Inspired by the "Does an artist's behavior affect your ability to enjoy their music?” thread.

Since the dawn of rock, it was taken for granted that successful musicians get to have groupies. Groupie indulgence was indisputably fine so long as everyone was of age and the encounters were consensual. Now questions are being asked about the power dynamic between performers and fans and whether these relationships are inherently exploitive.

I’d be interested to know where the board stands on groupies and if and how attitudes have changed.

Should I leave the poll as crap/not crap or should there be more nuanced options?

Crap. It's weird when it seeps its way into underground shows too. Never my own bands or the bands I'm interested in, but occasionally another band on the bill will engage in this stuff. It's bad enough when some rockstar goes off to a hotel room with girls, it's extra bad when someone is hooking up on the dirty couch one room over from the load in zone..

Mott The Hoople-Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

ew.

I've played in a variety of bands, but none managed to attract groupies. None of these included Led Zeppelin, Poison, or The Rolling Stones, though.

octoberallover wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:29 pm...Now questions are being asked about the power dynamic between performers and fans and whether these relationships are inherently exploitive...

As I seem to recall from the lore of many years ago, a proper "groupie" was one who followed various bands with the explicit intent of bedding certain band members, with the goal being the "belt-notches" and bragging rights of those who were bedded. The bigger the names, the better the bragging rights. It seems to me that to each exercising their own full agency, the relationships could well be mutually exploitative - and when properly practiced, ideally were.

Geiginni wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 4:02 pm

octoberallover wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:29 pm...Now questions are being asked about the power dynamic between performers and fans and whether these relationships are inherently exploitive...

As I seem to recall from the lore of many years ago, a proper "groupie" was one who followed various bands with the explicit intent of bedding certain band members, with the goal being the "belt-notches" and bragging rights of those who were bedded. The bigger the names, the better the bragging rights. It seems to me that to each exercising their own full agency, the relationships could well be mutually exploitative - and when properly practiced, ideally were.

Oh sure. But I wonder how many groupies got to be “proper” groupies. It seems the reality too often was the girls were mocked the second they were ushered off the bus.

I’m willing to believe that Bebe Buell had a fabulous time and more power to her. I’m not sure tho rock journalists were doing audiences any favors by portraying her experience (and others like hers) as representative. Seems like glamorizing something that was often pretty dark.

Anyway, I’m undecided. I think it depends on the amount of manipulation and coercion involved.

kicker_of_elves wrote: Mott The Hoople-Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

ew.

Sex with underage girls is monstrous that's a given.

Fwiw this is one of the most crap disappointing things I’ve ever read about a band I liked. Ever.

Louise Wener of Sleeper wrote: The way to get groupies, should you require the attention of such, is to ask your tour manager to go out into the crowd, select the best-looking girls and give them passes to your after-show party. In this case they’re called Blur-job passes. Mostly the tour manager is spot on with his choices but every so often a lesser specimen gets through. No matter. Alex James is magnanimous in these cases. He walks up to one girl with glasses and cheerfully informs her: you’re ugly but I’m going to fuck you anyway. She looks grateful.

Fuck Blur forever for subjecting their female support act to this, and Alex James should be flogged.

How does the song "Goodbye Stranger" factor into all of this??

Edited again: blah, blah, blah.

Blur

These were the sad arseholes that bullied Nardwuar in that hotel room clip? Not even going to find a youtube link, shit like that just makes my blood boil.

jason from volo wrote: Thu Aug 12, 2021 5:47 pm EDIT: I found the whole article online and in context it doesn’t seem quite as horribly bad, though I still agree about Alex James. Thankful it wasn’t Graham Coxon who said that, who I still really like. For reference: https://damonalbarnunofficial.wordpress ... ise-wener/

Really? I think knowing that they nearly fired their opening band for stealing from their cheese plate (once!) makes it so much worse.