Wonder Bread & Ecstasy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano

The first time I saw Joey Stefano in film I was overwhelmed by his beauty, his body, his sexual appetite, and his vulnerability. I think that vulnerability; that good boy/bad boy persona that was able to reach out beyond the screen is what made him into the "star" he became. Those who saw him fantasized being with him, and in the process, perhaps to protect him from all those things that could and would hurt him. His meteoric rise to fame, and his tragic demise are recounted in this sad tale about a man who became a legend in his own time. One thinks of stars who's greatness was cut short...Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, Carole Lombard, among others...and then there too was Joey Stefano.

Joey and I were about the same age and came into the gay scene at about the same time. I was mesmerized by the beautiful Joey and still think of him often. His movies are my favorites.Hoever, no that I am older, when I see them I wish I could just grab him out of the TV set and hold him safely. I feel sorry for the life that he had and what he went through at the end.I cried reading certain aspects of what this poor young man went through in his life and how he was used and abused by the industry and the gay community in general. After reading this book I so dispised Chi-Chi La Rue that if I ever met him I think I would spit in his face.

I loved this book, but I will admit to being a Joey fan. I found the book to be not the best written thing out there, but the story was great and so were the lessons that it taught. I think more than a cautionary tale about porn, it is a warning about not loving yourself enough to do the things that are right for you. Here is a portrait of a man who had great looks, and little else to help him make it through life. But yet there was so much potential there! You wonder what happens to ex-porn stars that don't burn out like Joey did. Where do they go? That would be a great book right there!

I've always liked watching Joey Stefano in videos, but I had no idea how sad his life was! The book chronicles his early life and then goes into how he got into porn. Reading the book, I felt a great deal of sympathy for Joey -- it seemed like every time he tried to get out of the dismal hell he was in, he'd get pulled right back in. Even though I knew how he ended up, I had been so hopeful that at one point he'd have at least a small amount of happiness. Anyone who likes Joey's films should read this book. Then watch the films again -- tell me that you won't forever see Joey in a different light.

This book is extremely well written. Isherwood -- a gifted biographer -- effectively captures sleazy underbelly of the porn industry and the utter hopelessness of the too-short life that was Joey Stefano's. A must-read for those interested in negative glamour.