Customer Reviews

Snake Eyes: Confessions of a Replacement Rockstar

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I cannot believe that all the other reviews are all so positive, this book is no way near perfect!
First let me say something about the paperback book itself.. The font is so large your 80 year old grandma can read it without her glasses! I was quite surprised and thought maybe i had bought a special edition for the visually impaired but apparently this was the standard edition. I must admit that i don`t read a lot of books so this might be more common than i think. The coverart however, is pretty cool:)
In my opinion this book shows that Stacey is a better guitarist than a writer and maybe that should be his first priority in the future to come, should he feel compelled to tell some of his stories again he should probably leave the writing itself to a professional author. That doesn`t mean this book is without it`s qualities, if that was so I`d give less stars. The story told here is at times very interesting for fans of LA Guns and Roxx Gang and it`s very encouraging to see people driven by a goal and achieving what they want. And of some of the people portrayed reminds you of people you know so at times it`s very easy to relate to what`s being told in the book.
Now stop writing books and release another proper album with LA Guns! We have enough covers albums now..
The "tales from the strip" album clearly shows that the band is capable of rockin` still afte all these years:)

Canadian guitarist Stacey Blades joined L.A. Guns when Tracii Guns left for Brides Of Destruction. Blades has since appeared on three LAG albums: Rips The Covers Off, Tales From The Strip and Loud And Dangerous. Now he's written his life story. Self-published, double-spaced and in bold print, these 200+ pages contain a smattering of black and white photos. Stacey (real name Brian) grew up an adopted child, moving from Calgary, AB to Toronto, ON at the age of seven. A college dropout, Stacey really started to make a name for himself locally in Fraidy Katt. That resulted in a move to the States, Florida specifically, to hook up with Roxx Gang. Throughout his musical endeavours, Blades details the various women and girlfriends that infiltrated his life. He also shares his list of "five rock star things not to do." The concerts, late night parties, copious amounts of alcohol and drugs are all laid bare. Testimonials from friends and bandmates confirm the craziness - and Stacey hadn't even moved to Hollywood yet. Desperation turned into a dream, as Blades was a big L.A. Guns fan and he got the job playing six-string alongside Phil Lewis. With his future cemented, the tale turns to life on the road. A first hand account of everything from shady promoters and a particularly crazed stalker to travelling the world and playing packed houses. Drama, turmoil, squalor and occasional luxury - Blades has lived it all. Throughout, he never loses sight of the fact that he will always be in Tracii's shadow - a situation that is "great and chaotic at the same time."

Snake Eyes has plenty of great, funny stories in it about the daily happenings of being a rockstar. It also offers a little glance behind the curtain of what life is like in a great band like L.A. Guns as it travels around the world.

But the biggest and perhaps best thing this book offers is a story of inspiration. Stacey Blades set his sights on accomplishing something at a young age and went out and accomplished it.

There were setbacks along the way and more than enough drama...but Stacey never gave up on his dreams.

The book will make you laugh, make you cry and make you realize that anything is possible with perseverance and a little hard work.

Stacey Blades is an amazing guitar player, a great guy and now an accomplished author.

Give Snake Eyes a read....you won't be disappointed.

When I saw the title "Confessions of a Replacement Rockstar," I fully was expecting to hear about what it was like to be taking Traci Guns' place in a band that Guns founded.

No. Instead, I got names of hotels and stories about lost luggage and bad connections. That happens to everyone Stacey! Doesn't mean you should write about it.

You wait to the second-to-last page to address that Traci Guns has reformed a new version of LA Guns and it has caused you problems. That's what people want to read about. What was it like being in his shadow?

Instead, you chose to bore us with stories of Roxx Gang (never heard of them) and a zillion stories about ex-girlfriends that you never fully developed.

The reason I didn't put one star (hate it) is that you come across as a pretty down-to-earth guy. You're just not a writer.

This is a biography otr Stacey Blades former guitarist from Roxx Gang.
Very good book.
I like it

This book was a good read and though its a pretty typical rock and roll tale its still unique since it was about his life after all. Stacey Blades is definitely a better musician then author but I give him a lot of credit for not having a co-author. Where in other books by musicians you can almost clearly know where the musician stops writing and the co-author takes over it's not the case with this book. The only thing that was bad about this book was the very large print. It kind of took away from it a bit and made it a fast read.

I really enjoyed this book very much, it was the classic Rock N Roll story nothing more noting less. A good read!

Pretty entertaining book for fans of L.A. Guns and the 80's Sunset Strip scene. Read it all in one sitting. You get your pretty standard rock star fare of women/drugs/etc. but it's cool to get a viewpoint from a musician that was never in the "A" tier of bands. You come away admiring his obvious passion for the music and his determination to make it in the industry. My only complaint is Stacey seems to be perpetually stuck mentally in the years 84'-89' and it gets frustrating near the end to see that there seems to be little growth with how he deals with the world now. Absolutely worth getting if you're a fan of this music, you will enjoy it, just don't expect any life altering epiphanies within.

Great book about a guy just trying to "make it" as a rockstar, great details, easy read, finished it in about 4 hours. Since Stacey and I are the same age, it was cool to live through him, from the up's to the many down's, it was a wild ride! Thanks for writing this, it was cool to see that being a "rock star" isn't all sex, drugs and rock n roll.

Anyone who thinks being in a band is easy should read this!!!

Great read on a guy who doesn't quit. From Canadian roots to LA Guns, he tells his story rolling "Snakeyes" almost all the time. Clearly,
this wasn't "ghost written" which makes a nice refreshing read. He does diss some dirt on past bandmates, promotors, and scores of bad stripper girlfriends!

All in all, very solid and insightful. Honestly, the guy may have a better shot at writing than cock-rock.

The only thing he doesn't address, and of course its private, but I'd really wonder how much me makes being in La Guns?

Great read, get it!!