Soul On Empty: My Sixteen-Year Journey into the Dark Side of Fashion, Film & Celebrity – A Memoir

by Tony Barbieri

Against the backdrop of early nineties supermodel culture, night janitor Tony Barbieri unexpectedly found himself in the company of the world’s most elite fashion icons. But in the shadow of the runway’s bright lights, sex, drugs, and decadence were on full display. Seduced by drug culture, groped by a world-famous photographer, and thrust into an unusual relationship with designer Gianni Versace, Barbieri found his working-class Italian-American family values tested to the limit.

When Tony left fashion for the film industry, things got even weirder and more turbulent. From indecent nights out with Star Wars creator George Lucas to teaming up with the real life inspiration for a Seinfeld character, Tony found an entertainment industry that was even stranger than the world of fashion. And years before #MeToo became a hashtag, he also discovered its terrifyingly exploitative underbelly.

Soul on Empty is a thought-provoking story about what it’s like to reach for your dream when your dream becomes a moving target—and the joy that can be found in faith, family, and contentment. Tony’s inspiring spiritual journey is a fact-based account of the considerable price it took to achieve his glamorous dreams and to discover how little they were worth compared to the joy of a wholesome life well-lived.

344 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2018