Slash
By Slash and Anthony Bozza
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
From one of the greatest rock guitarists of our era comes a memoir that redefines sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll
He was born in England but reared in L.A., surrounded by the leading artists of the day amidst the vibrant hotbed of music and culture that was the early seventies. Slash spent his adolescence on the streets of Hollywood, discovering drugs, drinking, rock music, and girls, all while achieving notable status as a BMX rider. But everything changed in his world the day he first held the beat-up one-string guitar his grandmother had discarded in a closet.
The instrument became his voice and it triggered a lifelong passion that made everything else irrelevant. As soon as he could string chords and a solo together, Slash wanted to be in a band and sought out friends with similar interests. His closest friend, Steven Adler, proved to be a conspirator for the long haul. As hairmetal bands exploded onto the L.A. scene and topped the charts, Slash sought his niche and a band that suited his raw and gritty sensibility.
He found salvation in the form of four young men of equal mind: Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, and Duff McKagan. Together they became Guns N' Roses, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all time. Dirty, volatile, and as authentic as the streets that weaned them, they fought their way to the top with groundbreaking albums such as the iconic Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion I and II.
Here, for the first time ever, Slash tells the tale that has yet to be told from the inside: how the band came together, how they wrote the music that defined an era, how they survived insane, never-ending tours, how they survived themselves, and, ultimately, how it all fell apart. This is a window onto the world of the notoriously private guitarist and a seat on the roller-coaster ride that was one of history's greatest rock 'n' roll machines, always on the edge of self-destruction, even at the pinnacle of its success. This is a candid recollection and reflection of Slash's friendships past and present, from easygoing Izzy to ever-steady Duff to wild-child Steven and complicated Axl.
It is also an intensely personal account of struggle and triumph: as Guns N' Roses journeyed to the top, Slash battled his demons, escaping the overwhelming reality with women, heroin, coke, crack, vodka, and whatever else came along.
He survived it all: lawsuits, rehab, riots, notoriety, debauchery, and destruction, and ultimately found his creative evolution. From Slash's Snakepit to his current band, the massively successful Velvet Revolver, Slash found an even keel by sticking to his guns.
Slash is everything the man, the myth, the legend, inspires: it's funny, honest, inspiring, jaw-dropping . . . and, in a word, excessive.
Slash
Saul “Slash” Hudson was born in Hampstead in 1965. He moved with his family to Stoke before emigrating with his mother to LA when he was 11. Given his first guitar by his grandmother when he was 15, Slash went on to play in various local bands before teaming up with Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose to form Guns N’ Roses in 1985. He left in 1996 to form Slash’s Snakepit and later Velvet Revolver. He lives in LA with his wife and two sons.
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Reviews for Slash
71 ratings13 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wicked read. Interesting, oddly moral fellow who tells a great story and takes the high road in terms of not spilling ugly stories of bandmates. Maybe there IS more than one Keith Richards?
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5It is written in true voice, which makes it somewhat irritating. He frequently mentions events and then says either, "but that's not worth talking about", or , "but we'll get to that later." Both are aggravating. It is fun to hear about his excesses, but it is a clunky, uninspired read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was never quite of the Guns'N'Roses era - I was a tiny bit too late for that. However, "Welcome to the Jungle" is constantly on the playlist on my iPod along with other tracks. There is no doubt that Guns'N'Roses were an incredibly successful rock band, due to the excellent vocals of frontman Axl Rose and amazing sounds of guitarist Slash. Slash was the lead guitarist from nearly the start of the Guns'N'Roses story and is an immediately recognisable figure due to his trademark top hat and big hair. He is acclaimed as one of the modern guitar heroes and even featured on the cover of the game Guitar Heroes III.His autobiography (assisted byAnthony Bozza) is Slash's own attempt to tell his story. He tells it in a manner that is open and honest. He rarely apologies or attempts to conceal his actions. He simply tells it as he saw it. He begins with his childhood and family life and descibes his initial encounter with a guitar. However from there on in, there is very little mention of music in the book (in a technical sense that is). The book is more about Slash than about his music. His alcohol and drug-related excesses are presented as is his struggle to eventually become clean and be a father to his two sons.Fans of Guns'N'Roses will love the descriptions of the band's rise to success and manic tour adventures. The tension between Axl and Slash is described, with long-reaching roots to early days. Slash often refuses to say anything truly bad about his former band member and this is to his credit.Slash is famous for his open character and honesty, and that shines through in this book. His love for the music and respect for the fans is evident. This is the real story of how it all went down.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As a fan of Rock music and a general intrest in the Rock n' Roll lifestyle, I first saw Slash's autobiography in the library and felt it would be really interesting to read. To be completly honset, I am not really a big fan of his most popular band, Guns n' Roses, so why did I read it?Slash is a 'Guitar God' lets face it, and, his honest and truthful autobiography really portrays a true 'Rock n' Roll' lifestyle. Overall, I found it really interesting and quite shocking. If you are a fan of Guns n' Roses, the industry of Rock or just the idea of sex, drugs and rock n' roll, I would defiently recommend it for you, because belive me, it's full of it all!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guns 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!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well written. Lots of funny stories involving Shash and/or other members of GnR.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well written, very revealing, very real. Don't expect Slash to sling mud at those who have wronged him in the past, specifically Axl Rose. He concentrates on his own experiences and personality traits, for better and worse. An excellent book for anyone who wants to understand what makes a talented and complex individual tick.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fun Ride but a Big Fish Life All the Rest. Slash told a good story, but once again, they have to exaggerate about everything. No one can drink a gallon of vodka a day but these rock stars and authors continue to outsell. Slash lies less but he still lies
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good preview of the Guns life, most important that it is written by Saul himself
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amazing
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5:))
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5muy bueno
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I thought this would be chok ful of inside dirt and cool stories...it starts off promising but becomes chapter after chapter of heroine use... I gave up counting the number of times 'heroine' and its many alternate street slang nomers were used, how he did it....Cooked it. Shot it , speed balled it etc including bloody details of veins arteries and other disgusting details that really fouled up an otherwise and possibly interesting life story in the rock world. We get it Slash. You were high one way or another, but the substance and stories were more of an aside. This was a disappointing choice-I've read almost every rock genre book out there and this was one of the bottom two. By the way.... slash himself pokes fun and criticizes other rock bios for their self-aggrandize get drug use and exaggerated storytelling and states he wouldn't bother reading any more of them. Really?? I should have taken that advice and stopped there in the book.
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