Slash
I remember when Guns N’Roses first hit the scene, people were always fascinated by Slash. He never seemed to speak, and with the big mop of hair and the top hat, no one knew what he really looked like. He epitomized the lead guitarist. He let his Les Paul do all the talking -- and left the spotlight to a more charismatic front man. But it turns out that during all those years of excess in GN’R, has wasn’t just soaking up every drug and type of alcohol, he was saving all his stories for a very entertaining rock and roll memoir.
Slash is one of the best reads in its genre. Not one for being the center of attention, he tells his story without sounding like he’s bragging. When he tells of the threesomes, mountains of coke, and the private jets, he’s almost apologetic about it, saying that it just came with the price of admission with a ticket to Axl Rose-land. He tells of how the years of constant self-abuse took his toll on him, from rehab to numerous hospital visits, and credits his new wife with changing him from heroin monster to caring dad. And while you might not be reading Slash to learn about his parenting skills, you can’t help but like a guitar god who is as excited to be on the cover of a magazine for moms and dads as he was when he was solo on the cover of Rolling Stone.
While the book touches on his life before and after Guns, almost 80 percent of the book focuses on his life with heavy metal’s most famous rollercoaster. He reveals what it was like to deal with the ever-mood-swinging Axl Rose, and how the front man went from a trusted friend to adversaries in the courtroom. While Slash doesn’t mince words about Rose (anyone hoping you’ll see a top hat on stage if Chinese Democracy ever comes out is in for a reality check), he shows how he will always slap down anyone else who wants to badmouth his old band mate. You get the feeling that Axl will always be like an ex-wife to Slash: Sure he can’t stand him, but knows enough good things came out of the relationship that he can’t totally hate the guy.
Slash also gives considerable time to his craft and the instrument he wields. It’s kind of refreshing to read a rock bio that isn’t all coke and mirrors. Slash goes into the details of how Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion I and II were recorded, and guitars he used on the track (some of which he still owns today) without going into boring techno-jargon. He talks about the times he played with legends like Jeff Beck and Joe Perry, and gets the best piece of advice about the business from Keith Richards at a bar. He knows that without that guitar in his hands, he’d be some burnout in LA stealing clothes and DVD right now, so he shows his Gibson, and the people who make them, the proper respect.
What also can’t be ignored is the excellent contribution co-author Anthony Bozza brought to this book. Bozza writes in a causal style that makes it seems like Slash is talking though the pages. Even when Slash says he can’t remember something or forgets a detail, Bozza leaves in the musician’s frustration in not being able to remember (which is mostly caused by the gallons and gallons of booze Slash consumed before getting clean) on the paper. With Bozza’s writing ability and Slash’s brutal honesty, this is one of the better drunk-and-roll books you’ll read this year.
