Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ The Go-Go’s didn’t have a master plan. Punks at the start, they became rock ’n’ roll pioneers. Defying odds and smashing norms in a male-dominated field, the female quintet, which had a string of hits propelled by MTV play in the 1980s, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Saturday as part of a powerhouse class that includes Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Carole King, the Foo Fighters and Todd Rundgren. On Friday, the Go-Go’s — guitarist Charlotte Caffey, lead singer Belinda Carlisle, drummer Gina Schock, bassist Kathy Valentine and guitarist/singer Jane Wiedlin — helped dedicate their Hall of Fame signature plaque and toured an exhibit featuring this year’s inductees. “It’s a little overwhelming,” Caffey said as she and her bandmates were whisked from floor to floor. “We’re really thrilled. … We appreciate how gracious everyone has been. We belong here, too.” While the Go-Go’s were enshrined in the performer category, rapper LL Cool J, keyboardist Billy Preston and guitarist Randy Rhoads were honored for musical excellence. Kraftwerk, Gil Scott-Heron and Charley Patton were inducted as early influencers, and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant received the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Not only did the Go-Go’s write catchy tunes like “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “Vacation,” the Los Angeles-based group stood out as women playing their own instruments — something rare 40 years ago. They were dismissed by some critics and musicians who didn’t take them seriously, but Caffey said that only strengthened them. “We just kept pushing forward,” she said. “We knew there was sexism. … But we kept going, going and going, and we’re happy we did that.” Being underestimated “didn’t faze us,” Caffey said. “When the five of us get together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.”
■ British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that Queen Elizabeth II was “on very good form” during their conversation last week. His comment came a day after Buckingham Palace said the 95-year-old monarch has been advised to rest for another two weeks. “I spoke to Her Majesty as I do every week as part of my job,” Johnson told ITV News. “She has been told by her doctors that she has got to rest, and I think we have got to respect that and understand that, and everybody wishes her all the very best,” Johnson said. The queen recently underwent medical tests and spent a night at London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital, her first such stay in eight years. She’s resumed work and will press on with desk-based duties. The palace said it is the queen’s “firm intention” to attend a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in London on Nov. 14. Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch, Elizabeth is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the throne — next year.