Those who want to see even more of Carlisle can catch her in the June issue of Playboy, where she's featured in what she calls " a classic '50s kind of pinup" pictorial...."I'm really fed up with whole media thing where you have to be 20 years old, a size 0, and blond with plastic tits," she says.

Drama Queens: given that's its been more than 15 years since the Go-Go's have released a new studio album, it should come as no surprise that the quintet had plenty of experiences to examine when it came to making "God Bless The Go-Go's".
    "Between the five of us and 15 years of being away, we call it '75 years of drama to draw on, ' " jokes lead singer Belinda Carlisle. "We've had babies, gotten married, divorced, we've been through rehab, we've had lives, and hopefully matured into smart women."
    The album, out May 15 on BMG-distributed Beyond records and produced by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, features longtime Go-Go's Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, Jane wiedlin, and Kathy Valentine and is preceded by first single "Unforgiven." Greenday's Billie Joe Armstrong, who co-wrote the track, is featured on guitar and background vocals.
    Carlisle, who lives in France with her 8 1/2 year old son and husband, didn't participate in the songwriting process with the rest of the La based band. "I only have credit on two of the songs," she says. "It was sort of good for me to come in with an objective point of view and say, 'Ewww, that sounds horrible' or 'That sounds good,' whereas the other people at that stage may have lost their perspective."
    Perhaps the hippest title, if not song, on the album is "Vision of Nowness," which came from Carlisle's close encounter with Sammy Davis, Jr. " I went up to him and drooled all over him in Chasen's. It was a few years before he died," she recalls. "He knew everything about me and the Go-Go's. On his way out, he came up to my table, snapped his fingers, looked at me and said, 'Baby, you're a vision of nowness.' I just about died. That was the best line I'd ever had from anybody!"
    The album's release will be followed by a summer amphitheater tour in the US, as well as international gigs. "I used to love touring when I has no responsibilities, but with being a wife and mother, it's very difficult," says Carlisle. "I hate the tour bus and the traveling. I love doing the shows, and that makes it worthwhile. This is such a gift - I don't take it for granted."
    Those who want to see even more of Carlisle can catch her in the June issue of Playboy, where she's featured in what she calls "a classic '50s kind of pinup" pictorial. "I'm really fed up with this whole media thing where you have to be 20 years old, a size 0, and blond with plastic tits," she says. "I'm proud of who I am. I think there are few women who inspire women to accept themselves, and I want to be one of those women."

The Beat by Melinda Newman
Billboard Magazine Feb 17, 2001