Synopses & Reviews
A journalist who had unprecedented access to Guns n Roses at their peak delivers a big, brash history of the bands charismatic, fantastically talented and idiosyncratic leader—W. Axl Rose
Even in the world of rock and roll, a figure like Axl Rose doesnt come along very often. Mercurial and brilliant, deluded and imperious, Rose defies easy description or analysis. Few people have studied Rose as closely as Mick Wall has. Traveling with Guns n Roses and writing about them in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wall first earned Axls trust and later his fury.
W.A.R. goes back to the beginning, revealing Roses childhood influences (and how he got his name), and tracking the birth of the band and their enormous success with albums like “Appetite for Destruction” and “Use Your Illusion.” With fame and money came substance abuse and infighting, and a lead singer who morphed from eccentric to seemingly unhinged. Walls book is richly detailed and offers surprising new views on some celebrated Guns n Roses and Axl Rose incidents, including:
--the death of two fans at a concert in Donington Park in England,
--Roses fall-out and eventual split from every one of the other original GnR band members,
--fights with perceived enemies like Kurt Cobain, Motley Crues Vince Neil and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger,
--Roses consistent refusal to show up at concerts throughout his career,
--Axl becoming a virtual recluse at his Malibu mansion for most of the past 15 years.
The book goes right up to the present, to explore why a new Guns n Roses—with a reconfigured band—has toured but still hasnt released their long-awaited album “Chinese Democracy”, now over a decade in the making at a cost of over $13 million. W.A.R. is about great music, bad relationships, and the public and private personas of one of the most controversial performers of our time.
Review
"You dont have to be a Guns N Roses fanatic to dig this energetic, comprehensive, few-holds-barred portrait of modern metals most charismatic figure."
--Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Wall’s account pulls no punches, cataloguing each of the primal scenes—early performances, indecent exposure, Jim’s sexuality, decline and death—with a detached, knowing eye.” —Guitarist
Review
“[Wall’s] attention to both the musical and business parts of the equation is a welcome addition…” —Kirkus Reviews
Review
“Jim Morrison was the terrible angel of the American sixties, and his latest biographer Mick Wall tells his story with a passionate, wide-open drive, like Jim’s famous Shelby GT Ford Mustang with a nitrous oxide hookup. Here James Douglas Morrison emerges more and more as a stand-up, reciting American poet, and an artist whom this author makes you really feel for.” —Stephen Davis, author of
Hammer of the GodsReview
“For Doors fans, and readers of rock biographies in general, this should be considered a must read.” —Booklist
Review
“A thorough look at the Doors’ career, this book is a musical, cultural, and legacy-examining history of one of the most important bands in rock and roll.” —Library Journal
Synopsis
A big, brash history of Guns n Roses charismatic, talented and idiosyncratic leader
“An archetypal rock biography that captures the runaway-train spirit of the singer and his band—You dont have to be a Guns N Roses fanatic to dig this energetic, comprehensive, few-holds-barred portrait of modern metals most charismatic figure.”—Kirkus Reviews
Even in the rock world, a figure like Axl Rose doesnt come along very often. Mercurial and brilliant, deluded and imperious, Rose defies easy description. W.A.R. reveals Roses childhood influences (and how he got his name), tracks the birth of G n R and delves into the stories behind their monster albums Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion. But with those successes came excesses—drugs, infighting and a lead singer who morphed from eccentric to seemingly unhinged.
Journalist Mick Wall had unprecedented access to Rose and G n R during their heyday and gives a more richly detailed portrait of the band than youve ever read before. W.A.R. has fresh views on:
--the death of two fans at the Donington Park concert in England
--Roses fallout with all the other original G n R band members, including Slash
--fights with Kurt Cobain, Vince Neil and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger
--Roses no-shows at concerts throughout his career
--the lead singers becoming a recluse at his Malibu mansion for most of the last fifteen years
--the much-gossiped-about and long-awaited album Chinese Democracy
Synopsis
Spanning the entire history of the Doors, this book will long remain the definitive biography of a band that forever changed popular music. But it’s not the story you think you know.
Yes, Jim Morrison died in Paris in 1971—but not in a bathtub. The other Doors were saddened and shocked but had already fired him anyway. It wasn’t Jim who wrote the hits; it was guitarist Robby Krieger. It wasn’t Jim who saw a bright, acid-flared future for the band but keyboardist Ray Manzarek.
And so, the band that started out as the “American Rolling Stones,” noted for their wildly unpredictable performances, their jazzy vibe, and the crazed monologues of their front man, ended as badly as did the sixties: abruptly, bloodily, cripplingly.
Along with evoking the cultural milieu of Los Angeles in the sixties, in Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre bestselling writer Mick Wall captures the true spirit of that tarnished age with a brilliantly penetrating and contemporary investigation into the real story of the Doors.
About the Author
MICK WALL has been a rock journalist since 1977 and currently writes for Mojo, Guitar World, Classic Rock and several other newspapers and magazines around the world. He has also worked in music public relations, handling Dire Straits, Black Sabbath, The Band and Journey, among others. His books include best-selling biographies of Pearl Jam, Iron Maiden, Bono and the legendary British DJ John Peel as well as 1992s Guns N' Roses: The Most Dangerous Band in the World. He lives in England.