It was pretty brave of them to trash the image that was sold to the public in the 80s. Pure bubblegum pop, presented as fun close friends, almost a Monkees for the 80s.
IRL they constantly fought. The singer had a huge ego. The main songwriter was a junkie who almost died. The other songwriter was bipolar and suicidal. All of them were heavy drinkers and drug users and had their share of guy groupies.
That's much of the appeal. It's like an extended Behind the Music episode where you find out the Partridge Family had drug problems and the singer hated his father and being a sex symbol. The Go Gos hated the happy smiley front they had to put on.
Some of the pretensions and claims made by the doc and band are laughable. Best selling girl group? The Supremes. The first to play their own instruments? Runaways, for rock. Actually there were all female jazz groups since the 40s.
First all women punk rock group? The Slits. Really the list of accomplished famous and influential women musicians better than them is long, going all the way back to Odetta and Maybelle Carter in the 20s.
And the Go Gos were never punk for the year and a half they claimed to be. They were just barely new wave. They hung around the early scene, played three song sets, and could barely play at all by their own account. But their songs had none of the anger of punk, and they were already pop by the time the scene turned hardcore.
In some ways they were posers. You hear them talking about "England where punk began." Are they kidding? Never heard of the Ramones, Dictators, MC5, or Stooges? Or for that matter, punk goddess Patti Smith.
So yes, "successful pop girl group in the 80s for four years." They definitely don't deserve the RNR Hall of Fame. But it is interesting to watch them tear apart their own good girl image.
IRL they constantly fought. The singer had a huge ego. The main songwriter was a junkie who almost died. The other songwriter was bipolar and suicidal. All of them were heavy drinkers and drug users and had their share of guy groupies.
That's much of the appeal. It's like an extended Behind the Music episode where you find out the Partridge Family had drug problems and the singer hated his father and being a sex symbol. The Go Gos hated the happy smiley front they had to put on.
Some of the pretensions and claims made by the doc and band are laughable. Best selling girl group? The Supremes. The first to play their own instruments? Runaways, for rock. Actually there were all female jazz groups since the 40s.
First all women punk rock group? The Slits. Really the list of accomplished famous and influential women musicians better than them is long, going all the way back to Odetta and Maybelle Carter in the 20s.
And the Go Gos were never punk for the year and a half they claimed to be. They were just barely new wave. They hung around the early scene, played three song sets, and could barely play at all by their own account. But their songs had none of the anger of punk, and they were already pop by the time the scene turned hardcore.
In some ways they were posers. You hear them talking about "England where punk began." Are they kidding? Never heard of the Ramones, Dictators, MC5, or Stooges? Or for that matter, punk goddess Patti Smith.
So yes, "successful pop girl group in the 80s for four years." They definitely don't deserve the RNR Hall of Fame. But it is interesting to watch them tear apart their own good girl image.