Borzillo-Vrenna - Cherry bomb: the ultimate guide to becoming a better flirt, a tougher chick, a hotter girlfriend, and to living life like a rock star

Simon Spotlight Entertainment
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Simon & Schuster.com

Copyright 2008 by Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna
Illustrations copyright 2008 by Liz Adams

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Simon Spotlight Entertainment hardcover edition August 2008

SIMON SPOTLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Interior design by Jaime Putorti

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie.

Cherry bomb: the ultimate guide to becoming a better flirt, a tougher chick, and a hotter girlfriend, and to living life like a rock star / by Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna.1st ed. p. cm.
1. WomenLife skills guides.
2. WomenPsychology. 3. Success. 4. Love. 5. Sex. 6. Wealth. I. Title.
HQ1221.B77 2008
646.70082dc22

ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-6116-1
ISBN-10: 1-4169-6116-X

ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-6407-0 (eBook)

For chicks who rock

Introduction
Cherie Currie of the Runaways on Cherry Bomb

A

B

Bouncers by the Viper Rooms
Melissa Renee Hernandez and Anna Geyer

Breast Cancer Awareness by fashion designer
Betsey Johnson

C

D

Dancing Tips by Cheryl Burke
of Dancing with the Stars

Dating, Doing It & Dumping
by Terri Nunn of Berlin

E

F

G

H

I

Individuality by British singer-songwriter
Imogen Heap

Top 12 Reasons Sobriety Rocks
by Louise Post of Veruca Salt

J

K

L

M

N

O

Orgasms: The Mind Over Body Orgasm
by Dr. Ava Cadell, founder of
loveologyuniversity.com

P

Piercings by NicoleLee Suicide
of SuicideGirls.com

Q

R

Red Lips by American Idol
and celebrity makeup artist Mezhgan

S

T

U

V

W

Q&A with Cynthia Esser-Thorin,
owner of Pink Cheeks

X

X-Rated Movies by adult film star Joanna Angel,
aka The Punk Rock Princess

Y

Z

Hello daddy, hello mom,
Im your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb,
Hello world, Im your wild girl,
Im your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb.

~THE RUNAWAYS, CHERRY BOMB

I ve always been a little bit of a wild girl, a rock chick, someone who is perfectly fine not fitting into the girl next door mold, who preferred playing air band with her friends as a young girl to donning a tutu and playing ballerina. Songs like Cherry Bomb by the Runawaysthe 1960s/1970s teenaged girl group whose members were Joan Jett, Cherie Currie, Lita Ford, and Sandy West, who belted out rebellious songs while decked out in leather and lingeriehelped empower me with a tough and independent attitude and reinforced my inner badass.

I learned a lot from songs like this one and from songs by other strong females of the time. I learned to be defiant when necessary from Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Bad Reputation (A girl can do what she wants to do and thats what Im gonna do!). I learned to be a real tough cookie from Pat Benatar (Hit Me with Your Best Shot). And from a very young age I always walked into a party like I was walking onto a yacht (thank you Youre So Vain by Carly Simon).

This strong, bold, edgy, musically obsessed, feisty mind-set is what inspired this book and what this book is all about. I wanted to write a new kind of girl-guide for women who dont always follow the rules, who prefer black nail polish to French manicures, who dont save the black fishnets just for Halloween, who wear Vivienne Westwood instead of Donna Karan, who prefer the bad boy, musician, or rebel over the jock, prep, or straightlaced businessman, and who live their lives (or at least aspire to) like a rock star.

This book is for the womanthe rock chick, if you willwho is not afraid to take chances, make a fool of herself, or boldly go for what she wants in life, be it a man, a better job, a new look, or a backstage pass. She is the girl who dares to be different, defiant, and oh so sexy and stylish while doing so. Rock chicks are not only female rock singers per se; they include women who embody a rebellious attitude, such as Joan of Arc, Frida Kahlo, Sandy at the end of Grease, Lara Croft, Leather Tuscadero, and countless others. A rock chick is a true maverick and a force to be reckoned with.

Cherry Bomb is essentially a lifestyle manual for rock chicks written by a rock chick, rock journalist, and rock wife. Ive been a rock chick since age five, when I developed my first crush, on a dark-haired music man named Donny Osmond who had a penchant for wearing purple long before Prince did. By age seven, my music-loving parents had turned me on to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Queen, and David Bowie. By age eighteen, I had started my career as a music journalist writing for local fanzines back home in Connecticut.

Since then, Ive written about the lives, styles, and relationships of rock stars and celebrities for music and entertainment magazines, including a stint as a sex and relationship advice columnist. As both a journalist and rock wife, I have clocked a lot of time backstage, on the road, at Hollywood parties, and entertaining friends and colleagues at home (who have dubbed me Gotha Stewart for my domesticyet still rockingskills on the party-throwing front).

All of my life, love, and career experiences have gone into Cherry Bomb. The advice, tips, and turn-ons in this book are things Ive either done, lived, worn, used, witnessed, covered, tried, or been exposed to in one way or another. For a select few areas that I didnt have firsthand experience with when I started writing (like tying cherry stems in a knot with my tongue), I enlisted the help of friends, celebrities, designers, and experts to share their tips, advice, or words of inspiration.

There are some truly great girl-guides out there, but they are all for the modern girl, the bombshell, the fashionista, the single girl, the bad girl, the smart girl, the pinup, the vixen, or another specific type of girl. And while the rock chick I am, as well as the reader I have in mind for this book, might have a bit of all those personas in her, there hasnt been a guide written from a rock and roll point of view for women who rock their strong, confident, and sexy selves in an edgy, cool, and bold way. Until now.

Everyone has a little bit of rock chick in themwhether they know it yet or not. This book will help you embrace that wild side, or take your rock chick ways to the next level, or be turned onto some edgy cool stuff, or put a few new tricks up your sexy little sleeves. Or all of the above. I hope you enjoy reading Cherry Bomb as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.

~Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna

LOS ANGELES, JANUARY 2008

Joan Jett and Kim Fowley (the Runaways cofounder, producer, and songwriter) wrote Cherry Bomb for me when I went in to audition for the Runaways. They wrote it right on the spot for me, and it was what they thought I was all about. I was fifteen, by the way. The Cherry part comes from my name, Cherie. I loved the song. I was a very rebellious girl at this point, and the words stuck real easy for me. I enjoyed singing it because it was the truth. Cherry Bomb is the epitome of what young girls feel when they go through a rebellious stage, which they all do. We all go through that stage where you dont want to listen to anyone and no one understands and you want to be independent and think you know it all. The line hello world, Im your wild girl is basically about breaking out. When I was fifteen and singing that song in a corset, it empowered me. I think the song still empowers girls, young and old. Its like Hey world, look at me. Look at what you created. Fuck you all. Even today, if a girl sings this song in front of her mirror, something will change in that girl.