Jane Wiedlin | |
---|---|
Jane Wiedlin in Philadelphia in 1988
|
|
Background information | |
Birth name | Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin |
Also known as | Jane Drano, Jumping Jane Drano, Reverend Sister Go-Go, Empress Jane, Lady Robotica |
Born | May 20, 1958 |
Origin | Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, United States |
Genres | Punk, pop rock, new wave |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, actress |
Instruments | Rhythm guitar, vocals |
Years active | 1978–present |
Labels | EMI, IRS, Painful Discs |
Associated acts | The Go-Go's, FroSTed, Sparks |
Website | janewiedlin |
Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actress best known as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the all-female new wave band, The Go-Go's. Wiedlin has also had a solo musical career.
Jane Wiedlin was born in Oconomowoc, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. Her father, Robert Wiedlin, Sr., an oral surgeon, was born in Chicago, Illinois, of German and German-Swiss ancestry. Her mother, Betty Jane (née Herro), was of Lebanese heritage, from Oconomowoc, where many immigrants, from Lebanon, settled around Milwaukee. Wiedlin's parents met while students at Marquette University and later, married. Jane spent her early childhood growing up in West Allis, another suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is one of five children, with a sister and three brothers, growing up in a Catholic family. When Wiedlin was six, her father took a job with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, at a VA Hospital in Los Angeles and her family followed in tow.
As a child, Wiedlin liked to listen to 1960s pop music especially, songs by The Beatles and The Monkees. By the time she was a teenager, Wiedlin was a fan of Sparks. Years later, she would record "Cool Places" with them. Wiedlin stated, "I remember my childhood as extremely idyllic." Wiedlin also mentioned her teenage adolescence with angst and hope by saying, "I would definitely be a less-depressed teenager. I thought life was completely pointless when I was in high school, but just a few short years later I was having the adventure of a lifetime in a successful rock band!" Wiedlin attended William Howard Taft High School in Los Angeles from 1972 until 1976.