Remembering Josie + The Pussy Cats (Part Two)
VARIATIONS ON A THEME CALLED
P U S S Y R I O T !
THE SECRET HISTORY OF
JOSIE + THE PUSSY CATS
SECOND VARIATION:
1971
IF YOU WERE SURPRISED BY SOME OF THE REVELATIONS YOU HEARD LAST WEEK, YOU WILL BE ABSOLUTELY STUNNED BY WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THIS THREE-PART PODCAST! MOST OF WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE AND HEAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN THE PUBLIC RECORD BEFORE. LET'S PICK UP CHEYENNE'S STORY IN EARLY 1971 . . .
THE PUSSY CATS AND LAURA MIX IT DOWN
FOR REASONS I'LL DISCUSS LATER, WOMEN DIDN'T LIKE WORKING FOR DON IGNACIO RABO VERDE. THEY GAVE HIM A LOT OF CREDIT, THOUGH: HE KNEW WHEN A WOMAN WAS TALENTED, AND HE'D USE HER TALENTS WHEREVER THEY WERE BEST SUITED. DUDE NEVER GAVE A SECOND THOUGHT TO PUTTING WOMEN IN "MEN'S" JOBS! LAURA PINTO IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT.
DANNY J PRODUCED THE PUSSY CATS' VOCALS, BUT LAURA WAS IN CHARGE OF THE MUSIC OVERALL. SHE WAS SUPERVISING ENGINEER ON ALL THE TRACKS. BABE WAS DELIGHTED TO BE WORKING WITH A FEMALE ACT FOR A CHANGE; JOSIE, MEL AND VAL BONDED WITH LAURA IMMEDIATELY, AND ALL OF THEM CONSIDERED HER A MENTOR. DON IGNACIO OCCASIONALLY HORNED IN, DICTATING CHANGES, BUT FOR THE MOST PART HE LEFT RECORD PRODUCTION IN LAURA'S CAPABLE HANDS.
AS TIME WENT ON, SHE BEGAN TO SOLICIT THE PUSSY CATS' INPUT. IT WASN'T UNUSUAL TO SEE ALL FOUR WOMEN SITTING IN THE ENGINEER'S BOOTH, ANIMATEDLY DISCUSSING A SOUND MIX. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PUSSY CATS INSISTED ON HAVING INPUT INTO THE PRODUCTION OF THEIR RECORDS. THIS CAUSED FRICTION WITH SOME OF THE PRODUCERS THEY WORKED WITH LATER ON!
JOSIE TOLD ME: "MEN IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY EXPECTED WOMEN TO SING OR PLAY WHAT AND WHEN THEY WERE TOLD TO! THEN WE WERE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE EVERYTHING ELSE UP TO THEM. LAURA URGED US TO COMPLAIN IF WE WEREN'T SATISFIED WITH SOMETHING. 'IT'S YOUR CAREER!' SHE STRESSED. 'RECORD EXECUTIVES HAVE FAR LESS TO LOSE THAN YOU DO.' VALERIE, IN PARTICULAR, TOOK HER ADVICE TO HEART. SHE WOULD INSIST ON FINAL APPROVAL OF THE MIXES!"
LAURA PINTO TAUGHT HER THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING CREATIVE CONTROL. IT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING A SERIOUS RECORDING ARTIST OR JUST ANOTHER ACT THAT COMES AND GOES! JOSIE LOVED TO RECORD, AND SHE DEFINITELY PLANNED ON STICKING AROUND FOR A WHILE.
CLARENCE McDONALD MAKES THE SCENE
YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CLARENCE McDONALD? WELL, HE'D BEEN IRENE BANG'S LONGTIME MUSIC DIRECTOR. THE TWO OF THEM WENT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE YEARS WHEN SHE STAGED FLOOR SHOWS FOR CHINESE NIGHTCLUBS. WHEN THE PUSSY CATS LANDED THEIR EXTENDED GIG AT IRENE'S FIREHOUSE DISCO, THEY STARTED WORKING WITH HIM. THEY LOVED THE FUNKY BEAT OF HIS MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS, AND I DID, TOO: THEY REMINDED ME OF SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE.
IN 1971 AT JOSIE'S INSISTENCE, CLARENCE REPLACED ALEXANDRA AS VOCAL COACH AT REHEARSALS. SHE JUST COULDN'T TAKE XANDIE'S BOSSY PERSONALITY ANYMORE! THE PUSSY CATS STARTED REHEARSING AT HIS HOUSE IN WATTS INSTEAD OF AT HER MANSION. XANDIE CLAIMED SHE WAS SCARED TO GO TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT I KNEW BETTER. SHE WAS JUST BEING SPITEFUL!
HER REACTION TO BEING REPLACED WAS: "FUCK JOSIE + THE PUSSY CATS! I'M GOING TO USE MY TALENTS FOR MY OWN BENEFIT." SHE ASKED ME TO COLLABORATE WITH HER ON A SONG SHE WAS WRITING FOR HER OWN RECORDING DATE. WE DID TRY, BUT OUR WRITING STYLES WERE JUST TOO DIFFERENT! COLLINS GREGORY AND I SANG BACKGROUND AT THE SINGLES SESSION DON IGNACIO SET UP FOR XANDIE; SHE AND LAURA PINTO WERE THE PRODUCERS. TWO ALEXANDRA SOLO SINGLES CAME OUT OF IT, BUT "BACKFIELD IN MOTION" (WHICH THE PUSSY CATS PERFORMED LIVE BUT NEVER RECORDED) AND "GETTIN' MIGHTY CROWDED" NEVER GOT PLAYED ANYWHERE.
HOT VOODOO, ALEXANDRA STYLE!
THE RUMORS ABOUT ALEXANDRA CABOT PRACTICING VOODOO ARE ABSOLUTELY TRUE! I KNOW THAT BECAUSE, AT HER INVITATION, I ONCE ATTENDED ONE OF HER SECRET CEREMONIES. XANDIE BELIEVED THERE WERE LINKS BETWEEN AFRICAN AND NATIVE-AMERICAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICE: SHE WOULD AUGMENT AFRO-CUBAN RITUALS WITH ANCIENT RITES SHE LEARNED FROM HER AZTEC GREAT-GRANDMOTHER.
I AGREED TO WITNESS A VOODOO INITIATION. IT WAS HELD IN A SUB-BASEMENT CHAMBER DEEP BELOW THE CABOT MANSION. BEING NATIVE AMERICAN, I WAS FAMILIAR WITH TRIBAL RELIGIOUS RITUALS BUT FRANKLY, THIS WAS FRIGHTENING: SPIRIT POSSESSION AND ANIMAL SACRIFICES! YIPE!
THE ASSEMBLED BELIEVERS TREATED XANDIE LIKE SOME KIND OF HIGH PRIESTESS, AND HER CAT SEBASTIAN WAS LOOKED UPON AS A RELIGIOUS ICON. I'LL NEVER FORGET HOW HIS GREEN EYES BURNED AND FLASHED IN THE DARK; HE WAS LAYING ON THE SACRIFICIAL ALTAR NEXT TO A HUMAN SKULL! IT REALLY SHOOK ME UP. I SENSED THAT XANDIE WANTED TO INITIATE ME, BUT ONE TIME IN THAT UNDERGROUND ROOM WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH: I NEVER ATTENDED THOSE RITES AGAIN!
LOVE BRIDGES THE COLOR DIVIDE
WHILE HIS TWIN SISTER WAS CUTTING FLOP SINGLES AND OFFICIATING VOODOO CEREMONIES, LEX CABOT HAD ROMANCE ON HIS MIND. DURING THE SECOND SEASON OF "JOSIE + THE PUSSY CATS" WE ALL BECAME AWARE OF HIS HUGE CRUSH ON VALERIE! THEIR COURTSHIP WAS THE CLASSIC HE-DIGS-HER-BUT-SHE-CAN'T-STAND-HIM SCENARIO, BUT IT WAS COMPLICATED BY RACIAL ISSUES.
BOTH OF THEM WERE OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN DESCENT, BUT LEX AND ALEXANDRA'S FAMILY ROOTS ARE MOSTLY IN FRANCE AND SPAIN. VAL'S PARENTS WERE AFRO-MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS FROM VERA CRUZ. HE STARTED IN FLIRTING WITH HER BUT GOT OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT WITH A REALLY STUPID LINE: "I TOTALLY DIG BLACK CHICKS! THE DARKER THE BETTER!" VAL WAS, LIKE, "SERIOUSLY, DUDE?" SHE KEPT HIM AT ARM'S LENGTH AND INSISTED THEIR RELATIONSHIP BE CONFINED TO BUSINESS. NO BIG SURPRISE!
LEX NEVER GAVE UP WHEN HE WANTED SOMETHING, AND HIS FUTURE WIFE WAS NO EXCEPTION; BUT HE HAD A HARD TIME CONVINCING VAL THAT HIS ATTRACTION TO HER WASN'T JUST ABOUT SKIN COLOR. IT WASN'T UNTIL SHE NEARLY DIED FROM A DRUG OVERDOSE (AND I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT THAT LATER) THAT THE ICE WAS BROKEN BETWEEN THEM. AFTER HE SHOWED SO MUCH DEVOTION DURING HER RECOVERY, SHE SAW THAT HE REALLY LOVED HER! THEY FINALLY STARTED DATING, AND IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THEY GOT ENGAGED. LEX AND VAL WERE A HAPPILY MARRIED COUPLE FOR OVER 50 YEARS. THEIR DAUGHTER, DELANEY CABOT, IS MY GODDAUGHTER, YOU KNOW. SHE JUST DECLARED HER CANDIDACY FOR MAYOR OF RIVERDALE!
VALERIE VS. GAY PRIDE
DESPITE BEING A VETERAN OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS WHEN SHE JOINED THE PUSSY CATS, VALERIE HAD LIVED A VERY SHELTERED LIFE. SHE WAS NAIVE ABOUT SEX AND GENDER DIVERSITY. INITIALLY, SHE WAS FREAKED OUT BY THE FREEWHEELING SEXUALITY OF HER NEW COLLEAGUES!
IT UPSET HER WHEN SHE LEARNED ABOUT ME (I IDENTIFIED AS A LESBIAN THEN) AND ABOUT MEL'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH DAGMAR DIAMOND; BUT THE ONE WHO REALLY SHOCKED VAL WAS COLLINS G! DUDE WAS GAY AND PROUD IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES AND OPENLY CARRYING ON AFFAIRS WITH SEVERAL MEN. ONE OF THEM WAS TY YOUNGBLOOD, THE FLAUTIST IN THE PUSSY CATS' TOURING BAND.
RAISED IN A CONSERVATIVE CATHOLIC CHURCH, VAL BELIEVED THAT SAME-SEX LOVE WAS SINFUL. SHE CONFRONTED THEM! COLLINS WAS A FORMER MUSLIM. HE'D COME TO TERMS WITH RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY YEARS EARLIER, AND HE REFUSED TO BE SHAMED. I KNOW THAT HE AND TY HAD SOME RATHER HEATED DISCUSSIONS WITH VAL; BUT THOSE DEBATES LED HER TO QUESTION HER CHURCH'S TEACHINGS. AFTER JUST A FEW WEEKS, SHE STOPPED BEING SO JUDGMENTAL. VALERIE BECOME CLOSE FRIENDS WITH BOTH TY AND COLLINS. ESPECIALLY COLLINS!
THEIR PERSONALITIES WERE DIFFERENT, BUT HE AND VAL WERE ALIKE IN MANY WAYS: ABUNDANTLY TALENTED, STAUNCHLY ETHICAL, HIGHLY OPINIONATED AND DEEPLY SPIRITUAL. BOTH OF THEM WERE ON A QUEST FOR PEACE, WISDOM AND TRUTH. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY FOUND JUST THE OPPOSITE!
SWAMI SUNSHINE: GOOD CAT OR BAD CAT?
SWAMI SUNSHINE WAS ONE OF MANY INDIAN GURUS WHO FASCINATED HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES IN THE LATE ‘60S AND EARLY '70S. HE WASN’T ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR, THOUGH; HIS ASHRAM ONLY HAD ABOUT 50 OR SO MEMBERS! THAT MAY HAVE BEEN BECAUSE HIS TEACHINGS WERE SO UNORTHODOX.
NOT FOR HIM THE STRICT, SPARTAN PHILOSOPHIES OTHER GURUS PREACHED! SUNSHINE URGED HIS FLOCK TO GO FOR THE PLEASURES OF THE FLESH: PUBLIC SEX, RECREATIONAL DRUGS, THE PURSUIT OF RICHES AND ALL KINDS OF DECADENCE. HE DIRECTED THEM TO BE "UNBRIDLED AND UNASHAMED" IN THEIR CARNAL APPETITES; THE CONSCIOUS PURSUIT OF PLEASURE, HE CLAIMED, WAS THE SUREST PATH TO SPIRITUAL FULFILLMENT.
MOST OF HIS FOLLOWERS WERE HIPPIES, BUT QUITE A FEW WORKED IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. VALERIE AND COLLINS WERE TWO OF THE LATTER. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT EITHER ONE WOULD GO FOR HIS KIND OF MESSAGE, BUT YOU KNOW . . . IT WAS THE '70s! PEOPLE'S MINDS WERE OPEN TO NEW POSSIBILITIES.
IN VAL'S CASE, THE SWAMI'S MESSAGE FILLED THE VOID THAT WAS LEFT WHEN SHE TURNED AWAY FROM CATHOLICISM. HER STRONG SENSE OF PROPRIETY AND CONSERVATIVE NATURE PROVED NO MATCH FOR HIS RHETORICAL SKILL AND POWERFUL PERSONAL CHARISMA! BABE NOT ONLY FELL UNDER HIS SPELL, SHE ALSO FELL HARD FOR HIM!
SWAMI SUNSHINE DECLARED VALERIE "HIS FAVORITE" AND DREW HER INTO A PASSIONATE SEXUAL AFFAIR. WE WATCHED IN ALARM AS SHE BECAME INCREASINGLY OBSESSED WITH HIM. SHE TOLD US: "MY SWAMI HAS SHOWN ME THE LIGHT OF TRUTH, AND I'M GOING TO FOLLOW HIM WHEREVER HE LEADS ME." BEFORE LONG, SHE WAS GIVING MOST OF HER TIME AND ALL HER EARNINGS TO HIS MINISTRY!
COLLINS G WAS NEVER AS INTENSE IN HIS DEVOTION TO THE SWAMI. HE HAD A STRONG SELF-PRESERVATION INSTINCT THAT KEPT HIM GROUNDED: DUDE COULD BE LED ASTRAY, BUT NOT FOR LONG! FOLLOWING THOSE HEDONISTIC TEACHINGS GAVE HIM A SERIOUS HASHISH ADDICTION, BUT COLLINS SUCCESSFULLY KICKED THAT HABIT. ONCE HE WAS CLEAN, HE GREW WARY OF THE SWAMI AND HIS ORGANIZATION.
"TIME TO LOVE" + THREE
THE PUSSY CATS' EARLY SINGLES HAD ESTABLISHED VAL AS THEIR LEAD VOCALIST, BUT SUDDENLY SHE WASN'T AVAILABLE TO RECORD! NEARLY ALL OF HER TIME WAS TAKEN UP BY ACTIVITIES AT SUNSHINE TEMPLE. SHE MISSED A LOT OF REHEARSALS, TOO. DON IGNACIO WAS READY TO FIRE HER, AND ALEXANDRA WAS URGING HIM TO LET HER SING IN VALERIE'S PLACE. JOSIE WASN'T ABOUT TO LET THAT HAPPEN, SO SHE INTERVENED ON VAL'S BEHALF. WE FOUND OUT LATER WHAT THE NATURE OF THAT INTERVENTION WAS, AND HOW DEARLY IT COST HER; BUT IN THE MEANTIME, MEL BEGAN STEPPING UP TO THE MIKE MORE OFTEN.
BABE SANG UP A STORM ON ANOTHER DOUBLE-SIDED SMASH: "TIME TO LOVE" AND "I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH." WE PULLED ANOTHER TOP TEN SINGLE ON THAT ONE. COLLINS GREGORY WAS ECSTATIC! "TIME TO LOVE" WAS HIS FIRST (AND ONLY) BIG HIT RECORD; BUT FOLLOW-UP SINGLES WITH MELODY ON LEAD DIDN'T DO ANYWHERE NEAR AS WELL. THE NEXT SINGLE, "TOGETHER" WAS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE OF ALEXANDRA'S SONGS FOR THE PUSSY CATS. MEL NAVIGATED THOSE ROLLER-COASTER CHORD CHANGES LIKE THE PRO SHE WAS, BUT THAT RECORD JUST DIDN'T TAKE OFF. THE FANS MISSED VALERIE'S DISTINCTIVE PHRASING AND INCOMPARABLE DELIVERY!
SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
MEL WAS CONCERNED ABOUT VAL, BUT BABE WAS VERY HAPPY IN THE SUMMER OF '71. SHE'D SUNG LEAD ON TWO TOP TEN POP RECORDS, AND SHE WAS HEAD-OVER-HEELS IN LOVE WITH DAGMAR DIAMOND. MEL'S LOVE FOR DAGMAR PROVED STRONG ENOUGH TO SURVIVE THE SHOCK OF LEARNING THAT SHE WAS MARRIED!
IN FACT, SHE'D BEEN MARRIED FOR YEARS. HER HUSBAND WAS AN INDIE MOVIE DIRECTOR. MEL MADE IT CLEAR THAT SHE DIDN'T WANT TO COME BETWEEN THEM, BUT DAGMAR TOLD HER NOT TO WORRY. IT TURNS OUT THAT HER HUSBAND HAD LOVERS ON THE SIDE, TOO, BOTH MALE AND FEMALE! MELODY HAD LIVED IN HOLLYWOOD LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THE SCORE: THEN AS NOW, CELEBRITY COUPLES HAVING BISEXUAL FLINGS WAS COMMONPLACE!
COMING TO TERMS WITH DAGMAR'S OPEN MARRIAGE WAS ONE THING, BUT WHEN THE HUSBAND WANTED TO MEET MEL, IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE ALTOGETHER. NATURALLY SHE WAS APPREHENSIVE, AND MONTHS PASSED BEFORE SHE FINALLY AGREED TO MEET LORENZO “LUCKY” JONES; BUT THEY CONNECTED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. BOTH OF THEM WERE OBSESSED WITH VISUAL ART! MEL AND LUCKY WOULD GET INTO DEEP CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW DESIGN APPLIED TO MAKE-UP, TO FILM, CLOTHING, ARCHITECTURE, ALL KINDS OF THINGS. BOTH OF THEM LIKED TO DRINK, TOO! I SHARED MANY A FROSTY MUG WITH THEM.
THE NEXT THING I KNEW, MEL, DAGMAR AND LUCKY GOT CAUGHT UP IN A STEAMY THREE-WAY LOVE AFFAIR! IT WAS MELODY'S FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH A MAN; BUT WHAT NOBODY KNEW AT THE TIME, AND WOULDN'T KNOW FOR DECADES, IS THAT LUCKY JONES IS A TRANSSEXUAL MAN! NOT EVEN I HAD A CLUE; BUT OF COURSE, I HADN'T ACCEPTED MY OWN TRANSSEXUALITY YET.
YES, MEL DID STOP THINKING OF HERSELF AS A LESBIAN. YEARS LATER, SHE TOLD ME: "I THOUGHT SEX WITH LUCKY WOULD BE JUST LIKE MAKING LOVE TO A WOMAN. IT SURPRISED ME THAT IT WAS DIFFERENT; BUT I WAS MORE SURPRISED THAT I DIDN'T MIND. I DIDN'T MIND AT ALL!"
HER TRIAD ROMANCE WAS STILL GOING STRONG IN 1975 WHEN DAGMAR WAS TRAGICALLY KILLED IN A SKYDIVING MISHAP. MEL AND LUCKY GREW EVEN CLOSER AFTER SHE DIED. NO ONE WHO KNEW THEM WAS SURPRISED WHEN SHE ACCEPTED LUCKY'S MARRIAGE PROPOSAL. BUT LONG BEFORE MEL BECAME MELODY MUNRO-JONES, INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS DESIGNER, SHE, VAL AND JOSIE WOULD GO THROUGH SOME MAJOR CHANGES, BOTH GOOD AND BAD!
MELODY HAD TWO LOVERS AT THE SAME TIME, BUT ALAN MAYBERRY HAD HER BEAT: DUDE WAS JUGGLING THREE PEOPLE! TODAY, ALAN M IS ONE OF THE ICONS OF LGBT AMERICA, BUT THAT SURE WASN'T THE CASE IN THE EARLY '70S. BACK THEN, ALAN M HAD A WOMANIZING REPUTATION. DID YOU KNOW THAT AS A TEENAGER, HE'D BEEN A TOY BOY CATERING TO FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES? HE REVEALED THAT TO ELLEN DeGENERES ON HER TALK SHOW LAST YEAR. I'M PRETTY SURE ALAN HAD LEFT HUSTLING BEHIND BY THE TIME I MET HIM, THOUGH.
LAURA PINTO TAUGHT ALAN HOW TO TRACK AND MIX RECORDS, AND THEY WERE LOVERS FOR A HOT MINUTE. THAT ENDED AS SOON AS ALEXANDRA CAME ON THE SCENE! MAN, XANDIE JUMPED ALAN'S BONES LIKE SEBASTIAN USED TO POUNCE ON STUDIO MICE! BUT THEN JOSIE CAUGHT HIS ROVING EYE. DUDE WAS ROMANCING BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME! IN FACT, THAT WAS WHAT SPARKED A LOT OF THE ANIMOSITY BETWEEN THOSE TWO. WHAT NEITHER OF THEM KNEW IS THAT ALAN WAS ALSO GOING HOT AND HEAVY WITH COLLINS G!
OH, IT DIDN'T TAKE ME LONG TO SIZE HIM UP: I THOUGHT ALAN M WAS A MAJOR CLOSET CASE, JUST USING WOMEN FOR "BEARDS". I CONFRONTED HIM MORE THAN ONCE AND GAVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND! IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE HE'D AVOID TALKING TO ME. WHAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WAS HOW HARD ALAN WAS STRUGGLING TO ACCEPT HIS SEXUALITY. IN RETROSPECT, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SYMPATHETIC; AFTER ALL, I WAS STRUGGLING JUST AS HARD WITH MY GENDER IDENTITY!
ALAN M's SEXUAL AWAKENING
SURE, I KEPT THEIR SECRET. WHO WANTS TO GET INVOLVED IN A POTENTIALLY UGLY SITUATION? JOSIE NEVER FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND XANDIE DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL MUCH LATER. THINKING BACK, THOUGH, I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY BOTH COULD HAVE BEEN SO BLIND! ALAN M COULD BARELY CONCEAL HIS FEELINGS FOR COLLINS. DUDE WAS IN LOVE, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: COLLINS TAUGHT HIM HOW FABULOUS SEX BETWEEN MEN COULD BE. THEY COULD BARELY KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF EACH OTHER! HAD THINGS TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY, HE MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED ALAN TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET MUCH SOONER THAN HE DID.
"I WANNA MAKE YOU HAPPY" + THREE
WE CUT THE LAST BATCH OF PUSSY CAT SINGLES IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 1971. BY THEN, CLARENCE McDONALD HAD JOINED LAURA PINTO AND DANNY J ON THE PRODUCTION STAFF. JOSIE LOBBIED FOR HIM: SHE WANTED TO HEAR MORE OF THE BAND'S LIVE-IN-CONCERT SOUND ON THE RECORDS, AND SHE KNEW CLARENCE COULD DELIVER IT. THE FIRST TRACKS HE CO-PRODUCED WERE "I WANNA MAKE YOU HAPPY" AND "DREAM MAKER". MELODY'S LEAD VOICE JUST SOARED ON THOSE SIDES, BUT NEITHER ONE BROKE FOR A HIT.
AT THE FINAL GROUP SESSION WE DID IN AUGUST, VALERIE FINALLY SHOWED UP. ALL OF US WERE SHOCKED AT HER APPEARANCE! BABE WAS ALWAYS WELL-GROOMED, WITH NEVER A HAIR OUT OF PLACE; BUT NOW SHE WAS BAREFOOT WITH DISHEVELED HAIR, AND WEARING NOTHING BUT A FLIMSY STAINED NIGHTGOWN! TO PROTECT HER MODESTY, DANNY J TOOK OFF HIS JACKET AND DRAPED IT OVER HER SHOULDERS.
VAL WAS CLEARLY HIGH ON SOMETHING, AND IT WAS A BITCH JUST GETTING HER ON MIKE! THERE WERE MANY RUINED TAKES THAT DAY, BUT EVENTUALLY SHE WAS ABLE TO LAY DOWN A DECENT VOCAL FOR "CLOCK ON THE WALL." HOWEVER, HER DUET PART WITH MEL ON "IF THAT ISN'T LOVE" WASN'T FINISHED UNTIL LATE SEPTEMBER: IT REQUIRED AN OVERDUB SESSION TO COMPLETE. RAINBO ARTS' ACCOUNTANTS KEPT A TIGHT REIN ON OUR RECORDING BUDGET, AND DON IGNACIO REALLY BLEW HIS TOP ABOUT THAT!
RAPE HAPPENS ON THE CASTING COUCH
WE WERE ALL SO PREOCCUPIED WITH VALERIE THAT WE DIDN'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO JOSIE. SHE WAS TROUBLED, TOO, BUT ALAN M'S INFIDELITY WAS THE LEAST OF HER PROBLEMS! BACK IN THE YEAR 2018, THE #METOO MOVEMENT SHINED A SPOTLIGHT ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING! ALL THROUGH THE 20TH CENTURY, MEN PRESSURING WOMEN FOR SEXUAL FAVORS WAS A DEEPLY ENTRENCHED PART OF THE BUSINESS. DON IGNACIO RABO VERDE WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PREDATORS!
HIS REPUTATION WAS WELL-KNOWN; NO YOUNG WOMAN WITH A CURVY FIGURE WAS SAFE FROM HIM. LAURA PINTO TOLD ME HOW SHE HAD TO FEND HIM OFF WHEN HE HIRED HER! I ESCAPED HIS CLUTCHES BECAUSE I WAS TOO CURVY: HE DIDN'T DIG FAT GIRLS. HE HAD A PREJUDICE AGAINST BLACK AND LATINA WOMEN, TOO, SO VALERIE AND ALEXANDRA NEVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT HIM; AND MELODY WAS TOO BUTCH FOR HIM. BABE THREATENED HIS SO-CALLED MASCULINITY! THAT LEFT POOR JOSIE, AND SHE WAS RIGHT DOWN HIS ALLEY. REDHEADS WITH BIG BREASTS WERE PROBABLY HIS FAVORITE KIND OF PREY!
FROM DAY ONE, HE STARTED PUTTING THE MOVES ON HER: LEERING, TOUCHING, WHISPERING LEWD SUGGESTIONS! SHE IGNORED HIM, UNTIL THE DAY HE PULLED HER ASIDE AND PRIVATELY THREATENED TO FIRE BOTH MEL AND VAL FROM THE GROUP. TO JUSTIFY FIRING THEM, HE SAID HE'D EXPOSE THEIR SECRETS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC! "NOBODY WILL HIRE MELODY WHEN THEY FIND OUT SHE'S A NASTY LITTLE LESBIANA," HE TOLD HER, "AND NOBODY WANTS A NEGRO JUNKIE, EITHER! DIDN'T YOU KNOW VALERIE HAS A COCAINE HABIT?" JOSIE WAS HORRIFIED!
"¡QUÉ VERGÜENZA!" HE SNEERED, "BUT THEY CHOSE TO BE CRIMINALS! WITH NO JOBS, THEY'LL PROBABLY END UP BECOMING HOOKERS." WOULD HE HAVE FOLLOWED THROUGH ON THOSE THREATS? I DON'T KNOW, BUT THAT MOTHERFUCKER DID SCARE JOSIE INTO HAVING SEX WITH HIM! HE MADE HER BELIEVE SHE HAD TO DO IT IN ORDER TO SAVE HER BANDMATES' LIVELIHOODS!
WHAT A TERRIBLE SACRIFICE SHE MADE! BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF LOYAL FRIEND SHE WAS. JOSIE DIDN'T TELL US UNTIL MUCH LATER THAT DON IGNACIO HAD RAPED HER, BUT IT WOULDN'T HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE IF SHE HAD. NONE OF US KNEW WHAT TO DO OR SAY. I'M ASHAMED TO ADMIT IT, BUT WE WERE ALL COWARDS BACK THEN: SO FUCKING AFRAID THAT WE'D BE BLACKBALLED FROM THE BUSINESS! AND SEXUAL ASSAULT WAS BUSINESS AS USUAL, IT REALLY WAS. IT ISN'T THAT DON IGNACIO RABO VERDE HAD SO MUCH POWER; HE DIDN'T. IT'S THAT THERE WERE MANY POWERFUL MUSIC INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES WHO WERE JUST AS BAD AS HE WAS . . . AND THEY ALL SEEMED TO KNOW EACH OTHER!
THE KILLING OF COLLINS GREGORY
JOSIE SURVIVED TO TELL HER AWFUL TRUTH. COLLINS GREGORY DIDN'T! AS I TOLD YOU BEFORE, COLLINS REJECTED SWAMI SUNSHINE'S PLEASURE CREED AFTER OVERCOMING HIS HASHISH ADDICTION. THEN HE LEARNED THAT THE SWAMI HAD BANKRUPTED A FADED BLACK STARLET NAMED TORCHY BROWN. HE ALSO GOT HER PREGNANT! SHE HAD HIS BABY, BUT THEN HAD TO GO ON WELFARE TO SUPPORT HERSELF AND THE CHILD: THE DEADBEAT REFUSED TO DO JACK SHIT FOR THEM! COLLINS MET WITH TORCHY BROWN AND HEARD HER STORY FIRSTHAND. IT TOTALLY DISGUSTED HIM!
DUDE INTENDED TO GO PUBLIC WITH THE SCANDAL. HE'D MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR TORCHY TO SPEAK WITH A LOS ANGELES TIMES REPORTER. SOMEBODY AT SUNSHINE TEMPLE FOUND OUT AND SNITCHED TO THE SWAMI! HE MUST HAVE THREATENED HER, BECAUSE SHE BACKED OUT OF DOING THAT INTERVIEW. COLLINS NEVER EVEN SUSPECTED THAT HIS LIFE WAS IN DANGER! THE DAY AFTER I SAW HIM FOR THE LAST TIME, HE WAS SUMMONED TO THE TEMPLE BY AN URGENT MESSAGE. SOMEBODY TOLD HIM THAT VAL WAS IN BIG TROUBLE, AND THAT TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE!
WE LATER LEARNED THAT WHEN COLLINS ARRIVED, HE WAS RESTRAINED, SEVERELY BEATEN AND THEN SUBJECTED TO SOME KIND OF MOCK TRIAL. POOR VALERIE WAS FORCED TO WATCH WHAT HAPPENED NEXT! SWAMI SUNSHINE PRESIDED AS JUDGE AND JURY: HE FOUND COLLINS GUILTY OF CONSPIRING AGAINST HIM AND IMPOSED A DEATH PENALTY. THEN HE DIRECTED HIS CRAZED DISCIPLES TO STAB HIM TO DEATH! VAL WAS HEAVILY DRUGGED; SHE BLACKED OUT ONCE THE STABBING BEGAN.
WHEN THE POLICE FOUND COLLINS' BODY, IT HAD OVER 30 BLUNT OBJECT WOUNDS. THE HOLLYWOOD COMMUNITY WAS TERRIFIED: IT BROUGHT BACK BAD MEMORIES OF THE MANSON MURDERS! UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN PEOPLE REMEMBER COLLINS GREGORY TODAY, IT'S BECAUSE OF HOW HE DIED. THEY DON'T REMEMBER HIS SONGS, AND I KNOW THAT'S WHAT HE WOULD'VE WANTED! THE MUSIC INDUSTRY LOST A MAJOR TALENT, THE WORLD LOST A BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING, AND I LOST A DEAR FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE.
WE WERE ALL DEVASTATED, BUT VALERIE WAS CERTAINLY THE MOST TRAUMATIZED. SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING AT FIRST, BUT OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, MEMORIES OF COLLINS' MURDER CAME BACK TO HER IN GRUESOME DETAIL! FOR YEARS, VAL WAS WRACKED BY GUILT, BUT CLEARLY THERE WAS NOTHING SHE COULD HAVE DONE. IT'S A MIRACLE THAT SHE HERSELF SURVIVED!
WHERE IS VAL?
THAT AFTERNOON, JOSIE GOT A PHONE CALL THAT WAS ABRUPTLY CUT OFF. SHE COULDN'T IDENTIFY THE CALLER, BUT LATER ON SHE BELIEVED IT HAD BEEN COLLINS. ALL SHE COULD MAKE OUT WAS THAT SOMETHING AWFUL WAS GOING DOWN AT SUNSHINE TEMPLE, AND THAT IT INVOLVED VALERIE! IN A PANIC, JOSIE CALLED LEX CABOT, AND TOGETHER WITH ALEXANDRA, THEY RUSHED TO THE SCENE. THEY FOUND THE CARNAGE THAT THE WHOLE WORLD LEARNED ABOUT THE FOLLOWING DAY: A MASS SUICIDE!
IT WAS A CHILLING PREVIEW OF THE JONESTOWN MASSACRE THAT CAME SEVEN YEARS LATER! TWO DOZEN OF SWAMI SUNSHINE'S ACOLYTES LAY DEAD AFTER INGESTING A POISON HE HAD MIXED FOR THEM TO DRINK. THE SWAMI HIMSELF WAS LONG GONE. IN HIS MEDITATION CHAMBER, THEY FOUND A COMATOSE VALERIE. SHE’D BEEN INJECTED WITH AN OVERDOSE OF COCAINE, BUT SHE WAS STILL ALIVE . . . JUST BARELY!
THE SIGHT OF THE WOMAN HE LOVED NEAR DEATH ALMOST DROVE LEX OUT OF HIS MIND! HE RUSHED HER TO A PRIVATE HOSPITAL WHERE, THANKFULLY, SHE REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS IN A COUPLE OF DAYS. UNTIL NOW, NO ONE KNEW VAL WAS IN THE TEMPLE THAT DAY! LEX PAID SOMEBODY, I DON'T KNOW WHO, TO HAVE IT HUSHED UP. THE POLICE CARS AND AMBULANCES ARRIVED JUST MINUTES AFTER SHE WAS TAKEN AWAY.
LEX CABOT'S VIGILANTE JUSTICE
THE MASS SUICIDE AT SUNSHINE TEMPLE STAYED IN THE HEADLINES FOR WEEKS AS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TRACKED THE WHEREABOUTS OF SWAMI SUNSHINE. THEY FOUND OUT THAT HE WASN'T FROM INDIA: SWAMI'S REAL NAME WAS ASHLEY JOHN STACKHOUSE. HE WAS A MAN OF BLACKFOOT HERITAGE, AND CAME FROM A NATIVE RESERVATION IN MONTANA NOT FAR FROM WHERE I GREW UP. DUDE WAS MENTALLY UNBALANCED; HE HAD A LONG HISTORY OF ERRATIC BEHAVIOR THAT EVENTUALLY LED TO CRIME.
STACKHOUSE MASTERMINDED A STRING OF PETTY SCAMS BEFORE HE FIGURED OUT HOW TO SCORE A MAJOR PAYDAY. BY MASQUERADING AS A SWAMI, HE ACCUMULATED A FORTUNE! DUDE CONNED HIS ACOLYTES INTO GIVING HIM MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CASH, BONDS AND OTHER ASSETS; TORCHY BROWN WAS JUST THE TIP OF A VERY LARGE ICEBERG! WHEN COLLINS GREGORY THREATENED TO EXPOSE HIM, STACKHOUSE MUST HAVE PANICKED: IN AN ACT OF PURE RAGE, HE HAD COLLINS MURDERED AND INSTRUCTED ALL THE WITNESSES TO DRINK POISON. THEN DUDE JUST SEEMED TO VANISH INTO THIN AIR!
BUT ASHLEY JOHN STACKHOUSE FINALLY TURNED UP IN LATE '71: THEY FOUND HIM HANGING FROM A TREE AT A RANCH RESORT IN CALEXICO! AFTER DISCARDING HIS SWAMI DISGUISE, HE'D EVIDENTLY BEEN LAYING LOW DOWN THERE. SOME OF THE MONEY HE STOLE WAS RECOVERED, BUT THEY NEVER DID SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF HIS MURDER. SOME PEOPLE THINK HE HAD PARTNERS IN CRIME WHO TURNED ON HIM, BUT NOT ME. I THINK IT WAS A REVENGE KILLING! THE FRIEND OR RELATIVE OF ONE OR MORE OF HIS VICTIMS MUST HAVE HUNTED HIM DOWN AND IMPOSED VIGILANTE JUSTICE!
LIFE GOES HELLA WRONG
THOSE FINAL MONTHS OF 1971 WERE DISASTROUS FOR JOSIE. IT WAS JUST ONE SHOCK AFTER ANOTHER! FIRST, ALEXANDRA BROKE THE NEWS THAT SHE AND ALAN M WERE ENGAGED TO MARRY. JOSIE BELIEVED SHE STILL HAD A CHANCE WITH ALAN AND BLAMED HIM FOR STRINGING HER ALONG! THEN SHE WITNESSED THAT HORRIBLE SCENE AT SUNSHINE TEMPLE; AND LATER THAT DAY, SHE LEARNED OF COLLINS G'S BRUTAL MURDER.
HOT ON THE HEELS OF THAT TRAUMA CAME DON IGNACIO RABO VERDE'S STUNNING FALL FROM GRACE. IT WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT HE SEXUALLY HARASSED YOUNG WOMEN, BUT WHO KNEW THE DIRTBAG HAD NO AGE LIMIT? NEWS OF HIS ARREST FOR CHILD MOLESTATION ROCKED THE MUSIC WORLD TO ITS FOUNDATIONS!
FOR RAINBO ARTS STUDIOS, IT WAS THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK: FIRST A DRUG RAID AT THE DISNEYLAND POP MUSIC FESTIVAL, AND NOW THIS? ONE WEEK AFTER THE ARREST, THEY ANNOUNCED THE CANCELLATION OF "JOSIE AND THE PUSSY CATS". WHO COULD BLAME THEM? EVEN A WHISPER OF PEDOPHILIA WAS ENOUGH TO SCARE OFF ADVERTISERS! THEY RISKED RUIN IF THEY DIDN'T ACT DECISIVELY.
THE SCANDAL TORPEDOED IGNACIO MUSIC AS WELL AS THE CARTOON SERIES. SUDDENLY WE STAFF WRITERS FOUND OURSELVES LOOKING FOR NEW JOBS! THE PUSSY CATS LOST THEIR RECORDING CONTRACT WITH CAPITOL RECORDS, TOO. YOU SEE, THEY DIDN’T HAVE A REGULAR ARTIST'S CONTRACT; IT WAS TIED TO THE TV SERIES!
AFTER THE ARREST, OVER HALF A DOZEN UNDERAGE VICTIMS OF DON IGNACIO CAME FORWARD. WHEN JOSIE SAW HOW TRULY SICK AND PERVERTED HER RAPIST WAS, SHE FELT EVEN MORE VIOLATED: JUST THE THOUGHT OF HIM MADE HER PHYSICALLY ILL! THAT SICK FEELING GOT WORSE, SO SHE WENT TO SEE HER DOCTOR. THAT'S WHEN BABE GOT HIT WITH THE BIGGEST SHOCK YET: SHE WAS PREGNANT! AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT AS TO THE FATHER'S IDENTITY. JOSIE HAD NEVER SLEPT WITH ALAN M. SHE HADN'T SLEPT WITH ANY OTHER MAN. SHE WAS A VIRGIN WHEN DON IGNACIO RAPED HER!
AMIGOS, IF YOU'VE BEEN SHOCKED SPEECHLESS, THEN YOU KNOW HOW I FELT WHEN CHEYENNE PEPPER REVEALED THESE PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN FACTS TO ME. THIS IS THE UNVARNISHED TRUTH ABOUT WHAT TERRIBLE HAZARDS YOUNG FEMALE POP STARS OF THE '70s FACED WHILE TRYING TO PURSUE THEIR CAREERS!
JOIN ME FOR THE THIRD AND FINAL PART OF THIS PODCAST. CHEYENNE AND I WILL DISCUSS THE PUSSY CATS' TRANSITION FROM TELEVISION TO MOVIES, THEIR LONG SOJOURN IN EUROPE AND TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO AMERICA, AND WE'LL ALSO EXPLORE THEIR SUBSTANTIAL LEGACY. ¡HASTA LA PRÓXIMA!
WRITTEN BY HAMPTON JACOBS
ILLUSTRATED BY STUFFED ANIMAL
IMAGES BASED ON CHARACTERS CREATED BY DAN de CARLO
COLOR BY SHARPIE/EXPO
CARDSTOCK BY DICK BLICK
