In part 2 of our 2 part Australian exclusive, Australian Musician’s Nicole Nighthawk spoke with The Go’Go’s’ Kathy Valentine via Skype about her memoir All I Ever Wanted and also chatted about the Go-Gos documentary, advice for young musicians and her gear.
Kathy Valentine has been a working musician and songwriter for over 40 years, ever since she started her first band, at age 16, in her hometown of Austin. After moving to Los Angeles, Kathy joined a band that would go on to make music history: The Go-Go’s. In this group, Kathy wrote or co-wrote some of the band’s most renowned tunes, including the hits “Vacation” and “Head Over Heels.” The Go-Go’s became the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play instruments themselves, write their own songs, and have a number one album. Their debut, Beauty and the Beat, spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and featured the hit songs “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed.”
Kathy returned to Austin in 2006 and began finding new opportunities as a public speaker, spokesperson, producer, and mentor. In 2016 she signed with UT Press to write a memoir, and appeared in a major role in a feature film, “The Transcendents”. A musical featuring the music of the Go-Go’s also played Broadway in 2019. However what Kathy is most excited about at the moment is the publication of her memoir All I Ever Wanted, along with an accompanying solo record.
If you missed part one of this interview, check it out HERE