Rock Wives: The Hard Lives and Good Times of the Wives, Girlfriends, and Groupies of Rock and Roll

by Victoria Balfour

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688043860
• ISBN13: 9780688043865
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Beech Tree Paperback Book
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great light reading

Reading Bebe Buell's recent autobiography reminded me of her chapter in "Rock Wives", which I read in the 80s when it came out. "Rock Wives" is a series of short interviews with a number of wives and former wives of rock stars (and one "rock husband" as well, whose wife is actually the rock star) spanning the decades from the 50s through the 80s. The term "wife" is interpreted loosely, as some of the ladies in the book were not legally married to a rockstar, but had relationships of long standing. The women's lives at the time the book is written are all over the map; some (such as Jo Wood) were relative newlyweds, some (such as Gail Zappa) were wives of long standing, some (such as Myra Lewis, the pre-teen bride of Jerry Lee Lewis) were long divorced and gone on to non-rock lives of their own, and some (such as Angie Bowie) were no longer with their rockstars but still very much in the rock n' roll game. There are even a couple of "rock widows" (such as Ingrid Croce) whose men had died in the pursuit of their art. A few of the ladies even had relationships with more than one rockstar, such as Linda Lawrence Leitch (who was with Brian Jones before she met and eventually married Donovan Leitch) and Bebe Buell (who had a longterm relationship with Todd Rundgren and at the time of her interview was just winding down another long relationship with Elvis Costello). Each interview follows a pattern: the interviewer recounts a little description setting the scene, such as her subject's house and manner of dress, and then gets the subject to answer a few questions of how they met their respective rockstar, talk about the dynamics of the relationship, and if the relationship ended, how and why. Be warned that if you're looking for juicy tell-all tales, this is not the right book to pick up. Obviously the women who are currently in a relationship with a rockstar are not going to be "dishing the dirt" in front of him, and those who have split up for the most part approach their past relationships respectfully - not surprising since several of them are raising children from those relationships. Besides, the few pages allotted to each interview would not be enough to recount many yarns even if it was "that kind of a book." Each "wife's" interview is accompanied by a couple of pictures that do a great job of bringing out their quirks and personality. The sheer variety of clothing, hair and furniture styles pictured are worth a flip through the book. Overall this is a great, light, fun read especially if you're not looking for anything too salacious, but just want to see the "normal" (or at least as normal as it can get) side of rock relationships. A couple of the subjects, notably Patricia Kenneally and Bebe Buell, also went on to write books of their own that expanded upon, updated, and in some respects even changed the basic stories they told in "Rock Wives", so if you're into reading rock bios you might have fun comparing and contrasting

AT TIMES FASCINATING

SINCE THE books publication Monika Dannemann .{.Jimi hendrix chapter..}.committed suicide...sadly...The book isnt always great but theres plenty of information here!

Its only Rock N' Roll...

This is an look at the lives, joys, and struggles of the Wives and Girlfriends of many classic Rock Stars. The women interviewed opened up and spoke quite candidly about themselves and their famous lovers. I found the Patricia Kennealy Chapter to be paticularly interesting.

"I'd flatten him"--Patricia Kennealy on Jim Morrison

This will be an interesting book for anyone who's a Doors fan, who has also read "Strange Days" by Patricia Kennealy. Patricia K. doesn't refer to this book by name in "Strange Days", nor does she refer to Victoria Balfour by name. Patricia K. merely alludes to this book, and its author, making clear she wasn't happy with it. Here is what Patricia Kennealy says about "Rock Wives" in her own book, "Strange Days", quote: "And so when I am asked for the second time to speak for publication concerning Jim and me, I am perhaps a little more easily persuaded than I might, or should, have been. This time it is a friend of my friend David Walley who is doing the asking, for a book she is writing on women who get involved with rock stars. Not perhaps the format I'd have chosen, but hey, I'm not writing the thing...I do not know her personally, but he speaks well of her; and indeed, when she comes to my apartment to interview me she is smart, sympathetic and friendly. But when her book at last appears, in 1985, I am devastated yet again. She seems to have had a hidden agenda all along: the bleak and stereotypical scenario that nice college-educated middle-class Catholic girls just have to pick bad boys to fall for, giving up all claim to any career or indeeed personhood of their own in the process". End quote. Despite Patricia K. not referring to the book title or author of said offending book in "Strange Days", I managed to track down the mysterious book. I can tell you, Patricia's claim that Victoria Balfour portrays her as someone who is "giving up all claim to any career", ect, is a total falsehood. Please read this book, and you will understand the actual reasons Patricia K. doesn't refer to this book or author by name in "Strange Days". I promise you, it has nothing to do with Patricia K. being offended over Balfour allegedly portraying her as a "good little Catholic" girl. I'm afraid poor Patricia is tossing out red herrings in her desperation. Here's how Patricia K.'s quotes in 1986 ("Rock Wives") compare to what she says in 1991 ("Strange Days"): 1986, "Rock Wives"-- "Probably not very"....Patricia's quote, when asked how seriously she thought Jim Morrison took the Wiccan handfasting. 1991, "Strange Days"--Patricia K. claims Jim took the handfasting as seriously as she did. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1986, "Rock Wives"--"Never in a million years. This was no liberating relationship, and the worst part was, I never knew when I was going to see him again."---Patricia K., when asked if she would put up with Jim's behaviour today. 1991, "Strange Days"--Patricia K. insists her relationship with Jim was one of equality. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1986, "Rock Wives"--"I'd flatten him."---Patricia K., when asked what she'd do to Jim if he were alive today. Patricia K. also makes clear that her relationship with Jim was completely over by the time he left

Rock wives and girlfriends, in their own words

If you want to know how Jim Morrison's romance REALLY started with Patricia Kenneally, and what she REALLY thought of him, read this book! It doesn't have all the bile of her own book on Morrison ("Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison"). If you've read "Strange Days", then you should read "Rock Wives" because that is the REAL truth. Thankfully condensed, minus the vitriole, ranting, raving, and stretched-truths. It's very interesting to read a book like "Strange Days" (where the author trashes Oliver Stone for implying Jim Morrison didn't take his "marriage" to her seriously) then read a book like "Rock Wives", where Kennealy ADMITS to Victoria Balfour that Jim Morrison took their wedding ceremony "probably not too seriously". Gee, maybe THAT'S why Stone portrayed things the way he did....he read Victoria Balfour's book first, which was published in 1986! I guess Kennealy wasn't so intent on wearing rose-tinted specticles back then. :)Also fascinating: frank discussions with the likes of Myra Lewis (Jerry Lee Lewis' "child bride"), Linda Lawrence Leach (mother of Brian Jones' baby, married to Donovan Leitch), Anita Pallenberg (Brian Jones, Keith Richards, of course!), Jo Howard (Ron Wood, Rolling Stones), Angie Bowie (David Bowie), Marilyn Wilson (Brian Wilson, Beach Boys), Gail Zappa (Frank Zappa), Monika Dannemann (Jimi Hendrix, last girlfriend before he died), Ingrid Croce (Jim Croce), Bebe Buell (Todd Rundgren, Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello...Bebe also has her own book now, "Rebel Heart"), Leslie Meat Loaf (Meat Loaf), Lee Angel (Little Richard), Susan Rotolo (Bob Dylan), Claudette Robinson (Smokey Robinson), Carlene Carter (Nick Lowe), Vera Ramone (Dee Dee Ramone), and David Wolff (the lone male interviewee, Cyndi Lauper). There is a chapter for each interviewee, and several pictures of each. Author Victoria Balfour has worked as a researcher for The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and New York magazine, and has had articles published in the New York Times, Esquire, and USA Today. Here are fabulous, revealing, exclusive interviews with the women closest to the stars of rock and roll, lots of great quotes!!! Thank you, Victoria Balfour, for a job well done!