But Enough About Me: How a Small-Town Girl Went from Shag Carpet to the Red Carpet

by Jancee Dunn

The second I stepped through the doors of Rolling Stone as a real employee, I wanted to shake off my old personality like the rigid husk of a cicada. But how could I cultivate a new, hip persona when I lived with my parents in a New Jersey suburb and wore black leggings as pants?

New Jersey in the 1980s had everything Jancee Dunn trips down the shore, Bruce Springsteen, a tantalizing array of malls, and, especially, her family. Barreling down the Turnpike in her parents’ Buick LeSabre, her perm brushing the ceiling of the car, she felt ragingly alive. But one night she met a girl who worked at Rolling Stone magazine in New York City. To Jancee, who visited the city exactly once a year with her parents and two sisters, New York might as well have been in Canada. But she loved music, so with bleak expectations she passed along her résumé, dashing her father’s hopes that she would carry on the family legacy of service to J. C. Penney (a man so revered that a bust of his head was proudly displayed in the den) .

Soon Jancee found herself backstage and behind the scenes, interviewing a countless (and nerve-racking) parade of some of the most famous people in the world, among them Madonna, Cameron Diaz, and Beyoncé. She trekked to the Canadian Rockies to hike with Brad Pitt, was chased by paparazzi who mistook her for Ben Affleck’s new girlfriend, snacked on Velveeta with Dolly Parton, and danced drunkenly onstage with the Beastie Boys. She even became a TV star as a pioneering VJ on MTV2.

As her life spun faster, she plunged into the booze-soaked rock-and-roll life, trading her good-girl suburban past for late nights and hipster guys. But then a chance meeting turned Jancee’s life in an unexpected direction and helped her to finally learn to appreciate where she came from, who she was, and what she wanted to be.

Riotously funny and tremendously touching, But Enough About Me is the story of an outsider who couldn’t quite bring herself to become an insider and introduces readers to a hysterical, lovable real-life heroine.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Music, Humor, Biography, Biography Memoir, Pop Culture

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Jancee Dunn has written five books, among them the rock memoir But Enough About Me and the essay collection Why Is My Mother Getting A Tattoo? And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had To Ask, which was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Her latest book, How Not To Hate Your Husband After Kids, will be out in March 2017. She also writes for many publications, among them The New York Times, Vogue, Parents, Health, and Travel and Leisure. She lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Gina Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best memoirs I've read since David Sedaris. Dunn is a wonderful writer and story teller with a generous, friendly personality, and I really wish I knew her.

I loved her stories about Dolly Parton and Stevie Nicks especially, but I have to say I enjoyed reading about her personal life more than reading about her celebrity experiences. She cracked me up to the point of exploding tears on my glasses--especially when she recounted her visit with a friend who'd just had a baby.

Dunn is a lucky, happy person, and she knows it. I'm glad to have met her.

[Michele Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welp, I spent the last few evenings glued to this book. Interesting. Hilarious. Great storytelling. Plus, rock musicians and celebrities.

A lot of fun to read.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is very irreverent and full of choices I would never choose to make I found the writing and stories highly entertaining.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

But Enough About Me interweaves accounts of Jancee Dunn’s New Jersey adolescence with her brushes with fame as a Rolling Stone reporter. I first read this part-memoir, part-gossip magazine when it was published in 2006, and was curious to see if it held up to a second reading.

This time round, I initially found the contrast between the author’s suburban family and her famous subjects to be overdone. Was she suggesting that her family — whose idea of a fun outing is photographing each other lying down with their arms folded, Nosferatu-style, on their cemetery plot — were more eccentric than Brad Pitt, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, Madonna, Ben Affleck, Béyoncé and Mel Gibson?

Things picked up with the chapter entitled, “None for Me, Thanks: Gracefully Refusing Your Host’s Kind Offer of Heroin”, in which a semi-tempted Jancee hides in the bathroom of Stone Temple Pilots’ Scott Weiland, to frantically phone her sister for advice. After that encounter, I settled in for a light, enjoyable read.

[Kate Spears · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book four stars because even though it is not really on the same level as the other books I give four stars to, I did really like it. I thought the chapters with the celebrity stories were good, but my favorite parts were her family stories. She writes with a real voice that most writers don't get today. For example, her mom is from a small town in Alabama and she writes the dialog so genuinely. After I finished this, I picked up another book (about your typical southern heroine trying to overcome some obstacle or another) and I quit reading it after about 13 pages because the dialog was so bad. The author actually had someone say "guran-damn-tee ya!" and trust me, I have heard people say this many times. But there is just a delicate way it must be addressed. Anyway, I thought But Enough About Me was great, even if you aren't a big music or celebrity fan. Her chapter describing the experience at the shared summer cabin makes the whole book worth it.

[Jessica Fitting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious memoir that weaved stories of the author's childhood and stumbling into journalism in the 90s, with chapters on journalistic advice like "how to politely turn down cocaine" and "how not to throw up when you meet Madonna". It was incredibly down to earth and talked about what watching, living, and then turning down a rock and roll lifestyle is like. I rarely enjoy memoirs but this happily goes on the shelf alongside Tina Fey's and other humor focused ones. Highly recommended for a beach read, or for anyone from Jersey, or for anyone who adores Bruce Springsteen.

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a delightful memoir that isn't a dysfunctional family pity party, then this is the one for you. Jancee Dunn, one-time MTV VJ and Rolling Stone reporter, writes affectionately about growing up with two younger sisters in New Jersey in the 1960's and 70's. This memoir is tender and funny and jam-packed with fantastic period detail. While she does dish on her celebrity interviews, it is her writing about family and relationships that makes this a standout.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. Aside from all that I related to (growing up at the same time a few towns away from Dunn, working in the publishing biz and for consumer mags, the continual dating woes), I found it to be a wonderful memoir of a remarkable career. That she got to interview a few of my favorites (madonna, U2) and told it like it is (and how i truly thought it would be --madonna, especially) was just icing on the cake. I read it in a week and highly recommend.

[Jyoti · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book you pick up loosely on a shelf to read when you are feeling indifferent. The author recounts her fortunate career entering into the media industry through Rolling Stone, then following to become a MTV2 veejay to working Good Morning, America. Between the constant name drops, the stories lack lustre but are sweet as the author stays true to her sweet, frank, humble roots.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. It was really, really funny! The chapters alternate between the author's life story, and behind-the-scenes details of her celebrity interviews. It read like a cross between Us Magazine and a PG-13 Chelsea Handler book. Cheesy fun.

[Kimmie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a must-read for the lovers of the rock 'n roll. plus, the author is hilariously self-deprecating and very likable.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this made me laugh out loud - especially when she talks about spending weekends away with a bunch of friends..

[Rachel C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The memoirs of a Rolling Stone reporter and former MTV VJ. A light, enjoyable read.

Having no idea who Jancee Dunn was, I didn't really pay much attention in the chapters about her background. The celebrity anecdotes are fantastic, though. It reads a bit like People Magazine without the pictures. One of the best stories involves Dolly Parton's kitchen, which is apparently well-stocked with delightful items such as Velveeta, Spam and bacon grease. Dunn claims to have a chunk of Velveeta still sitting in her freezer, given to her by Dolly so that she would have a snack on the plane ride home. The time Dunn takes her mother on a cruise for gay families arranged by Rosie O'Donnell's partner is a hoot too. (Susan Powter sounds like a real crackerjack.)

Great chapter headings: "None for Me, Thanks: Gracefully Refusing Your Host's Kind Offer of Heroin" (re Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots); "Booze: At Least as Important as Your Tape Recorder"; "The Difficult Question: When to Bring Up The Church of Scientology" (actually a chapter about what a bitch Jennifer Beals is); "How to Control the Panic When Your Subject is Absurdly Famous" (re Madonna - funny how Madonna ends up being one of the most interesting characters in other people's autobiographies - see my review of Rupert Everett's).

Two favorite passages below:

"Interviewing people who came of age in the sixties or seventies is so much more rewarding than talking to today's bland, P.R.-schooled youngsters. During one week, I chatted with Justin Timberlake and Grace Slick. Timberlake, so cautious, so eager not to offend, weighed and measured everything he said. As a former Mouseketeer, he was trained from a young age in how to handle the media. As a result, he was pleasant, but mostly stuck to safe fare such as how it's not about the fame, it's about the work, and his appreciation of his fans, and that being on the cover of Rolling Stone was really cool. Slick, meanwhile, cheerfully talked about how she couldn't fully participate in an orgy that sprang up in Jefferson Airplane's San Francisco office because she wasn't good at multitasking, added unapologetically that her lungs were 'two black bags' from smoking, and mused that her only regret in life was that she never nailed Jimi Hendrix or Peter O'Toole."

"I never understood why there was so much animosity towards [Christina Aguilera]. Writers should have been worshipping her. Were we not drowning in a sea of boring, prefab celebrities? Give me a gal who boldly speaks her mind, who isn't afraid of a fight, who wears a giant Afro wig one day and assless chaps the next. Christina Aguilera is the new Cher, if you think about it. Let us be glad."

[Brigit Zelenak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jancee Dunn- entertainment reporter for such notables as The Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue, O: The Oprah Magazine, and The New York Times, writes with an ease that's admirable. From her humble `jersey girl' beginnings (you're from Jersey.. which exit?!?) to her string of aimless ne'er-do-well boyfriends, to her forays into the world of media & music legends, she's the unassuming girl-next-door who sat by you in 3rd period chemistry class.

But Enough About Me. From Eighties Geek To Rock `n' Roll Chick - Adventures In Celebsville is actually two books in one. The compelling (and perhaps better) story of Jancee herself, and an insider's how-to guide to hip journalism. You'll laugh as she describes her first kiss:

- A group of my middle school friends and I were bunched in a circle on May Drive on a balmy summer night, playing Truth or Dare. This gangly gang included Spencer, the cutest guy in school, the one who resembled every dreamy guy in every early-eighties movie: sleepy blue eyes, shiny brown hair that's slightly shaggy, a deep tan, perfect fitting dark blue Levis corduroys. He was Matt Dillon in Little Darlings, Jake in Sixteen Candles. As a bonus, he was just a little bit obnoxious. When it was Spenser's turn to play, he was told by one of my well-meaning friends that he had a choice.

["You can either kiss her" -- she pointed to me -- "or you can go kiss that tree over there." He wrinkled is brow. Was he really having an internal debate? Then he looked over at the tree. Jesus Christ. Was he checking it out? I did a quick inventory as the seconds ticked by. My hair was feathered perfectly. Yes, I had braces, but I had carefully water-piked them before leaving the house. Calvin Klein jeans, my "good" plaid shirt (it had silver threads in it), and a generous spritzing of Love's Baby Soft. After what seemed like an hour and forty-five minutes, he grudgingly picked me. That was my first kiss. I can only be grateful he didn't think the tree was foxy. -

You'll read along admiringly as she offers hilarious journalism pointers such as `How to Approach an R&B Artist When You're the Whitest Person in the Western World' and `None For Me, Thanks: Gracefully Refusing Your Host's Kind Offer of Heroin'. She also includes personal anecdotes from interviews with stars such as Brad Pitt, Barry White (particularly hilarious), Scott Weiland, Mel Gibson, Madonna, Kim Deal and many more.

My only criticism is that it felt like the last quarter of the book was a rushed - almost as if it was an afterthought. Still, it doesn't do much to detract from the overall enjoyment. Good stuff.

[HM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again...another memoir but MUCH lighter than the "Long Way Gone" one! :)

This is the memoir of a girl who grew up in New Jersey, loving all that Jersey life offered during the 1980s: big hair, weekends down the shore, driving around listening to Springsteen. (Shazz are you interested yet??) :)

Anyway, she eventually lands a job with Rolling Stone magazine, as she has always had a voracious love of music of all types. She also has a borderline OCD personality which really resonated with me as I tend to exhibit those same personality features! :)

She's witty, honest, and I found myself rooting for her as she made her transition from her safe haven of New Jersey to life in Manhattan. (side bar: the descriptions of her parents are hysterical...Dad: Works for JCPenney (a family tradition) and Mom: Southern belle beauty queen who tends to clip articles from magazines and newspapers for her daughter while she lives in NYC.)

It's a definite easy read...it's full of actual celebrity details as she was an interviewer for Rolling Stone for a while as well as a VJ during the VERY early years of MTV2...and she writes about her celebrity interactions in a funny but not mocking way, if you get what I mean. Some celebrities she writes about: Brad Pitt, Madonna, lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, Dolly Parton, Tony Bennett, etc. And you'll be suprised to find which celebrities she enjoyed interviewing the most.

If you are looking for an easy, by the bed book...I suggest this one!!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading one of Jancee Dunn's recent books I realized I had an old copy of this on my shelf and had never read it. DEAR GOD, WHY? All I want to do is hang out with Jancee Dunn now. What's not to love about a slightly anxious homebody who somehow became a rock & roll journalist, despite her inner desires to go home and watch Civil War documentaries and make paper turkey decorations? Criminitely. Also, as a person who has the occasional (terrifying) privilege of interviewing musicians, I might've taken a few notes. Though her "how-to" interstitials are broadly comic, there really is some useful information in there. A delight all around. I'd agree with my friend Erica's review in which she says Dunn's later book Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo is superior, but I'll be damned if this one isn't a blast.

[RandomAnthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know. Dunn works a little too hard at times to be "just a normal lil' girl from Jersey." She overblows the self-depreciation. On the plus side, she seems to write like she talks, and I did find myself rooting for her, although she pushes the "stars like me because I'm real!" thing a bit much, too. I didn't get why she had to include the whole "drug boyfriend" section...the section seemed more narrative bridge/device than anything. The marketing department should be slapped for trying to frame this book as chick-lit, by the way. If I were Ms. Dunn I'd be insulted. Also, Rolling Stone magazine sucks. Sorry, Ms. Dunn. Ok, all that said, this is a decent book. Not great. Decent.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I've read in, well, maybe a year or so. Jancee Dunn tells fantastic stories and I can literally hear her voice through the pages. I remember reading Rolling Stone during my middle/high school years and seeing her name and thinking she must be the coolest woman in the world. She's not, which makes her so much cooler in my mind. I'm actually considering writing a fan letter to her. The book was THAT good.

[Erin Tuzuner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A third or fourth reading of this gem. A quick, fun read that can make me laugh or cry depending on the time of the month.

The music anecdotes alone are gold, but the interviewing of the personal mixed with attempted cynicism and genuine kindness are excellent therapy for rough days at work or home.

First read in 2010, given away, checked out from three separate libraries, and put on an amazon wishlist.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jancee Dunn is hilarious, and wrote some of my favorite Rolling Stone musician profiles. The tone of this book reminds me a bit of a female David Sedaris, though possibly not quite as kooky and a little more relatable. Recommended for all, especially if you need a good laugh. Dunn's recollections of life as a "rock chick" are just laugh-out-loud funny.

[Christy Bulick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was transported back to the 80's and 90's, with big hair & Bruce Springsteen. Jancee did an excellent job of capturing her past and putting it in this quick and easy to read book. She makes New Jersey sound much better than I imagined it (and I lived there for a while in the 90's). I love the ending!!

[Stephanie Spruyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! Jancee Dunn is a national treasure and you can read her articles (and you should) in Vogue and O Magazine. In this book, Jancee tells you about famous interviews she's done and you get to read about her life growing up in New Jersey, her sisters and her parents. I can't recommend this book enough if you want a great read, some humor and an honest story.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, which tells the story of Jancee Dunn, a writer for Rolling Stone and a Mtv VJ. It had a lot of good tidbits about celebrity intrigue. It seemed to end really quickly, almost too quickly.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very fun read. Oscillating between experiences with celebrities and the often-embarassing, and so familiar, memories of growing up, Jancee Dunn has created a coming-of-age story for all of us thirty-somethings who are still trying to figure it all out.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. Dunn is hilarious and sincere and lovable. The anecdotes from her Rolling Stone interviews with famous folks are so enjoyable. I first read Dunn's novel, Don't You Forget About Me, and found her so funny that I checked out this book and it exceeded my expectations.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridiculously engaging. Jancee's amiable spin through glam jobs and her totally modest regard for her huge writing talents are completely endearing, as are her tales of the family thanksgiving-plan summits and her dad's loyalty to Sears. I want to read everything she writes, asap!

[Mauoijenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the candid takes on how she felt while being around celebrities.
Getting information for her friends, especially what Madonna had in her bathroom, was priceless.
Awesome idea. Loved the glimpses from back in the day.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Love. This. Lady.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very unobjective 5 stars...I loved this book

[Liz Estrada · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast, yet insipid, read. All I could think of was how the author ever managed to get hired at Rolling Stone Magazine being such a square and having such bad taste in music!!
She grew up in New Jersey and her writing about her personal life went on and on and was just too boring for my taste. The only thing I agreed with the author about was when she said that musicians from the 60's and 70's were just cooler and funner to interview than those from today who are too politically correct. Didn't learn much except thankful that I am not from Jersey, though I did go to college and live in that state. At least the book title is right on: enough about you!!!!