March BEAT

JANE WIEDLIN GO-GOs NON-STOP THESE DAYS

by Tom Lounges

   One thing Jane Wiedlin has an abundance of is – energy. That’s a good
thing these days, as the spunky rock ‘n’ roller has a career that is
currently moving in many directions.

    The most high profile aspect is her reforming the Go-Go’s, the most
successful all-female rock band of all time. The group, sporting all original
members just finished mixing a new studio album, God Bless The Go-Gos, which
will be released on May 15. The band will soon hit the road for a summer
tour.

     Wiedlin also has a new solo CD to hawk (Kissproof World) for her own
newly formed record label. Add to that a demanding schedule of doing
voice-overs for a such animated film/television projects as –“King Of The
Hill,” “Scooby Doo,” “Pinky & The Brain” and “Batman: The Animated Series.”

    On top of all that, Wiedlin spent last fall filming a brand new
MTV-produced soap opera – “Spyder Games” – which is targeted to teens and
expected to debut this summer.

GIMME A CUP O’ JOE...

    The multi-faceted Wiedlin explained in a squeaky voice best described as
Minnie Mouse meets Jennifer Tilly, that the storyline of the new MTV series
centers around the Carlisle family.

   “The show’s creator is a rabid Go-Go’s fan,” said Wiedlin, explaining
that the name for the show’s fictional family is an intentional nod to
Belinda Carlisle, lead singer of the Go-Go’s.

   “This fictional family owns a video game company called ‘Spyder Games,’
and in the first few episodes the family patriarch, Boris, gets killed off
and everything just gets really crazy. I really can’t tell you much more,”
she apologized, “except to say that there’s a lot of mystery and cool music
in the show. It’s loaded with sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll!”

     Wiedlin plays the character of Gretel Barns, and it’s a role she said
closely echoes her own life. “My character is this hip ex-‘rock chick’ who
owns the local coffee house where all the cool people hang out,” she said.
“The youngest of the Carlisle sons wants to be a rock star and always plays
in my coffee house. I’m in his band and always giving him advice.”

    Borrowing an old trick from the likes of Ricky Nelson and the Partridge
Family, the series will be used as a vehicle for Wiedlin to showcase new
songs from both the Go-Go’s and her solo projects. One episode already in
the can features Wiedlin performing, “He’s Not Talking,” from her new solo
CD.

      While the only “star name” on board at this time, Wiedlin thinks hip
celebs will be begging in for cameos once the show takes off. “The main
characters are all between 16 and 20,” she said. “So I think the show is
going to be a huge hit with kids. They will totally relate to the characters
and their issues.”

STILL ON THE GO-GO...

    Her acting career not withstanding (she’s appeared in such films as
“Clue” and “Bill & Ted’s Big Adventure”), Wiedlin says rock ‘n’ roll music
is still her primary focus. “I love acting,” she said, “but music is what I
do best and love the most!”

    To that end, she organized the reformation of her old chart-topping band,
The Go-Gos. The five original members did a full blown reunion tour last
summer and had such a good time, that they soon began recording.

   The Go-Go’s even guest starred as themselves last November on the “Drew
Carey Show.”

    “Things have gone really well for the group. We’ve all five formally
committed to at least two more years of The Go-Gos,” said Wiedlin. “We’re
recording our first new studio album in 16 years (since 1984’s Talk Show).
We were in doing mixing some tracks just last night and it sounds fucking
great! I’m really proud of what we’ve done with this record.”

    Wiedlin, who wrote nearly every lyric that the Go-Go’s have ever sung,
resumed songwriting duties for God Bless The Go-Gos. “We’ll be doing a full
world tour once the record comes out, so we’ll be out on the road for a long
time,” said Wiedlin. “We all still have our own projects, but we are all
very much committed to making this new album a smash.”

KISSPROOFING HER FANS...

    During the decade-plus that the Go-Go’s had been disbanded. Wiedlin
released two solo albums and fronted the short-lived FrosTed punk/pop project
with Tom Caffey, the younger brother of Go-Go Charlotte Caffey.

    She also guested on a bevy of major and indie albums, most recently on
the major label debut (MCA) of Chicago’s now defunct Blue Meanies, The Post
Wave, where she co-wrote and sang the track, “She Breathes Fire.”

   Wisconsin-born Wiedlin recently co-founded her own record imprint, Painful
Discs, the home of her latest solo CD, Kissproof World, which features a
guest shot from Matthew Sweet.

   That album is being heavily marketed on the internet through her own
website – www.janewiedlin.com – and assorted other music retail sites.

    “I just love the internet,” gushed Wiedlin. So much in fact, that this
writer endured 30 minutes of busy signal while attempting to phone her for a
pre-planned interview appointment. “Gosh, I’m so sorry. I was browsing
E-Bay while waiting for your call and completely forgot I only had the one
phone line.”

     Knowing the web to be a powerful tool for selling music, Wiedlin and her
manager/producer Tim Anctil, started Painful Disc Records with the intent of
it being an internet-only label to market Wiedlin’s projects. It has since
secured nationwide distribution to retail stores as well.

    “Right now, I’m the only artist on the label, but we’d like to see it
eventually grow into a real record company,” she said. “It’s a labor of
love that enables me keep complete creative control of my music.”

SAUCY AND SINGLE...

    That her new album comes with a cover sticker warning of “adult
content,” indicates that there is a more daring and dishy side to Wiedlin
than the impish pop princess we have come to know during her Go-Gos tenure.

    “I just got out of a very long relationship and thought it might be fun
to get a little wild and crazy,” she said of why saucy snapshots of her both
in an out of sexy lingerie, illustrate the CD booklet of Kissproof World.
“I’m very comfortable with my body and I’m proud of how I look. I think I
look pretty darn good for my age, so I figured –‘Why not show it off while I
can?’ So far, no one’s complaining,” she laughed.

    That this brassy lassie is so comfortable sharing more than her music
with fans is nothing new to those who purchased Wiedlin’s 1990 solo CD,
Tangled. Wiedlin was semi-nude then, so her going topless on her new disc
was the next logical step.

    The photos aside, Wiedlin reveals a lot of herself in the course of the
dozen musical tracks on the album. These songs are musical testimonials to
the ups and downs of her life. Despite the deep-rooted lyrics on most songs,
the album’s overall sound remains typically Wiedlin – pop-driven, highly
melodic with filled with more hooks than a tackle box.

   “I don’t want to make music that is non-specific and lyrically generic,
like most of the songs on the radio today,” she concludes. “I do have to
stop and wonder sometimes if maybe I’m revealing a little too much of myself
in my music, but I enjoy the challenge and the scariness that goes along with
trying to reveal my true nature and to self-express what I’m feeling through
my songs.”