Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies

by Pamela Des Barres

Book Overview

This intimate account of 24 legendary groupies reveals what went on behind the closed doors of rock stars from Elvis to Marilyn Manson. Consisting of Pamela Des Barres's revealing interviews with and profiles of other supergroupies, this book offers firsthand glimpses into the backstage world of rock stars and the women who loved them. The groupies--such as Miss Japan Beautiful, who taught Elvis how to dance; Cassandra Peterson (Mistress of the Dark),...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1556526687
• ISBN13: 9781556526688
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Let's Spend the Night Together...

Ms. Pamela has again used her heart and great writing/research skills to create another masterful non-fiction. Well-researched, artfully worded, truth-based, but nothing mean or hurtful (and I am sure there could have been.) She has a talent for getting at the truth, people love to talk honestly to her; but she does not betray any trusts for the sake of selling books. Some people will not appreciate that because all they are looking for are the down and dirty little secrets and that is okay. Pamela treats each subject with dignity yet tells the true story - that is true art. She cares, she respects, she honors each person without passing even a hint of judgment because that is who she is and how she writes. We should all be so kind and loving. Thanks Pammy for another historical glance into rock n roll when groupies were in every sense of the word an intricate part of true rock n roll scene, and will live on forever thanks to your book.

Miss P is the best

I think anyone who doesn't find some guilty pleasure in this book is either A)jealous because they didn't write it first, or B)bitter that they weren't the ones backstage with the band. Growing up in the late 80's as a so-called 'groupie' myself, Miss P's books were our bible, and now as an adult I find comfort in knowing that there are others out there who enjoyed thier experiences as much as I did! This book is fabulous, and so is Pamela. Good for her for putting the stories out there, people want to know!

Hooray for Miss P.

While reading Miss P.'s "I'm with the Band," I fell in love with the GTOs. I loved their brazen nutty bravado and performance art style. I silently wept as the tale unfolded and Miss Christine and Miss Mercy became mired in drug addiction. The GTOs seemed to epitomize a kind of proto-girl power in a far less commercial rock and roll world. I longed for their resurrection. I loved the humor and humanity of Miss P.'s recollections. So I was overjoyed when a good friend of mine sent me copy of "Let's spend the Night Together," autographed by none other than Miss P. herself. . In terms of editorial decisions, I laud Miss Pam's inclusiveness. She has compiled tales of some very disparate characters. Some are tales of Girl meets Boy who happens to be rock star and the two fall in love. Others like Pleasant Gehman are wild scenesters. Others like Cassandra Peterson and Cynthia Plaster Caster are a clash of performance art meets rock meets more art. GTO fans will be pleased to note that Miss Mercy has been resurrected. Meanwhile, Bebe Buell strikes a note of dissonance with her dour, pious embrace of the word "muse." (Here the reader is forced to stick a finger down his or her throat.) Of course, encounters with rock stars are the recurring "thread" that pulls this "groupie" narrative together. We get continuing snap shots of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, most prominently among others. Jimmy Page professing faithfulness to the pitifully dwarfed Lori Mattix. Jimmy Page stone-faced. Jimmy Page tearing at Cassandra Peterson. Robert Plant professes love to all and many & etc. These men have many incarnations in this book. One issue that I sometimes have with these narratives is the lack of context. In terms of social consciousness, you'd barely know whether it was the sixties, the seventies or the eighties, which is why I laud Miss P.'s decision to include figures other than Bebe Buell and rock wives. Only through Miss Mercy, do we understand that the civil rights movement was going on at that time (although she admits to being less than conscious of it, except when having to duck down while driving through Southern streets with her paramours.) Through Sweet, pathological Connie, we get a taste of the wingnuts' pitiful, sleazy crusade against Clinton. But I could waxforever on Miss P. So here I must end my review and say, "all in all, beautiful work, Miss P.!"

Can I be with the band, too?

Yet another amazing read from Pamela Des Barres. My interest in Rock's boudoir was first piqued with "I'm With The Band", after which I was forced to accept that she set the bar impossibly high for everyone else - not just for content, but also for writing skill. In "Let's Spend..." she simply provides a forum for others to speak in, while she creates a series of vivid 3-D mental images of the most inner of inner sanctums. The result feels like a girls-night-out or a great party that you somehow got accidentally invited to. Once again, her style is as detailed as it is easy to read. I literally couldn't put this book down and went to work without sleep the next day. Of course, with Pamela the price of voyeurism (for me) is jealousy (again). This time I was jealous of not only her amazing life, but also the lives of these fabulous, unique women, that have lived so much in such a short time. I just wish I could understand why the whole "groupie" thing is so controversial, I see comparable scoop in the checkout lines every week. Speaking of jealousy, if you aren't completely sold on Pamela's guileless skill at telling secrets, read a couple of the less glowing reviews here. Talk about fiction! I'm thinking she may have hit a nerve or two. Of course, independent, out-spoken and confident women tend to do that. And we're not sorry.

Pamela's Still With The Band...And Has The Inside Story On The "Band-Aids"! Get This Book!

I got this book last night and started reading it IMMEDIATELY and pretty much did not stop until this afternoon! It's simply great rock and roll storytelling from ladies (and one guy) who lived through grand groupiedom...but don't think it is just a book about groupies and their usual backstage antics. It is much more than that. There is a lot of info on the bands and times in general as well...and a lot of the people profiled came from tough and sometimes unbelievable childhoods which are discussed in a candid manner. There is also talk about whether the "G Word" still has the negative connotations it once had! It seems like ages since Pamela Des Barres' last book ROCK BOTTOM came out (I think it's been at least 8 years), so I have been dying for something new from her--and nothing can beat "Miss Pamela" doing a book on groupies that were her peers as well as those who came before and after her heady days on The Strip! While her first book I'M WITH THE BAND will always be the ultimate groupie tell-all tome (and generally great rock 'n' roll historical document), this one has all the juice on those OTHER rock-addicted girls you wanted to know about but can't really read about other than a website here and there (and without much detail). I love the 60s and 70s gals the best. My favorite chapters were on LORI MATTIX (aka Lori Lightning) who stole Jimmy Page away from Miss P when she was only 13, SWEET CONNIE from Little Rock, who was immortalized in Grand Funk's "We're An American Band", and on CHERRY VANILLA, groupie publicist to the early Bowie. The later groupies from the 80s and 90s are not as fascinating for some reason, although one who prefers to stay anonymous and simply refers to herself as MISS B goes into details about Kurt Cobain's crossdressing, depression and drug use. This was such a juicy read--it is hard to find any criticisms but I would have liked to see chapters on the late CYRINDA FOXE and the legendary 70s LA groupie SABLE STARR. And although she had a short and tragic life, I would have liked to see NANCY SPUNGEN included as well. I also wish the photos were in color--but you can't have it all! I hope I get to go to one of Miss P's appearances to promote this book (she will be doing appearances in NYC and LA in less than 2 weeks, so check out her website www.pameladesbarres.com)...I have had the pleasure of interviewing her twice and going to two of her appearances (at a midtown NYC bookstore and the Viper Room in LA)...and her readings and Q & A sessions are always intriguing! Last summer in NYC, Sandra Bernhard and Patti D'Arbanville (one of the former groupies/friends she profiles in LET'S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER) showed up to do readings from the republished I'M WITH THE BAND. It was lots of fun! Hope the eternally youthful Pamela has another bestseller on her hands--she deserves it!