Customer Reviews

W.A.R.: The Unauthorized Biography of William Axl Rose

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you don't already know too much about Axl Rose and Guns 'n' Roses, this is a very informative read. On the other hand, there's nothing here that's really new. Most, if not all, of the information is from secondary sources (published articles and interviews, website posts, etc.) rather than original research. It's as much a biography of the original members of Guns 'n' Roses as about W. Axl Rose. Their stories are inextricably interwoven--it's only to be expected that a bio of Axl will cover a lot of GNR territory; however, as the title promises a bio of Axl, I was expecting a little more than I got. It's tempting to compare this book with the recently published biography of ex-GNR guitarist Slash, but I won't, because Slash was cool enough to give us a window into his own life in the writing of that book and was completely on board with its content, while this bio of Axl is, as the title says, unauthorized.

It does cumulate to some degree the timeline of Axl's *still* unreleased CD Chinese Democracy, and I came away with a slighly better understanding of the mystery behind its perpetual delay. Writer Mick Wall also covers the known facts of Axl's seclusion and the emotional and legal entanglements of the years following the disintegration of the original Guns 'n' Roses, the evolution of the "new" Guns 'n' Roses, and the persistent striving toward perfection that seems to inform (and torment) every choice made by Axl Rose.

While this is a worthwhile read for anyone who wants to know something about the provocative frontman to one of the world's biggest rock bands and how it all went down, as a biography W.A.R. fails to meet its own challenge. True biography requires much more in-depth research into the biographer's subject, with input from the primary players in the life of the subject, from the subject him/herself when possible, and it requires a willingness to delve in a balanced, serious way into the influences and motivations of the subject in order to see the large framework of a life and its influence, and what that life can contribute to our understanding of ourselves and the world we inhabit. Axl and his raw genius deserve as much. Hopefully his story will one day be told with the honesty it deserves.

To be blunt, anyone who is a halfway decent writer, who has been following the saga of Axl Rose/GN'R over the years, could have written this book. There is really *nothing* new here--no new insights, no new information, no secrets revealed--nada. It's a mess--just every rumor and known fact, strung together, with nothing of value to any fan or anyone curious in learning more about Axl Rose.

And Wall--yeah, we know that you have a beef with Axl--but couldn't you have been just a little more objective, instead of using spin to paint as unfavorable picture of Axl Rose as possible? For example, when discussing the band's 2002 and 2006 tours, why did you only focus on the negative reviews, and not mention any of the positive ones? When discussing "the Spaghetti Incident?," why note that it was "poorly received," when in addition to some negative feedback, it also got 3.5 Stars from ROLLING STONE and other positive reviews, such as the one from Entertainment Weekly? And these are just a few examples. And what's with the snide remarks, one after the other? It's going on 20 years since "Get in the Ring" was released, time to move on...

To be honest, "W.A.R. The Unauthorized Biography of W. Axl. Rose" says more about Mick Wall than Axl Rose. This book is nothing more than the bitter ramblings of a hack--a mediocre journalist, in the guise of a book.

I'm very torn about this biography by Mick Wall.

I should first say that the biography can be very enjoyable to read. There is, however, something that keeps getting in the way of making this book truly memorable.

Many people have issues with Axl Rose and it is clear that Mr. Wall is no exception. It is also obvious that he has not "moved on" from the falling out they had many, many years ago. Mr. Wall will have several paragraphs of objective storytelling and then ruin the whole thing but putting in a snide, irrelevant comment. These comments are frequent and tiring. Certainly, Axl is not an angel but instead of making Axl look bad, they make Mr. Wall seem self-important and childish.

I also read the autobiography by former Guns N' Roses guitarist, Slash Slash. Slash's book handles his issues with Axl in a much more objective and mature manner. I would recommend Slash's book over Mr. Wall's book any day.

While I did read this book in a couple of days and found it be entertaining and informative in many ways (old GN'R stories, some info into Axl's personal life, tour specifics with all versions of GN'R), I felt it did not get into what it should have been more, a biography of Axl. You know there is more to learn about Rose's childhood for example that he did not write about. Also, I thought Wall was a bit to simplistic in a negative sense towards Axl. For example, he writes in a negative sense of Axl and the new band and the effect (or lack there of) they had on the crowd in San Francisco in 2006. I was at the show he referring to and found that the crowd was extremely receptive and grateful. Overall, still entertaining and would recommend.

Forget Watch You Bleed or any of the other so-called insightful books about Axl and GNR, Mick Wall is the only one I've read by anybody that actually knew the singer and the band. I've been a huge Guns fans since 87 and thought I knew it all - but I really didn't. I'm amazed at all the other reviews on this page saying there's nothing new in it. They must be written by nerds who spend their lives on GNR chat rooms cos this book is full of stuff I'd NEVER heard before. Brilliantly written too, in that classic style you just do't get here in the US. No, Axl don't come out of it smelling of roses, but he sure comes out packing his guns. And so does Mick Wall. A great book, one of the best of its kind I've ever read. Don't be fooled by the fools who don't want you to know the truth - get it!!

I was hesitant to buy this book with all the critical/negative reviews associated with it. I am generally interested in rock biographies, and I noticed there is nothing else on the market in regards to Axl Rose.

Due to all the prior reviews I was looking for this book in my local library, but was unable to find it. I then found a youtube interview with Mick Wall and he seemed pretty genuine. Since Axl has not released any official biography, as of yet, I decided to get the purchase for $18 dollars Canadian. Even if I bought a used copy it would have worked the same with shipping etc.

It certainly is from a different perspective, and it helped me with getting an account of some of the emotional complexities that Axl Rose had felt in his life. There are a lot of interesting tales as well with the usual sex, drugs, and rock N roll to mix it all up. I should be reading the Steven Adler and Slash bio by next month. This is the first piece of literature I have read about the band...probably the Adler and Slash books will go a bit deeper in scope. It was an enjoyable read, that was completed within a few days.

If you want to know what makes Axl tick, then this is the book for you. Shoot, that should have been the title for my review lol! Seriously, this unauthorized biography is probably as good as it's gonna get, Slash's self-titled book being a second choice. After reading this book I find I can relate closely to Axl, I had a similar childhood that he did and when I grew up I had a lot of the same self destructive symptoms. I can heavily relate to the anger, the pain, the endless quest to prove oneself to the world..and then tell that same world to kiss my you know what. Axl became IMPOSSIBLE when he got to the point where he could do ANYTHING he wanted with no repercussions. I thank god this never happened to me.

This book lets you understand Axl that no other book can. The author has had inside access to the band ever since it's inception, and right there that's unprecedented. It's true the author could have an axe to grind as Axl turned on him like a snake but honestly, I don't sense a vendetta book here. He's just telling the truth. Heck, even his quotes from Axl are revealing enough that it's obvious that Axl was truthful about all his faults. This book just puts all the pieces of the puzzle together.

In the end, this is a very satisfying but horrifying read as you'll find you know Axl like you've never known him before. And that's one little flaw in this gem of a book as towards the end it's the same ole song and dance by Axl (late shows, no shows, angry outbursts, failed relationships) that just gets repetitive and tiring. There's a reason why the uneducated, neglected, dysfunctional youths are not able to foster healthy relationships when they grow older. They're simply monsters that were created at a very early age, and the "grown up" Axl is a monster who mauled everyone in his path: his family, friends, business partners, girlfriends, etc. However, the ultimate sin that I cannot forgive is he terrorized his own fans. Read this book and you'll agree. Unforgivable.

I was browsing through this book yesterday and read the section of the book where the author talks about the recording of "Sympathy for the Devil." This song was recorded at Rumbo Recorders -- I used to work there and was present during these sessions. The author does not mention Rumbo, and has these sessions taking place at another studio. To me, this would be an easy thing to verify.

W.A.R. is Mick Wall's sour grapes against Axl Rose. Not to say that Rose himself isn't a complicated character, but one has to question Mick Wall's relishing in Velvet Revolver's success while Chinese Democracy is stalled. The back half of the book is fact filled and outdated. Chinese Democracy is finished and Wall missed an opportunity to delve into the who's and why's of the delay.

When it comes to covering Bill Bailey's childhood and teen years, Wall does his best journalistic work. If anything he could have focused his book on Axl's youth and how he became quirky, demanding frontman he is today. Instead it comes off like a guy with a chip on his shoulder because he got cussed out in a song. Some of the information in there is good, most if it is disposable rehashes of old interviews.

The world would be better served by an author who could get closer to the subject of his book. Mick Wall isn't that author.

Having finished through the The Dirt (the Motley Crue autobiography)I thoroughly enjoyed reading through the book and remembering my Middle and High School years. With that thought in mind I picked up the Unauthorized Biography of Axl Rose and dug in. Well I can honestly say that it is not The Dirt nor a book that has a ton of great stories. However, it is interesting to get some insight into Axl Rose and how he thinks. The guy definitely is wired differently and I could only imagine the how the rest of the band would have to put up with him.