Lips Unsealed: A Memoir Paperback – April 5, 2011

Lips Unsealed is written as if Belinda Carlisle was destined for greatness from the start, because of her belief in herself, or because of an early magic spell.But you don't have to read far into the narrative, to see that sooo much of her success, and even her survival, was luck. With all of the drugs, and the chaotic scenarios she was involved in, she could have croaked at any time.We could easily have lost Belinda forever. We would never have had the beat. But we all lucked out.Belinda herself wasn't so fortunate, not until middle age.This is the story of Belinda's failures - though us fans didn't call it that, while we enjoyed her group and solo career - followed by a single triumph, which was triggered by a personal choice, in turn motivated by her love of her family.The book is full of tension, of the constant anticipation of fatal tragedy; and the intrigue of seeing how it all compares to our memories & perceptions of her accomplishments.The first part of the autobiography, about her childhood and early teenage years, is for masochists who like to bring back the terrifying memories in their own young lives. The second part, starting with chapter 5, is for fans who want to know how the Go-Gos started; AND for those who think that everything just falls into place, as soon as you achieve the fame and fortune you were born to wield.After the second part, we get an assortment of tours & parties & self-doubts & celebrities, accompanied always by Belinda's addiction, and sometimes intense alerts about impending demise. This is where, after your Go-Gos curiosity is satiated, you will be drawn into the character, and desperately hope that it will work out, somehow.If you ever wondered why she looked like a different person, from one performance to the next, this will clear it all up for ya.And, as other reviewers have noted, you can finish this all in one or two days, if you're inclined. Two evenings, for me.I loved escaping into this life of a pop icon, hoping for the hero to win out against her worst enemy - herself. Thanks, Belinda, for taking the time to soul-search, and share this with us.Random reflections, about Lips Unsealed:==========================================How much of it is accurate? If she was as drugged-out as she says - and there's no doubt that she was - how did she remember all this stuff? Obviously, some of it came from research and collaboration with the people who were involved.But some of it had to come from altered memories. Even if one is completely sober, unless a dedicated daily journal is in place, there's no way to accurately reproduce all of this detail.It's surprising how brief a period it was, in which the Go Gos peaked. They seem so much a part of music history, but their biggest fame-and-fortune time was relatively short-lived.Like her fans, she had her own brand of hero worship. She was affected by Rod Stewart's The First Cut is the Deepest, as many were, and couldn't wait to meet Stewart; and revered Elton John. She was ecstatic, when meeting her rock idols for the first time. Just like us.Unlike the rest of us, though, she actually got to meet and talk to George Burns. That alone is worth going through a lot of heartache and pain.Her story is another example of how silly and simplistic it is to conclude that someone is 'mean' or 'evil' or some other simplistic derogatory term. Although I was as enamored of Belinda in the 80s as the next fan, I always thought of her as rather mean and inconsiderate. That opinion was based primarily on one television performance, where she seem to be snickering at the host. As illustrated in her bio, there is so much more going on inside all of us, that single-word personal labels are obviously a poor heuristic tool for making judgments.What? She was still doing coke, as recently as 2005?Where's the darn index or table of contents? Some of us reviewers have poor short-term memories, and need all the help we can get.Her period of triumph seemed too brief, in the book. It was like fright-disappointment-fright-tragedy-disappointment-etc, followed by Yes! I made it!, bye now. I mean, it gives us some nice closure and all, but seemed just a bit off tempo at the end, for a writer who had the beat. We all know that it never really works out, quite so simply and completely.Amazing courage, Belinda has, and I guess robustness. Taking risks didn't seem to be an issue for her, perhaps because she was too wasted to care, most of the time. But as a result, she had the chance to deal with a variety of random circumstances, one of them thankfully being the meeting with her future husband Morgan. Providing you live to tell the tale, that can't help but make you stronger. Personally, in her shoes I would have voluntarily kicked the bucket, long before she considered offing herself.As many who conquered adversities have concluded, Belinda came to believe that some force had been watching over her for her entire life, protecting her. However, this is another example of ignoring Taleb's silent evidence: If this infinite power of protection is always there, then how come so many of us don't make it?To come to the conclusion that we are all blessed and protected, requires us to count only the few of us who survived, succeeded, and were able to proudly talk about it. But it also demands that we disregard or rationalize the fate of the poor schmoes, who might have been nicer or worthier than us, but were never in a position (like being alive, e.g.) to tell us their side of the story.Surprisingly, Belinda is a decent writer, able to get her point across clearly with a normal lexicon and popular cultural references. Assuming that she wrote most of this herself, she really should be applauded for this.Perhaps this is the flip side of not being bred with much culture and sophistication; that was one of her Belinda's perceived shortcomings, which she feared would become an embarrassment.I can't speak for Royalty and movie producers and CEOs, but from the point of view of a fan who has been touched by her songs and her book: whether she possesses a graduate level vocabulary & awareness doesn't matter, not even a little.

I grew up listening to all types of music, Belinda and the Go-Gos being some of my favorite artists. I couldn't wait to get this book and read some of the back stories on her, the band, and some of the 80s music scene. I got it when it was released and quickly read the first half. The book's most interesting parts are the stories of her childhood into the forming of the Go-Go's and their history, as well as the descriptions of recording her solo albums. You learn about her upbringing, and what led to her problems later in life. I'd have liked it if the stories about her 80s solo albums were longer, particularly Heaven on Earth.She writes about the late 70s/early 80s music scene and mentions run-ins and experiences with other celebrities. I'd always wondered if she had a romance with Suggs of Madness, and it answered my question. I also enjoyed reading about how Belinda met her husband. Her marriage hasn't been perfect, mostly due to her drug addiction, but they managed to stick together. Some of the stories throughout the book are disturbing, from things she did early in life to doing drugs in her son's school bathroom. Her memories seem vivid, but I wondered how much she can really remember due to the drugs and drinking.The second half of the book was okay, but dragged a little. Most of the book is about her struggles with drugs and alcohol. It was good to read how she quit her drug addiction. The fact that she beat it later in life, at the age of 45, can give hope to others struggling with issues-it's never too late to try. I didn't really feel as enthusiastic reading about yoga and India as I did reading about her career and relationships. At times it got a little boring. One thing I was disappointed about was that she didn't write anything about how she and the Go-Go's support animal causes. I always liked that about them, and wanted to hear at least a little about it. She mentioned a dog she saw in India whose toe was falling off, and she said "gross" and it walked away. She said she saw it as a sign of something. I thought she might write about helping it, but there wasn't more about it. I saw online that she is involved with dog rescue in India, but there is nothing about it in the book.There have been some interesting stories I've read or heard about over the years that aren't mentioned. Like her and Joan Jett selling "lemonade", or when she supposedly threw a drink at some guy from her record label. The book for the most part felt like she was holding back on a lot of things, which is understandable to a point, but considering the wild antics of the band, it felt like something was missing by leaving out so much.I liked her writing style. It was simple and straightforward, easy to follow. I found it similar to reading a letter, as if she is talking to you. Yes, the book left out a lot of things fans have heard about for years, but I guess a lot of it would be more appropriate for a Go-Go's book. Which I would love to read if one is published. But this is a good read for fans, and also anyone interested in the early 80s punk/rock/new wave scene. But the first half of the book is the best part.

Selten habe ich so ein ehrliches Buch als Memoiren gelesen, offen , teilweise schockierendDas Schicksal einer berühmten Söngerin

Great read and makes you realize that even stars can have issues

Being a fan of Belinda's for over 25 years now I was very intrigued to read this, especially to hear some of her thoughts and reflections and to see how her career developed in depth and the thought and processes behind her work. The book is well written, very honest and witty. I must admit that it was not at all what I thought it would be, and left me genuinely touched, saddened and a little shocked. It is fair to say Belinda has led a vivid, and often turbulent life. Though I am glad she has finally found peace and has got to the place she is at. Those looking for loads of crazy stories of what the Go-go's did may be dissapointed, and my only dissapointment was that I felt the talk about her albums was a little brief, I would have loved to hear more about the inspirations , thoughts and feelings behind some of the songs but in fairness that's just me.I feel that this is a well written and very touching story that would appeal to almost anyone, regardless of whether they are a fan of Belinda or not.

Belinda Carlisle has lived an eventful life, to say the least. Her autobiography, "Lips Unsealed" (a clever pun on the title of the Go-Go's first big hit), demonstrates that it hasn't always been easy; from being teased as a child because of her weight, right up to a devastating drug addiction that lasted for a couple of decades, things were never as glossy as her public image might have suggested.But where other similar books are quick to portrait their subject as helpless victims, Belinda Carlisle distinguishes herself by making it clear that she was the only one to blame for her own troubles. It's a refreshing attitude, to say the least. Anyone who doesn't understand the way a drug addict's mind works, should definitely put their hands on this book. It's fascinating - but heartbreaking at the same time - to witness her regular descents into addiction and her attempts to come out of it.Otherwise, the book is juicy but she doesn't overdo it either. Although it would have been interesting to learn more about her relationships with the individual members of the Go-Go's, she goes into detail about the twisted times of this legendary band. Her own career as a solo artist is also carefully detailed, and she doesn't embellish her accomplishments either. If anything, Carlisle seems to have a good sense of humor about herself and comes off as a witty, intelligent, attentive artist who has survived her own worst enemy : not the industry, but herself.

First is necessary to state that I　am a huge fan of Belinda Carlisle's music. Since my childhood I　have been growing up listening to her albums and I just love her voice. Aside of that, my only info about her life was the one that music magazines and radio shows were able to transmit. That is the reason why my image of her was idealized and, after reading her memories, SO far from reality!It is such a frank account of her life that sometimes you find yourself thinking (woau, she said that, here!) and you grow sad as you keep on reading and find that you have read half book and there is still no signs of her recovery (but it comes). The ups and downs of her career are clearly documented and I was glad to hear about California's late 70's and early 80's music scene in such a vibrant manner.One thing I was shocked to read was how she dislikes some of my favourites songs, and how she considers that the "A woman and a man" CD was not her finest while I love it. But there we start to talk about likes and dislikes, and we all have an opinion.If you are not interested at all in her music, but you are interested in the music scene during the early 80's I think you should read this book in order to understand punk music altered the values of youth in California.I am not objective, I know, but I cannot help but strongly recommend you to buy this and devour it!P.D: Not English native speaker. Apologies for the mistakes.