A Conversation with Belinda Carlisle – HuffPost 4.2.13
Mike Ragogna: Belinda, you have a new collection that’s part of the ICON series from Universal featuring your new single “Sun.” Can you tell us about the new recording?
Belinda Carlisle: Well, it’s funny because I really had no interest in doing another English speaking pop record. My last record was all in French. I couldn’t really see myself doing anything in the sort of vein that I’d been in before unless it was really, really good. My son has been on me about doing something new, but I said, “No.” Then he brought me this song that a friend of his had written and I thought, “Oh my God, this is really good.” It needed some lyrical work, so with the help of Jane Wiedlin, my band mate, and Gabe Lopez who wrote the song originally, we came up with a song about looking on the brighter side of things and celebrating life. We were debating what kind of format to release it on, but then Universal approached my management about doing a new best-of collection, and we thought it might fit in nicely with that.
MR: This new ICON collection not only includes “Sun,” but also some of your trademark songs like “Heaven Is A Place On Earth,” which has become a bit of an anthem, plus hits such as “Circle In The Sand,” “I Get Weak,” and “Live Your Life Be Free.” How do you look at your catalog at this point in your life?
BC: Well, some of those songs do transcend the music and become moments for a lot of people. It was the ’80s, so it was the last great decade of identifiable fashion, art, music and a certain sound. I have an incredible back catalog, but a lot of things weren’t included on that because I work internationally. There have been a few best-of collections in different parts of the world where there were other songs on there that were hits–like in Russia, “California” was a hit, I think. Of course this record is amazing, and I’m really blessed to have this back catalog that I can work as little or as much as I want to every year.
MR: How do you live your life creatively these days, understanding your place on the global stage?
BC: Well, I don’t think about the market when I work now. My last album, Voila, was something that was totally from the heart, and when I did it, I didn’t even know if anyone was going to hear it, but it became a commercial success and a critical success, especially in Europe. That was the first time ever that I could work without any kind of pressure or being on any hamster wheel. It was the most amazing way to work–I could do whatever I wanted, I could whistle. I wanted to sing along with an accordion, I wanted the glockenspiel, and that’s exactly how I want to work now and how I can work now. I have the luxury to do whatever I want to do, as esoteric and weird as it might be. Though I’m encouraged to do things that are more mainstream, I’m not that interested in that. I’m just interested in following my heart and really what moves me and gets me excited. I’m lucky I can do that because I have such an extensive catalog to work from that people will actually listen to me when I have an idea for a weird project or whatever. I have the luxury of doing pretty much whatever I want to do, and that’s a great place to be.
MR: In addition to your recording career you’re also a writer. You wrote a New York Times best seller, Lips Unsealed, an autobiography ranging from your early days through your Belinda Carlisle solo days, right?
BC: Right. I was always thinking I had a book in me, and I knew I had a good story. I knew that one day the right time would come, and when I finally got some sobriety under my belt and was able to look back at my past and be very objective about it I did it. Three or four years ago I think I wrote it. I did it more as a book about overcoming obstacles and that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Basically, that was the gist of my book. It was about rock ‘n’ roll and kind of my dirty laundry, but mostly an inspirational tale about overcoming obstacles. The Go-Go’s themselves was that story–becoming the most famous band in America against all odds–from zero to one hundred in three years was kind of amazing.
MR: I may be inferring too much here, but it seems like your music and even image was about empowerment.
BC: Well, we never really thought of ourselves as feminists at that time. We knew that we were feminists only in as much as we were doing everything on our own terms. We didn’t really have a Svengali or a Simon Cowell molding and shaping us, we just did it all ourselves and never sold out. We were in control of our art direction, concept, music, and we were role models for a lot of girls who said, “Wow, if they can do that, and take control of their career and lives, then we can too.” Even to this day, people come up to me all the time, women especially, and say, “You don’t understand what your music has meant to me.” It’s a really amazing feeling.
MR: And fans of The Go-Go’s also followed your solo career and continued growing with you.
BC: I think that my career has pretty much led me down all the styles of music except for maybe jazz fusion, country & western and blues. As far as pop goes, everything I’ve ever done from The Go-Go’s to my solo career has always been a really honest representation of where I was at that time, and I think people can hear the honesty in the music.
MR: I imagine that working on Lips Unsealed must have brought back some great memories from various points in your early career, for instance, doing a video with Diane Keaton right out of the box.
BC: Right. Yeah, working with Diane was amazing. She had just come off a documentary called Heaven. I had met her through my husband and different people. She was obviously really talented and she did my first two videos. Throughout my career, I’ve worked with amazing people all the way from George Harrison to Brian Wilson to Bryan Adams–tons of people. I’ve been truly lucky and have had amazing collaborations in the thirty-eight years of my career.
MR: As you look at Adele and some of the other acts these days, what is your feeling about pop music now?
BC: I think Adele has an amazing voice and I love her–Lady Gaga too–I think she is an amazing talent and personality. I think there is some greatness there, and there is a lot that isn’t so great. I don’t really pay attention that much to pop music, but I don’t know that some things come up that I like. I’m a fan of Beyoncé. There’s a lot of good stuff and a lot of crap too.
MR: What is your advice for new artists?
BC: Don’t do drugs. That’s it. That’s the only advice I give to kids because it’s ruined so many careers, and it’s gotten in the way of creativity. That’s the only advice I give to anybody. Don’t do drugs.
Transcribed by Ryan Gaffney