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Jane Wiedlin: In 1976 I was in college, in LA studying fashion design. I read about the punk rock scene happening in London and got very excited.
I started making punk rock clothes, and when I went to a store on the Sunset Strip to sell them (Granny Takes A Trip) I met Pleasant Gehman, who informed me that there was a whole scene happening in Hollywood. She gave me a flier for a show at The Masque, and I was hooked! Just over a year later, I formed my first band, The Go-Go's!
When I write lyrics I'm often compelled to talk about things I am frightened to admit. I can be quite a fearful person and I really fight it.
Was it a natural evolution for the Go-Go’s to transition from punk to pop – or did you plan on changing genres of music in the band?
It was very organic. At the time, Punk never was pretending to be a brand new permanent musical genre. I think everyone that did it considered it a launching point for self-expression. When the Go-Go's started, we were such terrible musicians, so part of what changed over time was our abilities. That, combined with the lyrical content that slowly shifted from political to personal, morphed the band into something different than we were in the beginning.
Was there anyone who played a major role in the Go-Go’s success or was it simply the band’s DIY aesthetic and punk values?
Our manager Ginger was very passionate and a real crusader on our behalf. She, along with Miles Copeland (IRS Records), who signed us based on our novelty appeal (and who was as surprised as anyone when we got so big!) were probably the most important. Lots of others helped us along the way, but of course, ultimately, it all come down to the fans.
Do you see any similarities in today’s DIY-internet based music business to the DIY ways of the punk scene back then?
Yes, I do see similarities, and there is wonderful technology that now allows artists to be wholly self-contained that didn't exist in the 1970s. The difference between now and then is that back in OG punk days, there seemed to be more support because it was a true community. Now it seems like bands are just out there, isolated and on their own.
Your band made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments without a man lurking behind the curtains with his girls dancing on his strings. What made you and the Go-Go’s decide to do everything yourselves and not use a producer/songwriter like a Phil Spector or Kim Fowley type?
We were always pretty disdainful of the "puppeteer" types. Punk rock society had helped us believe in ourselves, and we were very distrustful of outside people.
"I read about the punk rock scene happening in London and got very excited. I started making punk rock clothes. Later, I formed my first band, The Go-Go's!"
We got a lot of attention in the 80s when it was happening, but so much time has passed, and I get the feeling that people these days do not know how significant what we did was. Kinda depressing.
The Go-Go’s have sold more than seven million albums and are considered by some to be the most successful all-female band of all time. What pressure do you deal with today from that recognition as a female guitarist?
There is no pressure. The majority of people don't notice or care one way or the other, which leaves me free to play my own games in my own sandbox!
What’s your favorite Go-Go’s song to play and why?
I love playing LaLaLand, I'm The Only One, and Head Over Heels, none of which I wrote, by the way! Those are Kathy & Char songs.
Did you ever have an epiphany where you knew that you were going to play guitar or is it something you just fell into? What happened in your childhood that put a guitar in your room?
I was a music fanatic from the time I was a toddler, thanks to having older brothers and sisters. I don't think there was anything more important to us than music. In the summertime there used to be little programs at the park that moms could sign their kids up for. My mom signed me up for folk guitar. Those six hours of classes comprise my entire musical education, other than Billy Zoom (genius guitarist of the LA band X) teaching me how to make a bar chord in 1978!
Do you think people can choose to be musicians or is it something that just chooses you? What’s your process and what do you think is important in learning and playing an instrument?
I like to think that anyone can be anything if they put their mind to it. Having said that, I know people who are natural musicians. I don't consider myself one, but I took to songwriting like a duckling to water! The process of writing is mysterious; Ideas just seem to form and drop into your brain without any help. I think the key is making sure your trapdoor is open so the ideas can fall in, but I wouldn't know how to tell people to open their minds! After all these years, it still seems very magical and spiritual to me! So, being a musician, to me, is having the tools to communicate these ideas to others.
Do you believe that technique is more important than playing what sounds good to you? For example I recently went to a “Women in Rock” panel at the Grammy Museum and some interesting remarks were made about just picking up your instrument and playing what sounds good to you… and most of the time you will play it better than people who actually know how to play because you’re playing from the heart—how do you feel about that idea?
I am in awe of great musicians, but I would choose a great song performed by a mediocre musician over a great musician playing a mediocre song ANY DAY of the year!
As one of the main songwriters in your band, what was your songwriting process to come up with such hits like “Vacation?” Was it inspired by true events, or just a need for the beach?
Kathy Valentine presented that song to the band after she joined the Go-Go's. Charlotte helped write a chorus (there wasn't one at the time) and I just tweaked the lyrics a little.
As far as influences go, I know you guys tried to emulate the Buzzcocks. Who else helped shape your style and sound as a player/writer and as a band (with the Go-Go’s and solo projects)?
We didn't try to "emulate" them. We weren't good enough on our instruments to know how to copy anyone! But we did see them as the Kind of band we wanted to be: A cute young band with personal, heartfelt, catchy songs played as fast as possible with a lot of enthusiasm!
Did you ever take lessons or did you teach yourself? What methods did you use?
Besides my six Saturdays at the park learning "Tom Dooley" and "Kumbaya" (!!), when Billy Zoom taught me bar chords, I wrote numbers on the frets and then had a numerical system for notating songs.
"When I write lyrics I'm often compelled to talk about things I am frightened to admit. I can be quite a fearful person and I really fight it."
I had a cute little Rickenbacker and some piece-of-crap solid state amplifier. I didn't have the faintest idea how to get specific equipment to get a specific tone. I still am relatively clueless about that stuff. I have played Gibson SGs for decades now; to me they are the best feeling and sounding guitars. Their necks are sized and shaped right for female hands, and I like the Humbucker pickups because they aren't as noisy as a lot of other pickups. I favor Marshall Combo (tube) amps. They sound good and aren't so unwieldy. I also have a Vox AC30 amp that my guitar tech, Steve Norton, hooks up to my Marshall, so it isn't just pure distortion. I like to be able to hear the notes in my chords a little bit!
You wrote one of the Go-Go’s biggest hits “Our Lips Are Sealed” based on a romance with Terry Hall from The Specials—he wrote the lyrics that you eventually finished and put music to—did you realize at the time that this song would chart and become one of the top 100 pop songs of all time? Or were you really just writing a love letter?
It was very very special and romantic to me. I was nervous to bring it to the band, because I liked the song so much. I was afraid they wouldn't. Thankfully, they did!
To quote you, you compared the Go-Go’s to Twinkies, stating that “Everybody loves Twinkies, but they’re ashamed to admit it.” What did you mean by this?
Well, we are poppy and cute and not too serious. So people discount how revolutionary we were at the time. It is easier to openly admire women artists that are angry, or tough, or outrageous, or very serious, or super-artsy. We just write solid pop songs and present them in a fairly plain way.
Do writing songs come naturally to you? What’s easier—lyrics, melody, chord progressions, etc.?
Lyrics are easiest, melody is second easiest. Chord progressions are hardest, because I'm painting from a limited palette there. There are gazillions of chords, but I only know basic ones, and most of the fancy ones don't sound right to me.
You co-wrote a #1 country hit with Keith Urban & Charlotte Caffey for Keith Urban called “But for the Grace of God”. How did that collaboration come about? Do you have plans to co-write more songs in the future?
Co-writing is a whole "industry" and it's hard to get access to successful artists. I would love to do more of it.
In June 2010, it was announced the Go-Go’s will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. I heard that the date of the ceremony will have to tie in with the dates of the Farewell Tour. Do you have any news on those dates for our UG fans?
The Walk of Fame Ceremony is set for August 11, which coincides with the West Coast portion of the Go-Go's tour this summer, 2011. The tour is called Ladies Gone Wild!
Besides becoming an ordained minister in 2009, what else should we know about Jane Wiedlin these days?
I am working on my first film, written and directed by me. It is a sci-fi comedy called "The Pyrex Glitch". I also have a comic book series called Lady Robotika that I do with my comic book partner Bill Morrison (Simpsons/ Futurama). I have 2 musicals that I'm writing, another screenplay, and a bunch of ideas for TV shows that i hope will get made. I can't stop my brain from creating, so i just go along for the ride!
Photo credit: Jose A Guzman Colon
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