“I’m taking a bite of a croissant as I speak to you , please forgive me,” and so began a lively, spirited and humorous conversation with Go-Go’s drummer and now author Gina Schock. “I’m very busy, really happy and good and everything is happening and it’s wonderful! I couldn’t be happier my friend; I mean, I could be but not much more (laughs).”
Schock has just released her first book titled “Made In Hollywood: All Access With The Go-Go’s” and thus far she is incredibly enthusiastic and on a book tour with the next stop in Ridgewood, NJ on November 18 at Bookends located at 211 East Ridgewood Avenue.
Ever since they formed in California in 1978 as the only all-female band who actually wrote their own material, the Go-Go’s have set precedents, blazed trails and opened doors for women in the music industry and over their 40-plus years in existence have garnered a legion of faithful fans and memories; lots of memories. Fortunately for us, Schock has kept those memories in tow and has now brought them together for all to enjoy.
“Here’s the deal with the book,” she began; “I’ve been threatening to do this book for decades and the thought of trying to get all of this material together was daunting and I thought that there was no way; remember now, I’m a collector. I’m not a hoarder but I am a collector, I have everything in its place but I have drawers and drawers and under the bed and in the closet full of photographs and memorabilia. I have posters in poster tubes all over the place and in the garage and I thought; how in Christ’s name am I gonna put this all together? This is just too much! Anyway, I did find someone who said they would help me. So, I flew him up to San Francisco where I live and he said, “Christ Gina, this is a treasure-trove, let’s go at it” and we did; a year and a half later we finished our book. I mean, I just save things for ever and ever. Let’s put it this way, I have a Daily Planner since 1978, every single day, every year; it’s nuts but I do. It helped because I could refer back to those at anytime and that was pretty cool but I’ve got to say that all of these great things are happening at once and I’m just in a super-grateful mood and it’s all really good.”
Becoming an author was never high on Gina’s priority list, even though her band mates at times would urge her to do so but little did she realize, simple things such as sharing snapshots to pass the time on the band’s bus were actually laying the groundwork for this undertaking; not to mention opening her eyes to what holds many people back.
“The girls in the band have been pushing me to do this book for decades and I’m not exaggerating, they really have. We’d go out on tour and I would bring stacks of photos on the tour bus and we would get hysterical looking at all of this stuff and they’d say, “Gina, you’ve got to do a book! You’ve got to put this all in one place because it’s fucking insane; nobody is seeing this except us; let’s get it out there” and I’ve been wanting to do it for ever and ever but I needed someone to help me because it seemed so overwhelming and I didn’t know how I was going to put it together. How am I going to choose which photos I wanted? Initially it started out as just a photo book and then my book publisher came to me and asked, ”What about writing some words?” I was like, oh geez, I don’t know, I’m not a writer so, I don’t know what to tell you about that right now; let me give it some thought. When I started looking at these photographs, the words just came pouring out and I realized this was way easier than I thought so, don’t be so fearful. Fear is the biggest; the biggest fuck-thing in the world is fear! Fear, fear, fear; be unafraid and just do it because; do you know what? Fear is a load of crap! It is so ridiculous; so, I go for it and I do it, the book turns out fantastic, I’m so proud of it, I’m so happy with this book and I couldn’t be happier because it turned out beautiful and I’m loving it!”
Schock is not only happy with how it turned out but she is thrilled that the remaining members of the group are just as happy with the finished product; including Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine who wrote the “Foreword.” Gina does bristle a bit when asked if the band was on or is planning on a farewell tour as more than four decades of memories, touring and trailblazing paths for other female artists can be draining; no?
“This band will never end my friend, read the book! This band will go on and on; the book is an easy read and it is the perfect coffee-table book, it really is,” she stated emphatically. “I was calling everybody in the band every other day; I was like, guys this is melting my heart, I feel so good about everything, I love everybody in the band and it made me realize that this journey that we have been on all of these years and just how fucking lucky we are. I mean, we worked hard but to put yourself in the right place at the right time; that’s magic man! How does that happen? I don’t know but we’ve been the people that it has happened for and I’m really grateful. The girls all love the book and when they got it, they all called me up and said, Gina great job, we are so proud of you and that made me feel really good because I wanted them to love the book the way I do and they did so, that was wonderful. You never know, somebody may be P’O’d because of what I wrote and didn’t particularly agree with or whatever and everybody was really happy with it. Everything I wrote was the truth, I’m telling the truth, I’m in the band and what you’re reading and seeing is behind the scenes and real.”
When talking with Schock, there is no reason to doubt that it’s “Real” because she is sincere and passionate about the band, the book and the fan base which made it all happen for them. So; can you give us a hint at what will happen at Bookends in Ridgewood and beyond Gina?
“Everything is good, I love the book, I’m happy with the book, the girls love the book, I hope everyone loves it because I did this book for the fans. I swear to God I really did; this is about doing it for the fans because without them this would all mean nothing, nobody would care; who would give a shit? Thanks to the fans who made us the band that we are and continue to support us and this book is my big thank you to them. I’ll be taking photos with fans and signing the book and I’ll be there to meet people and say thank you for putting me where I am today because if it wasn’t for the fans the Go-Go’s would mean nothing; I’m here in thankful gratitude mode.”
“Made In Hollywood: All Access With The Go-Go’s” is available at retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as a host of other places and to discover more about Gina Schock’s book tour and schedule, please visit https://linktr.ee/ginaschock .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
