Rebel Heart : An American Rock 'n' Roll Journey

Rating:
Summary: Blame Bebe's Rebel Heart
Review: This is my kind of book. A tell-all centered around the wild life of a woman who's been with famous rockers from the 1970's. I was prepared to endure Bebe saying she's hot stuff every other page, just to get the dish. Apparently Bebe doesn't just toot her own horn. I noticed the compliments Bebe gives to other women throughout---Debbie Harry, Patti D'Arbanville, Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithful, Linda McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, even Lori Maddox (teen groupie) is described as "the most beautiful girl in L.A."--just thought I'd mention that to be fair.
While reading I couldn't help but compare Bebe's experiences with Pamela Des Barres'. These two have "had" some of the same famous guys, and Pamela wrote her own memoir in the 80's. I noticed Jimmy Page used the same "My relationship with Charlotte is souring" sob-story line on them, and left both of them "hanging" at the airport, while he took off back to England! Mick Jagger takes Bebe to meet John Lennon on her birthday, and Lennon sings "Happy Birthday" to Bebe. Bebe's best memory ever!
While she does come off more like a "trophy model girlfriend" to rockstars than a "groupie", you will only be interested in her "muse" tales if you like Elvis Costello or Todd Rundgren. I don't know them from Adam. Bebe over-analysing various lyrics (especially with Costello!)put me to sleep. But the majority of the book had me amused. She's running around with all these rockers, trying to keep up with her boyfriend Rundgren, so there's a lot of drama. It managed to crack me up several times. I almost choked on my lunch while reading about Tommy Smothers trying to seduce Bebe at the Playboy Mansion. It was comical. Bernardo Bertolucci directs her daughter Liv Tyler in "Stealing Beauty", and is under the false impression Bebe was a "Plaster Caster" (groupie girls who used to cast the private parts of rock stars!). That's what happens when you've tried to keep up with the Rundgrens, the Jaggers, the Bowies, the Stewarts, and the Tylers!

Rating:
Summary: Buy It Used
Review: This is not a useless, worthless book. It's actually pretty entertaining in spots. But I don't think it's worth buying new. If it were better and more substantial, it wouldn't be. It's just an "autobiography" about someone on the fringe of rock music. So, it's revealing if you're interested in the artists she "covers," such as Todd Rundgren, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Jimmy Page, and, most scarily, Elvis Costello. The Stones stuff is really the most enjoyable, as she really didn't seem too attached to Mick Jagger and his bandmates, so she is more objective in her entertaining anecdotes about sharing some time with the band in the '70s. The rest, you wind up feeling a bit sorry for. This is a lady that can't tell the difference between love and obsession. She's also quite the narcissist, constantly telling the reader how beautiful she is, all the great career offers she just happened to turn down, etc. You also feel sorry for her and Steven Tyler's daughter, Liv. Bebe comes across as a Tennessee Williams heroine -- a slightly deluded Southern belle. But you can't hate her, as she seems to have a tender, nurturing side when it comes to babies and animals. It's not well-written, but it's kind of like coming across a high school student's diary. You don't want to read it or care, but you find yourself reading on, fascinated by someone else's drama queen tendencies.

Rating:
Summary: Bebe's Rebel Heart ROCKS!
Review: Throughout this book, I was either laughing, crying or rolling my eyes. There are plenty of funny and juicy tales about Bebe's days as an "It" girl, hanging with the most famous rockers you can think of from the 70's. She's also drop-dead gorgeous and knows it, makes it clear she's a "muse" NOT a "groupie", and says she has "an ego the size of Asia". Yet she's vulnerable enough to share some of the toughest times of her life. It's not always glam or conceited. It's all here in this book, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Bebe's already been interviewed for books such as Hammer of the Gods (about Led Zeppelin), Please Kill Me: Oral Punk History, Rock Wives, and High On Rebellion (Max's Kansas City club scene). So I was looking forward to reading an entire book about her mis-adventures. If you're into 70's rock culture and love gossip, you might get a kick out of this.