Made In Hollywood

All Access with the Go-Go's

By: Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine - introduction

Narrated by: Gina Schock, Lyssa Brown, Charles Leggett, Kathy Valentine

The Go-Go’s were the first all-female rock group in history to write their own songs, play their own instruments, and reach the top of the Billboard charts with their #1 album, Beauty and the Beat. Made In Hollywood is drummer Gina Schock’s personal account of the band, which includes a treasure trove of photographs and memorabilia collected over the course of her 40-year career.

The Go-Go’s debut album, Beauty and the Beat, rose to the top of the charts in 1981 and their hit songs "We Got the Beat", "Our Lips Are Sealed", “Vacation”, and "Head Over Heels" (to name a few) served as a soundtrack to our lives in the ‘80s.

Now, after the release of their Critics Choice Award-winning Showtime documentary, and in anticipation of their forthcoming induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their 2021 West Coast shows, Gina takes fans behind the scenes for a rare look at her personal images documenting the band's wild journey to the heights of fame and stardom. Featuring posters, photographs, Polaroids, and other memorabilia from her archives, Made In Hollywood also includes stories from each member of the Go-Go’s, along with other cultural luminaries like Kate Pierson, Jodie Foster, Dave Stewart, Martha Quinn, and Paul Reubens.

With a style as bold and distinctive as any Go-Go’s album, Made In Hollywood is the perfect tribute to one of the world's most iconic groups.

“All access”? More like no access!

Bit of a disappointment.
Not much new here. I thought she would go into her personal life more. And maybe give more details to why the band broke up. It was skimmed over. Even her sexuality, and her affair with Jodie Foster, would have been interesting to hear about….
And the heavy Baltimore accent was distracting. (And I’m from Baltimore).

She did have a couple of different people reading a few of the chapters, but they were professionals; sounding as if they were reading off Shakespeares sonnets.

Maybe Kathy’s will be better.

Short but sweet!

As much as I love audiobooks, this book is a lot better if you go out and buy it! The pictures are great and are worth thousands of more words!

Great history of one of my favorite bands…

The only downside of this book is I wish it were longer! Gina does a great job taking us inside the Go-Go’s.

Schocked, But Not Surprised

When I noticed that this book came in under three hours, I had to ask, "what's missing"? Other Go-Gos' books were much longer and delved deeper into their non-band lives. Gina Schock, for what its worth, gave up few secrets while glossing over the history of the latest inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Like others who narrate their own stories, Gina was fantastic as the girl from "Bawdimore" who put it all on the line to relocate to the west coast. Initially one of the more talented musicians at their genesis, she gave the Go-Gos a real foundation, despite not being a frequently credited songwriter. She craftily knit stories of the early days with particular memories, but the inclusion of several guest writers (Belinda, Jane, Kathy, Charlotte, Paul Reubens, Martha Quinn, Kate Pierson, etc.) at times took the tale meandering in different directions. I am left curious as to how much of the book was actually the works of Gina! Because of the involvement of her friends, I had a hard time keeping a mental timeline of what was happening. I've heard Charles Leggett on a few other audio books and I am still having a tough time warming up to his delivery. Gina's inclusion of photos and material (available as a .pdf to audio book users) was appreciated as well!

We Got the Beat but not enough honesty

A rock memoir needs to be open and honest, but Gina just skirts around the edges of her addiction problem "I weighed 90 lbs" "I was in rehab twice" but doesn't explain anything about her rock bottom moment, the toll it took on loved ones, or her recovery. She also doesn't explain the Go Go's publishing financial conflict in any detail at all.
But they are still a great band so if you love the group Made In Hollywood is a must read.