It's So Easy: And Other Lies

I really enjoyed this book. Duff McKagan is an excellent writer and strikes me as an intelligent guy. Amazingly after all of his years of heavy drinking his brain seems very sharp and intact! I was surprised that he married the model Susan Holmes, I used to think she was so pretty, to me she was the most beautiful of the 90s super models. Their story is lovely, especially as they had 2 beautiful daughters and have been married for a few decades now. It was just a very good book, very enjoyable and I felt sad when it ended. One thing that really stood out to me and that I found amazing was how much those guys drank and took drugs, yet they still managed to go to rehearsals and go on concert tours, drinking and drugging the whole time! They must be made out of steel because normal people can't do all of that and still go to work and keep up with their responsibilities. It sounds like maybe the drummer Steve couldn't keep up, but I was truly flabbergasted how those guys managed to carry on with all that heavy duty partying going on. Anyway I found this to be a very enjoyable book, and I looked up some of the people Duff mentioned, for instance that insane guy Kim Fowley, yikes! It also gave an interesting overview of the heavy metal scene in LA during the 80s. This is a really good book, I highly recommend it!

I think I probably wrote that on a few junior high notebooks back in the day. GNR was the only band of my era that I ever really loved (and D.M. was the cutie). I was a pianist, a music snob, I loved Elton and Billy and Tori but not many bands. I listened to hair/glam rock more than any other kind of music in my teenage years, but I didn't *love* any of those other bands, even the ones I thought were talented, and around the time GNR well and truly broke up, I checked out of pop culture altogether for more than a decade because I just didn't care any more.This is the first rock band biography I have ever read, though I considered buying Slash's book when it came out. (I'll admit I also found his type of sexy appealing as a teenager, though it was always clear Duff was the solid one, even then.) I read a few pages of Slash in the store; his style annoyed me, so I didn't buy it. After I read Duff's book, though, I had to have it. I wanted to know more. (I almost bought Steven's book too, but for now the free sample has me convinced I shouldn't.)I don't read rock biographies because 1) I usually don't care about the people who write them and 2) I like for things to be well-written, which is not what one expects from rock burnouts. Then I saw the reviews for this book. I read a lot of books; I have *never* seen a book with such positive reviews; not any book I was interested in, anyway. And I had no idea that Duff had done so well for himself after GNR because, as I said, I had checked out of pop culture, long before the internet. Back when I was actually paying attention, I depended on MTV news and Headbanger's Ball for band gossip, with which they were sparing.I agree with the vast majority of the reviewers. This book is beautifully written. For the literary snobs, perhaps it's a little formulaic (chronology games), but nevertheless executed with a genuine and sophisticated touch. More importantly, the book tells an important story, not just for fans of GNR and late 80s hard rock, but for anyone who has struggled with addiction, or the addiction of a loved one—for anyone who is trying to figure out how to be a good parent after a rough life (though Duff concedes that this is largely dependent on socioeconomic status)—for anyone seeking to get in shape after a life of body abuse—for anyone who simply loves a well-spun tale.I remember counting down the days to the release of Use Your Illusion with a day calendar, the kind where you tear off a page for each new day. I saved the page for September 17, 1991 for a long time. My dad had made us a tape of the songs on AFD that he thought were semi-appropriate (without album art); he figured we were old enough to handle the whole album(s) with UYI.I have seen very few popular musicians/bands in concert, but I saw GNR twice in 1992, once in Biloxi, and again in New Orleans, at the Superdome, 13 years to the day (August 29) before Katrina destroyed everything along the coast from NO to Biloxi and beyond. (There is video from the Biloxi Coliseum on YouTube; check it out.)I don't remember GNR coming on late in Biloxi. Maybe as much as 45 minutes late? I don't remember; all I remember is that 1) the show was good, though we were too close to the ginormous speakers, and 2) Soundgarden was terrible. I came to like Soundgarden later, and I could never reconcile the cleverness of "Burden in my Hand" and "Black Hole Sun" with the crap band that I heard on stage that night. I was 13, and I was there with my dad, who probably only took me because he was just divorced and trying to be the cool parent.In New Orleans (by which time I was 14), GNR was LATE. I definitely remember it. They were so late that we wondered if they would ever come on, and many people did not stick around to find out. They were so late that they had a camera going around the place looking for chicks (probably plants) to flash the camera in order to keep the audience entertained. (Did I mention that my dad was also really religious? Another byproduct of the divorce.) It was one of the most awkward moments of my childhood.I should start at the beginning of that concert. Faith No More was just as terrible as Soundgarden had been; the difference was that I liked Faith No More before I heard them. When they broke up not too long after this concert, I didn't even notice. (I read about it in Slash's book.)I would never have gone to see Metallica if they hadn't been playing with GNR, because I didn't care much about Metallica (though I loved the beef they added to the GNR ticket). I thought they had some good songs, more on the Black Album than I expected, but none as good as the pure genius which was GNR's best. We got our money's worth from Metallica that night, though. They put on an awesome show. I didn't know half of the songs they played, but their energy was amazing. The impression I came away with was how *professional* they were next to GNR (and Faith No More).Somehow, I managed to convince my Dad to stay and wait for GNR to come on. It was close to two hours, if I recall, after Metallica left, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. It was ridiculous. The boob-flashing chicks only did so much to placate the natives. The energy in the audience grew more and more frustrated and negative. There were hecklers shouting. Something might have been chanted; if so, I don't remember what. Maybe it was "BS", maybe it was something else.Duff, if you ever read this, I want you to know how much it means to me that you were able to describe so well what this was like from backstage, how that "rumble" of dissatisfaction made you feel, made everyone feel. It was so easy to imagine, out there in the crowd, that all of you were somewhere on Bourbon Street living it up while we were voicing our dissatisfaction with no one who could do anything about it. When you guys finally came out, it was terrible. I remember specifically that Slash played terribly, which made me sad because I really admire his musicianship. I don't remember how you played; all I remember is that you said some crazy stuff at the mic. Or maybe that was just Get in the Ring! (To which my reaction has always been, ????)Now I know why it was so terrible; the long delay frustrated you guys as much as it did us, and you were all self-medicating in the most self-destructive way possible. In the end, it was all kind of appropriate, in a screwed-up way. But having been there for the "rumble" made your description of it seem really personal, to me. It's kind of silly; if Slash can be believed, you guys played to 7 million people on that tour, and probably 4-5 million of them experienced the same thing. You understood our frustration, and it affected you more than it affected us, ainsi tout est pardonné. En outre, mille remerciements du fond du cœur pour la musique fantastique, et pour votre livre magnifique. Vive l'armes!

Guns n' Roses came onto the scene when I was a teenager and just discovering what my tastes in music were. They blew my mind. They were so different and the music was really unique. I ended up seeing them in concert during the second leg of the Use Your Illusion tour. I'd heard about the long waits and we had to wait about 2 hours before Axl decided to come out. I always wondered about the band dynamic and this book offers a great insight into what was going on. It's obvious Duff was frustrated by a lot of things that went on but he is never mean in his narrative. Not only is this an interesting perspective on the music scene of the times but this is a great cautionary tale about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. It's very impressive the way McKagen was able to conquer his demons and not only continue on with his music but pursue his education and begin business and writing careers. Very well-written.

Loved being able to learn a bit more about the band that I loved as a teenager and see how Duff was able to became a better man. Great life lesson! Really fun to read, too!

Apenas estoy por leerlo, lo esperaba con plástico o celofán pero en general llego en buenas condiciones sin daños.

Really cool book

Duff's Journey through G'n'R, overcoming addiction through mtb and martial arts, going back to school and returning to music.

An epic read, has kept me enthralled all day, articulate story telling at its finest, subtle humour, but the type that makes you laugh so hard you can't open your eyes and the tears stream down your cheeks (the hell tour, the pimp coat) tears of sadness for.the friends and relations lost.along the way and a euphoric ending where our hero has made it through and has the life he always wanted. Just a pity it ends in 2011, pre reunion of the original 3 in 2016. Gunners, we await the next installment , all we need is just a little.patience :-)