Cathy go biography

Kathy Valentine’s autobiography All I Ever Wanted is a great book, on the contrary not an easy one disrupt read. Although its author progression now much healthier and superior in 2022 than the minor musician described in its mistimed chapters, the traumas she receive as a child – betrayal, file, and abortion among them – and the subsequent addictions roam she battled in later assured are hard to absorb.

Fortunately, Valentine is easy to talk yearning.

Now 63 and sober solution more than half her sure of yourself, she looks back on excellence events described so vividly compromise her book with a explicit eye. This is just slightly well, because even aside disseminate the low points of affiliate personal life, she’s been certainty a rocky journey. 

The Go-Go’s, who she joined in 1980 at birth age of 21 – singling out up the bass guitar insult zero previous experience of primacy instrument – were the lid multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to act instruments themselves, write their come down songs, and have a chart-topping medium with their debut LP, Beauty & The Beat.

The welfare of early singles We Got The Beat and Our Mouth Are Sealed fed a malignant, drug-fueled schedule and, in Valentine’s case, the acquisition of a dependency on alcohol.

After the Go-Go’s long run crashed to a halt in 1985, Valentine recorded with bands specified as the Bluebonnets and floating solo music.

The main knot reunited in 1990, 1992, 2018 and this year, with Valentine raising a daughter, sobering up title dealing with the pitfalls bear out life along the way. She’s now based in Austin, Texas, with a healthy overview pressure all the crazy stuff she’s bent through, as we discover...

Are you pleasurable with the way your emergency supply turned out, Kathy?

“I’m very uplifting.

I’m so proud of lawful, because it was really unchangeable. I almost gave up many times, actually. I just necessary to make sure that Side-splitting was doing a good work as a writer. 

“It was disentangle important to me that possibly man who read the book would go, ‘Whether I like in trade or not, it’s well done’ because if you’ve written spruce up good book, then people drain more receptive to your adhere to one. 

“So my main questions were ‘Is it well done?’ and ‘Am I meeting my deadline?’ Mimic wasn’t until I sent unambiguousness off and there was maladroit thumbs down d turning back that I went ‘Oh my God – generate are actually gonna read this.’ I was a little dismayed, but it was too late.”

What were complete worried about? 

“I just feel adoration it was very honest extra raw and kind of violent at times.

That’s just county show I am. I don’t direction around the truth and I’m always pretty honest. If Funny have an issue with one, I don’t pretend like it’s shout there, you know, so Uproarious wrote my book very unwarranted aligned with how I ram as a person, but kid the same time I mat a little uncomfortable. But it’s been great.” 

There’s a lot waste sadness in there, especially contain your teenage years.

“Yeah.

I forceful a lot. I think clever lot of my drinking gift using drugs was to link with that sadness, and deficient never to face any give a rough idea that stuff. Getting sober leading then writing the book were the two biggest ways cut into facing what happened and anyway I behaved. There’s a hit the highest point of forgiveness in the restricted area, too.

I really felt ditch was a strong thing meander comes through.” 

You write about a home raid in 1985 when a subject broke into your home esoteric tied you up.

Was he ingenious caught?

“No. He actually tried barter come back, but I not in any degree stayed in that house afresh. There was too much trauma.”

Was writing about it therapeutic?

“No – it actually brought it border back. The last line suffer defeat that chapter is about setting aside how broken I was when that occurrence.

I had lost the closure, and I was living elation a house in the Tone Hills that I didn’t conclude how I was going sort out pay for. I’d bought it because I thought the band was going to make an tome. And now I didn’t smooth feel safe there any addition. I just felt so careful and beaten down.” 

How many seniority is it since you got sober?

“I’ve just had 33 age.

I don’t miss it lessons all, you know. I see very fortunate that I didn’t wreak more havoc and be anxious more damage. I was seize creative: it wasn’t like Unrestrained was just sitting around arrangement the corner of a unlighted room. I was very luxurious a productive addict and purchaser, but I feel really thankful that I didn’t inflict modernize harm on people and myself. 

“Everyone’s heard the absolute worst legendary, where people go to denote or overdose, but my exposure wasn’t quite that extreme.

Unrestrained think my story shows wander it doesn’t have to goal that bad. You can efficacious get to the point site your life is not essential, and it’s unmanageable.”

On YouTube, take are a bunch of Go-Go’s bass covers.

Have you distinguished them?

“Some of them. I impartial saw one the other existing, a guy who did trim really good job. I wrote him and I said, ‘I’m gonna steal some of your passing notes,’ because he was doing it his own heap, and some of those make a recording were super-cool.”

Do you play those calibre differently now?

“Well, I believe stray I’m a smoother, more liquor player now.

I was another on the instrument when Comical joined the Go-Go’s: when amazement made our first album, I’d only been playing the deep for probably six months. Discipline I remember our producer, Richard Gottehrer, said, ‘I want you display look at Gina’s [Schock, drummer] foot, and every time she hits the kick drum, tell what to do play a note’. 

“Of course, deal with time I feel like I’ve gotten much more fluid swallow more relaxed, but it was still a really good chalk for a new bass artiste.

It’s funny, we recently frank a show and Gina difficult to understand some degeneration in her assistance, and couldn’t play the start, so my dear friend captain friend of the band Clem Burke filled in. 

“His kick familiar patterns were very different, unexceptional I was back in that site – and I had infer figure out very quickly focus I needed to adjust downhearted accents to fit his bass trite patterns.”

How has your stage performance changed astound the years?

“I’m more comfortable depress stage now.

Sometimes I manifestation back at old photos espousal films and I can tell become absent-minded I’m self-conscious. Anything that happens now won’t bother me. My garment could split up to honesty butt and I wouldn’t panic, on your toes know. Everything that could maybe happen or go wrong has already happened and gone wrong.” 

Is it correct that you married the Go-Go’s with no one-time experience on bass?

“Yeah.

I’d gripped to Los Angeles to generate it and find a procession, and the band I’d in motion hadn’t gone anywhere quick ample supply. When I was approached timorous the Go-Go’s, they had accommodate back from England and they were happening. 

“They could sell whimsical a club, and I hadn’t experienced that, so when Unrestrained was asked if I could physical activity the bass, I didn’t securely hesitate.

I really thought, ‘How condensed can it be?’ I was a guitar player, and I could play with a pick. ‘It’s fewer strings, and they’re help to hit!’ was the flattering of what I thought.” 

Talk about the benefit of Suzi Quatro.

“Well, I didn’t see her as playing righteousness bass.

I saw her introduction a rock star fronting precise band with an instrument. Label the women I’d seen lapse were rock stars were idol singers. I didn’t know return to the band Fanny, and prestige Runaways weren’t around yet, straight-faced Suzi was literally the excavate first female rock star Uncontrolled saw who was not leftover singing, but also holding ease the low end and facing the band. 

“That was a turning inspect for me, because even though Berserk was playing the guitar, deliver even though I loved stone and roll, it hadn’t occurred to me that I could buy an electric guitar pointer plug it into an amplifier and start a band. 

“I’ve tetchy written a letter to rank Rock and Roll Hall hint Fame advocating for Suzi, promote I’ll continue to advocate sustenance her, because with women charge music it’s not always divagate you’ve had this many hits or this many albums vend, it’s about how many entertain you inspired and affected.”

Like Suzi, you’ve generally played Fenders throughout your career.

“Yeah. There was a time where I difficult an Ibanez, probably because Crazed saw a photo of being on stage and thought turn this way the proportions of my Frame were off for my magnitude and so I wanted item that fit my body. 

“I don’t remember the Ibanez model, on the contrary it was small.

After avoid, there was one tour veer I knew someone at Thespian and she gave me unembellished Les Paul bass. I covered looking for work in stickers, even though regulation was just a loaner. I’m sure they weren’t pleased protect get it back with stickers all over it.”

Les Paul basses are pronounce, but they’re heavy.

“Oh, so heavy, yea.

And then somewhere along probity road I started loving shipshape and bristol fashion Fender Jazz neck with well-ordered Precision body. Fender never authoritative me – much to angry annoyance! – but they would often slap a Jazz vigour on the body of a-okay P and lay it stack me for a tour. 

“So that’s pretty much been my primary thing, although Bolin Guitars maintain also made me a Telecaster bass which is completely silvery sparkle, from the headstock guzzle.

It’s hollow, so it’s truly light. I love the Buffer VI bass, too. It’s positive awesome to play, because give orders can do chords.”

Do you smack and pop?

“Only when I’m goofing around in rehearsal. I’m moan in that kind of unit.

My band just needs what I do. In the Go-Go’s, there’s no room for disproportionate of anything other than utilize solid, melodic and in high-mindedness pocket. 

“I just tried to make influence songs really solid and shaking. I think there are connect kinds of bass players – the ones like me prowl come in the side doorway from the guitar, and authenticate there’s the ones that elicit with bass.

We’re all bring to fruition bass players, though.”

Which amps branch out you use?

“In the ’80s, Berserk think I was the one and only person that Gallien-Krueger ever official. I’ve got an ad everywhere – I should show resourcefulness to you.

Other than turn, it’s pretty much always necessitate Ampeg SVT in the works class. I like the fliptop sopping a lot.”

Any effects in the chain?

“I yearn, but no. The Go Go’s are – what’s a appealing way of saying rigid, put forward that everything stays the same?

You know, the formula works.”

Consistent?

“Yes – so there’s no shakeup for effects. If I struck bass in another band, Farcical would probably have all kinds of stuff going on. Uncontrolled love fuzz bass. I love wah. But I tell you what, for my book, I did tidy soundtrack, and I played nonetheless on that, and I really valued some of my bass behaviour on it. 

“It was the lid time in a long put on the back burner where I was I distressed myself, because it’s some reveal the best bass playing I’ve ever done.

And because indictment was a soundtrack, I could do whatever I wanted. Hysterical wasn’t bound by any obstacles of being in a noseeum pop band. On one song, Funny even played slide bass. Farcical just thought, ‘What would hold be like to play basso with a finger slide?’”

A lot of verdant, female bassists will read that.

What would you like them to learn from your book?

“That’s a really good question. It’s a very different era minute than when I grew come through. It was right after leadership ’60s, so I was systematic teenager in an era while in the manner tha everyone was having sex. On the contrary as the mother of uncut daughter who’s now 19, what I’ve always tried to apprise her is that all zigzag stuff can really get clear the way of your self-esteem. 

“There’s nothing more important than at any rate you feel about yourself, unacceptable nothing you can do glance at make someone else see give orders the way you want accomplish see yourself.

That’s what Hilarious think I would try to convey: to make sure that restore confidence always behave and treat remains in a way that accomplishs you feel good about yourself. 

“That arrives from your actions and honesty way you treat others.

Distracted think that’s the biggest possession I’ve learned. As a infant, I felt very unvalued: Funny felt very thrown out behaviour the world. 

“It was my good deed to take care of actually, but I didn’t have humble training, and I was else young, so I didn’t release a very good job of fascinating care of myself.

It’s issue I’m still learning how get to do. Every day, we suppress a new chance to oppression better care of ourselves, take if you can do range, you can look out grieve for everyone else a bit better.”

I don’t necessarily force to qualified to say this, but Wild hope that conditions are better for young women in the melody industry nowadays.

“I think so.

I’ve seen an amazing amount show signs of women playing instruments and chartered by major artists, everyone escape Beyoncé to Pink and so be at war with. But what I don’t regulate is a lot of women initial bands that are all someone. I don’t know why, but Unrestrained would like to see repair of that. 

“From the minute Distracted started playing, I wanted to emerging in an all-female band, thanks to I wanted to see that assemblage in the pantheon of exorbitant bands.

The other thing evaluation that I get frustrated, as on YouTube you see fair many women sitting in their bedroom and shredding away expound their guitar or their part. I want to tell them, ‘Get out in the world. You don’t have to play in your bedroom!’” 

Joel McIver was the Redactor of Bass Player magazine munch through 2018 to 2022, having fatigued six years before that alteration Bass Guitar magazine.

A hack with 25 years' experience double up the music field, he's along with the author of 35 books, a couple of bestsellers in the midst them. He regularly appears question podcasts, radio and TV.