Pamela Ann Des Barres (nee Miller, aka Miss Pamela) graduated from Northridge Junior High and Cleveland High in Los Angeles with Linda Sue Parker (aka Miss Sparkie), although they walked on opposite sides of the campus. They became besties later and together they hung out on Sunset Strip meeting the likes of Vito Paulekas and his dance troupe plus Lucy Selenia Offerrall, Sandra Lynn Rowe and Christine Ann Frka, who together formed the Laurel Canyon Ballet Company. Frka was Moon’s live-in nanny at the Log Cabin. When Zappa added Mercy Fontenot and Cynthia Sue Wells (aka Cynderella) to the line-up, they became The GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously).

Pamela (along with Sparkie) provided most of the recitation on The GTOs 1969 Zappa-produced album Permanent Damage. She can also be heard on An Evening With Wild Man Fischer (1969), the 200 Motels 50th Anniversary Edition (2021) and Whisky A Go Go, 1968 (2024). She can be seen in the 1971 200 Motels movie (as The Rock ’N Roll Interviewer), Video From Hell (1987), The True Story Of 200 Motels (1989) and Roxy—The Movie (2015).

After The GTOs reunited for a one-off show in 1974, Pamela continued to work for the Zappa family as ‘governess’ to Dweezil and Moon Unit. She famously went on to form friendships with many musical artists, becoming romantically linked with the likes of Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, Noel Redding, Chris Hillman and Don Johnson, as well as having brief dalliances with Howard Kaylan and Rubén Guevara.

Frank always encouraged her to keep a diary, which would help her write her first bestselling memoir, I’m With The Band: Confessions Of A Groupie (1987).

She has since written four more books: Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart: A Groupie Grows Up (1993); Rock Bottom: Dark Moments In Music Babylon (1996); Let’s Spend The Night Together: Backstage Secrets Of Rock Muses And Supergroupies (2007), which includes a chapter about her friendship with Gail Zappa; and Let It Bleed: How To Write A Rockin’ Memoir (2017). She also published an eBook in 2012, One Night Bands, made up of outtakes from Let’s Spend the Night Together.

Miss Pamela has written extensively about her time with The GTOs and the Zappas in the above-mentioned books, as well as in her liner notes for the 200 Motels box set and the Whisky album. With her being a special guest at Zappanale in 2026, I thought I’d probe her some more anyway.

What more can you tell me about Davy Jones, who composed some of the music on Permanent Damage – aside from he’s not the guy from the Monkees!
Davy was a tall gorgeous black gay man I danced with at the clubs and we became good pals. He was teaching me to play piano for awhile. I wish it had stuck. He just disappeared into the smoky ethers like so many back in the day.

Any idea what the likelihood of Permanent Damage being reissued is?
I’ve begged Ahmet Zappa endlessly, especially after Joe played me some outrageous outtakes, including Frank’s interviews with each of us. I’m talking way way, far out chit-chats and even some music by us that wasn’t included. Ahmet makes positive comments about how great it would be to have the album re-released with added bonuses, but so far no dice.

Having bought Frank’s Roxy & Elsewhere album on release in 1974, I was surprised to see you in the movie when it was finally unleashed in 2015. How did that come about?
He invited me onstage and gave me directions to blatantly hit on each member of the band, entice them with my sexy charm. But unknown to me, he had told all of them to completely ignore me. Such a wicked sense of humour! Ouch!

Did you attend the 200 Motels – The Suites performance in LA in 2013, with your former hubby as Rance Muhammitz?
No I was out of town! Bummer! I’ve heard it though. Michael, as usual, did a splendid job. He was spending a lot of time with Gail.

I understand you have been tasked with finishing off Cynthia PlasterCaster’s memoirs – any idea when that might be completed?
I haven’t decided how to make it work as she hadn’t written much of it. I do have all her casting notes and I’m thinking now it would make a fabulous comic book! Imagine the imagery!

Oh that would be cool! Maybe someone like Fantoons could do it.
    You first attended Zappanale in 2002, where you memorably danced on stage during The Grandmothers set. What can we expect from you this time around?
I’m open to anything! I know I’m doing a reading with a Q&A. And will be part of a rock opera. I hope to mingle with Zappa fans! I’m glad I’m still alive to do my best bringing the glory of Frank Zappa to the people who ‘get’ him! What an honour.

Looking forward to it. Any news on I’m With The Band finally hitting our screens any time soon?
I’ve had it optioned a dozen times from Netflix to HBO. Free love/sex scares folks in the USA. Hopefully the 13th time will be the charm!

Fingers crossed. You’ve now written five books – what’s the next one about?
Sex, God and Rock & Roll is about my lifelong spiritual search. I’ve tried it all from being born again to casting spells. I consider myself to be a Christian Buddhist these days. All the great masters were telling us the same thing the Beatles said – all you need is love! We really are All One.