With the recent passing of David Bowie, many people wanted to bring important facts about him to the forefront: His innovation as a musician, his groundbreaking androgynous looks, and the fact that he slept with a 14-year-old.
If you weren’t aware of this, I know—it’s a major bummer. However, looking into the real story introduced me to the mystical world of groupies, or as some of them like to be known, "band-aids," a term coined by the failed film turned cult classic, "Almost Famous" directed by Cameron Crowe. This 14-year old who lost her virginity to Bowie was known as Lori Lightning, and she was also a flame of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Enthralled by the lifestyle of Lori and groupie ladies alike, I read "Let's Spend the Night Together," written by one of the most popularly known groupies of the time, Pamela Des Barres (also a past flame of Jimmy Page). I immediately learned something: For groupies, it was all about being surrounded by the music.
An interesting Voltaire quote was included in the book of secrets and stories: “Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” This is exactly what these women were trying to achieve. Groupies flocked to clubs to watch their favorite musicians perform live, and instead of wishing they were backstage, they made sure that they were. They were the muses behind the kind of rock anthems that inspired them and brought these men to the height of their creative genius. Groupies were so passionate about the artistry of rock and roll and the men behind the music they loved that they inserted themselves into this glamorous, immensely creative (and sometimes insanely misogynistic) environment. Living authentically was of importance. Of course, they didn’t escape this lifestyle unscathed with their hearts never broken, but all of them never regretted what they experienced because they lived shamelessly and on their own terms.
Yes, they had killer clothing and kept their cool in front of famous rock stars, but to me, the reality that a lot of these women were so smart, compassionate, confident, and open about their sexuality is much more impressive. The 70s were as much a time of sexual revolution for women as the 20s if you were ballsy enough to take advantage of it, and that was because of band-aids all over the world. What’s worth noting is that the word "groupie" became a scathing insult for being promiscuous, and this never prevented them from continuing on the same way.
Des Barres reveals in a discussion with Canadian interviewer Nardwuar that Gloria Steinem called her and the book "anti-feminist," where she responds, “which is so lame because I was a woman doing what I wanted to do. Isn't that what feminism is?” This statement solidifies what that entire time was about. Women were doing what they wanted to, not what was expected of them.
Stephen Davis, writer of the Zeppelin bio "Hammer of the Gods," remarked about a certain Jimmy Page interview. Page, a fanatic of the occultist Aleister Crowley, was asked what he thought about women. He responded, “Crowley didn’t have a very high opinion of them, and I don’t think he was wrong.” I think he was.
*Disclaimer: In no way is it all right that grown men were having relations with underage girls, but Pamela Des Barres and most of the women that were interviewed for "Let's Spend the Night Together" were grown, consenting women at the time of the Groupie Revolution. Those are the women referred to in this article.
