The Slash autobiography thread

[don_vercetti]

The errors you're pointing out are insignificant. How you can let something as insignificant as the exact date they started playing/rehearsing with a backing band, and a few other errors of a similiar ilk, spoil your enjoyment of the book is beyond me. It's a bit sad actually. Its a good book, enjoy it for what it is; instead of pointing out every little irrelevant mistake.

You keep reading and things like that pop up all the time.


If something took away from the reading enjoyment, it would be all the "we'll get to that later" phrases. 

/jarmo

That definetely annoyed me, it's a very poor way of writing, doing that.  The rest of the book was entertaining, I thought.  And it was nice to know what Slash was doing whilst in 'the wilderness' so to speak. 

[charl!edontsurf]

Haha. Slash didn't WRITE the book... Anthony Bozza did. Slash went through intensive interviews with Bozza and then Bozza put it to the paper. Slash can't write as eloquently as the book portrays. Bozza tones it down and adds in trivial words like 'stupid, and shitty', but in the end, Slash didn't sit down on a computer and type this out.

Slash knows how to spell Dave's name... picking on that is actually quite humorous.

I kind of like that the book isn't fact checked. It's all memory and interpretation work. I like hearing his sides of the story, even if they aren't one hundred percent correct. It's a memoir, an autobiography. This isn't the Declaration of Independence.

Apparently, reading this book for some was a way to vent and nothing more than a vehicle of critisism. Calling people stupid because they are 'VR' fans is ironic, when most of this board doesn't know who Steven Adler is. This is a new Guns n Roses board. Most of the old hardcore's have left due to ageism or the very nature of a new Guns n Roses board and its acceptance of the old fans.

[Ali]

Haha. Slash didn't WRITE the book... Anthony Bozza did. Slash went through intensive interviews with Bozza and then Bozza put it to the paper. Slash can't write as eloquently as the book portrays. Bozza tones it down and adds in trivial words like 'stupid, and shitty', but in the end, Slash didn't sit down on a computer and type this out.

Slash knows how to spell Dave's name... picking on that is actually quite humorous.

I kind of like that the book isn't fact checked. It's all memory and interpretation work. I like hearing his sides of the story, even if they aren't one hundred percent correct. It's a memoir, an autobiography. This isn't the Declaration of Independence.

Apparently, reading this book for some was a way to vent and nothing more than a vehicle of critisism. Calling people stupid because they are 'VR' fans is ironic, when most of this board doesn't know who Steven Adler is. This is a new Guns n Roses board. Most of the old hardcore's have left due to ageism or the very nature of a new Guns n Roses board and its acceptance of the old fans.

That's true, Slash didn't write the book himself.

As far as Dave's name goes, that seems like such a trivial and common-sense thing to do, spell check someone's name, that it's suprising it wasn't done right.  On your list of things to do, getting names spelled correctly as a matter of respect, should be done.

Ali

[JimBobTTD]

Indeed. People are very attached to their names as it, in a sense, defines who you are. As you said, getting this wrong is a bit of a slap in the face. I am really amazed that this managed to happen.

[jarmo]

Haha. Slash didn't WRITE the book... Anthony Bozza did. Slash went through intensive interviews with Bozza and then Bozza put it to the paper. Slash can't write as eloquently as the book portrays. Bozza tones it down and adds in trivial words like 'stupid, and shitty', but in the end, Slash didn't sit down on a computer and type this out.

Of course not.

I kind of like that the book isn't fact checked. It's all memory and interpretation work. I like hearing his sides of the story, even if they aren't one hundred percent correct. It's a memoir, an autobiography. This isn't the Declaration of Independence.

And I prefer fact to fiction because often the truth is more interesting to read. That's just me.

Apparently, reading this book for some was a way to vent and nothing more than a vehicle of critisism.

Oh really?

You didn't even bother reading why I personally have some "problems" with the errors did you? I guess it's just way easier to say "you like GN'R, you hate Slash." than to read and address the issues.




I didn't say VR fans are stupid did I? I assume it's aimed at me.

I think I explained this in the other thread as well, but since some of you don't bother reading my posts, and probably not the book either since it's longer than any of my posts, I said certain fans of VR probably have a way different point of view than I do. For one, I've spent years following GN'R (and Slash). I have an idea of what he's said in the past before writing this book.

Now, I'm not sure a teenager who got into rock music in 2004 and fell in love with Contraband has the same background I do.

That person reads the book in her/his own way and might not notice how there are factual errors in it.



Then some of you just like to read and since it's got the word Slash in the title, that's enough for you.



It's just fucking amusing how all the people attacking me are the ones who post mostly in this section and post pics of themselves meeting VR.

The same people who over analyze everything other bands do. "Oh he missed a note! Did you hear him miss a note!!!!!!!", but when Slash's book has a bunch of FACTS wrong, it's no big deal. Who cares... Facts. Who cares about facts.....




/jarmo

[snakepiter]

I found a bunch of errors but I'd like to see all those who love the book, and who say this is the best book about GN'R, to point out the errors they found first.




/jarmo

You really must have way too much time on your hands.

Yeah, I read Slash's book......

And then more than once I thought "hey, that's not right" as I was reading it.


Instead reading it like you: "Wooooooo! Look at those pics!? ? ? ? ? "



/jarmo

you have the book??? prove it.

[snakepiter]

He says once they got all the back up singers and horn section together, they went and played at Rock In Rio 2...... No they didn't.

Did he say they took the back up singers and horn section with them to RIR or that they had just got them together??

After we got out stage show together, back up singers, horn section, and all, and did a week's worth of rehearsals with every element intact, suddenly we found ourselves in South America, before a crowd of 180,000 at Rock In Rio II, on January 20, 1991.


Just for you Slash fans, let's assume he's telling the truth. So answer this :Why did they rehearse with the horn section before RIR2 in January 1991 when they didn't use them until December 1991?



Clearly an error.





/jarmo

of course before they left to south america they had to have the horn section ready, later on there wouldn't be any time to do it.

[CSS]

you have the book??? prove it.

Come on, dude...

He obviously does since he noticed all of the errors.

[snakepiter]

There's actually a video of Axl rehearsing with some members of the band on stage b4 RIR. He sings COMA by the way!

Here it is.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drtr0NP5fgQ

I saw video footage of the band rehearsing in rio in a little room without axl, remember?

[jarmo]

you have the book??? prove it.

Page 75, second row, fourth word: Doritos

of course before they left to south america they had to have the horn section ready, later on there wouldn't be any time to do it.

But Gilby had time to rehearse between September and December 1991?



/jarmo

[snakepiter]

  this place is really fun!!!!

[snakepiter]

The errors you're pointing out are insignificant. How you can let something as insignificant as the exact date they started playing/rehearsing with a backing band, and a few other errors of a similiar ilk, spoil your enjoyment of the book is beyond me. It's a bit sad actually. Its a good book, enjoy it for what it is; instead of pointing out every little irrelevant mistake.

This is the problem with you people.

I didn't say it spoiled any enjoyment.

But as you read the book and time after time there's factual errors that I know of, it really makes you start feeling like they should've done at least some fact checking.

It also makes you wonder how accurate it is as a whole.

The guy even manages to get his birth place wrong. So I'm reading and he says "I was born in Stoke-on-Trent" and I think to myself "I thought it was Hampstead".....

You keep reading and things like that pop up all the time.


If something took away from the reading enjoyment, it would be all the "we'll get to that later" phrases.?



Why is it a good book in your opinion?



/jarmo

if the guy says he was born in Stoke-on-Trent then he was born in Stoke-on-Trent.

[jarmo]

if the guy says he was born in Stoke-on-Trent then he was born in Stoke-on-Trent.

Sure.

 



/jarmo

[snakepiter]

I for one don't care if some arena, times, details are off when I get around to reading it. I care more about hearing some stories and insight from a guy who lived it, rather than how many people were in attendance for the show on May 28 1991, or what stadium they played in on June 27 1992. What a fun book that would be...

You want insight into the world of GN'R, but you know a lot of it is not 100% true....



Another thing: He says Del James wrote a short story that inspired Axl to write November Rain.

As far as I know, Del James wrote a story based on Axl called Without You which helped Axl write a song called Estranged.


It's explained in the Makin' Fucking Videos Part II - November Rain home video.

Now, at the end of the November Rain video, it says Based On the short story Without You by Del James. But that might mean the video, not the song itself.....


I'm sure this doesn't bother you at all either. Slash telling the readers what Axl's song is about.


/jarmo

of course he meant the video for november rain hello?

[jarmo]

of course he meant the video for november rain hello?

I was being nice there. 

His actual words are "Del ended up writing treatments for some of our videos, as well as having written the short story that inspired Axl to write November Rain".


You'll all argue that he's talking about Axl writing the video for November Rain...




/jarmo

[snakepiter]

you have the book??? prove it.

Page 75, second row, fourth word: Doritos

of course before they left to south america they had to have the horn section ready, later on there wouldn't be any time to do it.

But Gilby had time to rehearse between September and December 1991?



/jarmo

that's right, gilby said he had to learn a lot of songs in such a little time...you forgot?

[Eclipsed107]

Why does everything have to be a war between Axl and Slash?  It's always Slash vs. Axl, Gn'R vs. Velvet Revolver.  I would think as the mod. of the board Jarmo would try to stay away from that, but he probably eggs it on more than anyone.

Why is there all this bickering about errors in the book?

Does anyone even know how a book like this is written?  Slash tells the co-author his MEMORIES about his life.  The co-author then goes and types everything up.  Slash gives it a read, gives it the ok, the editors take a look at it, it goes to printing.  Since there's a deadline and books are generally printed shortly before that deadline errors slip through.  If you want to check out a version with less grammatical errors see the second printing, which is usually when the print is cleaned up better.

About Slash being a liar, this is fucking ridiculous.  He's giving his memory of his life.  I'd like to see anyone here write an autobiography and not forget things or mix things up.  If they went and fact checked this it wouldn't be a book about Slash's memory and biography anymore, it'd be a book about the fact checker's computer skills.  That's the beauty about a book like this, it's Slash's memory, and Slash's words.  Anyone who thought everything would be 100% accurate is a fucking idiot.  If Axl writes a book, it'll be the same way.  Same with Duff, same with Matt, same with anyone.  Not everyone has a perfect memory.

I've been coming to this place for 5 or 6 years now and I've never been so disgusted at one of the fights on this board.  Most of this place has always had it's head up Axl's ass and has always been bitter against Slash, but to bicker and whine about every little mistake in Slash's book is unbelievable.  I'm sure if Axl ever writes a book it'll be an automatic ban to point out inconsistency or typos.  Although if Axl ever did write a book I'm sure it'd get the Chinese Democracy treatment.

I never understood why there is so much bitterness against Slash here, maybe it's because since Gn'R Slash has released 4 albums and a book, and all we get from Axl is "Chinese Democracy will be released this year" year after year.  Oh, well we did get a few tours of the same exact setlist and almost as many canceled shows as performed shows, but there's nothing wrong with that!  But there's a typo in Slash's book and we have to crucify him.  All praise Axl, because the guy never lies or says anything that isn't true.  That's why we all have Chinese Democracy in our hands, right?

Now I know why I don't come to this place as often as I used to.

[Ali]

of course he meant the video for november rain hello?

I was being nice there.?

His actual words are "Del ended up writing treatments for some of our videos, as well as having written the short story that inspired Axl to write November Rain".


You'll all argue that he's talking about Axl writing the video for November Rain...




/jarmo

Well, that's obviously wrong.  Axl started writing "November Rain" before the story even existed as far as I know.  "Estranged" was inspired by the Del James short story.  Axl even wrote this in the Forward to Del's book.

Ali

[jarmo]

that's right, gilby said he had to learn a lot of songs in such a little time...you forgot?

No, I didn't forget.

You're the one saying they rehearsed with the extended line up BEFORE Rock In Rio in January 1991 but then waited until December 1991 to use them on stage.

Keep explaining.....

Why is there all this bickering about errors in the book?

When will one of you answer my question: Why can't I, or anybody else who read the book, point out the factual errors in it so that people get the correct facts?

Why is that?


It's like somebody saying "I sure love that video they did for Nightrain where Slash plays in the water". Then you point out that the person is probably thinking of Estranged.




I read the fucking book and found a bunch of errors, but I'm being attacked because a GN'R fan reading a book that deals with GN'R is not allowed to correct the errors. You people are fucking amazing.

Yet everything Axl says is over analyzed and taken out of context as much as possible. But don't fucking dare to point out the facts that Slash and his co-author got wrong in a book!


It's not even a discussion about whether or not you believe Slash when he says why he quit GN'R. These are facts he got wrong.


It's also funny how I'm being told I shouldn't have read the book because I'm not a Slash fan..... 





/jarmo

[Eclipsed107]

ill one of you answer my question: Why can't I, or anybody else who read the book, point out the factual errors in it so that people get the correct facts?

Why is that?


It's like somebody saying "I sure love that video they did for Nightrain where Slash plays in the water". Then you point out that the person is probably thinking of Estranged.




I read the fucking book and found a bunch of errors, but I'm being attacked because a GN'R fan reading a book that deals with GN'R is not allowed to correct the errors. You people are fucking amazing.

Yet everything Axl says is over analyzed and taken out of context as much as possible. But don't fucking dare to point out the facts that Slash and his co-author got wrong in a book!


It's not even a discussion about whether or not you believe Slash when he says why he quit GN'R. These are facts he got wrong.




/jarmo

Jarmo, I have no problem with you pointing out errors.  The problem I have is that you have such a big problem with the errors and the attitude that you are giving everyone (yes I know people are giving you an attitude too).

My point is, there are going to be errors.  The book is written from Slash's memory, not the online database of Gn'R history.  Point out the errors, that's fine.  But just because Slash doesn't remember everything perfectly doesn't mean he's a liar, or dishonest, or whatever you or anyone else wants to say.

If the facts were checked before the book was printed, it wouldn't be Slash's memories anymore.  That's the beauty of a book like this, it's an autobiography.  Not every word may be accurate, but every word is Slash's word (even if the co-author misspelled some of them).

Who here can honestly say they remember every detail and event of their life perfectly?  No one.  Especially if they were on drugs and booze at the time.