Made In Hollywood

Text copyright © 2021 by Gina Schock

Cover design by Douglas Brian Martin

Cover copyright © 2021 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Front cover photograph © 1982 Ginger Canzoneri

Back cover photograph courtesy of Brendon McNichol

Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the authors’ intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors’ rights.

Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers

Hachette Book Group

1290 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10104

www.hachettebookgroup.com

www.blackdogandleventhal.com

First edition: October 2021

Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers is an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to www.HachetteSpeakersBureau.com or call (866) 376-6591.

here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here (ticket stub), here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here (featuring album cover photograph shot by George DuBose. © George-DuBose.com), here, here, here, here, here (excluding top right), here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here—Photographs and ephemera courtesy of the author; here—Photograph by John Stapleton, courtesy of the photographer; here—Photograph courtesy of Hangauer/Kissinger © 2020; here, here—Photographs © Paula Gillen; here—Poster © Douglas Brian Martin; here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here—Photographs by Relah Eckstein; here, here (top right)—Photograph courtesy of Cindy Heidel; here—Photograph courtesy of Hangauer/Kissinger © 2020; here, here, here—Photographs by Gary Leonard, courtesy of the photographer; here—Photograph by Pam Martinez; here, here—Photographs © Janette Beckman; here—Ephemera courtesy of the author. Photograph courtesy of the photographer, George DuBose. © George-DuBose.com; here, here—Picture disc photographs appear courtesy of the photographer, Chris Craymer. Picture disc design by Timothy L. Eames. All images appear by arrangement with Universal Music Group; here, here—Photographs courtesy of Gary Andrew Gershoff; here—Photograph courtesy of Kathy Valentine; here—Ephemera courtesy of the author, photographs © George-DuBose.com; here—Poster courtesy of Richard Luckett, ALDESIGN AUSTIN; photographs featured on poster © George-DuBose.com; here—Photograph © John H. Mayer; here, here, here—Photographs © Ginger Canzoneri; here—Photograph by Mick Haggerty. Art direction, photography, design, and illustration: Mick Haggerty; here—Poster courtesy of the author. Art direction, photography, design, and illustration: Mick Haggerty; here—Photograph by Thomas Leventhal; here, here—Photographs by Denis O’Regan; here, here, here—Photographs © Douglas Brian Martin; here, here—Photographs courtesy of Dennis Keeley. Album cover art direction and design by Mike Doud; here—Photograph © Dianne Carter/Dianne Carter Photo Archive; here, here, here, here, here—Photographs by Arnold Neimanis; here—Photograph © Greg Gorman; here—Photograph by Kelly Sullivan/Stringer, Getty Images; here—(Left) poster © 1999 Rob Schwager, (Right) poster courtesy of scrojo; here—(Left) poster courtesy of R. Black, (Right) poster © Cliff Galbraith.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021930568

ISBNs: 978-0-7624-7497-4 (hardcover), 978-0-7624-7498-1 (ebook), 978-1-5491-3569-9 (audio download), 978-0-7624-7911-5 (signed edition)

E3-20210929-JV-NF-ORI

To my mother, June; my father, John; and my brother, Johnny, I dedicate this book.

My grandparents Jean and Mitch, Anna and Duke.

The rest of my blood family and my extended family, too many names to mention, but I believe you know who you are.

Penny, my little angel and constant companion.

Moe, Dottie, Walter, Ike, Ethel, Noodles, Floyd, and Fritz, never forgotten.

Foreword: The View from the Throne

Behind the band, most of the time, sits the drummer. She sits on a stool, adjustable and padded, commonly referred to as “the throne.” Maybe that’s because, really, the drummer rules the band. The drummer is the one who determines the tempo of the songs. Sometimes she may have to imperceptibly pull back when it’s going a little too fast or push the players to speed up if it’s dragging. You best follow along—do as your drummer dictates—or else it’s on you, for making things sound like a mess. The drummer is the one responsible for the dynamics of the song, the one who makes sure the intensity builds or that the sound is pulled back, so that the audience can focus clearly on the vocals. The drummer cues the long, drawn-out endings that stop on a beat after a wild, peaking roar of instruments. The drummer commands the energy: her fills, rolls, and power infuse the song. The drummer, if it’s Gina Schock, also gives the songs identifiable hooks—instantly recognizable, the heartbeat and life-force of a track.

Besides ruling the band, only the drummer gets to have the view from the throne. It must be something to see—the whole band is in sight, their glorious backsides imperishably imprinted upon her mind. A glance to either side and she will see how the crew is doing, attentive and ready to take care of any problems. She can see the monitor mixer clearly, as well as the sound board up ahead in the midst of the audience. And she sees the entirety of the crowd—the ones smashed at the front of the stage, close enough to make eye contact, all the way back to the fans dancing in the bleachers. She takes in the long-range scenery of the venue and can find in an instant the close-ups of all her bandmates’ facial expressions. Nobody except the drummer gets this panoramic, zooming in, zooming out view from the throne. I’m telling you all this to underscore a truth at the core of this book: It is no surprise and it’s no accident that Gina has a perspective unlike anyone else in the band.

I could tell you stories, lots of stories, from my point of view. Any of the Go-Go’s can do that. But only Gina can tell you her stories and show you, actually show you, what she was seeing. Her perspective manifested in photographs from the very beginning, when she joined the Go-Go’s. Gina whipped the potential of the band into straight-up contenders for everything that followed and documented the whole ride. It’s one thing to casually take pictures; it’s another thing altogether when the photographer is one of you. We trusted her and let her rule and direct us, just like she did from the throne behind the drums. The Go-Go’s, always ready to laugh with one another or at one another, were happy to act out Gina’s vision or scenario for what would make artful Polaroids or a well-composed shot. She kept her favorites and brought them on the road, and time and time again she pulled them out so we could all gather around and collapse in gales of laughter at the moments she had captured.

There is a determination and pureness to Gina’s focus. I’ve seen it, not only in her musicianship and songwriting but also in her life and in her judgment as to what is important to her. All the elements that make her a great drummer are evident when you know her: a methodical and precise organization for the external details that make up her day-to-day—and the explosive and deep emotion she bestows on her loved ones. Deciding to create this book was a task she undertook with the same passion and work ethic she has called on throughout her career. It has been compiled, from inspiration to completion, with the same thoughtfulness and tangible effort she devotes to friendships and favorite causes. And while the pages might tell the stories of her band, from the anecdotes of the friends she has made along the way to her own recollections, it’s the photos, from behind the scenes, that tell the most evocative accounts.

Gina sets her seat low and her cymbals high—every crash is a reach for the sky. I used to think it was for sight lines, so everyone could get a clear view of her as she propelled the Go-Go’s through countless delirious concerts. One day at sound check I went and sat behind her kit and realized this setup enhanced her vision. The configuration is as purposeful and thought-out as any construct she undertakes; it gives her exactly what she needs to keep the energy flowing between the kit, the band, and the fans. On behalf of Gina, I invite you to go forward in these pages, knowing that you are now part of the gang, gathering around to enjoy the surprises and stories that the pictures tell.

Kathy Valentine

Austin, Texas

Introduction: Let the Show Begin

Baptism by fire. That’s what I’d call my first concert—Led Zeppelin opening for the Who in 1969 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. My brother was recruited to take me because I was only eleven years old at the time. Seeing and hearing Zeppelin live was like experiencing a controlled explosion. It blew my mind! Robert Plant had the voice of an angel and the moves of a sinner. Jimmy Page had command of his guitar like nobody else. John Paul Jones was solid and seemed like the glue holding it all together. The drummer John Bonham was steady and powerful, moving around the kit with lightning speed and leading the band as much as anyone else. Then came the Who. Those guys really knocked me out. They had it all down. Roger Daltrey was so handsome with incredible stage presence. Pete Townshend was a dynamo. I watched as his guitar became an extension of himself. The bass player John Entwistle had a very busy style. His fingers seemed to be all over the fret board at once. Don’t get me started about Keith Moon. No one has ever played like Keith Moon, a style that cannot be replaced. At the end of the Who’s performance they destroyed their instruments. I was absolutely enthralled. What a finale. After seeing these two performances, all I could think about and dream about was being on that stage. What position I was in didn’t matter. It seemed I had figured out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Music, so big, so wide, so reaching and it had me in its grips just where I wanted to be.

The next concert was Black Sabbath at the Baltimore Civic Center, which was located downtown. I would take a bus there, and then my mom picked me up afterwards. That show left a powerful impression on me as well. Black Sabbath was one of my favorite bands. I needed to start documenting what I was seeing. Not having a lot of money, I went out and bought a little Instamatic. Eventually, I got a 35-millimeter camera that I took with me to every show. Rod Stewart; J. Geils Band; Alice Cooper; Hall & Oates; Grand Funk Railroad; Sly and the Family Stone; Humble Pie; Yes; ZZ Top; New York Dolls; David Bowie; Deep Purple; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Steve Miller Band. The list goes on and on. All that I was experiencing filled me up. The music was speaking to my soul, and finally the images in front of the lens were being recorded.

During my initial drive from Baltimore to Los Angeles in the winter of ’79, I had a camera around my neck taking photos. From the beautiful vistas surrounding me on Interstate 10 to the eventual room the Go-Go’s first rehearsed in (stinky, smelly, and below a porn theater), I was putting something together and unknowingly becoming the archivist of the band. Whenever the moment struck me, I started clicking away. Perhaps the band backstage after a show having a lot of drinks with our colorful friends, or touring the entire country in agony stuck in a twelve-seater van, or even playing the Rock in Rio festival in front of 250,000 people, there’s been much to take in and take from. All that we’ve experienced has become a testament to our passion and tenacity.

In the early days playing clubs, I would always look for a poster or a flier from the show we were about to do. As we started touring, it was backstage passes, Go-Go’s T-shirts, tour books, and more. One of my favorite types of photography became Polaroids. During the process of putting together The Go-Go’s documentary, I again was inspired to rediscover all that I was saving. There was so much I wanted to show that had been sitting in drawers, stuffed in closets, and shoved under the bed over the past forty years. I know you folks have heard this cliché a million times, but this book truly is a labor of love. The band has been encouraging me for several decades to put it together. The Go-Go’s have always been about positivity, acceptance, and really just simply wanting to make people feel good whether they come to a show or listen to one of our songs. Looking through all that I have saved, I am thankful I kept so much. Music and fashion are cyclical. If you hold on to stuff long enough, it comes back into vogue. This book is the summation of that. I entitled it Made In Hollywood because that’s where it happened. I met the Go-Go’s there, became a Go-Go there, and that will never change.

We hadn’t released a new song in almost twenty years, and then we put out “Club Zero.” It landed in the top 10 of Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart. That is directly due to our fans. I think we represent a lot more than we ever imagined we would. Being part of the women’s movement is certainly one of our accomplishments. When I am reminded of our contributions, I’m in disbelief. It continues to humble me to this day. So many important moments in my life are revealed throughout the pages of this book. I have done it as a big thank-you to the fans. They were in the clubs, they were there in the arenas, and even during the period of time when the band broke up, the fans never left. They encouraged us to get back together and make music. God Bless the Go-Go’s. God bless the fans.

Now… have a look through my eyes.

Gina

San Francisco, California