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Lips Unsealed: A Memoir Review

As I read this book, two things came to mind - 1) I love that Carlisle was sooooo honest in her memoir and 2) Wow! I have lived a sheltered life.

Strangely enough, I discovered Carlisle only after she went solo - which meant that while I knew about the Go-Go's, I really did not have any idea just how much they shaped her life, but I soon discovered the reality :)

Carlisle is extremely honest about her life in this memoir, which immediately engaged me. I was quite surprised at some of the passages in the book as I always though, for some reason, that she "had it all together". However, she clearly shows us that her life, both personal and professional, has had its shares of ups and downs.

Nonetheless, no matter how "hard" some of the passages were to read, I never lost my empathy or respect for Belinda Carlisle who is clearly living the life she has been dealt, to the bext of her abilities.

Kudos for being so honest and for writing such an interesting memoir - I, for one, will definitely continue to be a fan.

BTW, I am a huge fan of book covers and I loved this one - beautiful shot of Belinda - without being too glamorous or over the top.

Lips Unsealed: A Memoir Feature

ISBN13: 9780307463494
Condition: New
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Lips Unsealed: A Memoir Overview

The women of the iconic eighties band the Go-Go’s will always be remembered as they appeared on the back of their debut record: sunny, smiling, each soaking in her own private bubble bath with chocolates and champagne. The photo is a perfect tribute to the fun, irreverent brand of pop music that the Go-Go’s created, but it also conceals the trials and secret demons that the members of the group—and, in particular, its lead singer, Belinda Carlisle—struggled with on their rise to stardom.

Leaving her unstable childhood home at the age of eighteen, Belinda battled serious weight issues, having been teased for her pudginess throughout grade school, and grappled with her confusion about being deserted by her biological father as a child. This talented but misguided teen found solace in the punk rock world that so openly welcomed misfits—even though acceptance had its price.

Not long after forming, the Go-Go’s became queens of the L.A. punk scene—they sold out venues, attracted a fiercely loyal fan base, and outpartied almost every male band they toured with—and in the process kicked down the doors to the all-boys’ club of eighties rock and roll. With a chart-topping debut album, Belinda found herself launched to international superstardom—and with that fame came more access to A-list parties, and even more alcohol
and drugs to fuel Go-Go’s mania. Inevitably, Belinda began to self-destruct.

Lips Unsealed is filled with the wild stories that Belinda Carlisle fans are dying to hear—stories about the band’s crazy days on tour with acts like the Police and Madness and the fabulous parties and people to whom the Go-Go’s had exclusive access. But more than that, this candid memoir reveals the gritty flip side to the glitz, as Belinda shares her private struggles with abusive relationships, weight, and self-esteem, and a thirty-year battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

This spellbinding and shocking look at her rise, fall, and eventual rebirth as a wife, mother, and sober artist will leave you wistfully fantasizing about the eighties decadence she epitomized, but also cringing at the dark despair hidden behind her charming smile. One of the rare adventures through rock stardom told by a woman, Lips Unsealed is ultimately a love letter to music—to the members of the Go-Go’s, who’ve maintained lifelong friendships, and to the beloved husband and son who led Belinda to sobriety—and the story of a life that, though deeply flawed, was, and is still, fully lived.

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Customer Reviews

Belinda delivers!!!!! - hotjolt -
Belinda has written a heartfelt and sometimes scary account of her life and career...she speaks to us with ease and flow, about her addictions, insecurities and pain...like a literary pro!!!!....this memoir is definitely a great read for the summer...just like her music, you can feel her speaking directly to you!!!

Her Go-Gos Life is Interesting, The Rest Not So Much - K. Palmer - Illinois
First, this review is on the abridged audiobook as narrated by Belinda Carlisle herself, so I did not read the entire book. But reading the other reviews, the audiobook hits the gist of the printed book. I was and still am a fan of the Go-Gos and say with pride that they were my first live concert experience (in 1982). Belinda's story of how the girls got together, their instant successes and then their trials and tribulations in the early to mid-1980s is excellent. Obviously the focus is on her and not the other band members, but still it is a story I enjoyed listening to. I also enjoyed hearing about her solo success (for her first couple of albums at least).

But my disappointment is with her tireless battle with drugs from her pre-Go-Gos days to just a few years ago. As others have said, it is very repetitive "I went to a party. Everyone were doing coke, so I did some coke. I couldn't stop. I tried to keep Morgan (her husband) from finding out. Morgan found out. Morgan said he couldn't take it anymore. I knew I had to quit. So I quit. Then I went to a party. Everyone was doing coke..." Rinse and repeat. Belinda is only about 3-4 years sober, so I hope she is over her demons, but she really doesn't get into the rhyme or reason of her addictions. She just repeats the process over and over.

I'd love to see Belinda, Jane, Charlotte, Kathy and Gina write a book together about their experiences with the band with pictures. That I think I would really enjoy!

Huge Disappointment - WAMR - Newport Beach, CA
It seems Ms. Carlisle spent most of her life stoned out of her gourd ... well, even if that's the case, did every single page of her book have to be about how very stoned she was? It got really old, really quickly. It also seemed to me that when writing about loves, friends and bandmates, she was too cautious, like she knew they would read the book and she didn't want to upset anyone. Her writing style is discombobulated -- she bounces all over the place within the same chapter and regularly repeats herself "I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I couldn't stop", or similar words to that effect. I got tired of reading basically the same thing on every page; we got stoned, we played, we got stoned some more. I didn't feel like I got to know her or feel connected to her story; the theme was so repetitive, I found myself skimming many pages.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 25, 2010 08:57:05

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010