Miss O'Dell's Blog

I have really enjoyed the attention that I’ve gotten from the release of my book.  I’ve met wonderful people and have reconnected with many old friends.  This has given me the opportunity to connect my past and my present – like completing a circle.  And, the comments from women and men  that I’ve inspired them in any way touches my heart so much.  It makes it all worth while.

I am also grateful that at the same time, I’ve been given a job that allows me to work with women who are trying to get their lives back on track by dealing with their addictions to drugs and alcohol.  After 22 years of not touching alcohol or drugs, I know the many wonderful benefits of sobriety and recovery.

But having said all this, it is so easy to forget the blessings that I’ve received an complain about all the work I have to do and the pressures of being a ‘public figure’.  It’s only with great diligence and an open mind that I am able to stay on the beam and not fall off into ‘myself’.

So thank you to all of you who let me into your lives in one way or another – and thank you for keeping me grateful.

I love my new job.  I really didn’t think I would ever like another job working for other people.  But, maybe it’s because my book is finished, I am having so much fun.

I’m developing the kind of treatment program I always wanted – for women.  It’s integrative and it’s individualized.  Many programs claim to have an individualized program but that’s hard to do with thirty, forty and more clients.  It’s even hard to do with twenty clients.  But it’s very doable with seven clients.  So thank goodness, there is now a program that is individualized!

This is a non-profit organization so all the profit from the house goes back to this program and The Haven, a center in Tucson for women who have children and/or IV use and don’t have the funds to go to a treatment center. At last I’m not making money with my ideas and hard work for some fat cat at the top of the pyramid.  In fact, this is an all women organization – except for the handyman, Sam, and a few board members.

And this beautiful house in the historic area of Tucson is comfortable and cozy.  We play music, we support each other, we want each other to succeed. This state of the art treatment is being offered for an affordable cost!

So though I’m still very excited about my book (I love the NY Times review and all the other great reviews) this is a great way to spend my day.

Let me know if you have someone that might benefit from this treatment.  You don’t have to live in Tucson.

Check it out:  http://www.casadepalmas.org/

I was one of the first, if not the first, tour manager.  I have advocated for women all my life.  And I still don’t get it.  Women constantly get relegated and invalidated when it comes to just about anything.

I have put up with newspapers, magazines, and even my publisher, picking out the salacious bits from my story.  Did I use drugs and have sex?  You bet.  How many people haven’t.  Did I sleep with men who were famous?  You bet.  They were around.  But I didn’t go around talking about it.  At least not until I wrote my book – thirty to forty years later.  And, quite honestly, if you’ve read my book, you know it was pretty, well, superficially touched upon.   Radio interviewers and journalists want the details, but I haven’t given any.  Did I run drugs?  Please!!  I did the job that was expected of me at that time.  Would I do it today?  No Way!!

So the word ‘groupie’,  ‘grooviest groupie’ and now ’super groupie’ have been hung on my head.  Is that the only word people have for women who worked in rock and roll.  Do they call the guys who did the same job I did groupies? Did they write about all the men/musicians who slept around?  Of course not!  Was I a fan?  Yes.  We all were fans.  Why else would we have been there.

I think it’s time that we as women, and we as men, must stop degrading women with titles.  My greatest example to women I work with is:  In high school, if you were a girl who had sex, you were a slut.  If you were a guy who had sex, you were a stud.  What’s wrong with this picture?  And we women contribute to it as much as men.  I know I’m guilty of it.  It’s ingrained in our psyches.  We’re just people who do the best we can to survive in this very complex and crazy life.

After twenty years in the rock and roll world, I quit!  I moved back to Tucson, raised a son, held down a job, and got two degrees in college.  I am writing about this because I have a voice – and I’m going to use it.  I hope the rest of you do the same.

It is quite interesting to me how people respond to my book.  The truth is that there are some wonderful reviews and there are also some more critical reviews.  As a first time author, it’s hard to not feel some ‘pain’ about the ones that are more critical and some true gratitude for ones that are favorable.  I want to address the ones that are less favorable.

A few people felt that I had taken advantage of my relationships with the ’stars’ I worked for and more importantly felt that I was naive and too carefree – or scatterbrained.  Well, I was only in my twenties for the most of the book and I think, like most young adults I made some pretty risky and probably stupid choices.  But to those people I can only say, ‘thank God, you’re not my parents!”

I wrote this book for the fans.  And from all accounts, they are enjoying the experiences that I’ve chosen to share with them.  I’m very proud of the story of my life that I was able to tell in 400 pages and wouldn’t change a thing.

So to those people who didn’t enjoy my book, I highly recommend that you go and buy Sarah Palin’s book.  Maybe it’s more up your alley.

And to those who did – THANK YOU!!

Hello to everyone who has joined up on this blog.  I have been so busy with interviews and traveling that I’ve been slow in getting started.   But I will begin my first official blog post next week and I’m going to start with the word ‘groupie’.  Was I a groupie?  What does that even mean?  Check it out.

Thanks again to all who have shown interest in my book.

Hey everyone,

I’m happy to finally have my blog up – along with my new website.  Please check it out at missodell.com.

I am going to begin writing some interesting facts, opinions and even answering question on this space.  So if you have a question for me, please post it or email me through facebook or my website.

Stayed tuned.

Chris

Can’t wait to share/hear from everyone!