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Rebel Heart: An American Rock 'n' Roll Journey
A rollicking ride through the rock scene during the 1970s and 1980s details the author's impact on New York City as a supermodel and her adventures with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Todd Rungren, Steven Tyler, Elvis Costello, and Mick Jagger.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
July 24, 2008
This is my 3rd book written by a Playboy Playmate, the first was "Star" by Pamela Anderson, the second was "Sleeping With Bad Boys" by Alice Whoever, and now this. All three books have the following in common:
a) They all pretty much live through men, but don't forget, they're feminists too, y'nkow.
b) All three women are proud of the fact that they're drop dead gorgeous and will be happy to remind you of that fact every five pages, but they're feminists too, y'know.
c) None of the three books have anything nice to say about other women or their female contemporaries, but they're feminists too, y'know.
Most memorable passage in this book: When Miss Buell gets knocked up while dating Steven Tyler and Todd Rundgren, Tyler quips, "If the kid looks like a tired horse with buck teeth, then Todd's the daddy".
If the tot had a face like a chimp then it would be Tyler's, yes?
a) They all pretty much live through men, but don't forget, they're feminists too, y'nkow.
b) All three women are proud of the fact that they're drop dead gorgeous and will be happy to remind you of that fact every five pages, but they're feminists too, y'know.
c) None of the three books have anything nice to say about other women or their female contemporaries, but they're feminists too, y'know.
Most memorable passage in this book: When Miss Buell gets knocked up while dating Steven Tyler and Todd Rundgren, Tyler quips, "If the kid looks like a tired horse with buck teeth, then Todd's the daddy".
If the tot had a face like a chimp then it would be Tyler's, yes?
June 3, 2023
Wise readers realize that memoirs are always embellished. "Rebel Heart: An American Rock 'n' Roll Journey" by Bebe Buell boasts more than its fair share whoppers.
She claims that she accompanied Todd Rundgren to London in September 1974 for a press event, and that she snuck out and met Jimmy Page behind Todd’s back while Todd was at an event at the Speakeasy. Todd was photographed by Michael Putland on September 5, 1974 in London according to a photo available from Getty Images. Jimmy Page however was in the United States on September 4, 1974, appearing with Bad Company in Central Park according to Led Zeppelin’s official website. Did he drop his guitar after the show and fly straight back to London? Sure anything’s possible I suppose. A groupie’s tale just isn’t complete without claiming an affair with Jimmy Page, eh girls? There is no doubt most of Bebe’s book could be similarly deconstructed, but not by me. It was a big fat DNF.
Todd Rundgren in Uncut magazine in 2006 stated that Bebe is “incapable of telling the truth.” Elvis Costello in the liner notes for the Armed Forces reissue stated: "On the eve of recording this album a girl arrived on my doorstep from America. At best we were strangers with a coy and theoretical entanglement. I thought that she was to be coming for a short visit and that I might at least satisfy my curiousity about her. However, she turned up with eight pieces of luggage like a mail-order bride and moved in. I was too stupid and vain to resist. She'd later claimed to have inspired most of the songs on this record---all of which were already written when we met. This was said also about the previous release---a chronological impossibility---and many of my other compositions to this day. It is a tragic delusion about which I wish I could say: "I shall not dignify that with a response” but "dignity" doesn't come into this story."
It is a shame this woman was only beautiful on the outside, and a shame that she will only be remembered now as Liv Tyler’s mother (oh, yeah, the daughter she lied to for 10 years regarding the identity of her father).
She claims that she accompanied Todd Rundgren to London in September 1974 for a press event, and that she snuck out and met Jimmy Page behind Todd’s back while Todd was at an event at the Speakeasy. Todd was photographed by Michael Putland on September 5, 1974 in London according to a photo available from Getty Images. Jimmy Page however was in the United States on September 4, 1974, appearing with Bad Company in Central Park according to Led Zeppelin’s official website. Did he drop his guitar after the show and fly straight back to London? Sure anything’s possible I suppose. A groupie’s tale just isn’t complete without claiming an affair with Jimmy Page, eh girls? There is no doubt most of Bebe’s book could be similarly deconstructed, but not by me. It was a big fat DNF.
Todd Rundgren in Uncut magazine in 2006 stated that Bebe is “incapable of telling the truth.” Elvis Costello in the liner notes for the Armed Forces reissue stated: "On the eve of recording this album a girl arrived on my doorstep from America. At best we were strangers with a coy and theoretical entanglement. I thought that she was to be coming for a short visit and that I might at least satisfy my curiousity about her. However, she turned up with eight pieces of luggage like a mail-order bride and moved in. I was too stupid and vain to resist. She'd later claimed to have inspired most of the songs on this record---all of which were already written when we met. This was said also about the previous release---a chronological impossibility---and many of my other compositions to this day. It is a tragic delusion about which I wish I could say: "I shall not dignify that with a response” but "dignity" doesn't come into this story."
It is a shame this woman was only beautiful on the outside, and a shame that she will only be remembered now as Liv Tyler’s mother (oh, yeah, the daughter she lied to for 10 years regarding the identity of her father).
March 1, 2011
Liv Tyler must be a saint!
I enjoyed this book, but the more I read the more I was in awe of lovely Liv Tyler. Bebe Buell comes acoss as basically a nice person, but incredibly silly, shallow, scatterbrained, disorganized, needy, child-like . . . basically all the things you don't want in a mother!
How Liv Tyler could grow up to be a great actress, successful model, sensible businesswoman, and a devoted single mother, is really one of the great triumphs of the human spirit.
Liv honey, we're all waiting to read YOUR book -- that should really be something!
I enjoyed this book, but the more I read the more I was in awe of lovely Liv Tyler. Bebe Buell comes acoss as basically a nice person, but incredibly silly, shallow, scatterbrained, disorganized, needy, child-like . . . basically all the things you don't want in a mother!
How Liv Tyler could grow up to be a great actress, successful model, sensible businesswoman, and a devoted single mother, is really one of the great triumphs of the human spirit.
Liv honey, we're all waiting to read YOUR book -- that should really be something!
October 28, 2013
So, I've been listening to a lot of Elvis Costello circa "Get Happy," and was stuck on "Black and White World" (one of my favorites), when I thought, "this must be about Bebe Buell." I only knew the slightest bit about her relationship and obsession with Costello, so I hunted this bio down. But this kiss-and-tell autobiography is one of the saddest things I've ever read. While one could dismiss this as TMZ-level titillation, I couldn't help sense the ongoing squandering of a life misspent in one-sided relationships where Buell served as the prize egotistical rock stars earned for displaying huge egoism, and very little empathy. It's a tragedy which ends with a mother (Buell), supplicating herself to a generous daughter (Liv Tyler) for buying her mother a home in Maine, when the mother has no resources left to make the purchase herself. And Buell, on every other page, defending lifestyle without regret. Damned depressing. Her "eternal summer" has faded. And while Elvis, and Todd, and Jimmy, and Steven and Mick continue to gather accolades, Bebe is just a footnote. While Bebe professes continuously not to be a groupie, this is the sequel to "Almost Famous" that hasn't yet been filmed.
October 10, 2011
This book certainly has more exclamation points than any book I recall reading. Reviewing the content and style of this book fairly is difficult because the author is so distasteful. The level of self absorption Bebe Buell displays is astonishing. She leaves her infant daughter with her mother and cousin so she can run after rock musicians, and then repeatedly gets pregnant and miscarries, which, I guess, is a blessing since she was incapable of caring for even one infant.
On the other hand, Buell must have had something going on besides beauty alone to capture the attention of so many acclaimed rock musicians.
She seems quite self delusional, though, taking credit for inspiring the work of almost every one of those men she "dated." For example, about Elvis Costello she says, "Everything I did and said was incorporated into his music,"
And fancying herself an independent spirit, while depending almost wholly on the men she "dated" to support her. I found her many stories about people telling her how "classy" she was hilarious. Only those who aren't seem to use this term.
On the other hand, Buell must have had something going on besides beauty alone to capture the attention of so many acclaimed rock musicians.
She seems quite self delusional, though, taking credit for inspiring the work of almost every one of those men she "dated." For example, about Elvis Costello she says, "Everything I did and said was incorporated into his music,"
And fancying herself an independent spirit, while depending almost wholly on the men she "dated" to support her. I found her many stories about people telling her how "classy" she was hilarious. Only those who aren't seem to use this term.
May 29, 2023
Continuing my foray into rock and roll groupies. The book is just a sort of unreliable journal of bed-hopping, name-dropping, drug-taking, moving on to the next one - and yet it is interesting. Bebe seems to have been a marker of success for the men, as well as they for her. The relationships between the women are often the better part of the story. As Angela Bowie says at the beginning of her own memoir - all made possible by the Pill. The dirty and dishevelled puked-in apartments and hotel rooms also feature. I read an interview with Bebe where she was proud to say that she never got crabs. She should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
February 12, 2009
It's a (mostly)fun look at the rock and roll scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Buell dated quite a few high profile people and was part of the NYC scene. It is striking to me in this book and other groupie memoirs that these women are in some ways far from liberated-they may be promiscuous (not always) but they really are just looking for a boyfriend. It seems kind of provincial and odd considering their social scene.
The book goes downhill fast after Buell has her daughter (Liv Tyler). She leaves her daughter with her mom and runs off to England to chase around Elvis Costello (who is married to someone else). Boy, I don't know if I would even admit to doing something like that. I wasn't judgmental of any of her other behavior but who has a child and then acts so selfishly? Later in the book she talks about the ways in which she tries to manage her daughter's career and she comes off like a stage mom.
Oh, and there's this one passage where she has this delusion that the song Little Red Corvette is written about her. She really only knows Prince in passing, so it's cringe-inducing when she says it.
The book goes downhill fast after Buell has her daughter (Liv Tyler). She leaves her daughter with her mom and runs off to England to chase around Elvis Costello (who is married to someone else). Boy, I don't know if I would even admit to doing something like that. I wasn't judgmental of any of her other behavior but who has a child and then acts so selfishly? Later in the book she talks about the ways in which she tries to manage her daughter's career and she comes off like a stage mom.
Oh, and there's this one passage where she has this delusion that the song Little Red Corvette is written about her. She really only knows Prince in passing, so it's cringe-inducing when she says it.
October 25, 2015
I debated how to rate this book but settled on 3 stars since the first half was so entertaining. The tide turned when she started writing about her affair with Elvis Costello. OMG she comes across as a total loon. Elvis dodged a big bullet there. I feel like there has to be a lot more to the story than she is telling the reader. For the most part she stays friends with all her lovers but not Elvis. He literally runs away when he sees her. I guess I'll have to wait for his memoir.
The first half of the book where she is hanging out with celebrities non-stop is fun to read about but the whole time I was also shaking my head at how blissfully obtuse Bebe was. She was like a toddler,completely living in the moment with no thought to how her actions have consequences. She had a lot of opportunities to be successful on her own but chose the easy path instead. Thus she comes across delusional later in the book when she is complaining about her husband's lack of work ethic. Seriously? This coming from a woman who, after her modeling agency paid for her to fly to London & work for a month, instead chose to go hang out with The Rolling Stones for that month instead. She even writes a typical day was waking up a 5pm, deciding what nightclub or restaurant to go do, getting dressed, going to the chosen club/restaurant, then ending back up at Ron Wood's house to chill. That's an amazing work ethic you are displaying, Bebe.
Her dependence on other people becomes less & less attractive the older she gets. It's one thing for Todd Rundgren to support a beautiful flighty teenage model he is dating but for her to complain many many many years later that her allowance from him is to small is CRAZY. WTF. I couldn't believe how ungrateful towards him she was. He pays child support & private school for a child he knows is not his plus still gives Bebe a bit of money . From 1971-1991 he gave her a lot of money. And she writes it wasn't enough. Wow.
Her delusions of importance also become less endearing the older she gets. There should be a drinking game invented where you have to take a shot every time she writes the word 'muse'. You'd get really drunk. Writing she should have gotten royalties for all the songs she inspired - uh *makes twirling finger motion for I am crazy*. And the whole bit about Prince writing a song about her because he sings the word 'baby' is flat out cuckoo. Really batshit crazy. That was when I knew for sure how separated from reality Bebe was. She reminded me of the character Jon Hamm played in a 30 Rock episode. The one where he plays such a handsome man that everything in life is so easy for him and he is under the impression he is more talented & intelligent than he really is. Like when he orders in French and it is just gobbledygook - haha what a funny episode. Anyway, Bebe is like that, believing she is more fascinating than she really is because of her beauty. Then she has a complete nervous breakdown at 45 when she can no longer rely on her looks to propel her forward in life. People hung out with you for your youth and beauty, not your sense of style or "uncanny" ability to like cool music. Bebe still doesn't get that about herself.
One thing Bebe got right was her comparison of famous 70's rock stars to the royal situation at Versailles and other European courts. You had the king/rock star surrounded by his privy council/business manager,lawyer, accountant and his knights/drug buddies. He was married to the queen/wife who stayed at home at the castle/mansion while he hung out with the official mistress/girlfriend and also got a little action on the side from prostitutes/groupies. Unfortunately for Bebe she was no Madame De Pompadour or Nell Gwynn or Diane De Poitiers. She did not parlay her brief time as a maîtresse-un-titre into anything lasting. Other than her sense of entitlement lasting.
As someone who reads a lot of rock memoirs and has seen Bebe's name come up in quite a few books, I am glad I read this book. It gives me yet another perspective on that period in time. I think a lot of people would be entertained by the stories in the first half of the memoir but it's not a memoir of a likable person or of a person an amazing talent.
The first half of the book where she is hanging out with celebrities non-stop is fun to read about but the whole time I was also shaking my head at how blissfully obtuse Bebe was. She was like a toddler,completely living in the moment with no thought to how her actions have consequences. She had a lot of opportunities to be successful on her own but chose the easy path instead. Thus she comes across delusional later in the book when she is complaining about her husband's lack of work ethic. Seriously? This coming from a woman who, after her modeling agency paid for her to fly to London & work for a month, instead chose to go hang out with The Rolling Stones for that month instead. She even writes a typical day was waking up a 5pm, deciding what nightclub or restaurant to go do, getting dressed, going to the chosen club/restaurant, then ending back up at Ron Wood's house to chill. That's an amazing work ethic you are displaying, Bebe.
Her dependence on other people becomes less & less attractive the older she gets. It's one thing for Todd Rundgren to support a beautiful flighty teenage model he is dating but for her to complain many many many years later that her allowance from him is to small is CRAZY. WTF. I couldn't believe how ungrateful towards him she was. He pays child support & private school for a child he knows is not his plus still gives Bebe a bit of money . From 1971-1991 he gave her a lot of money. And she writes it wasn't enough. Wow.
Her delusions of importance also become less endearing the older she gets. There should be a drinking game invented where you have to take a shot every time she writes the word 'muse'. You'd get really drunk. Writing she should have gotten royalties for all the songs she inspired - uh *makes twirling finger motion for I am crazy*. And the whole bit about Prince writing a song about her because he sings the word 'baby' is flat out cuckoo. Really batshit crazy. That was when I knew for sure how separated from reality Bebe was. She reminded me of the character Jon Hamm played in a 30 Rock episode. The one where he plays such a handsome man that everything in life is so easy for him and he is under the impression he is more talented & intelligent than he really is. Like when he orders in French and it is just gobbledygook - haha what a funny episode. Anyway, Bebe is like that, believing she is more fascinating than she really is because of her beauty. Then she has a complete nervous breakdown at 45 when she can no longer rely on her looks to propel her forward in life. People hung out with you for your youth and beauty, not your sense of style or "uncanny" ability to like cool music. Bebe still doesn't get that about herself.
One thing Bebe got right was her comparison of famous 70's rock stars to the royal situation at Versailles and other European courts. You had the king/rock star surrounded by his privy council/business manager,lawyer, accountant and his knights/drug buddies. He was married to the queen/wife who stayed at home at the castle/mansion while he hung out with the official mistress/girlfriend and also got a little action on the side from prostitutes/groupies. Unfortunately for Bebe she was no Madame De Pompadour or Nell Gwynn or Diane De Poitiers. She did not parlay her brief time as a maîtresse-un-titre into anything lasting. Other than her sense of entitlement lasting.
As someone who reads a lot of rock memoirs and has seen Bebe's name come up in quite a few books, I am glad I read this book. It gives me yet another perspective on that period in time. I think a lot of people would be entertained by the stories in the first half of the memoir but it's not a memoir of a likable person or of a person an amazing talent.
May 16, 2009
I pretty much enjoyed this book. The first two thirds of the book are the best... when she is young and should be out partying. After that point it's kind of odd that she can't give up her groupie ways. The reason I liked this book as much as I did was because it is just another point of view of a time I am jealous to not have grown up in.
Bebe has a tendency to be a completely conceited woman which is really off-putting. It even seems like she is jealous when her Daughter Liv whom she conceived with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, becomes a celebrity. I find her ego to be huge but I dealt with it because I was interested in her story.
It's a good book if you can stomach Bebe's unjustifiable narcissism. Therefore my vote is for you to check it out.
Bebe has a tendency to be a completely conceited woman which is really off-putting. It even seems like she is jealous when her Daughter Liv whom she conceived with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, becomes a celebrity. I find her ego to be huge but I dealt with it because I was interested in her story.
It's a good book if you can stomach Bebe's unjustifiable narcissism. Therefore my vote is for you to check it out.
January 13, 2014
Wow this woman sure is narcissistic!
If you want to read about some serious name dropping, this may be the book for you !
However, I found it kinda hard to read as it shifted from story to story.
I had no idea that she sang- let alone she was in more then one band ( never heard of any of them )
She really thought it was all about her always ( some of the songs she "claimed" were written about her were disputed by the artists when I looked them up )
Yes, back in the day she was very pretty - she prob should of kept her mouth shut and modelled more and bed hopped less .
Sad that even her own daughter (who she pawned off for most of her younger years)
Had to FIRE her and tell her to get the hell out of her business!
This book droned on and on and some of her quotes were laughable. Even in some of the photos she appears to be clingy and needy - no wonder all of her Rock Boys chose to look elsewhere for anything other then a "good time "
If you want to read about some serious name dropping, this may be the book for you !
However, I found it kinda hard to read as it shifted from story to story.
I had no idea that she sang- let alone she was in more then one band ( never heard of any of them )
She really thought it was all about her always ( some of the songs she "claimed" were written about her were disputed by the artists when I looked them up )
Yes, back in the day she was very pretty - she prob should of kept her mouth shut and modelled more and bed hopped less .
Sad that even her own daughter (who she pawned off for most of her younger years)
Had to FIRE her and tell her to get the hell out of her business!
This book droned on and on and some of her quotes were laughable. Even in some of the photos she appears to be clingy and needy - no wonder all of her Rock Boys chose to look elsewhere for anything other then a "good time "
July 21, 2009
I love a good, juicy tell all from a groupie. I wasn't necessarily let down with the goods in the book, she delivers some good groupie get down.
The stuff about her and Elvis Costello was unbelievably tender and heartbreaking.
However, I just DIDN'T like Bebe at ALL. She fawns and preens over her daughter when she is born....but constantly sends her off to live with grandma and an aunt for LONG periods of time. I know each child is raised differently and traditional parenting may have been a long shot for Liv and yeah she turned out okay, but....Bebe, should you have been THAT hurt when Liv dumped you as a manager.
Mothers should raise their children, even groupies.
The stuff about her and Elvis Costello was unbelievably tender and heartbreaking.
However, I just DIDN'T like Bebe at ALL. She fawns and preens over her daughter when she is born....but constantly sends her off to live with grandma and an aunt for LONG periods of time. I know each child is raised differently and traditional parenting may have been a long shot for Liv and yeah she turned out okay, but....Bebe, should you have been THAT hurt when Liv dumped you as a manager.
Mothers should raise their children, even groupies.
March 5, 2009
I have never read anything my anyone so vain. "Everyone said how beautiful, talented,smart I was." "Everyone asked me for style advice because I..........." On and on and on. We only know who she is because she happened to have a child by a famous man. Period.
July 18, 2007
sort of fascinating, in a terribly-written way.
February 24, 2022
Horrible,delusional and full of lies
March 13, 2008
I lived for Rock Scene Magazine. Everyone looked interesting doing interesting things, like hanging out at Max's Kansas City or the lower east side.
Bebe Buell was a regular. Looking wholesome glamorous hanging off the arm of a drugged out rocker. I wanted to know more.
She made a lot of strange choices. Chasing emotionally unavailable men, ruining her contract with Eileen ford, getting involved with Elvis Costello while he was married. Never learning anything just dating more bottom feeder musicians and moving farther away from the big city.
She's delusional and thinks every song is written about her whether it's little red corvette "Baby you drive to fast" to every song Elvis Costello has ever written. It's a joke and you are waiting for the "it's about me!" quip whenever a new song is named.
My favorite part of the book is when she is pregnant and tells Steve Tyler. His response is if it has sleepy eyes and teeth like bugs bunny it's Todd Rundgren's.
February 7, 2009
Bebe Buell could be called the Pamela Des Barres of the East Coast, but she lacks much of Miss Pamela's charm and likeability. Best known now as the mother of actress Liv Tyler, she famously raised Liv to believe that she was Todd Rundgren's daughter, until Liv figured it out herself that Steven Tyler was in fact her daddy. Some of Buell's claims of how she influenced popular music (and musicians) sound far-fetched. (She says that Elvis Costello was singing about her when he used the word "baby" in a song, because it sounds like Bebe. Hmmm ...) Buell also says that her leaving Liv for long stretches of time when she was a small child in order to pursue her own musical aspirations had no effect on her daughter, and she adjusted well. I guess we'll have to wait until Liv writes her own book to find out for sure.
March 12, 2024
A fun book about 70s-80s supermodel, rock star ornament and- so she says- rock & roll singer in her own right, Bebe Buell. Probably known best now as the mother of actress Liv Tyler (and dad is Steven Tyler of Aerosmith).
Short review: Bebe kisses and tells. Hard to say if there's more kissing or telling. You name him, she slept with him.
**#36 of 120 books pledged to read/review in 2017**
March 2024: I had forgotten that I'd ever read this. Today I'd give it two stars instead of three. Very repetitious, and this woman's ego knows no limits, constantly talking about how beautiful she is and "of course" she has lots of singing and songwriting talent since she slept with all those musicians. Sheesh.
Short review: Bebe kisses and tells. Hard to say if there's more kissing or telling. You name him, she slept with him.
**#36 of 120 books pledged to read/review in 2017**
March 2024: I had forgotten that I'd ever read this. Today I'd give it two stars instead of three. Very repetitious, and this woman's ego knows no limits, constantly talking about how beautiful she is and "of course" she has lots of singing and songwriting talent since she slept with all those musicians. Sheesh.
October 16, 2011
I had been looking forward to reading this for a while but it turned out to be very disappointing. Unlike similar books chronicling the time (Pamela Debarres et al) there was a distinct lack of any social comentary and the whole book seemed to be an endless round of name dropping and anecdotes which didnt really seem to have any direction. For me, the book lacked flow and purpose and I didnt feel that the author came across terribly well. The continual claims of influencing almost every piece of music written in the 70's and 80's are cringe-worthy and I'm genuinely surprised there weren't a few slander suits flying around after it's publication. On the whole, a badly written book that was a total let down.
June 8, 2010
Compelling for the stories but this woman has an appallingly over-developed sense of self-worth.
January 3, 2015
Horrible! I couldn't even finish because it was so bad. Badly written by someone who's only interesting qualities are the people they've slept with.
October 14, 2008
I knew Bebe Buell as a kick ass female rocker first, not Liv Tyler's Mom, not lover of everyone from Mick Jagger to Iggy Pop. And somehow reading of her never ending heart ache about Elvis Costello or the parade of men she played her role of "muse" for really pissed me off. I'm like "Bebe, just rock!" Because sadly, as with most women I know, this hits home hard. Like Bebe, I gave up my goals to assist men with theirs, to be what supports their dreams. My anger with her was probably anger with my younger self.
I was shocked she was so unaware how fame means more to her than goodness in a person. (Hence, she was at Jimmy Paige's beck and call.) Sadly, I was stupid enough to think she wasn't arrogent about her cover girl looks. But the main things I hated about the book was it was 90% about the men she fucked and not about her. Is there even a her?
But then towards the end, there it is. She's a rockstar. She should be, at least. She hits her late 30s and she's America's hidden female rock gem.
This is how she found value her past as a "muse" (and my past of losing myself to men, too): She asks why anyone would doubt she can rock. She spent 20 years with all the biggest names, while they wrote songs, while they recorded, while they toured. Of course she'd learn what works and what doesn't.
That saved her from being a groupie who denies she's a groupie; a stage Mom who denies she's a stage Mom; a catty scenster who denies she's a catty scenster.
I wish she talked more about her female friendships, Liz Derringer, Chrissy Hynde, Debbie Harry, Patty Smith, etc. What did she learn from them? If she wasn't a muse for women, what was she with her girlfriends?
There's a lot of gaps. I think the publisher probably thought "Hell, people will only buy this if she's talking about Steven Tyler and Stiv Bators; her movie star daughter and her own centerfold for Playboy." ie - This book is for the record collector geek boys (hi, all my exboyfriends).
Unfortunately, if you want to know more about her philosophy and passion for music; her views on politics; her relationship with herself and to herself outside of men she's banging; and the meaning of female relationships in rock n roll, you're outta luck.
She's still my heroine. Anyone who gets on stage and rocks the house at 50 kicks ass. She DOES own herself and her power finally. She lives in Maine so I am hoping we'll have a wacky New England encounter and I'll learn the answers to my questions.
I love you Bebe!
I was shocked she was so unaware how fame means more to her than goodness in a person. (Hence, she was at Jimmy Paige's beck and call.) Sadly, I was stupid enough to think she wasn't arrogent about her cover girl looks. But the main things I hated about the book was it was 90% about the men she fucked and not about her. Is there even a her?
But then towards the end, there it is. She's a rockstar. She should be, at least. She hits her late 30s and she's America's hidden female rock gem.
This is how she found value her past as a "muse" (and my past of losing myself to men, too): She asks why anyone would doubt she can rock. She spent 20 years with all the biggest names, while they wrote songs, while they recorded, while they toured. Of course she'd learn what works and what doesn't.
That saved her from being a groupie who denies she's a groupie; a stage Mom who denies she's a stage Mom; a catty scenster who denies she's a catty scenster.
I wish she talked more about her female friendships, Liz Derringer, Chrissy Hynde, Debbie Harry, Patty Smith, etc. What did she learn from them? If she wasn't a muse for women, what was she with her girlfriends?
There's a lot of gaps. I think the publisher probably thought "Hell, people will only buy this if she's talking about Steven Tyler and Stiv Bators; her movie star daughter and her own centerfold for Playboy." ie - This book is for the record collector geek boys (hi, all my exboyfriends).
Unfortunately, if you want to know more about her philosophy and passion for music; her views on politics; her relationship with herself and to herself outside of men she's banging; and the meaning of female relationships in rock n roll, you're outta luck.
She's still my heroine. Anyone who gets on stage and rocks the house at 50 kicks ass. She DOES own herself and her power finally. She lives in Maine so I am hoping we'll have a wacky New England encounter and I'll learn the answers to my questions.
I love you Bebe!
December 18, 2008
Holy Cow. This girl got around!
But not in a such a slutty way, amazingly enough. She was so young and had this sweetness about her that somehow balanced out the fact that she was with so many rock and roll gods. Well, that and the fact that much of her motivation seemed to come from a sense of trying to "even the score" with her main boyfriend who was going out on her every time she turned her back.
The real heart breaker of the book is the story about Elvis Costello. Wow. I won't spoil anything but it will rip you to shreds.
Even though Bebe tends to go on and on at times, (it "is" all about Bebe, 24/7, after all...) this is a fascinating read! To know what it was like to be friends and/or lovers with with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, David Bowie, Jimmy Page, Elvis Costello and many, many more is just mind blowing. What an incredible life she lead.
A really terrific read.
But not in a such a slutty way, amazingly enough. She was so young and had this sweetness about her that somehow balanced out the fact that she was with so many rock and roll gods. Well, that and the fact that much of her motivation seemed to come from a sense of trying to "even the score" with her main boyfriend who was going out on her every time she turned her back.
The real heart breaker of the book is the story about Elvis Costello. Wow. I won't spoil anything but it will rip you to shreds.
Even though Bebe tends to go on and on at times, (it "is" all about Bebe, 24/7, after all...) this is a fascinating read! To know what it was like to be friends and/or lovers with with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, David Bowie, Jimmy Page, Elvis Costello and many, many more is just mind blowing. What an incredible life she lead.
A really terrific read.
July 26, 2007
Out of all the many groupie books I've read and loved, this was actually my favorite. I liked it much better than Pamela Des Barres, "I'm With the Band." Ms. Buell isn't always particularly likable, but her stories are juicy and delicious -- a true crazy groupie during rock's most decadent years.
August 23, 2008
Interesting, but she has delusions of grandeur.... I DO NOT believe Prince was writing about her in the song "Little Red Corvette!"
August 23, 2011
unintentionally hilarious.
September 26, 2019
DNF. Yet another beautiful yet shallow chick living through the famous men she has relationships with, with none of the fun of Pamela DesBarres. Not even a good editor could have saved this one.
February 2, 2025
2.5 stars. I would have rated this book higher, but I suspect only about 50% of it is the truth, if that. I've read a lot of rock star and rock star-adjacent autobiographies, and this one might have been the most dishonest and self-aggrandizing of them all, and this includes the books by Richard Blade, Maynard James Keenan, and Chuck Negron.
The beginning of the book was pretty interesting where Bebe was talking about the various rock stars she met and dated, but even then it was frustrating to read about her hopping from one to another when she was demanding loyalty from whichever one she was currently dating. Promising to be faithful to Todd Rundgren and then immediately running off to Jimmy Page the next day and acting like it was endearing was annoying at best. But when the book reached the part where she clearly stalked Elvis Costello and ruined her marriage because she tried to get Elvis back while she was married to her ex-husband, I'd had enough. Maybe she should be grateful though, since while she is sure if she hadn't aborted the kid she got pregnant by Elvis with they would have ended up getting married, he ended up cheating on his second wife and leaving her for the most boring singer in the world, Diana Krall. Maybe he would have been leaving Bebe for Krall instead if things had played out differently.
It was repeated over and over throughout the book how she was praised for literally everything (at one point we're told everyone was telling her she should be a comedian) and we're never able to go more than a few pages without being reminded that everyone tells her constantly how beautiful she is. On one hand it's refreshing that she doesn't try to pretend her looks didn't get her through the door, after a while it did begin to get tiresome to be reminded of it every two minutes. It felt like there was not a lot of insight as far as why she kept repeating the mistakes and just dismissed them as her "cute rock star lifestyle quirks." After a while it stops being cute, though. Unsurprisingly, she had a breakdown in her 40s when she was unable to use her looks to get what she wanted the same way she had when she was younger.
There was so much defensiveness over her lifestyle and insisting that she wasn't a groupie. It was just a coincidence that she only dated rock stars. This was what made the book such a frustrating read, and why I couldn't rate it higher. It had the potential to be a fun light-hearted autobiography, but the lack of honesty, insight, and overall condescending tone took it down to 2.5 stars.
The beginning of the book was pretty interesting where Bebe was talking about the various rock stars she met and dated, but even then it was frustrating to read about her hopping from one to another when she was demanding loyalty from whichever one she was currently dating. Promising to be faithful to Todd Rundgren and then immediately running off to Jimmy Page the next day and acting like it was endearing was annoying at best. But when the book reached the part where she clearly stalked Elvis Costello and ruined her marriage because she tried to get Elvis back while she was married to her ex-husband, I'd had enough. Maybe she should be grateful though, since while she is sure if she hadn't aborted the kid she got pregnant by Elvis with they would have ended up getting married, he ended up cheating on his second wife and leaving her for the most boring singer in the world, Diana Krall. Maybe he would have been leaving Bebe for Krall instead if things had played out differently.
It was repeated over and over throughout the book how she was praised for literally everything (at one point we're told everyone was telling her she should be a comedian) and we're never able to go more than a few pages without being reminded that everyone tells her constantly how beautiful she is. On one hand it's refreshing that she doesn't try to pretend her looks didn't get her through the door, after a while it did begin to get tiresome to be reminded of it every two minutes. It felt like there was not a lot of insight as far as why she kept repeating the mistakes and just dismissed them as her "cute rock star lifestyle quirks." After a while it stops being cute, though. Unsurprisingly, she had a breakdown in her 40s when she was unable to use her looks to get what she wanted the same way she had when she was younger.
There was so much defensiveness over her lifestyle and insisting that she wasn't a groupie. It was just a coincidence that she only dated rock stars. This was what made the book such a frustrating read, and why I couldn't rate it higher. It had the potential to be a fun light-hearted autobiography, but the lack of honesty, insight, and overall condescending tone took it down to 2.5 stars.
February 29, 2016
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Rumor has it that the character of Penny Lane in Almost Famous is based loosely off of Bebe Buell. Since I’ve spent most of my life since the release of Almost Famous idolizing Penny Lane, I obviously had to read this book. Plus, she’s Liv Tyler’s mom, and who is my other music movie idol? That’s right, Faye Dolan from That Thing You Do! played by none other than miss Liv Tyler! I basically went into this book thinking I was going to love it and become obsessed with finding more information about Bebe Buell. Unfortunately, Bebe is nothing like Penny Lane or Liv Tyler. Who knows how Liv turned out to be as normal, smart, and just all-around “good” as she did because her mother was and is completely self absorbed.
The book is just the story of Bebe latching on to one man and then the next, then usually floating back to the same man, then cheating on him, but still loving him and going back… you get the picture. Sadly, it’s 300+ pages of this nonsense. She reminds you about every three to five pages of how beautiful and inspiring she is to everyone around her and then goes on a tangent about once every other chapter about how she doesn’t see any royalties from any of the songs she inspired. Um, hi Bebe, that’s not how the world works! People get inspired by everything. If someone writes a song about the moon, nobody owes the moon any money if the song becomes wildly popular. Get over yourself.
The best part is that you’d think after the approximately 20 miscarriages she claims to have throughout the book that when she finally had a baby she would settle down and be a good mother or at least be around to raise her daughter. Instead she spends about the first five years of Liv’s life running after men all over the world, leaving her daughter home with her family with no father and no mother around. Oh, and the kicker is that she lied to everyone, including Liv, for ELEVEN YEARS claiming that Todd Rundgren was her father and never even told Liv the truth. She took her backstage at an Aerosmith show when she was eleven, and Liv met Mia who looked EXACTLY LIKE HER and that’s how Liv found out. By putting it together on her own at the age of eleven. Seriously, it’s amazing that Liv never went off the deep end.
Anyway, it was semi-interesting at times but mostly because I’m a fan of Liv Tyler, so it was interesting to read about her life. Some of the stories about living with musicians was interesting too just because it’s such a crazy lifestyle and it’s cool to have that first-hand description of what that was like. But for the most part it was trite bragging from a woman who clearly thinks the world of herself and attributes everyone else’s success to herself.
The book is just the story of Bebe latching on to one man and then the next, then usually floating back to the same man, then cheating on him, but still loving him and going back… you get the picture. Sadly, it’s 300+ pages of this nonsense. She reminds you about every three to five pages of how beautiful and inspiring she is to everyone around her and then goes on a tangent about once every other chapter about how she doesn’t see any royalties from any of the songs she inspired. Um, hi Bebe, that’s not how the world works! People get inspired by everything. If someone writes a song about the moon, nobody owes the moon any money if the song becomes wildly popular. Get over yourself.
The best part is that you’d think after the approximately 20 miscarriages she claims to have throughout the book that when she finally had a baby she would settle down and be a good mother or at least be around to raise her daughter. Instead she spends about the first five years of Liv’s life running after men all over the world, leaving her daughter home with her family with no father and no mother around. Oh, and the kicker is that she lied to everyone, including Liv, for ELEVEN YEARS claiming that Todd Rundgren was her father and never even told Liv the truth. She took her backstage at an Aerosmith show when she was eleven, and Liv met Mia who looked EXACTLY LIKE HER and that’s how Liv found out. By putting it together on her own at the age of eleven. Seriously, it’s amazing that Liv never went off the deep end.
Anyway, it was semi-interesting at times but mostly because I’m a fan of Liv Tyler, so it was interesting to read about her life. Some of the stories about living with musicians was interesting too just because it’s such a crazy lifestyle and it’s cool to have that first-hand description of what that was like. But for the most part it was trite bragging from a woman who clearly thinks the world of herself and attributes everyone else’s success to herself.
June 23, 2021
Wow, this book screamed for an editor!
BB is one of the most delusional, narcissistic people ever to write a book. The problem is other than her beauty (body & face) she's 0 talent yet believes she's "rock & roll", a muse responsible for songs written by famous rock stars who had sex w her (Todd Rundgren, Jimmy Page, Steven Tyler), even one she never met! She actually claims Prince wrote Red Corvette about her, ridiculously claiming he sings: "Bebe you're much too fast" about her! But Buell never met her.
At one point she's sleeping with Mick Jagger, David Bowie & Jimmy Page, ALL within days, even hours of their trysts.
Eventually she gets pregnant with Steven Tyler's baby (Liv Tyler) who's raised by Buell's family.
She claims she wasn't a groupie & there was love, but neither Tyler nor Elvis Costello marries her, even though she beds them while they're married, divorced and go on to marry other women.
The non-relationship w Costello is truly bizarre bc she claims to fall "madly in love" with him, instantly. After a tryst, she doesn't see him for 3 years but claims it's still love. I had a difficult time finishing it, she's not interesting and she repeats herself.
BB is one of the most delusional, narcissistic people ever to write a book. The problem is other than her beauty (body & face) she's 0 talent yet believes she's "rock & roll", a muse responsible for songs written by famous rock stars who had sex w her (Todd Rundgren, Jimmy Page, Steven Tyler), even one she never met! She actually claims Prince wrote Red Corvette about her, ridiculously claiming he sings: "Bebe you're much too fast" about her! But Buell never met her.
At one point she's sleeping with Mick Jagger, David Bowie & Jimmy Page, ALL within days, even hours of their trysts.
Eventually she gets pregnant with Steven Tyler's baby (Liv Tyler) who's raised by Buell's family.
She claims she wasn't a groupie & there was love, but neither Tyler nor Elvis Costello marries her, even though she beds them while they're married, divorced and go on to marry other women.
The non-relationship w Costello is truly bizarre bc she claims to fall "madly in love" with him, instantly. After a tryst, she doesn't see him for 3 years but claims it's still love. I had a difficult time finishing it, she's not interesting and she repeats herself.
February 18, 2017
This was a very readable memoir. Some things were irritating, but it's a good light read. I didn't like how flippant Buell was about rock stars dating teenagers. It was annoying how she kept saying she was a muse and it was the best thing in the world. Luckily, in the eighties, she realized that being a muse doesn't really do anything for the muse. Most of the book is about her relationships with famous men, which got repetitive after a while. I was more interested in her talking about her work, motherhood, etc. My favourite chapter was the epilogue where she described growing up in the fifties and sixties.
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