Lick Me: How I Became Cherry Vanilla

What a great read! Cherry's life has been a wild adventure, and she describes all the ins and outs of how she got fascinated by anything to do with the entertainment industry, all the ways she got involved with it and perhaps most important of all, the places this got her, throughout the years. Including whose bedrooms... Cherry looks back on her conquests (and failures, triumphs, mishaps, adventures, ups and downs) with all the necessary traits, including self humour, pride and paradoxal modesty, melancholy as well as wisdom. But most of all, an honest yet enduring sweetness. Between the lines of her refreshing writing style, you can tell that throughout all the ups and downs Cherry really enjoyed the ride, never took anything for granted and appreciates the front-row seat she had on so much glamourous history. Her enthusiasm definately rubbs off. The result is a book that is impossible to put away. It's such a pleasure to read her stories, and impossible not to get cought up in the flow of it all and keep reading to see what (or who!) else life had planned for her. And how she took control or lost it again, somewhere along the adventurous road. The book follows her exploits up to the point where she's earned the spotlight for herself, ending with an epilogue that quite strongly impresses that the rest would be equally interesting (though perhaps less explicit) a read, which leads to the hope that Cherry will some day pick up the pen again. Until then, we have "Lick Me" to cherish and read again. Or, as Bowie said to Cherry's delight: "Good job, Vanilla!". Great book!!!!

I bought this book because many of my friends and acquaintances were in her group over time (though not all mentioned in the book) and some of them made a pretty good career in music and other it did not happen for them. Any occupation that success is based on lots of luck besides skill and talent is risky and may have ended up in sorry states of addiction, and near starvation or close to it. This book is an inside look at that world where connections count, persistence and luck in the music business decides outcomes and lives. The things in her life intersected many famous and many not famous (or at least did not make big money). Even if one does not care in the least about her, reading about her adventures helps learn about his business. It is an easy to read book that one wants to read it from start to finish and I feel I got my monies worth. Her perspective is very interesting especially about how she perceives others around her be it someone who can help her career or a group member that has lots of talent and like her, is making connections to move on to better things. As I said, after decades, I learned a little more about what the people I grew up were doing when we lost contact, and for a time they were in her world.

I will say right at the start that I am not only an unabashed fan of the inestimable Ms. Vanilla, but also a friend of some 40 years' duration. That said, I tried to put all that aside and read her autobiography with the freshest of eyes, which as I read her stunning confessional, popped like rockets and rolled back into my head. The book is being hailed as "brilliant" and "important" by some really smart people who know all about music and its history. You can read it as musical history if you like, but the story in human terms of a convent-educated, naif from Queens, NY, who ascended to the very apogee of rock royalty is much more fun and infinitely more compelling. Names like Sting, David Bowie, Andy Warhol, Kris Kristofferson, Joel Schumacher and Chet Baker pop up regularly, playing supporting roles to Ms. Vanilla's star turn. Run, don't walk, to the nearest computer and order this book from amazon.com and devour it, as I did. And be careful with your eyes. J.W. Catledge (a.k.a. Jim Pinkston)

I first heard of Cherry Vanilla when I saw her mentioned in an NY Post Page Six story when I was in middle school. When I showed it to my dad and asked him who this person was with the same name as my little sister (our last name is spelled oddly, so anyone with that spelling is related to each other somehow!), he spat out a rude word and that's it. My mom just said she was my dad's cousin and not to ask about her, she was the "black sheep" of the family. Kind of odd, then, that my parents would give my sister literally the exact same name! Big Irish Catholic families, using the same names over and over. Over the years I thought about her on and off, and when we had access to the wonders of the Internet was able to Google her and learn some more. I finally decided to purchase her autobiography. It's a very easy read, although a bit choppy. I am sure many other people reading this book would be perfectly happy just reading all those stories of her infamous lovers, details of the trysts, and involvement in the NY-London music scene, but I think the most interesting parts are those when she just makes brief mentions/hints of the underlying reasons why she chose the life she did (i.e., "I guess maybe that's why I...."). Granted, I'm a psychologist and extended family, but still, I really do think people would be interested in knowing more about Cherry as a person and the issues/beliefs/formative moments that led to her path. There is a moment when she talks about how maybe she cheapens her worth to these musicians and others because of having sex with them, and I think she is absolutely correct there (I'm not saying that in a judgy way, either). Even in the era of "free love," women were judged negatively for being promiscuous and open with their sexuality. Unfortunately, I think she was judged poorly for the same behaviors that a man would have been celebrated for; it's not fair or right, but heck, that still happens today. It's really too bad, because I have listened to a few of her songs, and she's not half bad- way better than a lot of the punk bands that became famous back then. Overall, an interesting read but would have enjoyed some more depth.

It just didn't grab me.Lots of name dropping and fahking , but the details I was hoping for just weren't there.

What a good read! Totally honest and takes you through a very sexy era of time music, creativity, fun and discovery.

ISBN 978 1 55652 943 6 (hardcover) 2010 Great research leads and additional password material - ’ 62 55 61 59 nameplate Malmy' What I liked about this book: Cherry Vanilla’s memoir ticks all the boxes: it’s memorable, exclusive and the verdicts still out as to whether its lasting. As a DJ and self proclaimed ‘crazy, kooky, goupie, nympho whore,’ she explores the music ‘Terroir’ reigning in New York City from 1961. Yes its rock n roll with SEX and DRUGS writ large. With her skills set moulded in the advertising and brand promotion field she introduces the reader to the gay ad scene with its venues, its TAB culture and the drug of choice – acid. Our informant takes us on an exclusive tour of Aus Puces and Max’s Kansas City - haunt of the Warhol crowd. Here we enter a fantasy land where you adopt alter ego’s not to disguise your identity but to promote and to shock. Cherry morphs through Thistle, Princess Charlotte Russe and Party Favour before all vestiges of her birth name – Kathleen Anne Dorritie have disappeared. This entertaining NYC born catholic enjoys artistic forays to London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Visiting international musicians seeking USA lift off engage folk from the back room of Max’s KC since the essential NYC fuel resides right here. Cherry is shared around, she is the fuel in this ‘Terroir.’ Terroir without the terror – the author spares the reader the darker side of her drug fuelled journey and despite losing friends in the AIDS epidemic -Hepatitis B and a London dose of the clap - Cherry emerges unscathed. Unscathed? Our first call ‘Party favour girl’ – the low or no reward – NYC partying groupie; lives with the ever present threat of becoming homeless. Her high moments of being ‘a muse,’ of being a first call project developer, of becoming a stage entertainer with a punk band will choke in a city unsympathetic to sharing ownership. As my Silicon Valley pal recounts, your wages cover rent and bills you get rich in California’s Silicon Valley by participating and sharing in the ownership of ideas and companies. So what’s Cherry’s legacy that is lasting – she’s moved to the west coast perhaps her obvious talents will accrue stock options. What would make the book better? Colour. The scripts been censored, where is the director’s cut? There is no fighting, no lawyers battling, no bankers, brokers or accountants – all the people who confer ownership. She hasn’t offended anyone. There is no rehab no gambling no sports – this cannot be New York. What happened to Max’s Dorothy Dean and Mickey Ruskin who do not appear? What was edited out – did all the TABS get paid? She ended up broke in New York! No matter, the book has pace I read it in two sessions and I recommend it especially if you are interested in alter egos and you want rock star references – David Bowie (David Jones) John ... It will remain in my library since its uplifting with plenty of hooray moments and importantly it alerts us to the fact that some town and city folk don’t SHARE at all – it’s not in their constitution. Thank you CV, photos were great – lovely ...lips.

supplied quickly as described

A really good read up until the last few years and then like a lot of biography's it glosses over the later years.