Has any forum member read the book Appetite for Destruction by Danny Sugerman

[Carlos Castaneda]

Im curious

[GUNNER PT]

Not me.

[WFA]

Not me.

[stella]

I have. I liked it. It's not a straight up biography at all, it's more of an esoteric philisophical analysis of the band (particularly Axl) that ties rock n' roll to spiritual and shamanic traditions of the past. It's not as woo-woo as it sounds; it makes some good points that a lot of the things that rock singers do have their roots in very old traditions and religious customs. If you want to do some thinking it's a good read; if you want a straight up band biography it's not. I will say that Sugerman seems to have his factual information about the band straight, too. The main book ends around 1990; then there's an epilogue that covers Adler's firing (and gives a good look at that, objectively), the St. Louis riot and some other early Illusions tour stuff.

And as a side note, Danny Sugerman was Jim Morrison's confidante and close friend. He's compared his relationship with Jim to Axl's relationship with Del James (I can't remember the interview, but there was something where he said "Del loves Axl the way I loved Jim.").

Edited November 15, 2014 by stella

[Carlos Castaneda]

I have. I liked it. It's not a straight up biography at all, it's more of an esoteric philisophical analysis of the band (particularly Axl) that ties rock n' roll to spiritual and shamanic traditions of the past. It's not as woo-woo as it sounds; it makes some good points that a lot of the things that rock singers do have their roots in very old traditions and religious customs. If you want to do some thinking it's a good read; if you want a straight up band biography it's not. I will say that Sugerman seems to have his factual information about the band straight, too. The main book ends around 1990; then there's an epilogue that covers Adler's firing (and gives a good look at that, objectively), the St. Louis riot and some other early Illusions tour stuff.

And as a side note, Danny Sugerman was Jim Morrison's confidante and close friend. He's compared his relationship with Jim to Axl's relationship with Del James (I can't remember the interview, but there was something where he said "Del loves Axl the way I loved Jim.").

Thank you for your response and thank you for your time you spent responding.

[DieselDaisy]

Yes I have. Stella basically sums it up well enough so I will not say much more. It is an odd book, but an intriguing one. It is always going to be an odd affair when you find gnr analysed through the duality of Dionysus and Apollo.

[Tom-Ass]

I have it and read it a looooong time ago. Some of what Stella said rings a bell. I remember thinking that he was trying to tie a "No One Here Gets Out Alive" influence into it.

[ludurigan]

I tried reading it once but the "esoteric/philosophical" was too much. It seems to be more about Axl than GNR;

[Angelica]

Yes, it's hilarious. Especially the Axl/William Blake comparisons.

[AmyL]

Read it many years ago. Not a bad book but yeah the blake comparisons were a bit too much. I think Danny was trying too be a writer that he simply isn't lol

[Mr. Dude]

Read it many years ago. Not a bad book but yeah the blake comparisons were a bit too much. I think Danny was trying too be a writer that he simply isn't lol

I disagree- I think Danny was trying to turn GNR/Axl into a band they weren't- in order to fit his writing/philopsphical perspective. The writing style is totally his own. Its an alright book. It certainly has a right to exist. Its far more insightful and provocative (and dare I say more accurate) than Mick Wall's book.

[Bards]

I read it and liked it, but yeah it was a bit pretentious. Something in that tone would have been more appropriate in the Chinese years

[niceguy]

I've read it. I was hoping for a biography, but as others have said, it's more of a pseudo-philosophical piece.

[Zint]

I have the hard cover. Quite good, stella summed it up well.

[Estranged Reality]

His biography of Jim Morrison is notorious for its complete fabrications (as the Doors' former manager, he saw it as an opportunity to really build up the myth of Jim Morrison after his passing), so while I haven't read the GN'R book, I'd approach it with a grain of salt as far as its historical accuracy.

[Nosaj Thing]

If it wasn't for your post, I wouldn't know that something like this ever existed.

[Free Bird]

It was the third GNR book I've read. I liked it but it was more about Axl than the band.

[stella]

I will say that aside from Guns N' Roses, it turned me on to a number of writers I'd never heard of before. I was 15 and it was the first time I'd read about Rimbaud, Baudelaire, etc. It inspired me to pick up their books.