Opinionated Metalhead: The Age of the Groupie…..is DEAD…Or at least I wish it was…
80’s and 90’s hair metal bands were notorious for the number of groupies they collectively had. The scantily clad women with masks of make-up for war paint going into battle to catch the eyes of rock-stars. Attention hungry fame starved wanna be models and actresses willing to do anything to catch and maintain their own temporary spotlight. Things like crowding tour buses, private cars, blowing security to get backstage, flashing their breasts / throwing undergarments on stage and stalking them like prey.
But, the age of the groupie is slowly diminishing, There are still some out there but with social media and the invention of screen shots there is a greater level of caution from both sides. Some “rockstars”, however, are still under the impression that women will do anything for them. I witnessed such a thing from a cover band not too long ago. For the sake of not providing exposure and/or tarnish to their name I will keep that out of this story time adventure. But as a fan of music and it’s growth beyond such juvenile behavior I was truly appalled.
When every break between a song is a discussion about getting groupies, chicks numbers and then during the end of a set pouring a shot of whiskey down a chick’s mouth while your crotch is nearly touching her chin it’s tasteless to say the least. Not to mention the 2 younger band members pretty much being pimped out as “eye candy” if you are into hairless shirtless pretty boys. These 2 (a guitarist and a drummer) were quite talented and did not need to be half naked on stage while the older less talented members of the bands covered themselves like fat uncles with low self-esteem.
I am no feminist. I do not claim to say that this woman was unwilling to participate, but for the most part the younger generation of female rock and metal fans would not be willingly do so. There is a line between all in good fun and in poor taste.
Some might say “oh well I know plenty of chicks that do this.” To those people I say, how many shows do you go to local or national where you see that behavior as a norm? I got to 4 to 8 shows a month, and of those most are local but with nationally touring bands. In addition to the at least 4 to 6 big rock and metal festivals I attend a year when my work schedule permits. I can vouch for that being a rare and now truly uncommon behavior.
Stage diving is a given, girls dressed in outfits that show some skin also a given. But, their outfits aren’t for the band or to call attention to them, they are for themselves. They aren’t looking to be objectified. Their goal is not to have some rock star point them out to security to take them back stage or to the tour bus after the show. They are feeling themselves (in a figurative sense for you pervy people) while enjoying the music they love.
So, I say again, the age of the groupie is slowly dying out. It will probably never be gone so long as their are those willing to enable that. And I am not in any way shaming those with a openly sexual life style. But the age of the hardcore rocker chicks is very much alive and thriving as women take more of a foothold in a male dominated industry. More and more women participate in crowd surfing/ stage diving and mosh pits than chasing after band members. These women live and breathe punk, hard rock and metal. Groupies are still 
out there, but most are not very well liked. Now a days falling into the category of the cougar trying to pounce the resistant pool boy. It’s a bit rapey and disturbing to watch in some cases in others it’s just flat out amusing.
Rock and Metal shows are finally getting back to what they were meant to be. A sharing of art from artists to art lovers. True fans of what they created who can feel the raging emotions and sway, headbang and slam dance with meaning. No longer are the days of the glitter infused stripper fests that were the prime age of the groupie.
