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It's So Easy (and Other Lies): The Autobiography
by
Duff McKagan
(Goodreads Author)
'It's So Easy (and Other Lies)' is the explosive autobiography of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver bass guitarist Duff McKagan.
Hardcover
,
288 pages
Published
October 1st 2011
by Orion
(first published 2011)
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Community Reviews
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Interesting book. I've read Slash's book. I've read Adler's book. Both gave unique accounts of their lives and what they went through in GnR. Their books were a bit more salacious than Duff's. Probably because they used professional writers to help them and the publishers wanted to sell books. Since Duff wrote his own book he probably doesn't feel his daughters need to hear the exact details. I respect that. I wish this book was a little more detailed. I would have liked to have found out more a
...more
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Feb 08, 2013
Sharon ✽ is an emotional book junkie ✽
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2013
I'm not going to do a full review for this since it's pretty obvious what it's about. I will say that it was non-stop interesting and a very smooth read. However, 'It's NOT Easy' to read especially about things like the vomit...ugh!!
**On a side note...for all my romance reader friends, I do have to say I don't think we will ever read one of our books about a musician having sex with a girl in a cockroach infested apartment and the girl being okay with it!!
and it's definitely interesting to know ...more
**On a side note...for all my romance reader friends, I do have to say I don't think we will ever read one of our books about a musician having sex with a girl in a cockroach infested apartment and the girl being okay with it!!
and it's definitely interesting to know ...more
This book is why I love reading rock autobiographies. Duff comes across as intelligent and self-aware, but he doesn't act like he's always been that way. He admits to past mistakes and stupidity while he was living it up with Guns N Roses. He shares embarrassing stories about drugs and drinking, including throwing up, then consuming the vomit because there was alcohol in it. Instead of glorifying his former rock lifestyle, he focuses on how he overcame things. He fell in love, married, and now h
...more
Oct 25, 2011
Jessica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-non-fiction
,
memoir
I am NOT a hardcore GNR fan, not even a GNR fan at all, but I really loved this book. I used every spare moment to read it and finished in two days. Sex, drugs, rock n' roll, and an inspirational story! Mostly, I think I was really into it because the writing was surprisingly good. I had heard Duff speak on the radio and could tell that he was intelligent and very articulate, making it likely that he actually wrote his own story.
I highly recommend this book to just about anyone who wants a drama ...more
I highly recommend this book to just about anyone who wants a drama ...more
After finishing Slash's biography, I fell into a catatonic state. You know, I'm a huge fan of Guns n' Roses. Like, HUGE. And, well, the break-up part wasn't that easy to read. Probably because I always hoped for a reunion, and finishing Slash's book destroyed all my hopes D:
Duff's biography, though, left me in a catatonic-ly positive state.
He's such sweetheart . He's honest, funny, and..Well, he's kinda hot.
The part that moved me the most, I guess, was the Axl-and-Duff-London-thing. They hugged , ...more
Duff's biography, though, left me in a catatonic-ly positive state.
He's such sweetheart . He's honest, funny, and..Well, he's kinda hot.
The part that moved me the most, I guess, was the Axl-and-Duff-London-thing. They hugged , ...more
“It’s So Easy (and Other Lies)” is the most compelling book I’ve picked up in a while. Duff McKagan is an excellent writer with a highly accessible style and his story is nothing if not riveting. Indeed, McKagan himself comes across as highly accessible and deeply grounded in his art. All of which makes this a very, very enjoyable, if disturbing, read but, as the book progressed, particularly as it described his recovery, I found myself more and more removed from his story, and it took me a whil
...more
What I'm about to do is unfair, because I am going to compare art, to art. The reason I hope to get away with it is because when it happened to my book, I enjoyed it. "This book is what the movie `Funny People' should have been!" a reviewer exclaimed, meaning he finally found in my words what he had been searching for in another medium. That out of the way, my proclamation is: This book is what "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir" should have been.
The differences between the two books, and therefore ...more
The differences between the two books, and therefore ...more
After reading Clapton's book (terrific) and then Keith Richards book (even better) I didn't know what to expect from McKagen. Clapton clearly didn't write his book himself, and Richards read as if he was talking to you. I expected McKagen's book to be a big tell all about the debauchery that was GnR, but instead I found a very well written, well thought out story about his personal journey. I really enjoyed this story, but frankly, would have loved to hear more detail about GnR's amazing run. An
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Disclaimer - I may be abit biased as Duff has been my not-so-secret rocker crush for 20 years.
Quite simply, if you're looking for a tell-all and airing of dirty Guns N Roses laundry, you need to look elsewhere. This is the tale of one mans journey that happened to include the greatest rock band of it's time. It's hard to read - I knew Duff was a drinker but had no idea just how deep into a pit he fell - but it felt really inspirational to me. This is a guy that was a member of this HUGE band, li ...more
Quite simply, if you're looking for a tell-all and airing of dirty Guns N Roses laundry, you need to look elsewhere. This is the tale of one mans journey that happened to include the greatest rock band of it's time. It's hard to read - I knew Duff was a drinker but had no idea just how deep into a pit he fell - but it felt really inspirational to me. This is a guy that was a member of this HUGE band, li ...more
I rarely give books five stars, even books I thoroughly enjoy. I like to reserve five stars for the best of the best. (i.e. how can I give Good In Bed the same score as The Diary of Anne Frank?) It's So Easy and Other Lies may just be my favorite book of all time. Maybe it's because I was a HUGE Guns n' Roses fan growing up. Maybe it's because I wanted to marry Duff McKagan from about age 14-17 (obsessed may have been the right word). All of that aside, this book was well written, funny, and cra
...more
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I finished it in under two hours, it is that good. What a talented writer Duff is. His story is captivating and I am so glad he is in such a good space now. A very humble, intelligent man. Perfect book to start the new year with, so inspirational. I hope Duff writes another book on anything, just so I can read his writing again. Will have to check out his columns. I confess to tearing up a couple of times whilst reading but it's all good.
...more
Fascinating & Inspiring Read!!! I Loved It!!!
Jan 30, 2012
Tamelyn Feinstein
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
i-know-it-s-only-rock-n-roll-but
,
memoirs
I have a soft spot for rock and roll memoirs, and I've read quite a few. I've found that, overall, they tend to be quite self-indulgent, salacious, and entertaining; I've also found they tend to NOT be well-written, thoughtful, or deep.
I've never been a big G'n'R fan, although I appreciate their unique contribution to the late 80s - early 90s rock scene. However, when I recently came across an interview with Duff McKagan on an afternoon TV talk show, I was struck by his intelligence, thoughtfuln ...more
I've never been a big G'n'R fan, although I appreciate their unique contribution to the late 80s - early 90s rock scene. However, when I recently came across an interview with Duff McKagan on an afternoon TV talk show, I was struck by his intelligence, thoughtfuln ...more
First off, I'm not a huge GNR fan. I like them of course, but what I mainly wanted to read about was Duff's pre-GNR experience in the Seattle punk scene of the late '70s/early '80s.
That said, I did find all of the GNR bits rather fascinating. Duff is a great writer; every time I picked up the book I was immediately drawn in. The frustrating thing about the book was that each chapter would end and leave me slightly unsatisfied. I wanted to know more. I felt like he held back and left a lot of det ...more
That said, I did find all of the GNR bits rather fascinating. Duff is a great writer; every time I picked up the book I was immediately drawn in. The frustrating thing about the book was that each chapter would end and leave me slightly unsatisfied. I wanted to know more. I felt like he held back and left a lot of det ...more
I was pretty young when GN'R released their 1st album, but theirs were some of my first favorite songs. I didn't know much about the band members and could only name a couple before reading this (and Duff wasn't one of them). I chose this book bc it was one of the highest rated non-fiction books on Amazon. I found the story riveting - Duff is a talented storyteller and just kind of an amazing person in general. His personality shines through, and his balance of humor, humility, wisdom, and compa
...more
I always liked Guns & Roses, but I would never call myself a huge fan. I've had several copies of
Appetite for Destruction
over the years, and the first concert I ever saw (Ok, first rock concert) was Aerosmith with Guns & Roses as the opener, way back in August of 1988. I never really got into them enough to actually learn about the members other then the negative stuff that one reads in the paper.......the excessive drug and booze, Axl Rose throwing tantrums on stage or not showing up
...more
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. When I first started to read this book, I though, "Here we go, another book about partying like a "rock star", drugs, women, destruction" I was partially right. However this book was gripping, insightful, motivational and truly inspiring.
How this man survived the 80's and is even alive today is beyond me. McKagan takes you into the dark annals of his life story. This man "partied like a rock star". From his early days of his panic attacks to the heavy alcohol induced h ...more
How this man survived the 80's and is even alive today is beyond me. McKagan takes you into the dark annals of his life story. This man "partied like a rock star". From his early days of his panic attacks to the heavy alcohol induced h ...more
Well, assuming that Izzy and Axl aren't going to be hunching down at their word processors anytime soon, I'm finished with the original-GNR-lineup memoirs. And I'm glad I got to Duff's last; it didn't have the fascinating trainwreck appeal of Steven Adler's or the absurdist black comedy of Slash's, but it's definitely the best-written of the three. Duff's hella likeable (he comes across, in almost every detail, as fiercely loyal, with a quiet, intellectual streak and a good sense of humor) and h
...more
june book club. quite a change of pace from north korean escapees and mormon polygamy. OR IS IT.
ETA - so good! loved it. i think people expecting a sleazy tell-all would be disappointed, but i loved reading about not only his time with gn'r, but his life and recovery since then. DUFF MCKAGAN GOES TO TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERTS.
ETA - so good! loved it. i think people expecting a sleazy tell-all would be disappointed, but i loved reading about not only his time with gn'r, but his life and recovery since then. DUFF MCKAGAN GOES TO TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERTS.
I was completely unable to tear my eyes off this book. I've been a fan of Duff since back in the day when Guns N' Roses hit the scene, so I don't know how this flew under my radar. It's an incredibly inspirational story, and each time a song was mentioned an new earworm was born.
Duff, if I was a judge on the X Factor, and this was your best foot forward, I would have said "you nailed it".
This is how a rock n' roll bio should look, sound and feel. I applaud the writing style, even though the text was a little sesquipedalian at times....
Anyway, this book was interesting, easy to follow, the stories connected and flowed well. Above all, there was a positive change, an about turn in the face of adversity which resonated well. I think all celebs should read this. I loved the ...more
This is how a rock n' roll bio should look, sound and feel. I applaud the writing style, even though the text was a little sesquipedalian at times....
Anyway, this book was interesting, easy to follow, the stories connected and flowed well. Above all, there was a positive change, an about turn in the face of adversity which resonated well. I think all celebs should read this. I loved the ...more
When I first encountered this book, I assumed it was going to be another book about a drugged up rock star. Having already read a few other autobiographies, I was quickly growing tired of the format. And Duff? Well, he was just the bass guitarist for Guns n’ Roses. What more could he possibly have to say about the crazy tales of one of the worlds greatest, and most dysfunctional, rock bands that I didn’t already know?
It turns out, quite a bit.
First, just over half of Duff’s book is actually an ...more
It turns out, quite a bit.
First, just over half of Duff’s book is actually an ...more
Brilliant autobiography. A beautifully-written tome, bursting with pathos and humour, told from a self-deprecating viewpoint. I've laughed out loud many times. Some of the writing moved me to tears (mind you, I cry easily... but still...)
Duff appears to know that he's on a fast train to destruction throughout his G n R years but is, until he nearly dies, unable to do anything about it.
Duff comes over as an intelligent guy. It feels like he has done the hard work to become emotionally stable - it ...more
Duff appears to know that he's on a fast train to destruction throughout his G n R years but is, until he nearly dies, unable to do anything about it.
Duff comes over as an intelligent guy. It feels like he has done the hard work to become emotionally stable - it ...more
Can’t recall the exact magazine during heydays from where I got this clipping of an old Guns interview – it was so raw and unadulterated I had not an inch of a doubt the band members had probably been actively quoted by the interviewer. I can imagine them all sounding drunk, and dumb. Slash had been interrupting along the lines of ‘hey, who brought that Poison poster here??’ and Duff, if I remember correctly interjected somewhere like ‘we’ve been asked to comment on politics and all that shit an
...more
I have read Slash's, Adler's, and motley's Nikki's heroin diaries in addition to this. I must say duff Mckagan is the coolest among all the gunners or for that mater among all the rockers. The book was written solely by him unlike the others which were written by professional journalists. The best thing I liked about duff's book is the clarity of the objective he had in his mind for this book. Duff wrote this book to help other addicts understand addiction and how they could use his example to c
...more
I started reading this on the plane back from NY and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. At times it was kind of like reading a long Rolling Stone article, one with plenty of interesting music history and one that's full of obstacles and adversity for the subject to overcome but devoid of innuendo and tabloid journalism that often plagues the rock n' roll autobiography.
Duff McKagan's story is about a guy who while in his teens dedicated his life to becoming a professional musician and that by t ...more
Duff McKagan's story is about a guy who while in his teens dedicated his life to becoming a professional musician and that by t ...more
I've always loved this man. I jest not! Reading this was like taking a trip back to the late 80's and 90's when they still had such things as midnight record sales, records, and a metal music scene. There was also this little old rock and roll band called Guns N'Roses, and they did set out to and did rule the music scene for a number of years. In this, Duff, the bassist for the band for the entirety of its run, tells the story of his rise from a kid living in Seattle, playing for punk bands, and
...more
Less sensational than Slash's autobiography, Duff's is ultimately more relatable. McKagan's book is a personal journey of a man finding himself. You won't find ANY details about the recording of Appetite (one of rocks greatest achievements in my opinion) or the songwriting process. It's almost entirely about him getting fucked up and finally getting healthy. It's a great story and that I watched it unfold during my MTV watching teen years makes it historically appealing to my generation. Ultimat
...more
I love a good memoir, and this definitely satisfied. It struck me as honest and authentic, and ultimately inspiring.
I liked this rock musician memoir because he doesn't seem to embellish or unnecessarily shit talk the way some other rock musicians who write memoirs (::cough:: Nikki Sixx ::cough::) do. Duff comes across as eloquent and honest and tells his story, and it's a pretty amazing one. Here these guys were, playing in a tiny rehearsal space in Glendale that constantly got raided by cops and then a few years later they have their own private plane and mansions and are playing in countries all over the w
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads Librari...: Please Combine: It's so Easy and Other Lies by Duff McKagan | 3 | 11 | Nov 16, 2013 07:10PM |
In 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff left his native Seattle—partly to pursue music but mainly to get away from a host of heroin overdoses then decimating his closest group of friends in the local punk scene. In L.A. only a few weeks and still living in his car, he answered a want ad for a bass player placed by someone who identified himself only as “Slash.” Soon after, the most dangerous band in t
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More about Duff McKagan...
“Yes, confidence was knowing I could do anything. But, I realized, confidence must always be rooted in work. In sweat. In pain-good pain. And in honesty.”
—
10 likes
“Life is not a journey to the grave With the intention of arriving safely in a well-preserved body, But rather to skid in sideways Thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: “Wow, what a ride!”
—
1 likes
More quotes…
