2005 flashback interview: Jane Wiedlin of the Go Go’s goes on ‘Surreal Life’
Originally posted February 3, 2005 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
JANE WIEDLIN, the pixie-like guitarist of seminal '80s girl band the Go-Go's, was flipping channels last summer and came across Season 3 of "The Surreal Life" with Brigitte Nielsen and Flava Flav.
"It was really funny," she said in an interivew. "Literally three days later, they called and asked me if I wanted to do Season 4. By then, I was a fan." With her band in concert at EarthLink next Wednesday, Wiedlin talked about the series and her new link to Paris Hilton.
AJC: You skinny dipped on "The Surreal Life." Was it a little freaky that Peter Brady [actually, Christopher Knight] was watching?
Wiedlin: I always had a crush on him when I was little. There he was all grown up. I felt most comfortable with him. It was literally like having a brother I never knew.
AJC: Was Verne Troyer ["Mini-Me"] nuts?
Wiedlin: I wouldn't say that. He was difficult. He had a diva-ish personality. He didn't want to help with any activity or outing.
AJC: What was up with Da Brat [the Atlanta rapper] calling you a has-been?
Wiedlin: I got so mad. I didn't know she was saying all those things about us being has-beens behind our backs. Then later, after I thought we became friends, she said she stood by those statements. If that's her feeling about me, then our whole two weeks were really damn phony.
AJC: What else are you up to?
Wiedlin: After "Surreal Life," I was offered a job with Paris Hilton. . . . I'm co-producing her album, helping with her vocals. But it's taking forever. She's doing 5 billion things, doing movies, TV, a perfume. We're only halfway through.
AJC: Who's cuter? You or Martha Quinn [the pixie-like MTV VJ circa 1982]?
Wiedlin: You want me to answer that? I don't know. I'm pretty damn cute!
* THE 411: The Go-Go's. $35. 8 p.m. Wednesday. $35, EarthLink Live, 1374 W. Peachtree St., Midtown. Ticketmaster, 404-249-6400. www.earthlinklive.com.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
