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Adrienne Barbeau - There are worse things I can do

There's you, there's Giorgio... What's with the midget over here?

Released: 2006
Author: Adrienne Barbeau
Publisher: Carroll and Graf Publishers
Website: Official Adrienne Barbeau site
Buy this book at Amazon

“With all the new cool books out there, I am trying to understand why you bought an autobiography about Adrienne Barbeau?”

That’s a question one of my obviously naïve friends asked me when he saw her book on the back of my toilet. I explained a few significant facts to him which I will also educate you on if you are asking yourself the same question!

Adrienne Barbeau’s big break in acting came from playing Bea Arthur’s daughter on the hit television show Maude. The show was produced by Norman Lear who also created some of TV’s most classic shows such as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, One Day at a Time, and my personal favorite junk business family Sanford and Son. She was married to John Carpenter – who needs no introduction. She had big roles in cult classics such as The Fog, Swamp Thing, Escape from New York, and Creepshow. Then there was Cannonball Run where she played one of the hot race car babes I had a crush on as a kid. No doubt, Adrienne had one of the most amazing racks that any early teen just hitting puberty could ever dream of.

And to top things off she recently starred as Ruthie on one of HBO’s best and underrated shows called Carnivale. (I still hate HBO for canceling this – screw them!)

What I didn’t know that caught my interest while reading the book was that Adrienne kept a journal throughout her life. She talks about how she struggled to make ends meet by waitressing and Go-Go Dancing in a Mafia owned establishment, she started in numerous Broadway shows, she dated Burt Reynolds (The story and his bullshit is hilarious!) and that she is currently married to Billy Van Zant. Yes, “Little Stevie” Steven Van Zant of The E Street Band and Silvio of The Soprano’s brother. Billy himself is a writer with an interesting portfolio too.

I met Adrienne Barbeau at a convention in 2004. She was very nice and pleasant to talk to. Sitting next to her was Doug Bradley and every kid there was on his nuts. I honestly was more interested in meeting my childhood crush and we talked a few minutes about the upcoming Carnivale Season Two. I was impressed with her good heartedness and honest charm.

The only disappointment about the book is that there is no mention of her role as Rodney Dangerfield’s wife in one of comedies all time classics Back to School. Being a huge Dangerfield fan I was hoping there would be a funny story involving him somewhere or her mean character mentioned in the book. Oh well…..

But regardless, the book was very entertaining and easy to read. After explaining all of this to my buddy he understood where I was coming from. This wasn’t an autobiography written by some soap actress or a girl’s book. This is a book written by a woman who played some of the toughest characters consecutively and always managed to do it with grace. And let me add, to this day Adrienne Barbeau is still a total babe and yes I still have a crush on her!

I swear I am talking to your face here!