Lips Unsealed

April 12, 2010
The Go-Go’s lead singer who went on to a solo career recounts a remarkable early Cinderella story that morphs into a frank, though at times self-indulgent, story of drug abuse and failure. Hailing from a working-class section of Los Angeles, the eldest daughter of divorced parents, Carlisle struggled early on with shame over her mother’s depression and her step-father’s drinking problem; teased for her chubbiness, she sought escape from a difficult home and found it in the mid-’70s’ burgeoning L.A. punk scene. Steeped in the brash music of Iggy Pop and Queen, crazy about the iconoclastic new look, she and her friends haunted Hollywood clubs while she worked as a hairdresser and secretary. In 1978 she, Jane Wiedlin, and Margot Olaverra came up with the idea of starting their own band, eventually adding Charlotte Caffey and Gina Shock, and within a short time the all-girl Go-Go’s had moved from being a novelty to a super-cool pop band with their dance hit, “We Got the Beat.” Alongside dizzying stardom came the requisite drug-and-alcohol frenzy, and much of this memoir is a chronicle of one party after another and a list of celebrity who’s who. Carlisle writes candidly, and her chronic fear of being exposed as a “fake” is heartfelt and winning.

April 15, 2010
Go-Go's singer and popular solo songstress reflects on her struggles with identity, drugs and the pitfalls of pop stardom.

The author was raised by her mother in the Southern California suburbs, where she became the beneficiary of right-place-at-the-right-time serendipity while experimenting with the burgeoning late-'70s L.A. punk scene. She almost inadvertently became the cherubic lead singer for all-girl pop-punk group the Go-Go's. Their rise to superstardom in the'80s seemed as unexpected as it was inevitable. One minute Carlisle and her girlfriends were sitting on a curb in Hollywood talking about playing music, and the next they were the first all-female band to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts with songs they wrote and played themselves. The author's recollections of the years through her late-'80s period of solo success are awhirl with drug binges, drunken escapades, celebrity boyfriends, band infighting and nonstop touring. Despite the transience of her pop-star lifestyle, two constants in her life prevailed: cocaine and insecurity. The book's familiar double-edged–sword success story takes shape early on. Once large amounts of money were at stake, suddenly egos damaged more easily and personality conflicts flared up among the Go-Go's, leading to the group's initial breakup in 1985. Even with her mega-successful solo career, which included hits like"Mad About You," Carlisle was still short on self-knowledge and spiritual fulfillment. She eventually found herself in a semi-functional marriage to Morgan Mason, the wealthy scion of actor James Mason. Although readers may find it difficult to sympathize with the author's combination of discontent and moneyed privilege, her memoir is generously confessional enough to give a compelling edge to her battle with substance abuse and her quest for spiritual balance.

Despite its psychologically thin veneer, the book is a harrowing cautionary tale of the perilous freedoms that rock stardom brings.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2010
Erstwhile Go-Go and distaff rock-music icon Carlisle delivers the goods on her battles with substance abuse and life on the road in the band that was a somewhat more organic version of the Runaways. The Go-Gos were the first all-female band to attain a number-one sales ranking with an album of original material played by the band. Although Carlisles subsequent solo career has now overshadowed her Go-Gos days, at least artistically if not in the public consciousness, much of the fun here is centered on the wild and crazy partying on the road during the Go-Gos commercial ascendance. Social interactions and psychic adventuring with bands such as the Police provide the behind-the-scenes fodder that rock fans love in their stars memoirs, and the fact that Carlisle also interacted professionally with the likes of Don Henley of the Eagles adds to her recollections. Carlisle continues to make music but has widened her focus, appearing on a BBC cooking show. This warm, well-written bio brings her fan base up to date.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)