Carlisle, Belinda - Go Go and 80s Pop Icon.
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
The quintessential 80's gal, Belinda Carlisle talks about the hectic schedule during life with the Go-Go's years ago, and how she now balances being a mom with her solo artist career.
DM) It's been a number of years since your last solo tour in the States...are you nervous?
BC) I guess...a little bit, but I enjoy playing my music so much, it's something that I'm really looking forward to.
DM) Is this tour to support a new album?
BC) I did that hectic schedule in the 80s, and now I'm just going to do things on my own speed. In the 80s, we were on a hectic schedule to release new material every two years. Now it's much more laid back for me. I'm out of the hectic celebrity scene and can live the life of anonymity. I go to the store; I ride to the town, and nobody knows me.
DM) So you get to live two lives in a sense? That of the celebrity side, and that of the mom at home in the French countryside...
BC) Yes. For example, today I got dog hair all over me. It was fun to be normal.
DM) And why is this possible in France? Is it something within the culture?
BC) No, I just didn't sell as many records here in France, so I'm not as well-known.
DM) (Both laugh.) I was expecting some deep answer about the
culture. It's interesting that you've chosen anonymity when so many people have struggled for celebrity status.
BC) I've done that for a good portion of my life. For most of the 80s with the Go-Go's, it was non-stop. Tour after tour, album after album. I just wanted the chance to have a normal life with normal friends. Some of my friends here have never seen me perform, and just know me for me.
DM) So it sounds like you've separated the two into your personal life and a job. When you want to "work," you can fly to London or wherever else to perform.
BC) Exactly, I've separated my personal life from my job. This is a job--which I love to do--but I also love my personal life.
DM) In American culture, it's so intertwined I wonder if your anonymity affects your success...
BC) Absolutely, but the trade-off is worth it. I get to be a full-time mom, and I get to have my career. I get to raise my son and do the "Mom thing," and then I have this wonderful job with adoring fans. I get to go to the stores and be a good mom and wife--and then I get to fly to the USA and do the Hollywood scene.
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