Join us as Dylan Tupper Rupert, creator of KCRW's Lost Notes: Groupies – Women of the Sunset Strip, From the Pill to Punk, takes us on a journey through the untold stories of the women who defined an era and the iconic places of LA’s Sunset Strip that served as the stage for a cultural revolution.
Dylan Tupper Rupert of KCRW's Lost Notes: Groupies, pictured here with celebrated purveyor of all things culture, Dip The Dog.
Hey Angelenos!
Welcome back for Part 2 of our Lost Notes: GROUPIES Feature. ! As most of you already know, here at LA Explained, we love peeling back the layers of LA’s cultural history, and few places captivate us like the Sunset Strip. From its glitzy glam rock heyday to its gritty punk evolution, this iconic stretch of West Hollywood has been the setting for some of rock and roll’s most legendary tales. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome Dylan Tupper Rupert, host and co-writer of KCRW’s acclaimed podcast series Lost Notes: Groupies – Women of the Sunset Strip, From the Pill to Punk, as our latest guest blogger!
Dylan’s eight-episode podcast reframes the lives of the so-called “groupies” who shaped LA’s music scene in the late 1960s and 1970s. With a sharp lens and empathetic storytelling, Lost Notes: Groupies dives into the intersecting lives of Lori Mattix, Sable Starr, Pamela Des Barres, Dee Dee Keel, and more. These are stories of ambition, humor, resilience, and agency—offering a long-overdue recognition of the women whose influence was far more than proximity to stardom.
Dylan goes beyond the mythology of rock n’ roll to explore how these women’s experiences were shaped by the culture and geography of Los Angeles itself. From zoning quirks to suburban sprawl, Lost Notes: Groupies uncovers the conditions that made the Strip a hub of creativity, rebellion, and connection. It’s a local story that lays bare the complexities of freedom, ambition, and artistry against the backdrop of a city that is ever-evolving.
Much like us at LA Explained, Dylan’s work celebrates the hidden narratives that make LA’s cultural fabric so fascinating and complex. Join us as Dylan shares her favorite discoveries, the LA landmarks that still carry echoes of this extraordinary time, and the untold stories of the women who helped define a pivotal era in music history.
Welcome, Dylan! Take it away.
-LA EXPLAINED
The Whisky - 1975. Photo by Robert Landau.
Hi, LA Explained!
I’m Dylan Tupper Rupert, the host of the new season of KCRW’s music history podcast, Lost Notes GROUPIES: Women of the Sunset Strip from the Pill to Punk. It’s all about the infamous girls who were most intimate with rock n roll as its mythology was being built in real time–and we talked to those VIP girls themselves about what it was like to be there, being themselves.
One of my most favorite undercurrents of this story is this remarkable, and somewhat surprising, historical fact – which is that, for a big part of the 20th century, there was a vibrant and walkable all-ages music scene right in the middle of Hollywood.
So in every way, it’s a show about sex, drugs, and rock n roll…but it also is a true LA story. There are fascinating and deeply local reasons this groupie scene peaked in Hollywood – and our eight episodes delve right into it!
Peel back the layers of glamor one or two sheets and there are a few fascinating answers about how this legendary rock n roll scene, full of the world’s most famous musicians meeting America’s most intrepid young girls (for better or for worse…), came to be. And it’s not just because Led Zeppelin loved LA, or that the girls were extra-beautiful children of the models and actors, or because Laurel Canyon was some spiritually-ordained site of songwriting.
It was also because of really sexy reasons like…zoning! Policing! Suburban sprawl! Car culture and pedestrian culture! Ooooh! All these features of LA geography, culture, and infrastructure helped shape the conditions of the Strip scene as much as the vibes and drugs and sexual freedom did. We went deep into the research wormhole on this, and it was so fascinating.
Okay, so here are some of my favorite examples. West Hollywood was not incorporated until the mid-1980s. That meant that it was the jurisdiction of the sheriff, not the LAPD, so it was long a place to have…certain kinds of fun. I always thought the Strip was notorious just because it was Hollywood’s playground by proximity; no, there are LITERAL districting reasons!
Or, take the topographical reality of the Valley, and the thrilling act of coming over the hill, winding through Laurel Canyon, to get to the Strip. Connections were made by suburban kids just hitchhiking into where the action was – sometimes that “stumbling into the right place at the right time” kind of folklore happens on four wheels.
Or, consider today how truly atomized the LA music scene, with clubs scattered across Hollywood, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Highland Park…you commute to go to the gig. Back then, all the rock n roll nightlife was happening right there on that singular 1.7 stretch of West Hollywood – and so one thing led to another, night after night, for decades.
As we tracked the development of the groupie phenomenon alongside the broader evolution of rock culture on the Strip, there were some pivotal places where the scene went to become itself. Here are some of the iconic venues you can still visit today…
#1: THE WHISKY A GO-GO
The Whisky - 1973. Photo via Vintag.es
While the rock n roll here leans more relic than relevant these days, the history at the Whisky a Go-Go is palpable and special to experience, nonetheless. This was the site of so many of our groupie girl’s origin stories, in addition to some of the most iconic and mythic flashpoints of rock music’s evolution.
#2: THE RAINBOW BAR & GRILL
The Rainbow Bar & Grill - 1980. Photo by Roy Hankey.
So, the vibes in here are kinda Hard Rock Cafe-cornball, as the Rainbow seems to be in an era of self-memorialization. BUT–it’s still the legendary Rainbow, and it’s still here! That’s amazing for ever-changing West Hollywood! Just going upstairs to the bathroom, passing the secret little booth where the original Hollywood Vampires used to hang out, feels like you’re tromping through history.
#3: LAUREL CANYON COUNTRY STORE
The Laurel Canyon Country Store Circa 1968 - Photo via Flickr
The little corner store that was the center of the Laurel Canyon scene is still fully themed in a way that feels delightful, if not a little kitschy. Across the street is the property formerly known as the Log Cabin, the Zappa family stead, countercultural hub, and birthplace of the GTO’s, the band Frank formed that included Pamela Des Barres and her clique of bohemian groupies.
#4: ANDAZ, THE FORMER CONTINENTAL HYATT HOUSE (AKA "RIOT HOUSE" )
The Continental Hyatt House - aka Riot House - 1974. Photo by Albert Moote.
My most favorite behind-the-scenes trivia here – Lori Lightning, most infamous of the Baby Groupies, who became famous for practically being stowed away here by her lover, 29 year old Jimmy Page when she was just 14 – eek – her husband? Her husband worked for the architecture firm that did the remodel of the Hyatt House, when it became the Andaz.
#5: THE CHATEAU MARMONT
The Chateau Marmont Postcard - Image Via Water & Power Associates
The keeper of all of Hollywood’s secrets, the institution of behind-the-scenes partying. Though many bands like Led Zeppelin ditched the Chateau for the even wilder kicks on offer at the Riot House, nowhere continues on the legend in real-time the way the Chateau does.
READ PART 1:
If you missed Part 1 of this 2-part feature, click the images below to catch up on some of the women who helped redefine rock & roll culture in LA! The late ’60s and ’70s transformed LA’s Sunset Strip into the epicenter of rock and roll—a neon-lit playground where rebellion, glamour, and music collided in electrifying harmony.
Icons like Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones may have ruled the stage, but just beyond the spotlight stood a group of bold, unforgettable women who truly shaped the scene: The Groupies. Far from passive fans, these are the women who got under the skin of rock’s biggest stars, and left their marks on history like a new tattoo.
LISTEN NOW :
Step into the golden age of LA’s Rock & Roll scene, through the eyes of the rule-breaking, history-making women who lived it. Click [here] to listen to the trailer, or click below to subscribe to the series and listen to full episodes!
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