Between a Heart and a Rock Place: A Memoir

If you were a teenage girl in the eighties, you knew (and probably loved) Pat Benatar. While there have always been females doing rock Pat was really the first to stand on her own as an artist, belting out songs that the best hard rock acts of the day would have been proud to call their own. It wasn't a woman singing rock, it was a rock singer who happened to be a woman. In her memoir "Between a Heart and a Rock Place" (sorry, Pat, had to take a half star off for that lame title) Benatar details in a voice that is clearly her own the remarkable circumstances that led a little girl from a working-class town on Long Island to become a rock goddess.

If you're looking for dirt and gossip a la "I'm With The Band" this isn't your book. "Mine is one of the only stories that doesn't involve at least one trip to rehab," Benatar writes, and it's true. About the closest she comes to that is writing about her first marriage to a man who suffered from PTSS after returning from Vietnam--who was also the man who gave her her famous last name. Wanting to be with him derailed Benatar's original ambition of a classical career, blowing off her Julliard audition much to the horror of her high school vocal coach. It was another man, however, who understood what Benatar wanted to do and collaborated with her--Neil "Spyder" Giraldo, whom Benatar immediately fell in love with while recording her first album and gives major credit for shaping her sound, not to mention being her husband of nearly thirty years. Pat Benatar is not a solo artist in their minds, but a band, and the stories that are told show that mindset.

Benatar writes scathingly about the rampant sexism involved in the music business at that time, about how what she wore and how sexy she acted seemed to be more important than the music, to the point that when she had given birth to her oldest daughter she was essentially forbidden to talk about the baby for fear it would detract from her rock vixen image. She also lends a lot of insight on what it's like to be basically a slave to a record company, how she and Giraldo fought to get him songwriting and producing credits, how the mandated album-and-tour-every-nine-months schedule nearly killed her career in the late eighties because of oversaturation.

Today at 57, Benatar has become one of the elder stateswoman of women in rock and she is rightfully credited for paving the way for bands like the Donnas and Kittie, where no one thinks it's weird for girls to rock. Her offstage life is peaceful, raising two daughters whose friends think of her as "Haley and Hana's mom who happens to sing." As they have done for the past few years she and Giraldo are out on a summer tour, and having seen her last year I can assure you she hits the high notes as well as she did in her heyday. Even if you're not a Pat Benatar fan "Between a Heart and a Rock Place" is an enjoyable read by a woman who lived the rock star dream but never lost sight of the importance of family and following your instincts.

This is definitely not the `cookie cutter' celebrity bio ghost written story, but an emotional tale of a one woman's rise to unbelievable fame. The book definitely has a unique voice that is undoubtedly Benatar's,and it sways effortlessly from personal stories to growing up with her little brother to detailed accounts of her tumultuous relationship with the record companies. You find out interesting Benatar facts like she had a pet monkey named "Jo Jo", and was forced to hide her pregnancy by record companies, the isolation of being a superstar before the internet. The book is funny and beautifully written, and you learn that Pat Benatar is not just a rock star, or not just a rock star whose career seemed to suddenly stop at the height of its popularity. (You also learn why!) Her record company essentially imploded, she chose family and love over continuing to be a rock superstar, but she always remained true to herself. I was glued to each page as Benatar takes you on an incredible detailed musical journey with constant battles with an abusive record company, her honesty and ideology is straightforward and cuts to the bone. No Benatar does not have a crazy tale of booze and drugs, but one of seriously standing up for herself. The book also is a fascinating and beautiful love story between her and her husband/collaborator. Fans will definitely love every page of this book, but I think it is also just a REALLY good read for anyone. A fascinating and beautiful tale of a woman who not only changed music, but stayed true to herself, kept her amazing vocal talent in tact , and is an absolutely beautiful and inspiring human being.

I have read many biographies, auto-biographies etc of various persons that were written and they seemed to follow a certain formula more often times than not. Being a fan of Pat Benatar I had been looking forward to this release and silently praying to myself, don't let it suck or be a formula. It absolutely does not suck, and is not formulated in any way, quite like the organic flow of the variety of music that Pat and Neil have produced over the years. If you have any inkling of what the world was like during the late 70's and the 80's, this is an insightful look into the inner workings of a piece of life that most of us would not be privy to. Make no mistake, this is not a book simply about the 80's. As we age, we grow and with this book we see Pat and Neil grow beyond the 80's, the grammy's, parent hood and the record industry as it used to be.

I found myself laughing out loud over many pages, nodding on some information I knew, and crying and reflecting at other times. I often thought of my own upbringing and the calamities of my youth which one again reinforces the fact we are all people, and its those life events that make us who we are today, and being a human is a huge commonality no matter your 'Rock Star' status. The way Pat writes this is truly captivating and even if you are not a fan I dare you to put it down, because you should be afraid of missing that next nugget of insight, humorous tidbit, cautionary tale or life experience which may help you to steer yourself a bit differently.

Poor little Pat Benatar. She worked hard, had tremendous success, and now that her career is sunsetting, she decides to write a book. She complains about how her poor "Spyder" was not acknowledged, but duh, it is her voice that people wanted to hear. You can put any musician in there to play the notes!

Yes, Rolling Stone magazine sexed up her picture. If they showed her how she really looked, who would have been interested? Yes, some producers and record labels made a lot of money off of her, but that is how she became famous, thru their promotion. Pat, quit the bitching, and be happy you had a great career that will provide for you and your family for years to come.

The book started off well, holding my interest to learn about her childhood and details on how she got her start. But once we get to her contract with Chrysalis (which she drones on and on and on about throughout the book) and her first few albums, things take a turn for the worse.

Other reviewers have called the book "boring", and I would have to agree. I was also surprised that with a 30-year career, Pat releases a book that can be read in a day. No depth, no detailed stories about all the musicians she's had in her band, no mention of her live TV appearances (Fridays, Arsenio Hall, JOHNNY CARSON!), nothing about the excitement of playing Madison Square Garden.

I am a huge fan - and have been since the beginning - but I cannot recomment this book. Disappointing.

This is the most boring autobiography I ever read. I was 19 when Benetar hit it big, and I loved her. I never knew much about her tho. Therefore, I was really excited when this book was released. SO disappointed. I am happy that Pat and Neil have a solid, happy marriage and family, but cmon! SOMETHING interesting must have happened on the road. I am not saying "I want dirt" but this is so dull. OK she was thought of as a novelty, men in the business didnt take her seriously and Chryslis treated her poorly. Well there's one chapter. My other complaint? Most of the phots included are out of focus and nothing we havent seen before. I would have loved to see a pic of Patti in high school or Neil as a young teen. This is just to unstimulating from the lady who got all us girls going back in the day!

I came into this book REALLY wanting to dig it. Pat Benatar was one of the first concerts I ever saw so her music always had a place in my heart. First the good stuff. It was cool to see how down-to-earth Pat is and to get the feelings and emotions that went into each album. It makes you listen to them now through a different perspective which I enjoy. She does a great job of taking you through the musical process of each album throughout her career. Here comes the "but" part though. Her constant, and I mean CONSTANT, griping about her record company gets old REAL fast. It's almost tiring to read and you get the point very early in the book but she proceeds to hammer you in the head with it till the very end. In her defense this seems to be a theme through every rock star autobiography. When things are going great "Geez, aren't I an incredible artist!!". When things start to go south it's "It's all the record companies fault!!!". We ALL work for faceless, heartless companies every day that care only about a profit and bottom line. Why should being an employee for a record company be any different? Anybody with any smarts could pick up on her disgust right away so I have no idea why she felt the need to hammer it through? That being said, if you can get beyond that one aspect, it is a really good read for any Pat Benatar fans and worth getting.

Pat Benetar was/is such an exciting performer and songwriter, it's surprising this memoir is so dull and unenlightening, and written at a plodding 3rd-grade level. Most of the book is about what sexist weiners 80's record company execs were (shocker!), how they never believed in her and how hard it was to say no to their incessant demands for new albums and tours, and how nice it is that she lives in Hawaii now. Did so few interesting things happen to her, even with Mr. Benetar's PTSD or hanging out with Debbie Harry and Richard Belzer? And if she has no dirt to dish, revelations to reveal or insights to give beyond cliches about believing in yourself and working really hard, why did she "write" the book? That's revealed around page 234, if you can make it that far: "[I'm] never one to shun new ways to promote and market." As much as I love her music and think she's righteous and bless her for squeezing every penny out of her legacy, as one reader to another, you'll miss nothing by skipping this book.

I'm not a huge fan of Pat Benatar's music, although I enjoy reading rock star bios; particularly from the 80's era. This was without a doubt the worst autobiography I have ever read. This was not a memoir about the musician's life, rather a very long and endless account of record making with no compelling or fun stories to accompany said endless record making monotony! What was also extremely annoying was the incessant mention of her husband and musical collaborator. Every other sentence was written from a "we" point of view. We this, we that, we, we, we!!!!!! I didn't select this book to hear about her husband non-stop and what a hero he was. This is a really dull read and that's putting it kindly. The author even describes herself as boring several times in the book, and at least I agree with that. An unremarkable account of a dull life. If you must, get it from your local library as I did.

The book was much better than the boring annoying concert I went to at The House of Blues in Chicago when Pat put out her blues album. She had the nerve to tell the audience that night "You're not going to hear Hit Me With Your Best Shot". And true to her word she only played blues music. A month later she was back to playing her rock and roll hits on stage. Thanks for a miserable evening Pat.