Ok, full disclosure, I didn’t read Christie Brinkley’s new autobiography because I knew her from Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” video (also the title of her autobiography) or for being one of the premiere supermodels of the world (sorry Rupaul, there were queens before you) but it helped, the main reason was the chance to get a signed copy of her book and a pic with her, thanks to my favorite indie book store in Connecticut, RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison. Christie was super sweet and gracious!
Surprisingly, there aren’t many negative stories about the modeling industry in her book. I don’t know if it’s because I expect the worst of the industry or Christie’s just too professional to dish, Honey knows which side her breads buttered. She does mention a “modeling” job she was offered to dress pretty and be “nice” to men on a yacht, which she declined, but that’s a chapter I’d want to read. She did complain about having to pose in freezing weather in just a bikini and having to run, jump and skip for hours on end for another shoot, but we all have things we hate about our jobs.
My favorite tea spilled was when her and Billy Joel were invited to Frank Sinatra’s suite by his wife but he caused a scene and kicked them out. Even Christie realizes it’s sometimes better to be treated badly, if it makes for a better story. Unfortunately, she did get treated badly by many of the men in her life, not just Frank Sinatra. Her four marriages ended badly, which I’m sure the publishers wanted details about, and she delivered. People wanting to know about her personal life, won’t be disappointed. Although she has fame and wealth (which is abundantly clear in the book), true love has eluded her, which is sad.
My only complaint (besides claiming to be vegetarian but constantly talking about the ridiculous amount of fish she eats), is the book is too long at 400 pages with not enough pictures. I’m not even straight and I wanted more pictures of Christie. The majority of the book is like a travel blog about the beautiful places she visited and the magazine covers that came out of those trips (perfect for fans of her work), but it would have been nice to have visuals to go with the stories, in my gay opinion.
