15 Raunchiest Rock Memoirs
- Posted by Joe Tacopino
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15
'Slash'
Slash and Anthony Bozza
Believe it or not it may be difficult to work with Axl Rose. This is according to the tell-all memoir from Slash, the guitarist of Guns 'n Roses. In addition to your main course of overdoses and mayhem in 'Slash,' the shredder standing in Axl's shadow mainly wanted to set the record straight on his role in the iconic metal band.
"Axl had a unique voice; it was brilliant in range & tone, but even though it was often intense and in your face, it had an amazingly soulful, bluesy quality to it because he had a choir background from singing choir in church when he was in grade school."
"Axl had a unique voice; it was brilliant in range & tone, but even though it was often intense and in your face, it had an amazingly soulful, bluesy quality to it because he had a choir background from singing choir in church when he was in grade school."
Amazon
14
'Rat Girl: A Memoir'
Kristin Hersh
Throwing Muses front woman Kristin Hersh doesn't so much deal with the solipsism of an overindulgent rock star. Instead, this is a story of survival in one year of a touring indie rocker. Hersh also details her struggle with personality disorder and having a baby to boot - what a year.
"I've heard music that no one hears since I got hit by a car a couple of years ago and sustained a double concussion... Songs no longer tapped me on the shoulder; they slugged me in the jaw."
"I've heard music that no one hears since I got hit by a car a couple of years ago and sustained a double concussion... Songs no longer tapped me on the shoulder; they slugged me in the jaw."
Rat Girl
13
'Miles: The Autobiography'
Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe
The legendary jazz musician ushered in a new movement that still reverberates in music and pop culture today. But this first-hand account gives us an unvarnished look at the tumultuous life of Miles Davis's musical genius, heroin addiction, and the virulent racism he had to endure.
"Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett didn't show me anything about understanding what I was trying to do; they were nice guys but didn't seem to know anything about music. Most of these TV talk show hosts were trying to communicate with some tired, old white people from somewhere nobody ever heard about."
"Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett didn't show me anything about understanding what I was trying to do; they were nice guys but didn't seem to know anything about music. Most of these TV talk show hosts were trying to communicate with some tired, old white people from somewhere nobody ever heard about."
Amazon
12
'Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag'
Henry Rollins
Being spat on by mohawked punk rockers, the stink of tour and fighting with cops -- it all goes with the territory of fronting one of the most influential bands in hardcore history. Some Black Flag members criticized Rollins for glorifying the pitfalls of touring, but it hasn't stopped him from making a cottage industry out of this shtick.
"Some guy jumped onstage and kicked me in the head real hard with his boot. I grabbed him and punched him in the face. Don't hit the singer in the head because he will try to punch your lights out."
"Some guy jumped onstage and kicked me in the head real hard with his boot. I grabbed him and punched him in the face. Don't hit the singer in the head because he will try to punch your lights out."
Amazon
11
'Take It Like a Man'
Boy George With Spencer Bright
The gender-bending leader of the Culture Club pushed the boundaries for men wearing make-up during a pop music period when big hair and effete males were the norm. This biography of Boy George looks into the various relationships and travails of this enigmatic pop star.
"Bombay airport was rich with colors, smells, and regimented anarchy. We were held up at customs because of my Joan Collins passport picture. I hot, tired, and praying to any God that they wouldn't send me home."
"Bombay airport was rich with colors, smells, and regimented anarchy. We were held up at customs because of my Joan Collins passport picture. I hot, tired, and praying to any God that they wouldn't send me home."
Amazon
10
'Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs'
John Lydon, Keith Zimmerman and Kent Zimmerman
Johnny Rotten was never one to be demure. His no-holds-barred account of fronting the UK's most notorious punk band was sure to piss some people off. The book even includes affidavits of the many people who took Lydon to court. Punk may be dead, but God save Johnny Rotten.
"The Sex Pistols ended the way they began – in utter disaster. Everything between was equally disastrous."
"The Sex Pistols ended the way they began – in utter disaster. Everything between was equally disastrous."
Amazon
09
'Scar Tissue'
Anthony Kiedis and Larry Sloman
Ouch. 'Scar Tissue' details this lead Red Hot Chili Peppers' singer's recurring problems with addiction, even after losing friend and guitarist Hillel Slovak to drugs. Apparently, Kiedis was so distraught over losing his friend that he couldn't even make Slovak's funeral. As the memoir shows, addiction has its consequences.
"For years and years, I filled syringes and injected myself with cocaine, speed, Black Tar heroin, Persian heroin, and once even LSD. Now... I'm taking Ozone intravenously because somewhere along the line, I contracted Hepatitis C from my drug experimentation."
"For years and years, I filled syringes and injected myself with cocaine, speed, Black Tar heroin, Persian heroin, and once even LSD. Now... I'm taking Ozone intravenously because somewhere along the line, I contracted Hepatitis C from my drug experimentation."
Amazon
08
'Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir'
Dave Mustaine and Joe Layden
How does one get kicked out of Metallica? Dave Mustaine can tell you. He regales us with tales of being a guitarist for Megadeth, surviving an abusive father and panhandling for money. Oh, and he also chronicles his drug addiction. He never quite got over his Metallica diss, but does clean up and convert to Christianity in the end.
"What I do remember is the sight of the channel locks in his hand. Channel locks are like pliers, only bigger, and for some reason I guess my father felt like he needed them to corral his four-year-old son."
"What I do remember is the sight of the channel locks in his hand. Channel locks are like pliers, only bigger, and for some reason I guess my father felt like he needed them to corral his four-year-old son."
Amazon
07
'I Need More'
Iggy Pop
How does a quiet boy from Michigan end up on stage rolling in glass, stabbing himself with broken drumsticks on drug-fueled binges? The lead singer of proto-punk band the Stooges delivers this memoir in short powerful bursts reminiscent of the songs that made Iggy Pop iconic.
"I think that all the years of exposure to amps and electricity has altered my body chemistry."
"I think that all the years of exposure to amps and electricity has altered my body chemistry."
Amazon
06
'The Long Hard Road Out of Hell'
Marilyn Manson and Neil Strauss
What a surprise. Marilyn Manson's deviant rock 'n' roll persona was partly shaped by his grandfather's preference for abnormal sexual fetishes. His memoir delved into the fragile years of childhood, before delivering the predictable muck of sex and drugs.
"Nearly every day we made new and grotesque discoveries... I had seen Playboy and Penthouse before, but these photographs were in another class together. It wasn't just that they were obscene. They were surreal."
"Nearly every day we made new and grotesque discoveries... I had seen Playboy and Penthouse before, but these photographs were in another class together. It wasn't just that they were obscene. They were surreal."
Amazon
05
'Life'
Keith Richards
Perhaps no one person personifies the rebellious nature of rock 'n' roll more than Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. This is a man who conquered the world with his guitar and lived to tell the story.
"It was all dripping with sexual lust, though they didn't know what to do about it. But suddenly you're on the end of it. It's a frenzy. They'd lost themselves. These chicks were coming out there, bleeding, clothes torn off, p----d panties, and you took that for granted every night."
"It was all dripping with sexual lust, though they didn't know what to do about it. But suddenly you're on the end of it. It's a frenzy. They'd lost themselves. These chicks were coming out there, bleeding, clothes torn off, p----d panties, and you took that for granted every night."
Amazon
04
'Walk This Way'
Aerosmith
Before Steven Tyler was appointed to judge 'American Idol' he was half of the 'Toxic Twins.' Tyler and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry burned through decades of rocking, partying, boozing and fornicating.
"We believed anything worth doing was worth overdoing."
"We believed anything worth doing was worth overdoing."
Amazon
03
'Somebody to Love?'
Grace Slick
The sultry screamer implored an entire generation to "feed your head." As a lead singer in the '60s, Slick broke rules and barriers for female performers. In this rollicking memoir she tells of the various exploits of Jefferson Airplane, Starship, and beyond.
"Having ingested the entire contents of the mini-bar in my hotel room before I arrived at the venue for the show, I stuck my fingers in this guy's nostrils just because I thought they'd probably fit."
"Having ingested the entire contents of the mini-bar in my hotel room before I arrived at the venue for the show, I stuck my fingers in this guy's nostrils just because I thought they'd probably fit."
Amazon
02
'The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon'
John Joseph
You don't get a nickname like "Bloodclot" for nothing. The leader of New York City hardcore band the Cro-Mags John Joseph details a traumatic childhood, hustling fake acid as a teen and the general violence and mayhem of downtown Manhattan in the '80s.
"New York City was a different place. It was a jungle... The 42nd Street, Times Square, Disneyland s--- you see now didn't exist."
"New York City was a different place. It was a jungle... The 42nd Street, Times Square, Disneyland s--- you see now didn't exist."
Amazon
01
'Motley Crue: The Dirt - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band'
Motley Crue
Hair spray, cocaine and orgies! Oh my! In an era of extreme excess, these guys dish about one thing: dirt. It's the epic tale of hair metal band Motley Crue crusading against the era of polished '80s pop. Narrated by each member, the book offers an unvarnished look at the lives of drug-and-sex-addled rock stars. A screenplay based on the book is said to be in the works.
"Rudy, one of techs, gave us the best toast ever: 'To Tommy and Heather,' he said, raising a champagne glass. 'May all your ups and downs be in bed.' Then he took the champagne glass and smashed it over his head."
"Rudy, one of techs, gave us the best toast ever: 'To Tommy and Heather,' he said, raising a champagne glass. 'May all your ups and downs be in bed.' Then he took the champagne glass and smashed it over his head."
Amazon
- Filed under: The Hit List, Book Club
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