Pamela Des Barres was a member of the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously) an all girl group of rock groupies, mentored and produced by Frank Zappa. Their album Permanent Damage is considered a classic and a very collectible hunk of vinyl. After several years as an actress in commercials, soaps and movie bit parts, she started writing about her madcap days as “the world’s most famous groupie,” chronicling her relationships with rockers such as Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Page and Keith Moon in I’m With the Band . She followed that 1987 New York Times Best Seller with the sequel, Take Another Little Piece of My Heart- A Groupie Grows Up, in 1992. Rock Bottom – Dark Moments in Music Babylon was published by St. Martin’s Press in 1997, and her most recent offering, Let’s Spend the Night Together –Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies came out in 2007, and has been published in paperback, along with her second memoir.
Since 1988, Pamela has written for several publications including, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Details, the New York Times, Los Angeles Magazine,Spin and Playgirl among many others, and she had a 5 year stint as a music columnist for E! Online. She now writes a monthly music column for Rolling Stone Italy, where she has enjoyed huge success with her books. Pamela has been featured in innumerable international documentaries, including Mayor of the Sunset Strip and Plaster Caster and has her very own E! True Hollywood Story. She teaches creative writing workshops around the U.S. and as an ordained minister, performs rock & roll weddings. SHe has just completed filming on the VH1 Rock Doc, “Let’s Spend the NIght Together,” about the classic groupies in her most recent book, and Zooey Deschanel has just signed on to portray Pamela in an upcoming HBO series based on “I’m With the Band.” Here are her delightful answers to the Proust Questionnaire:
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Heavenly peace, which comes from a lifetime of struggle, searching, praying, then finally realizing if you accept ‘What Is,’ and deal with what is right in front of you, everything else falls into place. Surrender your tangled mind in any way that works for you. Give in, give up, and let it fly.
What are your strengths?
I have been blessed with optimism and the ability to not let discouragement and take hold of me. I will allow a few moments of disappointment then get on with it. I listen, I hear my friends when they tell me something, and I am determined to make a positive impact on people I come in contact with.
What do you know for sure?
That the soul lives forever and that particular F word doesn’t even do itself justice.
What is your most treasured possession?
I have a few. My diaries, old photos, my son’s early drawings and writings, my silhouette collection, my Walt Whitman painting, jewelry my boyfriend gave me, a few pieces of my GTOs clothing, some James Dean memorabilia, our Zappa-produced album, my books…
Who are your heroines?
My spiritual teacher, Light, who lives in the desert in Arizona, Emily Dickinson, Mary Magdalene, Byron Katie, Meryl Streep. I have a few heroes too: Elvis, James Dean, Bob Dylan, Eckhart Tolle, Walt Whitman, Rumi, Rilke, John Steinbeck, Stephen King.
What quality do you most admire?
the obvious traits- optimism, sense of humor, spiritual inclinations, great songwriting ability! I love to have songs written about me.
What do you most value in your friends?
Their ability to tell me the truth even when it hurts real bad. And laughing. Laughing hard can keep you young. That and rock & roll.
Who are your heroes in real life?
My teacher, Light, my son, Nick, my ex husband, Michael, my forever friends Iva, Victor, Catherine, Patti, Sheri, Michele, Mercy, Roggie, my goddaughter Polly and great goddaughter, Harper Lee.
What is your motto?
I use Bob Dylan lyrics as mottos: “You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you,” being one of my faves. And my always hero, Jesus, who said “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If we all did that, we would still be in paradise.
What is your compelling vision of the future?
A future where all the millions of monks, teachers, masters and awakened holy people manage to clear out all the negativity and fear by holding onto the truth of who we really are as humans – each of us is a piece of God, a piece of the whole, and until we come together and realize that, this sweet, shattered planet and all of us who inhabit it will continue to be caught up in chaos and turmoil. As the eternal optimist and romantic, I believe we can overcome it.
Learn more about Pamela, her books, workshops, projects and other cool stuff at:
Her Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pamela-Des-Barres/211211916376?ref=ts
And check out her groovy eBay offerings at:
Seller name – Bonbon22.
Amor y luz,
Layla
