Customer Reviews

Life on Planet Rock: From Guns N' Roses to Nirvana, a Backstage Journey through Rock's Most Debauched Decade

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What can a book reviewer say about a memoir written by the editor of RIP magazine and endorsed by Cameron Crowe, Scott Ian, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Lemmy Kilmister, and one of the founders of MTV? Lonn Friend was in the inner circle of Larry and Althea Flynt when he was offered the editorial helm of Flynt Publishing's fledgling rock magazine. For seven years, RIP magazine chronicled the American heavy metal scene as it transformed from the heyday of hair metal to the era of grunge rock.

Friend's memoir marks a critical contribution to the history of heavy metal. It reads like an impeccably verified collection of bar-room tales from a top notch storyteller. The opening chapter alone is worth the paperback cover price - it represents some of the first new material published about Guns N' Roses in the last decade. Lonn Friend greenlighted Guns N Roses' cover shot in 1988, months before Appetite for Destruction went platinum. He cavorted with the band as well (as members of Metallica and Skid Row) well into the Use Your Illusion era. In Life on Planet Rock, Friend reveals for the first time how well he knew of Slash's heroin addiction during their 1990 interview. (Slash himself has now gone on record about the addiction, so Friend was comfortable revealing the whole story.)

Other chapters focus on the legendary antics of Alice Cooper, The Who, KISS, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bon Jovi, and Motley Crue. This book is a Who's Who highlight guide to the brief reign RIP magazine -- only with the wisdom of hindsight and the freedom to tell all! Friend turns highly introspective in the closing chapter, examining his own turbulent relationship with the music industry and rock journalism.

RIP Magazine was the heavy metal bible of its day. No one else covered all the hijinks of hair metal better than RIP and Lonn Friend.

This book relives some of the best behind the scenes moments of that time. I devoured it the same way I devoured "The Devil Wears Prada" or my beloved US Magazine. Lonn was the fly on the wall and we all get to have a peek.

Having spent 15 years paying my rent by working backstage at rock concerts around the world, I have to say this is the best tell-all memoir I have ever read. The only bummer is, that I wanted MORE! Keep writing Lonn, the world needs your sense of humour and the rockers of today need to know how it was really done back when Metal Ruled the World!

Whether you are in the business or just interested in someone else's business this book is for you.

Like the Phoenix that rises from the ashes to re-invent itself, so is the writer of this insiders look into the inner sanctum of rock n' roll. Lonn Friend journeys from the porn industry to the rock scene thru a journalistic gateway called RIP Magazine, an 80's metal magazine that ultimately issued him a VIP pass with many of rocks notorious acts from Alice Cooper to KISS to Guns N' Roses, Skid Row and Nirvana and many others. A fast-paced jaunt that takes you from the inner bowels and decadence of the music scene to the emotional and intellectual awakenings of its writer, then back again. For those who love music...and we ALL do...this is a MUST READ! Now, where is YOUR copy?

I'm a writer by accident and most of life's journey's and success are usually a result of "happy accidents". In 2001 I became acquainted with Lonn Friend, author of "Life on Planet Rock". Over the next few years we became closer and over time, he let me into his heart, his mind and his soul about as much as he would let anyone get that close. As I began to put my heart into soul into writing, Lonn took me under his wing and pushed me to go deeper than I otherwise would have. We rocked the mile having experiences with Don Dokken and Sammy Hagar, but the real education came when I began to help him with "Life on Planet Rock". When one reads this book it is not merely a memoir, but someone's heart and soul which he spent countless sleepless nights writing.

On November 12, 2002, "William Miller" finally met "Lester Bangs". Lonn arrived at O'Hare Airport for Peter Gabriel's first solo concert on American soil in almost a decade. That night, the "Angel Gabriel" crawled across the Chicago stage while two fans and friends watched from the front row, feeling connected to each other and to the Carpet Crawler we both held in such high esteem. Peter Gabriel was our mutual guardian angel. Afterwards, Lonn took me backstage to meet Peter. You see, I don't get awe struck by celebrity, but what makes me speechless is being near those who have inspired me profoundly. Before my very eyes were two artists whose prose means more to me than any words in the English language can express and they are sitting right next to me having a conversation, talk abut surreal. Peter Gabriel's music can be credited with saving my life while I was in college and since 9/11, Lonn's writing was as vital to me as any Bon Jovi b-side, unearthed Springsteen bootleg or even Gabriel's decade-in-the-making "Up". Truth be told, I needed Lonn's words to help me breathe. Somehow, they calmed me like the music we both loved and wrote about. In fact, the entire experience of meeting Gabriel and Lonn did not fully hit me until Lonn immortalized it on a "Breath of Fire" missive.

Shortly thereafter, where I began to work with Lonn, trying to organize his writings, offer suggestions and assist in any way I could so the rest of the world could share his prose, which you now hold in your hands. These three years wound up becoming the wildest ride of my life. I saw my mentor and friend push himself in ways I never imagined possible. Creating art is no easy task and I'm sure we both lost some hair in the process. I read close to 2,000 pages (most of it single spaced) in this time frame about his adventure, insights and revelations into rock `n roll and life. Just like the Stones, Who, Beatles, Zeppelin, U2, Kiss, Aerosmith, Metallica, Guns `N Roses, Gabriel, Pearl Jam...the spirit of not just rock n' roll, but the human spirit, lives in Lonn's writings which you now hold in your hands. This is not just an exercise in commerce, but the shedding of skin deep searching inward of the soul.

Great artists work their whole lives in order to hopefully inspire another to actually carry the torch. Richie Sambora had Jimmy Page, Cameron Crowe had Lester Bangs, Metallica had Lemmy, Kiss had The Beatles, The Stones had Chuck Berry, U2 had The Ramones, Springsteen had Dylan...and I...I have Lonn Friend. Lonn is directly responsible for me picking up a pen to become a storyteller and a journalist (not a critic). If not for him, I probably would have given up this pipe dream years ago, however with guidance and some paternal direction; I am Lonn's living proof that his writing is a potent, inspiring and driving force and one that will hopefully continue on for decades to come.

In the liner notes to Bon Jovi's 1995 album "These Days", Jon Bon Jovi wrote the following in the "thank you" section of the album; "If a man can be judged by the friends he keeps, I am the luckiest man in town". Saying I'm lucky to have Lonn as a friend is an understatement. I have been, and will continue to be blessed to share further adventures on planet rock with one Lonn M. Friend...my mentor, my hero, my Lester Bangs, my Cameron Crowe, my spiritual and relationship advisor, my Gandalf, my Yoda, my eccentric philosopher, my yogi and most importantly...my FRIEND.

"Who's to say where the winds will take you?"
-U2, "Kite"

Anthony Kuzminski
Unrated Magazine

Life on Planet Rock is a book about Lonn Friend wrapped in the packaging of a book about Rock in the 80's and 90's. What I wanted to see in this book was a true backstage look at the bands that changed my life. What I read here is a story of a journalist Star F'er that was chosen by these bands as a friend and story teller because he did not have the balls to write the truth.
Nirvana's Kurt Cobain touched on it when he said playing the game involved going to dinner with Lonn and acting like a friend. When you run a popular magazine like RIP then the bands have to suck up to you so you can help them sell the music.
What we learn in Life on Planet Rock is that Lonn was the perfect rug for the bands to walk on. His self esteem was so lacking that they just needed to give him a hug and tell him he was a "Friend" and he would do what he did best. Lonn is a true writer though, he spins the yarn and tells the tales beutifully. The problem is there is little substance about the bands and music and too much of Lonns over driven ego.

Lonn stated in the book he covered Bon Jovi more than any other band and yet I learned more from a 20 minute interview Jon Bon Jovi did with Howard Stern in 2007 than I learned in the entire book. Infact, I learned more about Slash and GnR in his interview last month with Howard than I did in this book.

If Lonn ever decided to write a real book about those days it would be the greatest book and the biggest seller of any rock book ever. That I am sure will never happen though because Lonn Friend like his faux friends way too much to tell the whole story.

Well done Lonn, you kept your friends and sold me a bland book.

Admittedly when I first purchased this novel, I truly expected the consummate rock and roll tell-all from one of the greatest rock scribes of his generation. The behind the scenes dirt that the average lay-person couldn't find anywhere else. What I found instead was one man's journey through a very exciting time in music history. It shows a very human side to the artists that Lonn reported about for RIP. It also gives a very interesting glimpse into the business side of the music scene as it detailed Lonn's post-RIP life working for Clive Davis. Lonn's engaging and empathetic personality endeared him to the biggest stars in rock. Their trust in him shows through in the powerful stories he wrote for RIP and also for this must-read novel. Even if you're not a big music fan but enjoy brilliant literature, buy the book and rock a mile with Lonn Friend!

"Life On Planet Rock" by Lonn Friend is a tremendous book written by a man who is not only an outstanding literay legend but also a passionate fan of the music he covered.

As the editor of RIP Magazine from 1987 - 1994, Lonn Friend and his staff took the readers, backstage and behind the scenes of some of the most monumental moments in the history of rock. Because of Lonn's credibility with the artists, RIP was given unprecedented access to the making of many of the era's monsterous albums such as Metallica's "Black Album" and Guns N' Roses' "Use Your Illusion". Each month the reader was allowed to slip into the shadows and find out what really happened on the road as Lonn was given exclusive access of some of the biggest tours in history including Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi. As a reader I lived vicariously through the words in RIP and I often found myself wondering what it was like to be that "fly on the wall".

In "Life On Planet Rock", Lonn Friend shares that "fly on the wall" view in a very personal way. Not only does he give further insight into the personal lives of the likes of Alice Cooper, Metallica and Aerosmith, but Lonn also conveys how many of the artists and events he covered affected his life and values. For years I devoured the monthly articles that graced the pages of RIP and now more than a decade later I have found myself more enthrawled than ever with each chapter of "Life On Planet Rock".

This is the most entertaining and literary-styled work I've read in a long time. As author Lonn Friend writes about his adventures as a rock journalist covering artists from Pearl Jam to Metallica to even Bon Jovi, his writing takes on the character of each musical style. More subtle is each chapter has a different angle on what can define "friendship." This reader, who wrote for RIP's rival publication HIT PARADER finished the book, and realized, "Hey, Lonn Friend ain't that bad of a guy, just a bit punky, bratty, and--like most rock writers--insecure about the whole biz, including whether he was a rock star's 'friend'."

As a child of the days of hair metal, I was an avid reader of RIP Magazine, Lonn Friend's brainchild. Lonn was my hero. RIP was a fan's magazine for the intelligent hard rocker. It covered bands that I loved, with meaty features and fantastic photographs. I lived for the day each month that the new issue hit my mailbox.

In his memoir "Life on Planet Rock", Lonn describes the birth of the magazine and many of the adventures he's had since then. The book is divided into chapters about Lonn's encounters with the bands, his take on their music and personalities, and his own growth as a human walking on Planet Rock. It's an incredibly interesting read.

Because RIP was a substantial magazine with integrity, many artists trusted Lonn and granted him access to their inner lives, and he writes about them now with the eye of a rock sage. But he also analyzes their personalities with the kindness and compassion of a fan. Axl, Slash, Steven Tyler, Ian Astbury, Kurt Cobain, and countless others are all mentioned and understood as humans, not just as artists.

"Life on Planet Rock" isn't just a book of stories about rock stars; it's also the deeply personal journey of a man. On that journey, he becomes a rock fan, a writer, a husband, a father, a traveler, an A&R man, a success, and a failure. And then he comes back again.

The best chapter, by far, is the longest and the most personal - "Live and Let Clive." In this chapter, Lonn goes into detail about his departure from journalism and into the music industry as an A&R man for Arista records. Lonn lets you into his life, and the time at which he most needs to be understood as a human. His stint at Arista didn't go well, but he never lost his faith in the music.

The underlying current in the book is Lonn's love of music and love of the people who make it. If you are a fan of rock music at all, you will love this book. If you care about the human condition, you will love this book. It's a good chunk of both.

I picked up this book expecting full-on rock stories with behind the scenes and great tales of rock excess as in the pages of RIP and Lonn's other ventures. The book has great rock content and stories (i.e. Aerosmith, Metallica, Bon Jovi), but also a large part of the book is about Lonn's "rise and fall" within the music industry, and his settling the score and getting on with his personal life.