Time & Perspective Quote by Kathy Valentine

There is a quiet flex in Kathy Valentine’s line, but it’s the kind that doesn’t need to raise its voice. “We always have a good time playing” sounds almost disarmingly simple, yet it’s doing real PR work for a band culture that audiences can smell instantly: either the musicians are locked in together, or they’re clocking in. Valentine frames joy not as a marketing claim but as a rehearsal-room reality. The “always” is the tell - not literally true, probably, but emotionally true in the way fans want to believe: the vibe is consistent, the chemistry is intact, the onstage energy isn’t a costume.

The second clause, “and I’m glad it shows,” shifts from internal experience to outward legibility. It acknowledges the feedback loop at the heart of live music: you don’t just perform songs; you perform relationship. A group’s pleasure becomes part of the product, a visible permission slip for the crowd to loosen up. Valentine’s gladness also hints at the opposite fear - that fun can be faked, that fatigue and industry grind can leak through the cracks. She’s relieved the audience sees the real thing.

As a musician from an era when bands like the Go-Go’s were scrutinized for authenticity and competence as much as for hits, this reads as a small corrective to cynical narratives. Not “we’re perfect,” not “we’re legends,” but: we mean it, we enjoy each other, and the proof is in your eyes.