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Slash Paperback – Illustrated, October 21, 2008
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From one of the greatest rock guitarists of our era comes a memoir that redefines sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.
For the first time ever, Slash tells the tale that has yet to be told from the inside: how the legendary band Guns N' Roses 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. Slash is a window into the world of the notoriously private guitarist and a front 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. Slash is everything Slash is: funny, honest, ingenious, inspiring, jaw-dropping . . . and, in a word, excessive.
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherIt Books
- Publication dateOctober 21, 2008
- Dimensions6 x 1.09 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100061351431
- ISBN-13978-0061351433
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Wonderfully frank.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Entertaining and educational...a crash course for aspiring rock gods.”” — Spin magazine
From the Back Cover
From one of the greatest rock guitarists of our era comes a memoir that redefines sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.
For the first time ever, Slash tells the tale that has yet to be told from the inside: how the legendary band Guns N' Roses 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. Slash is a window into the world of the notoriously private guitarist and a front 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. Slash is everything Slash is: funny, honest, ingenious, inspiring, jaw-dropping . . . and, in a word, excessive.
About the Author
Slash, Velvet Revolver founding member and guitarist, lives in California with his wife, Perla, and their two children.
Anthony Bozza is the author of four New York Times Bestsellers, including Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem, Slash, co-written with Slash and the #1 bestselling Too Fat to Fish, co-written with Artie Lange. Bozza was a staff writer and editor for Rolling Stone magazine for seven years, during which he profiled a diverse range of artists from Eminem and the Wu-Tang Clan to Trent Reznor and U2. He lives in New York City.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Slash
By Leopoldo SlashHarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2008 Leopoldo SlashAll right reserved.
ISBN: 9780061351433
Chapter One
I was born on July 23, 1965, in Stoke-on-Trent, England, the town where Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead was born twenty years before me. It was the year rock and roll as we know it became greater than the sum of its parts; the year a few isolated bands changed pop music forever. The Beatles released Rubber Soul that year and the Stones released Rolling Stones No. 2, the best of their collections of blues covers. There was a creative revolution afoot that has never been equaled and I'm proud to be a by-product of it.
My mom is an African American and my dad is English and white. They met in Paris in the sixties, fell in love, and had me. Their brand of interracial intercontinental communion wasn't the norm; and neither was their boundless creativity. I thank them for being who they are. They exposed me to environments so rich and colorful and unique that what I experienced even while very young made a permanent impression on me. My parents treated me as an equal as soon as I could stand. And they taught me, on the fly, how to deal with whatever came my way in the only type of life I've ever known.
My mom, Ola, was seventeen and my dad, Anthony ("Tony"), was twenty when they met. He was born a painter, and like painters historically do, he left his stuffy hometown to find himself in Paris. My mom was precocious and exuberant, young and beautiful; she'd left Los Angeles to see the world and make connections in fashion. When their journeys intersected they fell in love, then got married in England. And then I came along and they set about creating their life together.
My mom's career as a costume designer started around 1966, and over the course of it, her clients included Flip Wilson, Ringo Starr, and John Lennon. She also worked for the Pointer Sisters, Helen Reddy, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor. Sylvester was one of her clients, too. He is no longer with us, but he was once a disco artist who was like the gay Sly Stone. He had a great voice and he was a supergood person in my eyes; he gave me a black-and-white rat that I named Mickey. Mickey was a badass. He never flinched when I fed rats to my snakes. He survived a fall from my bedroom window after he was tossed out by my younger brother, and was no worse for the wear when he showed up at our back door three days later. Mickey also survived the accidental removal of a section of his tail when the inner chassis of our sofa bed cut it off, as well as close to a year without food or water. We left him behind by mistake in an apartment that we used as storage space, and when we eventually popped in to pick up some boxes, Mickey came up to me congenially as if I'd been gone only a day, as if to say, "Hey! Where you been?"
Mickey was one of my more memorable pets. There have been many, from my mountain lion, Curtis, to the hundreds of snakes I've raised. Basically I am a self-taught zookeeper and I definitely relate to the animals I've lived with better than to most of the humans I've known. Those animals and I share a point of view that most people forget: at the end of the day life is about survival. Once that lesson is learned, earning the trust of an animal that might eat you in the wild is a defining and rewarding experience.
Soon after I was born, my mother returned to L.A. to expand her business and to lay the financial foundation our family was built upon. My dad raised me in En¬gland at his parents', Charles and Sybil Hudson's, home for four years?and it wasn't easy on him. I was a pretty intuitive kid, but I could not discern the depth of the tension there. My dad and his dad, Charles, from what I understand, had less than the best relationship. Tony was the middle of three sons, and he was every bit the middle child upstart. His younger brother, Ian, and his older brother, David, were much more in step with the family's values. My dad went to art school; he was everything his father wasn't. Tony was the sixties; and he stood up for his beliefs as wholeheartedly as his father condemned them. My grandfather Charles was a fireman from Stoke, a community that had somehow skated through history unchanged. Most residents of Stoke never leave; many, like my grandparents, had never ventured the hundred or so miles south to London. Tony's unyielding vision of attending art school and making a living through painting was something Charles could not stomach. Their clash of opinion fueled constant arguments and often led to violent exchanges; Tony claims that Charles beat him senseless on a regular basis for most of his youth.
My grandfather was as consummately representative of 1950s Britain as his son was of the sixties. Charles wanted to see everything in its right place while Tony wanted to rearrange and repaint it all. I imagine that my grandfather was properly appalled when his son returned from Paris in love with a carefree black American. I wonder what he said when Tony told him that he intended to be married and raise their newborn child under their roof until he and my mom got their affairs in order. All things considered, I'm touched by how much diplomacy was displayed by the parties involved.
My dad took me to London as soon as I could handle the train ride. I was maybe two or three, but instinctively I knew how far away it was from Stoke's unending miles of brown brick rowhouses and quaint families because my dad was into a bit of a bohemian scene. . . .
Continues...
Excerpted from Slashby Leopoldo Slash Copyright © 2008 by Leopoldo Slash. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Product details
- Publisher : It Books; Reprint edition (October 21, 2008)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0061351431
- ISBN-13 : 978-0061351433
- Item Weight : 1.45 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.09 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #129,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #334 in Rock Music (Books)
- #334 in Rock Band Biographies
- #1,173 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Anthony Bozza understands what it is to love music, to hear every note as if you’re by yourself and it’s being played just for you.”
– Cameron Crowe
Anthony Bozza is a New York City native author and journalist who has penned multiple New York Times and international bestselling books. His career began as a staff writer for Rolling Stone magazine where he wrote the first national cover story on rapper Eminem in 1999. His first book, Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem (2003), the definitive story of the rapper's rise to fame, was a runaway bestseller in the US and UK and was published in fourteen foreign languages. He has co-written bestsellers with Slash of Guns n' Roses, Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, and three books with comedian Artie Lange including the number one NYT bestseller Too Fat to Fish. Bozza has also written the autobiographies of Wyclef Jean, INXS, Tracy Morgan, and Mick Fleetwood, Why AC/DC Matters, a biography of the Australian rock band, as well as a follow up to his Eminem biography titled Not Afraid: The Evolution of Eminem. He also wrote and edited the NYT Bestseller Jeter Unfiltered, chronicling the famed Yankee captain's final season. Bozza's next co-write will be published in November 2021 by Gallery/Simon and Schuster, titled From Staircase to Stage: the Story of Raekwon and the Wu-Tang Clan. It is the life story of the legendary Staten Island rapper and one of the most iconic rap groups of all time. Anthony is also the host of WINYL, an interview-based podcast that pairs his guest's favorite record with the perfect wine. You can find it on your preferred podcast platform.
find out more about Anthony...
on the web: www.abozza.com
Instagram: @anthonybozza, @winylgram
Twitter: @AnthonyBozza1
FB: @AnthonyBozza1
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They appreciate the insightful portrayal of a modern-day rockstar. The book provides them with plenty of information about the band's history and life. Readers praise Slash's honesty, openness, and candidness about his personal struggles. Overall, they describe it as an informative and educational autobiography.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They appreciate the compelling narrative and detailed accounts of events in the band's life. The book is described as a great work for fans of the music industry.
"...stars including Duff & Steven Adler and i have gotta say this book is top-notch. For fans of the band this book is a must own." Read more
"...But the rock and roll stories are still great. He's a terrific storyteller, really...." Read more
"...I think this book is worth a read, especially if you’re a fan of GNR, guitarists, or 80’s/90’s hard rock music." Read more
"...Slashes book was a great book and I’m really glad that I read it...." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and engaging. They describe Slash as a talented musician who seems intelligent and cool. The format is creative and the book provides great insight into one of the greatest guitar legends.
"...in here that i can't really say on this review but there are some great pictures in here as well as his personal views on subjects such as life,love,..." Read more
"...I'm glad I did. I was entertained, educated, and ended up feeling much more informed about an artist I was already interested in and liked...." Read more
"...But he still seems like a cool dude and I definitely respect his talent...." Read more
"...presented to the reader with a page format that is different and very creative...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's entertainment value. They find it engaging and a good read for anyone listening to GNR since day one. The book is an enjoyable walk down memory lane with one of hard rock's most talented guitarists. Readers also mention that they enjoy reading Slash's introduction to music and how he became a part of the band.
"...It's a good read, accessible and engaging. Absolutely recommended." Read more
"...When GNR played here, it was 3-1/2 hours of amazing music. Slash used so many different guitars, used nearly every facit of what a guitar can do!..." Read more
"...I found some of his escapades humorous, and others scary, and through his rise from unknown to world fame, he has kept himself somehow humble about..." Read more
"...fan since I was 10 years old so this book is a perfect read for anyone listening to Appetite since day one...." Read more
Customers find the book informative and engaging. They appreciate the clear explanation of the history and details about events. The book provides an insight into the rock-and-roll world and reveals aspects of the music business in those days.
"...Alot of great detail about how he tried to kick the dope and did it successfully(but replaced it with booze) and all the cocaine and crack that he..." Read more
"...portraits of everybody he discuss, but he definitely keeps me informed and engaged and I was rarely lost on what childhood friend or whatnot he's..." Read more
"...Steven Adler, Mrs. Adler, and Nicki Sixx wrote are also very informative about addiction. Thank goodness that you all are recovering every day!..." Read more
"...However, this is a really interesting read that kept my attention and fulfilled most of my curiosity...." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's honesty. They find the book candid and honest about relationships, addictions, and the music business. Readers describe it as a true recount of a rock legend's life.
"I gave the book five stars for the simple fact of no holding back in the TRUTH department. You pretty much get it all from the highs to the lows...." Read more
"...A chronic dope fiend, there isn't much to admire about Slash, but his honesty, childlike charm, and mostly likeable personality come through...." Read more
"...Slash''s viewpoint is compellingly told and probably in most parts, truthful. A very interesting read...." Read more
"I love this book...it is real and it is well written...hats off to you Slash and Anthony Bozza...one of my favorite books of all time...." Read more
Customers enjoy the autobiography. They find it candid and honest, detailing the life of a rock star. They appreciate reading about his childhood, family, and antics throughout Velvet Revolver. The book provides insight into the world of rock stars.
"...I love the genuine nature of his storytelling. It's a rock and roll memoir, and it's definitely got the sex, drugs, and rock and roll you..." Read more
"...I was eager to read this to learn more about him. A straightforward telling of his childhood, his love for music and his years with Guns N' Roses...." Read more
"...A brutally honest autobiography. No holds barred. I am inclined to believe his version of why GNR broke up...." Read more
"...Great autobiography!" Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it a great insight into Slash's life and music. The author is honest and a good storyteller. Readers appreciate that Slash doesn't get into bagging anyone.
"...The Trifecta. Great reads all and Slash’s rounds it all out. Loved it and need a sequel!" Read more
"...It's all there. It's cool to read Slash's perspective because I think that out of all the original members from GN'R he's the one that..." Read more
"...For one, I grew up listening to Guns and Roses, and two, Slash didn't pull any punches when he co wrote it...." Read more
"The book was great. Slash was brutally honest with everything and because he kept a journal to write the book, it really flows well...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it well-written with bold text and direct language. They appreciate the comprehensive account of a rock musician's life in direct language. However, others mention misprints, errors, awkwardly worded sentences, and misspellings that make it difficult to read.
"...The writing style is conversational--in that clearly transcribed conversation kind of way, but it felt comfortable, like Slash was just telling me..." Read more
"...I love the bold outtakes of text that grab your attention and make you wait for the context story...." Read more
"...which I am not, but some of it was tough to read...." Read more
"...This is a comprehensive, well-written accounting of the life of a real rock-and-roller and of a loose bunch that came together, exploded in..." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2015I have always been a fan of Guns & Roses,particularly for their unique guitar styles and amazing solos(Estranged,Nighttrain,November Rain) so when i saw this book i grabbed it,and i'm glad i did. I have always been a die-hard fan of heavy metal & have always enjoyed reading band or individual band members biographies as to say...a fiction story.
This book has alot of great information,starting from the very beginning of his upbringing,and explaining how he was so musically inclined through his families work in the music business. The book is very informational in the sense it talks about how he grew up & his interests as a boy such as BMX & artwork. As he grew up it talks about some of Slash's famous stunts such as how he would boost cassette tapes in his pants,snakes wrapped around his arms and all other kinds of reptiles. His love for snakes & reptiles explains why he named his solo project after his departure in G&R Slash's Snakepit.
This book gets into how he made the decision to pick up the axe and start wailing away on the 6string,how he came to form a bond with Duff and Steven as well as how he met up with Axl and Izzy. The band progressed themselves almost too fast as they were added on to open up for the equally as hedonistic band Motley Crue. The book goes into great detail about their individual tastes and such but this book is from Slash's perspective and talks about him and his endevours but also,obviously has to go into detail about Guns & Roses. The book is very insightful about the inner workings of G&R and how and why the tension slowly built after years on the road & info about the lineup changes as well as Axl constantly being late to gigs or just deciding to bail before the set was scheduled to end. Personally,being born in 1990 i can't say i knew all of this about the band,but now i do. There is alot of detail about the throes of addiction & substance abuse in this book but trust me it isn't nearly as bad as Nikki Sixx's Heroin Diaries,or even Steven Adlers book about substance abuse. Regardless this book goes through the different events in his life,pertaining to groupies and debauchery. Alot of great detail about how he tried to kick the dope and did it successfully(but replaced it with booze) and all the cocaine and crack that he would consume,almost killing him in 1 story. He took some time out to explain about his houses and buying a new one,then moving into a new place with his wife Perla. This book really goes through alot and covers alot of ground,from Guns to Snakepit to Velvet Revolver as well as his collaborations with Ray Charles,Michael Jackson and many others. Alot more stories about how he & the band had to hitchhike around the country to get to gigs when they first started. There is stories about how much excessive spending went on & how the band got sued by outside sources as well as Axl. There is info about his children and how he raised them with his wife,they both went to rehab for their own substance issues. Slash had a defibrulator installed in his heart because he OD'd and his heart got weak from all the years of excess parties and gallon of vodka a day drinking habits. There is just so much in here that i can't really say on this review but there are some great pictures in here as well as his personal views on subjects such as life,love,addiction,family,etc. If you are a fan of Slash,Guns,Velvet Revolver or the Snakepit or just a straight up fan of the band and want to learn a bit from their perspective then go and grab a copy. I have gotta say i have books from Ozzy,Lemmy,the Crue,Zakk Wylde,Metallica,Rex from Pantera,Korn,Manson and many other rock stars including Duff & Steven Adler and i have gotta say this book is top-notch. For fans of the band this book is a must own.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2017I bought this to research a writing project I'm working on, and it was a terrific read. The writing style is conversational--in that clearly transcribed conversation kind of way, but it felt comfortable, like Slash was just telling me stories. And, dude, this is a guy I want telling me stories.
PROS: This book moves in an effective and engaging way. This will evolve into a con (we'll get to that later), but the pacing (while erratic) feels genuine, like a guy with a dozen lifetimes worth of experiences just chatting with me. I love the genuine nature of his storytelling.
It's a rock and roll memoir, and it's definitely got the sex, drugs, and rock and roll you'd look for. But often these types of memoirs feel more about the stories than the person, but Slash as a human being comes out here, and I feel like a get a sense of him as a person I certainly never had before this. The stuff about his childhood felt carefully told and important. In other memoirs I've read, it often feels like the writer is just trying to get through that stuff. Not here. And that's pretty cool.
But the rock and roll stories are still great. He's a terrific storyteller, really. Maybe he doesn't give you fully fleshed portraits of everybody he discuss, but he definitely keeps me informed and engaged and I was rarely lost on what childhood friend or whatnot he's talking about at a given moment. I felt his voice in my head as I read through this, and certainly was entertained.
As I mentioned above, I picked this book up to research more about the relationship between Slash and Axl, but I was vacationing when I read it, and wasn't particularly short of time, so I didn't just jump ahead in the book to find the Sunset Strip and beyond stuff, and instead read through. I'm glad I did. I was entertained, educated, and ended up feeling much more informed about an artist I was already interested in and liked. I certainly liked Slash a lot more after I finished the book.
CONS: As I mentioned above, it does meander at times, and it certainly jumps around. This style didn't bother me, but the flow feels less like a writer and more like a guy telling stories. For a memoir like this, that's fine by me.
Likely you're not going to be interested in the book if you aren't already interested in Slash or Guns N' Roses, but if you got this far in thinking about it, just read it. It's a good read, accessible and engaging. Absolutely recommended.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2023They say never meet your heroes. But I still want to meet Slash. I realize this book is now 16 years old, and a lot has changed in that time. I’m sure Slash has changed, and very publicly, I know that things in his life has changed. But he still seems like a cool dude and I definitely respect his talent. I read his book mainly for the music — he’s my favorite guitarist, and has been since I really got into guitar playing around 1990-91. I was taken aback by some of his recollections (Some of which I’d heard of in the news), and honestly I have to wonder how much is accurate given his self-admittance that he was high or passed out a lot. But he definitely has lived a life of excess and debauchery (his own words that are in there, somewhere). It’s your typical sex, drugs, and rock n roll that seems to be common to musicians. Idk that Slash was any “worse” than any of the countless other musicians who’ve fallen into the same vices, but unlike some, he lived to tell about it. It was an interesting book, and I’d love for him to publish an update. I’d love to hear his thoughts on the breakup of Velvet Revolver, Scott’s death, the end of his second marriage and his relationship with Meegan, and also hear him tell how he got back in with Axl and Duff for what is the current iteration of GNR.
I think this book is worth a read, especially if you’re a fan of GNR, guitarists, or 80’s/90’s hard rock music.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2024My son & husband both enjoyed reading this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2024I am a HUGE fan of Guns and Roses and have been since I was a teenager. Slashes book was a great book and I’m really glad that I read it. I definitely recommend buying it and reading if your not only a Guns and Roses fan but a Slash fan as well.
Top reviews from other countries
- Shawn ParkerReviewed in Canada on January 8, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Very great book
Slash is an amazing individual. Only just started this book, but already impressed
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ivanReviewed in Spain on November 28, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Buenisimo
Este libro narra la historia de slash desde su nacimiento , siendo una autentica locura a nivel aventura con las locuras de niño y adolescente / adulto, recomiendo este libro si eres fan de slash , una vez lo empiezas a leer cuesta soltarlo .
- YGReviewed in the Netherlands on September 2, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars For real Slash’s fans
The biography is about Slash’s early and young years. Very recommended, it really portrays who he really is, no lies in there..
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Edgar GómezReviewed in Mexico on July 9, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Llegó en excelentes condiciones
Me lo esperaba con envoltura, sin embargo llegó en perfectas condiciones y ya lo forre y lo estoy disfrutando.
Edgar GómezLlegó en excelentes condiciones
Reviewed in Mexico on July 9, 2020
Images in this review
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TaianaReviewed in Brazil on December 25, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Interessante biografia
Quando vc cresce com o GNR fazendo parte da sua trilha sonora é impossível não ser curiosa sobre o que aconteceu quando eles se separaram... O livro conta a versão de Slash e traz fatos interessantes do dia a dia da banda de rock mais amada de todos os tempos e de todo o excelente trabalho de Slash que se seguiu após sua saída do Guns. Excelente livro!