The GTOs and their unabashed femininity- and it’s influence on their role in the 1960s as artists
By Whitney Monize
When in should come my dream woman,
She got sequins in her hair
Like she stepped out off of a Fellini film,
She sat in a white straw chair
- Donovan "The Trip"
Let's set the scene:
Sunset Boulevard was a host to many of the greatest acts in the 1960s, with names like The Doors, Donovan, the Beach Boys and more! it was truly the Whiskey a Go-Go and the surrounding clubs that transformed the strip in sunny LA into a cascade of the new youth culture; with go-go dancers flaunting about and new mainstream rock n' roll, it was truly a scene of youthful liberation. It had become a gathering place for everyone from hippies to mods, and even Stephen Stills' inspiration from Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" after a curfew had been placed for minors, which sparked protest.
Credit Ed Caraeff
One person who was no stranger to the Strip was none other than miss Pamela Des Barres, who made her presence known along with her friends at the famous clubs:
"We would wear almost nothing- little bits of lace and stuff- and just be wild girls," She wrote, making the note: "It didn't necessarily mean we had a lot of sex. For instance, I would see Jim Morrison sometimes, and we would just make out."
It was along the Sunset strip that Pamela had met her girl gang, fate bringing together the first five members: Miss Pamela of course, Miss Sparky, Miss Christine, Miss Sandra, and Miss Lucy. It wasn't long until the girls met musician Frank Zappa- who Pamela had been a fan of, and who Miss Christine had coincidentally been hired as a nanny for his child Moon Zappa. He invited the girls to dance with his eccentric group Frank Zappa and The Mothers- and by 1968, they had established themselves within the scene within the role of the dancers.
Zappa, however, saw something different for them.
“They were interested in the music business anyway, so I said, ‘why don’t you sing?’ and I encouraged them to form a semi-singing performing group that would allow them a vehicle through which to express the things that they were doing ordinarily on the street.”
In the middle of a conversation urging the girls to start writing songs, two new ladies of the scene made themselves known: Miss Mercy, and Miss Cynderella. There were then seven official members of the group now established at The GTOs: Girls Together Outrageously. They dawned outfits composed of feathers and lace, itty bitty dresses and quilts, and never excluded wildflowers in their folklore hippie-child image. The girls, along with famous guests like Rod Stewart and Nick St. Nicholas from Steppenwolf, created the album Permanent Damage in 1969- with Zappa as producer, the record exudes elements of maniacal fun and carnival-like surroundings, while the girls have conversations about their gym experiences as teens, love triangles with famous musicians, personal philosophies, and the exploitation of hitch-hiking girls by those who drive “soft cars”. The album liner notes read (written by Zappa himself):
“The GTOs write their own lyrics, and no subject matter covered by these lyrics was suggested by any outside source. The choice of subjects is a reflection of the girls’ own attitudes toward their environment.”
Credit Ed Caraeff
The power that the girls held was uniquely crafted and stood proud within the decade that did not give women as high of a pedestal, especially in the art scene. They were outrageously true to themselves and flaunted the “groupie” title before it took a dive toward a more derogatory direction by society. The girls had inspired some of the most influential rock stars known to this day, with Miss Pamela considering her title of a groupie as a welcoming term for her place within the music scene- it was not something to be ashamed of, but to exude with pride. In “I’m In Love With the Ooo-Ooo Man.”, Pamela hits the height of the song with the chant:
“Remember girls, please don’t stop hoping! Never say your love is wasted! Love is only for giving! It’s something that cannot be taken!”
Although the wonderful GTOs were only together as a group for two years, it only took that short period of time to prove to the music scene that their presence as female performers, writers, and artists was not a force to be reckoned with. Listen to Permanent Damage here:
Sources:
https://riotfest.org/2018/01/gtos-groupie-rock/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXu6vEjAN6s
https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2000/11/live-at-the-whisky-david-kamp
About the author:
“My name is Whitney, and I’m from small town USA. After taking a class in college on the history of rock n’ roll, I knew that was my kind of world, and I wanted to dig deeper. Since 2014 my love for the 1960s and 1970s has grown, from having little fun photo shoots with friends to mimic the GTOs to figuring out that writing about the figures of these eras was my niche! I’m a full-time barista who wants to make my writing and learning about music a full-time gig as well! “