Punk Performers & Theories Of Ideology ('Punk Mass' 1970 - )

Belinda Jo Carlisle was born on August 17, 1958 (just one day after Madonna) in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California - today is her 61st birthday. She was the first of seven siblings, conceived when her mother Joanne (née Thompson) was 18; Belinda is named after Jean Negelescu's stylised film noir 'Johnny Belinda' (1948) which was her mother's favourite movie. Her father Harold Carlisle was a gas station employee who walked out on the family when she was a little girl.

Carlisle's mother struggled to make ends meet. This meant the kids had few clothes and sometimes went hungry. Her step-father Walt Kurczeski was an aggressive alcoholic and the family unit was rarely settled, moving from Simi Valley to Reseda, Burbank to Thousand Oaks. As she entered into her turbulent teenage years, Carlisle became a cheerleader and started smoking, drinking and experimenting with a wide range of drugs. She considered pursuing a career as a beautician before opting to dedicate herself to music.

Like her hero Iggy Pop, Carlisle started out as a drummer and was a member of The Germs (the Stooges' 1973 album 'Raw Power' was Carlisle's gateway to exploring bands that would inspire her like the Velvet Underground, the New York Dolls and the Dictators). Her stage name was Dottie Danger and she was known to headbutt her cymbals but she was forced to drop out of the Germs after contracting glandular fever. During this time, Carlisle also sang backing vocals at gigs for Black Randy And The Metrosquad (her fellow Blackettes included Alice Bag of The Bags, Exene Cervenka of X, fellow Germ Lorna Doom & future bandmate Jane Wiedlin).

Carlilsle was a founding member of The Go-Go's, who were briefly called The Misfits (no relation to New Jersey's Misfits). Drummer Elissa Bello was replaced, possibly due to issues of unreliability, while original bassist Margot Olavarria was forced out for reasons that remain unknown. New players arrived and the line-up finally stabilised.

Go-Go Girls :

* Guitarist Jane Wiedlin came from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and went by the stage name Jane Drano.

* An accomplished guitarist and classically trained pianist, Charlotte Caffey had played bass in The Eyes alongside X drummer and future Germ D. J. Bonebrake.

* Bass player Kathy Valentine came from the psychedelic city Austin in Texas and played briefly in Girlschool, later going on to join The Bangles.

* Drummer Gina Schock came from Baltimore, Maryland and had played rhythm in Edie And The Eggs alongside John Waters mainstay Edith Massey and Rhumboogie guitarist Ann Collier.

# The Go-Go's recorded three albums before splitting up in 1985 (a decision brought on by Wiedlin's departure in 1984).

Carlilse took the decision to go solo and wisely continued working with songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Caffey. Her first album included backing vocals from Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles who'd been inspired by the Go-Go's success in Los Angeles. With the release of her most recent album 'Wilder Shores' (2017), Carlisle has now recorded 8 studio albums.

Carlisle's outrageous stage antics inspired a generation of hardcore punks. One of her more notorious backstage travails on the underground is now enshrined within the 'Midnight Blue' dvd series. The hardcore punk scene in Washington D.C., which ran parallel to spots and venues springing up around the state of California, was a rowdy, male-dominated arena where a band like Chalk Circle struggled to make a difference upon forming. In contrast, the California punk scene drew people together of every background, gender, ethnicity and sexuality, creating a cauldron of fear awash with sunburnt, psychedelic colour.