Kathy Valentine

This is perhaps one of the best biographies I have ever read. And I don't limit it to just Rock and Roll bios.

When I first cracked this book, I expected fluff. Boy was I wrong. This one is made up of nothing but steel and fiberglass.

Valentine is the single child of a single mother. A mother who, despite loving her child, really had no interest in being a traditional parent, and hence Valentine grew up sans traditional bonds. However, as untraditional her upbringing may have been, her experiences will strike a chord of familiarity for many of us of her generation.

In her musical journey, Valentine crossed paths with a wide variety of characters from the Vaughn brothers, to Austin's Skunks, to playing in an early version of Girlschool. Belushi was a huge fan and the two became friends. Lengendary drummer Clem Burke was her long term significant other.

Years after the Goo-Gos initial break up she met Dylan at a party. Dylan gave her a tape of music,telling her if she writes the lyrics, she can have it. She writes the lyrics and then promptly loses the cassette.

The story related by Kathy Valentine is about a rocket ride to the top, with a drift towards the bottom before finding sobriety. I'm grateful for her honesty, but despite that brutal honesty, I think their is probably an even better story between the lines of this one.… (more)