Permanent Damage: Memoirs of an Outrageous Girl
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Description
"I'm the Mae West of 1968." Mercy Fontenot was a Zelig who grew up in the San Francisco Haight Ashbury scene, where she crossed paths with Charles Manson, went to the first Acid Test, and was friends with Jimi Hendrix (she was later in his movie Rainbow Bridge). She predicted the Altamont disaster when reading the Rolling Stones' tarot cards at a party and left San Francisco for the climes of Los Angeles in 1967 when the Haight 'lost its magic.' Miss Mercy's work in the GTOs, the Frank Zappa-produced all-female band, launched her into the pages of Rolling Stone in 1969. Her adventures saw her jumping out of a cake at Alice Cooper's first record release party, while high on PCP, and had her travel to Memphis where she met Al Green and got a job working for the Bar-Kays. Along the way, she married and then divorced Shuggie Otis, before transitioning to punk rock and working with the Rockats and Gears. This is her story as she lived and saw it. Written just prior to her death in 2020, Permanent Damage shows us the world of the 1960s and 1970s music scene through Mercy's eyes, as well as the fallout of that era-experiencing homelessness before sobering up and putting her life back together. Miss Mercy's journey is a can't miss for anyone who was there and can't remember, or just wishes they'd been there.Product Details
Price
$27.00
$25.11
Publisher
Rare Bird Books
Publish Date
June 09, 2021
Dimensions
5.6 X 8.7 X 1.1 inches | 0.8 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781644281826
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About the Author
Mercy Fontenot ran away to the Haight-Ashbury at sixteen in 1965. In 1967, citing that the Haight was getting boring and she couldn't stay a hippie forever, Fontenot moved to Los Angeles, where she met Frank Zappa and Pamela Des Barres and fell in with the GTOs, an all-female band whose album Permanent Damage was released in 1969. The two songs she wrote for the band were eventually recorded by Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, and Lowell George. In the late-70s, after marrying and divorcing Shuggie Otis, she reinvented herself, doing punk hair and styling for bands like the Rockats and Gears and then influencing the roots-rock scene. After falling on hard times, she finally got sober and wrote her story. Permanent Damage is her memoir, published posthumously in 2021. Lyndsey Parker is the music editor at Yahoo Entertainment and co-host of the daily SiriusXM Volume show Volume West. Considered an expert in music and pop culture, Parker is an Online Journalism Award nominee and has written for Elle, MOJO, Rolling Stone, NME, and Guitar. She has appeared as a commentator for the ABC special The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story, AXS TV's The Top Ten Revealed, and the documentary I Want My MTV, as well as for VH1's Behind the Music, CNN, MTV, The Insider, and Good Day L.A.. She is the author of Careless Memories of Strange Behavior: My Notorious Life as a Duran Duran Fan (one of the first e-books published as part of Rhino Records' all-digital music book series, which went to #1 on the iTunes Music Books chart).
Reviews
"There were definitely better known personalities than Mercy Fontenot in her time, but she was no less of a thrilling iconoclast for it. Long before unorthodox women like Cosey Fanni Tutti or Courtney Love there was Mercy Fontenot. Her relatively unknown story, told here in her own words, is chock-full of delightful pop culture references and peppered with cameos from some of music's most beloved stars, but the story that sticks with you long after the telling is done is that of Mercy herself. Rock 'n' roll rebel until the end. What a gal."
--Shirley Manson, Garbage "Miss Mercy was dripping in sarcasm. She was a very funny and lovely lady. She may have been the voice of reason for the GTOs...but I doubt it."
--Alice Cooper "Miss Mercy spun herself through the most magical days of the '60s and into the arms of punk. She was a that one-of-a-kind character none of us will ever forget."
--Exene Cervenka, X "I am thrilled to know this book is finally out there and we can know firsthand what it was like to live in Miss Mercy's towering platform shoes. I love rock 'n' roll, and Lyndsey Parker has the most encyclopedic knowledge of all music; I can't think of a better person to bring Mercy's story to life."
--Margaret Cho "It was an honor to cross paths with Mercy and to be in the final part of her fascinating story."
--Yoshiki, X Japan "Miss Mercy was a one-off iconoclast, style- and taste-wise. She looked, lived, and loved uniquely and was a trailblazer for women in rock 'n' roll."
--Siobhan Fahey, Bananarama and Shakespears Sister "Mercy was one of the most inspirational and magical people I ever got the chance to meet and work with. She had endless stories to tell and the coolest style, like a badass Gypsy pirate witch. She embodied that old spirit of Hollywood that we never get to see anymore. Mercy was and will always be a legend."
--Arrow de Wilde, Starcrawler "Lyndsey and Mercy had many things in common, the most important of which was commitment. Both committed to the music and the musicians that made it. Mercy had secrets and stories and reveals them here to someone who understands. An imperative read for anyone with a rock 'n' roll soul."
--Michael Des Barres "Miss Mercy was the real thing, all about the music. She was there at the beginning and knew everyone. Believe whatever she says, and immerse yourself in the world of Sunset Boulevard, Frank Zappa, the GTO's, and the '60s style."
--Ronee Blakley "Mercy wore unusual and stunning makeup. She set a trend. She was a very individualistic, charismatic woman. The GTOs made the party swing and were an integral part of rock 'n' roll culture at the time."
--Dave Davies, the Kinks "Mercy led a fascinating life. As a founding member of the GTOs, along with her relationship with Arthur Lee, she was at the epicenter of the Hollywood music scene."
--Johnny Echols, Love "Mercy was absolutely the real deal, for real."
--Blackbyrd McKnight "Lower Los Feliz is filled with trendy lumberjack and low fashion model wannabes, and out of nowhere there was Miss Mercy telling her stories about being in attendance at Jimi Hendrix and his Rainbow Bridge, watching Arthur Lee and Love in concert, a few Chambers Brothers performances and how she was the Gears' hairdresser. Mercy was the ray of sunlight cutting through gray skies and a fire opal in an ocean of gravel and rocks."
--Keith Morris, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Off! "Mercy was my counterculture cover girl. She represented the movement of women finally staking their territory in the world of individuality, free of society's demands to conform."
--Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone photographer "Even though I met Mercy near the end of her life, I'd seen her around at different rock events over the years, always thinking, 'Who is this bold-ass woman?!' I later learned that we came from Northern California and had traveled our own musical paths, both crash-landing on the Sunset Strip in the '60s in our teens. I'm looking forward to everyone else hearing Mercy's stories and learning about her journey through her own words."
--Brie Darling, Fanny, Boxing Gandhis "Back in late '78, I met Miss Mercy. To say she made me realize there was a lot more to life is an understatement. Before I knew it, I had bleached-blond hair, a large pompadour, and skateboarding was never to be the same again. She was, and always has been, important beyond most people's comprehension. Her knowledge was unmatched to most. I thank you and love you, Mercy. It's time for you to be acknowledged for the queen that you are."
--Steve Olson, pro skateboarder "The women of Laurel Canyon and beyond wrote their own rules and changed them when they chose. Mercy was one of them. Her group was appropriately named because they decided they were going to be 'outrageous.' Mercy simply would not have it any other way."
--Elliott Mintz, celebrity publicist
--Shirley Manson, Garbage "Miss Mercy was dripping in sarcasm. She was a very funny and lovely lady. She may have been the voice of reason for the GTOs...but I doubt it."
--Alice Cooper "Miss Mercy spun herself through the most magical days of the '60s and into the arms of punk. She was a that one-of-a-kind character none of us will ever forget."
--Exene Cervenka, X "I am thrilled to know this book is finally out there and we can know firsthand what it was like to live in Miss Mercy's towering platform shoes. I love rock 'n' roll, and Lyndsey Parker has the most encyclopedic knowledge of all music; I can't think of a better person to bring Mercy's story to life."
--Margaret Cho "It was an honor to cross paths with Mercy and to be in the final part of her fascinating story."
--Yoshiki, X Japan "Miss Mercy was a one-off iconoclast, style- and taste-wise. She looked, lived, and loved uniquely and was a trailblazer for women in rock 'n' roll."
--Siobhan Fahey, Bananarama and Shakespears Sister "Mercy was one of the most inspirational and magical people I ever got the chance to meet and work with. She had endless stories to tell and the coolest style, like a badass Gypsy pirate witch. She embodied that old spirit of Hollywood that we never get to see anymore. Mercy was and will always be a legend."
--Arrow de Wilde, Starcrawler "Lyndsey and Mercy had many things in common, the most important of which was commitment. Both committed to the music and the musicians that made it. Mercy had secrets and stories and reveals them here to someone who understands. An imperative read for anyone with a rock 'n' roll soul."
--Michael Des Barres "Miss Mercy was the real thing, all about the music. She was there at the beginning and knew everyone. Believe whatever she says, and immerse yourself in the world of Sunset Boulevard, Frank Zappa, the GTO's, and the '60s style."
--Ronee Blakley "Mercy wore unusual and stunning makeup. She set a trend. She was a very individualistic, charismatic woman. The GTOs made the party swing and were an integral part of rock 'n' roll culture at the time."
--Dave Davies, the Kinks "Mercy led a fascinating life. As a founding member of the GTOs, along with her relationship with Arthur Lee, she was at the epicenter of the Hollywood music scene."
--Johnny Echols, Love "Mercy was absolutely the real deal, for real."
--Blackbyrd McKnight "Lower Los Feliz is filled with trendy lumberjack and low fashion model wannabes, and out of nowhere there was Miss Mercy telling her stories about being in attendance at Jimi Hendrix and his Rainbow Bridge, watching Arthur Lee and Love in concert, a few Chambers Brothers performances and how she was the Gears' hairdresser. Mercy was the ray of sunlight cutting through gray skies and a fire opal in an ocean of gravel and rocks."
--Keith Morris, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Off! "Mercy was my counterculture cover girl. She represented the movement of women finally staking their territory in the world of individuality, free of society's demands to conform."
--Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone photographer "Even though I met Mercy near the end of her life, I'd seen her around at different rock events over the years, always thinking, 'Who is this bold-ass woman?!' I later learned that we came from Northern California and had traveled our own musical paths, both crash-landing on the Sunset Strip in the '60s in our teens. I'm looking forward to everyone else hearing Mercy's stories and learning about her journey through her own words."
--Brie Darling, Fanny, Boxing Gandhis "Back in late '78, I met Miss Mercy. To say she made me realize there was a lot more to life is an understatement. Before I knew it, I had bleached-blond hair, a large pompadour, and skateboarding was never to be the same again. She was, and always has been, important beyond most people's comprehension. Her knowledge was unmatched to most. I thank you and love you, Mercy. It's time for you to be acknowledged for the queen that you are."
--Steve Olson, pro skateboarder "The women of Laurel Canyon and beyond wrote their own rules and changed them when they chose. Mercy was one of them. Her group was appropriately named because they decided they were going to be 'outrageous.' Mercy simply would not have it any other way."
--Elliott Mintz, celebrity publicist
