# Cleo Odzer

Cleo Odzer (born Sheila Lynne Odzer, April 6, 1950 – March 26, 2001) was an American author and anthropologist renowned for her works exploring subcultures, including prostitution in Thailand, the hippie culture of Goa, and the emerging phenomenon of cybersex. Her works provided unique perspectives on subcultures often marginalized or misunderstood, blending personal experience with anthropological insight.

## Early life and education

Cleo Odzer grew up in Manhattan, New York City, as the daughter of Rena Abelson Odzer and Harry Odzer. Her father, president of a textile company, died when she was 16 years old. She attended Franklin School (now Dwight School) and Quintano's School for Young Professionals, graduating from the latter in 1968.

## Time as a groupie

In 1968, Cleo Odzer began writing about the music scene for a small Greenwich Village newspaper. During this time, she met met Keith Emerson, then member of the rock band the Nice and later of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, at The Scene nightclub. Later that year, after receiving a Christmas gift from Emerson in 1968, she publicly announced their engagement. However, in his 2003 autobiography, Pictures of an Exhibitionist, Emerson stated that there was no actual engagement. He only learned about the alleged "engagement" from a February 1969 Time , which included her photo and described her as a "Super Groupie". Odzer later claimed that the article led to the breakup of the 'engagement'.
Shortly thereafter in 1969, Odzer recorded an album called The Groupies, produced by Alan Lorber, which essentially consisted of interviews with Cleo and some friends describing their adventures meeting (and sleeping with) rock musicians.

## Hippie years in Goa

In the early 1970s, Odzer left New York and embarked on a journey through Europe and the Middle East, where she worked as a model. She eventually settled in Anjuna, Goa, India, immersing herself in the vibrant hippie culture of the region. Her time in Goa was characterized by wild parties, heavy drug use—including cocaine and heroin—and international drug smuggling to finance her stay. These experiences, along with a subsequent two-week incarceration, were later chronicled in her memoir, Goa Freaks: My Hippie Years in India (1995, ISBN 1-56201-059-X). During this period, she also followed the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh for a time.

## Return to U.S.; academic pursuits and research in Thailand

After returning to the United States in the late 1970s, Odzer underwent drug treatment at Daytop in New York. She attended college and then graduate school, obtaining a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research in New York City in 1990, with a thesis on prostitution in Thailand. Starting in 1987, she spent three years in Thailand researching this topic. In her dissertation, she presented case studies of 17 individuals connected to the sex industry in Patpong. She concludes that the economic opportunities provided by sex work do not translate into a higher status of women, because of persistent stigma and ideas about gender inequality in Thai society. Her experiences in Thailand were described in her first book, Patpong Sisters: An American Woman's View of the Bangkok Sex World (1994, ISBN 1-55970-281-8). In this work she describes the Thai prostitutes she got to know as quick-witted entrepreneurs rather than exploited victims, sometimes revered in their poor home villages. She also relates her own problematic affair with a Thai pimp boyfriend.
Following publication of the book, Odzer worked at Daytop in New York, the drug rehabilitation organization she herself had attended earlier.

## Pioneering cybersex research and media ventures

In the 1990s, Cleo Odzer explored the emerging digital frontier with a focus on cybersex. Her third book, Virtual Spaces: Sex and the Cyber Citizen (1997, ISBN 0-425-15986-8), examined the then-nascent phenomenon, delving into the social and psychological dynamics of virtual intimacy. From 1995 to 1998, she produced several dozen episodes of her public-access television series, Cleo's Adventures for Manhattan Neighborhood Network public-access television. The show documented her explorations of unconventional lifestyles and subcultures, further establishing her as a fearless chronicler of the fringe.
Odzer's expertise in cybersex led to her appearance in episode 1.21 of SexTV in 1999, where she contributed to a segment on the subject. Her work during this period positioned her as a pioneer in understanding the intersection of technology and human relationships.

## Return to Goa, and death

In 1999, disillusioned with life in New York, Cleo Odzer returned to Goa. Some of the remaining old-time hippies reportedly resented her for the attention her book had brought to their scene. She died in Goa on March 26, 2001, at the age of 50. According to "Cookie," a close friend and collaborator who had been corresponding with Odzer during her final stay in India, Odzer's doctor suggested that her death was likely caused by a stroke related to very high cholesterol and severe circulatory issues for which she had been receiving treatment during her final year. Following her death, her body was cremated after a small service. However, Arun Saldanha, a researcher who interviewed members of the Goa community about Odzer, recounts a different account. He was informed by a psychiatrist at the Goa Medical College that her body had remained unclaimed in a morgue in Mapusa for over a month before being buried without a funeral. The psychiatrist also claimed that Odzer had AIDS. Additionally, Saldanha reported witnessing Odzer use cocaine during an interview sometime prior to her death.

## Legacy

The 2002 documentary Last Hippie Standing, directed by Marcus Robbin, explored the Goa scene and included some of Cleo Odzer's Super 8 footage from the 1970s. Shortly before her death, Odzer participated in an interview with Robbin for the film, sharing her candid reflections on the Goa community, the culture she had embraced, and her hopes for humanity:
   I don't know what the future brings, but I know what I don't want: New York is what I don't want, that culture is what I don't want; it's not right. I don't know what is right. I don't think our old life was right. I don't see a new culture that is right, but we have to continue trying, that's the best we can do, that's the best any of us can do, to keep trying. To make something that is peaceful for everybody, that makes people happy, that is fair to everybody. And that's all I want.
The film was dedicated to her memory, marking her as a pivotal voice of the hippie era and its enduring legacy.
Odzer's works offer unparalleled insights into the intricacies of subcultures, ranging from the hippie communes of Goa to the vibrant and controversial sex industry of Thailand. Her books, such as Goa Freaks: My Hippie Years in India and Patpong Sisters: An American Woman's View of the Bangkok Sex World, not only document her experiences but also challenge stereotypes, presenting nuanced perspectives on people often misunderstood or marginalized by mainstream society.
As one of the first writers to explore the emerging phenomenon of cybersex in Virtual Spaces: Sex and the Cyber Citizen, Odzer also cemented her status as a forward-thinking chronicler of human behavior. Through her fearless exploration of taboo topics and unconventional worlds, she left a legacy that continues to inspire anthropologists, sociologists, and readers curious about the complexities of human culture.
In Cleo Odzer’s own words: “I didn’t just write about the world—I lived it.”

## Selected works

Her contributions continue to be referenced in studies related to anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies, shedding light on the intricacies of human behavior within various subcultures.