How did Todd Crew Die?

[sailaway]

From Punkglobe.com

"Todd, all of twenty-one years old, died in my arms," said Slash, of Guns N' Roses.

Throughout his recently published biography, Slash describes Todd Crew, of Jetboy fame, as his drug addicted best friend--the best friend he fervently tried to protect, but in the end, could not keep away from the thrill of the rock star lifestyle.

Slash paints a picture of Todd as a pushy dope fiend, dragging him through the streets of New York to score heroin and other drugs. He explains that the day of Todd's death he had tried to thwart his drug use but was "overruled."He claims that, while later that night he did inject Todd with heroin, he only did so because he could "tell it wasn't strong at all" -- performing the injection with the intent of regulating how much heroin Todd was given.

Slash further goes on to say that Todd must have been shot up later by a fellow party go-er because "what I gave him wasn't strong enough to cause what happened."

However, Todd's former band mates and the members of a recently reunited Jetboy believe something entirely different happened that night.

I sat down with Jetboy who were close friends of Todd Crew, to get the band's opinion on the death of Todd, and the comments made by Slash about the rock band Jetboy.

Marion Pierson: In Slash's' biography he says he stayed with Todd while everyone left, and that "he died in his arms". I understand you were told different information?

Jetboy: Absolutely...Slash is a liar and he knows it. The few people that were there that night knows what really happened and that Slash is 100% full of shit. Todd OD'd twice that night, we were told. The first time Slash didn't even bother calling 911. After they revived him for a minute, everyone freaked out, being high on dope; and left (Slash included).

When they came back, Todd was dead. That's when Slash finally called 911 -- when it was too late. It's a perfect alibi: "I wasn't here. When I got back Todd was dead."

Slash only cared about saving his own ass from criminal charges; which is exactly what happened. Slash walked away with no repercussions.

MP: So you're saying that Slash killed Todd?

Jetboy: Todd was killing himself, but Slash definitely aided him in his demise. Just read what he wrote In his book. This is what we believe happened.

Todd, on arrival, was "fucking drunk," according to Slash, at his hotel at 7am. Todd had just broken up with his long time girl friend and was distraught.

Slash took him to a Western Union so he could get money to buy heroin.

Slash bought a bottle of Jim Beam (Todd's choice of booze), after Todd can't even stand up straight, and as he was falling down, drunk .

Slash shot Todd up with heroin after Todd was, according to Slash in his book, "in no state to be messing with drugs."

Slash and Todd went to the movies, where Slash smuggled in a case of beer; and where they continued to drink excessively.

Slash and Todd go back to the hotel where Slash proceeded to shoot Todd up with more heroin (Todd had been drinking for 18 hours straight).

Todd OD'd the first time, and Slash revived Todd temporarily; but Slash then panicked and left instead of calling 911.

Slash comes back to the hotel room, finds that Todd has overdosed again; and finally called 911, after it was too late. Now Slash has the perfect alibi "I wasn't here when it happened."

Jetboy: Slash claims in his book that he was the "only one who did everything possible to keep Todd alive" Well, If your doing everything you can to keep someone alive" the last thing you do is shoot them up with heroin especially if you know that they have been drinking for 18 hours straight. You don't have to be Dr. Drew to know that the combination of heroin with that level of alcohol is going to be bad news.

Slash even said Todd "was in no state to be messing with drugs," but yet Slash shot him up with heroin; and then abandoned him, when he overdosed; instead of calling 911, like he should have. We can't think of a more selfish act. Slash didn't care about anything but saving himself from criminal charges. Don't forget that Slash has a proven track record of freaking out in these types of the situations and not taking responsibility.

If you read the Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx, you will see that Slash freaks out and panics when Nikki Sixx OD' d, and did nothing to help. He was even screaming Todd's name while it happened. Bottom line: Slash is a coward, and it bothers us that Slash walked away with no repercussions; after enabling and providing drugs and alcohol to someone as he said was "in no state to be messing with drugs."

Slash knows the truth and he will have to live with the choices he made and the lies he told and is still telling to this day. He lied to us, he lied to the police, he lied to Todd's friends and family, and he lied to his fans in his book.

We think that Slash is in such denial that he probably believes his own "BS" because he has been telling these lies for so long. And to think he calls Todd all through his book, "my best friend'? That is more Bull Shit.

MP: I'm sure you've checked out Slash's' biography. Were you surprised when he labeled you guys "poseurs"?

Jetboy: "That's like the whole irony of everything when he says 'they [Jetboy] weren't as transparent' which is what I believe he says, because we had a singer with a 'Mohawk' the first thing that comes to mind is, 'Fuck you.'

That's not how it was back then and if you did feel that way then why did you do shows with us, and have both bands hang all the time. At the time, we backed each other up --the two bands were very close. The reason he said that in the book is because he wanted to put us down. It's what Slash has done ever since, because of the situation that happened with Todd; starting when Jetboy fired Todd, up to his passing away, which was six months after he was let go from Jetboy.

Jetboy in 2008

MP: Slash says in his book that you [Jetboy] kicked Todd out of the band, and replaced him with Sam Yaffa from Hanoi Rocks with little or nor discussion. Why was Todd kicked out of the band?

Jetboy: We did fire Todd from the band. It was the choice we made after many talks with him over his alcohol abuse. When Todd joined the band, he was not a very big partier: wine coolers was his drink of choice.

As time went on and the band started to do well Todd's drinking got worse and ended up with a bottle of Jim Beam everyday.

Before we let Todd go, our manager at the time approached Guns N' Roses to ask if they would join us to have an intervention and get him help. Their answer was, 'he's fine, you guys just don't like to party as much?'

After our last attempt to talk with Todd, who ended up with no change, we then made the decision to let him go. Our management then contacted Sam Yaffa, and he was into the offer. Sam was in, Todd was out. This is where the feud began and it would never be the same between Guns N' Roses and Jetboy ever again.

Right after Todd had been fired from Jetboy, things got really ugly between both bands - not all of the members; it was really just three of them. When we would see each other out at clubs or shows, it was just a bad vibe. Even friends, the G 'N' R hanger-oners, would give us attitude.

It amazed us on how people just involved themselves with other people's business when they had no fucking clue what went on. And what the real fucked up part is, none of those people really knew the real Todd; the guy who was a good friend, smart, loving, caring; and who came from a very good family. All they knew was that Todd loved to party, and that's really sad.

MP: Slash also says that you stole Todd's equipment and refused to give it back. Any truth to that?

Jetboy: What happened was we had gotten an advance from Elektra records and each member bought some new gear. When Todd was fired, our manager let him take everything but the gear the label had just paid for. He got all his stuff back other than a new amp or something Second, this was not our choice, nor were we Involved in it. Our management did all this. What's funny about this part of Slash's twisted little fairy tale: in his book, maybe two years later,Guns N' Roses fired their original drummer Steven Adler for drug abuse and they had Matt Sorum already set up to replace him.

They then had Steven sign a contract which forfeited all his earnings from the day he was fired onward. We've always wondered what amount of money that added up to.

We bet it was way more than some bass gear. So again, who the fuck is this guy to judge us with something that Is none of his business ? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Look what his band did to his high school buddy Steven.

MP: Did Slash know Todd had a problem with heroin? Wasn't that why Todd was kicked out of the band?

Jetboy: The first thing Is, Todd did not have a problem with heroin, he had a problem with alcohol. Todd would dabble in drugs, but his choice was booze. So when they scored dope it was Slash who was the experienced one and was a dope user. He says this in his book. To think that Slash is looked up to by so many people out there is fucking disgusting.

MP: Slash talks about a Goth band being there when Todd overdosed. Do you know who that was? Anyone Famous?

Jetboy: This we don't know anything about.

MP: Slash also alludes to possibly scoring the heroin that killed Todd at Chosei Funahara's [bass player of the Plasmatics] house. Do you know anything about that? Would you blame Chosei in any way had that been the heroin that killed Todd?

Jetboy: This Is something we are not to sure enough to comment on.

MP: Did Todd parents sue Slash? If so, what happened with that?

Jetboy: I don't think so. It says In the book they had him investigated; but after Todd was fired, we had little, then no contact with Slash or Todd's parents from then on.

MP: Did you ever see a police report about this?

Jetboy: No, but it sure would be interesting to see. With how things are today, twenty years later,I'm sure many questions about Todd's death could be answered.

MP: What would you say to Slash if you saw him today?

Jetboy: Hmmm, that's a tough one for us. It would be nice to have something positive said about Todd after all these years and drug stories, at the end of all this we lost a good friend who just took things a little to far and could not handle it. As for Slash, shame on you for going down this road twenty years ago with who you considered your best friend and for all the shit you've said about Jetboy on your way to the top and back down, fuck you ! Why don't ya say it to our faces ? Again, because he is the same coward now that he was back then.

By Marion Pierson.

[ITG]

Really is too bad Todd Crew was forced to drink all that alcohol and forced take all that heroin himself. I don't even see why he deserves any of them blame. He was just 21 years old and not of legal age to run for president. Basically he was baby.

Steven Adler was similarly left destitute by people (Axl) that should have cared for him instead of abandoning him in his sorry state. When a junky OD's it is always the drug dealer's fault.

[ITG]

This is just like the Michael Jackson case. Why didn't the band hire a qualified doctor to administer the heroin? I sense some negligence. Did they even do a background check on Slash? I bet he didn't even know CPR.

[dalsh327]

When Axl sent this out on Twitter, "Go on! Back ur boy! But when he says he never killed no one that ain't exactly true. Yeah, that's right, stone cold.", I wonder if he was talking about this.

[sailaway]

When Axl sent this out on Twitter, "Go on! Back ur boy! But when he says he never killed no one that ain't exactly true. Yeah, that's right, stone cold.", I wonder if he was talking about this.

Thanks for the memory jog, good question.

[volcano62]

Really is too bad Todd Crew was forced to drink all that alcohol and forced take all that heroin himself. I don't even see why he deserves any of them blame. He was just 21 years old and not of legal age to run for president. Basically he was baby. Steven Adler was similarly left destitute by people (Axl) that should have cared for him instead of abandoning him in his sorry state. When a junky OD's it is always the drug dealer's fault.

Axl was the last one to sign the papers to fire Adler fyi

[DieselDaisy]

In his book, Slash tries over-hard to exonerate himself and paint a picture of himself, being the hero. He even says he was not on junk himself which I find hard to believe. And it was only Todd who was knecking down the beers? I do not believe it. I do not believe that but I also do not believe that Slash, somehow indirectly killed Todd by vacating the premise. Basically the truth is in the middle and there is no great secret here: you have two smack addicts and alcoholics jacking up on heroin. One of them dies. The other is in no fit state to deal with the death. It is a sordid affair and Slash doesn't emerge very well but you do not have to invent conspiracy theories on the thing.

[dalsh327]

In his book, Slash tries over-hard to exonerate himself and paint a picture of himself, being the hero. He even says he was not on junk himself which I find hard to believe. And it was only Todd who was knecking down the beers? I do not believe it. I do not believe that but I also do not believe that Slash, somehow indirectly killed Todd by vacating the premise. Basically the truth is in the middle and there is no great secret here: you have two smack addicts and alcoholics jacking up on heroin. One of them dies. The other is in no fit state to deal with the death. It is a sordid affair and Slash doesn't emerge very well but you do not have to invent conspiracy theories on the thing.

I think Slash was an accessory to Todd's death but shouldn't be blamed for it if there were other people there. It didn't seem to be just two people.

You're also talking about a kid who was fired from the band, so he might have been suicidal, and they were doing nonstop partying, so they were on another planet.

I'm sure Alan Niven knows more about what happened if he was babysitting the band by then.

I just think it was prob. chaotic and Slash is going "oh fuck, my life's over" at the time. Most people would go into self-preservation mode - the people who criticize it weren't there, weren't going through it, it's hard to say how anyone would react at the time. I'm just surprised none of them dated nurses.

Who knows how much of it he actually remembered... they included it in the book. I could understand the guy from Jetboy being bitter about it, but he fired the guy and contributed to his demise as much as Slash did, in my opinion.

[JONEZY]

Once you start messing around with needles, you're on your own. Apparently this guy wanted to be shot up with smack. Just like John Belushi years earliler. The chic who shot up Belushi got some jail time. But she shouldn't have in my opinion. Belushi wanted to be shot up with smack, and she did it. Not her fault he died.

[Russel Nash]

Once you start messing around with needles, you're on your own. Apparently this guy wanted to be shot up with smack. Just like John Belushi years earliler. The chic who shot up Belushi got some jail time. But she shouldn't have in my opinion. Belushi wanted to be shot up with smack, and she did it. Not her fault he died.

Man if someone wants a knife in the head, would you do the honors? And if you do, that doesn't make you a killer?

[volcano62]

Once you start messing around with needles, you're on your own. Apparently this guy wanted to be shot up with smack. Just like John Belushi years earliler. The chic who shot up Belushi got some jail time. But she shouldn't have in my opinion. Belushi wanted to be shot up with smack, and she did it. Not her fault he died.

Man if someone wants a knife in the head, would you do the honors? And if you do, that doesn't make you a killer?

This.

[dalsh327]

Once you start messing around with needles, you're on your own. Apparently this guy wanted to be shot up with smack. Just like John Belushi years earliler. The chic who shot up Belushi got some jail time. But she shouldn't have in my opinion. Belushi wanted to be shot up with smack, and she did it. Not her fault he died.

Belushi was blocks from the comedy clubs, he could've found any number of people to party in his room with.

[wasted]

If you do drugs its your fault.

[arnold layne]

Interesting read, would read again. 9/10.