The Go-Gos Kathy Valentine opens up about her rocknroll lifestyle

My mom started dating a guy who had escaped from prison, was a heroin addict, a drug dealer and a biker. He was also charismatic and funny. He brought a guitar and amplifier to our house and left it there. He showed me how to play Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Johnny B. Goode and Chuck Berry rhythms.

I was raped when I was 14. I just wanted to matter to this older boy. I grieved for three days when I wrote about the rape in my book.

I was a teenager in the ’70s and dating wasn’t how you did things. You had sex and left as boyfriend
and girlfriend or you didn’t.

When I was drinking and using drugs, I ended up with guys who didn’t push it as hard as I did. My boyfriends were either always annoyed with me or reining me in. It helped keep me alive.

The late John Belushi and I connected as a music fans. He got the Guitar Centre in Hollywood to open in the middle of the night so we could all jam. He loved the blues, like me.

When I got sober, aged 30, I went on a few dates and found it appalling. I had never started a relationship sober; drinking was how I fell into things.

Blondie drummer Clem Burke and I dated in the ’80s. He was an amazing boyfriend and is more like my brother now. We were both from cool bands and I enjoyed every minute with him.

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Clem and I are only children and both of us had only one parent we were responsible for. We both had success at the same age – he was 20 when Blondie got huge and I was 22 when the Go-Go’s did. He didn’t want his band to break up when they did and I was the same. He totally got what drove me to play and what it was like to be in a popular band.

My boyfriend, composer Mikel Rouse, and I have a long-distance relationship. Sometimes we go to LA and stay with my ex-husband [Steve Weisburd, 2002-12], who I have a daughter with. We are an integrated, modern family.

Source: | This article originally belongs to smh.com.au

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