GET UP AND GO (-GO), OR "ALL I EVER WANTED" BY KATHY VALENTINE

Kathy Valentine led a full life even before joining the Go-Gos. After her father left and her mother decided that the best parenting was no parenting, Valentine started drinking, smoking, and doing drugs in the 7th grade, had lots of creepy sexual experiences, and started a band in her alternative high school, all while moving constantly and dreaming of creating music. 

It's easy to play the "I had to walk three miles in the snow/kids today have it too easy" card when discussing generations after yours, but every generation is tough on kids, and damn, maybe overly planned modern helicopter parenting isn't that bad when remembering how kids were just kind of thrown into the deep end in the '70s, resulting in some pretty harrowing scenes, especially for girls.  

Even through this "Over the Edge"  portion of the book, Valentine is obsessed with music, dreaming of playing guitar like her idols. A chance viewing of Suzi Quatro on British TV is a Road to Damascus moment, showing her that women can rock just as well as the guys. "Seeing Suzi Quatro had the same effect as lightning bolts shooting through my grandma's house, with thunder blasting along. Where do I go, what do I do, who am I? Every question had an answer. All paths and possibilities suddenly pointed in one direction."

As a straight white male, I've never had to search for role models in any field. We're pretty well represented. "All I Ever Wanted" brings home the importance of representation. What if Valentine had never seen Suzi Quatro? Would she have thought she could have been a professional musician? Possibly, but it definitely showed her that there were possibilities.

From there, Valentine plays in a couple Austin bands, moves to LA and gets asked to join the Go-Gos right before the band takes off. Valentine is mostly positive about her time in the band, making it seem like a sisterhood full of in-jokes and partying, while still being aware of the fact that they are an all-woman band writing and performing their own material and succeeding way beyond anyone's expectations.  "There had been others before us, but we were the band MTV put in people's living rooms. We were five women having a good time like a bunch of girlfriends might do, except we played guitars and drums and wrote catchy songs. It was revolutionary." 

Valentine is a workman-like writer, describing touring and the work behind having a hit record as a grueling trudge, but also a lot of fun. There's crazy amounts of sexism, a scary home invasion, lots of parties, and some famous people (stealing beer from a 7-11 with John Belushi is a highlight). Valentine is able to convey both the bond she felt with her bandmates, as well as her frustrations and decision to become sober at 30. 

Sex/Drugs/Bad Behavior
A good 8/10. Mostly booze and coke, which starts off fun until it becomes a problem. 

Opens in Media res?
Yep. Opens in 1980 as she's casually asked to join the Go-Gos for a series of sold-out shows.

Percentage of Music in the Bio
Let's say 70 percent. Valentine was obsessed with music from age three when she was blown away by Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" and is driven to create and share some of that magic.

Buy, Borrow from the Library, or Pass
Borrow. Unless you're a huge Go-Gos fan or writing a paper on the effect of the lack of parenting on '70s children, it's definitely worth a read, but probably not essential.