Have you ever been a groupie or would you like to be a groupie?

Maybe it was my love and adoration for New Kids on the Block in elementary school. Or maybe it was the prestige and mystique behind famous musicians. Whatever the reason may be, I had always wanted to be a groupie. Now, don't get me wrong: I don't mean groupie in the whole get-hopped-up-on-narcotics-with-the-band kind of way, or even in the sleep-with-every-member-of-the-band kind of way. So, get all groupie references from Girl or Almost Famous as far from your mind as possible. I simply imagined that it would be amazing to step into the world of some of the greatest rock bands in the country, even if only for a few hours. Even though I know most bands are rife with groupies willing to throw themselves at the band, while doing lines backstage, I never thought about any of that. See, to me, the life of a groupie had always meant three things:

1) Being a groupie means you have high friends in high places. (Again, I wasn't referring to 'high' as in high on narcotics, but with musicians, this may apply.) If you want to get into the trendiest restaurants in town, or even get invited to ultra-exclusive events, hang around the band long enough--you're bound to get invited. To a musician, a groupie means loyalty. Why wouldn't you want loyal people following you around?

2) Being a groupie means you're around talented and inspired artists. If you want to truly embrace poetry, rhythms, melodies, if you want to look beyond the surface and into the depth, hang around true musicians. They understand heartbreak. They understand art. More importantly, they understand.

3) Being a groupie means never having to pay for anything. Sure, you'll take that third cocktail? And why not? Mr. Rockstar and his musician comrades are buying. Heck, maybe you can even score a lot of other free stuff. (Still NOT narcotics.)

I've never been a groupie. Not really. (Although I've been a really, really, really big fan of a band.) It's just not my style. I can't be that devoted to a musician or a group of musicians just because they're, well, musicians. I'm not the follower type. And I don't want to be just a notch on any rockstar's belt. Celebrities are always complaining about not knowing who they're true friends are; consequently, groupies are deceived into thinking that they're true friends with celebrities.

Nah, I don't need to be a groupie. Besides not being a follower, all of my friends are already rockstars.