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Loading... Slash (original 2008; edition 2008)by Slash, Anthony Bozza
Work InformationSlash by Slash (2008)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Well, Slash, holy fuck man! I sort of want to take you under my wing and give you a hug dude. But first, I want you to have a shower because you are dirty. And I don't mean that in a "dirty-sexy" way. I mean it in a "remember Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown, how filthy he was?" way. I would like to introduce you to soap and laundry detergent and, what the hell, underwear. I get that living on the road, touring, has its challenges. And I get that junkies are, well, junkies. But seriously. You grossed me out a little bit, and that is really, really hard to do. I am fairly certain we did not need to know about your treatment-resistant penis-warts. But, gosh, I am sure glad you had them cleared up before reuniting with Sally. Phew! That was a close one, eh? You definitely seem to be a wise old soul so, for the love of humanity, man, stop sticking needles in your veins. That is not cool and you are way smarter than that, dumb-ass. I am glad things are calmer in your life and that, by the end of the story you are clean and sober (this book is from 2007). It seems you and your wife, Perla, have had more ups and downs in the past year but your two little boys are super-cute so I hope you are making life easy for them and not stressing them out with your bad-boy antics and Perla's party-mama ways; though reading about it all was very cool. I have to ask you a favour though, Slash. Stop using the word "literally". Please? Now! One niggling annoyance: your co-author sort of sucks. A lot. And your editor sucks too. If you ever do another memoir, a part two to this book, choose someone else to co-write with. Apply the same logic and gut instinct you use in feeling the groove with other musicians to seeking out writers and editors. It wouldn't take much to turn your okay story into a totally kick-ass book! So, from your book I came away still thinking you are underrated as an axe-man. Your vibe (as a human being) is totally excellent and I am sure a lot of people could learn from your ways. And I don't mean your not-so-smart-junkie ways. I mean your sit back, take it all in, accept people as they are for who they are ways. I am pulling for you to have a happy and calm life filled with a lot of music-making. I felt the need for a visual, here. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!! Guns N Roses is, hands down, my favorite band of all time. I was excited to red this book because there are tons and tons of "dirty little secrets" from the heyday of hair metal and I hoped Slash would drop some of them. The book does detail his wild ride through drugs and debauchery, but I found the way he always seemed to dodge the blame for nearly every situation to be a little irresponsible. Also, we all already know how big of a douche Axl Rose is, but I really didn't want to hear it all the way though this book. With that said, the book was a very good read, and explained a lot of the motivating factors behind the rise, fall and music of one of the greatest bands of all time. Long live metal! I was really dubious about reading Slash's self-titled autobiography when it first hit the shelves. Guns N' Roses remain one of my favourite bands of all time, and I really didn't want to learn anything that would damage the high esteem in which I hold their music. I've intentionally ignored and blocked out any knowledge of bad behaviour, and I was reluctant to burst my happy bubble by delving into Slash's autobiography. Alas, it's been several years since publication, and curiosity finally got the better of me, and I wanted to find out how the band fell apart. Well, I think it's fair to say that my bubble was completely and utterly decimated within the first 50 pages. The biggest shock of the book was learning that Slash has a pacemaker! His drug abuse took such a toll on his heart that eventually he had a heart attack and was dead for eight minutes before being brought back to life. Unimaginable! I've now resigned myself to the fact that one of my music heroes was either on drugs or drunk when he recorded the solos and songs I've grown to love and which formed a significant part of the soundtrack of my youth. Having said that, I really enjoyed discovering how each of the songs were written and which band members came up with the riff, chorus, lyrics, melody and how the albums came together. These details about the music and recordings had me listening to the songs with new ears. The most surprising snippet for me was that there weren't any strings in the original recording of November Rain. After the band members had recorded their parts to November Rain, Axl used his synthesizer to add all of the melodies and 'strings' which are so moving in the song. Amazing! I learned more about Axl through the book and Slash is both complimentary and critical throughout the book. Hundreds of people in the music business were named in Slash, and he also chronicles his relationships in the lead up to his second marriage to Perla and the birth of his two kids. I was relieved to finally get some closure by reading Slash's reasons for leaving the band, and an understanding of why a reunion of the original lineup of Guns N' Roses is completely out of the question. I would recommend this autobiography to readers who enjoy reading about successful rock bands and their outrageous behaviour, or fans of Guns N' Roses and Slash. no reviews | add a review
Distinctions
A memoir by the Guns n' Roses guitarist documents his childhood as a biracial son of divorced artist parents; his relationships with such figures as David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, and Seymour Cassell; and his observations about the 1980s music scene. No library descriptions found. |
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A grown man who seems proud of being able to duck his handlers to get wasted and destroy shit seems a bit silly. ( )