Customer Reviews

Slash

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The story of Guns N' Roses is one of the most controversial in rock n' roll history. GNR has had a famously terse relationship with journalists and authors, and in recent years, former band members have publicly disagreed about the "real story" in the press. The band even threatened bodily harm to journalists in the lyrics of the Use Your Illusion albums! For the first time ever, someone on the inside has gone on record with to describe the genesis of the band, how they wrote and performed one of the most definitive rock albums of all time, the changes in the band's lineup, and finally, the implosion of all things GNR related. Who knew it would be the notoriously private lead guitarist, a soft-spoken man hidden behind a famous mop of hair, who would step up and tell the story?

Slash's memoir is the diary of a dope fiend (released a month after the autobiography of his friend and former heroin-buddy Nikki Sixx). Well, the diary of a dope-, and women- and coke- and crack- and alcohol-fiend. Have anything else debaucherous? The late 1980's and 1990's Slash would have tried it for sure. During one cocaine-induced hallucination of an attack by blue-gray Predator-like creatures with machine guns, Slash punched out his glass shower door and ran naked into the streets in terror. The incident got Slash into rehab, but no sooner than his limo driver picked up the "cured" ax man, he was downing half a liter of vodka in the backseat.

What doesn't Slash want to talk about? Well, don't bother asking if GNR is getting back together (I'm not even going to acknowledge the current faux-lineup). Slash says it won't happen, ever. The ten-years-delayed release of Axl's Chinese Democracy album? Slash gets asked that question in every interview, and he leaves it out of his memoir. In an interview about the book, Slash stated "Axl works in a different time zone than I do. So what may seem like a long time to other people is a tick of the clock to him. It'll come out, though. It will." Even Axl's famous tour cancellations and delays are treated matter-of-factly--Slash doesn't attempt to analyze or explain the behavior of his bandmate, nor does he seethe with anger or resentment.

Others have tried to write the history of the band, but most are hacks or fanboys who strung together quotes from numerous previously published sources. Before Slash spoke up, the only other worthwhile title was rock journalist Mick Wall's The Most Dangerous Band in the World (1992), and the VH1 Behind the Music production (2004). Thank you, Slash, for letting all rock fans into the inner world of GNR, featuring your toxic twin Steven, current bandmate and forever friend Duff, the laid-back and gifted Izzy, and the enigmatic Axl. You've treated the story with humor, candor, honesty, self-reflection, and respect, even for those from whom you are currently estranged.

I could not resist this book. I can't believe I dropped the cash, but I did, and then spent all day today reading it. I just finished it.

First, a short history of my fandom--I was a GnR fan when I was a very young teenager, I lived for their videos coming up on MTV, I bought Rip magazine, I saw them at the LA coliseum with my parents. Even though I came from a hippie artsy background, something about them hooked me and I became a slutty wannabe rocker chick at 13. I still think they're awesome musically.

OK so my review--a fun read. Full of crazy details about partying, debauchery, excess. Pretty much every detail of GnR's formation, life, and dissolution. Slash's voice is pretty brash and honest. I trusted him, I trusted that he was always telling his truth and trying to be objective, and he's pretty careful about not trying to paint W. Axl like an as***le, and even praising him quite a bit. I skimmed some parts at the end because I don't care that much about all the various boys and the details of their beefs, and Velvet Revolver is not interesting to me. I would have liked more personal stuff, more stuff about sex and romance and artistic inspiration and less about this and that manager.

My main criticism is extremely lazy editing. I am not nitpicky about this stuff, but I swear man, there were some retarded sentences in this book, and a bunch of typos and inconsistencies, as well as structural issues. I was like, could they not pay someone an extra $100 to do a final proofread? For god's sake, when I pay $30 for a book I expect it to be coherent. I know, it's not fine literature, but sheesh. Also, there were times when the 'voice' was so clearly not Slash's it was almost comical, it was occasionally haughty and erudite all the sudden, forcing you to remember that it ghostwritten or cowritten or whatever you call it. But mostly it was totally fun and Slash is a riot, although I'm never going to be his girlfriend, or roommate! Pretty amazing he lived through all that excess. God must have spared him in hopes of a GnR reunion...

If you dig reading about rock 'n' roll excess and the Guns n' Roses years as they really happened, then you won't be able to put this book down. While I read "Slash," I couldn't help but compare his exploits to Anthony Kiedis's in the book Scar Tissue. Kiedis probably has Slash beat in the debauchery department -- but only just slightly. As advertised, Slash's tales of excessive drugs, drinking, sexual conquests and all-around craziness are shared in the book big-time. What starts as a tale of a sweet but troubled young kid turns into a monstrous, muddled life of dangerous drug use and plans gone awry. What's interesting is that the tone and writing style of the book is actually quite close to Kiedis's. And of course the tales Slash tells are the stuff of rock 'n' roll legend, either a total cliche or riveting reading, depending on your point of view.

Guns n' Roses deserved someone who could tell the band's story as it truly happened, and who better to do that than Slash or one of the guys in the band? Save for Axl Rose, whose words one might not be able to fully trust (especially as the band evolved), the rest of G n' R were pretty down-to-earth fellows who just loved recording and playing music -- when they could stay sober and on top of things. For me, it was very interesting reading about original Guns drummer Steven Adler, whose major drug problem over the years has been worse than even Slash's (that's saying a lot). Adler was a happy-go-lucky guy who just couldn't control his habit for a long time, and sadly, the band was probably right to kick him out. Still, as Slash mentions in the book, Steven's drums lent an enthusiastic and almost adolecsent feel to Appetite for Destruction that, in my view, Matt Sorum never matched.

It should be noted that Slash's knowledge of what makes a good music recording is pretty astounding. For instance, as a lead guitarist, he knows how the value of how a great rhythm guitarist, such as Izzy Stradlin, can enhance how his own lead playing sounds. The solid and tuneful texture of Izzy's rhythm work on "Appetite," for instance, and the way it naturally interwove with Slash's lead, was classic and made for complex guitar-driven music. In the book, Slash also talks about other elements of what goes on in the recording studio, which I found fascinating.

This book also revved up my appetite for Velvet Revolver's past and future work. After reading about how much VR means to Slash, I hope the band at least makes a few more albums. Slash's desire to simply write, record and play music live on the road is insatiable; besides being a good father, it seems that's all the guy wants to do. If Revolver ever broke up permanently, I think it would be a bad blow for Slash.

On a closing note, though Slash's words get a tad repetitive and overly woe-is-me toward the end -- and much of this book was horribly edited -- this is still a must-read for fans of Slash, G n' R, Velvet Revolver and whatever other music Slash has lended his formidable guitar-playing hand to over the years.

Better written than I would have expected, interesting and informative about GNR and his life. What really makes this so much different from Eric Clapton's book or Nikki Sixx's trip through the hell of his own mind is that Slash never seems to have been unhappy or angry to have regrets. He did all the drugs, alcohol and sex for fun and because he is easily bored. This makes the book much more fun for the reader. Is he being truthful, private or shallow? Hard to say, but you can also see how he must have helped drive Axl crazy. On the other hand you can see that Slash would have been happier if he had a front man who wanted to tour all the time.

As a 21 year old music fanatic, I've just recently become infatuated with GN'R, and especially Slash. (I was only a year old when Appetite for Destruction was released.) I found this book to be really entertaining, and though it's 480 pages long, I read it relatively quickly and was sad to reach the end. It was really interesting to find out about Slash's background, his personal life, what exactly happened with GN'R, and Velvet Revolver. I've read through a couple of the other reviews, and it's weird that some people are complaining that this book sounds like it wasn't written by Slash because it uses bigger words at times, while others say that it seems like it was written by a high schooler. (Just a bit contradictory!) I've watched and heard a ton of interviews with Slash, and I don't find it too hard to imagine that he wrote most of this. Besides, when most people sit down to write a book, or even a paper, they don't write exactly the way they normally speak. I don't understand why it's a big deal. I don't think any of it takes away from the content. People seem quick to call him an idiot who can't string together a sentence, but from what I've seen, he's just as capable of speaking coherently as anyone else. I think some people may have had preconceived notions about the book and some kind of bitterness toward him before they even started reading it. The other thing is that people complain that all rockstars' lives sound the same - drug usage, alcohol, sex, etc. To that I say, if you're sick of reading stories about those things, don't read anymore rockstar (auto)biographies. What did you expect? Personally, I find all of those stories highly amusing because his life is the opposite of mine, and at one time or another, we all fantasize about being a rockstar. This book is just fun, and I don't think people should be so critical about the little things. I'm sure Slash didn't intend this book to be a piece of high art, but rather to tell his story and to answer all of the questions that people have been asking him for years.


One last thing... The pictures in this book are also very cool, and there are pages of color photos in the middle of the book. Also, if you're really into the music, the way he describes how certain songs were made will make you want to listen to them over again with attention to details you might have not heard before!

This isn't the type of book I normally read but it was staring me in the face from some website, and I had to have it. I remember the GN'R phenomenon like it was yesterday. This is a comprehensive, well-written accounting of the life of a real rock-and-roller and of a loose bunch that came together, exploded in popularity beyond proportion, and then imploded.

Slash really tries not to burn bridges in this book, and I think to rail against Axl - as would be tempting - would have left a bad taste in a reader's mouth anyway. Instead he played it as cool as he could. One comes away from this book really liking and appreciating Slash as a person.

I found it sort of odd that he would focus on Doug Goldstein as a prime factor in bringing down the band. It appears that before Goldstein took over, Guns was headed where it ended up. They never had the kind of management or outside assistance that would deal with the personal dysfunctions. Slash is an easy-going guy, and maybe that is too bad because he is the only member that had the power, in terms of what he meant to GN'R and their fans - to get through to Axl, assuming that could be done.

As I was reading this, I was constantly thinking about what Axl's take on all this might be, and one possibility is clear - Axl Rose may have thought that he was the only member that had his act together during prolonged periods when the other guys had tremendous substance abuse problems, and maybe that did foster a lack of respect for his bandmates.

But who knows? These guys are real artists, complete with the real artists' temperments, and my guess is that it will be a long time before we see Axl's autobiography. In the meantime, Slash is still out there with Duff and Matt making music, and I appreciate that.

Few veteran rockers are more eligible for a tell-all autobiography than Slash, because he should've died ten times (and really did once) and because everyone wants the dirt on that old band of his. Thanks to Slash's unique background, low-key humility, and position in one of the most newsworthy bands of all time, this very readable bio is a blast for fans and non-fans alike. The book dependably starts with Slash's unique early home life and youthful talents that fell into juvenile delinquency and paying dues in the LA sleaze metal scene. As for that famous old band, Axl Rose is curiously vague here, perhaps because he was as incomprehensible to Slash as to everyone else, and Slash largely avoids demonization of Axl for the band's bizarre demise, and just gives what he freely admits is his side of the story. But the book is full of trusty compatriots Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, and Matt Sorum - and the info on the mysterious Izzy in particular will be a delight for fans. Overall Slash remains humble about his part in the band's stupendous success and influence, and mostly avoids trying to put his awesome guitar talents into words. At his most immodest, Slash merely refers to himself as "a fairly good guitar player."

Unfortunately the bio runs into trouble during the post-breakthrough years, when Slash also suffered some of his worst substance abuse problems. He's presumably trying to atone for and understand his own deadly behavior, but an editor should have reined in his soul searching significantly. Slash also loses his cool while spreading band-killing blame to managers and lawyers, particularly Doug Goldstein. This is where the unknown contributions of co-author Anthony Bozza become a real issue. Slash's memory of certain periods is surely shot and his timelines are inconsistent and often out of order. There are a number of factual errors - in just a couple of examples, Slash states that he played Michael Jackson's 40th birthday party in the year when Jackson was 43, and there are multiple misspellings of the name of Velvet Revolver guitarist Dave Kushner. Slash also repeats some annoying phrases a few thousand times, like "all things considered" and "we'll get to all of that in just a little bit" (I'm not sure if we always do). We can't expect Shakespearean prose from Slash, but the presence of a supposed co-author should have resulted in more professional editing and fact checking. But despite some historical inconsistencies, occasional lapses of focus, and Slash's insistence on keeping mum on some of the secrets that everyone wants to know about, this is still a highly enjoyable bio of a guy whose life and times really are interesting enough to make this book essential. [~doomsdayer520~]

Being a die hard G n'R fan, I obviously had to pick up this book. It's a great book that begins with his childhood and ends with his present day band, Velvet Revolver and everything in between. How he and his other current/former bandmates are still alive, is beyond me. I can only give it four stars, because the editorial work is really bad, otherwise it's a definite five. Lots of typos, jumps back and forth, repetitive and even a factual error I caught. He mentioned a show in Uniondale, NEW JERSEY at the Nassau Coliseum which actually is in Uniondale, NEW YORK. I know because I live nearby. Despite this, the content is great! It will make you laugh out loud and have you shaking your head in disbelief. So ignore the bad copy editing and enjoy the book for what it contains - a first-hand insight to one of the most explosive and controversial bands ever and life through the eyes of an AWESOME guitar player/junkie/drunk/crackhead/husband/father. A must read for any fan of rock n' roll.

A good read but it could be shorter - or filled with more substance. Essentially this reinforced my view that GnR were a bunch of junkie kids that got real lucky and found success in spite of themselves. Reading this you can't help but wonder how they stuck together as long as they did instead of wonder why they broke up. It actually vindicates James Hetfields assessment that they weren't really a 'band' but just a bunch of guys that stumbled into success together.

Some great stories and a real entertaining read if you're into the rise and fall of a rock group. Seemingly honest for the most part and Slash doesn't attempt to paint himself as a victim nor completely innocent in the events that took place.

But the dishonesty stems more from what he DOESN'T say. He devotes surprisingly few pages to the actual mechanics of the band and glosses over (what I thought were) the bigger events. Why did the band fall out with Steve Adler - he's not really sure. Why did they fire their manager - he's not really sure. What was Izzy thinking in those last few years before leaving - they didn't really talk about it. And why was Axl such a whiner who refused to go on stage - that's just the way he is. What - no better insight than that??

What he does devote a lot of pages to is this repetitive sequence of events in between Appetite and Illusion where he just did lots of drugs - and nothing else. I did lots of drugs - I kicked drugs - I got back on drugs <repeat as needed> . I'm sure some people find it interesting but it gets a little thin after a while - not to mention perhaps a little embellished. Before you know it you're at the tail end of the book and you get a quick chapter on the break up and that's it.

As a Slash fan I found it interesting. As a guitarist I was a little disappointed that it didn't focus on his music that much - instead going for the wow factor of the celebrity party lifestyle. And in summary you're left with the feeling that you still don't really know the story - just a disjointed series of events with big holes in certain parts.

Should have been better - maybe a revision is needed.

This is the usual dope fiend, rock n' roll guitar player's story. Drink the usual half gallon of booze, load up with coke and heroin, hallucinate, run around looking for the little green men with a gun and passout. Then he starts that round all over again the next day. However, it is an unbelievably good read and is well-written. Slash and Nikki Sixx are brothers of the drug world and experienced the same drug induced nightmares. I first read the Heroin Diaries by Nikki and then Slash. How either one of these guys are still alive I do not know. The book flows with good stories and Slash does not leave any of the gory stuff out. I highly recommend it if you want to know everything about Slash from his childhood to the Guns N' Roses era to the present with nothing left out. You will not be disappointed.