This year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is honoring its first Los Angeles punk group, The Go-Go's. This all-female band included Belinda Carlisle, Kathy Valentine, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock and Jane Wiedlin. They debuted their first album in 1981 and are still inspiring musicians today.

Kathy Valentine and Charlotte Caffey joined host Lisa McRee for an interview on "LA Times Today." 

Caffey says she was approached by other band members and joined because she thought it would be fun.

"I met Kathy at the Whiskey and asked her to join, so we had to play some New Year's Eve gigs, and our bass player was sick, and she was going to fill in. But when we played with her, she was it; it was the final piece of the puzzle," said Caffey.

The Go-Go's were a hit in the clubs and were well-known, but in 1981, the L.A. Times wrote the group could not get a record deal.

"You would think that the writing's on the wall of a band that is consistently drawing and filling and selling out clubs, and people are going nuts because that's what I saw," said Valentine. "When I was playing in the Go-Go's, I saw an audience going crazy and having the time of their lives. It seems like that wouldn't be a big jump to go, 'Maybe they would have a wider audience,' but there was a time when the industry, the kind of corporate mentality of record companies, this was before there were a lot of indie labels. One of our accomplishments is hand-in-hand with IRS records being one of the first small labels to have a No. 1 album."

Eventually, The Go-Go's became an international sensation because of fans, college radio stations and MTV.

"There were so many memorable shows because, as Kathy said, our audiences were just so with us, and we just played show after show. Month after month, and it was very exciting. There was obviously no internet, so with word of mouth, and we're very proud of that," said Caffey. 

The Go-Go's broke up in 1985, and Valentine says part of that had to do with the band's immaturity and lack of communication.

"We didn't have fully developed senses of empathy and compassion, and it's very much like a family or a marriage," said Valentine. "If you're not communicating, any problem could have been solved if there weren't that overarching, immature, undeveloped people. We were very young when we got successful. And let's face it, when you're in a band, you don't really have to grow up, somebody is babysitting you, managers and tour managers. And all you have to do is show up and have a good time and play, so it's not conducive. It's not like the kid that goes off to college, and they spit them four years later, and they're a functioning adult. We got spit out, and we were still not very functioning."

Even though the Go-Go's debuted their first album 40 years ago, their fan-base continues to grow today.

"It's generational; it started off with our peers, then it became kids of the peers and now it's another generation. For some reason, it hits people and uplifts them. What I think is the uplifting quality of our music," said Valentine.

Along with their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, the Go-Go's have some shows coming up soon.

"We have a handful of dates at the end of the year on the West Coast and in Las Vegas. And then, next summer, we get the distinct privilege of touring with Billy Idol. It's an arena tour and in the U.K., and we are so excited about this. It's going to be a blast," Caffey said.

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