"The
feeling
remains...
Even after
the glitter fades"
Stevie Nicks
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Kim Fowley Story...
Before I get into it, I must tell you about a year ago, Rhino Records divider for KF said "Kim FUCKIN' Fowley"! I laughed so hard when I saw it, but when I returned soon, it was gone. Hmmmm…
This all kind of stems from my friendship with Pamela des Barres, then Pamela
Miller. I met her my first time at the Whisky (Byrds, Iron Butterfly and
Doors-Hot 'cha!) in June '67. She was a worldly 18 going on 19 and I was
15 probably going on about 11. My other 15 year old pals and I quickly
became swept away into her cool world. We'd sort of tentatively tried to
enter the Strip scene before (mostly the Hullaballoo), but now had someone who
really belonged to go with. Plus, Pamela was seeing Bryan Maclean who
was my total teenage crush object.
One hot summer night Pamela, her two best friends Iva Turner and Beverly
Eckert (a totally intimidating and smart blonde goddess-did you ever know
her?) and I left the Valley, where we all lived, and went Strippin'. We
started at the Galaxy where the old Knack were playing, then worked our way
down the sidewalk scene. Kim Fowley (hard to miss towering above the
crowd) was there, and since I'd seen him perform at the Devonshire Downs
Festival a few weeks before and Pamela et.al. seemed to be friends with him, I
thought he was acceptedly OK. So I actually went up behind the Whisky
ALONE with him-I guess he figured the smart move was going for the youngest
and dumbest girl around. A few terrifying minutes of attempted fondling
and being called "teenage cunt" later, and I was out of there and
back in front like a shot!! The girls had now been joined by Sparky
Parker, also later a GTO, who was totally sympathetic. I was lucky
indeed that KFF had too much dignity to do anything but wait a few minutes and
then stalk down haughtily from behind the Whisky. Had this been even a
little later on, I may well have never lived to see Kobe Bryant play
basketball or tell you this story!
We finished the evening/morning visiting the Iron Butterfly, who were really
nice and who, as I mentioned before, became good friends. The sort of
creepy thing is, about 10 years later I wound up working as a secretary for a
music biz attorney in the 6255 Sunset building. Mercury Records was in
this building, and I think KF was still working with the Runaways on Mercury
then. I rode in the elevator with him a few uncomfortable times and you
know, I think he still remembered me--he gave me some strange looks and once
asked me if a bran muffin I was eating was "exciting"
Wendy's email address: wforward@msn.com
