Conversational | Rosie Vanier

by Jane Bradley, 28 April 2010.

You might already have heard of Rosie Vanier. The angel-voiced saucepot’s previous band, Rosie & The Goldbug, had a stomping live reputation; they toured with Cyndi Lauper for almost all of 2008, and the Guardian called them “Kate Bush on crack with Goldfrapp on synths.”

Critics fawned over them, and their lyrics kept listeners intrigued with a lurid, syrupy mixture of whimsy, lust and bite. For a while it seemed as though Rosie & The Goldbug were well on their way to world domination. Then, without warning in August 2009, there was an announcement on their Myspace, saying that the band would be going their separate ways. At the time, all that was said was: “the three of us are very sad about this, but we can no longer continue with the band. We would love to explain and tell you all the details, but we can’t.”

Fast-forward two months to October 2009, when I managed to wangle some time to chat to Rosie, and she'd already bounced back with a new band, RubyVamp. Now, in April 2010, that also seems to have been disbanded, and according to Rosie's Myspace, she's been in Mexico and New York, working on material for her solo career.

When we chatted, my first question was inevitably about the reason behind the Goldbug split, and Rosie somehow managed to be a charming combination of outspoken and cryptic: “Rosie & the Goldbug was killed by a bad curse who’s name I cannot mention,” she said. “My creativity was crushed by this person. I was pushed into a corner; a black, damp and evil corner. I had to start again. But I still love Rosie &The Goldbug, I still have my goldbug tattooed over my feet and it will continue to be in my heart. Forever and ever, amen.”

We soon got to talking about all the media acclaim for Rosie & The Goldbug; an enviable accomplishment for an unsigned band. I speculated about what Rosie could achieve with the backing of a major label, and as with every other topic, she was passionate and opinionated in her reply: “I would sign to a major, but I don’t have to have one for people to hear what I do. The music industry is different now. I’m about the art, not the deal. Some A&R dudes don’t get that, so you do have to be careful. There are pros and cons to both. If you’re unsigned, you’re independent, so you can be much more creative. ”

Following the 2008 tour with Cyndi Lauper, Rosie’s been very much in demand. With a voice that can move between a bewitching hoarse whisper guaranteed to send shivers down your spine, to guttural growls and banshee howls, it’s no wonder she’s shared stages with such musical superstars as Glen Matlock, Wayne Carson and Brett Anderson.

So I was curious about about what other famous faces she’d encountered. Cyndi Lauper she described variously as “fucking incredible”, “my muse” and “an education.” Kirsten Dunst was “cute.” A famous Calvin Klein model made amorous advances towards her, but she politely declined: “He was wearing Calvin Klein pants and mine were from Primark!” Who else? “Tyson from the All American Rejects once wrote me a song. I played him ‘This Mess We’re In’ by PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke in a rental car I had in LA. I think he liked it. He’s a sweet, sweet person. I have a lot of love for my fellow musicians and comrades.”

Although I’m sure they wouldn’t admit it to such icons as Cyndi, Siouxsie or Debbie Harry, there are still some foolish folk who view women in rock as something of a novelty act, so I asked Rosie whether she’d faced any hostility on this front from other musicians. “The girls I’ve met and think are real are Cyndi, of course, as well as Marcella Detroit, Little Fish and Natasha Khan. I must admit there are a few out there who don’t match up to that calibre, but I won’t mention them. But I know the girls I do mention are not novelties. They are real musicians, and so am I. I’m a songwriter and a performer. Like any other guy, girl, hermaphrodite or fisherman who makes great music. We’re all the same, regardless of our genitals. To be honest I have never had a problem with anyone not taking me seriously because of my gender. I do have small tits, though, so maybe that’s why! I don’t know if I’d class myself as a feminist but I do know what’s right and what’s wrong and if I feel someone should step down and behave themselves I don’t hesitate to tell them.”

After this interview, I was even more besotted with Rosie than I had been beforehand, and although she's even more of enigma now than she was then (what happened with RubyVamp? What will her solo material sound like? When will she be touring again?), one thing's for certain: this isn't the last we've heard from Rosie Vanier. She'll apparently be releasing a solo album at some point this year, but in the the meantime, keep an eye on her Myspace for more:

http://www.myspace.com/rosievanier

Penny Lane Has Got A Lot To Answer For...

by Steph, 29th Nov 2009...


My friends have already heard this mini-tale now turned into an article, mainly due to the fact I regale in telling it.

It all starts with my big sister Olivia, who used to live in LA. She worked as a model and Laker Girl, enjoying a totally fabulous blonde hair, tanned skin life or so I thought. I am ten years her junior and was only a teenager then. Any lifestyle in the Santa Monica sunshine would have appeared glamorous and fabulous to me.

So, during a rather poignant West Coast visit, big sis give me a piece of advice that has stuck to my conscious ever since, "Steph, promise me you'll never date a musician. Musicians go on tour and fuck groupies."

The hard line; in your face little one! Or so I thought. Some hot, musically gifted band member had broken her fragile heart and she wanted to save her little sister from a similar future hardship.

Unsurprisingly, the sentiment later extended to actors. In this case, a Beverley Hills 90210 alum with a serious narcs habit. Then of course artists; she still cringes if she stumbles upon his name in the paper and equally laughs at the lengths he goes to shock. And finally photographers (she came to 'protect' me when I did a shoot with him in later years).

Interestingly, the message has obviously stayed with me because I have never had a relationship with a musician. I've been on a date with one or two, but never had a serious tie to any and I'm sure this is because somewhere in my psyche, there was a little Liv tap, tap, tapping on my synapse; "walk away from the guitarist. He may be hot, but he'll go on tour and..." "Walk away from the drummer! For all you know he's got a wife and three kids in NYC." Needless to say, lead singers never even had a look in, with or without Liv's advice, I'm not that stupid!

And that's where my article is going, the women who are happy not knowing or simply don't care; Pro Hoes, Band Rats, Groupies, Band Chicks, Fan Girls, Band Whores, Star Fuckers, Snuff Queens and the most famous of all, Band Aids. Oh please. Let's turn this on it's head and look at the ladies who are so willing to offer themselves on a sweaty dressing room platter.

I've done a bit of research (God bless the Internet), to extend my understanding and have discovered a rather disturbing underlying epidemic. Do you realise there are groupie websites? Groupie forums dedicated to discussing tactics on how to get noticed, getting backstage and the like. Even Rolling Stone magazine dedicated an edition to them in 1969 entitled; Groupies: The Girls of Rock. A celebration of the groupie. It's an interesting title in terms of female genre representation, but I'll get back to that.

These days it seems there's a new breed of groupie, an elite. The lady bait has got better. The caliber of clunge has got a bit more 'celebrity'. A rather beautiful young lady presenter, model, actress, photographer or a clever filly multitasking all of the above with a penchant for all things band boy. The serial band boy girlfriend. The more famous ones tend to date the front man. FACT!



What's the draw, though? Is it the talent? Or the creativity? The buzz of the occasional fan stopping them in the street asking for a picture? Sweaty pheromones? On the flip side, the band members could be likened to a lady's accessory. Instead of handbag envy, they get to parade their boyfriend and dangle his status. Instead of a look screaming 'my Sergio Rossi boots are so much hotter than your Office rip offs', it's become 'my boyfriend is so much cooler than yours.' The scene backstage at festivals is hilarious; it's like boyfriend trump cards. Front man beats bassist, but lead guitarist of a 'super' band beats pretty much everyone else and so on.

Are these women our generation's women of rock? I don't think so! Groupies and serial daters aren't what they used to be. Looking back at Pamela Des Barres, The Plaster Casters, Jenny Dean and Emeretta Marks, their roles weren't simply as gratuitous sex objects, but far more. They were substitute wives, washing clothes, making sure their tour husband ate properly and it goes without saying, provided the sexual wares, too. It stands to reason that lots of wives join band tours now. It's not uncommon to see the kids running around at sound check. How times have changed...

In Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, author John Shepherd touches on the subject of groupies with an interesting take on the scene; "a lot of groupie identity and activity had to do with female support and most importantly, competition".

This of course, is a given. Every human has a competitive streak, to varying degree. Though taking it further, we're all aware of the groupie heyday being the 60's and 70's. The era of male super group tours. In fact, Shepherd and Sheryl Garratt, a certified and heavily experienced groupie, believe this groupie phenomenon to be closely linked with the secondary role of women during that era."It is best understood in terms of the lack of opportunity for women in 1960's rock culture. With so few role models to follow, to fantasize about being on stage as a female performer may be almost a contradiction in terms. Instead, most of us dreamt of being a pop star's girlfriend; fame and recognition by proxy." Shepherd questioned whether or not, given time and with more women performing on stage, the attitude of 'I can't be on stage, so I'll get as close as I can and date the guy on stage instead', might change. I'm on the fence, Sheppy-boy.

Admittedly, Continuum was written in the early 80's, but can groupies still be summed up as women lacking talent or simply lacking the courage and conviction to follow their dreams, willing to supplement fame and recognition by association? Even now there are wives and girlfriends of band members who are guilty of this... Sad, isn't it. Can we really say it's moved on?

Having said all that, there are some fantastic band girlfriends and wives; genuinely wonderful women and they're the ones who are safe. Their men don't cheat. Why would they? The women they've been blessed with are beautiful, funny, friendly and most of the time very smart cookies. They know the risk they take in their men, but there's obviously something worth doing it for. Love. It gets us all in the end.




So if we can take something from this, I look up to the women of rock, the ones who created a female noise and did it for themselves, without having to suck a lead singers cock in the process. They fought for their dreams and talent. The trailblazers; Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Diana Ross, Janis Ian, Pat Benatar, Alannah Myles, Patti, Dolly, Dusty, Gloria, Joni, Karen, Stevie and Tammy. We owe you big time, ladies. So if you're a girl, are you simply going to kneel down to get a slivered glimpse of the fame and creativity you crave or are you going to forge it for yourself?

And always remember; never date a musician. They go on tour and fuck groupies. 

To read more articles by Steph, click below:

The New Mentalists

Ipod God

Read All About It | Barbie does the 80's

by Little Miss B, 9th Nov 2009...


Ladies of the 80's Collection

Ok. Don't tell anyone but... Am dead excited about this.
Mattel are launching their Ladies of the 80's Collection this winter, featuring Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and Joan Jett.

Admittedly, they look pretty crap, but the idea of owning a Joan Jett figurine really does appeal to me. If you owned all three, you could create your very own 80's tastic lady super-group. Hours of fun.

If only there was a Pat Benatar. Then my life would be complete.