Jane Wiedlin

Spicy, Racy, Provocative
Michael Holloway

Born: Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin
May 20, 1958
Nickname: Empress Jane
Birthplace: Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Hanging out in the Los Angeles and studying fashion design inspired Jane Wiedlin to start writing song lyrics.  She became part of the early punk scene in L.A. where she played guitar with a few bands before hooking up with Belinda Carlisle in 1978.  Together they formed The Go-Go’s.

With her elfin looks and irresistibly sweet voice, few people would guess there was a spicy side to Jane Wiedlin’s nature.

Some of the photos inside Wiedlin’s solo album, Kissproof World (2000) are certainly racy. Wiedlin posed nude for one photo, and shot several compromising photos with close friend, provocateuse Dita von Teese.

Wiedlin and von Teese  teamed again for a photo shoot for ‘Fetish’ magazine in 2001, which was photographed by Gary and Pierre Silva. Empress Jane, as she likes to be called, is a fetish aficionado, attending various yearly galas and balls.

Though Wiedlin’s previous solo albums, Jane Wiedlin (1985), Fur (1988), and Tangled (1990) are much loved by fans, Kissproof World is a much stronger, deeper album than anything she has done before. Because Wiedlin is often overlooked by critics, she has not released a solo album since 2000. But, good news; she is reportedly writing a new album. This project has been placed on hiatus as Wiedlin is grieving a family tragedy with the passing of her mother, Betty Wiedlin (from Alzheimer’s) on Feb.18, 2008.

The Good Wife

Wiedlin has been married twice. She insists she has never been a stereotypical model wife, which is why neither marriage was successful. While her compassion for other people and especially her beloved animals is a major factor in Wiedlin’s genuine warmth and respect from fans, she has never been a conformist, and does not adjust well to domestic life. She even wrote and recorded a song, The Good Wife, philosophizing whether the idea of marriage works for her.

“I think I was 12 years into a marriage at that time, and I tried really hard to be a good wife, and just had come to the conclusion that I just couldn’t do it. A lot of times, I think, at the end of a relationship you do become sort of disillusioned with the idea of forever love and romance, and marriage itself. And that song kind of addresses it. It’s kind of a self-loathing song, too, because it’s like, I’m just a piece of crap who can’t keep it together. But I really like that song, because it really represents what I was going through at the time,” says Wiedlin.

First Love…Music

Perhaps the most famous aspect of Wiedlin’s nature is her great sense of humor. She has the ability to make fun of herself as well as others; always in a lighthearted fashion.

Though music is her first love, Wiedlin is equally gifted as an actress, performing in both live action roles and as a voice-over actress for animated features.

Don’t Shoot The Messenger

In 1985, the cult favorite comic murder mystery Clue featured Wiedlin in a cameo role as an ill-fated singing telegram girl.

Though she appeared on screen for less than a minute, Wiedlin won hearts with her ditzy rendition of “Da Da Da Da Da Da! I am… your Singing Telegram…”, cut short by a fatal gunshot to the chest. This had to be one of the shortest movie roles in history.
So, who whacked the messenger girl?  Depending on which of the three endings you prefer, the murderer was either Lesley Ann Warren as Miss Scarlett,  Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Peacock, or Tim Curry as the butler Wadsworth. For many fans, the most credible ending given the clues offered in the plot, would be the Miss Scarlett as the killer scenario.

Other roles made famous by Wiedlin include Joan Of Arc in Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a rock chick who just happens to be a witch in a band called The Hex Girls in two animated Scooby Doo features, The Witch’s Ghost and Legend Of The Vampire.) She also appeared as The White Fairy in a live action version of Sleeping Beauty and performed a solo song,  All To Sleep. Also in the cast were Tahnee Welch and Morgan Fairchild as Princess Rosebud and The Queen respectively, and Sylvia Miles as The Red Fairy.

FroSTed

In 1996, Wiedlin formed a new band called FroSTed (the unusual spelling arises from her admitted sci-fi nerd fandom). The band only released one album, Cold for which, Wiedlin co-wrote many songs with fellow Go-Go’s Charlotte Caffey and Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles.

The other notable release by Wiedlin is her Very Best Of Jane Wiedlin (1993), a compilation of her most popular songs, including Blue Kiss and Rush Hour (Wiedlin’s biggest solo hits). Two bonus tracks offered by the album are an acoustic version of The Go-Go’s Our Lips Are Sealed (written by Wiedlin), and Cool Places (a duet with Russell Mael from The Sparks).

Tagged Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wieldin, music, punk, The Go Go's