Mark Bego
Author Interview - Mark Bego
Author of I’m A Believer by Micky Dolenz and Mark Bego (Updated for the 60th Anniversary of The Monkees TV show
Micky Dolenz of the classic 1960s Pop / Rock group The Monkees, tells his story of how his successful musical career all happened. Mark Bego is the co-author of the original book, and Mark has written two new updating chapters (circa 2004 - and circa 2026).
Author Interview - Mark Bego
Author I draw inspiration from:
The first author I ever drew inspiration from was Jacqueline Susann, who wrote "Valley of The Dolls.” It was a tale of three girls—and several men—who moved to New York City seeking fame and fortune in the entertainment business. It made me want to move to New York City and become a writer and to live in Greenwich Village. And that is exactly what I did.
Author Interview - Mark Bego | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
The great thing about reading books is that it can be done anywhere. I especially love to read in a coffee shop, or in an airport, or on a flight. Those are three situations where I am uninterrupted, and I can easily just get lost in a book.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I would like to meet Hercule Poirot (of Agatha Christie’s “Murder On the Orient Express” and “The A.B.C. Murders”).
I enter the elevator, and Mr. Poirot is feverously looking at his pages of scribbled notes. I say “Hello” to him, and I ask him what puzzle he is pondering. I especially like to interact with people who are slightly out-of-the-ordinary, but who are also very analytical in their reasoning.
Author Interview - Mark Bego | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
After I moved to New York City I was uncertain if I was going to concentrate my career ambitions in the fields of acting, or television, or writing. Right out of college I landed a job at Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, and when I saw how things worked there, I became obsessed with becoming an author. I ended up acting in a couple of movies, and I ended up promoting my books on television, so I guess you could say, that I made all three dreams come true for myself.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
My preference has always been a print version, Number One being Hardcover, and Number Two choice being Paperback. I have certainly read books on a Kindle, but I have also run out of a charge while reading a book electronically in an airport overnight. I was so mad, I longed for a print version of the book! I have been the Audible.com “voice talent” reader of one of my own books—“Bonnie Raitt: In the Nick of Time”—and I loved that experience. However, I still prefer reading a printed version of a book.
The last book I read:
“Strangers” by Belle Burden
I enjoyed it. It was not an overly long book, but it succinctly dealt with her divorce, and I could feel the emotion and confusion she felt, as I read it. It was quite well done, and I know that it has since been optioned for film by Gwyneth Paltrow.
Author Interview - Mark Bego | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
For the first pages of chapters, or sometimes for whole chapters, I start with pen on paper. That way I can move things around, make notes, and come up with a stronger way to start it off. That being said, I will also write huge sections of a chapter on the computer, once I have the chapter plotted out.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I would definitely have been best friends with Nick Charles in Dashiell Hammett's "The Thin Man."
What is it about them that makes you think you'd be good friends?
Nick Charles was a suave, witty kind of guy who knew how to throw a great cocktail party! Who doesn't like a guy like that?
Author Interview - Mark Bego | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I started out being a painter and artist. I love looking at a blank canvas, and deciding what visual image I am going to bring to life. The only problem is that I could never figure out how to make money as a graphic artist. However, in a couple of my books I painted portraits of my subjects—notably Alan Jackson, Madonna, and Joni Mitchell—and I have included those portraits in my books. So, I guess that you could say that I have successfully done that as well.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I like the grandness of 17th Century France. I would have loved to have dressed up for a ball at the Palace of Versailles.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I have to admit that I love Paris, Stockholm, Monte Carlo, and Tokyo very much. Those are four destinations that I went to with my late and beloved best friend, Mary Wilson of The Supremes. We had such a ball wherever we went, but those were four of my favorite destinations with her.
My signature drink:
I love a Dirty Vodka Martini. In the wine department, I usually drink either Voignier or Chardonnay. For something non-alcoholic, I happen to love Diet Pepsi the most.
Favorite artist:
As far as painting, my very favorite is Vincent Van Gogh, but I also love Gustav Klimt. In the league of modern artists, Peter Max and Andy Warhol are my favorites. And, I happy to say that I personally know Peter, and that I knew Andy. That was a big thrill for me. I used to run into Andy at Studio 54, and Peter has been a dear friend of mine for years.
As far as music artists, I love every one of these, all of whom I have met and / or written books with: Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, Cher, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Tanya Tucker, Ringo Starr, Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones, Martha Reeves, Freda Payne, Joni Mitchell, Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas, and Jimmy Greenspoon of Three Dog Night.
Number one on my bucket list:
I have written 70 published books, and I am longing to have one of them made into a movie. And, I want to work on the screenplay!
Anything else you'd like to add:
People say to me, “You’ve written and published over 70 books, when are you going to retire?” My reply: “True artists never retire! We always want to create just one more thing, or write just one more book!”
About Mark Bego:
Mark Bego
Mark Bego is a New York Times best-selling author of sixty-two books on rock ‘n’ roll, country music, and show business. Heralded in Publishers Weekly as “The Prince of Pop Music Bios,” his biographies have covered Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Billy Joel, with 11 million copies of his books in print. Bego lives in Tucson, Arizona.
