Slash
So, it’s no secret that I’m a Guns N’ Roses fan. Well, a fan of everything up until The Spaghetti Incident. I like both of Duff‘s solo albums, all of Slash’s Snakepit & solo material, Velvet Revolver, I even have Hollywood Rose. I still need to pick up a Loaded album, but I do have the Neurotic Outsiders. This doesn’t dig into bootlegs of live and demo stuff… of which I have a plethora.
Appetite for Destruction generally tops my “all time favorites” album lists. I go back to it time and time again, & get lost in between Slash & Izzy’s guitars spiraling around each other.
Of course, when the autobiographies started coming out, I had to read them. I got Slash‘s book, then Duff’s then Steven’s. Slash was a rock n’ roll hero to me when I was in Jr. High & high school, but out of the three books… I think Duff comes off the best and most entertaining. The writing is very fluid. I found it easy to imagine Duff in the early days. The stories are blunt & sincere, and he ties it all back to where it has led him & where he is now in life. Duff seems like a great guy to hang out with.
It's So Easy: and Other Lies
Slash’s book is an easy read, but it jumps around quite a bit. His recollection of events is really questionable. It doesn’t necessarily feel like Slash is remembering things correctly, or even the one telling the story. I might have to give it a re-read after finishing the other two books.
Steven’s book, like Steven, is a mess. I can’t help but feel pity for the guy, mostly because he professes to not have a “poor me” attitude, but every single action the guy takes screams “oh poor me”. This guy just can’t get it right, but he still seems like a likeable guy.
It comes across in all of them that they had fun times in the early days, with a vibe that can never be repeated. Sadly, all these guys seem to have a habit of burning bridges… yet posses a decent history of patching things up. I mean, Slash & Duff have never really stopped working together. Duff has been on-stage with Axl’s band recently. They both patched it up with Weiland recently. Duff, Slash, & Izzy have jammed with Adler’s Appetite.
My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses
One thing is clear from all of these books… Axl is an absolute wild man, and these guys love & fear him. I really hope Axl & Izzy churn out books someday. Maybe somehow all of the events can get plotted out & reconstructed correctly.
Maybe they’ll even get together for the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.
I’d love to check out some of the other GN’R biographies (like Reckless Road), but if the guys in the band can’t even get it right… then what hope does an outsider have?
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- SLASH – “When I See Footage Of GUNS N’ ROSES, I See That Fucking Hunger And Attitude” (bravewords.com)
- Duff Mckagan Really Is Going to Open for Guns N’ Roses (metalsucks.net)
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- MATT SORUM On The Last Days Of GUNS N’ ROSES (Video) (roadrunnerrecords.com)
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- Matt Sorum of Guns N’ Roses & Velvet Revolver Opens Up (4drummersonly.wordpress.com)
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- DUFF McKAGAN On Getting Clean And Sober – “The First Time I Went Into A Supermarket, It Was Like Being On Acid; I Was Sweating On The Verge Of A Panic Attack” (bravewords.com)
- Axl Rose uncertain if Guns N’ Roses will play at Rock Hall (goerie.com)
You know, I’ve owned Slash’s book since the day it came out. I pre-ordered that shit from Amazon.com and am still yet to read it. I saw Duff had one coming out but scolded myself by promising myself not to buy it until I read Slash’s… Then I ended up buying that Reckless Road magazine book (which I resent not checking if it was available for the Kindle Fire cause its only 5 bucks on there. So, this motivated my ass to read Slash’s book. If I don’t finish it tonight, I guarantee I’ll finish it tomorrow night or maybe take a break and finish it Thursday. And yea, Izzy is my favorite and I’m waiting for his book. For some reason, I think I’d like Duff’s book. In remotely a related topic, Scott Weiland’s book is an easy read. I got it signed by his ass in person when he did a reading/signing at the Barns N Noble in Union Square in NYC (I don’t know how they don’t have video of that up in the Union in the Square podcast section on Google TV, probably cause it was such a train wreck to watch. He trailed off repeatedly and stuttered a lot as if he had trouble speaking in public).
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Ha, that’s a long time to hold on to a book! What do you think of it so far? I really do recommend Duff’s book. I may have to pick up Scott Weiland’s book. Dude does seem like a train wreck, it would probably be an interesting read!
How was the Reckless Road book?
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I started it last night (I totally forgot where I even put the damn Slash book and it took me a day and a half to realize it was under my bed the entire time). I only got up to chapter 4 before I passed out like an old man around 7pm. I really wanna read Duff’s book. The Reckless Road book? I glanced over it once in the store, and then when I picked it up I only got through the boring shit in the very beginning which says who is who (I didn’t realize Slash mentions his friend who he says is his best friend in maybe chapter 2 or 3 that owned the 24 hour diner GNR would always go to is the dude who put together Reckless Road. Still wish I knew it was available through Kindle Fire before I spent money on a physical copy, just because.
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Yeah, they seemed to have a tight inner circle in the beginning. I may need to pick up Reckless Road.
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