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Geri Miller

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Geri Miller (born April 27, 1942) is an American former go-go dancer and actress. She was a dancer at New York's Peppermint Lounge in the 1960s and appeared in sexploitation films before becoming part of pop artist Andy Warhol's Factory crowd. As a Warhol Superstar, she appeared in the films Flesh (1968), Trash (1970), and Women in Revolt (1971). She also starred in Warhol's play Pork (1971). A self-described "super groupie," Miller was linked to various musicians, including Ringo Starr, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and James Brown.

Life and career

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Geraldine Miller was born to Mr. and Mrs. Morris Miller in Clifton, New Jersey on April 27, 1942.[1][2] She graduated from Clifton High School in 1960.[1] While attending Berkeley College in New Jersey, she built a portfolio as a model and dancer before being recruited as a chorus line girl at the Peppermint Lounge nightclub in New York City.[1] The Peppermint Lounge was a celebrity hot spot and as a go-go dancer, Miller met many musicians who partied at the nightclub.[3]

In October 1962, Miller met singer James Brown at the Peppermint Lounge.[1] He invited her to his show with The Famous Flames at the Apollo Theater in Harlem the night he recorded the live album Live at the Apollo (1963).[1] Miller and Brown continued an on-and-off relationship for some years.[1] Due to discrimination against interracial couples and because Brown criticized Black musicians who were involved with White women, they kept their affair hidden.[4] Miller turned down Brown's marriage proposal because she was ashamed of her secret drug habit. "I said no, even though I loved him. … I was taking uppers all the time because I needed to keep up with… life. I was sad to turn him down, but I didn't want him to find out," she said.[1]

In February 1964, Miller had a brief affair with drummer Ringo Starr when The Beatles first toured America.[5][6] By June 1965, she reportedly dated guitarist Lenny Davidson of The Dave Clark Five, drummer Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys, and Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon, who surprised her with a painting.[3]

Miller made her first film appearance as a go-go dancer in Fail Safe (1964). She recorded the songs "We All Warned You" and "Peppermint Jerk" as the lead singer of The Peppermints, a trio of dancers.[3] The single "We All Warned You" was released on RSVP Records in 1965 and received a 4-star rating from Billboard magazine.[7]

In the mid-1960s, Miller dated Dino Danelli, drummer of the rock group The Young Rascals.[1] They lived together for some time in her Manhattan apartment at 310 West 47th St. After his group found success, Miller found it hard to cope with his affairs. "He was the first guy to break my heart. I was so sad. We split, and he moved out and into his own place," she recalled.[1]

Miller was fired from the Peppermint Lounge after Brown sent her a telegram to the nightclub.[1] Afterward, Miller became a stripper at the Jazz club Metropole Cafe in New York.[1] The change of environment was difficult for her and as a result, she took more uppers for confidence and became promiscuous.[1] Feeling about her body, Miller later got a non-surgical breast augmentation through silicon injections.[1]

In September 1966, Miller was a contestant for the 'Miss Night Beat' title aboard a gambling cruise.[8] Miller discovered that journalist Earl Wilson was one of the judges so she went to his office and gave him a picture of herself in a "daring outfit."[8] Wilson wrote about their encounter in his syndicated column It Happened Last Night.[8]

In the late 1960s and early 2970s, Miller appeared in several sexploitation films, including The Wall of Flesh (1968), Sex by Advertisement (1968), Meeting on 69th Street (1969), Monique, My Love (1969), and The Telephone Book (1971).[1] She had small roles in the films The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart (1970) and Pound (1970).[1]

Miller appeared in the Warhol-produced films Flesh (1968), Trash (1970), and Women in Revolt (1971).[9] She starred as Josie in Warhol's only play Pork, which was controversial due to the nudity and sexual acts simulated.[10] The play had a two-week run at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York City in May 1971.[11] The production was brought to the Roundhouse in London for a six-week run in August 1971.[12] Miller caused a scandal in London when she was arrested for exposing her breasts during a photo session in front of Clarence House, the residence of the Queen Mother.[13][14][10] She was released from jail after pleading guilty to insulting behavior.[15]

In 1974, Miller stated that Warhol did not pay her enough for her film roles.[16] Following their falling out, she withdrew from the public. In the book The Andy Warhol Diaries, Warhol mentioned in a diary entry on November 30, 1985, that Miller called him from a women's shelter and he referred to her as a "young senile person."[17] "In her Trash days she was our most sensible superstar—then in the seventies she suddenly got crazy. One day she was very down to earth, worrying about her topless dancing career, and then the next week she showed up barefoot to 860, saying that the Mafia gave her LSD because she knew too much!" recalled Warhol.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o West, Ashley (2024-04-07). "NYC Starlets – Part 3: An Afternoon with Geri Miller, Warhol Super-Groupie and Sexploitation Actress - Podcast 138". The Rialto Report. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  2. ^ "Geri Miller". Moviefone. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  3. ^ a b c Dempsey, Marion (1965-06-05). "Stars' Girl Friend Aims for Fame". The Ottawa Journal. p. 54. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  4. ^ Stanton, Brandon; Johnson, Stephanie (2022-07-12). Tanqueray. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-250-27828-9.
  5. ^ Starr, Michael (2015). Ringo: With a Little Help. Montclair, NJ: Backbeat Books. pp. 107–108. ISBN 978-1-61713-120-2.
  6. ^ Homcy, George (1964-03-07). "She Met Beatle, Dated Some: Clifton Girl Remembers Ringo". The Herald-News. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  7. ^ "Spotlight Winners of the Week". Billboard: 14. April 3, 1965.
  8. ^ a b c Wilson, Earl (1966-09-20). "It Happened Last Night". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). pp. 7A. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  9. ^ Harvey, Peter (1971-08-03). "Focus was on Miss Miller". The Guardian. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  10. ^ a b Jenour, Kenelm (1971-08-03). "Sex Show 'Pork' Is The Top Of The Flops". Daily Mirror. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  11. ^ Glueck, Grace (1971-05-23). "'Pork' Is Not The Kosher‐est Show in Town". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  12. ^ Lokke, Geoffrey (2019-01-01). "The Theatre of Andy Warhol: Pork in New York and London". PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art. 41 (1): 54–75. doi:10.1162/pajj_a_00452. ISSN 1520-281X. S2CID 59337107.
  13. ^ McNeil, Legs; McCain, Gillian (2014-01-28). Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8021-9276-9.
  14. ^ Matlock, Glen (2024-02-20). Triggers: A Life In Music. Simon and Schuster. p. 30. ISBN 979-8-88674-181-0.
  15. ^ Sloan, Robin Adam (1971-08-24). "The Gossip Column". The Scranton Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  16. ^ Wilson, Earl (May 28, 1974). "It Happened Last Night". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14.
  17. ^ a b Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York: Warner Books. p. 696. ISBN 978-0-446-51426-2Entry date: November 30, 1985{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
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