Photo: www.pameladesbarresofficial.com
When Pamela Des Barres graduated from high school in 1966, she headed straight for the Sunset Strip where the rock stars she had idolised from afar roamed—a path that led her to become one of the most celebrated groupies of the rock and roll era. She kept a diary throughout and wrote the following entry three years after arriving, by which point she was deeply embedded in the rock scene as a muse and confidante to its titans. On this particular day we find her in the orbit of The Rolling Stones’ frontman, Mick Jagger, who for some time had held a particular fascination for her.
The Diary Entry
November 10 [1969]
[Mick Jagger] spotted me and came after me; “Miss Pamela is here!” Hugs and kisses and all that. He put me into a limousine and I was taken to the concert… unbelievable! We sat together in the dressing room and I massaged his neck. I got a little paranoid, feeling like I didn’t belong in that high and mighty scene, but then I remembered the quote from Mick that I have on my wall: “Don’t worry about what others think of you, or you’ll never get it together yourself.” He held onto my hand, and the dirty looks l imagined I was getting from everybody in the room faded away. They rehearsed for awhile, and they’re all SO amazing; brilliant personalities. MJ is magical, truly spiritually evolved. He awes me. I was put ON STAGE for the concert, and I got to see the audience FREAK OUT from The Stones’ perspective. Everyone came together; surging like a sea to the stage, thousands of eyes never leaving MJ’s magical being. Such power with a capital P. How would it feel to have thousands of kids “under your thumb,” ha! He was wearing a long red scarf, and got down on his knees to whip the stage with it during “Midnight Rambler,” and it was the most sensual thing I’ve ever seen. He asked me to fly back to L.A. with him for the night, but I promised Michele I would stay here at her sister’s for a few days. Oh well, he’ll be back in L.A. soon, I’ll see him then. I want MJ, why not? About James [Jimmy Page]… I AM going to accept it the way it is and groove. That’s all. I’ll do as I PLEASE while he does as he pleases. If I felt love from him, I would wait the three months until he returns, but WHY SHOULD I?? I couldn’t be promiscuous anyway, and there is no one I truly desire except the tangy MJ.
Further Reading
In 1987, Pamela Des Barres’ memoir was published by William Morrow with the unambiguous title I’m with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie. Throughout that bestselling book are entries from her diary, one of which I have reprinted above with kind permission from Pamela Des Barres.
Also…
- The official website of Pamela Des Barres
- From 2018, an interview with Pamela Des Barres in the Guardian
- Footage of Pamela Des Barres reading some of her teenage poetry
Reprinted by kind permission of Pamela Des Barres / www.pameladesbarresofficial.com
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