It took exactly 8 seconds for me to become a fan of Guns n' Roses; the first time I heard the jagged, foreboding opening riff of "Welcome to the Jungle," I was all in. I saw Guns many times over the years, and when(ever) they took the stage, they never disappointed (for however long they played, that is). Even when Guns were a bit raw and wasted as they were when I saw them at The Ritz, in New York City in 1988, or polished and (perhaps too) professional as they were on the Illusion tours, they had electricity – a tangible reckless abandon that cemented the music to the scrappy renegades that made it.
When I was given the opportunity to work directly with Slash to write his memoir, I jumped at it- who wouldn't? All of the original five members made Appetite for Destruction one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – one which seems to do nothing but get better with age – but if there are two defining sounds to the band, Slash is the Gun and Axl is the Roses. Rarely are a guitarist and a singer's sounds fused so organically that the product becomes a new instrument - the band's musical identity. There are others of course; Jagger and Richards, Tyler and Perry and Page and Plant – all of them legends. When that chemistry is right, it's as if there are two singers working together to tell the story – one of them just happens to be a guitar.
During the course of poring through the hours of interview transcript we complied and writing the resulting narrative that you all know as Slash, I of course called upon Mr. Hudson's entire catalog, with and without Guns, for inspiration during many a late night. The book was intense work; we interviewed five nights a week from around midnight until the wee hours for a few months, and my writing took place over the next four months (I don't suggest trying this if you don't have to), typically on the same schedule. It seemed fitting; I wanted to write under the same conditions in which I'd learned all that I never knew about Slash and Saul Hudson. Besides, I'd learned pretty quickly that the twilight hours are Slash's prime time, and most nights I could expect a long phone call to go over the finer points of a story or hear a freshly recalled, always-compelling, tale for the first time.
As for my soundtrack, I had a few playlists that I called upon; they're nothing that isn't out there, so I don't see the point in sharing them here. But something interesting happened as I got into the chapters that deal with the writing and recording of Appetite – I couldn't listen to it anymore. Slash's insights into the band's musical chemistry in that period, as well as his detailed breakdown of the writing of each and every song was a fanboy overload for me. I couldn't listen while working because if I listened I simply couldn't work – it had become one or the other. Everything he'd revealed made the album come alive like it never had for me. Music drives me on while I write – it's ever-present and keeps me on edge, energized. It keeps my thoughts flowing. Something else was happening now; I was staring at the screen, listening intently to the interplay, being carried away as if I was hearing it for the first time – but better. My feet would start moving, I'd start tapping the edge of my desk; I might pick up two pens for an air drum fill. I'd been given a pair of Bluetooth headphones (consequently by Tommy Lee, bringing this whole thing truly full circle), that I'd wear when working late, so before I knew it, without the constraint of a wire, I'd end up in the middle of my office in the throes of a full tilt nobody-can-see-me rock out….when I really should have been working. So the Guns catalog, Appetite in particular, had to be put on the backburner during the "work day."
As far as their legacy goes, may the book and its insights into the music give you the same uncontrollable glee that it gave me. Below are a few suggested tracks that I think go nicely with each chapter. I tried to limit my choices to two, because this of course is just a start, please post any and all suggestions. I'd want to hear your take so I can try 'em out when I re-read it for the paperback!
Chapter 1 – Stoked
Yesterdays
Nice Boys
Chapter 2 – Twenty-Inch High Hooligans
Move to the City
Ain't it Fun
Chapter 3 – How to Play Rock and Roll Guitar
Think About You
Locomotive
Chapter 4 – Education High
Reckless Life
Mama Kin
Chapter 5 – Least Likely to Succeed
Nightrain
Anything Goes
Chapter 6 – You Learn to Live Like an Animal
Welcome to the Jungle
Mr. Brownstone
Rocket Queen
Chapter 7 – Appetite for Dysfunction
You're Crazy
Out Ta Get Me
Chapter 8 – Off to the Races
Paradise City
Sweet Child O' Mine
Chapter 9 – Don't Try This at Home
It's So Easy
Coma
Chapter 10 – Humpty Dumpty
The Garden
Civil War
Chapter 11 – Choose Your Illusion
November Rain
Dead Horse
Chapter 12 – Breakdown
Mean Bone
Be the Ball
Chapter 13 – Coming Up for Air
Slither
Let it Roll
The Last Fight
--Anthony Bozza