Review by Booklist Review
Fans of the fading rock band Guns N' Roses (GN'R) will instantly identify McKagan as the group's rowdy bass player during its 1980s and 1990s glory days. Since leaving GN'R in 1997, McKagan has been keeping busy strumming for other bands like Velvet Revolver, writing columns for SeattleWeekly.com,and penning this blunt but very readable confessional autobiography. Unlike the memoirs of former bandmates Steve Adler and Slash, McKagan's chronicle focuses less on GN'R and more on his battle with and eventual recuperation from alcoholism. Growing up in a working-class Seattle neighborhood just as punk rock was invading the music scene, McKagan played for more than 30 bands and, by association, quickly became immersed in the city's drug and party culture. Despite his witnessing many overdoses and going even deeper into drugs during his GN'R days, a case of severe pancreatitis eventually prodded him to find a unique path to recovery. While much of this addiction-to-sobriety tale will sound familiar to jaded celebrity watchers, McKagan recounts his with flamboyance and an engaging wit.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this honest, well-written memoir, former Guns & Roses bass player McKagan recounts the age-old rock and roll saga of rise and fall-complete with private jets, busted marriages, drunken brawls, and drug addiction. But as McKagan relates, he took an unusual path to recovery, healing himself with martial arts, mountain biking, and meditation. Along the way he also earned a finance degree from Seattle University. McKagan's musical career started early-at age 15, the Seattle native was already playing in several punk bands. In 1983 he left for Los Angeles, where he met the other members of Guns & Roses. The 1987 release of Appetite for Destruction made the group an international phenomenon. For a rock star, McKagan is surprisingly self-aware and candid, and he doesn't let himself off the hook easily. The first half of this book alternates chapters between his youth in Seattle and early career in L.A., and he vividly evokes both music scenes-drugs and all-and his own enthusiasm, desperation, and joy. As the years progress, McKagan, who wrote a financial column for Playboy and currently writes a weekly column for the Seattle Times and ESPN.com, is more cautious and measured but no less insightful. 16 pages color photos (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
McKagan was a founding member of the bands Guns N' Roses (GNR) and Velvet Revolver, and he has penned what seems on the surface a standard tale of rags to rock'n'roll riches to rehab; however, McKagan's smarts (he writes a column for Seattle Weekly and ESPN.com), his insider's look at the punk scenes in both his native Seattle and Los Angeles, and his honest self-analysis propel his book above the standard crop of celebrity memoirs. Fans will love the descriptions of the struggles and early triumphs of GNR, but McKagan's descriptions of his equally driven efforts at self-transformation are just as compelling (particularly his meditation on the redemptive power of reading and the satisfaction he receives in his intellectual as well as physical revitalization). Verdict Rock fans-and would-be rockers-will find much to savor here. McKagan has packed a lot into his life and a lot of his life into this book. Readers will enjoy the ride.-Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Playboy, ESPN.com and Seattle Weekly--proves himself to be a legit writer (though readers may wonder how much credit goes to his Playboy editor Tim Mohr, of whom the author writes, "[this book] is as much his baby, as it is mine"). McKagan has a nice eye for details and a surprisingly good memory. He's proudly raw and harsh, refusing to hold back in terms of language and content, happy to rail on his band mates, his management, promoters and anybody else who he feels crossed him during his journey to the top, and back down to the middle. But he also points his finger at himself, admitting to all of his ill behavior, be it a loud disagreement with Axl Rose or one of his many devastating benders. The GNR story has been told from several angles, and while McKagan's book doesn't have the same oomph as Slash's 2008 autobiography, it's better written and more insightful about more topics than just GNR, including his stints with Velvet Revolver and Loaded. "My friends and old band members may remember some of the stories...differently than I do," he writes, "but I have found that all stories have many sides. These are my stories. These are my perspectives. This is my truth." McKagan doesn't add much to the oft-told GNR story, but fans will be thrilled by this honest, detailed memoir.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
