groupie

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A groupie is a person who seeks sexual and/or emotional intimacy with a celebrity or other authority figure. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but now has more general application.

Musical groupies

Female groupies in particular have a long-standing reputation of being available sexually to celebrities, pop stars, rock stars and other public figures. In the book Hammer of the Gods (Stephen Davis, 1985), Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant is quoted distinguishing between fans who wanted brief sexual encounters, and "groupies" who traveled with musicians for extended periods acting as a surrogate girlfriend or mother, often taking care of the musician's valuables, drugs, wardrobe, and social life. Nancy Spungen is one such example. The GTOs ("Girls Together Outrageously"), with Pamela Des Barres in particular, as de-facto spokeswoman, associated with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention and other late 1960s and 70s stars, and the Plaster Casters are probably the best known groupies of this type. They are sometimes even referred to as "road wives."

According to Pamela Des Barres book, Let's Spend The Night Together, there is at least one verified male groupie, Pleather, who followed female celebrities such as Courtney Love and members of the 80s pop group The Bangles.

"Apple Scruffs", from George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass, refers to the Apple scruffs, a group of teenage girls who staked out the Beatles' Apple Corps offices, Abbey Road Studios, and Paul McCartney's home, often sleeping outside in rough weather, waiting for a glimpse of a Beatle. The Beatles' song "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" refers to the day a few Scruffs climbed into Paul McCartney's house via an upstairs bathroom window and raided his closet for a pair of pants, which they took turns wearing. They also took a framed photograph, which they later returned at Paul's request.

References

External links

• Tales of a Rock-Star Love Affair: Slash's Wife Talks Groupie Antics, Finding Hubby in Rolling Stone
• Lust for Life: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Groupie by Margaret Moser
• USA Today Article about firefighter and police groupies after 9/11/01