Author: Pamela Des Barres File Type: pdf Since rocks beginnings, there have been groupies. These chosen few women who bed, but not often wed, the musicians of their dreams are almost as much a part of music history as the musicians themselves.Pamela Des Barres, the worlds foremost supergroupie, here offers an all-access backstage pass to the world of rock stars and the women who love them. Having had her own affairs with legends such as Keith Moon and Jimmy Page--as documented in her bestselling memoir Im with the Band--Pamela now turns the spotlight onto other women who have found their way into the hearts and bedrooms of some of the worlds greatest musicians. In Lets Spend the Night Together, she tells, in their own words, the stories of these amazing women who went way beyond the one-night stand.Here youll get to know 24 outrageous groupies, including Tura Satana, Miss Japan Beautiful, who taught Elvis how to dance and gave him lessons in lovemaking Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, who tangled with Tom Jones in Sin City Soulful Miss Mercy, who discovered that not only does the rest of the world listen to Al Green while making love--so does Al Green Cynthia Plaster Caster, who redefined art and made history when Jimi Hendrix plunged his member into her plaster mold The mysterious Miss B, who reveals Kurt Cobains penchant for lip gloss and pantyhose and over a dozen moreFrom Publishers WeeklyA groupie is to a rock band as Mary Magdalene was to Jesus, asserts L.A. rock author Des Barres (Im with the Band) in this eager, self-congratulatory attempt to rehabilitate the term groupie through two dozen fun and well-documented examples of rock muses since the 1960s. Des Barres steers her interviewees to underscore their important role in making their rock star boyfriends look good and play well, such as Tura Satana, given the dubious title Miss Japan Beautiful, who met awkward young Elvis Presley on the burlesque circuit in the mid-50s and taught him his shimmying moves. Des Barres recalls her groupie rivals back in the day, including Patti DArbanville, Bebe Buell, Lori Lightning and Catherine James. Cynthia Plaster Caster, the Rodin of Rock, shares her descriptions of her plaster replicas of rock stars penises (including that of Jimmy Hendrix), while Dee Dee Keel spills tales of her oral exploits for British rockers with deplorable bathing habits, and male groupie Pleather relays Courtney Loves shaky self-esteem. In the end, its all about the music, or as Pleasant Gehman sums it up blithely in this breathlessly gossipy scrapbook Being a groupie is like worshipping at the church of rock and rolland you are the high priestess. Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. From BooklistDes Barres popular first book, Im with the Band (1988), cemented her reputation as a pioneering groupie. Here she interviews 24 other women, including Gail Zappa, Bebe Buell, and Cherry Vanilla, similarly enamored of rock musicians, although the give-and-take between Des Barres and her interviewees often reads more like old friends trading war stories. And there are certainly plenty of stories to go around, with juicy details on the sexual habits of Jimmy Page, Cat Stevens, and Mick Jagger for the younger set, there are some eye-opening revelations about the likes of Kurt Cobain and J. D. Fortune. Des Barres can sometimes throw a wet blanket on the proceedings with her rather heavy-handed and oft-repeated explication of groupies as muses (whatever). And there are a few queasy moments, as when a mother and daughter trade raunchy anecdotes. For the most part, though, these women, especially Cynthia Plaster Caster and Cassandra Peterson (who later became famous as the horror-film maven Elvira), share their unabashed enjoyment of sex, drugs, and rock n roll in spirited fashion. Wilkinson, Joanne American Library Association. lt

Author: Lafcadio Hearn File Type: pdf Over a century after his death, author, translator, and educator Lafcaido Hearn remains one of the best-known Westerners ever to make Japan his home. Almost more Japanese than the Japaneseto think with their thoughts was his aimhis prolific writings on things Japanese were instrumental in introducing Japanese culture to the West.In this masterful anthology, Donald Richie shows that Hearn was first and foremost a reliable and enthusiastic observer, who faithfully recorded a detailed account of the people, customs, and culture of late nineteen-century Japan. Opening and closing with excerpts from Hearns final books, Richies astute selection from among over 4,000 printed pages not including correspondence and other writing, also reveals Hearns later, more sober and reflective attitudes to the things that he observed and wrote about.Part One, The Land, chronicles Hearns early years when he wrote primarily about the appearance of his adopted home. Part Two, The People, records the authors later years when he came to terms with the Japanese themselves. In this anthology, Richie, more gifted in capturing the essence of a person on the page than any other foreign writer living in Japan, has picked out the best of Hearns evocations.