Go-Go’s on HOF Induction: ‘We’d Gotten Used to Being Rejected’
The Go-Go's will be included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 36th induction class later this year. And the band members still can't believe it.
"I was afraid to be hopeful," guitarist Jane Wiedlin told SiriusXM's Volume channel. "But when I found out we got it, I just cried until I peed my pants. It was so exciting.”
The Go-Go's had never been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before this year, though they've been eligible since 2006. Female artists have historically had a harder time being recognized and included in the Rock Hall, a fact that's stood out prominently over the years.
“It’s been a long, strange trip," Wiedlin noted. "I mean, we had gotten used to being rejected for a variety of reasons. Of course, first for a long time because we were women. And then I don’t know why after that, because we’re so awesome. But we never really thought we’d even get nominated, and then of course it’s you get nominated, but then you don’t actually win or whatever."
First formed in Los Angeles in 1978, the Go-Go's became the first (and still only) all-female group to write and record a No. 1 album with 1981's Beauty and the Beat. Hits like "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Head Over Heels" made them MTV and radio stars. In 1982, the group was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
But the Go-Go's have had their share of ups and downs, including pushback from some music fans. When they toured with the Police on their Ghost in the Machine tour, for example, they weren't always welcomed by audiences. "The good thing about being in an arena is you can’t hear people yelling at you to get off the stage," Wiedlin explained.
This year's Rock Hall fan vote was a close match. Tina Turner ended up winning the honor (she'll also be inducted at the ceremony in Cleveland in October), but the Go-Go's landed in third.
"The thing that amazed me is that we haven’t made a ton of albums," Wiedlin said. "When I think of the Foo Fighters, they’ve probably sold tens of millions of records and they’re just so famous, and Iron Maiden has been around for so long and their fan base is so hardcore. The way our fans have performed on this contest thing online was so heartwarming and also so shocking. I don’t understand how it happened, but I am really thrilled. And once again it goes to show we have the best fucking fans."
There's also a strong chance all five Go-Go's members will be present at the induction ceremony. "I should hope so!" bassist Kathy Valentine told SiriusXM as her bandmates (save singer Belinda Carlisle, who didn't take part in the interview) chimed in with, "I'm in!" and "I'll be there!"