Jane Wiedlin | |
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Also known as | Jane Drano, Reverend Sister Go-Go |
Born | Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, U.S. | May 20, 1958
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Years active | 1978 [1] –present |
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Website | janewiedlin |
Jane Wiedlin is an American musician, singer and actress, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the new wave band the Go-Go's. She also voices Dusk, the drummer and backup vocalist of the fictional rock band the Hex Girls. She also had a successful solo career.
The Go-Go's went on to become one of the most successful American bands of the 1980s, helping popularize new wave music with songs such as "We Got the Beat", "Our Lips Are Sealed", and "Vacation". As a solo artist, Wiedlin's "Rush Hour" peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. As an actress, she had roles as the singing telegram girl in Clue (1985) and as Joan of Arc in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).
As a member of the Go-Go's, Wiedlin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She and the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
Wiedlin was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. [2] Her father, Robert Arthur Wiedlin Sr., an oral surgeon of German and Swiss ancestry, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother, Betty Jane (née Herro), [3] was of Lebanese heritage. Wiedlin's parents met while students at Marquette University. She is one of five children, with a sister and three brothers, and was raised Catholic. During Wiedlin's early childhood, her family lived in West Allis, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she was six, her father took a job with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs at a VA hospital in Los Angeles, and the family followed. [4]
Wiedlin has said, "I remember my childhood as extremely idyllic." She has also mentioned her adolescence with angst and hope by saying, "I was a depressed teenager. I thought life was completely pointless when I was in high school, but just a few short years later I was having the adventure of a lifetime in a successful rock band!" She attended William Howard Taft High School in Los Angeles from 1972 to 1976. [5]
According to Wiedlin, she was present "pretty much from the beginning" [6] of the Los Angeles punk scene. While attending college in the Los Angeles area for fashion design, she worked at a fashion-design house where she created song lyrics by scribbling ideas on clothing patterns. Under the moniker Jane Drano, she designed and sold punk-style clothing at Granny Takes a Trip, a store on Sunset Boulevard. [6] She became part of the scene that spawned bands such as X, the Germs and the Weirdos. [1]
Wiedlin and Belinda Carlisle formed the Go-Go's as a punk band in 1978, with Margot Olaverra on bass and Elissa Bello on drums. [7]
In 1981, Wiedlin and Terry Hall of Fun Boy Three and the Specials co-wrote "Our Lips Are Sealed". [8] The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 20, where it remained until 1982. [9]
After a series of reunions during the 1990s, Wiedlin, Carlisle, Caffey, Schock and Valentine reunited in 2000 to record God Bless the Go-Go's , their first studio album in 17 years. The album's title and concept came from Wiedlin. [10]
In 2010, the Go-Go's announced their "Happily Ever After" farewell tour, which was intended to begin in July. [11] However, it was canceled after Wiedlin fell down a cliff during a nighttime hike and suffered ACL tears in both knees. [12]
The Go-Go's announced an 11-date reunion tour scheduled to begin in June 2020. It was postponed in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [13]
In May 2021 it was announced that the Go-Go's would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 30, 2021. [14] [15] The band continued touring into 2022, before announcing their break up. [16] They did a one-off reunion in 2024 after being inducted into the California Hall of Fame. [17] [18]
Wiedlin has released four solo albums: Jane Wiedlin in 1985, Fur in 1988, Tangled in 1990, and Kissproof World in 2000. [19] From 1995 to 1998, she was also a member of the band FroSTed, which released one album, Cold, in 1996. In 2017, Wiedlin teamed up with the American-born Italian multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Pietro Straccia to form a new psychedelic/pop/harmony and guitar-driven duo called Elettrodomestico. [20]
Wiedlin's early acting credits include an ill-fated singing telegram girl in Clue (1985), a brief appearance as an officer seen on a Starfleet Command video screen in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), the White Fairy in Golan-Globus's Sleeping Beauty (1987) and as Joan of Arc in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). [21] Of her 1980s acting career, she has stated, "It turned out to be much harder than it looks, and as much as I enjoyed those experiences, I don't think I'm very good at it." [22]
In 2001, she had a regular role in MTV's Spyder Games , portraying the "ex-rock chick who runs the local coffee house" where the characters hang out. [10]
In 2005, she appeared as herself on the fourth season of VH1's The Surreal Life , in which she talked about her interest in BDSM. [23]
She portrayed the role of Ursula in Steve Balderson's 2005 surrealist crime drama film Firecracker , which Roger Ebert listed among the year's best films. [24] She worked a further three times with director Balderson, in Stuck! (2009), an homage to film noir women in prison dramas. [25] The Casserole Club (2011), about married swingers in 1960s Palm Springs, and Culture Shock (2013), a crime spoof set in London. [26]
She played Tess in the 2011 independent movie I Want to Get Married, [27] [28] and played a maths teacher in the 2016 horror film HoneyBee.
She has also provided voices for characters in television and film animation, such as Miranda Kane and Shannon in The New Batman Adventures , Gwen in Mission Hill , and Dusk of the Hex Girls in the Scooby-Doo franchise. [29]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1985 | Clue | Singing Telegram Girl | |
1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Alien Communications Officer | |
1987 | Sleeping Beauty | White Fairy | |
1989 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure | Joan of Arc | |
1999 | Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost | Dusk (voice) | [30] |
2000 | Angels! | Agent 77 | |
2003 | Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire | Dusk (voice) | [30] |
2005 | Firecracker | Ursula | |
2009 | Stuck! | Princess | |
2010 | Demonic Toys 2 | Baby Whoopsie (voice) | [30] |
2011 | The Casserole Club | Marjorie Lavon | |
2011 | I Want to Get Married | Tess | |
2012 | Culture Shock | Baby Boo Boo | |
2016 | HoneyBee | Mrs. Humphrey | |
2021 | The Sparks Brothers | Herself | Documentary |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1998 | The New Batman Adventures | Miranda Kane, Shannon (voice) | 2 episodes [30] |
1999 | Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain | Vanity White (voice) | 4 episodes [30] |
1999–2002 | Mission Hill | Gwen (voice) | 7 episodes |
2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Phaedra (voice) | 2 episodes [30] |
2002–2003 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Dusk, Backup Singer (voice) | 2 episodes |
2003 | As Told by Ginger | Hope Rogers (voice) | Episode: "No Hope for Courtney" [30] |
2003 | Duck Dodgers | Cassiopeia (voice) | Episode: "They Stole Dodgers' Brain" [30] |
2005 | Rugrats Pre-School Daze | Willy (voice) | 3 episodes [30] |
2010–2013 | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Dusk (voice) | 2 episodes |
2020 | Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? | Dusk (voice) | Episode: "I Put a Hex On You!" |
In 2000, Wiedlin and fellow Go-Go's member Charlotte Caffey co-wrote Keith Urban's first number one song, "But for the Grace of God". Wiedlin contributed quotations to Girls Against Girls by author Bonnie Burton. [31] Wiedlin was a contributing writer to the Los Angeles punk rock books Under the Big Black Sun (2016) and More Fun in the New World (2019) by John Doe and Tom DeSavia. In April 2009, Wiedlin was photographed as Bettie Page by Austin Young for the "Heaven Bound" art show. [32] A number of her songs were featured in the 2018 debut of the Broadway musical Head Over Heels, with a story suggested by Philip Sidney's Arcadia set to the songs of the Go-Go's and Belinda Carlisle. [33]
A long-time animal rights activist, Wiedlin has worked with PETA since as far back as 1989 when she performed as part of a "Rock Against Fur" concert in New York City [34] and is a friend of PETA executive Dan Mathews. [10]
Wiedlin has discussed her struggles with depression and mental health, and how it affected her at several stages of her life, including a suicide attempt in high school, and the effects fame (and a lack of healthy coping mechanisms) had on her wellbeing. [35]
During Wiedlin's time in the Los Angeles punk scene, her first real boyfriend was Terry Bag (Terry Graham) of the punk band the Bags and later the Gun Club. She later had what she called a "short but dramatic romance" with Terry Hall of the Specials during a 1980 British tour. Hall later sent her some lyrics prompted by their relationship, inspiring Wiedlin to write "Our Lips Are Sealed", [22] a song on which Hall has co-writer credit and recorded with his own band, Fun Boy Three. In the 2020 documentary The Go-Go's, bandmate Gina Schock stated that she and Wiedlin were "girlfriends" for a time until Wiedlin broke up with her. Wiedlin also had a brief relationship with Russell Mael of the band Sparks. [36]
Wiedlin identifies as bisexual. [37] [38]
In addition to acting and singing, Wiedlin is an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church, a mail-order religious organization that offers anyone semi-immediate, no-cost ordination as a ULC minister. Wiedlin identifies herself as "Reverend Sister Go-Go", primarily officiating at weddings. [39]
Wiedlin was married to Ged Malone from 1987 to 1999.[ citation needed ]
She was married to David Trotter from 2004 to 2005.[ citation needed ]
Wiedlin became engaged to her boyfriend Terence Lundy in October 2022. [40] They were married in February 2023. She announced their divorce in April 2024. [41]
Wiedlin has spent her adult life living in various places: Mendocino, Costa Rica, Panama, Wisconsin, San Francisco, and Hawaii. [42]
In December 2023, in an exposé by Rolling Stone , Wiedlin alleged that rock DJ Rodney Bingenheimer sexually assaulted her at his English Disco nightclub in Los Angeles when she was around 15 in about 1974. [43]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [44] | CAN [45] | UK [46] | |||||||
Jane Wiedlin |
| 127 | — | — | |||||
Fur |
| 105 | 88 | 48 | |||||
Tangled |
| — | — | — | |||||
Kissproof World |
| — | — | — | |||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Title | Album details |
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The Very Best of Jane Wiedlin: From Cool Places to Worlds on Fire |
|
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [47] | US Dance [48] | CAN | NZ [49] | UK [46] | |||||
"Blue Kiss" | 1985 | 77 | 30 | 62 | — | — | Jane Wiedlin | ||
"Rush Hour" | 1988 | 9 | — | 13 | 31 | 12 | Fur | ||
"Inside a Dream" | 57 | — | — | — | 64 | ||||
"World on Fire" | 1990 | — | — | — | — | — | Tangled | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | US Dance | |||
"Cool Places" (Sparks featuring Jane Wiedlin) | 1983 | 49 | 13 | In Outer Space |
The Go-Go's are an American all-female rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. They are widely considered the most successful all-female rock band of all time.
Beauty and the Beat is the debut album from California new wave band the Go-Go's. Released July 14, 1981 on the I.R.S. Records label, the album reached number one on Billboard's Top LPs & Tape chart in March 1982, bolstered by its two big Hot 100 hit singles: "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat", released in 1980, but in a different version. After a long and steady climb, Beauty and the Beat reached number one in the album chart dated March 6, 1982, the week before "We Got the Beat" entered the Top Ten of the Hot 100. The album stayed at the top for six consecutive weeks, and ranked second in Billboard's year-end Top 100 of 1982. The album sold in excess of two million copies, and was RIAA-certified double platinum, qualifying it as one of the most successful debut albums of all time. Critically acclaimed, it has been described as one of the "cornerstone albums of American new wave".
The Runaways were an American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", "Hollywood", "Queens of Noise" and a cover version of the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll". Never a major success in the United States, the Runaways became a sensation overseas, especially in Japan, thanks to the single "Cherry Bomb".
Against Me! is an American punk rock band, formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup has also included guitarist James Bowman. After releasing three studio albums through independent record labels, Against Me! moved to Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, which reached no. 57 on the Billboard 200. In 2011, the band launched the record label Total Treble.
Terence Edward Hall was a British musician who came to prominence as the lead singer of the 2-tone band the Specials, and later recorded with groups such as Fun Boy Three, the Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka, and Vegas.
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer and songwriter. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist.
Joan Jett is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress, best known as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. She also co-founded and performed with the Runaways, who recorded and released the hit song "Cherry Bomb". With the Blackhearts, her rendition of the song "I Love Rock 'n Roll" was the number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1982. Her other notable songs include "Bad Reputation", "Light of Day", "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and her covers of "Crimson and Clover", "Do You Wanna Touch Me " and "Dirty Deeds".
Kathryn Valentine is an American musician who is the bassist for the rock band the Go-Go's. She has maintained a career in music through songwriting, recording, performing and touring as well as additional academic and creative pursuits. Valentine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021 as a member of The Go-Go's.
The Mary Jane Girls were an American girl group formed in 1983, best known for their songs "In My House", "All Night Long", "Candy Man", and their cover version of "Walk Like a Man". They were protégées of musician Rick James and disbanded in 1987.
"Our Lips Are Sealed" is a song co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry Hall, singer of the Specials and Fun Boy Three.
Laura Jane Grace is an American musician best known as the founder, lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the punk rock band Against Me!. In addition to Against Me!, Grace fronts the band Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, a solo project she started in 2016. Grace is notable for being one of the first highly visible punk rock musicians to publicly come out as transgender, which she did in May 2012. She released her debut solo studio album, Stay Alive, in 2020, followed by Hole in My Head in 2024.
"Vacation" is a 1982 single released by the all-female rock band, the Go-Go's. The song was the first single from the album, Vacation.
Abby Travis is an American musician. In the 1990s, she began working as a touring bass player. She has worked with The Go-Go's, The Eagles of Death Metal, Masters of Reality, The Bangles, KMFDM, Beck, and Elastica.
"We Got the Beat" is a song by the American rock band the Go-Go's, written by the group's lead guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey. The band first recorded the song in 1980 for a single on UK-based Stiff Records, and later rerecorded it for their debut album Beauty and the Beat on I.R.S. Records. The initial single release brought the Go-Go's underground credibility during their first UK tour and in the band's hometown of Los Angeles. The first version reached No. 35 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart due to its popularity in clubs as an import, and the second version was a top 10 hit in both the United States and Canada. It is considered a new wave classic hit, as well as being the Go-Go's' signature song. The song was named one of "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".
"How Much More" is a song written by Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin that was first released as part of the Go-Go's debut single along with "We Got the Beat" in 1980. A re-recorded version was released on their 1981 debut album Beauty and the Beat.
Aimee Allen is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. She is currently the lead vocalist for the ska-punk band the Interrupters under the moniker Aimee Interrupter. As a singer-songwriter, she has collaborated with Mark Ronson, Sublime with Rome, Tim Armstrong of Rancid, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Linda Perry, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jimmy Cliff, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Travis Barker, Dirty Heads, and Tom Morello.
Fur is the second album by American singer Jane Wiedlin, released in 1988. The songs "Rush Hour" and "Inside a Dream" were released as singles and both charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The album has a slick, contemporary production, with mainly programmed music complemented by electric guitar and some horns.
Tangled is the third studio album by Jane Wiedlin, released in 1990 on EMI Records. It was also her third solo album after leaving rock group The Go-Go's. The album was produced by Peter Collins, with the track "99 Ways" being co-produced with Andy Hill.
"Yes or No" is a song by the American rock band the Go-Go's, from their 1984 album Talk Show. The song was co-written by the Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Ron and Russell Mael of the Los Angeles band Sparks.
Women have made significant contributions to punk rock music and its subculture since its inception in the 1970s. In contrast to the rock music and heavy metal scenes of the 1970s, which were dominated by men, the anarchic, counter-cultural mindset of the punk scene in mid-and-late 1970s encouraged women to participate. This participation played a role in the historical development of punk music, especially in the US and UK at that time, and continues to influence and enable future generations. Women have participated in the punk scene as lead singers, instrumentalists, as all-female bands, zine contributors and fashion designers.