Guns N Roses was one of my favorite rock bands from the 1980s and 90s. I played the Appetite For Destruction CD relentlessly for months. I love rock and roll and I loved every song on that album. I knew almost nothing at that time about the personal lives of the band members. Years later the band broke up. I still don’t know much about their personal lives, except for pieces of info I heard on television. Duff McKagan has published a memoir called It’s So Easy And Other Lies. (It’s So Easy was a song from Appetite.) I’ve only just started reading it but so far it’s really interesting. When I was younger I never used to expect to hear that famous people to have things like panic attacks. I know now that we’re all human, which is something this book is doing a great job of showing. I think it’s interesting to learn about the interests and hobbies that some celebrities have, sometimes you just don’t expect something, I never would have guessed that Duff worked as a pastry chef and cook. If you enjoy reading about life in the music industry, be sure to check this out. Here’s more information on the book, from the publisher.
It’s So Easy: and other lies
- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: Touchstone; First Printing edition (October 4, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 145160663X
- ISBN-13: 978-1451606638
- Cover price $26.00
A founding member of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver shares the story of his rise to the pinnacle of fame and fortune, his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his personal crash and burn, and his phoenix-like transformation via a unique path to sobriety.
In 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff McKagan left his native Seattle—partly to pursue music but mainly to get away from a host of heroin overdoses then decimating his closest group of friends in the local punk scene. In L.A. only a few weeks and still living in his car, he answered a want ad for a bass player placed by someone who identified himself only as “Slash.” Soon after, the most dangerous band in the world was born. Guns N’ Roses went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.
In It’s So Easy, Duff recounts GN’R’s unlikely trajectory to a string of multiplatinum albums, sold-out stadium concerts, and global acclaim. But that kind of glory can take its toll, and it did—ultimately—on Duff, as well as on the band itself. As GN’R began to splinter, Duff felt that he himself was done, too. But his near death as a direct result of alcoholism proved to be his watershed, the turning point that led to his unique path to sobriety and the unexpected choices he has made for himself since. In a voice that is as honest as it is indelibly his own, Duff—one of rock’s smartest and most articulate personalities—takes readers on his harrowing journey through the dark heart of one of the most notorious bands in rock-and-roll history and out the other side.
About the Author
Duff McKagan played bass for Guns N’ Roses for twelve years and co-wrote many of their most iconic songs. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Duff formed Velvet Revolver with his former band mate Slash and fronts his own band, Loaded. He writes weekly columns for Seattleweekly.com and ESPN.com. McKagan lives in Seattle with his wife, supermodel Susan Holmes McKagan, and their two daughters. Visit Duff-ItsSoEasy.com.
TOUR DATES AND BOOK SIGNINGS
Duff has scheduled the following book-signing events:
Tuesday, October 4
Strand Book Store Event at 7 p.m.
828 Broadway
New York City, 10003
Wednesday, October 5
Bookends Event at 7 p.m.
211 E. Ridgewood Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Thursday, October 6
Book Revue Event at 7 p.m.
313 New York Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
Saturday, October 8
Barnes & Noble Costa Mesa Event at 2 p.m.
901 B South Coast Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Sunday, October 9
Barnes & Noble Santa Monica Event at 2 p.m.
3rd St. Promenade, 1201 3rd St.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tuesday, October 11
Book Soup Event at 7 p.m.
8818 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Sunday, October 16
Mall of America Event at 2 p.m.
60 E. Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425
Tuesday, October 18
Powell’s Books Event at 7:30 p.m.
1005 W. Burnside
Portland, OR 97209
Wednesday, October 19
University Book Store Event at 7 p.m.
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Thursday, October 20
Third Place Books Event at 7 p.m.
17171 Bothell Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
Friday, October 21
Elliott Bay Book Company Event at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, October 26
Warwick’s at 6:30 p.m.
7812 Girard Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
The product(s) featured in this review was provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of product testing and review. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.
