Lynx and Chanty, the bad-girls behind Muses [“The podcast that celebrates the stories of Rock and Roll’s legendary Muses and Groupies!”], have both had the immense opportunity to meet and interview with some of the most influential Rockstar muses and musicians from its early inception in late 2016.
From Bobbie Brown and Jo Wood to Bif Naked and Sass Jordan, Muses have been keen on highlighting the voices and experiences of women behind – and in front of – some of the most prominent songs spanning across decades. While these anthems were made in part to inspire audiences, Lynx and Chanty make a point in promoting those who galvanized the artists who created them.
What first interested you in muses and groupie culture?
Lynx: “I’ve been passionate about music since I was a kid, and it was probably around 11 or 12, when I first began going online, that I became interested in Muses. I’d look up my rock n roll heroes and see these incredible women next to them in photos which peaked my interest. Who were these women? How did they fit into the rock n roll equation? I’d seek out more photos and information but found it quite difficult. That’s when a friend of mine and I created a livejournal group called Vintage Groupies. We, along with over a thousand other LJ users created a community where we shared as much information and as many photos as we could on these incredible women. It just kept growing from there.”
What inspired you to create a podcast, and when and how did you get started?
Chanty: “I created the podcast in the summer of 2016. I took some time off to take care of some family issues and to keep myself sane I was writing every morning. Just anything that came to me, stories of my childhood that stood out, students from my past teaching career who had made an impact. What I realized after going over them is that the bulk of the stories had to do with times I travelled with bands, shows that I had gone to and experiences I had dating and frolicking with musicians. I thought about what I could do with all of this. Either nothing, self-publish, or create a blog. At this time podcasts weren’t huge like they are, even 3 years ago so I hadn’t thought about it until my (now) boyfriend who came to visit me heard what I was doing and showed me two different female fronted podcasts. I thought, “that’s it, that’s how I’m going to tell these stories”. Once I had the idea, I had to figure out how the hell to make a podcast, so I just started googling.
Back then we didn’t even have a theme song, and now we are on a huge network and have been nominated for awards!
I began it alone although I always wanted a co-host. The first 10 episodes are me and a guest, usually a musician friend and I would tell them a story about a muse. For episode 11 I wanted to cover Marianne Faithful and had checked her book out of the library 3 times and just couldn’t open the book. I reached out to our groupie group of friends and asked if anyone wanted to tell ME a story, and they all recommended LYNX. The rest is history.
The listeners I did have at the time loved her, she ended up coming on every second episode, and by episode 22 I realized she was the co host I was always looking for. Back then we didn’t even have a theme song, and now we are on a huge network and have been nominated for awards!”
Who was your favourite muse/artist to interview and why?
Chanty: “TOUGH question because every woman (and man!) brings such a unique perspective and really has profound things to add to music history, and humanity in general. It’s no secret that I am an enormous Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fan, so interviewing Alice Carbone Tench, the wife of Benmont Tench of that band, was a dream. She has a heart of gold and such important things to say, her words heal.
Also, we were sent an angel by the name of Jon Scott who actually launched the Heartbreakers career when their first album wasn’t getting played. I’ve gotten some of the best feedback on that episode because it was so genuine and close to our hearts. Again, we plan on meeting up this summer!
It’s hard to choose and leave anyone out because they all mean so much.
Then we have people like Jenny Boyd who was in India with the BEATLES and had George Harrison and Eric Clapton as brother in laws. Hello, that is beyond mind blowing. And she’s so smart and talented in her own right and doing great things for her community and the mental wellness world. It’s hard to choose and leave anyone out because they all mean so much. After every interview Lynx and I high-five and say ‘that was the best one yet!’ every time.”.
Lynx: “This is such a tough one! Our first interview was with Pleasant Gehman, someone I deeply admire and who was the first person I thought of when I joined Chanty on this journey. I am super grateful to Pleasant, she is such an incredible woman and I feel blessed to know her!
To go from admirer, to student, to interviewing the Queen herself… that was most definitely a magical moment.
Another milestone was talking with Jo Wood. The previous year I had read her book and presented an episode on her and almost exactly one year later we were chatting with her about her experiences.
And of course, our recent interview with Pamela Des Barres was also a favourite of mine. To go from admirer, to student, to interviewing the Queen herself… that was most definitely a magical moment. The truth is every interview we do feels like a massive blessing. We’ve had the pleasure of connecting with some incredible people and I cherish every one of them!”
Why do you think that Muses are so relevant, and are they underrepresented in contemporary rock music?
Lynx: “Muses are most definitely under-appreciated and underrepresented in rock n roll history. Many had more of an impact then people give them credit for. Not only did many of these people inspire some of the greatest artists and music of our time, they also helped shape the culture around them. If the GTO’s hadn’t put makeup on Alice Cooper and his band, would we have KISS? If Keith Richards hadn’t been stealing clothes out of his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg’s closet would we have glam rock? These women (and sometimes men!) inspired the artists around them and the artist brought that to the mainstream.”
As far as workflow is concerned, where do you get the bulk of your research?
Chanty: “Books, books, books, articles we find on the internet and then the people themselves! We try and find a variety of sources. For example, before we interviewed Jenny Boyd I read her book as well as crossed it with Mick Fleetwood’s. They were married and had children together, so I wanted to share his experience meeting her, her experience marrying him, and then of course a year or so later we got to ask her herself.
We do our homework and ask them unique questions, because we care about their experience
Luckily Lynx and I are interested in different eras of rock and roll history, so we tend to seek out different subject matter and end up educating each other – as well as our listeners – while covering a [hopefully] large chunk of rock n roll history. If we’re interviewing someone, we like to do our research. If they’ve written a book, we read it. If they’ve been on previous podcasts, we listen to them. We do our homework and ask them unique questions, because we care about their experience and we hope to build lasting connections with them as we follow and support each other’s careers.”
If you were to gag and die to get an interview with someone, who would it be?
Lynx: “I’m listing more than one just to put this out into the universe… Marianne Faithfull, Linda Ramone, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith and Courtney Love.”
Chanty: “Priscilla Presley (and any woman who has had a relationship with Elvis), Patti Scialfa, Lori Mattix, Cynthia Plaster Caster, and Catherine James.”
Lynx: “Cherry Vanilla! Pattie Boyd!”
Chanty: “Angela Bowie! Elvira! Chris O’Dell!”
Lynx: “The list goes on…”
Chanty: “…We have a lot of work left to do!”
May the history of rock n roll and the prominent people behind the music live on in Muses. You can follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
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