(...) Once I even went to the American embassy saying that I had with me someone who wasn't feeling well and asked for heroine, but got kicked out by the doctor in charge. Then we scored some Mandrix, a barbiturate that she mixed with alcohol. She'd wake up and down a quart of Dubar egg liqueur, which is thick, nauseating stuff. Then she'd shoot some pills. Around noon she started on Fogo Paulista (an industrialized spirit). She'd have several bottles of that … about three quarts. Then we went to the beach, and she'd bring the bottle along. We went several times to Macumba Beach (at Recreio dos Bandeirantes). This was the height of the dictatorship, 1970, and she was topless. The obvious outcome: we were arrested for indecent exposure. Then the good old Brazilian way of life took over and helped us get out.

TRIP What about Carnival exploits?
RICKY Well, enter Carnival. While staying at Copacabana Palace, she was invited to a box at the Municipal Theater. She had no costume: but wore a turban, round glasses, pantaloons, a beaded shirt, necklaces and that was that. When we climbed a catwalk that crossed Cinelândia, the queers went crazy: "What is that? Man, woman, queer or transvestite?". There were no transvestites at the time and, as she had hair sprouting from her armpits, no one knew for sure. Janis thought she was making quite an appearance...

TRIP Did the press cover the Carnival ball?
RICKY To give you an idea, Jerry Adriani (then a popular, though cheesy, singer) was one of the people interviewing celebrities. I introduced Janis to him, because he was Jovem Guarda and didn't know anything about rock'n'roll. And he went: "Janis, what is your impression on Rio's Carnival?" He had no idea who she was. Nor did Globo (the leading TV network), Veja (weekly magazine), or anyone else. We got to the box: "I'm here with Janis Joplin, who has an invitation". The man looked through the peephole, saw that weird-looking woman and then I heard a different voice from inside: "Is she nice?" and the doorman replied: "No, she's a dog!". The other voice ordered: "No ugly women allowed!"

They didn't let us in. Janis understood what was happening, because there are no language barriers for high people, and got deeply offended. She went downstairs, bought a bottle of champagne, drank it all and threw the bottle up in the balcony. The bottle crashed on the people and we went away. She was very disappointed, sobbing. Her Carnival ended right there.

 

 

[HOME]
[01] [02] [03]
TRIP What else happened at your place?
RICKY My apartment was very hip for the time. I had a collection of antique mirrors and the bed was in the center. Once she was topless talking to me and she insinuated a kiss. At the time I drew back and refused.

She retreated and lay down on the bed. She liked having starch cookies with marmalade, perhaps to offset glucose deprivation. Then she got up and asked: ""Are you scared because I'm a superstar or are you into something else?". Man, when she said that I looked at the mirror and saw that she had about four cookies with marmalade stuck to her back. After that there was no way I could get it up (laughing). Sometimes people say that I had a relationship with Janis. But that never happened. She was amazing, singing incredible stuff in the shower, with all sorts of voices, extreme sensitivity, a very funny personality, I'd laugh all day with her. On day she passed out and slept on the beach at Copacabana. She had severe sunburns on her back and looked like a pepper: high fever, sunstroke, skin peeling out in huge flakes... She crammed the ashtrays with skin (laughing).

TRIP Where did you go at night?
RICKY We traveled the underground, she didn't take to fashionable, square places. In Copacabana we went to a nightclub full of hookers, sailors and foreigners. That was where she ran into Serguei. He was singing to a very cheesy band and recognized her. He called for a general break and declared "ladies and gentlemen, the greatest singer of all times is with us ", and called her upstage - a ratty affair, the place was nasty. Then she told the band to stop and sang "a cappella". Man, that made my skin crawl... it was so impressive that all the sailors, hookers and pimps sent drinks to our table. We drank 'till we dropped!

TRIP Then she left your place?
  (more...)