Slash’s Book

Slash on Slash by Slash (and Anthony Bozza).

Leah Werier

They wrote high energy, unforgettable, in-your-face rock albums and rose up to the heights of superstardom. Guns N’ Roses (GNR) is one of the best rock bands to come out of the ’80s. At the height of their success, GNR released memorable tracks, including Sweet Child O’ Mine and Welcome To The Jungle. However, more often than not, one remembers the ever-changing lineup and tension between the lead guitarist, Slash, and the front man, Axl Rose, which ultimately resulted in Slash quitting the band in ’96. With his black curly mane and cartoon-like top hat pulled down over his eyes, Slash has created a persona that matches up to his talents as a guitar god.

Recently, Slash has been in the spotlight for his projects that tap into mainstream consumerism. Guitar Hero III was conveniently released just in time for the holidays. Slash also decided to pursue his artistic voice in another medium: print. Collaborating with Anthony Bozza, Slash doesn’t quite fit the description of an autobiography; I doubt Slash wrote most or any of it.

Bozza has been around the block when it comes to celebrity memoirs, penning Eminem’s Whatever You Say I am: The Life and Times of Eminem and Tommy Lee’s Tommyland. Overall, this book reads like an extended journalism piece at best. It is at times poorly organized and often unclear in later sections of the book; it jumps around leaving the reader puzzled as to the lack of chronological order and failure to describe certain things appropriately. Any time something interesting is hinted at, it is soon followed by the stock response, “But we will get to that in a little bit.” However, by the time the next “But we will get to that in a little bit” shows up, you will forget what you had previously been looking forward to. Perhaps this is a technique to force readers into finishing his drawn-out tale. As well, I wonder if this memoir should have been subtitled “All things considered” seeing as this phrase, too, was grossly overused. Bozza is a good ghost writer, but it seems as though his voice is behind Slash’s heavy self-reflective tone. Several times throughout I questioned whether Slash was capable of uttering (or thinking) half of the opinions expressed.

I honestly don’t know why I finished reading this book — it was unimpressive, repetitive, and somSweet Child O’ Mine e stories are just gross. A prime example: Slash recalls the time he feared he had AIDS. He noticed a persistent sore-like rash all over his nether regions. He states, “I’d picked up venereal warts, probably from the porno chick — which intensified my AIDS terror. I’d been pretty promiscuous up to that point and never used protection. . . . When these things showed up I thought, ‘What the fuck is this?’ . . . I spent all of my time in and out of clinics in every country we went to, keeping these things at bay. I wanted to get rid of them permanently before I met up with Sally.” The reader should notice how much of an inconsiderate asshole he is when he follows this story up by stating that “Sally never knew a thing.”

The most appealing part of the “autobiography” was how Slash came to get his iconic look, as well as his transformation from Saul Hudson to Slash. I enjoyed it not because it’s profoundly interesting or daring, but simply because it’s something I felt I hadn’t heard before (and didn’t make me feel like vomiting). All the generic tales about drugs and girls are a huge part of rock ’n’ roll culture, but they shouldn’t take away from the big picture that true fans are interested in — the pure art of musicianship and the telling features of his childhood. A fair portion of this book is dedicated to Slash’s most recent gig as lead guitarist for Velvet Revolver, hand-in-hand with some cheery, glossy band photos — a highlight of this book, speaking more than the chapters do.

I feel that Slash used this book as a way of clearing up his name and justifying himself in the dozens of lewd and horrific acts that he has been part of. This would include cheating on his first wife repeatedly as well as his role in two (!) drug-related deaths. There is the occasional interesting quip here and there about “what really happened” between Slash and Axl. On the chances of the original GNR lineup performing together again, his answer is essentially “No.” This answer happens to be strikingly similar to the answer I would provide should anyone ask me “Should I read Slash (with Anthony Bozza)?”