Mark Madden

Mark Madden

The Super Genius of Pittsburgh Sports.Full Bio

 

THEY GOT THE BEAT

I watched a Showtime documentary on The Go-Go’s. It was brilliant, much like the group.

The Go-Go’s were the first (and are still the only) all-female band to write their own songs and play their own instruments that had a No. 1 album: “Beauty and the Beat,” 1981. They are an amazing mix of punk and pop. Not quite my cup of tea, but I’m a listener and a purchaser. They wrote great songs, and still do: 2020’s “Club Zero” has that 1980’s Go-Go’s feel.

How the frig are The Go-Go’s not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Oh, right…because the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sucks. It’s just the personal leanings of Rolling Stone (and Rock Hall) founder Jann Wenner, who indulges agendas and vendettas.

Case in point: In the Showtime doc, it’s revealed that Go-Go’s management and Wenner had a big blowup over how the band was portrayed in a Rolling Stone cover story. So there’s your reason.

The Go-Go’s provided a blueprint for pop stardom: Write great songs that are short and catchy. The evidence is displayed below.

Making the story even better: The Go-Go’s were real. Their gender didn’t make them anything but a typical rock band. They liked drugs, sex and every sort of excess. They performed on “Saturday Night Live” totally blotto. Roll over Keith Richards, and tell Guns N’ Roses the news.

Thumbnail via Getty Images


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