Belinda Carlisle: ‘I wouldn’t take back the drugs, but there are a few boyfriends I would edit out of my life’

Born in California, Belinda Carlisle, 64, played drums in the punk band Germs. In 1978 she co-formed the Go-Go’s, which became the first all-female band who wrote their own songs and played their instruments to have a US No 1 album with their 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat. In the mid-80s, Carlisle went solo, releasing successful albums such as Heaven on Earth and Runaway Horses. Her hits include I Get Weak and the Grammy-nominated Heaven is a Place on Earth. Her new single, Big Big Love, is out on 10 March. She is married to film producer Morgan Mason, has a son and lives in Mexico.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Pamela Anderson, because I love her strength and honesty and vulnerability at the same time.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
On stage in Tasmania, I tripped over a floor monitor and landed on my back like a turtle, kicking my legs in the air trying to get back on my feet in front of about 5,000 people. But when I got on my feet, the whole crowd roared in triumph.

Aside from a property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?
I’ve been doing pilates for 25 years and I swear by it. I decided to kit out a room with pilates equipment – and I think it’s the most expensive thing I’ve invested in.

Describe yourself in three words
Work in progress.

What makes you unhappy?
Watching the news. I have to put myself on 40-day news fasts because I get so worked up. My motto is: ignorance is bliss.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’ve accepted myself. I am very comfortable in my own skin.

What is your most unappealing habit?
I’m a whistler. I whistle all the time.

Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
I am a big reader, but I’ve never read anything by Dickens.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A travel agent, so I could see the world.

What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
“You sing like a goat.” When I did my French album [Voila], this French woman – a supposed friend – said to my face: “It’s fantastic but, how come you sound like a chèvre?” It was like someone had hit me in the stomach.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?
A super trashy reality show called 90 Day Fiance. It got me and my husband through the pandemic.

Have you ever said “I love you” without meaning it?
Totally.

If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I wouldn’t take back the drugs, but there are a few boyfriends that I’d edit out of my life.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having a career that’s lasted 47 years, especially when I felt like an impostor for so many of them.

Would you rather have more sex, money or fame?
Sex.

How would you like to be remembered?
As a singer who did everything her way, no compromise.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
To stay in the moment and live each day to the maximum. You never know when it’s going to be taken away.

What happens when we die?
I believe that we go back to divine consciousness. I don’t really think there is any such thing as death.