In The Go-Go's, my philosophy is that I contribute whatever the song requires. I never think, 'What can I put in here to show off the latest trick that I just picked up?' What I think is, 'What's required from me as a drummer to make this a better song?'
Gina Schock
When I was in Baltimore, I played in several different bands, doing four sets a night, two sets of originals, two sets of covers, that kind of thing.
Most companies are out to make money. They aren't worried about anything except whether they can buy their new BMW next month.
Money can be pretty ugly.
We talk about, 'Wow, thank God that we were out when we were, because it was much easier then.' There wasn't paparazzi following you every step of your day, every move you make.
I'd keep the bay windows open, and neighbors would walk by and say, 'Oh, that's Gina playing music.' They were fascinated.
We always thought if 'Beauty and the Beat' sold even 100,000 copies, we'd be real happy and a successful group, so when it reached a million... Hey, we just laughed about it.
I went to see the Go-Go's on a Saturday night in '78 and had the best time. I was so serious about the way I played but they were having a blast. They weren't quite ready, but man there was something special. The girls just needed someone to push 'em a little and I eventually pushed.
When I was much younger I tried to play guitar and bass first. Drums were just the easiest thing for me to play. I picked it up really quickly.
The fun image is what we project onstage, because our music is dance music. But it's not what the group is about We're very serious about our music and the band and producing good quality songs.
I wish that we all would have slowed down and savored the moment, loved what was happening and then appreciate it. It was going by so fast. Whatever the record told us to do, we'd do. We were just constantly touring, and then MTV happened and that kicked things up a notch for everybody.
I always thought: 'Oh my God, we are going to be famous, we're going to be huge.' We were 21, 22 years old.
I can't see us getting into, like, long solos.
Everybody was apprehensive about a documentary. When we're all dead and gone, we don't want to leave something that is not going to be representing the band in a true and honest way that shows everything that's important.
We were so poor. Every item of clothing came from a thrift store.
We've been lucky with our music; people have liked it.
The only problem is, that the musicians, the guys, their careers can go from the time they're 18 'till they're 50 years old and when they get wrinkles, they're 'character lines.' But when girls get 'em, they're wrinkles!
We definitely were a punk band. When we got in with our producer, Richard Gottehrer, he slowed everything down so that you could actually hear what Belinda was singing.
Every time I see a story about the Go-Go's, it sounds like a gossip column about our health or our love life.
Sometimes the recognition gets weird.
Commercial success certainly helps pay the bills.
Mick Jagger visited us backstage and told us how much he liked our show. Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts came back too, and they wanted to get their pictures taken with us. Bill Wyman knew our chart positions. I couldn't believe it.
In the beginning, we'd walk off stage and burst into tears, 'cause we were getting bottles thrown at us, and boys were spitting all over us.
We were constantly together. Anybody who had a boyfriend had to go through the Go-Go's first. It was a little too close for comfort after a while.
When we play live, we go back to our punk roots.
We got a thumbs-down from every label. But you gotta keep the faith, man. You gotta hang in there and be tenacious.
We didn't like the way that our 'Behind the Music' came out at all, to say the least, and so it made everybody kind of gun-shy about ever doing anything like that again.
There are a lot more women drummers now than there used to be, and I'd like to think that I'm part of the reason.
So I had an operation. So what? If I die, I die. I'm more interested in my music.
When I left Baltimore I put everything I owned in my dad's pick-up truck and drove cross-country to make it as a rockstar in L.A.
It wouldn't be in the typical fashion of the Go-Go's that anything isn't a struggle.
I always want to be touring.
One thing I did inject was a different work ethic: Guys, no, we don't rehearse once or twice a month, we rehearse every day after work and on weekends, and that's how we're gonna get better. And everybody adopted that work ethic, and it did pay off.
Money, ego and drugs - that's what caused the demise of our band.
First of all, The Go-Go's have always had pop melodies, OK? And the punk aspect was just at the root of it.
I mean, all the record companies said no, you know, say 10 record companies, whatever. But one said yes, and it took only one to make The Go-Go's happened.
You know, you can only get beat up so much. And then you turn it around, and you're like, OK, we're not taking this anymore.
Being in this band is like being in high school all over again. We're like a bunch of little maniacs.
I don't want someone taking up half my time. I don't need to get my heart broken.
I don't want to be in love.
You had to fight every inch of the way, that's what made us trailblazers.
They're my sisters. We don't always like each other, but we'll always love each other.
I'll tell you, girl fans were actually pushier than the guys. The guys got scared, because when the five of us were together, we were out of control. If I were in the room with the five of us, I'd leave. It's like a five-headed monster.
The girls are such a part of my life. When times are tough, we sort of pull together as like a family does - not always liking each other, but certainly love each other at the end of the day.
The first album is a special one for most bands or most artists in general. The first record is your whole life, and then after that you have a couple of months to write stuff and get it for the next record.
We're family, like it or not. I can't tell you how many times we were going to break up for this or that, and then something would just bring us back together.
All these years later there's still something magical when we play. Who would've thought when we started out that 40 years later we'd still be together and people would still be interested.
We may have broken up at the height of our fame, but it was not the height of our success.
We used to be such prima donnas.
When I left Baltimore, I told everyone, 'Next time you see me, I'm going to be a rock star.'
