Groupies (1970)

In the late '60s and early '70s, seemingly every major rock festival and a number of top rock bands had become the subjects of documentary films, so it was probably just a matter of time before someone decided to take a look at the backstage scene in the wild world of heavy rock. For Groupies, filmmakers Ron Dorfman and Peter Nevard spent several months on the then-thriving rock ballroom circuit, filming a few notable bands, but spending most of their time with the women who'd devoted their time to following and "getting to know" their favorite rock stars (as well as a handful of young men who try, with little success, to share their affections with members of Ten Years After). Ranging from young unknowns new to the music scene to the royalty of the groupie community (including Miss Pamela -- aka Pamela Des Barres, who wrote an entertaining book on her experiences -- and Cynthia Plaster Caster, who preserved the "instruments" of a number of well-known rockers in plaster of Paris), Groupies follows these women and attempts to explain how they came by their decadent lifestyle. If nothing else, Groupies offers your only opportunity to hear several women onscreen debate the pros and cons of sleeping with Luther Grosvenor from the band Spooky Tooth. Groupies also features onscreen performances from Joe Cocker, Ten Years After, and Terry Reid. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi