Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies (46 page)

Drama digs into her purse and hands me a pastel pink Switchblade Kittens CD. She tells me the one they're working on now is going to be even better. "Pleather is my confidence in the studio," she adds, gently patting his hand.

"That's what I live for," he says. "That's why I do what I do. It's natural for me. I just have to be where the creativity is."

A few weeks later, on a gray, rainy day, Pleather and I meet up for another heart-to-heart at a coffee shop in my old Reseda neighborhood. I haven't been here in years, and sadly, it looks like any other bland corner in the Valley. But Pleather certainly stands out in his tight black ensemble, cute leather cap, and splendid woolly scarf that accents his high cheekbones. After a hug, he tells me he's glad we're alone this time. "It's not that I didn't tell you the truth last time, but Drama was there. It was probably good for you to see me like that, because that's how I am when I'm with a musician I admire. I ended up letting her tell my story."

Pleather gallantly buys me a vanilla latte and we sit by the window and listen to the pitter-pat of the rain. "I was walking here, thinking of what I wanted to say. I've always had my own bands, but I only ever wanted to be the guitar player in Blondie, or Bjorn in Abba. I want to be the person helping the goddessfemale-artist-singer. What I realized when I read your book, and all the ten thousand times I reread it, is that there's a positive and a negative to the whole experience. Being so profoundly influenced by my mother from an early age, it's simply innate for me to have empathy. I've subconsciously set up my entire life to take the traditionally feminine role in relationships. When I say feminine, I mean the person who is seen as weaker to the outside world, but is really the one making things happen. Women make the world go 'round, but the men take the credit." Pleather continues, "To me, the real revolution of the '70s wasn't punk-it was women taking a more powerful role. Punk was just a restatement of traditional values. The real shift was the female phenomenon, but I was too young to realize it. I would turn the television on, and see Wonder Woman and Charlie's Angels, all these women with guns. It was like, `Yeah! This rules!' I have all the Wonder Woman seasons on DVD. I was watching an episode with Drama recently, and she paused Wonder Woman in action. She was trying to talk to me, and I said, `I can't talk.' I had to turn around and face the other way. Wonder Woman still has this profound effect on me. It's insane! I had a fundamentally warped perception of women from an early age. I was very influenced by pop culture, and that's when the women's movement really became mainstream. It wasn't so much the manifesto, bra-burning thing. It's more like when it reaches the pop mainstream, that's when the revolution really happens. I had to be a part of it and be plugged into the ultimate center." Pleather laughs. "That's a pretty sexual metaphor; I didn't mean it quite that way. There's just something ultimately greater. If you're not one of those people thinking, `I'm larger than life,' then you want to be with a person who is larger than life. The first time I laid eyes on Courtney, I knew she was a genius. There was something in her, the same thing I recognized when I saw Dylan or Patti Smith. People like that have an aura about them. There's such a glow."

What, besides his God-given, majestic physical endowment, made the goddesses flock to Ian "Pleather" Wagner?

"I have a saving complex, and I tend to go for the ones who are the most screwed up. A friend of mine said, `If Squeaky Fromme and Donna Reed were standing next to each other, you would go for Squeaky.' And I said, `Yeah, exactly.' I just want to help, I want to fix, and I want to be the shoulder. With Courtney, I saw someone with a lot of hurt; genuine, honest female energy; rage; and knowledge. She just needed to be told how great she was. At that time, there was no one telling her she was great. No one. Every single musician I knew would say, `I can't believe you go see Hole. They are the worst band I've ever seen.' This was in the beginning, when they used my friend's house as their practice space. At the time, L7 were going to be the next big thing, the big revolution band-female rockers doin' it. Courtney was opening for them, and I had to give her confidence to go on. Every time she played a show, I would be there. It got ridiculous. One club was so broken-down, they only had one mic stand. Halfway through the show, the stand broke, and Courtney said, `Well, I guess the show's over.' I said, `No, let me hold it,' and I held the thing up. I was trying to rock out and hold the mic stand for her at the same time. How metaphoric can you get?" He laughs, "No, that's beyond metaphor; it's too literal."

So, what's the secret? How did he go from holding her mic stand to getting in her panties?

"There's a lot of truth in certain caricatures, the way women and men relate to each other. Women primarily just want to be listened to and empathized with. They want to be rough, tough, and in control at certain times and not in control other times. I've always had a sixth sense about knowing the right time to be the listener-to be the girlfriend, basically, and exactly when to shift back into the male role. I think the success I've had with women is because of that. They aren't used to having a guy put his own ego under. It's a rare thing for women to experience. It has to do with finding a sympathetic soul. It's like souls in transit. You may be on a different path, but it's OK as long as you have that one experience, that one night. The best time I had with Courtney was just kissing. We were sitting in front of a club, cars were passing by, everyone was inside getting drunk, and for ten minutes, being alone with her, kissing and making out." I can tell by his dreamy look that Pleather is enjoying this particular sense memory.

"That feeling is what I've been chasing ever since. That was probably the most romantic moment, the sweetest experience I've ever had." Pleather pauses and smiles, "I guess that's kind of sad."

I understand completely. He had a tender moment with his icon, and it's become one of those extremely rare snapshot memories.

"Actually, I've had very few sexual experiences that didn't also have a lot to do with sharing emotions. Women's emotions are very close to the surface, and when you tap into that, it all comes pouring out. Female musicians have a lot of hurt they need to express. And if you show some interest, they're more than willing to share their emotions, their souls, and their bodies with you."

It sounds to me that even though Pleather has had his heart destroyed a time or three, the torture and tribulation has been worth it. "Oh yeah, that's the main thing I want to say. No matter how badly I got treated-and I did get badly treated by a lot of them-there isn't a single woman that I hold anything against. We're all just trying to do the best we can and make our own lives work. It was an honor for me to be around them for the short amount of time I was. It was my pleasure. I would give any one of them my last two dollars."

Before we open our umbrellas and head out into the Reseda rain, Pleather surprises me. "I've Joined the Switchblade Kittens," he announces proudly. "I'm cowriting and coproducing their album, which is turning out great. And that's so fulfilling, I can't even say. I'm also codirecting their documentary. There's a lot of stuff going on with that band. They're like a multimedia, crazy circus."

I have to ask. Is he dating the drummer?

"No, no, no," he laughs, reassuring me. "I'm going to try to separate business and pleasure for once in my life. And I'm discovering that the grass isn't really always greener over there. We tend to put more value on other people's stories than our own. We value the mad, visionary genius, artistic people. We're fascinated by them and think, `Oh my God, where does she get those ideas?' Of course, I'm still enthralled with that and always will be. And I make no apologies whatsoever for chasing my dream. But hopefully, the natural balance starts to happen and you begin to value your own story and realize your own worth." Pleather pauses for a moment, looking into the dark winter sky, then smiles at me, "But I still love Lynda Carter. If I saw her, I would just ... I would ... I would just fall down dead. All I've been looking for, ever, is Wonder Woman with a guitar!"

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grabbed the latest copy of L.A.'s local Rock City News to read about myself when another brazen headline suddenly became more interesting. "The secret to my SeXcess! The True Meaning of Groupie-ism," written by Lexa Vonn, the same journalist who had interviewed me. I eagerly perused her instructive missive.

The word "groupie" has often been attached to many grave misconceptions over the years. The average person usually envisions a sexually immoral girl who sleeps around with famous people in order to satisfy a deeper need for notoriety or other form of self-gain. However, the former definition more describes what I refer to as a "star fucker."A true groupie defined by my own experiences, as well as the original groupie jet set of the 1960s, portrays a much deeper version of the meaning. Being a real groupie is a talent on its own, and not one that can be performed by just anyone. Sex, while an important part of the groupie experience, is only one facet of the whole picture. A true groupie has a deep connection and understanding of both music and the dimension in which musicians exist when they are performing. Rock and roll is a ritual and groupies are the high priestesses.... After all, what would a concert be without anyone there to hear it?