Slash doesn’t need an introduction! He is one of the greatest guitarists out there.
Rolling Stone ranked him 65 on their list “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time”. A lot of fans look up to Slash as a role model and the teacher for many young guitarists nowadays. However, no one knows what Slash faced behind the cameras and away from the spotlights or what were the elements that shared in creating this talent. If you are interested in discovering Slash’s character you will love this book.
The book was written by Slash with Anthony Bazza in the United States. It was published in 2007 through HarperCollins Entertainment (UK) and Harper Entertainment (USA).
The book contains 480 pages and divided into 13 chapters. If we look at the cover we will find one of the most famous photos taken for Slash, the photo with the burning cigarette and his hat as well as one of his quotes:
“It seems excessive but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”
Every chapter of the book tells – literally – a chapter from Slash‘s life in different stations that he passed through. A big portion of the book talked about Gun N Roses and what happened behind the scenes.
The book followed a diary method in writing. The chapters were arranged by dates and every chapter was divided into subtitles, and so I found full details about every part as his birth, childhood, parents, financial cases, hobbiesand more, as well as explaining his character through the different stages of life.
In the introduction, Slash started with his illness due to drinking, what he felt and what he learnt from this experience. I guess he started with this special phase in his life to give the reader a good impression and background about the reason for writing this book.
The language of the book was very attractive to read. I found a great amount of honesty. Slash talked about his life and emotions freely without great modesty. He expressed his feelings and actions especially in his stations of drinking, smoking and drugs. Moreover, there weren’t any limits between Slash and Anthony Bazza; I found myself between a live experience and rich one. Slash discussed his problems to the reader, not as a fan, but more of a close friend.Slash knows that very well, that the readers would consider him as role model so he advised them to avoid his fatal mistakes.
One of the nicest sentences that I loved, which summarized all themes of the book:
“I don’t think there’s anything better than hearing your favorite band live.”
I thought of this sentence because it is an ultimate fact. Of course, anyone of us would want to attend a live concert for their favorite bands. Live concerts means direct inspiration. As Slash continues to inspire us, as he was inspired, it is matter of generation. Music is immortal but people are mortal. Every era has its own teachers and students then the students became teachers for other students.
As much as I enjoyed reading the book, I really disliked the mention of the very personal details. Some details are interesting for satisfying the questions in our heads but some other details would become boring to know.
You will enjoy reading the book and checking rare photos for Slash in his childhood and you will know better how did his journey with guitar start, along with details about his personal life and his experiences with marriage and kids.
So if you are a diehard Slash fan, this book is for you!
Edited by: NJ Bakr
