The CW channel happened to be on my living room TV Saturday night when this came on. I saw a bunch of girls with hair dyed all sorts of colors and wearing zany outfits, so I became fascinated. I had no idea who they were, and then I recognized them once I heard the name. I'm a self-professed music junkie. I'll listen to pretty much anything, excluding classical and country. I'm actually not a fan of the Go-Go's. I only knew about them because I get Music Choice on my TV. I had heard a couple of their songs - "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Vacation" - when I happened to stop on the 80s channel as I was flipping through. I love to see all-female groups. Like a lot of other industries, the music business is male-dominated, so they don't receive much attention. For that reason, I was open to learning about them. Unfortunately though, as hard as I tried, I just couldn't make it through the whole thing. I watched it for about 45 minutes or so before I lost interest. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I don't care for punk rock. I'm more or less into rock music that was influenced by hippie culture. I love The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, as well as British groups, particularly Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, and The Who. I can't identify with the whole anger and poed attitude that defines punk rock. I also found the documentary itself to be pretentious. I'm sure the group had challenges, but it just seemed overdramatized. I echo the sentiments of the other 4 star review - the whole girl power thing did seem fake. They ultimately broke up due to issues with collaboration and personality differences. Not saying those aren't legitimate reasons, but most other bands break up over some heavy stuff (death of members, substance abuse, etc.). While drug addiction did play a role in their breakup, a lot of it sounded like typical relational drama that's characteristic of women. Kathy Valentine said it hurt the most because of the way it was announced, and Gina Schock felt like it wasn't done in such a manner that would be expected after working with someone for so many years. Makes you wonder if they got along behind the scenes. I didn't even know they were supposed to be a punk band, to tell the truth. Their songs have a pop sound to them. In my opinion, they're overrated. People have just gotten brainwashed into thinking they're a punk rock band. The only aspect of punk they embodied was the lifestyle. Their environment and experiences were huge factors that caused them to gravitate towards hanging out with a punk crowd. They had a crappy childhood, which led to mental health problems, like suicidal ideation. Their middle and high school years were filled with angst, loneliness, and confusion. Going to punk rock clubs was like an outlet for their pent up rage, and gave them a sense of belonging, leading them to form their own band. How they lived is what made them punk. But certainly not their music. Not only do their songs sound nothing like punk (besides pop, they have a surf/beachy vibe going on too, if you listen closely), but the subjects and themes aren't related to the genre either. Punk lyrics communicate frustration with society. "Our Lips Are Sealed" is about people who gossip and talk too much, and "Vacation" is about a girl who's in a relationship, willingly takes a trip by herself, and then starts missing her boyfriend. What does that have to do with punk? I guess I would recommend this to fans only. Just as warning though, it's quite tedious to get through. I honestly think this will only speak to people who are fans, and/or like punk rock in general.
Review of The Go-Go's
