Belinda Carlisle Go-Go's (originally named the Misfits), with friends and fellow musicians Margot Olavarria, Elissa Bello, and Jane Wiedlin. Olavarria and Bello were soon out of the group and the new line-up included bassist-turned-guitarist Charlotte Caffey, guitarist-turned-bassist Kathy Valentine, and drummer Gina Schock. All five women were largely untrained musicians, and Carlisle recalls having to use tape as fret markers during their initial songwriting: "[Charlotte] had to show us how to plug in our amps," she said. The Go-Go's would go on to become one of the most successful American bands of the 1980s, helping usher new wave music into popular American
Belinda Carlisle real passage in time for me." Carlisle states in her autobiography "Lips Unsealed: A Memoir" that she has practiced Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the Soka Gakkai International since 2002, and she often mentions in press interviews that she chants "Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō" daily. She has also credited the practice with helping her maintain sobriety. Carlisle is a supporter of several causes. She has been an ardent supporter of LGBT rights, which she made public after her son, Duke, came out to her at age fourteen. Carlisle is also a vegetarian and a supporter of animal rights. She