ePub Slash by Slash; Anthony Bozza in Arts-Photography

Description

From one of the greatest rock guitarists of our era comes a memoir that redefines sex; drugs; and rock n rollHe 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 historys 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 Slashs 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 Slashs 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: its funny; honest; inspiring; jaw-dropping . . . and; in a word; excessive.