Gary James' Interview With The Author Of
On The Road: A Texas Groupie's Memoir
Linda Chadwick



The title pretty much sums up what Linda Chadwick's book is about. And this woman does have some stories to tell. But first, our questioning leads off about, of all people, Elvis!

Q - You write that your father built the furniture in Elvis' private Lear Jet, the Lisa Marie. Did your father ever meet Elvis? Did he ever have any contact with Elvis?

A - He never had any contact with Elvis. But because my father and my brother had done all the work on the plane, my mother and I got to go to Meachem Field and onto the plane and we got to take pictures and see everything on the place that my father and brother had built, which was really cool. I was very young. The thing that impacted me the most was the fence line of this place. It was an airport. The fencing was huge all the way around. There were women, I mean by the thousands. It was frightening because the screaming and the pushing of the fence. It was like madness. And we had guards with us. They finally came and got us and they said, "Elvis is on his way and so you'll have to get off the plane and leave now." So, we did. I was so scared because I just knew that those women would come running. Of course the fence was up, so they couldn't, but it was still frightening to me. It was a whirlwind experience, but we did get to see him pull up in the limousine and board the plane. So, we did not get to meet him, but that was a pretty monumental thing to happen to a child.

Q - How far away were you when you saw him?

A - Pretty far. It was all about protecting him. At the time, I didn't understand any of it. When I was older it was like I got it, who he was and all of those women.

Q - Did your father ever tell you how he got the job of building the furniture?

A - They (Linda's father and brother) worked at Meachem. Both of them were extremely skilled carpenters. There wasn't anything that my father could not build and make accurately fit where it needed to fit. Not to mention it was of the highest quality, which everything in that plane was the highest quality. The sink was like gold. Everything had to be really fancy. My father was called in specifically to be the one to design and build the furniture. It was an honor for my daddy. He was a fan. Who wasn't a fan of Elvis?

Q - You live in Costa Rica. Have you done any publicity for the book?

A - Yes. We hired a promotion service to do as much promo as possible. Everything was virtual for the book. They did Amazon ads. They booked me on all the podcasts they could book me on. Sadly, it's not taken off like we thought it would. The agency, the printers and the publisher really thought the book would go crazy. It hasn't, but that doesn't mean it still won't. I'm not a famous person,. I'm not Pamela Des Barres, who wanted to live the life all the way to the end. That's not me. I did live it for two, three years there and it was wonderful. It was great, but it wasn't something I wanted to continue doing for my whole life. (laughs) I had other plans for myself. I know I did not want to marry a musician. That was never in the cards. There was only one person I would have fallen for and done it (Vivian Campbell), but it didn't work out for us. I wanted the husband that I knew was going to come home in the afternoon and I was going to be the only one. I didn't want to have to worry about the millions of women that were throwing themselves at him every day. I didn't want to worry about that because I know what happened. I know what went on backstage. (laughs) I didn't want to live like that. I wanted the picket fence and the two kids and the dogs. I wanted a normal life.

Q - Linda, online there are groupie sites where the talk gets pretty down and dirty. Are you familiar with them?

A - No. I've been married thirty plus years. Writing the book, I went to my husband and he knew what I'd done in my past. The first part of our marriage it was a little difficult. There were times he'd turn the radio on and there'd be somebody I knew. (laughs) I tried to stay clean in the book. When I wrote it, I did not write details. I didn't go into it. I kind of left it to the imagination of the reader, which is not hard to figure out what went on at that stage. I tried to stay away from anything of that path because of the respect I guess I have for my husband.

Q - If someone is buying your book expecting to read all about the wild parties and the sex on the road, they're not going to read it in your book.

A - That's probably one reason maybe. I don't know that the book has not done as good as it did. I want to just leave it to the imagination. I told the stories of what all happened, but when it came to the smut, I kind of steered clear of it, just out of respect for my husband. I'm sure he didn't want his family members reading what his wife had done. It's not hard if you read my story. Everyone knows what happened backstage. So, it's kind of easy in your imagination to fill in what actually happened. Another point on that also is out of respect for the musicians as well. I'm still friends with quite a few people that I knew back then. All of them are married and have children. I'm sure their wife and their children, even though I'm sure they know who their father is, don't want to read that either, about their dad or husband.

Q - Looking through your book, I see the photos of you with all these famous musicians and I got the impression you were more of a fan than say a groupie.

A - Yeah, I was a fan and I was a friend. That's the other side of it as well. I think a lot of people don't realize when you're out on the road it can become very lonely and very taxing on a soul and heart. Sometimes all they really want is somebody to talk to and someone to befriend and be able to be themselves and not having to worry about being Bret Michaels. Sometimes it means more to them to just be a friend and hang out and go back to the hotel and play games and read a book together. Be a friend for that period of time. There were plenty of sexual moments that happened throughout my life, but the reason I'm still friends with a lot of 'em is because there was a decency to it. They didn't expect me to throw my clothes off and jump on 'em. I wanted to be their friend as well. I wanted to be there for them to thank them for what they gave to everybody. Because I'm still friends with so many of 'em, they'll tell me that was the reason why. I didn't treat 'em like that. They could get that anytime, but actually meeting somebody and having somebody you could connect with while you're out on the road, that actually means so much more to them. I mean, that's all they want is the sex and to get whatever they can. But for the most part, what I found was it was better to connect with them on a different level. If the sex happened... great! But if it didn't and you were just friends, that was very, very important. I think to be a groupie you have to be a fan. You have to appreciate the music, number one. Their talent, their ability to create. To me, that's how it starts. You have to appreciate who they are and what they do for millions of people.

Q - What is your definition of a groupie?

A - I think a groupie is someone who almost provides a service to a musician or whomever you're a groupie for. I think as a groupie you can go about it anyway you want to. A groupie has to be a fan as well, but I think it's about like an impression you have with someone. Take Elvis. These women were almost obsessive about him. That spawned a groupie, the obsession, being a fan, the deepest, heaviest fan ever. They do provide whatever that person needs. There are groupies that do their laundry for them, run their errands for them. Do something that they need to get done. Take 'em somewhere. It gets boring out on the road. They go from hotel to hotel to arena. There's never anything in between most of the time. They're tired, so the rest is important. So, that's where a groupie comes in. Take 'em to a club or take 'em somewhere. Do something stupid to break the monotony of their life. I think there are perks of being a musician, but it's definitely a hard life. They chose it, but thank goodness they did. But I am a fan, but I was a groupie. I did provide whatever, when I wanted to I did. I was very cautious. I was very choosy. I didn't just with everybody. That person had to be very special for me to do that. But yeah, a groupie is somebody who provides a service. It's like a job kind of. You just don't get paid for it, but you kind of do, I guess. You get to be a part of that world.

Q - Who does a groupie brag to about who she's slept with?

A - There's a circle of people. Sweet Connie. Do you know who I'm referring to?

Q - Absolutely.

A - She was a fourth of fifth grade teacher. (laughs) She was just the sweetest Southern girl. I met her. She was wonderful. But that's what she chose to do with her part-time life. She made herself famous from it. But she was very wild. From what I saw there wasn't anything she wouldn't do. She'd do every single band member in the band and be naked in fromt of a ton of people. That wasn't me. I was very shy. My troupe or my crew, we were different. We weren't trying to make a name for ourselves. We were partying and that's who we wanted to party with. It wasn't about bragging or whatever. That's what we wanted to be a part of. We wanted to be a part of that scene, the music, the bands, the fans. We wanted to be a part of all of that. It was a ride. It was a wild and crazy ride. But, we were of a different class I would say. Backstage, you'd almost be appalled at some of the things you would see. We knew that we weren't like that. We weren't that brazen, I guess is a good word for it.

Q - Was there any concerns among groupies about AIDS or STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)?

A - I suppose there was always a concern of STDs, but the AIDS thing didn't come around or aware of until Freddie Mercury died. I wasn't even aware of that type of thing until Freddie Mercury died. Then it became something that everybody became aware of. I guess it's a risk because when AIDS came about, a lot of things changed. I mean, by that time I had already walked away from it all. I walked away from it in '87, '88. I was no longer a part of the scene, but when Freddie died we all ran and did the test, just to make sure. It was not only sexually, but you could get it through drugs. His (Freddie Mercury) was from needles and drug use and things like that. It was something that became very fearful and you ran and got the test and made sure that you didn't have it, especially me because I had quit doing the wild stuff and everything. But what's funny is, I don't think it changed very much. Maybe everybody would use a condom, but as an outsider looking in, looking through the window at it after it had already stopped for me, and I saw what was continuing to happen. I don't think it stopped a whole lot. It still went on. It wasn't going t change the way things had been taking place for many, many years. It was still going to go on. It's still a thing. People are still groupies. It still happens. I don't think it changed a whole lot. When you do that, it's a risk that you know could automatically happen. It was scary, but you took the risk. You were young. And now you look back at things like that, a lot of things, not just the sex, and you think, "I can't believe I did that." It's funny how you look back and think, "Would I have changed some things?" No. It was living. You take a chance and do what you want to do.

Q - Linda, at the end of the day, what has it meant to you to meet all these famous musicians?

A - It's been an honor to have been a part of an era and to have met these musicians and the talent that I got to experience, the kindness that I got to experience from so many of them. It's been an honor. I would always thank them so much for allowing me, this little Texas girl, to be a part of something that was bigger than what my life was. It was wonderful and I wouldn't change a thing. There wasn't one itty-bitty thing that I would change because everything happens for a reason and I believe it sculpted me in to the person I am today. I'd tell all of 'em, "Thank you for allowing me to be part of the ride."

© Gary James. All rights reserved.

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