Tawny Kitaen

By Jay Oakley and Christie Gerber

What are you doing now?

Well, I have a film coming out so were doing all the festivals. It's called Come Simi. It's an independent but great, great film. So I'm out doing the festivals to promote that. I've been wanting to write a book for so long and I've had so many people come up to me asking why I don't have a book.

Do you not have time?

No, it's not that I don't have time. It's because my truth is going to hurt a lot of people. But it's my truth and I had to come to grips with that. I'm in David Lee Roth's book and I'm in this person's book and that person's book and David got a few things wrong in his book about me so I've decided that it's my turn to set the record straight and tell my truth and what my truth is.

I went through a bad divorce which was public and it was ugly and a lot of things that happened in that divorce would not be able to happen in today's world. My ex-husband (Chuck Finley) got away with a lot of stuff that he would not be able to get away with in 2015. For example, me beating up a 6 foot 8 inch baseball player and the thing is I end up getting a mug shot that will live forever, which I'm not the one who deserved it and I've never thrown my ex-husband under the bus. I just did Oprah and she asked me about it and I will not throw him under the bus. I would not tell anybody what happened except for the judge and the lawyers when I went to court. When the judge heard and saw everything happen she laughed the lawyers out of her chambers. She said, "This is ridiculous, good-bye." The charges got dropped but it was ridiculous because he didn't want to pay child support.

That's why I have to write the book and tell the truth. I'm not going to through him under the bus but everyone's going to be able to read between the lines because it wasn't who he normally is. So I don't want to paint him in a way that makes him look like this is something he did all the time. I'm the one who called 911. I called 911 and it was just horrible. 

You calling 911 probably doesn't happen if you're beating up a 6 foot 8 inch baseball player.

It doesn't. I have a funny story to tell you that I heard and this is true. He was playing the Chicago White Sox and during warm-ups there is a guy who's in charge of the music, same for all stadiums, he decided to play "Here I Go Again." Chuck went into the dugout and had the guy fired. I will say in the defense of the guy, it was a brilliant move. It totally through Chuck off his game.

When it comes to your videos and you on the cars did that just kind of hit you, something you thought could be fun?

Back then nothing was ever set in those videos and I could pretty much do whatever I wanted. Yeah, what happened was they had everything all set up which was like shooting for a major motion picture. Paula Abdul was there with Marty Callner, the director, who had hired her to give me some routines and choreography. I told her I was a ballerina and I was a gymnast so she asked me to show her what I had. So I did a few things and she turned around to Marty and said she's got this and doesn't need me and she left. That was the greatest compliment. So I got on the cars and Marty would say, "Action" and I'd do whatever I felt like doing. 

You did it beautifully. And, you look fabulous now.

Thank you. It's called good living. It's called never drinking. I was in the 80s and everyone thinks there was sex, drugs, and rock and roll. There was only sex for me because I was married. 

They think that back here. Everybody's backstage here is walking around with a drink in their hand and doing things.

I know, I'm sharing a dressing room with people that are doing that (Bobbie Brown, Video Vixen from Warrant's Cherry Pie video) and I'm thinking, "Oh my God!" So I never drank and I tried one particular drug one time for six months.

Is that how you landed on Celebrity Rehab?

No, no. I did Love Line with Dr. Drew back in the 80s. This show happened because the writers went on strike so there was no way to make any money. He called me and asked if I wanted to do the show. I told him I didn't have a problem and he said he knew that but every year they have a guest who doesn't have a problem. If you have a bunch of messed up people then you have to have a catalyst of one person who's not messed up. 

How did you not go crazy in there?

Well first off I had Gary Busey in there with me. Secondly, my roommate who was so beautiful, an actress, model her name was Amber (Smith) she was jonesing off Oxycontin and there's a drug that they give people to get off of stuff called Suboxone and she was abusing that. So she's laying on the floor and all these poor people just have chills and hot and flashes. So at the end they offered me the Sober House show and I told Drew forget it, I was going back to my pad in Newport Beach.

When I did that one thing straight for six months because I'm not going to lie I just stopped. I'm not an AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) person. AA people hate when I say this but AA to me is a cult. I feel they have to get a life and learn how to live life. AA can be an addiction in itself. That's how I feel about AA and meeting, you have to grow past that. Yeah, I do believe what Nancy Reagan said, "Just Stop!" and people can't. And then some of us that can say, "I'm done smoking, I'm off carbs, I'm off sugar, I'm off salt. Done! I'm going to start working out. Done!" David (Coverdale) and I, when we were married, I quit smoking and he continued. It would be snowing in Tahoe and I'd say, "Not in the house."

Do you still communicate with him at all?

No. Unfortunately, we don't. I don't think it's because of him that we don't talk but I wish him the very best and on record he has the best rock and roll voice ever. I've been there with just a piano and him, without all this. I'd play him music that he'd never heard. He loved to sit there and listen to me playing him songs he'd never heard. I was like a DJ for him, we had a good time. Nothing but good things to say about that man. He still has a great voice. He started out better then everyone else so even if he starts to lose it he'll still be better then most of the people singing.

Tawny, thank you for taking the time.

It was my pleasure.