A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group,[1] but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation.
Female groupies in particular have a long-standing reputation of being available to celebrities, pop stars, rock stars and other public figures. Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant is quoted as distinguishing between fans who wanted brief sexual encounters, and "groupies" who traveled with musicians for extended periods of time, acting as a surrogate girlfriend or mother, often taking care of the musician's valuables, drugs, wardrobe, and social life.[2] Nancy Spungen, who became the partner of Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols, is one such example of what is sometimes referred to as "road wives." Cynthia Plaster Caster and The GTOs ("Girls Together Outrageously"), with Pamela Des Barres, in particular, as de-facto spokeswoman, are probably the best known groupies of this type.
Des Barres, who wrote two books detailing her experiences as a groupie – I'm With The Band (1987) and Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: A Groupie Grows Up (1993) – as well as another non-fiction book, Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon, asserts that a groupie is to a rock band as Mary Magdalene was to Jesus.[3] Her most recent book, Let's Spend the Night Together (2007), is a collection of wildly varied interviews with classic "old school" groupies including Catherine James, Connie Hamzy, Cherry Vanilla, Dee Dee Keel, Margaret Moser, and Patti Johnsen, as well as modern groupies like Mandy Murders Lexa Vonn and the Plastics. Des Barres, who married rock star-actor Michael Des Barres, also persuaded cult actress Tura Satana, rock muse Bebe Buell, actress Patti D'Arbanville, and Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark to talk about their relationships with musicians.
According to Des Barres book, there is at least one verified male groupie, Pleather, who followed female celebrities such as Courtney Love and members of the 80s pop group The Bangles.
"Apple Scruffs", from George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass, refers to the Apple scruffs, a group of teenage girls who staked out The Beatles' Apple Corps offices, Abbey Road Studios, and Paul McCartney's home, often sleeping outside in rough weather, waiting for a glimpse of a Beatle. The Beatles' song "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" refers to the day a few Scruffs climbed into Paul McCartney's house through an upstairs bathroom window and raided his closet for a pair of trousers, which they took turns wearing. They also took a framed photograph, which they later returned at McCartney's request. The movie Almost Famous revolves around the life of groupies (although calling themselves 'band aids').
Michael Jackson has been quoted that his number 1 hit song Dirty Diana is about a groupie.
Notes[]
- ↑ "Groupie" Merriam Webster Online Dictionary
- ↑ Davis, Stephen. Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga (1985)
- ↑ Publishers Weekly, Review of Let's Spend the Night Together on Amazon.com
External links[]
- Tales of a Rock-Star Love Affair: Slash's Wife Talks Groupie Antics, Finding Hubby in Rolling Stone
- Lust for Life: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Groupie by Margaret Moser
- USA Today Article about firefighter and police groupies after 9/11/01
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