By Anthony Kuzminski
A year ago when Slash released his autobiography, the self-titled Slash, many claimed it was the holy grail for Guns N’ Roses fans. That’s a loaded statement that proves to be both true and false. For the record, it is the first major book to be published from a major member of Guns N’ Roses and it does contain a treasure chest of information and insight. However, on the flipside, it’s the only book to be written by a GNR member to date so Slash doesn’t have much to live up to. While I wish it was the holy grail of information on this vicious band, it falls far from the finish line and ultimately is a decent read but is definitely not a definitive one on Guns N’ Roses…or even Slash for that matter.Slash was co-written by Anthony Bozza, who had previously worked on Tommy Lee’s bio, Tommyland, a hack job of a bio if there ever was one. After reading it, I figured Bozza would never write again. However, where there is a Carl Stubner, there is a way. Stubner is one of the most egregious men to ever grace the music industry and I’m floored Slash still uses him for a manager, as I firmly believe that he didn’t view Tommy Lee’s jail stints as bad because it drummed up publicity for his client which eventually means more money in his pocket. Slash is an inconsistent book at best. It would have been better suited a few years down the line instead of now, but money talks and Stubner most likely wanted his cut. While this book is infinitely better than Tommyland, that’s not saying much. First things first, whenever you ghost write a book (like Bozza did for Slash), it is imperative that the writer keep a consistent tone throughout the entire book. All too often I found chapters and even pages to have the dialect change dramatically. It’s obviously evident which are Slash’s true words and which were sprinkled by Bozza’s for dramatic effect. A more suitable execution would have been a “Conversations” book with Slash where it followed more of a Q&A style. Instead we are left with fascinating stories that are edited poorly, repeats of similar stories and enough drug stories to make a recovering drug addict fall off the wagon. I felt the book repeated themes and even points numerous times, sometimes within two or three pages of each other. I often would go back and re-read what I read to see if I had accidently forgotten to turn the page; I hadn’t. Lastly, the factual information is spurted out as if Slash is some kind of music-pop culture guru, which he is not. I can pretty much guarantee you he wasn’t aware that “Livin’ On A Prayer” was number-one on the Billboard charts in February 1987, let alone details of his own life. This brings us to my next issue…
I understand that Slash has inhaled and sniffed his fair share of substances in his life, but the amount of time spent on his drug debauchery is flat out disturbing. Now, this may sound hypocritical coming from someone who thinks The Dirt is one of the best rock books ever written. That being said, I grew tired of reading about the abuse and the amount of time the book spent on it. I don’t think there was a period of five pages where it wasn’t discussed. While it may have been truthful, I find it sad that more time was spent on this than his music. Instead of focusing on what makes Slash a great and vital musician, the book makes him out to be more of a celebrity junkie rather than a magnificent musician. Truthful or not, the drug passages could have been edited down and no one would have given it a second thought. I would have preferred a bonus chapter of insight from Slash on GNR, Snakepit and Velvet Revolver songs and it would have given his music a brighter spotlight.
Lastly, for someone who spent half of his life “out of it” I often pondered how much of these stories Slash truly remembered. Or did Bozza have to research and plug the info in for Slash? Only the two of them know, but I still find it hard to believe that Slash’s memory could be this vivid and lucid when he wasn’t mentally there for most of his latter teen’s and twenties. I have a hard time remembering what I did a few years ago and I’ve never had a drink in my life. But somehow Slash can remember every minute detail from decades back, a time where he was wasted, drunk or passed out. If he truly does remember every minute detail, god bless him. I just do not buy it.
Make no mistake; Slash is an artist of immense magnitude and one I love. Other than U2’s the Edge, no other guitar player from a rock band has had a solo spotlight on the cover of Rolling Stone in the last twenty-years. There’s a reason for that and it doesn’t have to do with his lifestyle, it has to do with what he can project when his fingers grace the six strings on a guitar. His playing is emotive and can elicit tears and shivers the same way a tenor would at an opera. This is what defines Slash as an artist. I only wish someone had clued Anthony Bozza, Stubner and the publisher into this. Slash is an immeasurable and illustrious artist who deserves a celebrated memoir; this isn’t it.
Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
