been a little bit more brave about
being Kathy Valentine. And it took my book for me
to do that and go, Okay, I'm in my sixties,
but it's not too late.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
I can.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
And now I'm doing so many things as me and
it's really exciting.
Speaker 5 (31:34):
Like when people invite me.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
To come sit in or and Gene is doing the
same exact thing, it's like, it's really, it's really and
in a way that's its own message that it's never
too late to just own who you are and what
you know.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
You don't always need to pad yourself with everybody else.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
It might be safe, you know, it might be safe,
but and it's a little more scary to go out
there on your own. I never wanted to be the star.
I never wanted to be the front person, so I wasn't.
I don't know what I would have done, but I'm
glad that I have this space in my life.
Speaker 6 (32:11):
It worked out the way it's supposed to. You Cat,
and you know what, your book came out when it
was supposed to. And you know, if any if anyone
doesn't have you get her book is really awesome. It's
incredibly revealing.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
Gina has a book out too.
Speaker 6 (32:26):
Oh I have a book out, yeah, Maide in Hollywood.
But that's like fair compared Kathy's is like kind of heavy,
you know, it's.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
A literary masterpiece.
Speaker 6 (32:35):
Is New York Times bestseller. Mine's one of the book
of photos that I took, uh for forty years in
the band. And then I have some stuck with that too.
But uh so we both books, we're like parallelized, We're
both doing the same thing.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
Well, the creativity is clearly just bubbling out from every pore.
You can't help out creating it.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Yeah, that resonates with us too as a as a
Glee cast and with so many cast members, and there's
this you know, it's very similar in this family where
not everybody's on the same page all the time, but
you're still family and you you went through something so
unique and special together and and you know, then you
have to kind of find yourself and find your worth
(33:22):
in your own person. And so I think that's such
a great lesson, especially for these like you know, inspired
artists who are you know, up and coming to really
you know.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Step out of the box and not be afraid.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
It's so much the same thing. It's like your identity
becomes what you do.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, forget how what Kathy's said about you pad yourself
like happy to just be a part of the thing
that works, and like ride the wave. It feels great.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
Like no one was ever.
Speaker 4 (33:50):
Going to see me in a band and go, oh,
that band's so good, except that Kathy Valentine ship. She's
got to go.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Like I was so safe.
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Nobody like my anything, so I played it safe. But
it all worked, like Gina said, it all works out
the way it's supposed to do. And it's I think
it's a really important message in our sixties to be going, Hey,
you can still go out there and have new challenge,
try new things and you know, put out records and
front your own band and write books and whatever else
(34:21):
do wonderful podcast.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Well, really, you guys, thank you so much for sharing
everything with us today. It was such an honor. Again,
we just you know, you guys are such icons and
we're so so lucky to have you and our fans
are so lucky to be able to listen to you guys,
and forever, your music is forever, your legacy is forever.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
So thank you, and make sure everyone goes and listens
to Gina's new song, get the books, go to our
project over heels.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Ginashock art dot com.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
A bit thank you, Ladiess, Zach theat or Austin made
in Hollywood, watch bleed.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Just putting it all out.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
I'm going to thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Thanks Tina, Thanks Kathy, Kathy, good luck with the show.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
Thanks by Wow.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I don't have a lot to say. I'm still processing
that whole thing, but what wonderful talented, strong independent women
who have continued to create and go off on their
own after the go gos to continue their legacy on
their own. That's really cool. And also, just I talked
(35:39):
about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and our
producer shared it with us in uh, uh, what's the
word I'm looking for.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
In prep for this?
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Not exactly what I was looking for, but you get
the idea anticipation. Thank you, And this vision of the episode,
I go watch that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
induction and performance.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
It's really special and really cool.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
And.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, we are we hope you guys are enjoying this
kind of side of the podcast listening to from the
original artists who made these songs what they are, who
literally gotten a truck in a van and toured the
country pushing their singles.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Yeah, and you know the story that the life that
it takes to put out these songs in the early
eighties and then in the early twenty tens, this sends
up on a Fox TV show is pretty wild, and
so it's for me personally, it's fascinating to hear the
journey of these you know, songwriters and band members.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Yeah, especially in their in their time right. It's a
different time now with the technology and the internet and
so pre internet and streaming, what these artists had to
do to get their music heard and what they were
willing to do and.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Hustle for so and have songs that people still care about.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
I mean, I was listening to some go gos today
and it was they are I mean, hit after ahead Yeah,
and you're like, this is so much fun.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
It's easy to take for granted because we've just known
the songs. The song just live in our world and
our lives. Yeah that's not normal. No, that's not a
thing many people can claim to be a part of,
and they sure are. So thank you again for joining
us Katy and Gina, Thank you for listening today. Everyone
(37:41):
Who's next, Jenna? Who are we going to have next?
For everyone? Just him Jaait and see, Yeah that's what
you really missed. Bye, Thanks for listening and follow us
on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod.
Make sure to write us a review and leave us
five stars. See you next time.
And that's what you really missed with Jenna.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
And Kevin An iHeartRadio podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Welcome to and That's what Really missed podcast. I just
peed my pants a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Legends, John Icon's Legends, people who have broken the mold,
made a new one.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I mean, we've got the go Gos today, We've got
Gina Shock and Kathy Valentine of the Go Gos, the
go joking they are, they are the Go Gos. They
need no introduction, but wow, what a great conversation and
one an honor. I think I said one and honor
to have you guys about fifty times.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I found myself just staring a couple of times.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
We're here.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah, it was really really special.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Well, we got to do two of their songs on Glee,
so we get to hear their thoughts. Also, just the
insight of having such a long and successful career and
varied career.
Speaker 5 (01:08):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
They're just so wise and so creative. And I learned
a lot and a lot about myself during this interview.
So strap in, get ready. It is just a wonderful,
wonderful conversation with rock legends, Gina Shock, Kathy Valentine. Listen,
(01:34):
Thank you both for being here and joining us. This
is very exciting.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah, sure, sure, I don't think.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
I don't think I got to meet you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
You know, I did the reading of Head Over Heels
at Vassar with Michael and Spencer and all the fun people.
But I don't know that I got to meet Jane.
But I didn't. I don't think I got to.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Meet you guys.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
I wasn't there.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, but Kathy, you're working on a production now, right.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Yes, I'm having the best time.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Production is awesome, and I'm the band leader and I'm
in every performance.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
I'm having the best time.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I thought it might be a grind, you know, like
hut me up the same place, but it feels fresh
and exciting and original every single time.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Oh that's great. That's really exciting. It must be exciting
for them to have you there as well.
Speaker 5 (02:21):
It is. I feel like a big star.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
You are a big star finally.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Like moving away from Austin and like now I'm getting
all this, Like, well, I just went to get juice
at my juice place and there was these guys talking
about Head.
Speaker 5 (02:35):
Over Heels and they have a go go and she
lives here.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
And I'm like it's me. I'm here. I'm the go
Go Wow.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Well, welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us, you guys.
It is such an honor to have you here. We're
just so excited to talk to you guys. First of all, obviously,
since this is a Glee podcast, we did two of
your iconic songs. We got the Beat in Vacation. Do you,
guys remember or were you involved in any of the
(03:03):
process of like allowing the song to be used, either
song to be used on the show.
Speaker 5 (03:09):
Yeah, I can.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
I can tell you that for musicians these days, it's
not easy to earn a living unless you're touring all
the time. You don't sell a lot of records anymore
with streaming and so it's touring and merch it's really
how you make money and licensing. So if you've got
a song that is ever asked to bensing licensed for anything,
(03:33):
it's kind of like a godsend. We all wait for
something like that to happen, because it's not easy out
there for musicians these.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Days, certainly, certainly so.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Yeah, if I got a request to use any song
I wrote for just about anything, unless it was like gross,
then I would say no.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
There's certain we won't get into it, but there's certain
things I would say no too.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Totally.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
That's good news.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
That's good I imagine too, like you've these songs have
taken on a life of their own, They've become massive.
What you achieved hasn't been achieved before since where I
imagine the amount of people asking for permission to do
these songs or the amount of versions you've heard of
these songs over the years has been pretty incredible, incredible.
(04:23):
Have you did you get a chance to see the
Glee versions of these songs or the performances.
Speaker 6 (04:28):
I just looked at them again today and it was
pretty cool. It was actually like what you guys did
with it. You you injected new life into the songs
that your versions of them both. And it's also really
cool to have a go those song and something as
big as Blee was and still sort of is.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
You know, yeah that really those sort of nods keep
the band's name and legacy alive. So especially before we
got in the rock hall, these kind of that kind
of exposure and to younger people. You know, my daughter
was a Glee fan and I'm at first she was
(05:08):
just like over the moon when Mom, Mom.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
They're doing your song.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I mean it was so cool for us too to
get to do those songs too, because these are songs
we grew up with and then, you know, we've talked
about before how like you hope, we hope that we
do them justice, and you hope that the people who
actually wrote and performed these songs like them. So to
be able to you know, have you both say you've
watched it and you approve the kids approve is pretty big.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
And yeah, the.
Speaker 6 (05:41):
Vocals on them were really good too, and the backing
harm it sounded really cool for it was perfect. It
was absolutely perfectly for the show.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
It was right in the part that means a lot.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
I think we learned when we when the musical was
on Broadway that it kind of made us really out
at the strength of the material because of a song
can be done in that setting, in a theatrical setting,
and a musical shows. It's just a testament to how
(06:15):
good the material is. And it's it's really exciting for
us to see that, and I think that it just
kind of makes us feel even more proud of our legacy.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yeah, I mean yeah, when when they came around saying
that they were going to do a Go Go's musical.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
It was like a no brainer.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
You're like one thousand percent, there's a thousand songs you
could use, Which ones? How are they going to be used?
In what context? It's just you could go and just
close your eyes and listen to the music and it
would still be greats.
Speaker 6 (06:46):
That were done were fantastic, every perfection that I've seen
this far, like one, and it was in Baltimore. We
saw them one up the Broadway, Kathy doing hers. Where
else I saw a loved one somewhere elseon I just
love the different like you know, original touches that are
put to each production from the cast members, but everybody
(07:08):
doing such like giving it. They're absolute all to make
these songs come alive. And it really it was. I
was smiling ear to ear and I like when I
first went because I was never a big stand of musicals,
you know, and when this happened, when I saw brow,
it knocked me out because how they were made these
songs work in this in these you know, these settings
(07:30):
and a musical. I thought, oh, I can't imagine we're
like this, but it was really good and it continues
to be good in every places. I'd like to be down,
I can't. I hope I can come down pictures.
Speaker 5 (07:42):
Yeah, I'd love for you to come there. Are you kidding?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
You'd be like a huge star here and they're like, oh,
that tired old go go Kathy.
Speaker 5 (07:48):
We need some fresh go go meat.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
What's better than one go go? You know?
Speaker 5 (07:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:54):
And I do think that having us in Glee and
some there's a couple of other big shows that did
us featured us musically, and I think that that helped
pave the way for the.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Idea for the music to work in a musical.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
So we actually, oh, you you know, Glee, we owe
the producers and the cast and the people a huge
debt of thanks for you know, acknowledging us and honor us.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
They helped us a lot. So we're glad to be
here to kind of pay it forward.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
Oh, We're so glad. The fans will be happy to
hear that.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
We We always say that Glee was above all things.
Hre Ryan murfeat Lee said, this is like Glee is
a love letter to all the artists that we idolized
that shaped us, impacted us growing up and into the
artists we are today, So it felt so natural for
us to be doing the Go Gos, especially as a female.
(08:53):
I'm just curious for you guys, as an all female
rock band during such a time I am where it
was like all very male dominated, what that was like
for you guys. Was it challenging at all or what
was that experience? Like?
Speaker 6 (09:09):
Yeah, I mean, the thing is is I love. I
love being in a band. I know Kathy likes in
a band, you know, because you have each other to
fall back on, rely on, and us knowing each other
as well as we did, we're like a pack of
wild animals let loose, cut loose over the world when
we're together, and we always we always had each other
(09:31):
to rely on, and you know if we I mean,
of course, the odds were against us because nobody wanted
to sign an all female band back then, because there
had been no all female bands that had been hugely
successful on an international level, and so everyone was hesitant,
and we just made up our minds that we're just
going to keep doing what we're doing. We love what
(09:52):
we're doing, we're good friends, we're having a great time,
and we have something to say, and we were just
going to keep pushing and pushing. And also the scene
back then was so inclusive with our like the punk scene,
the rock scene in La back then. Man, it was great,
all each all the beings supported each other. We'd all
go to each other's shows. So Sert of Us, the
(10:14):
Fire of Us, and then all our colleagues, all our
buddies and other bands against you know, the man, and
we were all we were there to show everybody, you know,
check us out. We got something happened here.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Certainly did.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
That's so important to have that community too, especially when
you know, I imagine when you're in it, you may
not feel it, but you were doing something that hadn't
really ever been done before. And then when the man
did see that there was that other people had a
hunger and desire to hear that, to consume that, did
(10:48):
it feel like, yeah, thanks for catching up. Now finally
we knew we were good and everybody or was it
one of those things We're like, we were just you know,
keeping our head down, doing our thing, and we're lucky
that this happened.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
Well, we know, I think, I mean I Gina and
I have a lot in common in terms of the
go gos because we were both you know, on a
as musicians, we both planned bands, and we moved from
our hometown so here from Baltimore, me from Austin to
LA to make it in the business. And we both
(11:22):
saw the Go Gos and saw that this was the
this was the band that could make our dreak. So
we shared that we saw it. I just you could
sense it. You just knew that the band was going
to be. It had chemistry and to this day, if
you were to put us in a room, the chemistry
would be very evident to anyone else. So we had
that in common. But we also were the only two
(11:43):
people in the band that don't have sisters. I'm an
only child. Jena had a brother, and so for me
it was such a sisterhood. It really felt like a
family to me. And I'd never had that feeling of
big sisters, little sisters, or you know, sit close in
age sisters. And I loved that aspect of the Go Gos.
(12:05):
And it's actually something I still love about playing with women.
It feels like the sister I never got to have.
I just love you just.
Speaker 5 (12:16):
Because of my wisdom and perceptive insights.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
I mean absolutely, it took the words out.
Speaker 5 (12:21):
Of a round.
Speaker 7 (12:22):
Yeah, can you talk about like how your songwriting process,
like what it's like or how it evolved over the years.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Do you guys write together.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I know, Kathy, you wrote Vacation, Like tell us about
that a little bit.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
I wrote Vacation before I was in the band, and
the Go Gos were very much like a lot of bands,
and that you're out playing the clubs and you're kind
of getting better, and by the time you make your.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
First record, the songs are pretty much much there.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
You've been playing them, you've ditched the ones that are duds,
and you've you know, you kind of know. And by
the time you get to your second record, you've been
working that first record and you don't have a lot
of material. So the first record was was dominated by
Charlotte and Jane's writing, and they'd hit they had hit
a real just like it happens a lot with Lennon
(13:23):
McCartney and just different writers.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
They just hit this vein almost of.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Just gold we're tapped in.
Speaker 5 (13:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
It a magical flow, a magical flow that happens at
that particular time, you know, in their songwriting career and
in history whatever, when it is flowing and it seems
like it's all gold.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
Yeah, it was, it was, and it made for a
great record.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
I was very happy to get one song on the
album because I was the newest member.
Speaker 5 (13:54):
But when it came.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
Down to the second record, we didn't have that material
that was tried and through, that had been road tested
and everything, so we were kind of scrambling and we
started getting I started bringing in more material like vacation
and we don't get Along, and Gina started writing more.
Even though she hadn't been a writer, she started getting
(14:17):
in their writing, and that continued to go. I think
if we'd stepped together past a talk show our third album,
I think we would have done a lot of collaborative
writing in the room. But other forces were at play
and that didn't happen. But that's the direction we were headed.
And regardless of who stayed home with us with their
(14:37):
notebook and cassette deck and wrote a song, regardless of
who did that, it was very much the musicians that
brought that song to life. I mean, if you don't
hear that drum beat first singing and go that's we
got the beat, then you don't you know what I mean?
It's like that is that's what signals that song, and
it's really there's not a lot there or without that,
(15:01):
you know, and there's not a lot there without certain
guitar riffs, you know, like here or just there's little
hooks that everyone brought to whatever, whoever wrote the song.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
But Linda's voice. She might not have written a song,
but that voice singing the songs.
Speaker 6 (15:20):
Kathy, what you're saying, and this was the great thing
about our band is that we were noted with hooks,
melodic and musicals like guitars, you know, bassed katy bok
boto boom boto, boom bo. I mean, you know what
when Kathy and I used to we rehearse the two
of us by ourselves for hours before we'd even get
(15:41):
with the band. So when the ban would come in,
we were tight.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
We were rocking hard already.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I love that.
Speaker 6 (15:46):
Yeah, And you know, Kathy being a really good musician,
and she had you know, said it like we both
came to the same sort of thing. Kathy was also
a writer. I wasn't really a writer when we started,
but I was like, Kathy really actually did encourage me
to write. Was like, Gina, let me write with you.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
It was like I remember I remember exactly what I said.
I go, you know more about music than anybody I know,
and I said, and you have a very strong point
of view and opinion about your perspective.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
And that's what that's what writing is.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
You put your you put your opinion to words, you
put your musical knowledge. And I saw that, Gina, and
I remember saying that because you were like, no, I know,
she was.
Speaker 6 (16:29):
Sort of championed. She was my champion certainly in the beginning.
It always has been, and so I didn't fall into
my songwriting like gold Golden Years until much later. But
you know, Kathy was certainly one of the few people
that really encouraged me initially to push to keep pushing,
you know, in that area of my musical career. And
(16:50):
you know, it's all worked out great.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
That's what good friends do.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Yeah, good friends. And I think that's a great point
that you were both making about when it comes to songwriting,
people identify just the lyrics or just the song melody,
where in a band like that, I don't think a
lot of credit is given to the collaboration that is
necessary to make its lightning in a bottle. Anytime you
(17:17):
have a single hit, you guys had hits upon hits
upon hits, and that can only be explained by everybody
contributing their own weight and skill and talent to a
collaborative process like that where you talk about the drum
beat or a bassline or a guitar riff, all of
those things are coming from individuals. But when you look
(17:38):
necessarily on the credit sheets, like well this person did
the music and the lyrics, where it takes an entire
group to make that happen, and natural chemistry and encouraging
each other absolutely, And.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
It's not only that, I don't know what it's like
these days, but back then, to work a record, you
would get in your vand and you would play every set.
The whole band's not doing that, not just the songwriters.
You're going to morning radio shows shaking hands or doing
station IDs.
Speaker 5 (18:08):
You're showing.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
You promoting like crazy, and you know, with no disrespect
at all.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
Let's see how.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Far a song goes without five big personalities shoving that
thing down the road day after day after day. And
the case our first singles, our lips are sealed. We
it took eight months for that song to crack the
top thirty. Oh god much, and that's a lot of
radio as it's in a lot of glad handling, and
(18:39):
a lot of a lot.
Speaker 6 (18:40):
Of travel around the country in a band, all of
us with our equipment.
Speaker 5 (18:46):
You know.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
So then we'll he's working and everybody's up there on stage,
and people have a great time at the concert and
they go buy the record or they go they want
to hear it, and they request it. And that's why
impletely agree, you know. And I do feel strongly about
it because it undoes a lot of bands. And when
young bands come to me and they ask for advice,
(19:09):
I always say, get the get the equality thing sorted
out right away. Doesn't mean you have to give writing
credit if someone didn't write a song, but boy, you
better find a way to acknowledge the work and effort
everyone is doing.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
You know, somebody you do, all.
Speaker 6 (19:26):
Being smart or different, you know, and and you know,
I mean Kathy and I. We can just speak for
our brand and how we worked and the amount of
work each put into making each song happen, each record,
each tour, everything. It was a lot of work. But hey,
we we were loving it ultimately, or we would wouldn't
have done it.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
I wanted to talk briefly about those two performances, because
I I liked that we got the beat one on
Glee Moore, because just it was just felt more in
line with the song.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
The Vacation one would like the show Girls thing. It's
like it.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
I didn't quite feel like the essence of the song
was really matched well, and I know the context.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
I don't know the context of why it's done like that.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Those those competitions are our competition numbers, and they're always
you know, if you go back, like we're doing this
podcast and rewatching the show now, you know with these
fresh eyes you have to look at as a satire.
The show is a satire, right, and so when you're
watching it, these these other you know, glee clubs that
(20:37):
come from nowhere, you have no context of the characters
who they are. There are competition essentially, and so that's
what Vacation was.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
So if the glee if the high school glee club
had done it, it would have been different.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
But yeah, it would have been much more in line
if we got the Oh wow, But that is fair opportunar.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
If there's a reboot, then we can readdress.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
It, revisit vacation.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah, the college, right, they got the color scheme was
really good.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Very true.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Hates it.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
The insight of having like the musical perspective of like
hearing about working a record, and it made me think
there has to be a direct correlation or do you
think there's a direct correlation to how these songs have
lived on for generations of people?
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Is?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
I mean? I feel like the music business is tiny, tiny,
teeny tiny, and when you're going out there and meeting
all these radio people, record executives, seeing fans in all
parts of the US. When you are working a record,
even the first single, second single, whatever it may be,
those impressions last time, those last general, those carry on
(22:02):
from generation generation and so then when you have those
songs become hits, people root for you, and those radio
stations work for you and root for you. That I
feel like, do you feel when you work a record
like that, can you see a line from there to
you know, a song ending up on Glee to the
songs ending up on Broadway because you've built those relationships.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
No, I don't think that that's amazing. I don't think it.
I don't think that's a straight line.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
I think the go gos occupy a place in pop
culture that everything our songs matched where we belonged in
pop culture and longevity. But like my daughter will play
I'm not going to name any names, but she'll play
something today and I'm like, yeah, that's fun, but you're
not going to be hearing it in forty years like.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
My current right totally.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
So that's it's all. It's so much about the songs.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
But we we really have a place in pop culture
that we're so grateful for, Like we we capture an era,
and I think a lot of it is like, you know,
we happened at a dark time where you know, not
to get heavy political, but you know, Aids and Reagan
and things were changing big in this country and there
(23:15):
were some dark times and the Go Gos were light
and fun, and you know, our first misstep was when
we decided we wanted to be taken seriously and like
everybody thinks we're just lightweight, so we need to be serious,
and you know, it took us a while to realize.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
No, we don't. We're fun. We're like to be fifty two's.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
We're like, we're a fun band that people come to
and and forget.
Speaker 6 (23:43):
Still want to come to our shows exactly Katy Exactly.
I couldn't be any more. People want to come to
our shows and forget about, you know, what's any heavy
things that are going on in our lives, because at
our shows, everybody's singing, everybody's dancing. It's just a really light,
sort of like joyous affair. You know, people are smiling,
(24:04):
they're having a good time. And really that's where that's
what our music is a bad and that's a great
legacy cat on that.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Yeah, it really is, and I think that's I think
that's one of the reasons that we're embedded into like
the zeitgeist of pop culture is because we were.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
There at a time.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
And also just the eighties in general are like people
look back with a lot of fondness. But I'm really
happy and proud that our music does it really sound eighties,
Like when you listen to it, you don't go, oh,
there's that snare drum sound. That's I mean, it sounds
very timeless. And we owe Richard Goughter or our producer, yeah,
(24:42):
a big, a big because we weren't convinced, you know,
we weren't convinced that he'd done what needed not that
we wanted to sound eighties, but because we didn't know
the eighties sound in nineteen eighty one.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
But we wanted to sound more like the Ramones or Blondie.
We wanted we wanted to sound more I don't know,
like raw and a.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
Little more tougher, a little more at the ende of it,
like you know what, at the heart of those songs,
all those songs might have been a little more fronted
we played love, but when they were recorded, at the
heart of them all, they're just great pop songs.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
You know, yeah, oh totally. That's fine to be in
it is. I mean, your music really does transcend time.
I mean even now we put it on in our
house and like it just it brings joy. You get
lost in the music, You get lost in the joy
and like you know, even in times like today, we
still need that, we need levity, and we need to
(25:37):
kind of just forget. So you guys continue to do that.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
Well, you know, neither Gina or me wants to walk
around being frustrated and upset. But you know, we would
both love to still be touring because the when when
we would get out there on in our concerts, you
would see you would see little children eight year old
nine year olds looking at you like they've never seen
anything like this, you know, thirty five years after we
(26:03):
first came out and had nine year olds watching MTV today,
and you'd have teenagers and college kids and their moms
and grandmothers. I mean, we had such multi generation, multi
generational reachover fans, and I just think it would be
such a strong message now for us to be out
(26:25):
in our sixties, kind of just making that like Deborah
Harry does, you know in Blondie, like saying, hey, just
because you're a woman that's not in her thirties and
in her physical prime, doesn't mean.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
That you can't still be out there. And you know,
it's it's.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Not like it's not like the like everybody's in a
different place, which you can't expect everyone to act like
they're in their twenties, you know.
Speaker 5 (26:50):
So I get why.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Some people don't want to do it anymore, but it's
it would be so such a great message to be
out there doing the go gos.
Speaker 5 (26:59):
Know still it's role like, hey, this is what this
is what sixty four or sixty five is.
Speaker 6 (27:06):
Yeah, perfect time to be doing that. But you know,
tough to get everybody.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Together, sure, I mean watching you guys at the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame, Like, congratulations, what an honor. Huge,
It was so what a great intro you guys got
from Drew and then to watch you guys perform like
that all together, it just like it was so there
was just so much joy to see you guys. I
was so happy to see you guys all together.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
So it was really really great.
Speaker 6 (27:31):
It was definitely that night was almost a complete blur
for me because I I it was all very surreal,
you know. I mean everybody that we were hanging out
with backstage, from Paul McCartney to Brandon cart out of
you and you name it, everybody in between. It was
like wow. And then to get playing in front of
all the audience that we you know, we're playing in
(27:54):
front of, you know, like jay Z was sitting right
in the front road. I mean, it was really something.
Food Fighters, I don't know, craft work got inducted off.
What a great time we had. And I don't know
about you, Cathy, but playing those three songs, I don't
even remember playing them. The atreatment was pumping so hard, men,
(28:14):
it was fun. I was kind of scared to really
go in one of those books. But I think it turned.
I think it did well.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
It's so great.
Speaker 5 (28:23):
It was a great night.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
Yeah, and and and some of the people in the
band feel like, you know, this was the height, let's
go out on top.
Speaker 5 (28:30):
And I do understand that that.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
Mentality, especially when you know you've got homes and pets
and lives that you don't want to leave.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
You know, it's not easy for us to leave either.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
You know, you've got I'll sit her in a pet
sitter and and all that.
Speaker 5 (28:46):
But so I get that it was a definite high point.
Speaker 4 (28:50):
And maybe but you know, there's a band is like,
you know, it's like a family, it's like a marriage,
and you don't always see eye to eye and agree.
And the last thing any of us wants to do
is go out and tour with somebody that doesn't want
to be.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
There, you know, So that's never work.
Speaker 8 (29:09):
You know, we don't have to be we don't have
to be on the same page wanting wanting to go
out there as a band and play these songs for
our Go Gos fans, which there it just seems like,
you know, it seemed like we could just play forever.
Speaker 6 (29:26):
We were constantly getting offers to play, so it is it
kind of sucks that we're not out there, but you know,
you can't control everybody. Everybody's doing their thing. I mean, look,
you know what that being said, I know, I've been
incredibly busy with what I'm doing, and so is Kathy.
Kathy's out there playing all the time. I'm oh, by
the way, you guys, I have a new single out, yes,
(29:49):
and it's called Small Pretty with my band House of Shock.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
So I'm excited, yeah today.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
And so you know, and I'm getting ready to go out,
you know, and tour in twenty twenty four. Try to
put that together with my band. I'm getting the always
early and so I mean.
Speaker 5 (30:09):
I'm working on that.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
And I've got a new art project coming out in
two days that's been a premiere what a company called
Seinport and it is these incredible led technology with drumming
look and you guys, you've got to check it out
ginashock art.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Dot com, ginashock art dot com.
Speaker 6 (30:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
And the thing is, I would argue that if if
you don't have the space, you don't tend to look
and go into these other outlets. You know a lot
of ways. It's true, sureles seeing to have that space
open up. I know, in twenty twenty, I wrote and
put out a book that if I'd been touring and
(30:51):
been in, you know, in the band, I wouldn't have
had time to do. And that changed my life, you know,
it made me want to step out. And I think
another thing Gena and I have in common is we
were always we were always just satisfied and happy being
in a cool band.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
That made it. That was enough.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
And if I had one thing I wish I'd done,
I wish that I had stepped out sooner and been
not so comfortable just.
Speaker 5 (31:16):
Being a cool chick and a cool band.
Speaker 4 (31:18):
I wish I'd been a little bit more brave about
being Kathy Valentine. And it took my book for me
to do that and go, Okay, I'm in my sixties,
but it's not too late.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
I can.
Speaker 4 (31:29):
And now I'm doing so many things as me and
it's really exciting.
Speaker 5 (31:34):
Like when people invite me.
Speaker 4 (31:35):
To come sit in or and Gene is doing the
same exact thing, it's like, it's really, it's really and
in a way that's its own message that it's never
too late to just own who you are and what
you know.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
You don't always need to pad yourself with everybody else.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
It might be safe, you know, it might be safe,
but and it's a little more scary to go out
there on your own. I never wanted to be the star.
I never wanted to be the front person, so I wasn't.
I don't know what I would have done, but I'm
glad that I have this space in my life.
Speaker 6 (32:11):
It worked out the way it's supposed to. You Cat,
and you know what, your book came out when it
was supposed to. And you know, if any if anyone
doesn't have you get her book is really awesome. It's
incredibly revealing.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
Gina has a book out too.
Speaker 6 (32:26):
Oh I have a book out, yeah, Maide in Hollywood.
But that's like fair compared Kathy's is like kind of heavy,
you know, it's.
Speaker 5 (32:32):
A literary masterpiece.
Speaker 6 (32:35):
Is New York Times bestseller. Mine's one of the book
of photos that I took, uh for forty years in
the band. And then I have some stuck with that too.
But uh so we both books, we're like parallelized, We're
both doing the same thing.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
Well, the creativity is clearly just bubbling out from every pore.
You can't help out creating it.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
Yeah, that resonates with us too as a as a
Glee cast and with so many cast members, and there's
this you know, it's very similar in this family where
not everybody's on the same page all the time, but
you're still family and you you went through something so
unique and special together and and you know, then you
have to kind of find yourself and find your worth
(33:22):
in your own person. And so I think that's such
a great lesson, especially for these like you know, inspired
artists who are you know, up and coming to really
you know.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Step out of the box and not be afraid.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
It's so much the same thing. It's like your identity
becomes what you do.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, forget how what Kathy's said about you pad yourself
like happy to just be a part of the thing
that works, and like ride the wave. It feels great.
Speaker 5 (33:49):
Like no one was ever.
Speaker 4 (33:50):
Going to see me in a band and go, oh,
that band's so good, except that Kathy Valentine ship. She's
got to go.
Speaker 5 (33:56):
Like I was so safe.
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Nobody like my anything, so I played it safe. But
it all worked, like Gina said, it all works out
the way it's supposed to do. And it's I think
it's a really important message in our sixties to be going, Hey,
you can still go out there and have new challenge,
try new things and you know, put out records and
front your own band and write books and whatever else
(34:21):
do wonderful podcast.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
Well, really, you guys, thank you so much for sharing
everything with us today. It was such an honor. Again,
we just you know, you guys are such icons and
we're so so lucky to have you and our fans
are so lucky to be able to listen to you guys,
and forever, your music is forever, your legacy is forever.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
So thank you, and make sure everyone goes and listens
to Gina's new song, get the books, go to our
project over heels.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Ginashock art dot com.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
A bit thank you, Ladiess, Zach theat or Austin made
in Hollywood, watch bleed.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Just putting it all out.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
I'm going to thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
Thanks Tina, Thanks Kathy, Kathy, good luck with the show.
Speaker 5 (35:12):
Thanks by Wow.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
I don't have a lot to say. I'm still processing
that whole thing, but what wonderful talented, strong independent women
who have continued to create and go off on their
own after the go gos to continue their legacy on
their own. That's really cool. And also, just I talked
(35:39):
about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and our
producer shared it with us in uh, uh, what's the
word I'm looking for.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
In prep for this?
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Not exactly what I was looking for, but you get
the idea anticipation. Thank you, And this vision of the episode,
I go watch that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
induction and performance.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
It's really special and really cool.
Speaker 5 (36:06):
And.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
Yeah, we are we hope you guys are enjoying this
kind of side of the podcast listening to from the
original artists who made these songs what they are, who
literally gotten a truck in a van and toured the
country pushing their singles.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Yeah, and you know the story that the life that
it takes to put out these songs in the early
eighties and then in the early twenty tens, this sends
up on a Fox TV show is pretty wild, and
so it's for me personally, it's fascinating to hear the
journey of these you know, songwriters and band members.
Speaker 1 (36:48):
Yeah, especially in their in their time right. It's a
different time now with the technology and the internet and
so pre internet and streaming, what these artists had to
do to get their music heard and what they were
willing to do and.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Hustle for so and have songs that people still care about.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
I mean, I was listening to some go gos today
and it was they are I mean, hit after ahead Yeah,
and you're like, this is so much fun.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
It's easy to take for granted because we've just known
the songs. The song just live in our world and
our lives. Yeah that's not normal. No, that's not a
thing many people can claim to be a part of,
and they sure are. So thank you again for joining
us Katy and Gina, Thank you for listening today. Everyone
(37:41):
Who's next, Jenna? Who are we going to have next?
For everyone? Just him Jaait and see, Yeah that's what
you really missed. Bye, Thanks for listening and follow us
on Instagram at and that's what you really miss pod.
Make sure to write us a review and leave us
five stars. See you next time.
Host
Jenna Ushkowitz
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