This book humanized Bobbie Brown for me. In both books that she wrote, she confirmed what I already suspected: dating the most desirable men in show business is not for the faint of heart. By that, I mean that one has to be mentally strong to endure the inevitable heartache that accompanies it. But every human being—no matter how strong—has a breaking point.
Many women are often attracted to rich and famous men, and some women will do almost anything so that they can hang around these men. And even though some of these rich and famous men may be married, there is a great deal of temptation in the world, and it goes without saying that many of them will give in to that temptation. That is what I mean by "inevitable heartache."
I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, and I developed a passion for rock n’ roll from early childhood. In my opinion, the best rock n’ roll was produced in the 1970s, and no other decade can compare. The same can be said for movies. For me, the 1970s was the pinnacle for both music and movies. In the 1980s, I tended to like a broad range of music—everything from pop music or “New Wave” (as some of it was called back then) to rap music. I was never a big fan of the big hair heavy metal bands, and I was relieved when the 1990s rolled around. The musical genre known as “Alternative Rock" that was so popular back then, was a much-needed breathe of fresh air.
I am one year younger than Bobbie Brown. Even though we are close in age and even though I remember seeing the “Cherry Pie” video with her in it back in 1990, I didn’t know who she was back then. It would be more than 20 years before I finally found out who the blonde vixen from that video was.
Even though I was a big rock fan, I seldom followed most rock stars' personal lives. I didn't see any point in lusting over them. For the reasons that I stated earlier, I knew that would be a waste of time. I just wanted to enjoy their music. I certainly didn't know who Jani Lane was, and I had no idea that he and the "Cherry Pie girl" were ever married and had a daughter. Of course, I knew that Tommy Lee married Pamela Anderson back in the 1990s, but this was only because they dominated the tabloids back then. I didn't know that Tommy had dumped another woman just days before he married Pamela.
Fast-foward about 15 years later. I happen to find out about Bobbie Brown’s Book Dirty Rocker Boys and I read a few excerpts from it. Tommy Lee dumping Bobbie for Pamela is the part that initially caught my attention. Then I read the part about her fling with Leonardo DiCaprio and let’s just say that was a huge turnoff for me personally. I kept thinking that this book was about woman who was bragging about how beautiful she had been and how she had slept with every desirable male celebrity in LA. I also thought it was about how bitter she was about the fact that Tommy had dumped her for a woman who looked a lot like her but just happened to be a bigger star than she was. Most of all, I thought Bobbie was bitter over her faded career. I got the impression that Bobbie was jealous of Pamela even though she never admitted this (at least not that I’m aware of). So I abandoned the idea of reading that book in its entirety.
Then, I happened to see Cherry on Top and I decide to give that a try. I listened to it on audible. Something about hearing Bobbie narrate her own book humanized her. Yes, she is often times foul-mouthed and vulgar, but what really struck me is how she can also be very honest and even humble.
Bobbie WAS beautiful. She still is. She knows she's beautiful. She’s had some life’s experiences that many women would give their eye teeth for. I’ve read a few nasty reviews from people who say that Bobbie is a “d-list celebrity,” but I don’t agree with that. She was a beauty pageant winner, she got to appear in sexy rock video put out by a band that was enjoying some success at the time, she was a model, she dated a lot of famous men, and she was married to a rock star. During my life I’ve known many beautiful women, and none of them have ever achieved what Bobbie achieved. Very few women do. And there’s a tiny minority that go on to achieve more than what Bobbie did, but as I just said, they are the minority.
I appreciate the fact that Bobbie has chosen to share her life’s ups and downs with us. During my life, I’ve seen some of the most beautiful women in the world get older. I’ve watched their looks fade over time. It happens to everyone. No one is invincible and no one is immune to aging. I hate to use the expression “hit the wall”, but over the years I’ve heard about famous women having to cope with losing their looks. It sucks, but it’s just a fact of life. Reading celebrity memoirs remind us that they are also human beings. They are not perfect (even though they may seem that way), and they can experience heartache just like the rest of us.
In her first book, Bobbie revealed a vulnerable side to her that I think she has usually kept hidden. I’m talking about her breakup with Tommy Lee. I am unsure of whether or not she really loved him or if she was more insulted by the fact that he dumped her for another women who he married just a few days later. I don’t know if Tommy has ever spoken publicly about his relationship with Bobbie or not (I doubt it), but I wonder what he would say if he did? What was his reason for doing what he did? I personally think he was/is a very selfish person, and he saw a bright, shiny new trophy that he wanted more than the one he already had. I wonder if Bobbie found any comfort in the fact that the marriage between Tommy and Pamela didn’t last very long, and that it had also been a tumultuous one? Tommy recently married a woman much younger than he is, and he tried to hurt Pamela once by posting an unflattering picture of her on social media. I think his actions tell us everything we need to know about him. Bobbie is better off without him.
I agree with another person who said in his review that Bobbie's second book is mostly "filler." But there are some very heartfelt passages in this book that made it worthwhile to listen to. I didn’t care too much for the vulgar language and jokes, but that’s just me. Now that I have a new perspective on Bobbie, I plan to revisit Dirty Rocker Boy and keep an open mind this time.