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Has GNRs inspired you to write an unauthorized Band Biography ? Why or Why wouldnt you?


sailaway

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So, all these many years keeping up with GNRs, would you consider yourself knowledgable enough to write an unauthorized band biography? How many have you read, which one do you consider best? Why would yours be better/worse than what is out there? Do you consider this site a treasure trove of gathered info?

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The problem is the bio has been done various times. Some of the gossip or stories or angle may not have been perfect but you still get the idea.

Only part that hasn't covered is the CD era and that's pretty hard to work out.

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So, all these many years keeping up with GNRs, would you consider yourself knowledgable enough to write an unauthorized band biography? How many have you read, which one do you consider best? Why would yours be better/worse than what is out there? Do you consider this site a treasure trove of gathered info?

I am almost there. But I personally prefer to read facts rather than some author trying to interpret these facts and make some cohesive story out of them. They usually fail, haven't done their job properly, or are biased in any one direction. I hope that my own site can be a go-to source for anyone interested in learning and writing about the band.

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The problem is with any GnR biography is that the personal stories of the two key members, Axl and Izzy, are largely missing. Yes there are bits of interviews of them all over the place but neither has put the whole story out in chronological order from their perspective. This is why any biographical writing ends up skewed to Slash and Duff's perspective and to a lesser extent Adler.

I would love for Axl and Izzy to rectify this.

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Although not a traditional band bio, Canter's Reckless Road has 1984-(early) 87 covered. It is, by miles, the greatest book on Guns and one of the greatest rock books I own. The problem with the unauthorised biographies is they were all written before Canter's book and Canter's book made them all obsolete. That book, Reckless Road, shows up so many errors in the unauthorised bios for the 1984-86 period. The errors tend to involve, the different bands (Hollywood Rose, New Hollywood Rose, LA Guns, London) and the formation of GN'R from those different bands.

In my opinion, the best one of the lot is Stephen Davis's (he of, Hammer of the God's fame) Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N' Roses. Again, it has lots of errors for the club era but the rest of the book is very good. Paul Stenning's book (The Band that Time Forgot) is absolute garbage; it is total crap - do not buy. At least Davis hunted out lots of old interviews that have not yet appeared online (old Music Connection interviews from 1986 etc) and interviewed some people (Robert John). All Stenning did was copy loads of stuff from the net and re-ordered it. He even had the audacity to rip off - wholesale - John's setlist website!

Edited by DieselDaisy
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So, all these many years keeping up with GNRs, would you consider yourself knowledgable enough to write an unauthorized band biography? How many have you read, which one do you consider best? Why would yours be better/worse than what is out there? Do you consider this site a treasure trove of gathered info?

I am almost there. But I personally prefer to read facts rather than some author trying to interpret these facts and make some cohesive story out of them. They usually fail, haven't done their job properly, or are biased in any one direction. I hope that my own site can be a go-to source for anyone interested in learning and writing about the band.

Haven't seen your site in ages, pm me a link?

The wading through the BS gets deep sometimes, and so many different points of view tend to color the facts accordingly, watching some people attempting to alter facts to build their version of the truth is unfuckingbelievable!

:thumbsup:

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Although not a traditional band bio, Canter's Reckless Road has 1984-(early) 87 covered. It is, by miles, the greatest book on Guns and one of the greatest rock books I own. The problem with the unauthorised biographies is they were all written before Canter's book and Canter's book made them all obsolete. That book, Reckless Road, shows up so many errors in the unauthorised bios for the 1984-86 period. The errors tend to involve, the different bands (Hollywood Rose, New Hollywood Rose, LA Guns, London) and the formation of GN'R from those different bands. In my opinion, the best one of the lot is Stephen Davis's (he of, Hammer of the God's fame) Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N' Roses. Again, it has lots of errors for the club era but the rest of the book is very good. Paul Stenning's book (The Band that Time Forgot) is absolute garbage; it is total crap - do not buy. At least Davis hunted out lots of old interviews that have not yet appeared online (old Music Connection interviews from 1986 etc) and interviewed some people (Robert John). All Stenning did was copy loads of stuff from the net and re-ordered it. He even had the audacity to rip off - wholesale - John's setlist website!

Actually read all of the above, plus a few others..found the Danny Sugerman book interesting with all the symbolic references, but it was no more accurate than the rest....There are quite a few I have come across over the years..

In response to OP: Nope - story's not over yet, haven't you heard...

Orly :shock:

Stunnings was just here today articles pasted yogether.Buckets autobiography might have some stuff about CD. But hell prob do a puppet show.

W

ith nunchucks

I suppose Conky could interview him?

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I think someone who was able to put together a "Making of Chinese Democracy" book or documentary would probably do well. The story of how the band came together and made it big has been told over and over.

I think Izzy's the only one that has anything left to reveal.

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Well Reckless Road completely changed my conception of the pre-Appetite era. It was like, removing a big veil, that book.

I would love it if GN'R opened up their vaults to an expert who could then go on and compile a day-to-day diary of the recording sessions. The Beatles did this. In 1987 the Beatles allowed a Beatles expert called Mark Lewisohn into the EMI vaults and Lewisohn began to write the book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. You can literally find out what day Ringo's drums were recorded, or Harrison's lead guitar, or when Come Together was mixed. Imagine if we had something like that for GN'R? The problem with GN'R is they seem to operate like Area 51. As I said, that is why I loved Reckless Road so much. It was like somebody opened a side door into Area 51 for the first time.

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