Lips Unsealed: A Memoir

Lips Unsealed: A Memoir

The women of the iconic eighties band the Go-Go’s will always be remembered as they appeared on the back of their debut record: sunny, smiling, each soaking in her own private bubble bath with chocolates and champagne. The photo is a perfect tribute to the fun, irreverent brand of pop music that the Go-Go’s created, but it also conceals the trials and secret demons that the members of the group—and, in particular, its lead singer, Belinda Carlisle—struggled with on their rise to stardom. Leaving her unstable childhood home at the age of eighteen, Belinda battled serious weight issues, having been teased for her pudginess throughout grade school, and grappled with her confusion about being deserted by her biological father as a child. This talented but misguided teen found solace in the punk rock world that so openly welcomed misfits—even though acceptance had its price. Not long after forming, the Go-Go’s became queens of the L.A. punk scene—they sold out venues, attracted a fiercely loyal fan base, and outpartied almost every male band they toured with—and in the process kicked down the doors to the all-boys’ club of eighties rock and roll. With a chart-topping debut album, Belinda found herself launched to international superstardom—and with that fame came more access to A-list parties, and even more alcohol and drugs to fuel Go-Go’s mania. Inevitably, Belinda began to self-destruct. Lips Unsealed is filled with the wild stories that Belinda Carlisle fans are dying to hear—stories about the band’s crazy days on tour with acts like the Police and Madness and the fabulous parties and people to whom the Go-Go’s had exclusive access. But more than that, this candid memoir reveals the gritty flip side to the glitz, as Belinda shares her private struggles with abusive relationships, weight, and self-esteem, and a thirty-year battle with drug and alcohol addiction. This spellbinding and shocking look at her rise, fall, and eventual rebirth as a wife, mother, and sober artist will leave you wistfully fantasizing about the eighties decadence she epitomized, but also cringing at the dark despair hidden behind her charming smile. One of the rare adventures through rock stardom told by a woman, Lips Unsealed is ultimately a love letter to music—to the members of the Go-Go’s, who’ve maintained lifelong friendships, and to the beloved husband and son who led Belinda to sobriety—and the story of a life that, though deeply flawed, was, and is still, fully lived. 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-Go's were the first all-female band to attain a number-one sales ranking with an album of original material played by the band. Although Carlisle's subsequent solo career has now overshadowed her Go-Go's 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-Go's 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. --Mike Tribby Generously confessional enough to give a compelling edge to her battle with substance abuse and her quest for spiritual balance...a harrowing cautionary tale.”— Kirkus Reviews   “A remarkable early Cinderella story...Carlisle writes candidly…heartfelt and winning.”— Publishers Weekly BELINDA CARLISLE is known not only as the lead singer of the Go-Go's, but also as one of the late-eighties most glamorous adult-pop soloists.  Since then, Belinda has released five more albums and continues to tour internationally with botht he Go-Go's and as a solo artist.  She divides her time between America and the South of France. One I Think It's Me At eighteen, I worked at the Hilton Hotels Corporation, photocopying papers for eight hours a day. When I wasn't doing that, I was ordering toilet paper for hundreds of hotels. I was bored out of my mind. Making matters worse, I had the world's most hideous boss. He looked for reasons to call me into his office and chew me out. Most -people would've quit, but I didn't care. Besides needing the money, I knew I wasn't going to be there long. I was going to be a rock star. I was absolutely certain of it. I had always been like that: someone who dreamed big and believed those dreams could come true if I kept at them. I probably inherited that from my mom. Raised in Hollywood, Joanne Thompson was the eldest of two children of Roy, a plant manager at the General Motors facility in Van Nuys, and Ruth,