Ironically titled after the Bangles biggest hit, Eternal Flame is the story of a wildly popular group always teetering on implosion. Composed of disparate personalities with varying agendas, they nevertheless managed to make-up arguably the best all-female band ever. From the band’s inception through its tumultuously erratic rise to fame and eventual (and it seems from the start, inevitable) break up, there is never a moment of respite. Perhaps author Jennfer Otter Bickerdike surmises that is what drove them.
Filled with direct quotes and memories of the members of the Bangles and a plethora of those close to them, from songwriting contributors, and former bandmates (and there are more than a few) to management, agents, and producers, all in their way added to the chaotic if not brilliant nature of their story.
From a woman’s perspective, Bickerdike does a masterful job illustrating the misogyny and constant haranguing the Bangles had to endure being an all-female band – including the incessant comparisons to their L.A. sisters in the Go-Gos, which, again, added even more pressure. This was further exacerbated by the focus of the press and management on guitarist Susana Hoffs – her looks, her moxie and her spotlight. Eternal Flame reminded me why I loved the Bangles back in the eighties and still find their music as electric and fun as it was then.
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