Music
Gina Schock
“I started crying right away because I knew there was something wrong. We all went over [to his office] together. He told me and I almost passed out. I couldn’t even think. The rest of the girls got hysterical. It was a horrifying thing. I had a hole about the size of a golf ball in the vertical wall of the two top chambers of my heart.” ~ Gina Schock discussing her heart surgery in 1983.
Success and an Uncertain Future
Michael Holloway, Australia
Born: Regina Ann Schock
August 31, 1957
Nickname: Bean
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
It had been two years since Vacation was released, The Go-Go’s second album . Charlotte Caffey had been sidelined with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin were at odds, and Kathy Valentine worried about the future of the band.
A Serious Heart Condition
A much more dire problem lay ahead. At the end of 1983, drummer Gina Schock’s health had been steadily deteriorating. Schock’s band mates went to the doctor’s office with her. They were all horrified when she was diagnosed with a serious heart condition that, if it would have been left unchecked for much longer, would have cost her something far more valuable than her career…her life.
After Schock recuperated from surgery, she was eager to get to work. The Go-Go’s began writing and recording their new album Talk Show. Their third album proved to be equal to their stellar 1981 release Beauty And The Beat and eclipsed any negativity brought about by Vacation’s lukewarm reception.
This was the last album The Go-Go’s released until their brief reunion in 1994 and official reunion in 2001. The band recorded a compilation album, Return To The Valley Of The Go-Go’s in 1994, and God Bless The Go-Go’s in 2001, an album of all new original songs.
The Go-Go’s
In 1987, Schock formed a partnership with Vance DeGeneres, brother of popular comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. Schock and Vance wrote and recorded ten songs for an album that was released a year later. Because the album was recorded in Schock’s own home recording studio (in other words, the House Of Schock), it became the new name of both their band and their debut (and only) album. Vance played bass guitar, Schock sang lead and played drums (assisted occasionally by guest drummer Steven Fisher), Chrissy Shefts rocked on lead guitar, and Jim Biggs came on board with his keyboard.
Though House Of Schock was an only child (much like The Graces Perfect View), the proud parents Schock and DeGeneres are justifiably proud of the bright and breezy songs they produced. It was only because of lack of promotion that they broke up and released no further albums; the album was generally well-received by fans and remains an extremely rare and much sought-after collector’s item. The hit single from the album, Middle Of Nowhere was also released as a music video which showed Schock’s bizarre ability to play the drums blindfolded.
Disheartened by the critics’ lack of enthusiasm for her album, Schock never released another solo album, although she briefly played for two bands, K-5 and Smash Mouth, which produced no albums.
Kindred Spirits
In 1995, Schock teamed with fellow drummer Debbi Peterson from The Bangles for a new project they called Kindred Spirit. Schock and Peterson wrote several songs together, only one of which, Here In My Eyes, made the final cut. Schock and Peterson discovered their differing styles and approaches to music did not blend so well, causing them to split. Peterson chose a new partner for Kindred Spirit, vocalist Siobhan Maher (formerly of the River City People.)
Of all The Go-Go’s, Schock has the least presence on the internet and has no official website or official MySpace. At this time, fans remain unsure about Schock’s current, or future projects.
Tagged Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Debbie Peterson, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, music, The Bangles, The Go Go's