Belinda Carlisle 'Voila' album

These days, Belinda Carlisle seems like your average entertainer with the fame, fortune and family to back her up. She doesn't remind people of the average "ex-punk rocker, ex-cocaine addict, ex-lesbian lust icon or the ex-target of no fewer than 32 stalkers." Belinda is the eldest of seven children and was a 'product' of a broken home. She became an overnight success icon with The Go-Go's and attained personal problems that almost destroyed her. Belinda Carlisle was definitely not as 'cute, bubbly and effervescent' as she had been named to be.

Belinda Carlisle was born on the 17th August 1958 in Burbank, California. She was born to Harold Carlisle, a contractor, and Joanne, a housewife. She lived in a lower-middle-class neighbourhood and had to wear 'hand-me-down' clothes because her parents couldn't afford to supply new clothing for all her brothers and sisters. She was a total tomboy with her 'Stingray' bicycle and hung out with boys getting into fistfights and beating them at Basketball and Football games. Belinda was a Girl Scout Troop who got expelled after three days for placing cicadas in people's sleeping bags. As a child, she seemed to be on top of the world with her rebel-like behaviour.

However, her father was an alcoholic and her mother was a struggling mother. Belinda has blocked out many of her childhood years because she lived a sad life. She had to create her own secret private world so others would think she was normal. Her parents eventually divorced and Belinda was stuck in the middle. Her mother remarried a man named Duke Kurczeski. Belinda had a very vivid imagination to help her survive the ordeal. She also had a tendency to stretch the truth and now cannot remember if some things really happened or not. It wasn't until Belinda turned 19 and left home, claiming that one day she would be a star, that her life took a turn.

It began in the streets of 1978, where three little 'punkettes' with green and purple hair were sitting on a curb at a party getting drunk. Belinda was one of these 'punkettes'. She lived at the Canterbury, a punk dormitory that was right next to a porno theatre. Down in the basement of that porno theatre was the Masque, a legendary hangout that gave people the chance to play in a band and be as bad or pathetic as they wanted to be. Here, Belinda and her friend, Jane, began what was going to be the roller coaster ride of their lifetime; The Misfits (now known as The Go-Go's). At first, they were a joke. They couldn't play nor could they sing. It wasn't until they recruited experienced band players that their music began to have some formation and tune. They spent three years playing in bars. No record company wanted them. Once discovered, they released their first album that took the USA by storm, selling four million copies in the States. They were the first self-contained female unit to ever score a number one album on the charts. They suddenly became America's sweethearts and started to have a cult following. After awhile, their public image and their private lives were on a collision course. They had no sane way to cope with the success and they began to indulge a strange sense of humour. "They would meet some businessman, get him drunk, take pictures of his and their private parts, and secretly place them in his pocket. 'So much the better if he was married,' they would say." Other silly pranks and jokes took place, but it wasn't until the drugs kicked in that the band started to go downwards. Belinda Carlisle, plus other band members started to take cocaine or herion. They had become totally addicted to the extent that they would steal to get their hands on some. Belinda was totally addicted that her mind would play games on her. There were many days where Belinda would wake up and find that she had bought a racehorse or new cars that she just parked in her garage. The Go-Go's eventually broke up from the drug problems, internal rivalry and jealousy. Jane couldn't stand the attention that Belinda was getting.

Belinda went her own way and had Morgan Mason by her side. He was a renowned and respected son of James and Pamela Mason. He was also the presidential aid to Ronald Reagan and worked at the White House. After their first date, Belinda moved into his million-dollar home. Morgan was becoming aware of Belinda's drug problem. It wasn't until Belinda opened her eyes and saw the life she would miss out on if she didn't change. A few months down the track, Belinda was clean again and married to Morgan Mason. She started a new life with Morgan, lost all the excess pounds that 'polluted' her body and began a new successful solo career that placed her up for a Grammy nomination with her number one hit, Heaven Is A Place On Earth. Her world seemed to be good again, but her marriage renewed media interest that brought a whole new stack of problems. Belinda was called a 'bimbo' and was referred to as a 'stripper.' She was blamed for the Go-Go's break up and was constantly speculated about the state of her marriage and her previous weight problems. Carlisle was able to cope with the constant criticism. It wasn't until complete strangers wanted to kill her that made her worried. Belinda had 32 stalkers, at once, after her and her husband that were considered dangerous. She required bodyguards at all times and began to feel like her private life was being invaded. Morgan was there for her at all times. He gave her the strength she needed and the help that people denied her. He gave her a reason not to feel scared anymore.

Life went on and Belinda continued with a successful career with hits such as 'Summer Rain', "Leave A Light On' and 'Live Your Life Be Free.' In 1992, Belinda gave birth to her first child, James Duke Mason during the LA riots. The birth almost killed both mother and child. James was born two weeks early and was severely under weight. He was placed in intensive care and Belinda remembers being unable to go near her new baby born. She was only able to watch him through a glass box. The riots outside the hospital did not help Belinda and Morgan feel at ease. After weeks in intensive care, baby Duke was allowed to come home. California seemed not to be the place Belinda wanted her son to grow up in. California was falling victim to numerous earthquakes and Belinda feared for the life of her son and herself. The longer she stayed in her hometown, the more depressed she got. At times she felt she was going to go insane. Morgan began to believe that his wife was going crazy when she chopped off all her hair and began locking herself up in the house. After numerous earthquakes, Morgan and Belinda decided it was time to leave California. The California Belinda remembered was no longer the California that existed. So they decided to move to Europe.

They moved to France and every now and then live in London. It was much safer than California. The people were good and the children grew up in a safe environment. Belinda was still depressed though. Her career had gone down in America and her albums decreased in sales. Then her three-story mansion was burned to bits. They were able to save the important things like photos.

Previously, while staying at a hotel, Belinda bumped into one of her old band members. It was the first time they had seen each other since the break-up. They began to cry and they put their differences aside. Then suddenly the Go-Go's reformed, released an album and then broke up again. At least this time they remained friends. Belinda's involvement with the Go-Go's has been a roller coaster ride. "Divorced and re-married" so to speak. 1999 saw the Go-Go's back together with sold out tours. It seems so natural for them when they're altogether.

The Go-Go's redefined themselves and returned to the music scene after a 15 year break. Their album, "God Bless the Go-Go's", continued on where the Go-Go's left off and was a cool mix of all their best bits. The first single saw Greenday lead singer as a special guest and contributor. The album, although a critically acclaimed success, failed to mimic the success The Go-Go's had in the 1980's, mainly to do with a lack of radio airplay.

Belinda Carlisle, now more accepting of her body image posed for Playboy in 2001. She was paid a large sum of money for posing in the magazine that exposed all her best bits. Why did she do it? As she says, "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."

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Belinda Carlisle - Voila