The Social History of Rock Stars and Supermodels

The only thing a rock star likes more than a hot runaway single is a model girlfriend. And preferably one who hasn't yet been soiled by Motley Crue. These days, an internationally acknowledged beauty is a bigger indicator of success than a platinum record. In rock's adolescence, musicians seemed partial to the plentiful young groupies wearing feathered haircuts and Love's Baby Soft perfume. But things began to change with the fashion and rock meeting ground of Studio 54. Now rockers have many ways of seducing supermodels: They leave their phone numbers with bookers, hire the models to appear in videos or show up as welcome guests at agency parties. The fall and spring fashion shows are high points of the rutting season. The women on the runways seem to compete for the attention of the male celebs in the audience, and vice versa. VH1 even celebrated the marriage of fashion and music with a lavish television special that emphasized videos, but the most significant connection between models and (continued on page 112) Rock Stars and Supermodels (continued from page 108) rockers has occurred below the waistline. Historically, heavy metal dudes have fared best, perhaps because they have so many things in common with runway babes--like makeup and curling irons. Dolce & Gabbana. And high heels.

First Encounters

Classiest encounter: Harry "Crooner" Connick Jr. popped out of a hotel pool--just like in the Chanel commercial!--and chased down Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre. At the end of their first date, they shook hands.

Costliest encounter: Tico Torres, low-profile drummer for Bon Jovi, was set up with Wonderbra babe Eva Herzigova on a blind date that climaxed with Tico flying Eva over New York in his private Cessna. He said he then christened the plane after her. "Eva?" No--"Baby."

Jet-settingest encounter: First, producer Quincy Jones sent Naomi Campbell, French Vogue's first black cover girl, a newspaper clipping in which U2's bass player, Adam Clayton, said that all he wanted in the world was a date with Naomi. Several months later, Campbell and Clayton met on a flight to Los Angeles. Word is that Adam charmed her--but not enough to keep her from her boyfriend, Eric Clapton.

Slyest encounter: John Mellencamp met his bride-to-be, Victoria's Secret model Elaine Irwin, after she appeared in his Get a Leg Up video.

Boldest encounter: Lauren Hutton picked up Sex Pistols impresario and Poland promoter Malcolm McLaren in a parking lot.

Cheapest encounter: Photographer Herb Ritts, who already had fixed up Cindy Crawford with Richard Gere and Stephanie Seymour with Axl Rose, showed Michael Hutchence of INXS a video of Helena Christensen. They then called her at her Paris hotel. Kind of like ordering takeout?

Sloppiest encounter: "Meeting Ric was a teen's wet dream," superlinguist Paulina Porizkova said in Cosmo about her husband Ric Ocasek of the Cars.

Crassest denial: Despite reports during the Simpson trial that O.J.'s ex-girlfriend, Paula Barbieri, had stayed in a Las Vegas hotel as a guest of Michael Bolton's, Bolton said he wasn't dating her. He later said that he's "looking for more than a pretty face, something deeper."

In the sappiest love triangle of the Sixties, model Patti Boyd swapped George Harrison for Eric Clapton.

Naomi Campbell, who can count Eddie Murphy, Mike Tyson and Robert De Niro among her paramours, traded Eric "Slowhand" Clapton (or was it De Niro?) for Adam "Bassman" Clayton.

Jerry Hall ditched Brian Ferry of Roxy Music for Mick Jagger. When Jagger later ran off with Italian superminx Carla Bruni, Hall--who boosted Jagger from wife Bianca--called Bruni a husband-stealer.

Not only did Keith Richards take over leadership of the Rolling Stones from Brian Jones, he also stole Jones' girlfriend, model Anita Pallenberg.

Pamela Anderson split from producer Jon Peters for Tommy Lee (her previous romances included Bret Michaels of Poison). Tommy Lee dumped model Bobbie Brown (Brown had been married to Jani Lane of the big-hair group Warrant; she was hired for their seminal video, Cherry Pie).

Guitar hero Jeff Beck dropped his wife of 16 years, Sixties mannequin Celia Hammond, for 18-year-old model Julia Smith (who later dated the ubiquitous Eric Clapton).

According to Model by Michael Gross, Axl Rose is a jealous guy. Axl, overwhelmed by fiancée Stephanie Seymour, made a veiled reference to her ex-boyfriend Warren Beatty when he ranted onstage about "an old man who loves to live vicariously through young people and suck up all their life because he has none of his own."

Michael Hutchence, once described as having a bedpost with so many notches it looked like a totem pole, dumped Helena Christensen twice--once for a brief fling with Christy Turlington and more recently for femme fatale Paula Yates. Yates, a minor TV celeb in England who once posed nude, left husband Bob Geldof of Boomtown Rats. Christensen, meanwhile, has been hanging out with rival Brit bands Oasis and Blur.

What Love Made Them Do

Eric Clapton's heartbreaking Layla was inspired by his apparently equally heartbreaking romance with Patti Boyd. How he got the name Layla from Patti is what talent is all about.

Billy Joel's lyrics for Uptown Girl are only partially redeemed by Christie Brinkley's prancing in the video.

John Mellencamp put Elaine Irwin on the cover of his album Whenever We Wanted. She had his initials tattooed on her wrist.

On U2's Zooropa Bono wrote Babyface, a sensitive paean to a nameless video model. In an apparently unrelated move, Christy Turlington later donated a pair of her panties to be placed under glass at a Dublin nightspot coowned by Bono. Naomi Campbell, who (you may recall) was engaged to U2's Adam Clayton, also donated a presumably less-rare and less-valuable pair of her own.

After discovering the joys of girl-girl love, Rachel Williams posed in the nude with the name of her sometime girlfriend, Brit singer Alice Temple, scrawled in lipstick across her chest.

In Sweet Child o' Mine, Axl Rose wrote these awesome lyrics for his girlfriend, Wilhemina model Erin Everly: "She's got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain/I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain." Everly, whose father, Don, was half of the Everly Brothers, eventually sued Rose for physical and emotional abuse (they were married in April 1990; the marriage was annulled in January 1991). A few years later Stephanie Seymour, Axl's new girlfriend, starred in the Guns n' Roses video for November Rain, which proved to be an equally fateful portent: She later accused him of beating her after a party.

Gene Simmons of Kiss gave Shannon Tweed, 1982 Playmate of the Year, a 16-carat diamond engagement ring nine years and two children after they began dating. "He's probably one of the most intelligent, caring, considerate men alive, not to mention the sexiest," she said. "He just oozes sex."

Also, according to Model, Patti Hansen disappeared for days after she met up with Keith Richards and--surprise--later turned up gaunt and disheveled.

Who Didn't Measure Up

After being paired by Andy Warhol, Lou Reed broke up with model-turned-chanteuse-turned-junkie Nico. (Nico. who appeared in Fellini's La Dolce Vita, also featured Brian Jones, Jim Morrison and Jackson Browne on her greatest-hits list.)

Eric Clapton split from Patti Boyd and Naomi Campbell.

Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg never made a video together.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler split from Playmate Bebe Buell, but not before siring nymphet Liv Tyler. Interestingly, soft-rocker Todd Rundgren was initially fingered as Liv's daddy. Liv's take on (continued on page 148) Rock Stars and Supermodels (continued from page 112) the mix-up: "It was the Seventies."

Malcolm McLaren and Lauren Hutton's amorous relationship faded, as did their careers.

Whether Ingrid Casares is actually a model and whether Madonna actually stole her from Sandra Bernhard are the subjects of speculation; Casares was recently seen cavorting nude with k.d. lang in a hotel pool.

For the record, Madonna insists she never went out with protégé Nick Scotti--but you can call her other male model friend, Johnny Zander, her ex.

Mick Jagger dated and fell out with Pat Cleveland and Carla Bruni.

Curly-locked headbanger David Coverdale of Whitesnake--perhaps upset at video vixen Tawny Kitaen's even larger hair--split from her soon after their marriage. She recently appeared on Hercules opposite Kevin Sorbo, another dude who really knows how to blow-dry his hair.

Billy Joel's uptown girl, Christie Brinkley, divorced him to marry--briefly--her downhill boy, skiing enthusiast and real estate mini-mogul Rick Taubman.

Rod Stewart, the supermodel rooster, had splits with Britt Ekland, Alana Stewart and Kelly Emberg.

Axl Rose and Stephanie Seymour had a vicious break to their engagement following some fistfights. He sued her for the return of $100,000 worth of jewelry.

Bill Wyman, who married teen Mandy Smith so young that she barely had her modeling career going, was divorced by her in 1992. Notably, Wyman's son dated Mandy's mom.

Bruce Springsteen, perhaps sensing that his blue-collar image was tarnished by his marriage to model-turned-actress Julianne Phillips, split from her after developing a bad case of Scialfa--as in backup singer Patti Scialfa.

Tafkap, that purple-paisley guy with no name, is certainly the sort of man who reads Playboy. Three of his exes (Vanity, Kim Basinger and Playmate Devin De Vasquez) have appeared in the magazine.

The Status Of Sex Symbols

Keith Richards and Patti Hansen have settled into a sedate marriage. Having kicked his heroin habit, he says in Cosmo: "I couldn't have made it without her. I ain't letting the bitch go."

Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson got married twice; once in bathing suits on the beach, then at home in silver capes--don't ask why. They are still together, still having sex in trailers on movie sets.

Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach are alive and living well now that they've stopped making movies like Caveman.

Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger are still together, despite Carla Bruni's best efforts and the fact that Jerry gave up modeling for motherhood.

Harry Connick Jr. married Jill Goodacre. John Mellencamp married Elaine Irwin.

David Bowie and Iman joined forces in marriage and have hit every opening and party together. But they have yet to attain the type of status together that they once enjoyed separately.

Ric Ocasek and Paulina Porizkova are still speaking Vulcan to each other.

Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue and Playmate Brandi Brandt, a couple that predates Pam and Tommy, are still at it. In 1993 they posed nude in Playboy for a feature on tattoos.

In a rare burst of deductive reasoning, Naomi Campbell announced on Irish TV, "I am marrying an Irishman." Logical, but not prescient. She and fiancé Adam Clayton broke up for good in 1994. Naomi has been seen with Sean Penn; Clayton has reportedly sworn off booze--and, we assume, supermodels.

Eric Erlandson of Hole is sticking by Drew Barrymore no matter how many times she shucks her clothes.

The saturnine 42-year-old Tico Torres is now engaged to marry 22-year-old Litvínovian lovely Eva Herzigova.

Lyrical Quotes

"When I met my husband, he teased me constantly, because he liked me!"

--Elaine Irwin On John Mellencamp

"I always had a fantasy about seducing Mr. Spock. I guess in my own weird way, I did."--Paulina Porizkova On Ric Ocasek

"I was the king of cock-rock, and I still am on a good night." --Robert Plant

"We don't get off with groupies when we're here. We only get off with supermodels."--Alex James, Bass Player For Blur, On Touring The U.S.

"When you're in a rock band, bragging about sexual conquests is like bragging about turning, on the faucet and finding water." --Paul Stanley Of Kiss

"Jill's smart. She never lets you know it, though."--Harry Connick Jr. On Jill Goodacre

"For the first time in my life, I'd rather have my dick cut off than be unfaithful."--Rod Stewart On His Marriage To Rachel Hunter

"Any guy who tells you he didn't start playing guitar to get laid is a liar." --John Mellencamp

"Rock stars want models because models are beautiful, successful, incredibly naive and malleable. They believe everything the guy tells them."--Kelly Emberg, Ex Of Rod Stewart

Patti Hansen disappeared for days with Keith Richards and later turned up gaunt and disheveled.

"Any guy who tells you he didn't start playing guitar to get laid is a liar," says John Mellencamp.