Library Rock's Backpages

Backstage: groupies, riders etc.

150 articles

The Beatles: Now You Can Be A Beatle People And Get Right In Here With Them

Overview by uncredited writer, Rave, June 1964

● Just a few people share the Beatles' lives — and their wit, charm, gaiety — because the Beatles can't meet everyone. ● But now YOU ...

Dusty Springfield, P.J. Proby, The Rolling Stones: Stars Come Out At Night On The Scene

Report by Vicki Wickham, Fabulous, 22 May 1965

THE MUSIC has stopped. The stage lights are dimmed. The screaming fans have gone home. What happens to the pop stars when it's all over ...

Marianne Faithfull, Herman's Hermits, P.J. Proby, The Rolling Stones, Sandie Shaw, The Yardbirds: The Truth About the Pop Idles...

Report by Dawn James, Rave, July 1965

What is the truth about our stars of pop? How hard do they really work for the fabulous rewards that pop success brings? Are they ...

Donovan, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Sonny & Cher: Why Do Hotels Ban Pop Stars?

Report and Interview by uncredited writer, Disc Weekly, 4 September 1965

WHY DO pop stars get banned from hotels? ...

The Pretty Things: Viv — "It's All Lies"

Interview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 23 September 1965

'I could sue them' says Viv Prince, about newspaper articles which appeared about him in New Zealand. Norman Jopling reports...' ...

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Hollies, The Mindbenders: Scrubbers – The Facts

Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 10 December 1966

ALAN WALSH investigates the WORLD OF THE FEMALE POP FAN ...

The Who: Rock 'N' Wreck

Report and Interview by Richard Goldstein, The Village Voice, 30 March 1967

IN THE backstage halflight of the RKO 58th Street Theatre, Peter Townshend awaits his cue. Stagehands pace furiously, shouting orders in bizarre New York-ese. A ...

Gene Pitney: Marriage for the girl with a thousand freckles — Gene And I By Lynn

Interview by Maureen O'Grady, Rave, April 1967

Gene Pitney dashed a million dreams by marrying his childhood sweetheart, Lynn Gayton. Here she talks to RAVE's Maureen O'Grady about what it's like to ...

The Herd, Traffic, The Who: Traffic, The Who, The Herd: Danger: Who At Work!

Report and Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 11 November 1967

THE WHO-TRAFFIC-Herd-Tremeloe tour, while proving to be a sell-out attraction, has caused a certain amount of anxiety among those people whose job it is to ...

Groupies: A Story Of Our Times

Special Feature by Tom Nolan, Cheetah, December 1967

The March of Time's issue about teen-age girls is worth seeing in the sense that one might examine with interest a slide of cancer tissue. ...

Kim Fowley

Interview by Ritchie Yorke, Rolling Stone, 20 September 1969

LOS ANGELES — Kim Fowley, the rock and roll missionary and visionary, lives in a room above a garage in Laguna, Calif., with no sheets ...

New-Old Grande Something to See

Report and Interview by Mike Gormley, Detroit Free Press, 26 December 1969

THE LATEST word, in the merry-go-round that ballroom promoters have been sending Detroit people on, is good, but still a little confusing. It's confusing In ...

The GTOs: Permanent Damage (Straight/CBS)

Review by Miles, International Times, 27 February 1970

IT'S NOT TOO difficult to reject the spectacle of Hollywood, to drop out, find yourself, re-evalue your ideas, unless you LIVE in Hollywood. What if ...

Creedence Clearwater Revival: In Europe With Creedence

Report by Roy Carr, New Musical Express, 18 April 1970

SCARY GERMAN FUZZ-FAN SCENE! ...

The GTOs: Girls Together With Groups Outrageously

Interview by Rob Partridge, Record Mirror, 4 July 1970

YUP, IT was going to be one of those days. Miss Pamela and Miss Cynderella were in town. Which must be worth a quick Wow! ...

Humble Pie: We May Lose Humble Pie: "We're not having to do the walking on the water bit"

Interview by Roy Carr, New Musical Express, 10 October 1970

STEVE MARRIOTT PHONES FROM PHILADELPHIA ...

Sly & the Family Stone: Sly Stone NEVER Cancels!

Report and Interview by uncredited writer, Creem, December 1970

DETROIT —SLY was due in for a concert November 15 and the word was out that he was gonna show. Not an unusual word, to ...

Germaine Greer: A Groupie in Women's Lib

Report and Interview by Robert Greenfield, Rolling Stone, 7 January 1971

LONDON — ON a crazy Sunday afternoon in London, Germaine Greer lolls in the corner of a crowded room with a silver knit flapper's hat ...

Van Der Graaf Generator: Oh What A Boar!

Report by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971

SATURDAY morning. The Van der Graaf Generator truck speeds and wobbles along the motorway, northbound. It's a clear day, around lunchtime, and we're beginning to ...

The Rolling Stones: Goodbye Great Britain: The Rolling Stones On Tour

Report and Interview by Robert Greenfield, Rolling Stone, 15 April 1971

LONDON – "Boogie, Bobby, boogie," Marshall Chess is saying over and over to Bobby Keys in the seat next to him, slamming out the phrase ...

Three Dog Night: Flower Flight to Dallas

Report by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 13 August 1971

YOU'VE HEARD about "Ship of Fools". Now let me tell you about the "Flower Flight" — a far-too-early plane that flew to Dallas recently for ...

Led Zeppelin: Page's Rages — And in this Led Zeppelin blast-off it's the Press and critics who catch a cold

Interview by Ritchie Yorke, New Musical Express, 2 October 1971

Part two of RITCHIE YORK'S interview in Canada ...

Emerson Lake & Palmer: The Top of Pop: A Rock Fan Writes

Column by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 23 April 1972

THAT FINE dividing line between fan and groupie is often razor thin and rather shaky. I used to admire groupies because they at least broke ...

Blood Sweat & Tears, David Bowie, Sandy Bull, Judy Collins, Harry Nilsson, Peter, Paul & Mary, Elvis Presley, Mark Radice, Simon & Garfunkel: A Week In the Life Of a Critic

Report by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 25 June 1972

"DEAR LILLIAN: It sure must be nice to be a rock critic. I really envy you. Can you tell me something about your life? ...

Alice Cooper: Alice's New Snake – Yvonne Likes Her Work

Profile by Jim Esposito, Rock, 17 July 1972

THERE ARE lots of rumors circulating the rock industry, especially about Alice Cooper. However, the one about Alice having to get rid of his old ...

English Trends in L.A.: Rodney Bingenheimer Makes Good

Report and Interview by Marty Cerf, Phonograph Record, December 1972

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA — Just when we all expected it least, it happened. With our pants down, mouths wide open, Rodney Bingenheimer fulfilled the unknown pledge ...

David Bowie, Cherry Vanilla: Cherry Vanilla: Cherry Sauce

Interview by Andrew Tyler, Disc, 21 April 1973

...Or hot gossip from a former skin-flick queen who's been hired to handle David Bowie's publicity machine. ...

The Faces: Yes, All You Rock Fans, Your Idols Love Letters

Interview by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 20 May 1973

IF YOU'VE ever wanted to write to Rod Stewart or any one of the Faces, now's your chance. I don't want to sound like the ...

Led Zeppelin: Zeppin' Out

Report by Charles Shaar Murray, New Musical Express, 16 June 1973

"I DON'T EVEN like Led Zeppelin," the girl in the black velvet jacket and hotpants said petulantly as she bummed a cigarette off an acquaintance ...

Sweet Little Sixteen making out on Sunset Strip

Report by Roy Carr, New Musical Express, 30 June 1973

FROM ROY CARR A KEYHOLE GUIDE TO THE GROUPIES OF L.A. RESEARCH: CHARLES SHAAR MURRAY, NICK KENT ...

David Bowie, Humble Pie, Judge Dread, Slade, Wizzard: The Bouncers

Report by Andrew Tyler, Disc, 30 June 1973

ANDREW TYLER Investigates the growing thuggery in concert halls the world over. And gets points of view from the stars, bouncers and the companies who ...

Black Oak Arkansas: It's One Big Party and You're Invited

Report and Interview by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 22 July 1973

I HAVE IT from the horse's mouth this week — the best way to get a rock and roll band is through the road managers. ...

The Faces, Nazareth: Strangely missing that barrow boy stagger: in Frankfurt with the Faces

Report and Interview by James Johnson, New Musical Express, 4 August 1973

IT'S EARLY Sunday evening and three large Mercedes limousines are skimming through the outskirts of Frankfurt in rather regal convoy. In one, Keith Moon reclines ...

Allman Brothers Band, David Bowie, Jefferson Starship, Mott The Hoople, The Rolling Stones: The Rock Lovers

Report and Interview by Stephen Demorest, Circus, February 1974

Being a rock star has its advantages, but the spotlight is usually only big enough for one person. Circus took a behind stage look at ...

Emerson Lake & Palmer: ELP...What? ELP!... What? ELP...

Report and Interview by Judith Sims, Rolling Stone, 25 April 1974

LOS ANGELES — Say what you will about the music, Emerson, Lake and Palmer's recently completed four-month American tour was the heaviest rock & roll ...

Alice Cooper: The Mystery Tits

Report by Jim Esposito, Oui, June 1974

FIFTEEN FEET in front of me, Alice Cooper was doing his thing all over an elevated plywood stage. ...

Black Sabbath, Jim Croce: Black Sabbath: Meaner Than A Junkyard Dawg (Or A Final Tribute To Jim Croce)

Report by Robot A. Hull, Creem, July 1974

THAT WAS practically all I had prepared before my scheduled interview with Black Sabbath at the Holiday Inn in Providence, R.I. Interviews are okay if ...

Led Zeppelin: Ten years after — the Rule of Britannia

Memoir by Camille Davis Russo, unpublished, 4 July 1974

ON JULY 4TH, 1976, America will celebrate the 200th anniversary of her independence from Great Britain. Yet the bonds are unbroken, and she's never been ...

Hollywood Special: Elements Of Style

Report by Dave Marsh, Creem, August 1974

I Was Afraid They'd All Be California Girls ...

Led Zeppelin: Zeppelin Robbery

Memoir by Danny Goldberg, Rock Scene, August 1974

24 HOURS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD OF ROCK AND ROLL ...

Black Oak Arkansas, Brownsville Station, Billy Preston, War: Hard Rock in Hawaii: "Like an Army Zone"

Report by Judith Sims, Rolling Stone, 10 October 1974

HONOLULU — BACKSTAGE violence erupted before an August 31st concert at Hawaii Raceway Park which starred War, Black Oak Arkansas, Billy Preston and Brownsville Station. ...

Elvis Presley: There Is No Truth In the Rumour that Elvis Is Losing His Marbles

Report by Mick Farren, New Musical Express, 19 October 1974

ELVIS AARON PRESLEY, one time truck driver and supreme rock-and-roll superstar, has been taking some pains of late to allay a host of false rumours ...

Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page: Led Zeppelin: The Graffiti of the Physical...

Interview by Nick Kent, New Musical Express, 7 December 1974

...and the Exploration of the Metaphysical. A candid interview with Led Zep. ...

Kiki Dee, Elton John, John Lennon: Elton's Tour Ends: Tears, Lennon and Whatever Gets You Through the Night

Report by Ed McCormack, Rolling Stone, 2 January 1975

NEW YORK — Elton John's opening words to the audience at Madison Square Garden were: "Hello, New York! Happy Thanksgiving!" ...

The Faces, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart: The Faces: The Episodic Adventures of Rod Kool & The Tartan Gang

Report and Interview by Nick Kent, New Musical Express, 4 January 1975

OR, CHRISTMAS COMES BUT ONCE A YEAR... BUT, FOR ROD STEWART, EVERY BLEEDIN' NIGHT (jammy git) Being a crisp resume of three nights in the life ...

Rodney Bingenheimer: The Patron Saint of Teenage

Profile and Interview by John Mendelsohn, Phonograph Record, March 1975

FORGET THE hillside enclaves of those who either can not yet or no longer afford Beverly Hills, and what's left of the San Fernando Valley ...

Alice Cooper, Lou Reed: Nick Kent – A Limey in LA #1: Hey Man, You With A Gwoop?

Report and Interview by Nick Kent, New Musical Express, 15 March 1975

Speech impediments are the thing in Los Angeles this year. There are quite a lot of naked men jumping out of bushes – whereas more ...

Bob Dylan, The Who: Nick Kent – A Limey in LA #2: The Day I Shook Bob Dylan's Hand And Other Weird Tales

Report by Nick Kent, New Musical Express, 5 April 1975

ALSO INCLUDES: The Dog That Ate The Dog That Ate Los Angeles ...

The Faces, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones: Nick Kent – A Limey in LA #3: What did Rod Stewart, Bobby Womack and Mick Jagger sing...

Report by Nick Kent, New Musical Express, 12 April 1975

...in a tune-up room on the last night of the Faces' 1975 LA gigs? Why, the closing aria in D from 'il Cavalleria Rusticana', of ...

Led Zeppelin: Under The Hood – A Backstage Chronicle Of The Historic 1975 Tour

Report by Danny Goldberg, Circus, May 1975

THERE WAS an historic purple aura in the clouds that hung over the audience at Madison Square that evening in February. ...

KISS: I Dreamed I Was Onstage With KISS In My Maidenform Bra

Report and Interview by Jaan Uhelszki, Creem, August 1975

WELL, NOT exactly my idea of the perfect fantasy, but I was curious about life on the other side of the foot-lights. Armed with an ...

Led Zeppelin: The Tour In Progress: Jimmy Plage Files His Report

Interview by Wesley Strick, Circus, 9 June 1977

ROBERT PLANT comes bouncing into the hotel room in satin blouse, second-skin denims and high-heeled sneakers. "We've got a new Jimmy Page," he crows. "He's ...

Rod Stewart: Would you pay 1,000 dollars for Rod Stewart's heart?

Report and Interview by Rosalind Russell, Record Mirror, 29 October 1977

Rosalind Russell finds out the hard way ...

Jerry Lee Lewis: Loud Covenants: Jerry Lee Lewis, God's Garbage Man

Book Excerpt by Nick Tosches, Creem, March 1978

[The following is excerpted from the book, COUNTRY: The Biggest Music In America by Nick Tosches, published by Stein & Day Publishers.] ...

Rod Stewart Under Siege

Special Feature by Paul Nelson, Rolling Stone, 6 April 1978

What can a poor boy do when the gossips., the punks and the critics want his henna-haired head on a platter? ...

Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Marseille, Squeeze, Whitesnake: Are You A Whore For Rock 'N' Roll?

Report by Rosalind Russell, Record Mirror, 20 December 1979

ROSALIND RUSSELL thinks most of you are ...

The Sex Pistols: Nancy Spungen: If You Knew Nancy…

Book Review by Cynthia Rose, New Musical Express, 21 January 1984

IF ANYTHING CAN PUT THE LID on the Romeo and Juliet myth that has enshrined Nancy Spungen in the post-punk hagiography, it will be a ...

Jefferson Airplane, The Tubes: Groupies: They're Still Grabbin' for the Stars

Report and Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 September 1984

Sweet Spencer,So many feelings I have experienced with you that you have become a part of me. The other day, from out of a heavy, ...

Boomtown Rats: Paula Yates: Superblonde!

Interview by Maureen O'Grady, 19, February 1985

  WHEN I WENT round to meet Paula Yates at her Chelsea house, she was in a bit of a tizz. The phone rang every five ...

Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin — The Book by Chris Welch (Proteus £5.95) Hammer Of The Gods by Stephen Davis (Sidgwick And Jackson £7.95)

Book Review by Hugh Fielder, Sounds, 6 April 1985

Whole lotta what? ...

Led Zeppelin: Hammer Of The Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga by Stephen Davis (Wm. Morrow & Co.)

Book Review by Bill Holdship, Creem, October 1985

LEMONS OF THE GODS ...

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Is this the end of Frankie Goes To Hollywood?

Report and Interview by Sylvia Patterson, Smash Hits, 25 March 1987

Just two years ago they were one of the biggest pop groups ever. Now, it all seems to be going horribly, horribly wrong. V. sad ...

Depeche Mode: Fzss!... Zwiing! Aaargh!... Hahahahah!!

Report by Sylvia Patterson, Smash Hits, 6 May 1987

Hark! Depeche Mode are having a party — i.e. they're having "a" drink, scoffing streamers, pretending to be space-men, cavorting under tables, stealing "a" drink ...

The Beastie Boys: Keep Taking The Tabloids

Report and Interview by Jack Barron, James Brown, Sounds, 23 May 1987

Must they keep flinging this filth at our pop kids? No, not the brilliant BEASTIE BOYS but the British national press attempting to stir up ...

Yazz: How to Make £25,000 a Night and End Up Skint

Report by Tom Doyle, Smash Hits, 3 May 1989

You call yourself Yazz, charge 3,000 people £8.50 each to come and see your concert and then give it all away to fat sweaty blokes ...

Cynthia Plaster Caster (1989)

Interview by Mat Snow, Rock's Backpages audio, July 1989

The mould-breaking Chicago groupie on her life from being a star-struck kid to pulling out Jimi's pubes, via being snogged by Andrew Loog Oldham, her discovery of the "hampton", and her ingenious way with dental plaster. Features a "cast" of thousands!

File format: mp3; file size: 56.9mb, interview length: 1h 02' 08" sound quality: ** (background noise)

Cynthia Plastercaster: This Woman Has Handled The Biggest Things In Rock

Interview by Steven Wells, New Musical Express, 8 July 1989

Twenty years ago The Plastercasters of Chicago were the most infamous groupies in America. Now, hardened professional CYNTHIA PLASTERCASTER is back with tales of naked ...

Poison: We're Big Down Under!

Interview by Steve Mascord, Kerrang!, 26 August 1989

Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Neighbours, Rolf Harris (and his Stylophone), Skippy, Rupert Murdoch... these days, there's no escaping the ongoing onslaught of dodgy Australian 'culture'. ...

The Penis De Milo: Cynthia Plaster Claster

Profile and Interview by Mat Snow, Q, September 1989

Cynthia was a normal 1960s American teenager, with an abnormal interest in rock musicians. Then, one day in art school, she was told "to make ...

GBH, Haircut 100, Judas Priest, Metallica, Musical Youth: Metallica: Taking the Mick

Interview by Steffan Chirazi, Kerrang!, 22 December 1990

He's very large, he's very hairy, he's got a massive... motorbike — and he's been soundman to some of the greatest acts in Metal. GBH, ...

Consolidated, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, The Pixies: Doing the slam: Tales from the mosh pit, where rock 'n' roll is a contact sport

Report and Interview by Jim Sullivan, The Boston Globe, 23 February 1992

THESE DAYS, rock 'n' roll has become a contact sport. Not all rock 'n' roll, of course. You won't see slam dancing at a Moody ...

Elton John: The Rebirth of Elton John

Interview by Philip Norman, Rolling Stone, 19 March 1992

Drugs, fame and alcohol turned him into a monster. Now, after rehab, he's clean, happy and in love. ...

Groupies: Stars In Their Thighs

Report and Interview by Steven Wells, David Quantick, New Musical Express, 28 March 1992

NME'S LOOK AT THE THINGS THAT GO HUMP IN THE NIGHT ...

Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels: Mitch Ryder in the Middle of Nowhere

Report and Interview by Fred Goodman, Musician, June 1992

FOR MOST MUSICIANS, TOURING IS A THOUSAND MILES AWAY FROM LIMOS AND STADIUMS. ...

The GTOs: Pamela Des Barres (1993)

Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages audio, 1993

The Girl Together Outrageously looks back with fondness at her time as L.A.'s Queen of the Groupies: the people — Captain Beefheart, Zappa, Gram Parsons, Lowell George, Led Zep; the scenes from the '60s Sunset Strip to Rodney's English Disco, and the transition from free love to corruption and abuse.

File format: mp3 File size: 60.3mb Interview length: 1h 05' 53" seconds Sound quality: ***

David Bowie: Angie Bowie cuts into the spotlight

Retrospective and Interview by Jim Sullivan, The Boston Globe, 20 January 1993

WE WERE AT Turner Fisheries – Angela Bowie, David Bowie's famous ex, and I. I nursed two drinks. She ate half a seafood dinner, sent ...

Depeche Mode's Martin Gore and Alan Wilder (1993)

Interview by Steven Daly, Rock's Backpages audio, Summer 1993

Messrs. Gore and Wilder talk about the stresses of recording their latest album, Songs of Faith and Devotion, and the band's internal dynamics in the studio; the effect that living in L.A. has had on singer Dave Gahan; electronic versus traditional musical instruments. Martin Gore also discusses his songwriting; the band's development from the early days... and fatherhood. Alan Wilder talks about touring, the future of Depeche Mode and his place in the band.

Part 1, Martin Gore: File format: mp3; file size: 29.3mb; Interview length: 30' 29"; sound quality: **½; File format: mp3; file size: 46.1mb; Interview length: 48' 03"; sound quality: ***

Tony Bennett, Black Sabbath, Heart, KISS, Raging Slab, Sepultura, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Spyro Gyra, Loudon Wainwright III: My Weirdest Gig

Report and Interview by Roy Trakin, Musician, February 1994

Collapsing stages in Japan! Elephant farts in Vegas! Eskimo shows in Alaska! A Survey of Abominable Venues and Disastrous Shows! ...

The Rolling Stones: Twilight in Babylon: Adventures with the Rolling Stones

Retrospective by Nick Kent, MOJO, April 1994

THE FIRST THING you need to know about my adventures with the Rolling Stones is that they pretty much all took place once the basic ...

Oasis: Shake'n'vac

Report and Interview by Lisa Verrico, Vox, August 1994

They rant against rock'n'rollers in leather keks, yet their hotel-trashing, drug-snorting lifestyle is becoming legendary. Are Oasis hypocrites or Britain's most sussed rock band? ...

M People: Elegant slumming now a low dive

Report by Caitlin Moran, The Times, 16 September 1994

The Mercury Music Prize was intended to reward and foster innovation. For a couple of years, all went well — and then M People came ...

How To Get Backstage

Guide by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 25 November 1994

Feeling brazen? Ready to crawl? Caroline Sullivan offers the definitive guide to bum-rushing the show ...

Slash: Who the hell does Slash think he is?

Interview by Adrian Deevoy, Q, April 1995

He is not, let's be frank, a New Man. His feminist credentials beg re-examination. He is rarely accused of not taking drugs, never having it ...

Fear Eats The Soul

Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, July 1995

It also dines on doubt, nibbles the nerve endings and makes a hell of a mess of your trousers. Stage fright, that least welcome of ...

Cynthia Plaster Caster: Come Up And See My, Er...

Profile and Interview by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 24 August 1995

Caroline Sullivan meets the woman who persuaded Jimi Hendrix to dip his erect member into a jar of gooey pink dental mould. ...

Be gentle with me! Reading & Donington — The Kerrang! Survival Guide

Guide by Paul Elliott, Kerrang!, 26 August 1995

Are you a festival virgin? Is it your first time? Don't end up face down in a muddy puddle — read the Big K! survival ...

Black Grape, Happy Mondays: Shaun Ryder: Sleazy Ryder

Interview by Lisa Verrico, Vox, October 1995

In the first of a series never, ever to be continued, Shaun Ryder presents his passport to the land of a thousand karma sutra babes. ...

Sleeper: Tourbus Tales: Sleeper

Interview by Lisa Verrico, Vox, October 1995

Please give up this feature for people carrying children or heavy shopping... ...

Oasis: Where Were You... When We Were Getting High?

Report by Paul Mathur, Melody Maker, 11 November 1995

Last weekend at London's Earl's Court, OASIS played the biggest indoor concerts ever held in this country. PAUL MATHUR brings us all the backstage gossip ...

Ash: Turn Up, Check In, Rock Out!

Report by Steven Wells, Vox, December 1995

These days, most teenagers leave school and sign on. But not ASH – they play loud punk rock, trash hotels and party till they puke. ...

Oasis: C'mon America...Let's Ave Yer! Seven Mental Nights On The Oasis Tourbus

Report by Paolo Hewitt, Select, May 1996

WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES of their plane taking off for Kansas, Oasis have assumed battle positions. Liam Gallagher is in the toilet with a couple of ...

Bob Geldof, Michael Hutchence: Paula Yates: She's Daft — But Not Wicked

Comment by Barbara Ellen, The Observer, 29 September 1996

THE QUESTION begs: Is Paula Yates still wearing her 'Little Miss Trouble' T-shirt — or is it wearing her? It has been a tough week ...

Alice Cooper, The Who: Alice Cooper on Keith Moon

Interview by Tony Fletcher, iJamming.net, 12 November 1996

ONE REASON I've been looking forward to getting this site up is to make available some of the interviews I conducted for the Keith Moon ...

Pamela Des Barres: No Holds Barres

Interview by Carol Clerk, Melody Maker, 19 December 1996

Carol Clerk reports on the latest book from groupie supreme, Pamela Des Barres ...

Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa: Pamela Des Barres: Supergroupie

Interview by Paul Moody, New Musical Express, 4 January 1997

Legendary supergroupie PAMELA DES BARRES has toured the dark side of rock'n'roll and lived to tell the tale. But what does she make of young ...

Depeche Mode: Synth and Sensibilities

Interview by Keith Cameron, New Musical Express, 25 January 1997

Last week Dave Gahan flabbered your collective 'gast with his terrible tale of all-round narcotic foolishness. In the second part of our DEPECHE MODE exclusive ...

The Prodigy: Road Rage!

Report by Kris Needs, Jockey Slut, February 1997

THE PRODIGY HAVE TAKEN LIVE DANCE MUSIC TO ANOTHER LEVEL, INCORPORATING ROCK ICONOGRAPHY, PARENT-QUAKING HAIR AND A FIERCELY LOYAL AUDIENCE. KRIS NEEDS REPORTS FROM THE ...

Guns: It Went Off In My Hand!

Report by Martin Aston, Q, June 1997

Dangerous business, rock'n'roll. One minute, you're having hits, the next, you're taking them. Whether as macho prop or tool of the trade, totin' a gun ...

Going Down Memory Lane with Jenny Fabian

Interview by Tom Hibbert, MOJO, July 1997

BEFORE JENNY FABIAN, groupies hardly existed...well, they probably did, but the general public, ie Mr and Mrs Beswick of Pursey, knew nothing about them (even ...

Coal Chamber, Human Waste Project: Human Waste Project, Coal Chambers: Sister Act

Interview by Paul Elliott, Kerrang!, 14 February 1998

"God, you guys just want dirt!" exclaimed HUMAN WASTE PROJECT'S Aimee Echo when she and COAL CHAMBER'S Rayna saw our frankly filthy Valentine's Day questionnaire. ...

Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page/Robert Plant: Page & Plant: Help! The Aged!

Interview by Sylvia Patterson, New Musical Express, 28 March 1998

Hey! Come back! Haven't you heard? Old blokes are cool, the past is the future and prog rock is back. In fact, the perfect time ...

David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Bob Dylan, Marianne Faithfull, Foo Fighters, Courtney Love, Joni Mitchell, Oasis, Liz Phair, The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, Veruca Salt: Access all areas: The Rock Muse

Report and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Harper's Bazaar, April 1998

Scratch an epic rock god and you'll usually find a cool, inspiring woman who supplied him with lyrics, contacts and style. Now that girl power ...

Lo Fidelity Allstars: Allstars In Their Eyes

Report and Interview by Toby Manning, Jockey Slut, June 1998

LO FIDELITY ALL-STARS ARE TAKING OVER THE ROCK N' ROLL TOILETS OF BRITAIN. TOBY MANNING JOINS WREKKED TRAIN AND CO. ON THE ROAD. ...

Boomtown Rats, The Rolling Stones, Shed Seven: It's an ugly business

Comment by Barbara Ellen, The Observer, 21 June 1998

Pop rant: Why do male rock stars have faces like bags of spanners? ...

Depeche Mode, Primal Scream: Depeche Mode and Primal Scream: The Most Debauched Tour Ever

Retrospective and Interview by Johnny Black, Q, August 1998

Depeche Mode have been touring for almost a year. Drug and alcohol abuse is rife and the group are close to breaking point. The obvious ...

On a Manumission!

Report by Kris Needs, Jockey Slut, October 1998

IBIZIAN VIRGIN KRIS NEEDS SPENDS A MONTH WITH MANUMISSION AND ENDS UP IN A WHEELCHAIR SURROUNDED BY BUNNY RABBITS. ...

Rock'n'Roll Drives You Mad

Overview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, December 1998

Stress, nervous exhaustion, clinical depression: a litany of mental maladies lie in wait for the endlessly-gigging, maniacally-drugging, heart-on-sleeve purveyor of rock'n'roll. Phil "Prozac" Sutcliffe dons ...

“...Two Bottles of 1963 Dom Perignon, Six Crack Whores”

Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Hobomedia, 1999

Phill Sucliffe on the Rock Band Rider ...

Emerson Lake And Palmer: ELP: The Unsung Roadie

Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, 1999

Consider this as a picture at an exhibition. A 10,000-seat arena on the afternoon before an Emerson, Lake & Palmer concert; on stage an orderly ...

Secret Knowledge: Kris Needs: I Snogged Debbie Harry

Profile and Interview by Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 3 August 1999

If you can't be a rock star, you can always get your kicks by hanging out with them. Kris Needs tells Dave Simpson how it's ...

Limp Bizkit: Send Porn Stars, Funk and Money: The Limp Bizkit Story

Report and Interview by Steven Daly, Rolling Stone, 5 August 1999

"WHO WANTS to speak to me?" Fred Durst regards his cell phone with suspicion. "Adam Sandler?" The Limp Bizkit leader has been chatting with producer ...

The Bay City Rollers: My tartan heart

Retrospective by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 18 October 1999

Caroline Sullivan reflects on the life and love of a teenage Bay City Rollers fan ...

Korn: "I once did coke off The Bible"

Interview by Robin Bresnark, Melody Maker, 17 May 2000

Before Korn's huge shows this week, we got them to tell us their favourite tour stories. It's not all fruit up drummers' arses and drugs. ...

Yo La Tengo: The Belcourt Theater, Nashville

Live Review by Toby Manning, Select, June 2000

COMPLETELY DOMINATING the bare-brick basement that is Yo La Tengo's Nashville dressing room is one of the largest, most gourmet riders ever to grace a ...

Larry Williams

Retrospective by Mick Farren, MOJO, July 2000

ON JANUARY 7, 1980, THE BODY OF LARRY WILLIAMS WAS FOUND lying in a pool of blood on the garage floor of his Laurel Canyon ...

Monster Magnet: Prince of Darkness: Monster Magnet's Dave Wyndorf

Profile and Interview by Ian Fortnam, Kerrang!, 19 November 2000

"I"VE GOTTA be out there." A warm New Jersey dusk is gradually falling on a idyllic sixties suburbia that still believes whole-heartedly in the concept ...

Jonathan King: Is Jonathan King A Monster, Or Is He Being Monstered?

Comment by Charles Shaar Murray, The Independent, 23 November 2001

PUBLIC MONSTER NUMBER ONE: the space in the media landscape currently occupied by Jonathan King effectively renders him the missing link between Osama bin Laden ...

The GTOs: Girl Together Outrageously: Pamela Des Barres

Interview by Ian Fortnam, Classic Rock, 2002

IN CASUAL DEFIANCE of the fact that her fifty-fifth birthday looms large, the Marchioness Des Barres positively radiates rude good health and an undeniably disarming ...

Average White Band, Sweet: Unmasked: "Mick Tucker" and Other Rock Impostors

Report by Chris Charlesworth, Rock's Backpages, March 2002

I NEVER knew Mick Tucker, Sweet’s drummer, who died last week, but I once met a man who impersonated him, or at least pretended he ...

Mayor of the Sunset Strip

Film/DVD/TV Review by Chris Campion, Tartan Films, 2003

MORE THAN JUST a nostalgic character study, George Hickenlooper's Mayor Of Sunset Strip is an artfully-constructed meditation on fame that scratches at the surface world ...

Bon Jovi, Cher, KISS: Kiss and Cher: the minder reveals all

Interview by Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph, 3 September 2003

For 30 years, Michael Francis has been a bodyguard and fixer to some of rocks least controllable artists. He tells Mick Brown what it takes ...

Gram Parsons: Phil Kaufman on Gram Parsons (2003)

Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages audio, 7 November 2003

From Mick'n'Keef to Emmylou; from Topanga Canyon to the Joshua Tree: Executive Nanny Phil Kaufman looks back on low lives and high times with Gram Parsons.

File format: mp3; file size: 51.9.mb, interview length: 54' 02" sound quality: ***

Babyshambles: Pete Doherty And The New Decadence

Comment by Charles Shaar Murray, Independent on Sunday, 6 February 2005

PERHAPS MARC ALMOND put it best: "To me a star is someone who has something extra, and something missing at the same time – ...

Mötley Crüe's Titty-Cam

Report and Interview by Ian Gittins, The Guardian, May 2005

I HAVE JUST SPENT two weeks on the road with Mötley Crüe. Our sweep through Canada and the US Midwest took in Edmonton, Des Moines, ...

Bob Dylan: Sam Shepard: The Rolling Thunder Logbook

Book Review by Terry Staunton, Record Collector, July 2005

30th anniversary reprint for a bizarre chronicle of the infamous Dylan tour. ...

The Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Television: Heaven or Las Vegas: CBGBs closes down

Report by Laura Barton, The Guardian, 8 July 2005

Laura Barton on what the closure of the world's most famous punk-rock club, CBGB's, says about the state of New York's live music scene. ...

Led Zeppelin: Richard Cole on Led Zeppelin (2005)

Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages audio, 19 November 2005

The legendary Zep tour manager remembers meeting the band, the first US tour, the curious friendship between Bonham and Plant, all things Bron-Y-Aur, life on the road, making Led Zeppelin IV, and Girls Girls Girls!

File format: mp3; file size: 64.3mb; Interview length: 1h 10' 15"; sound quality: ***

Kiss: Masters of the Universe

Interview by Jon Wilde, Uncut, March 2006

They came from Detroit City but could have leapt from the pages of a DC comic. Thirty years ago, KISS — the biggest and trashiest ...

Ronnie Scott's says goodbye to sticky carpets, hello to decent food and air conditioning

Report and Interview by Robert Sandall, Daily Telegraph, 24 June 2006

The legendary Soho jazz club has had a long overdue revamp. Robert Sandall reports. ...

Rehab: The Funky Check-In

Report by Ian Gittins, The Guardian, 16 September 2006

What do Pete Doherty, Justin Hawkins and Keane's Tom Chaplin have in common? All have been in rehab recently, some for the first time. But ...

The Cake: More of Cake Please

Sleeve notes by Chris Campion, Rev-Ola Records, August 2007

THREE TEENAGE girls are discovered singing along to records in a New York night club by two hotshot managers. They are rushed into a recording ...

Diva is Served

Report by Ian Gittins, The Guardian, 12 May 2008

Madonna demands 25 cases of Kabbalah water backstage at her gigs, not to mention 12 dozen boxes of strawberries and Yorkshire tea. But what absurd ...

Keith Moon: Moonie On The Pull

Retrospective by Chris Charlesworth, Rock's Backpages, May 2009

IT IS THE prerogative of rock stars to enjoy the attentions of beautiful women to a greater degree than most other men, and among those ...

James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Engelbert Humperdinck, Robert Plant: Backstage in the '60s

Memoir by Chris Welch, Rock's Backpages, 25 July 2009

LIFE BACKSTAGE AT pop shows in the Swinging '60s was always a hoot. Looking back, it's fun to recall how casual and relaxed it all was ...

Frank Zappa, Tom Waits: Frank Zappa's Manager: A Smile On His Lips, And A Pistol Under The Bar

Obituary by Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph, 19 March 2010

Mick Brown pays tribute to Herb Cohen, who managed Frank Zappa while maintaining an enthusiasm for music, cheese, confectionery and armaments. ...

Grinderman: On the Road With Grinderman

Report and Interview by Larry Sloman, Spin, 14 December 2010

Ratso Sloman takes SPIN behind the scenes with Nick Cave and his travelling band of merrymakers. ...

Cherry Vanilla: Nymphomaniacs Anonymous

Retrospective and Interview by Rob Hughes, Uncut, March 2011

Whatever happened to the celebrity groupie? Legendary '70s party animal Cherry Vanilla has a few theories. ...

Queen Of Nude Orleans: 1978, October 31

Retrospective and Interview by Johnny Black, Classic Rock, October 2011

IT WAS THE aftershow party to end all aftershow parties. The champagne flowed like water, couples coupled under the tables and the entertainment included strippers, ...

Led Zeppelin: Their Satanic Majesties Request: When Led Zeppelin Ruled The World

Book Excerpt by Barney Hoskyns, 'Trampled Under Foot' (Faber & Faber), September 2012

By 1973, Led Zeppelin was the biggest rock band on the planet. In this excerpt from Trampled Under Foot, Barney Hoskyns' new oral history of ...

Keith Moon Drives His Car Into a Swimming Pool 

Retrospective and Interview by Johnny Black, Classic Rock, November 2012

IN 1967, Holiday Inn was the world's largest hotel chain, with nearly 1,000 properties – comprised primarily of roadside motels.  ...

Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones: Keith Richards Interviewed

Interview by Jon Wilde, Sabotage Times, 20 June 2013

Long before Johnny Depp based Captain Jack on him, Keith Richards was just the pirate blues chief of the Rolling Stones. And not averse to ...

Led Zeppelin, U2: Dennis Sheehan Talks About Led Zeppelin (and a little bit about U2)

Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, May 2015

NOTE: This is a transcription of an April 2010 phone interview with Dennis Sheehan – then tour manager for U2 –  for my oral history ...

Iron Maiden: Maiden Voyage: Inside Iron Maiden's Book Of Souls Tour

Report and Interview by Johnny Black, Audience, April 2016

SEEN FROM the stage, an Iron Maiden concert is an ocean of Maiden t-shirts, with thousands of devotees proudly displaying various incarnations of the band's ...

Margaret Moser: Queen Of Austin, Is Dancing In The Light

Report and Interview by Joe Nick Patoski, NPR, 22 June 2017

JUNE 18 WAS the beginning of a week-long Open House at Tex Pop, the South Texas Museum of Popular Culture — a storefront wedged between ...

Allan Jones: Can't Stand Up For Falling Down: Rock'n'roll War Stories

Book Review by Chris Charlesworth, Just Backdated, August 2017

THE AGE OF DEFERENCE had yet to lapse when I joined Melody Maker in 1970. Four years later, when Allan Jones joined the paper, it ...

Madonna: Another view: My night with Madonna (and Sean Hughes)

Memoir by Tim Cooper, The Evening Standard, 20 October 2017

BACK IN THE LATE 1990s I used to run into Sean Hughes all the time at parties. He was a Perrier Award-winning stand-up comedian and ...

Michael Des Barres, Mick Jagger, Keith Moon, Jimmy Page: Good Time Girl: Memories of super groupie Pamela Des Barres

Retrospective and Interview by Craig McLean, The Observer, 6 May 2018

Pamela Des Barres had the giants of rock'n'roll in the palm of her hand, as her candid memoir reveals. ...

The GTOs: Miss Christine: The Fast Life of a Rock Legend

Retrospective by Erik Himmelsbach, Alta Journal, 11 December 2018

Christine Frka was a muse to Alice Cooper, a secretary to Frank Zappa, and a member of a pioneering all-girl band. The glamour goddess-icon of ...

Taylor Jenkins Reid: Daisy Jones & the Six

Book Review by Chris Charlesworth, Just Backdated, March 2019

IN DECEMBER 1972 I found myself in the US reporting for Melody Maker on a Deep Purple tour as it visited Des Moines and Indianapolis. In ...

The GTOs, Frank Zappa: Miss Mercy, colourful L.A. rock fixture and cofounder of Frank Zappa's GTOs, dies at 71

Obituary by Chris Campion, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2020

MISS MERCY, the effervescent rock 'n' roll superfan who found fame as a member of Frank Zappa's "groupie" girl-group the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), died ...

back to LIBRARY

COPYRIGHT NOTICE