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Slash: The Autobiography

by Slash , Anthony Bozza

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 15,492 ratings · 840 reviews

It seems excessive...but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Saul "Slash" Hudson was born in Hampstead to a Jewish father, an album cover artist, and a black American mother of Nigerian descent, who created David Bowie's look in The Man Who Fell to Earth. He was raised in Stoke until he was 11, when he and his mother moved to LA. Frequent visitors to the house were David B ...more

Paperback , 480 pages

Published 2008 by HarperCollins (first published October 21st 2007)

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Aug 26, 2014 Jennifer D rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-borrow , memoir , nonfiction , 2011-books , i-wanna-rock

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 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!!

...more

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Jul 22, 2015 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: acquired-in-2013 , books-i-own , guitar , non-fiction

I like the kind of music Saul Hudson / Slash is famed for making. In fact, Guns ‘n' Roses was one of the first “heavy” bands I got hooked on in my teens, because even with all the boycotts and sanctions (not to mention that the country was firmly in the grip of the Satanic Panic – in fact there is a Wikipedia page just for this phenomenon in South Africa, which was the only country with an Occult Related Crimes Unit ), “Appetite for Destruction” found its way here.

I jumped at the opportunity to s
I like the kind of music Saul Hudson / Slash is famed for making. In fact, Guns ‘n' Roses was one of the first “heavy” bands I got hooked on in my teens, because even with all the boycotts and sanctions (not to mention that the country was firmly in the grip of the Satanic Panic – in fact there is a Wikipedia page just for this phenomenon in South Africa, which was the only country with an Occult Related Crimes Unit ), “Appetite for Destruction” found its way here.

I jumped at the opportunity to see Slash performing live with Kings of Chaos in Cape Town last year and it stands as one of the greatest concerts I’ve been to (my wife and I were right there in the front).

The tone of the book is neither boastful nor repentant. Slash tells it like it is, without false modesty. I appreciated the shooting-from-the-hip approach, except possibly for one thing, namely the peer-bashing (It comes across as slightly narcissistic when “every other band is rubbish and hateful except us ”). Taking into account, however, the nature of the L.A. scene at the time, and the larger-than-life personalities involved, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that there would be some bad blood.

I noodle with the guitar a bit and I would have liked some more insight into Slash’s technique and approach, but he steers well clear of this kind of thing (for the most part), opting to focus on the lifestyle and the people involved instead. The book is sordid and tragic and funny and a whole lot of other things, but it provides a great snapshot of the musical scene at the time of what Slash refers to as the Guns ‘n Roses Reign of Terror , i.e. the 80s and very early 90s. Something else that fans will want to read is the depiction of events leading up to the end of Slash’s tenure with the band, and the issues with Axl Rose.

If you enjoy (old school) hard rock music or if you are a fan of Guns ‘n Roses / Slash you should really check this book out. I’ll also never listen to Rocket Queen with quite the same ears again. If, however, you have some prudish tendencies, just be warned: this book doesn’t pull any punches.
...more

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Sep 27, 2015 Jessica added it · review of another edition

Shelves: california-über-alles , dicklits , groups-of-people , leetle-boys , substance-related-disorders , breeding

There's this line in Bull Durham where Kevin Costner's character tells Tim Robbins's character, "You got a gift. When you were a baby, the Gods reached down and turned your right arm into a thunderbolt." A lot of the point of this movie is that while the young pitcher has been blessed with incredible talent (and is also, being played by baby Tim Robbins, very sexy), it's the seasoned but mediocre career minor league journeyman Crash Davis who's the leading man with the depth (and sexiness, despi ...more

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Jan 08, 2008 Sonia Reppe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: showbiz-celebrity , los-angeles , memoir-about-a-boy

(I give this an extra star for the full page color photos: Slash is a sexy, sexy man). What's behind the untamed hair and top hat? We’ve all wondered. The erratic curls part just enough to reveal sexy full lips. Is he purposely teasing us? Is he hiding something? Slash (lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver and the former Guns n Roses) is one of the most enigmatic musicians of our time, and if you've ever been enthralled by the opening notes of Sweet Child O' Mine or wanted to know more about the cr (I give this an extra star for the full page color photos: Slash is a sexy, sexy man). What's behind the untamed hair and top hat? We’ve all wondered. The erratic curls part just enough to reveal sexy full lips. Is he purposely teasing us? Is he hiding something? Slash (lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver and the former Guns n Roses) is one of the most enigmatic musicians of our time, and if you've ever been enthralled by the opening notes of Sweet Child O' Mine or wanted to know more about the creator of the classic guitar solos from legendary albums Appetite for Destruction and Lose your Illusion I and II, you will enjoy this new memoir by Slash (with Anthony Bozza, Rolling Stones magazine writer).
In a laid-back, conversational style, Slash recounts his fascinating life from his L.A. childhood (he used to shoplift snakes) to the present, including a lot about Guns N’ Roses in their formative years—like at one point he and Axl lived in a storage unit (which was their rehearsal space) with one hibachi grill that they never cooked on. (Izzy and Stephen did). It was interesting to learn about the geneses of some of their songs and the behind-the-scenes situations, and Slash’s perspective on the band’s demise. Various girlfriends are mentioned briefly, without much detail, until he talks about his wife. We see the way his lifestyle overshadows his relationships and just how driven and obsessive Slash is about playing rock n’ roll. There is a generous amount of glamorous photos; the book is worth buying even if just for the pictures of Slash shirtless, in a guitarist’s sexy back-lean stance, playing on his instrument.
But this book is as much an addiction memoir as it is a rock-n’-roll memoir. He takes us through the darkest times of his love affair with heroin, and Vodka; and although a good chunk of the book seems disappointingly vague because he was too wasted to remember much detail, (“My memory of the events is hazy…”) there is one crazy hallucination story that just tops it all. It’s astounding how much abuse his body took. But that aside, his integrity as a musician comes through on every page. Even if he had an appetite for destruction (he tells of purposely destroying hotel rooms, apartments and rental vans) he was creating, at the same time, what would become classic rock/metal music. So destructive in one setting, yet so creative in another. That’s just one of the things to think about after you read this book
Wild, irresponsible, dangerous—that is Slash, and yet on the first page he gives a disclaimer of sorts when he reveals that he has a pacemaker in his heart, due to years of abusing his body. In other words, emulate at your own risk.
...more

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Apr 16, 2008 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: GNR fan

I am a huge gnr fan and I have to say that I am terribly disappointed with this book. I could not wait to be done with it. I always found Slash to be, besides Axl, the most articulate of the band. This is the reason I wanted to read this book. But his articulation didn't lend itself well to the written word.

This book is so badly written that is reads like a blog or email message (badly written blog or email message, that is). The storytelling is horribly tedious and focuses on so much minutia t I am a huge gnr fan and I have to say that I am terribly disappointed with this book. I could not wait to be done with it. I always found Slash to be, besides Axl, the most articulate of the band. This is the reason I wanted to read this book. But his articulation didn't lend itself well to the written word.

This book is so badly written that is reads like a blog or email message (badly written blog or email message, that is). The storytelling is horribly tedious and focuses on so much minutia that it renders each story boring. This book doesn't do a good job of painting the picture, esp of 80s LA rock scene and it lacks any connective tissue to tie everything in; rather it just chronicles events in a list-like fashion. Instead of building up to detailed accounts of interesting events, which there should be many, Slash just retells the same story of getting high and getting straight.

Slash also has a strange way of pinpointing the exact locale of every event. He even sometimes remarks about what is currently at the particular location, which is completely uninteresting to someone who has never been to LA.

The book is mostly chronological, but it does jump around a bit, too (a lot of annoying "i'll get to that later" phrases), which is disconcerting but the least of the book's problems. Many reviewers have mentioned Slash's lack of fact checking and Slash's claims of his memory of certain situations being "hazy" bring into question the validity of this memoir.

I was surprised that Slash doesn't consider his drug problems to be that serious, especially since he now has children, and that leads me to believe his sobriety won't last. The cliche rock star hotel trashing recounts were annoying and dull. Its strange that Slash doesn't seem remorseful for much of anything even though he's acted like a juvenile delinquent most of his life. This book lacks perspective and probably should have been written by Slash much later in life.

I'd recommend this to a gnr fan because it sheds some light on their dysfunction, their early years and the strange but interesting way they wrote music "together", but anyone else, don't bother.
...more

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Sep 03, 2008 Anthony marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Gun's N' Roses fans, Slash fans

I love rock. Real rock. Not Hannah Montana pop stuff but rock. Some good bands are Guns N' Roses, Van Halen, Kiss, Velvet Revolver, Metallica, Jimi Hendrix, and Queen. Those are probably my favorites. Slash is in two of those bands I have mentioned above, Velvet Revolver and Guns N' Roses and he is probably the BEST GUITARIST EVER, Ediie Van Halen though is part of my favorite band so he gets more praise.
Yea, you favorite band doesn't have to be the one with your favorite guitarist or singer. It ...more

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Jan 11, 2008 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anybody who bought a Slash's Snakepit album, Axl Rose

I swear, I do read more than just rock biographies! just not lately I guess.

I asked for this book for Christmas and my mom told me she was totally embarrassed about buying it. personally, I don't think anyone should be ashamed of being associated with old school Guns N' Roses (though being associated with the current incarnation is more than a little embarrassing -- didn't Axl recently get his ass handed to him by Tommy Hilfiger?).

anyway. I'll start this review the way I'm sure I'll start any o I swear, I do read more than just rock biographies! just not lately I guess.

I asked for this book for Christmas and my mom told me she was totally embarrassed about buying it. personally, I don't think anyone should be ashamed of being associated with old school Guns N' Roses (though being associated with the current incarnation is more than a little embarrassing -- didn't Axl recently get his ass handed to him by Tommy Hilfiger?).

anyway. I'll start this review the way I'm sure I'll start any other review of a rock biography (at least until something better than The Dirt comes along) -- it's no The Dirt , but it's pretty good.

it's clear from the beginning of the book that Slash was always headed for trouble, and that makes it an incredibly compelling read. by his mid-teens he's already doing drugs harder than I've ever done, riding around on his BMX bike, being chased by the cops and generally looking for trouble. by 19 he's in Guns N' Roses and the trajectory pretty much goes upwards from there.

Guns N' Roses (in its heyday, not the bastardized lineup Axl Rose is prancing around with masquerading as GNR these days) was a band full of intense, conflicting characters, maybe even more so than Mötley Crüe, so there's no shortage of drama there. most of the book, however, focuses less on the band and more on Slash's personal struggle with heroin addiction. if, while reading, I took a shot of JD every time Slash describes being in "a dark place" or "a dark time," I would probably be a functioning alcholic by the end of the book. at times it's a little repetetive, but it definitely paints a strong picture of what he was going through at the height of his fame.

Slash has a tendency to talk himself in circles, so there's a lot of "...but I'll get to that later" happening in this book. he always does get to it, sometimes it's just in an especially roundabout way.

also, there are a couple of fact-checking problems in the book, like when Slash claims that Jim Foote, who built the guitar he plays on Appetite For Destruction , is dead. Jim Foote builds my boyfriend's guitars and is still very much alive -- and apparently has been getting a lot of crap from his clients about being written off as dead in Slash . Jim said "it's because Slash has a bad memory and his co-writer didn't do enough research on the things that Slash told him," which makes me wonder how many other factual discrepancies might be in the book. not a big deal though -- the general story obviously stands.

honestly, once Slash leaves Guns N' Roses, the story is over for me. I muddled through the chapters about Slash's Snakepit and Velvet Revolver and came out with some tidbits and funny anecdotes, but that was about it.

I enjoyed this book and I feel like I know more about Guns N' Roses for it, but I think I was expecting it to be more of a biography on GNR and not quite as Slash-centric -- I don't know why, after all, the fucking book is called Slash . so that's my bad, Slash, not yours. ...more

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Sep 19, 2014 Hunger For Knowledge rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bios-memoirs , music , reviewed

There are two types of biographies I don't care for much. The bad ones, and the ones I don't quite remember after reading them. Anthony Bozza's Slash falls somewhere near the latter category.

I've never really been a liker of Bozza's writing and style, I can't quite put my finger on what exactly is the thing that makes me go off with it but it has always been that way. I find myself stalling to read anything with his name on it. All my readings from him have been translated work (this is the time There are two types of biographies I don't care for much. The bad ones, and the ones I don't quite remember after reading them. Anthony Bozza's Slash falls somewhere near the latter category.

I've never really been a liker of Bozza's writing and style, I can't quite put my finger on what exactly is the thing that makes me go off with it but it has always been that way. I find myself stalling to read anything with his name on it. All my readings from him have been translated work (this is the time I, however, need to give a big hand to our translators as they actually do their job well, which makes me suspect that reading Bozza in English would most likely be the end of me), which is why I lack the ability to really judge his writing in the sense of language.

What makes this book unique is that it does succeed in atmosphere. It does feel like Slash is talking directly to the reader, making it feel like you are sitting in a pub with him, listening all those crazy and funny stories about the rock 'n' roll life.

It has it all; booze, drugs, women, addiction, fame and the stories how Guns N' Roses made it and crashed it, and it is surprisingly diplomatic when comes to Axl. Well, anyone who knows anything about Guns N' Roses surely knows how difficult that is. Axl is, Axl does.

But if you are a so called hardcore fan, this might not offer much new information about the band or Slash himself, but it gives a good sum for the people who are not as familiar with the subject. And if nothing else, few of the stories are indeed cult material and worth of remembering.

Note: I read this in Finnish.

Review also posted at http://hfk.booklikes.com/ ...more

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Apr 22, 2015 Mark Hebwood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Sex
As we mixed down the song "Rocket Queen", Axl felt that the bridge needed something; some other element to elevate the drama. He suggested that [his girlfriend] Adrianna Smith, who was with us in the studio that day, fuck him in the live room so that we could record her vocals and layer them over the breakdown. [...] So we lit some candles for atmosphere, then she and Axl went out into the live room, got down on the floor by the drum riser, and we recorded Smith's performance in all of its ...more

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Dec 06, 2008 Russell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: GNR fans. Velvet Revolver fans, if there is such a thing.

I actually enjoyed this book more than the three stars would indicate because I'm a big GNR fan and enjoy reading about people drinking, fucking and doing drugs until their livers, blood vessels and wangs fall off. But asking Slash to 'author' an auto-biography is predictably going to end up like this:

"I picked up a guitar when I was young and was good at it. Then I had sex with a bunch of girls and did a lot of drugs. Then I drank a gallon of vodka every day. All the while, I was still really g ...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Nick rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know who was a great guitar player? Slash. Would that I could say he is as good a storyteller. Instead he seems content to write what amounts to a 482-page 'Creem' article. The poor guy is so pickled, he can't even remember the name of his music school (and by "remember", I mean hire someone to research it for him so that he could at least avoid embarrassment in his own autobiography).
We should also wish this book's crappiness ends at poor storytelling, but it doesn't. There is a fundament ...more

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May 30, 2008 LooseLips rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to LooseLips by: someone wicked smaht

Shelves: slash-is-my-boyfriend , must-read-please-send

slash was on loveline, back when it used to be on mtv in the mid 90's, and he smoked the whole time he was on the show, dishing advice to quick boys and oversexed girls, and his face was covered in hair, as usual, and midway through a sentence he leaned over and his cigarette fell into his boot and the crowd gasped and then got real quiet for about 20 seconds and then he leaned over, pulled the still smoking cigarette out of his boot, put it back into his mouth, leaned back and said "happens all ...more

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Mar 24, 2008 Monica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone. It's that entertaining

It seems excessive, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. From his childhood hanging around David Bowie, to his BMX days, to Guns and then Velvet Revolver, we follow Slash through his highly entertaining life. He was a vagrant who bounced around from place to place, and all he wanted to do was play guitar. We hear about the highs and lows of Guns N’ Roses, and we get new insight into Slash’s relationship with Axl, as well as what happened that infamous night and St. Louis. (and another night i ...more

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May 16, 2015 Cliff Hays rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography

Great book! It was fascinating to learn how GNR formed and what went on behind the scenes. The story of how the Use Your Illusion albums were made is awesome. I always wondered how they managed to release two incredible albums all at once in 1991. Learning of how and why they broke up was very interesting too, as it seemed that after The Spaghetti Incident they just silently vanished from view. Slash's writing style and storytelling is great. Oftentimes he is very blunt and the effect is hilario ...more

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Jan 02, 2008 Reggie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone who owned a copy of Appetite for Destruction on cassette

I have to believe the pitch to the Harper Collin publishing house went something like this: Tommy Lee "wrote" two books, I am sober an average of 5% of the time these days, Scott Weiland is a mess again, and Axl is still working on Chinese democracy somehwere . . . so yeah, I want to write a book. What's that, you say you love the idea? Great. Make sure the ghost writer likes to drink. Oh yeah, and about the money . . . .

The book is definitely lacking a cohesive narrative structure and the gram I have to believe the pitch to the Harper Collin publishing house went something like this: Tommy Lee "wrote" two books, I am sober an average of 5% of the time these days, Scott Weiland is a mess again, and Axl is still working on Chinese democracy somehwere . . . so yeah, I want to write a book. What's that, you say you love the idea? Great. Make sure the ghost writer likes to drink. Oh yeah, and about the money . . . .

The book is definitely lacking a cohesive narrative structure and the grammar can be abysmal at times, but what did you expect? One of the more annoying examples of such problems is the fact that the book is littered with the statement "but we'll get to that later" placed at the end of certain pargraphs as almost an afterthought. I can't help but wonder how much better this book would have been if Neil Strauss had been the one helping Slash out.

Don't get me wrong, some of the stories in this book are great. I won't go as far as to say that on a whole they rival those found in The Dirt , but there are some good ones. The story of Slash's one man pre-party prior to his attempt to meet up with Steven Adler at an Arizona golf resort for some self imposed "rehab" was particulary entertaining. On the musical side of things, the stories about how some of the old G n' R staples were written and recorded are also interesting. The description of the recording method employed for Rocket Queen is especially insightful.

If W. Axl ever happens to write a book with his version of the events, I suspect that coupling it with this work would make a great topic for one of those compare and contrast essays we all had to write freshman year of high school. I might even consider reenrolling to write said essay. ...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Paula rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bestbooksever , booksthatchangedmylife , nonfiction , slash , anthony-bozza

Ever since I was four, I have always worshiped Slash and Guns N' Roses. I remember hearing their song "Paradise City" in our stereo because my mother used to own a CD of their very first album "Appetite for Destruction . "Paradise City" was the first ever rock and roll song that made me perch up and listen, very intrigued, because of its awesomely heart-ripping guitar riff. Right then and there, a delinquent musician named Saul Hudson that isn't really such a good role model, turned into my perso Ever since I was four, I have always worshiped Slash and Guns N' Roses. I remember hearing their song "Paradise City" in our stereo because my mother used to own a CD of their very first album "Appetite for Destruction . "Paradise City" was the first ever rock and roll song that made me perch up and listen, very intrigued, because of its awesomely heart-ripping guitar riff. Right then and there, a delinquent musician named Saul Hudson that isn't really such a good role model, turned into my personal God.

Afterwards, my infatuation turned into a deep obsession which made me decide in my pre-teens to buy every single one of their albums, sadly to say I haven't gotten Use Your Illusions I just yet. My favorite song turned from "Paradise City" , to "November Rain" , to "Estranged" , and then "Welcome to the Jungle" , "Garden of Eden" , "Sweet Child O' Mine" , "Civil War" and then just about every single one of their songs.

Many years later, Slash released a memoir that would then become one of my most valued treasures. I have re-read this book so many times that I've lost track, but never in those times have I really finished it. I would always stop just when there are only 20 or so pages left all because I don't ever want to part with the book. Each time I put down a book and then forget the page I am at, I have the habit of starting all over again, especially if it's a really good book, and that is what happened to me with this one.

Because Slash is Slash, you can't really not expect the no-bullshit straight-to-the-point way he told his life story and answered every single question we had for him about every single controversy that used to wrap him around. I loved how the editor respected him much to not filter out any of the (should I say) gruesome details in his book. This book is just about the epitome of the sex, drugs, and rock and roll notion. Slash was just so honest yet so respectful of every person he mentioned (and yes, even with Axl) that I can't help but fall in love with him more. The information contained within this book is so precious that it will probably forever be etched inside my mind. He's so humble and he knows that he's not the best, that there are others better than him, but he's cool and accepts it that at some times I just want to hug him or cry regardless of his disregard for drama. ...more

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Jan 23, 2008 Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-biography , books-i-own , non-fiction

Of course, I'm automatically biased when it comes to Slash. He's my favorite guitarist and I've got a lot of respect for the man.

I found his autobiography to be a genuinely good read. When Slash speaks, he always comes across as an intelligent, articulate person, and nothing has changed in the book. You can tell he was expecting some backlash over parts of this book, as he stresses several times that he wishes Axl no harm and has the utmost respect for him. You can't blame him for needing to rei Of course, I'm automatically biased when it comes to Slash. He's my favorite guitarist and I've got a lot of respect for the man.

I found his autobiography to be a genuinely good read. When Slash speaks, he always comes across as an intelligent, articulate person, and nothing has changed in the book. You can tell he was expecting some backlash over parts of this book, as he stresses several times that he wishes Axl no harm and has the utmost respect for him. You can't blame him for needing to reiterate these points, because people will always find a way to misinterpret everything.

Perhaps the problem with this book is that it seems to follow the basic formula for the rock and roll biography, so you may feel as if you've read it before. Though that in itself is interesting - you can see the trends in rock music. Drink and drugs from an early age, trouble with the law and at school and a broken family. Yet Slash never sounds bitter or boastful. He simply tells things as they were, for the best part.

If you're expecting a memoir of drug addiction, you may be disappointed. Not to say that there isn't drug use here - there certainly is, including one memorable anecdote where Slash finds himself running naked across a golf course, pursued by little monsters only he can see. But he doesn't go into much more detail than is necessary, and his main focus in the book is the music.

I would recommend this book to any Guns N' Roses fan who maybe wants a clearer picture of why the band split up and what the dynamics were between Slash and Axl at the time. Mostly it's just an enjoyable read, because if there's one thing you can say for Slash it's that he hasn't led a boring life.

Oh, I counted 'all things considered' 28 times in this book. ...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading a series of intensely serious books (Into the Wild, The Nazi Officer's wife, and Under the Banner of Heaven), I was ready to indulge in a little mindless fun, so I thought, "Who better to provide that than Slash?".

All I can say after reading this boring, almost screen play -like crap is that If you want to read a good hard rock book, read Motley Crue: The Dirt.

Slash may have done a lot of drugs, but from what he tells us, he didn't do many "exciting" things while on them. I prefer ...more

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Feb 11, 2008 Bronwen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I debated even adding this book to my Goodreads list. Do I really want to admit I read all 480 pages of Slash's memoir? Well, it was no better or worse than I expected it to be. but it was several hours of my life I can't get back.
If you're only interested in the Guns n Roses years, skip to page 250. If you want to hear detailed accounts of everything Slash shoplifted as a 13 year old and every girl he dated as a teen, read the entire thing.

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Dec 26, 2013 Mel Padden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Obviously I'm biased, but Slash's down to earth tone, good pace and narrative rythm mark this it as exceptional in the canon of rockumentary autobiographies. Of course the fact that he is the teller of the best rock 'n roll stories ever lived through doesn't hurt.

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Jul 01, 2015 **Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rock-and-roll-bios-and-others , non-fiction

"Sometimes the truth lies is in front of your eyes and makes so little sense that you just don't see it; it's like confronting your reflection in a fun-house mirror-it's hard to believe that the twisted figure staring back I syou. Guns had become a similar monster; we were such a bizarre version of what we once were that I could barely recognize us. But unlike the fun-house, I couldn't escape; when I turned away from the glass, the reflection was still there.

WOW. JUST WOW. As Slash said, "It se ...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Jody Travis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books , music-biographies

I`ve read The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx, and I have to say that this book is more interesting as a whole. For one thing, all narcotic use references aside, Slash wasn't a book focused mainly on doing smack in large quantities, like Nikki Sixx's autobiography was. This one is more about the MUSIC, which I love...Slash is a down-to-earth, music-loving maniac whose way of writing captivates a reader from page 1. It's the way he writes it all out, there is something interesting to be taken from t ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 K rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I guess I need to start with saying that Guns N' Roses is one of my favorite bands and I'm a sucker for autobiographies of junkie rockstars of that time. I thought this would be a great book.

What a dissapointment it was. First of all, I felt like Slash took Anthony Kiedis's Scar Tissue and rewrote it - he only changed the names and made it 10 times worse. Then I changed my mind because Anthony focused mostly on drugs and selfanalysis, and Slash - on music. You would think it's good, but it's not ...more

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Dec 10, 2007 Eric Althoff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: rock n' roll fans

I'm of the opinion that most rock musician's stories are, by virtual necessity, identical. Young up-and-comer has a passion for playing, scrapes by, rises through the club scene, and then in their mid-20s finds himself suddenly famous and with more money, women, and drugs onhand than ever might have been imagined. Such is the case in "Slash," the legendary ax-slinger's autobiography (co-ghostwritten by a Rolling Stone contributor), detailing his hellraising days from youth right up through the g I'm of the opinion that most rock musician's stories are, by virtual necessity, identical. Young up-and-comer has a passion for playing, scrapes by, rises through the club scene, and then in their mid-20s finds himself suddenly famous and with more money, women, and drugs onhand than ever might have been imagined. Such is the case in "Slash," the legendary ax-slinger's autobiography (co-ghostwritten by a Rolling Stone contributor), detailing his hellraising days from youth right up through the glory days of Guns N' Roses until his present role as lead guitarist in Velvet Revolver and father of two.

The book is by turns fascinating and utterly repetitive. The behind-the-scenes chapters on GNR's formative years and the distinct personalities of Slash, Axl, et al are rendered with a touch of both gentle nostalgia and uncompromising honesty. For anyone who grew up listening to "Appetite For Destruction" and screamed along to "Welcome to the Jungle," the story of that album's genesis from Slash's perspective is very intriguing.

I enjoyed picking up on some things about Slash that I didn't know, such as that his mother is African American and dated David Bowie, and that he was given his famous nickname by Seymour Cassel. Slash isn't shy about talking frankly about his drug addictions and the deleterious effect it's had on his relationships and life in general. (He has been clean for about two years now.) Nor does he spare the notoriously controlling Axl Rose, who most certainly had a hand in the eventual disintegration of the original lineup of the band.

But too much of the book is repetitive and old news. It seems like every chapter after page 50 is intentionally overly foreshadowing the demise of GNR and after a while, all of the drug experiences seem to blend together (with the notable exception of drug-induced hallucations resembling the monster from "Predator" chasing our hero around a spa in Arizona). That's to say nothing of Slash's penchant to say "More on that later" ad nauseum and the book's copy editor apparently having fallen asleep at the wheel (I seriously lost track of all of the errors).

However, as a rock n' rolling ride with one of our most infamous and talented rock guitarists, "Slash" is a great experience that is not for the meek or the conservative.

...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Lindsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book has to be one of best book I've ever read about an artist just trying to make it and get noticed. If you ever see this book on the shelf at a library or in a book store, its a book that you don't have to think twice about getting. If you do, you're going to kick yourself later I passed up getting it once and it took me years to find a copy :P
The entire time I spent reading it, it was like Slash was sitting right there next to me telling me his life story as if we had been long lost rel ...more

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Jul 13, 2013 Robyn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bios

read my progress tab...absolutely a waste of time. A repetitive story of doing drugs, smack, coke, drinking booze and fucking porn queens, strippers etc. If he had a vocabulary it would be a lot more interesting to learn how a guy living such a fucked up life made it into one of the best bands of the 90's. His recall is terrible and makes Keith Richard's "Life" read like Shakespeare...at least Keith can tell a story and captivate you and suck you in. I didn't even read the last 50 pages...I didn ...more

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Jun 18, 2013 Lashell Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Ok, admittedly, I am infatuated with Slash. How could I not be ... he is arguably THE greatest rock guitarist of all time. That said ... I LOVED this book! Even if I hadn't been a fan, I was blown away by the level of his candor. There are scenes from his life in this book that I'm not sure I would have been comfortable sharing with the world if it had been me. So, hats off to him for putting it out there!

Speaking as a fan, I love this book because it is an amazing, inside account of the histor ...more

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Jul 07, 2008 Craig rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an interesting rags-to-riches account of Slash's rise from poverty to super-media-stardom; I thought it seemed like the kind of thing William Burrroughs would have produced if he'd decided to write an Horatio Alger pastiche. The details in the middle of the volume tend to drag a bit (I guess too much heroin and alcohol will do that), but overall it's a fascinating account. I kind of wish that it would have been written a year or so later so that the details of Scott Weiland's departure f ...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Tyler Sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yeah, that's right, you read that review correctly. I gave Slash's autobiography 5 stars and you might ask "WTF?" Well, this book is filled with nothing but filth, flarn, flarn, filth. Add to that a fantastic helping of sleaze and one gets my five star rating. I felt like I needed to wash my hands after reading this in order not to catch any of his sleaze and filth. Actually, I'm impressed. Besides, he's great guitar player, has had an eventful life and has literally lived to tell about it. Seri ...more

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Sep 07, 2015 Sarah Zielinski rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would always recommend that someone read Slash. This book gives a huge insight on how a famous rockstar grew up and worked his way towards his success. It proves that it wasn't all fun and games, nor was it easy. Slash himself spoke of his life and gave all of his fans and readers a walk on the wild side between riding his bike all the way to performing in front of millions of people then onto marriage and children. I especially enjoyed the emotion he had put into his text. You could always te I would always recommend that someone read Slash. This book gives a huge insight on how a famous rockstar grew up and worked his way towards his success. It proves that it wasn't all fun and games, nor was it easy. Slash himself spoke of his life and gave all of his fans and readers a walk on the wild side between riding his bike all the way to performing in front of millions of people then onto marriage and children. I especially enjoyed the emotion he had put into his text. You could always tell which event made him feel happy, sad, angry, or even excited. Throughout every chapter the reader gets to embark on the rockstar journey. He started from the bottom without connection and without YouTube. He had his friends, guitar, and family to keep moving him forward.

If you enjoy reading autobiographies about a man who was always known as a closed book then this is honestly the best thing to read. Everybody assumes that a big time rockstar is living the dream and is throwing away money, but they are very wrong. I would stretch to tell you more but I would prefer that it's given a read. Slash tells his whole story and leaves nothing out. He shows respect to even the worst of his acquaintances. He gives his readers a chance to understand why he did the things he did and why the people around him acted the way they did. Slash spoke of his least favorite memories and even added a happy twist. He has had friends pass away around him and it just pulled him to be the stronger, more understanding person he is today.

This autobiography can teach everyone a lesson. It's the classic don't judge a book by its cover. Slash seems like he has an insanely fun life, but he deals with a lot and got over drugs and alcohol issues. He went from party animal to husband and father in a few decades. Anyone who asks me what the reason is in me reading this book I would tell them that I love to read about a person that goes to the beat of their own drum. Yes, he did give into drugs, but he also got out of it and cleaned up his act. He proved so many people wrong and stuck it to the rockstar stereotype. All in all I would definitely recommend that anyone who enjoys a good book that they definitely read and enjoy this. ...more

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About Slash

Saul Hudson, better known by his nickname Slash, is a British-American musician, record producer, film producer and songwriter.He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N' Roses, Slash formed the side project Slash's Snakepit. He then co-foun ...more

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“Once you’ve lived a little you will find that whatever you send out into the world comes back to you in one way or another. It may be today, tomorrow, or years from now, but it happens; usually when you least expect it, usually in a form that’s pretty different from the original. Those coincidental moments that change your life seem random at the time but I don’t think they are. At least that’s how it’s worked out in my life. And I know I’m not the only one.” — 155 likes

“No one expects the rug to be yanked out from underneath them; life-changing events usually don’t announce themselves. While instinct and intuition can help provide some warning signs, they can do little to prepare you for the feeling of rootlessness that follows when fate flips your world upside down. Anger, confusion, sadness, and frustration are shaken up together inside you like a snow globe. It takes years for the emotional dust to settle as you do your best to see through the storm.” — 68 likes

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