Tell a Tale: Lips Unsealed

"Take it from me, drugs are hell"

-Belinda Carlisle

Summary (from Goodreads):
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.

One of the rare adventures through rock stardom told by a woman, 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.

Review:
I was a teen girl in the 80's so, of course, that means I was a big fan of the Go-Go's and later a bigger fan of Belinda Carlisle in her solo years. This book is a good account of how the band formed, their early trials before they became famous, and what lead to the downfall and eventual break up of the band.

There isn't a large amount of emotion in the recounting of the tales of the past for Carlisle, then again, maybe that's because she was completely out of it for most of her life. I was startled at just how long it took her to become clean and sober, something I had thought she had done many years ago.

It was an easy read but there wasn't a whole lot more in it than what was in the Go-Go's "Behind the Music" special. However, I didn't know about a couple her later solo releases and am looking forward to finding them.

No matter what, I'll always be a big fan of the music. What went on in Carlisle's personal life made it what it was and nothing can change that. I just hope that she really has found peace and that this purging of her story can allow her to truly move on.

         
My favourite Belinda Carlisle video~

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