Go-Go's Bassist Kathy Valentine Reveals Band's Future Plans

Unfortunately, the Go-Go's aren't getting the proper end to a 32-year career that they had expected. Their guitarist, Jane Wiedlin, was recently involved in a hiking accident that not only resulted in having her knee to be surgically repaired, but also the canceled the start of the band's Happily Ever After farewell tour. The disappointment could be heard in bassist Kathy Valentine's voice after the announcement about the tour was made.

"It's just such a drag," she tells Spinner. "We have a small group of really loyal fans. Because it was our last concerts, there were some people that bought flights from Scotland, England, Holland and different places in the country. Some of them can't get refunds either."

As of now, there are no plans to reschedule the final Go-Go's tour as Wiedlin's recovery time from her injury could take a year. "I'm hoping we can reschedule so that we can do a proper victory lap," says Valentine. "It's kind of beyond my control and it's gonna be off in the future if it happens. The whole reason that it was a farewell tour in the first place because [singer] Belinda [Carlisle] wanted to retire."

In explaining why the Go-Go's decided to call it quits, Valentine says that the group hadn't been working consistently. "We felt like we would rather go out on top and intact. If we were 25 or 30 and [Belinda] wanted to retire, then it would make sense to go find a new singer and make our new way. But we're all over 50. None of us saw really the point of getting a new singer."

Still, the Austin-based Valentine is not short on other projects in her post-Go-Go's life. She now plays guitar in the Bluebonnets, a group she formed with bassist Dominique Davalos in the '90s; they are joined by guitarist Eve Monsees and drummer Kristy McInnis.

"Before I was a Go-Go for many years, I was in Austin, Texas, so into all the music that was here, and I was so into being a guitar player," Valentine says. "I knew at 35 I probably wasn't going to be the girl Jimi Hendrix, but I knew that I could go back to my roots. That's when I started the Bluebonnets. I started looking at all the bands that had a big effect on me like the Stones, the Beatles, Cream and the Yardbirds. They started with blues music and then they took it to what they became. I thought, 'That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to start a blues band and see where it takes me.'"

The rocking sound of the Bluebonnets could be heard on their new album, 'Boom Boom Boom Boom.' Some of its songs include the riot girl-sounding 'Can't Stop the Honey' and 'Hate Don't Make the World,' which recalls '60s British rock. "We were thinking like an Eric Clapton ballad," Valentine says of the latter track. "It evokes something that is familiar to people, which I take as a high, high compliment. To be able to write a song that no one says, 'Oh, that's a rip off of this,' but at the same time sounds familiar stylistically, is a real achievement as a songwriter."

Valentine's other possible project is to record a blues album featuring female singers who do not have traditional blues voices. "My dream [is that] Belinda would sing ['I Just Want to Make Love to You']. I want to put together a track of 'Born Under a Bad Sign,' maybe get Jane [Wiedlin] to sing that."

As far as the Go-Go's are concerned, the door hasn't completely closed, as Valentine says that she approached the other members about writing a Christmas song. Asked about what has held the Go-Go's together despite the ups and downs, she says, "What we experienced was so unique and spectacular and memorable that it just bonds you no matter what happens. It's a lot like family. Families go through all kinds of stuff, but they have a link, and we have that link. There's a chemistry that happens when we're together."