Jane Wiedlin
As the Go-Go's rhythm guitarist and co-writer, she helped craft the infectious, punky pop that made them the first all-female band to top the charts.
Born 1958 (age 68)·American musician and actress·Birthday: May 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Jane Wiedlin brought the sneer and the sweetness to the Go-Go's, standing stage-left as the band's spiky-haired rhythm guitarist and secret melodic weapon. Alongside Belinda Carlisle's lead vocals, Wiedlin's backing harmonies and co-songwriting credits were essential to hits like "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Vacation," helping to define the sound of early-80s new wave. After the band's initial split, she launched a solo career that embraced synth-pop and even a Billboard dance hit with "Rush Hour." Never confined to music, she has cultivated a parallel life as a character actress in film and television and as the voice of the goth guitarist Dusk in the 'Scooby-Doo' universe, embodying a playful, punk-rock spirit across decades.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Jane was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jane Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Jane's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote the Go-Go's classic hits "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Vacation."
- Achieved a solo top 40 hit with "Rush Hour" in 1988.
- Performed as a member of the Go-Go's when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
- Founded the charitable organization "Jane's Addiction" (no relation to the band) which raises funds for animal rights causes.
- Acted in films such as 'Clue,' 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,' and 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.'
Did You Know?
She is an ordained Wiccan priestess and has performed wedding ceremonies.
She provided the voice for the character Dusk, the guitarist of the Hex Girls, in multiple 'Scooby-Doo' animated projects.
She once worked as a veterinary assistant before the Go-Go's found fame.
She appeared in the music video for The Bangles' hit "Walk Like an Egyptian" as a harem girl.
She is an avid supporter of animal rights and is a vegetarian.
“We were just five girls who wanted to have a band. The fact that we made history was completely accidental.”
