Sunday, May 22, 2011

Young Lust

Legendary party girl and one-time girlfriend to some of rock n' roll's hardest-living bad boys, California-bred Sable Starr lost her virginity to Iggy Pop at age 13 (which just sounds sick to me, nowadays), and was the most salient and recognizable face of the new group of baby groupies that prowled the Sunset Strip in the early 70's.  She was best friends with Lori Mattix, and together they became regulars at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, where they enchanted Led Zeppelin and other rockers, and called out rude remarks to former GTO Miss Pamela, who had dated Jimmy Page and was then the ripe old age of 25.  When the New York Dolls came to LA, Sable and friends waited by their hotel to give them a warm welcome, and to pick out the Doll they desired. For Sable, it was guitarist Johnny Thunders, and it began their tumultuous two year, coast-crossing romance. 

Ultimately, Sable was a tragic figure, disappearing from "the scene" when she was still a teenager.  She died two years ago of a brain tumor.

Here are the scans I've collected of Miss Starr and Lori (and a couple of Miss Pamela).  Please credit if you re-post, and let me know if you want me to email you bigger versions of the files (I resized them, as usual, for this blog).

Sable (far left) with Lori (right, smiling) and friends:
With Led Zeppelin.  Morgana Welch is also here (center):
David Johansen (foreground) and party-girl Sable dancing on the table at Max's:
Jimmy Page and Miss Pamela circa 1973:
Rodney, Jimmy, Miss Pamela and Lori:
Miss Pamela with Alice Cooper:
Punk rock love affair - Johnny Thunders & Sable Starr:
Sable with pal Debbie Harry circa 1977-1978, around the time she "retired":
all photos courtesy of/scanned from Bob Gruen's Dolls book or Creem magazine

9 comments:

  1. Hi Leith!
    Here is Little Queenie #1 :)
    I am a member of a Sable starr yahoo group, can I repost your scans (always crediting you and your blog)? They are simply amazing!!
    Or you can do it yourself, if you want! :)
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sablestarr/
    Keep on with your blog!! love youu!!!!

    Violet :)

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  2. Hey Violet!

    Sure, go ahead and post them if you want! Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope some of those Sable pics are ones you haven't seen! A couple are from very rare mags. <3

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  3. Thanks darling!! xoxoxox

    Violet :)

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  6. I'm writing a post on groupies and wanted to use some of your scans. Can I use your scans?

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  7. I love rock n roll and I hope you keep growing this collection. The world seemed a better place before all the fun was drained from from the pop/rock scene and it all became business and pretentious battles for social media street cred. Thanks for reminding us what rock was all about...

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