Bill Zehme Explained

Bill Zehme (October 28, 1958 – March 26, 2023) was an American author who was known for his writing on music and popular culture. He collaborated on books with such celebrities as Regis Philbin, Jay Leno, and Hugh Hefner. His articles appeared in Rolling Stone, Esquire, Playboy, and Vanity Fair.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Zehme grew up in Chicago, attending Thornwood High School and graduating from Loyola University in 1980.^[5]

Zehme's first book, written with Bonnie Schiffman, was 1991's The Rolling Stone Book of Comedy. Five years later, Zehme conducted the last major interview of Frank Sinatra’s life, publishing a piece in Esquires March 1996 issue on Sinatra and the Rat Pack ("And Then There Was One").^[6] This he extended to a full-length book, The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin’ (1997).^[7]

Zehme's other books include Intimate Strangers, Lost in the Funhouse, and Carson the Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait.

Zehme appears alongside Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in a bonus feature interview accompanying the DVD collection Playboy After Dark (2006).^[8]

Selected works

(all works by Bill Zehme unless noted)

• The Rolling Stone Book of Comedy... Bonnie Schiffman and Bill Zehme (1991)
• I'm Only One Man... Regis Philbin and Bill Zehme (1995)
• Leading with My Chin... Jay Leno and Bill Zehme (1996)
• The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin (1997)
• Who Wants to Be Me?... Regis Philbin and Bill Zehme (2000)
• Intimate Strangers: Comic Profiles and Indiscretions of the Very Famous (2002)
• Hef's Little Black Book... Hugh Hefner and Bill Zehme (2004)
• Carson the Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait (2007)
• Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman (2009)^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ludden. Jennifer. Bill Zehme: 'Confessions' of a Magazine Writer. NPR. 31 August 2015.
2. News: Bill Zehme, who elevated celebrity profiles to an art form, dies at 64 . en-US . The Washington Post . 2023-04-01 . 0190-8286.
3. Web site: Bill Zehme, Author With a Knack for Humanizing the Famous, Dies at 64. Sam. Roberts. March 28, 2023. The New York Times.
4. 2023-03-28 . Losing Bill Zehme: David Letterman, Sharon Stone, and More on the Passing of a Dazzling Writer . 2023-04-01 . Vanity Fair . en-US.
5. Web site: Jayanthi. Akanksha. Bill Zehme. Loyola Compass. Loyola University Chicago. 31 August 2015.
6. News: Warren. James. Sinatra Offers Tips On Living Life His Way. 31 August 2015. Chicago Tribune. 23 February 1996.
7. Web site: Books by Bill Zehme. Goodreads. 6 April 2023.
8. News: Cosgrove. Vincent. 'Playboy After Dark' comes to DVD. 31 August 2015. The New York Times. 3 September 2006.
9. Web site: Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman by Bill Zehme . Publishers Weekly.