I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie

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I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie

by Pamela Des Barres, Dave Navarro (Foreword)

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 5,370 ratings · 361 reviews

The stylish, exuberant, and remarkably sweet confession of one of the most famous groupies of the 1960s and 70s is back in print in this new edition that includes an afterword on the author's last 15 years of adventures. As soon as she graduated from high school, Pamela Des Barres headed for the Sunset Strip, where she knocked on rock stars' backstage doors and immersed he...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published October 28th 2005 by Chicago Review Press (first published June 1987)

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May 28, 2012 mark monday rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: he-said-she-said

the main thing that i remember about this book is the image of timothy hutton leaving a bathroom with a trail of toilet paper emerging like a banner from between his asscheeks. oh the humanity. this short bit acts as a capper on the basically contemptuous timothy hutton sequence. the tone throughout the rest of this sexual travelogue is less contemptuous and almost wry, deadpan. but if you are looking for any actual insight into the various celebrities, look elsewhere - this book is not for you....more

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Mar 12, 2009 Andy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: rock-sleaze

The best rock books about the Sixties are ironically not written by the musicians themselves but all the people peripheral to the action, and Pamela Des Barres of the GTO's is one. I like the stories about the legendary Hollywood Teen Fair, the early glam rock days at the Continental Hyatt House and The GTO's. There's not a boring page in this one!

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Oct 22, 2007 Eileen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was unexpectedly inspirational for me in my formative years, I think because I hadn't heard of many women who managed to participate in the world of rock without losing their voices. Does that sound odd? It isn't when you think how many women are treated as accoutrements or decorations in that world. Pamela des Barres may have participated in that, but she did it on her own terms and created a unique and interesting identity.

This isn't a feminist text, but it isn't actually anti-femin...more

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Nov 23, 2007 Mark Desrosiers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs

Miss Pamela is actually a fun, insightful writer (she calls her early bra-stuffing "bewitching fraudulence" for example), and little did any of the boys she bedded and fellated know that she'd use her experience to reframe rock history. Here, we begin with Captain Beefheart (after an interval in which she must write down Beatle Paul's name every time she farts) and go on to Iron Butterfly, the Byrds, the Doors (ugh), Frank Zappa (barf), the Flying Burrito Brothers, Led Zeppelin... um... Don John...more

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Nov 11, 2007 Genevieve rated it 5 of 5 stars

her description of paul mccartney's balls is priceless.

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Jan 27, 2008 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who has stood in the front row, lost in the music, dreaming of backstage access

Recommended to Tatiana by: sucked in by the cover photo

This book was so great I plowed through it in less than 24 hours after getting it. Miss Pamela was a true rock n roll courtesan and glided with ease through the lives of legends like Frank Zappa, Jimmy Page, and Mick Jagger. At the heart of it all, she is a true super fan and she never "grew out" of the ability to go stark raving mad for a guy rocking out on a guitar. I could have done without so much of the straight-from-the-diary introspection, but it also made the memoir more accurate by gett...more

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Feb 21, 2009 Bunny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-09

This was a seriously neat book to read. As a music junkie, I loved the extreme name dropping Miss Pamela does. I cannot lie, I oozed jealousy at all of the rock stars she took floor/bed/vehicle rolls with.

She comes off as really sweet, and very sincere, and I think that's what makes it so enjoyable to read. When trying to explain to a co-worker who she was and what the book was about, he said, "She sounds like a slut." And I actually took offense! It's the 60's, dammit. YOU are old enough to re...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Kirsten rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

At first I was skeptical of this book, and expected a very different story. But I wanted to round out my rock memoirs with another point of view, and this turned out to be a pretty good counterpoint. It was relatively well written for this type of memoir and there was no ghost writer. It was not gratuitous nor exploitative and I found it charming overall. It is definitely sex positive. I learned the term 'groupie' originally just meant someone who hung out with groups and didn't have the same co...more

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Nov 04, 2007 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book by the pool one summer - scandalous, slutty and impossible to put down. A groupie's memoir of backstage adventures with Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, Waylon Jennings, and Jim Morrison, among others. She traveled with Led Zeppelin; lived in sin with Don Johnson; turned down a date with Elvis Presley; and was close friends with Robert Plant, Gram Parsons, Ray Davies, and Frank Zappa. Warm, witty, and sexy, this kiss-and-tell–all stands out as the perfect chronicle of one of...more

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Sep 08, 2008 Mary vO rated it 4 of 5 stars

Any book that involves knocking boots with Jimmy Page is alright by me. Always chose him over Robert Plant, myself.

Seems Ms. Des Barres didn't knock out nearly as many brain cells as she lets on, as this is a very densely detailed (down to Rod Stewart's outfits and Mick Jagger's half-smiles) account of her many summers of love. Best line: "I was turned inside out, pulsating with creamy pink desire for the most coveted hunk of drool material." Read the book to find out just who she was drooling o...more

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May 22, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the forward, Dave Navarro comments on how we're going to be really jealous of Des Barres by the end of this book. He's so right. Des Barres ran with the coolest crowd imaginable in the late 60s music scene in L.A. She wasn't a groupie the way we think of groupies now; she had her own little claim to fame and was more just part of the "in-crowd". She was at all the concerts, went to the coolest parties, and far from a series of one-night stands with famous people, she was friends with some of...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm With The Band / 9780450506376

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get much past the first third of the book. Somehow, impossibly, this fascinating life story just could not hold my interest.

"I'm With The Band" is maybe a cautionary tale of the difficulties of writing an autobiography and the importance of a good editor. Pamela tells her life-story chronologically, but the chapters of her book have nothing to tie them together, no high highs or low lows around which the text is...more I'm With The Band / 9780450506376

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get much past the first third of the book. Somehow, impossibly, this fascinating life story just could not hold my interest.

"I'm With The Band" is maybe a cautionary tale of the difficulties of writing an autobiography and the importance of a good editor. Pamela tells her life-story chronologically, but the chapters of her book have nothing to tie them together, no high highs or low lows around which the text is meaningfully organized. Everything just sort of flows from her early teenage years onward, carefully inter-spaced with increasingly longer entries from her diaries kept during those times. I think a skilled ghost writer or capable editor could have shaped this story into something with a little more punch, and a little less repetition.

Things I liked about this book, though, include: a very sex-positive and people-positive look at a fascinating time and a fascinating life. The writing, though sometimes repetitive as young Pamela bounces from new causes and new bands and new friends, is very earnest and largely feels extremely honest and open. It's very fascinating to read about the sit-ins, the be-ins, the drugs, the bands, and the people as though you're really there seeing everything through Pamela's eyes, and the diary excerpts underscore that these experiences aren't wholly filtered through the lens of memory and nostalgia.

Things I didn't like about this book: sometimes there's some shaming of other women, as when Pamela speculates that certain people who didn't live her lifestyle are probably miserable now anyway, but I imagine that Pamela has been given her fair share of flack so I won't judge her for being a little defensive. The disorganization of the material means that there are a lot of names to keep track of as they fade in and out of Pamela's life and it's sometimes hard to keep straight who everyone is. Without organized 'themes' in chapters, the writing starts to become a little repetitive: Pamela finds a new cause, a new friend, a new boy, a new band, a new drug, or a new job; falls intensely in love with the new thing; and is slowly pushed away from the cause/friend/band/boy/drug/job as it becomes increasingly unhealthy and/or a bad fit for her. I can see someone sticking with the narrative for the experience of the times, but for me I started to just get very sad at how many people weren't treating Pamela as nicely as I felt they should.

Also, the Kindle edition of this book has some errors that proved distracting (such as extraneous periods that slipped into sentences every so often) and the "teen speak" is a little heavy at times in the narrative, such as the desire to use triple adjectives like 'he was dreamydreamydreamy' and similar sentiments.

Finally, and this is going to sound a bit voyeuristic, but in a novel that advertises to be a "kiss-and-tell-all", it's very frustrating to me that in at least the first third of the book, scenes are written so vaguely that I have no idea what's going on. A recurring theme with the first third is Pamela's virginity and who she chooses to give it to, and I lost count of the times when I *thought* PIV intercourse had occurred, only for Pamela to bring up a few pages later that she was still a virgin. I'm not expecting graphic detail, but when everything is cloaked in vague descriptions and heated metaphors, it's really hard to follow the story. I note that Pamela describes her book as more of a coming-of-age tale in the introduction, and I think that's accurate -- at least for the parts I read.

Whether or not you will enjoy this novel will probably depend on what you're looking for. If you want an honest, open romp through the past and a close look at the drugs and rock of the period, I think this book will probably deliver. If you want a sexy tell-all that starts fast and keeps you hooked, I'm not sure that you won't find the book to be a touch of a slog.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Oct 23, 2011 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to read about the rock'n roll life from a woman's perspective after The Dirt, but reading this is like reading a girl's journal or teen magazine, only the boys are rock stars. And if I ever wondered: A girl's true dream & ambition is to marry and have kids. Only these husbands/fathers are rock stars.

So disappointed. Or to write in Pamela's style: Sooooo DISAPPOINTED. I can't believe she's pursued a career in journalism, this book is not well written. Maybe it's by choice, I just don...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Caitlin Constantine rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have so many thoughts about this book, I'm not even sure where to begin. Let me start with the fact that it was way enjoyable to read. Des Barres has a writing style that isn't terribly polished yet is very fun and enthusiastic and even has moments of literary brilliance. I can see why she was so drawn toward performing, because she's got the spark of an artist in her soul. And it's a very juicy read, with lots of sex with rock stars (which is exactly what you would expect from a book like thi...more I have so many thoughts about this book, I'm not even sure where to begin. Let me start with the fact that it was way enjoyable to read. Des Barres has a writing style that isn't terribly polished yet is very fun and enthusiastic and even has moments of literary brilliance. I can see why she was so drawn toward performing, because she's got the spark of an artist in her soul. And it's a very juicy read, with lots of sex with rock stars (which is exactly what you would expect from a book like this). Some of the sex was depressing, like the times she hooked up with Keith Moon, who is maybe the saddest rock star ever. Some of it was odd, like her two hook-ups with Waylon Jennings. And some of it made me seethe with envy, like the fact that she had an affair with Mick Jagger in the early 1970s. (He was smoking hot back in the day and I would have totally let him. DON'T JUDGE.)

I knocked it down a star, though, because as juicy of a read as this was, I couldn't help but think the book was lacking a bit of the self-awareness you'd expect from a memoir. I don't mean that I wanted her to renounce her earlier ways and drop feminist theory all over the place, but I did think it was rather odd that every rock star she was around was OMG THE GREATEST EVA and that her love for all of them was a passion for the ages. I mean, that was fine and even pretty awesome when it came in the form of the journal excerpts from her adolescence and early adulthood, but writing retrospectively as a full-grown woman? I guess I expected more distance, less drooling. But, if that's how she really felt, then I'm glad she put it out there in such an honest way.

That aside, I admired the way Des Barres was frank about her sexuality and her pursuit of pleasure. That's still pretty revolutionary these days, even with all of the hand-wringing over our pornified society and whathaveyou, so I can only imagine how daring it was in the late 60s and early 70s, when people were still having small aneurysms over men with hair longer than their ears. I also liked reading it as kind of a snapshot in time between the years of Beatlemania, when it really became acceptable for teenage girls to express desire, and the 1990s, when girls were no longer that impressed with boy rock stars and decided to become rock stars themselves. And finally, it was nice to read an account of the rock courtesan lifestyle that wasn't all depraved and filled with weird sex shit involving sea creatures and stuff. I know that's a pretty low bar to surpass, but that kind of thing is why I am avoiding rock bios by any members of Led Zeppelin or Motley Crue.(less)

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Oct 15, 2010 Kaarin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I’ve gone to many many concerts over the last 15 years and not once have I ended up backstage. The way Pamela tells it she went to concert and then suddenly she was in the green room giving out blow jobs. What gets you from enjoying the show to being part of the show in back? Where’s the disconnect there? Don’t get me wrong, that’s not what I would want for myself, but what is it about certain people that crazy things just happen to them? As for the writing, I kept diaries as a teenager as well...more

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Sep 28, 2010 Joanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Desperate for attention and affection” (page 261) pretty much sums up Miss Pamela’s story in I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie. While I enjoyed the story infused with lots of famous names and excerpts from diaries she kept at MZ’s (Mr. Zappa aka Frank Zappa) urging, she kept looking for Mr. Right expecting he would sweep her off her feet in adoration amidst the sex, drugs and rock and roll. Not the right combination for a long-standing workable relationship by any means. Probably her...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm ashamed to admit I read this book, but it's nearing the end of the year, people, and I need to knock out the rest of my Gilmore Girls list! This book was horrible. Absolutely horrible. I came into it with high hopes. I was expecting it would be like "Almost Famous," and was excited to read about the real-life Penny Lane.

Nope. It was just gross. First of all, Pamela Des Barres can't write to save her life. She would throw in random quotes from rock songs (i.e. "Girl, we couldn't get much high...more

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May 17, 2010 Surreysmum rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1989, biography

[These notes were made in 1989:]. As one might expect, it's a bit flat and a bit flip. And, with Pamela, we have to wade our way through a fair number of semi-celebrities before we get to the meaty stuff about Keith Moon and Mick Jagger, neither of whom appears to have captured Pamela's heart. The men she fell for in a big way were names which may have been famous in the L.A. region, but a rock dilettante like myself has never heard of them, including Michael des Barres, whom she eventually marr...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Heather McDaid rated it 3 of 5 stars

*Back-dating reviews based on snips I find*

I’m not exactly against the groupie phenomenon, but it's not something I'd personally be a part of. I do read the autobiographies like this because I find it to be interesting, with many having various reasons provoking their decisions. I find it more interesting when applied to a) bands I like and b) iconic bands, so this seemed a godsend. The most I get in terms of these stories day to day are desperate girls on Facebook, and it pains me.

With Pamela,...more *Back-dating reviews based on snips I find*

I’m not exactly against the groupie phenomenon, but it's not something I'd personally be a part of. I do read the autobiographies like this because I find it to be interesting, with many having various reasons provoking their decisions. I find it more interesting when applied to a) bands I like and b) iconic bands, so this seemed a godsend. The most I get in terms of these stories day to day are desperate girls on Facebook, and it pains me.

With Pamela, however, I felt a little uncomfortable with the obsessive behaviour. I’d say that was my real irk with this. I found it endearing that she was evidently looking to find love and to be loved, but the obsessive personality trait has always been something I’ve never understood. Reading how she scoured walls to get close to the Beatles bemused me at times, learning of the phonecalls and photos sent to Marlon left me completely surprised. It’s something I’m not familiar with and, well, something I don’t really understand…

While I’ve read books where women clearly had – for lack of a better term – daddy issues, Pamela was just in search of love. However, even in a committed relationship with someone she purportedly loves she still falls foul to the temptations of yet another rock star. It’s a personal issue I have, I suppose. I don’t have qualms with people sleeping around; hell, if it’s with a rockstar they’ve idolised and fantasised over for years, more power to them. I do have qualms with cheating though, and the more I read slivers of this behaviour I found myself frowning.

These are more focussed on character traits I’m not comfortable with. Aside from that I really liked this book and found Pamela to be a fantastic person. Most pertinently, I liked the fact she religiously kept up a diary which in turn made the book seem more real. It’s interesting to see how many rock stars enjoy the art of conversation alongside a salacious fuck, how many of them seemed to have a standing relationship with her.

She was clearly a strong and determined woman, ruled overall by her emotions and the fact she seemed to fall in love so easily. While it was nice to see her find that love pre-Epilogue, it was surprising to see how much conflict she faced along the way. An enjoyable read, one I’ve wanted to get around to for a long time. Pamela is a fascinating person to say the least.(less)

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Sep 21, 2010 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Claire

Recommended to Lisa by: Passed on by mum

Shelves: 2010, own

So, having had this one passed on to me by mum who was finding it a little self-deluding and sleazy, I wasn't expecting to like Pamela as much as I did.

Always boy-crazy, Miss Pamela started hunting down her favourite rock stars as soon as she was able and was soon very much a staple of the scene during rock's hey-day, becoming one of the original and best known groupies around as well as one of the GTO's - a girl group masterminded by Frank Zappa, making her even better placed to strike up frien...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a very interesting read and you can definitely hear Pamela's voice all the way through it. Half of me is in awe of the time she had with the most influential people rock through the 60s and 70s. She really did have the most amazing time, met the most awe inspiring people and lived the life I have always dreamed of. The GTOs weren't just groupies they were trail blazers and think of them as slags or not (depending on your liberal views or not as the case may be), they changed so many...more

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Jul 16, 2007 Kerstin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was my bible for a long time. Despite how it is marketed, it is less name-dropping, gossipy chick lit and more the unapologetic, heartfelt diary of one teenaged girl's sexual awakening. Granted, this particular teenaged girl happened to find herself in circumstances vastly favorable to your run-of-the-mill, zitty-boy-next-door scenarios during said awakening, but still--it's a thoroughly engaging, lovely story. Involving penii of famous dudes.

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Oct 27, 2012 Darren rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't be bothered to look up whether it was Socrates or Aristotle who wrote that "the unexamined life is not worth living." What matters is that this book makes a strong argument against that sentiment. I have no doubt that "Miss Pamela"-as she refers to herself-has led a fascinating life. I just also have no doubt that she does not know how to write about it.

In fairness to the author, I'm not a big fan of autobiographies. They're like the internet. Everyone wearing their best smile-gotta be...more I can't be bothered to look up whether it was Socrates or Aristotle who wrote that "the unexamined life is not worth living." What matters is that this book makes a strong argument against that sentiment. I have no doubt that "Miss Pamela"-as she refers to herself-has led a fascinating life. I just also have no doubt that she does not know how to write about it.

In fairness to the author, I'm not a big fan of autobiographies. They're like the internet. Everyone wearing their best smile-gotta be positive-while they cut into others. This book is no exception. Miss Pamela would have us believe she went from rock star cock to cock (and if anyone thinks that is a pissy way to explain her love life, they have not read the book; she makes it abundantly clear that rock star cock was exactly what she was after, right from her early obsession with Paul's balls) just as innocently as de Sade's Justine. We are even told of Jimmy Page's "suitcase full of whips", which he would "never use on her," in case we missed the comparison. His "darling" but not his "Lady". For whatever reason-maybe it was the chapter on how she stalked her first rock star crush, basically living outside of his property line until he talked to her, maybe it was mentioning having attended a party where two pre-teen girls were performing sex acts on each other for a roomful of spectators, and turning away with no reproach, even decades later-I just don't believe her.

Regardless of my feelings on autobiography, this book would best be described as poorly written. If one did not already go into it aware of the sixties as a scene, much of the story would be confusing, because she certainly explains nothing of it. The most commentary she makes on the culture that allowed her to achieve any notoriety at all, is that she was "tired of the hippy scene". Throughout the text, the author will, at random, trail off into awful poetry. Poems she wrote at the time? Poems she wrote, inspired by her remembrances of those moments? Total randomness? Never explained.

And so what are we left with? Celebrity gossip? Jim Morrison's druggie persona was an act. Jimi Hendrix (a "cone", rather than a "coon", to her and her friends... how progressive) was the star of Cynthia Plaster-Caster's molds. Mick Jagger's lips were devastating when he went downtown?

To quote that other great exponent of the swinging sixties: Not my bag, baby.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Phil rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

All she really wanted was love, I guess. It would take quite a while to list all the people Miss Pamela found herself with from the ages of 16 to 25, but it's quite a few, and most are rock stars. Sadly, readers can quickly see a pattern. 1. Girl goes to rock show 2. Girl meets famous rock artist 3. Rock artist promises her the world 4. Rock artist leaves town a couple days later and doesn't take her along 5. Miss Pamela pines over her lost love and expresses great sadness 6. Next rock show come...more

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Aug 29, 2010 Darren Hemmings rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: music

After reading a music industry book and then Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography, I fancied something a bit more focussed on the halcyon days of the 60s and 70s LA rock scene. This is certainly that, with the author charting her days as a young teen obsessed with the Beatles through to her numerous rock star liaisons and ultimately her marriage to rocker-turned-actor Michael Des Barres. Once upon a time this was viewed as quite a controversial book, but these days it just seems rather quaint in many r...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Chantel McCray rated it 2 of 5 stars

"Miss Pamela" attached herself to absolutely anyone on the rock scene, so there is some good gossip here. She brags about her sexual exploits with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, among many, many, many others. The narrative is interwoven with excerpts from her diary, the parts of the book I found it hardest to read. In them she just seems like such an insecure, immature idiot. Absolutely anything a musician would do, no matter how disgusting, degrading or idiotic, was "inspi...more

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May 04, 2012 Melee rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-bio

Mmm, salacious readings!

Or not.

This really wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Miss Pamela is frank, but not explicit. Actually, I debated for a while whether to read this or not, but I finally decided I would. It was all done in the name of research, though, so I'm glad it was relatively mild. (To get in the proper mindset for a story I'm writing, I am reading almost every sixties memoir/biography I find that looks interesting. Though let's face it, I'd probably end up doing that at some point...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Tuck rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: music-and-other-700-s

hilarious and well written account of rock n roll, la and sunset strip and socal in general in lates 1960's and 1970's. in fact pamela expands her horizons by 1970 and travels to london and nyc quite a bit (at times with a plane ticket sent by led zepplin, as times saving her hard earned money and flying herself) so you get the scoop via miss pamela on the zappa log cabin, the GTO's, flying burrito brothers, jimi hendrix experience, san francisco at the height (and depths) of flower power, holy...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Kerrie Woods rated it 4 of 5 stars

Vicarious thrills and spills abound!

A wonderful contemporary account, very easy to relate to and compelling - because it perfectly straddles the roles of both the fan and the insider. The memoir is amusing, a little trashy and feels stream-of-consciousness-y at times, all of which nicely reflect the crazy times hanging with Captain Beefheart, Love, Led Zep, The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Stones, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention...

Des Barres is into her music first and forem...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies-autobiographies-memoirs, rock-n-roll-history, favorites

If you enjoy reading about sex, drugs and rock & roll, then this book will be to your liking. It's what I consider a "guilty pleasure" read - complete brain candy - filling, but with no lasting nourishing value. I occasionally like gossipy books about celebrities, as well as rock stars and this has both of each. I read it some years ago, but from what I remember there is a lot about Mick Jagger, Keith Moon and even more of Jimmy Page of the late 60's and early 70's. Free sex and love with an...more

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About Pamela Des Barres

Pamela Des Barres aka Miss Pamela (born Pamela Ann Miller on September 9, 1948) is a former rock and roll groupie, author, and magazine writer.

Des Barres was born in Reseda, California. Her mother was a housewife and her father worked for Anheuser-Busch and occasionally worked as a gold miner. She idolized the Beatles and Elvis Presley as a child, and fantasized about meeting and dating her favori...more Pamela Des Barres aka Miss Pamela (born Pamela Ann Miller on September 9, 1948) is a former rock and roll groupie, author, and magazine writer.

Des Barres was born in Reseda, California. Her mother was a housewife and her father worked for Anheuser-Busch and occasionally worked as a gold miner. She idolized the Beatles and Elvis Presley as a child, and fantasized about meeting and dating her favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney.

A high school acquaintaince introduced Pamela to Don Van Vliet, better known as Captain Beefheart, a musician and friend of Frank Zappa. Vliet in turn introduced her to Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, which drew her to the rock music scene on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. She started to spend her time with The Byrds and other bands, and when she graduated from high school in 1966, she took various jobs that would allow her to live near the Sunset Strip and pursue relationships with rock musicians. She famously paired up with Nick St. Nicholas, Mick Jagger, Keith Moon, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Page, Chris Hillman, Noel Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Waylon Jennings, Ray Davies, David Gilmour, Frank Zappa and actor Don Johnson.

She was also a member of The GTOs, an all-girl singing group formed by Zappa. The group started out as the Laurel Canyon Ballet Company, and began performing as an opening act for Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The group's act was performance art, a mix of music and spoken word, since none of its members could sing or play an instrument. They released an album, Permanent Damage in 1969, backed by Zappa and Jeff Beck. The group dissolved a month after the album's release because some of its members were arrested for drug possession.

In the 1970s Des Barres decided to pursue a career as an actress, and acted in a few movies, including Zappa's 200 Motels, commercials, and a year acting on the soap opera Search For Tomorrow in 1974. After a downturn in her acting career she went to work as a nanny for Zappa's children, Dweezil and Moon Unit.

On October 29, 1977, she married Michael Des Barres who had been lead singer for the first band signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label, Detective, Silverhead and, briefly, for Power Station. They have a son, Nicholas Dean Des Barres, born on September 30, 1978. The couple divorced in the summer of 1991, due to Michael Des Barres' alleged infidelities.

Des Barres wrote two books about her experience as a groupie, I'm With The Band (1987) and Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: A Groupie Grows Up (1993), as well as two non-fiction books, Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon and Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies (Chicago Review Press, 2007). She currently writes articles for online and print publications. (from Wikipedia)"(less)

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Books by Pamela Des Barres

Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: A Groupie Grows Up

Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon

Love Him Madly: An Intimate Memoir of Jim Morrison

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