Muse, Odalisque, Handmaiden: A Girl’s Life in the Incredible String Band

by Rose Simpson

A memoir by a member of the Incredible String Band that charts a journey from hippie utopia to post-Woodstock implosion.

Between 1967 and 1971 Rose Simpson lived with the Incredible String Band (Mike Heron, Robin Williamson and Licorice McKechnie), morphing from English student to West Coast hippie and, finally, bassist in leathers. The band's image adorned psychedelic posters and its music was the theme song for an alternative lifestyle.
Rose and partner Mike Heron believed in, and lived, a naive vision of utopia in Scotland. But they were also a band on tour, enjoying the thrills of that life. They were at the center of "Swinging London" and at the Chelsea Hotel with Andy Warhol's superstars. They shared stages with rock idols and played at Woodstock in 1969. Rose and fellow ISB member Licorice were hippie pin-ups, while Heron and Robin Williamson the seers and prophets of a new world.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Scotland

426 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the fans of this band still alive after all this time, it's a revelation! Must read! And very well written, too.

I met Rose twice in my life. She was very nice, both times.

[Philip Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Muse, Odalisque, Handmaiden: A Girl's Life in the Incredible String Band by Rose Simpson an absorbing, often moving memoir to read. In her book, Rose Simpson tells the reader that when she first met Robin Williamson and Mike Heron, the two singer songwriters who composed The Incredible String Band, she was a twenty year old student of English literature at York University, where she was President of the Mountaineering Club. Her study of English literature served her well, for her memoir is written in fine, flowing prose that is a pleasure to read. When she concentrates on a memory she brings it to life on the page in vivid detail. The tale she tells, satisfyingly, has a beginning, middle, and end, and it proves that truth can turn out to be stranger than fiction. It reads like a fairy tale, in a way. It begins with her as a twenty year old young woman in the summer of 1967, staying in a place called Temple Cottage in Scotland on one of her mountaineering expeditions, and while she is there she comes under the enchantment of two young folk singers, minstrels from Edinburgh, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron, and with them was a young woman called Licorice. The rest of her memoir tells of how the two minstrels led her and Licorice away from what is called ordinary life into the world of their music. It ends in January, 1971, with Rose leaving The Incredible String Band, to step off the stage and out of the recording studio, to resume life in the real world, as it were, the world that most people live in, yet more than enriched inside by what she had experienced.
At the end of the book I was pleased to find a list of the key live performances of The Incredible String Band between the years of 1968 to 1970, for it enabled me to see the exact dates when I saw The Incredible String Band in concert in the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. The first time I saw them there was on October, 26th, 1969, when I was seventeen, and the second time was on October, 28th, 1970, when I was eighteen. The third and last time I saw them was sometime in 1971 at the Liverpool Stadium, which was not listed in the book as Rose had left the band by then. It was Robin, Mike, Licorice and Rose, as The Incredible String Band, I saw at both concerts at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, the most magical, spiritually refreshing concerts I have ever been to. I felt confused and disappointed when Robin, Mike and Licorice stepped onto the stage of the Liverpool Stadium in 1971 without Rose. Maybe others in the audience knew she had left the band but I did not. Instead they were joined on stage by a new member, Malcolm le Maistre.
Now that I have read this memoir by Rose Simpson, I know through her eyes what it like to be a member of The Incredible String Band, on stage and in the recording studio, living in a cottage in Wales and a row of cottages in Scotland, taking part in the Woodstock festival, performing in the music and dance drama called U, appearing on the cover of The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, released in March, 1968, staying in the Chelsea Hotel in New York, visiting California.
I was most moved by her memoir when Rose wrote about Licorice, how she saw her, on stage, in the recording studio, on tour, in rooms and in the open air. Licorice seems to have been as strange and otherworldly in normal life as she appeared on stage. Her high, clear voice singing the line "let me go through", in the song Job's Tears by Robin Williamson, from the album Wee Tam and the Big Huge, on the stage of the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, I will never forget. It stirred my spirit, astonished me. Looking back now, here in 2021, Rose Simpson was a member of The Incredible String Band when they were at their best, from 1968 to 1970, when they recorded The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, Wee Tam and the Big Huge, Changing Horses, I Looked Up and U. The two albums released by The Incredible String Band before Rose joined them, the first, simply called The Incredible String Band, released in 1966, and The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion, released in 1967, are considered by their faithful, ever enthusiastic fans, who have their own page on Facebook, to be among their classic albums, too. Liquid Acrobat As Regards the Air, released in 1971, Earthspan, released in 1972, No Ruinous Feud, released in 1973, and Hard Rope and Silken Twine, released in 1974, the last four albums by The Incredible String Band before they broke up, all recorded without Rose Simpson as a member, had some fine songs on them but to me they were not as good as the albums they recorded in the 1960's. Wee Tam and the Big Huge, the first album I bought by The Incredible String Band in 1969, when I was seventeen, will always be my favourite.
What makes the memoir of Rose Simpson seem like a fairy tale is because she never set out to be a musician, her main interests in life were literature and mountaineering, not music. It was only through her chance meeting with Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Temple Cottage in Scotland that she became a member of The Incredible String Band. Violin, bass guitar, and other instruments she was taught how to play by them, so she could perform with them on stage and on record. With Robin, Mike and Licorice, between the years of 1967 to 1971, she lived a life beyond her dreams. Now she is over seventy years old, she has managed in her memoir to record what it was like for her to experience that life, how good it was when it was good, how sad when it was over. Anyone who loves the songs of The Incredible String Band will find her memoir an enthralling, magical, moving book to read.

[Lavolily · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long time fan of ISB I eagerly read this book. Very eye opening for me, I’m glad for the knowledge. I will always love the music although not many folks I know in Oklahoma have even heard of the band — such a pity.

I was introduced to the music & first heard the album “U”, and thereafter bought every record they made. I still love the music.

Thanks for the memories…

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are an ISB fan or are interested in the experience of a woman in a 70s band or both, this is a very good read for you. I loved it - but it's very much my thing. Simpson's perspective is a unique one and there are times when she expresses herself so beautifully and with such clarity that I was flooded with empathy Her chapter on band mate Liccy just made me ache. Luckily, Simpson never lost sight of who she was and as the rest of the band drifted into Scientology, had the wherewithal to pack up and get out. In some ways, the last third, when everything is kind of going into the shitter, was my favorite part of the book because it's when you really get a glimpse of Simpson's steely spine and how proud she is (justifiably) of what she's accomplished.

There's also loads about clothes which is always left out of stuff that men write - and you know it matters, right? so all her descriptions made me very happy.

[Harry Burnside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being an avid String Band follower since 1968 I enjoed this book so much. With Rose and Mike having amazing smile they were meant fo each other in the band.
She wrote this account with great candour telling it like it is about her ups and downs in the band and getting to play Bass tutored by Mike.
It would appear that when the band was under the spell of Scientology after a while that was enough for Rose and so she eventually packed her bags and left.
I appreciated her apparent honesty about her time with them.
I found the book unputdownable and though I was aware of situations that arose it was good o hear the back story.
A great big thanks to Rose for taking the time to write it.

[Gille Liath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps they’re in danger of becoming merely a footnote in music history but surely, in the sight of God, ISB are one of the greatest bands ever. In them the vision of Oneness implicit in the Beatles’ work wondrously takes form; and the Beatles are probably the only other band to have had two separate songwriters of the quality of Ian Heron and Robin Williamson. But whereas Lennon and McCartney were often at odds or, at best, complemented each other, Heron and Williamson had a uniquely joint vision, like a musical demonstration of Atman and Brahman. And none of the Beatles could play nose flute!

ISB were also pretty much unique among successful groups in giving prominent roles to ‘girlfriend members’, ‘Licorice’ McKechnie and Rose Simpson. Even Lennon ended up having to unplug Yoko’s mike on stage; but where Yoko justified her presence only as Lennon’s muse, McKechnie and Simpson – though with no more musical skill than her, and perhaps little more natural ability – ended up really earning their salt within the band. Their singing, like hers, is squeaky and squawky (Simpson’s regard for McKechnie’s vocal abilities is completely inexplicable) but, unlike hers, more or less tuneful; and Simpson’s learned-from-scratch bass playing – although you might describe it as ‘endearingly shambolic’ – really added something. Beyond that, they were crucial to the band’s ‘come on in and be groovy’ appeal. It would seem that McKechnie, like Yoko, eventually started believing the publicity and developed a goddess complex, but (bearing in mind that this is her own account) Simpson apparently remained grounded.

You might think Simpson the ideal person to write the history of the band from the inside: intelligent (despite the fact that at one point she tries to explain the band’s relationships in terms of astrology), clear-eyed but not cynical; loyal to the band’s music but not fully wedded to their ideological journey. But actually this is not a history, only the account of her own experiences, perhaps ‘brutally honest’ at some points but a little evasive at others – its mixture of the forthright and the coy unintentionally captured by the euphemistic title (‘odalisque’!). The surprising thing is that she was not the devoted ‘road wife’ you might have expected. She did everything on her own terms and – true child of the 60s – while accepting Heron’s dalliances apparently almost without bitterness, hints – lightly but clearly – that she was not exclusive to him either.

According to her what brought the group down, both artistically and personally, was the others’ adoption of Scientology (her account of this is far more illuminating than any of Louis Theroux’s docos) which she, however, eventually decided was nonsense. It does seem an extraordinary thing to reject conventional religion as (supposedly) a racket and a sell, only to accept this far more blatant, simplistic and expensive racket! Yet from Simpson’s description it’s possible to understand the appeal to people like ISB: it was simple yet suitably far-out (or bizarre); and being open only to the elect – ie the wealthy – it made them feel special. They would never have accepted a creed that was open to just anyone, it wouldn't have been true to their sense of themselves. But whereas the older religions, including Christianity, had fed their imaginations, Scientology offered only iron-clad ideology.

I guess it’s a moral as to the dangers of thinking you can rip up everything and start again – you only end up falling to the same mistakes as conventional society, but quicker and bigger. Surely the hardening of their attitudes, though, was not solely due to Scientology, but also to the general disillusionment setting in as the decade turned. The Beatles had split up, people were getting fed up of their communes, there was fighting in the streets – hippie utopia wasn’t going to be as easy as people had hoped. ISB, foremost among the prophets of the New Age, were especially vulnerable to the fading of the dream.

It’s curious though that in all this she talks about the group as a four. She has little to say, especially as the tale goes on, about her relationship with Heron, and it is hardly possible to identify the moment – if there was a definite moment – of their separation. It’s strange, considering she was the inspiration of such a series of exquisite (if unconventional) love songs. She ultimately leaves the group of her own will – contrary to what the ‘girlfriend member’ role demands – without heartache, apparently almost without regret, leaving Heron (although newly married to someone else) to pen some heartbreaking songs about his sense of loss.

Maybe it’s the very long time lapse that has created this odd sense of distance. She does show a continued respect for Heron’s music, and pays him the tribute of playing one of his songs at her father’s funeral (I don’t know whether this was before or after becoming mayor of Aberystwyth), and I think it’s fair to say has been true to the band’s ideals in her own way. She seems an interesting and appealing person who has approached life courageously, and shows that same courage in refusing to romanticise the band. Perhaps that clarity is, to some extent, at the expense of the illusions fans have cherished. But they’re not entirely illusions. In acknowledging the genuine contribution Rose Simpson made to the band, we can't lose sight of the fact that she was not, after all, one of the principals. When all’s said and done, the soul of the ISB is not here, in these pages; it remains in their records. This is the personal memoir of a survivor; no more, but no less.

[Sonny Br · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, partly because I liked the Incredible String Band in the late 1960s. I was particularly interested in the women's role, and what part Scientology played in Rose's departure. This book has it all. But even if you're not that into the band, it's interesting to read of her encounters with The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez (who was less than gracious), Joni Mitchell -- and especially Crosby, Stills and Nash, which she claims changed her life.

As others have pointed out, the book is well written. It doesn't follow the style that a journalist or a historian would use. It's more like a series of memories or stories, not strictly organized in chronological order. She's quite candid about certain things. For example, she tells us that although she was "part of" the band, and appeared on stage with them, she never felt like a musician.

Personally, I found Simpson's account of commune life sad. When it came to couples, monogamy was neither expected or followed, and "cottage doors remained open long after we ceased to be exclusively together." It's a life I could never lead. But then, this isn't my memoir. I salute Simpson for her honesty, and for having the courage to walk away when her "freedom had been overruled by Scientology" and she decided "I wanted someone who would stay with me, a life to share."

[David Lai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really well-written memoir, giving what appears to be a very plain and honest account of what it was like to be a level-headed Yorkshire girl in one of the most original and imaginative of pop bands.

Simpson is frank about her musical inadequacy, indeed mentions it frequently, and the insecurity resulting from it seems to have fated her early departure from the band.

The description of Woodstock, when ISB missed their chance of international megastardom, conveys the chaos, jeopardy, panic and sheer unpleasantness of being there, so much at odds with the flower-children myth.

Simpson doesn't hide her impatience with Scientology, which in several ways ruined the band, and skates lightly over Mike's casual infidelity and her own permissiveness, though she does let slip that she had flings with Joe Boyd and David Crosby. Neither Mike, Robin nor Licorice comes out of this telling with glowing colours, and the latter two seem really quite unattractive.

The narrative ends when Rose leaves the band and gives birth to a daughter.

A great read for ISB fans, and the photos are terrific.

[Koeeoaddi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many people my age have their own touchstone of when the 60s ended: Altamont, the Manson killings, Watergate, RFK's murder, etc. For me, nothing so sizemic. Instead, just a very good ISB concert at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, after which Robin walked onto the stage and extolled Scientology, with his minions passing out little informational cards to the audience (to audible groans).

So, Rose's account of the trajectory of the group and why she walked away was unsurprising and satisfying. She is the perfect insider witness to the history of this band and tells all with perception, humor and sensitivity.

Even better, unlike so many music memoirs I've read, I left this one with my general impressions of the group members and their amazing work (that still resonates after over 50 years) pretty much intact. There were no, "God, what a jerk, I wish I didn't know that..." moments, yet I feel like I have a better sense of all of them.

Thank you for writing this, Rose, I just tore right through it!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

As pop / rock memoirs go this one rates particularly high for its unflinching portrayal of the sixties and the life inside the classic rock bubble. Rose was one of the women (rare o rare) in the sixties Utopian Acid Folk band, the Incredible String Band. So, if you're a fan this is essential.
However, this book is quite unique for its comprehensive look at the band, the scene and the period. It also is a primer on how women were marginalized and expected to be so. There is an undying description of the Woodstock Festival, that ISB played and how it seemed from the inside with one of the minor bands. I mean, you need to read at least this account from the book.
Rose's accounts are with a critical eye, so this is not "Rose-colored" in any sense. I love this one.

[Ellen Bradfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge Incredible String Band fan during the period old which Rose Simpson writes and attended many of their concerts at the Fillmore East.
This book is very well written and offers amazing insights into a long-gone era.
It is refreshing to hear the ISB story from one of the women connected to the band, rather than from the founders.
Like Rose, I preferred Mike’s output to Robin’s, and her time with him proved to me that he was the more accessible of the two men.
There are some great pictures included. My only peeve was the extremely small print.

[Barry Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real inside view of life in the Incredible String Band, since Rose was part of the band and their collective lifestyle. Illuminating reading where one gets a clear view of what life around the group must have been like back then. The commune days, the liaison with the amateur Stone Monkey, the often inspired and passionate creations of the two main parties. And how nothing stays around forever, every moment has its time, and those times move on, right? Excellently written, Rose is analytical, incisive, and writes very well indeed.
And we were both so very small!

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the music of the Incredible String Band for over fifty years and have seen them in concert when the author was a member of the band so I was pleased to buy a copy of this memoir. There are a couple of minor errors about names, which the editor should have spotted, but this is a well written account of the author's time in the band. The book includes a timeline, some reviews and an index.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing reminiscence by an inevitably unreliable narrator. Nonetheless, Rose gives us an insight into the rather hippy-dippy life of ISB and associates during her time with the band. It's not a precise recounting: her memories are often fragmented and the chronological flow is frequently interrupted (although I suspect this follows the general pattern of her life!) For all the flaws, as a long-term ISB fan, I found it enjoyable.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a huge ISB fan like me . . . . . this book is fascinating. A bit sad to hear that the initial ethos got destroyed by Scientology. But Rose’s story is amazing, interesting, a bit tragic.

I so hoped that the magic portrayed on record was their lived experience - and for a while it really was. Then it sort of wasn’t.

[Malcolm Pinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book the Incredible String Band deserve. A book of the band and the era.

[Greg Williamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

‪Was disappointed with this book. It’s a simple account of life in the ISB. Not much else. A bit sad really. Shame about the Scientology‬. Seems to be what killed the band.

[Michael D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding memoir, well written and bracingly honest. One of the best music-related books I have red in recent years.

[jboyg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insider View Of ISB During Its Heyday.

Must read for all fans of the incredible String Band, charmingly written story of the band's rise to stardom told by bassist and Mike's girlfriend, Rose Simpson. She is a good chatty chronicler of those ancient hippy days when love was all around us and the future looked so bright we all had to wear shades! Fucking Scientology had to go ruin it all by capturing Mike, Robin and Licorice in its evil clutches. But pretty sweet ride while it lasted.