"My Appetite for Destruction: Sex & Drugs & Guns N’ Roses"
Every misunderstood celebrity should write a tell-all book. I’m not being sarcastic. It’s a great way to give their fans and enemies a chance to see their side of the story with no interruptions. It’s also an inside look at the life of the celebrity/rockstar, with horny groupies, screaming, obsessed fans and non-stop attention.
In Steven Adler’s “My Appetite for Destruction: Sex & Drugs & Guns N’ Roses,” he attempts to set the record straight, from his rough childhood to getting kicked out of his house as a youth and later as a part of one of the most successful hard rock bands ever, GNR, and his notorious battle with drug abuse.
Before starting his story, Adler addresses why he decided to write a tell-all: to come clean and tell his side of a story that has been twisted across media channels over the past 20 years. He also makes it clear that the book isn’t a stab at his former bandmates, who he still loves, or else, including family and friends.
Adler’s story starts at his beginning when he was born in Cleveland in 1965. Soon the wild ride begins, featuring an abusive father, a quick move to California, being adopted by his mother’s boyfriend/future husband and later getting kicked out, and Adler’s days as an extreme wild child.
Adler’s motivations can be described in three words: sex, drugs and music. “And nothing focuses me or gets me going like chasing tail. Money, fame, status, power … nothing comes close to the pursuit of pussy.”
Although women are a big part, drugs, starting when he was first introduced to the drug culture in 1977 at age 12, take center stage, slowly sucking his life force dry.
Highlights of the book include his meeting Saul “Slash” Hudson in junior high and, of course, the forming of GNR. “That night, we all just happened to walk into one another’s lives, with no idea what lay ahead. I wish I could say that it was like lightning struck, but the truth is that it was just a random get-together to see what could be germinating.”
Germinate indeed.
“We never did anything the sane, sensible way. We never went by the rules and never conformed to an accepted path to success. The way we came up with our songs, insisted on total artistic freedom, the way we practiced and played — no one did it like we did.”
Steven Adler
When he talked about forming GNR, I flashed back to my youth, sitting in a room with the shades drawn, MTV blaring “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and my sister screaming at the top of her lungs, “I love you Axl!” I loved Adler’s behind-the-scenes view, blurring the glamour and media-fed image and sharpening it with his view from behind the drums. GNR “carved their own path to glory” and performed songs that described their lives, what was going on in the late ‘80s L.A. culture.
As the story continues, chock-full with non-stop sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, Adler is the first to admit that all his mistakes, from overdosing 28 times, to being a zombie/junkie, to going to jail … everything was his own doing. “I’m the undisputed all-time booze-chugging, pill-cobbling, drug-shooting, Katrina-caliber fuckup. Throughout my wretched life there isn’t a friend, family member or fantastic opportunity that I haven’t shoved into a blender and mutilated.”
Throughout his drug haze, doing everything from shooting up heroin to smoking crack and pot, Adler recalls it all. Everything that the media has been obsessed with, from substance abuse to drama with the infamously difficult Axl Rose, is covered. Adler also discussed his meetings with other rock gods, including Alice Cooper, Steven Tyler, and Tommy Lee.
Adler’s story ends with his public stints on “Celebrity Rehab” and “Sober House” with Dr. Drew and his never-ending battle to stay clean. Maybe he’s trying to make a quick buck. Maybe he’s trying to stay relevant in ADD Hollywood or feed his ego. I don’t know. What I do know is that this book is a page-turning, raw look into ’70-‘90s rock-and-roll culture and an inside look at one of the most iconic rock bands in the world.
Maybe it’s all lies. Adler sure has a good memory after all the drugs he’s done; nonetheless, his story is compelling, tragic and funny. This book is a good read for all the lovers and the haters out there and also for the younger population, to see the real side of the often glamorized culture of celebrity/rockstar. There’s nothing like reading a play-by-play of Adler OD’ing on heroin to make you feel better about your life. People are quick to tell you about their highs, but what about their lows? — Kate Vendetta
Call it luck, call it fate, call it whatever you wish but in the early eighties, a perfect storm of musical forces began to align in Hollywood, CA that would give birth to the world’s most notorious rock ‘n’ roll band. Boasting an amazing mix of larger than life personalities, an undeniably powerful sound and a heaping helping of attitude, Guns N’ Roses wasted no time carving their own niche into Los Angeles’ highly competitive music scene. When Guns N’ Roses released their legendary album, Appetite for Destruction, it would change the music scene for ever. It is one of the rare, iconic albums that would come along to a generation and serve as a benchmark for all albums to follow. Not only would the music effect people around the world, it would also take many who were at ground zero of the phenomenon on a roller coaster ride to superstardom. The members of this extraordinary band are living proof that some people merely listen to rock n’ roll and some have it coursing through their veins. Such is the case with drummer Steven Adler. As part of Guns N’ Roses, he provided the crushing backbeat to one of music’s landmark albums, rose to the heights that most people can only dream of and became the poster boy for rock ‘n’ roll excess. Today, after twenty-eight overdoses, three botched suicides, two heart attacks, a couple of jail stints, and a debilitating stroke, Steven Adler is sober, standing tall and ready to share his story with the world. Steve Johnson of Icon Vs. Icon sat down with the infamous drummer with the infectious smile to discuss his shocking new autobiography ‘My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N’ Roses’, the future of Adler’s Appetite, his love for W. Axl Rose and much more!
How did music first come into your life?
I’ve been a fan of music since the age of 4 when I heard my first album, which was Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The song was “Working My Way Back to You.” There was something that clicked in my heart and in my soul. The sound of the guitar, and the groove of the drums, and Frankie’s voice. My grandma used to tell me that when we were driving around I would turn the radio up pretty loud and I’d just be dancing and singing in the back seat. How’s that for how times have changed! I wore no seat belt! I was 4 or 5 years old jumping around in the back seat of a car that was driving around! How’s that? Times have definitely changed! [laughs]
Your work has inspired so many. Who do you cite as some of your influences?
Musically … Roger Meddows-Taylor from Queen. Everyone from KISS. Boston. John Bonham. Keith Moon. A lot of English drummers. I was really attracted to the style of the English drummers. They were jazz schooled players, but went into rock. The drums weren’t just basic AC/DC. One, two, three, four … IIt had a shuffle. It had a groove. I like that!
How do you think you have evolved as an artist (drummer) since you first started out?
When I first started out … I hadn’t taken a lesson up until five months ago. Throughout my whole career in music I had never taken a drum lesson. So five months ago I started taking lessons. I started cleaning myself up and getting my life together, and I wanted to be a better player. So I started taking lessons. It’s the best thing I have ever done. It’s helped my show. It’s amazing how it has helped me. It’s made playing so much easier and so much more fun. Having a clue of what I am actually doing, instead of just doing it because it feels right. Now it feels right and I know what I am doing. It’s even a bigger high performing live and recording.
What has kept you inspired through the years?
I wasn’t inspired for the last 20 years. After two years of working with Dr. Drew I got satisfaction to be a part of my life again. I really wasn’t inspired by anything. I didn’t want to do anything. It took me 20 years to admit and realize that I blamed Slash, Duff, Izzy, and Axl for my downfall with the band and all the drug abuse I went through after that. I blamed them. When I started working with Dr. Drew … I realized that I thought they let me down, but it wasn’t them who let me down, it was me who let them down. Being able to face that … if you read my book “My Appetite for Destruction,” in the beginning of it I talk about the sexual abuse that I went through when I was a young teenager. That happened with an older teenager and an older man. At the time that it happened, how do you tell your grandparents or your friends? You can’t tell somebody that happened to you. When I was 12 years old … so with working with Dr. Drew I realized that if I don’t get this out of my system and keep stuffing it down, I am going to keep relapsing and I’m not going to be able to move forward in my life. I finally was able to have a discussion with people who understood and people I could relate to. I thought if I said those words out loud for other peoples’ ears to hear I would feel even worse and that they would batter me. It was the complete opposite. When I said it, it was like this big weight off my body and my chest. It was just like, WHEW! Doing this book has been mentally, spiritually, and emotionally healing for me. Dr. Drew has been a huge help and a mentor to me. I watched the show after I was on the show. The season before and the season after. Everybody has the same opportunity that I had to get the most out of it. I needed to get these feelings that I just described to you out. Before I started “Celebrity Rehab,” I told them I don’t think I could do it to the best of my ability and get the most out of it if I don’t get to talk to Slash. Like I said, I blamed them. I thought they let me down. So we had a meeting. No cameras. Nothing … I got to apologize to Slash and he apologized to me. I said, it was really me who let him down. Just being able to apologize … the next morning when I woke up my whole body was so sore. Like when you work out too much. I was so sore from the weight, pressure, and pain I let off my body by apologizing to him.
Speaking of your autobiography, “My Appetite For Destruction,” did you have any reservations about putting that together?
After the months I did in rehab and the two years I’ve been working with Dr. Drew, I felt that it was time for me to do it. For me, the purpose of the book was to write my answers to all of the people that I have wronged and to myself. When I get home off tour I am going to build myself a big bonfire and I’m going to throw that book right into the fire. I want to leave the past behind. I want to move forward. I don’t hate anybody. I don’t bash anybody in my book. I don’t put anybody down. I don’t talk bad about anybody. That’s not what it is about. I love all the people that were in my life and people that are a part of my life. No one is getting put down. I’m laying my heart on my sleeve with this book. It’s for all of my friends, colleagues, fans, and people that can benefit from my rough history. I’m here to show the underdogs that you can survive and you can succeed. My life has been a rollercoaster, I have accepted all of the consequences, and I can move on. I’m going to live my life one second at a time, one breath at a time. I’m finally starting to show myself and I’m finally getting recognition for the work that I have done on “Appetite,” “Lies,” and my work with GNR. I want those guys more than anybody to read my book. If they read my book, I know they’ll realize that what we have is so special and so rare for that to happen. They’ll realize that we’re all brothers. The five of us are brothers and what do goofy brothers do? They fight with each other! That’s what brothers do! It’s been 20 years of fighting. Enough is enough. Let’s move on. I know if I could get the five of us in a room together, not even with instruments, just a room … no chairs or even a table. All we would do is say hi to each other, shed a little tear, and we would start talking about moving on into the future and doing something new.
You are currently on tour with your band, Adler’s Appetite. How did the current lineup shape up?
I’ve been doing Adler’s Appetite for like the last eight years. There have been different people involved. Just like Guns ‘n’ Roses, we’ve played with other people throughout the years. This was a fun lineup that just clicked together. We have a new single out called “Alive.” “It’s Good To Be Alive” and it is good to be alive. If you buy the book, you can download the single for free. We debuted the single on The Howard Stern Show when we did the show. We play it live. Basically the live show … we open up with “Reckless Life” and we end with “Welcome to the Jungle.” So we do that and everything that’s in between.
As you mentioned, the band’s new single “Alive” is out now. Are there any plans for a full length release from Adler’s Appetite in the future?
Yes! We have some shows at The Whisky. We are going to do a video for this song first. We’re going to film it at The Whisky and at the Sunset Strip Music Festival, which is all right there. In the middle of September we are going to go back over to Anthony Focx’s studio, where we did the first single. We’ll have two weeks in L.A., so we’ll probably run through another five songs. We’ll put it out single by single. That’s the way the market is now. You put out a single, people will download a single. So we have this single that’s out. In about three or four weeks we’ll have a new single and we’ll go from there. We’re just belting them out and having a great time doing it. I love all of the fans I have been meeting at the book signings and at the shows. I love when they bring their GNR memorabilia. I love meeting everybody and signing stuff. Everybody has been so great. I appreciate all of their prayers and all of their wonderful thoughts. It’s a really wonderful trip.
You started your career in one of the biggest bands of all time and have a very well documented career. The public eye has been fixed on you from the time you were very young and continues to this day. What do you think is the biggest misconception about Steven Adler?
I’m going to tell you there is no misconception. If you read my book, nearly everything is right there. That’s all I have to tell you! There is no misconception! My heart and soul are on my sleeve! [laughs]
Steven Adler
It seems, especially in the “rock media,” they tend to focus mainly on soundbites from you that paint Axl Rose in a negative light. Does this ever put you in a bad spot or become a bit of a burden?
No. Axl is one of the most wonderful people I have had in my life. He is an amazing singer. He’s up there as one of the top singers/entertainers. You have Freddie Mercury. You have Robert Plant. You have Steven Tyler. You have Axl Rose. It’s been a blessing being able to work with that guy. I want him to be a part of my life. He’s my brother. Like I said earlier, brothers fight. Enough with the fighting. Let’s move on … I want to finish what I started with him and the guys. I’m pretty sure they feel the same way. Axl has been nothing but a wonderful influence and a wonderful person to me. I love him and I want him to be a part of my life more. I’m thankful I have a history with him. No bad animosity. All love and respect.
What do you consider the defining moment of your career so far?
I have to say playing with The Rolling Stones at the L.A. Colosseum. That was the biggest! Oh yeah, and Donnington! I’ve had a few. We played with Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne. I have to say the main one was the Colosseum with The Rolling Stones. That was like a dream come true for all of us.
That’s one band I haven’t seen, I would love to go see.
Oh man! It’s amazing! And they’re still doing it! I love it! This is like the 10th time that they’ve said this is the last tour they are doing!
It sounds like KISS!
You’ve got to hand it to them! You’ve got to give it up!
Being in the music industry as long as you have, are there still surprises?
The surprise is that there is no record industry. I was lucky enough to catch the ending of what was the entertainment world, where you worked hard, you did shows, you played anywhere, and you sent your tapes in. You did everything you could and you were a rare breed. The rare few got signed and got to make a record. Nowadays everyone is making a record. They’re doing it in their bedrooms. Then again, if you look at these bands that are coming out … I don’t know … it used to be you could see someone walking down Sunset Boulevard and tell the difference between a blue collar guy and an entertainer. People cared about how they looked. I watch these videos of bands out nowadays and I swear they’re the same guys who I just got a burger from at Burger King. You know what I mean! They don’t care about how they look! Shave your face! Look good! Comb your hair! Do something! It’s entertainment! That’s just how I feel. I was lucky to catch it toward the ending of when it was real. It wasn’t a costume, it was a performance. Nowadays there are bands out there playing with tape! What the hell is that? [laughs]
As far as I am concerned progress peaked at “Appetite For Destruction!” That album is phenomenal!
It was live! That was live and that’s the truth! At the end of the song there was none of this, “Let’s take this part of the song … that sounded better than this part of the song … let’s put it there … ” We went one, two, three, four. We played the friggin’ song and how it came out, that’s how it came to be. After we played every song, we’d go back in the listening booth and we’d listen back to the song we just played. We just looked at each other and said, “We just made the greatest record ever!” We achieved what our goal was. I just want to finish what I started with them.
Lightening up a bit …you have played tons of shows. Ever have a “Spinal Tap Moment” where something totally unexpected happened?
Well, we were playing with The Cult and it was our last show with them. They came out and started taking my drums away piece by piece. There have been a couple of those, “Hello Cleveland! Where’s the fucking stage? Oh! It’s right over here! Hello Cleveland!” There have been a few of those! That and the Motley Crue guys poured flour all over us like it was cocaine falling from the sky. Trust me, flour and sweat don’t mix well with hair. I was pulling dough out of my hair for weeks. [laughs]
What is the best piece of advice you could give to those who are just starting out and considering making a career in the music industry?
Practice as many hours a day as you can. Play with every other performer/musician. Everyone you can play with … get yourself out there. Play the bars. Play the clubs. Get yourself known. That’s what we did. We hung out on the strip. We played everywhere. We made sure people knew who we were. We practiced! You want to go out there and you want to be great. We would go into rehearsal two hours before the other guys would get in just so the bass and drums, which is the rhythm section, was good as we could be.
After this tour, what’s next for you?
We are going to do some recording and some videos. We’re going to Europe. Iceland, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Australia … we’ve got a world tour ahead of us until this time next year.
Anything that you would like to add or say to the dedicated GNR fans around the world?
Thank you for all of the wonderful prayers and thoughts. The e-mails, texts, and tweets. I love meeting all of you. More than anything I love giving hugs to everybody. Be prepared, if you meet me, you’re going to get hugged! I even hugged a big, stinky, hairy guy in Canada! [laughs] He had no business wearing a tank top! [laughs] None! The store who sold him the tank top had no business selling this guy a tank top! That’s how hairy this guy was!
Jesus! [laughs]
Exactly! [laughs] Be sure to check out our website at www.adlersappetiteonline.com. You can check out if we’re coming to your city in the next couple of weeks. We still have a month of touring in the states. You check out pictures, videos from the shows, and the book. Log on and say hi!
Nikki Sixx has always been a man on the move. The international rock icon and host of the nationally syndicated radio programs Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx and The Side Show Countdownwith Nikki Sixx, will make an appearance on the season premiere of LA Ink with Kat Von D. In the episode, Sixx and his radio co-host Kerri Kasem welcome Kat to the Los Angeles radio studio for an interview on Sixx Sense. Future episodes in season four of the top-rated television show will feature Sixx at Kat’s High Voltage Tattoo in Hollywood as he gets a tattoo of his Sixx Sense radio logo by Kat, and much more. A preview is available at this location >
The season premiere is slated for August 11 at 10/9c p.m on TLC. Check your local listings for details!
More on Nikki Sixx…
Since launching last February, “Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx” and “The Side Show Countdown with Nikki Sixx” are fast becoming the place to hear it first for guests from all walks of life, including rock royalty, the first man on the moon, authors, actors and everyone in between. Dave Grohl, Jared Leto, Lemmy Kilmister, Perez Hilton, Kat Von D, CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, Four Agreements author Don Miguel Ruiz, Dog The Bounty Hunter and others have joined Sixx and his Sixx Sense co-host Kerri Kasem for their special brand of conversation. In addition, they’ve world-premiered albums and songs for artists and bands like Buckcherry, Drowning Pool and Slash and hosted the announcement for this summer’s OZZFest. For more information, please visit www.sixxsense.com . Follow Nikki on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nikkisixx.
Sixx, who is currently working on a new book and accompanying Sixx:A.M. album, is also hitting the road with the rest of Mötley Crüe as the co-headliners on this year’s OZZFest. The six-date run begins on Saturday, August 14th at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA – the birthplace of the first OZZFest in 1996. This year’s lineup includes co-headliner Ozzy Osbourne along with Rob Halford, DevilDriver and Nonpoint on the main stage. The second stage inlcudes Black Label Society, Drowning Pool, Kingdom of Sorrow, Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch, Saviours and Kataklysm.
This year’s Madden NFL 11 soundtrack features 23 tracks that recreate the ultimate live gameday experience via a collection of crowd favorites, stadium classics, and official NFL team fight songs.
After 10+ years of being a foremost showcase for introducing new artists – including Franz Ferdinand, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Yellowcard, Wolfmother, Jet, The Bravery, B.o.B., Good Charlotte, OK GO, Fallout Boy and 30 Seconds To Mars – the Madden NFL 11 soundtrack focuses on stadium authenticity with classic fan-favorites by AC/DC, Queen, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne (including his new hit “Let Me Hear You Scream”), Guns N’ Roses, The Hives, Gary Glitter, Blur, Ying Yang Twins and Todd Rundgren. Adding to the unprecedented authenticity are official team fight songs of the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and more.
“The term ‘Madden Music’ has come to mean music that matches the intensity of the video game,” says said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for EA. “This year, we wanted the music to not only define the game, but also the stadium experience. These are the classics that consistently bring NFL crowds to their feet. It’s an exciting new audio direction for Madden NFL, one that we know all fans will respond to. There is nothing like the experience of live football in a packed stadium, and the Madden NFL 11 soundtrack absolutely brings that excitement home.”
The complete in-game soundtrack for Madden NFL 11 includes:
Original Recordings:
AC/DC – Thunderstruck
Archie Eversole – We Ready
Blur – Song 2
Bush – Machinehead
Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil’ Wayne – Let It Rock
Kiss – Rock and Roll All Nite
Ozzy Osbourne – Let Me Hear You Scream
Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
The Hives – Tick Tick Boom
Todd Rundgren – Bang the Drum
Ying Yang Twins featuring Homebwoi – Halftime
Cover Versions:
Rock N Roll Part 2 - as made famous by Gary Glitter
We Will Rock You - as made famous by Queen
Crowd Chant - as made famous by Joe Satriani
Kernkraft 400 - as made famous by Zombie Nation
Team Fight Songs:
Chicago Bears – Bear Down Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions – Gridiron Heroes
Green Bay Packers – Go Packers Go!
Miami Dolphins – Miami Dolphins #1
Minnesota Vikings – Skol Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles – Fly Eagles Fly
Washington Redskins – Hail to the Redskins
Madden NFL 11 will be available on August 10th, 2010 for the Xbox 360® video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation®2 and PlayStation computer entertainment systems, WiiTM, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system. Madden NFL 11 will also be available for download globally on mobile platforms including iPod® touch and feature phones.
Making their first U.S. concert appearance in four years, and playing their only U.S. show in 2010, Guns N’ Roses has been officially recruited to join the inaugural Rock ‘N Rev Festival and cement its assault on the legendary Sturgis Rally’s 70th Anniversary celebration in Sturgis, SD, at the newly constructed Rock N’ Rev Amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA.
Guns N’ Roses will headline the fifth and final night of the festival, as it moves to the Brand New Rock ‘N Rev Amphitheater at Monkey Rock USA in Sturgis, adjacent to its original location. L.A.’s notorious rock ‘n’ roll bad boys – one of Q magazine’s “50 Bands to See Before You Die” – have combined forces with HDlogix and DC3 Global for this rare and very special appearance on home soil to bring the “full-out rock ‘n’ roll spectacle” (Spin) of their 2010 “Chinese Democracy World Tour” to Sturgis and finish off the hijacking of the world’s biggest, baddest biker event, Monday, Aug. 9 through Friday, Aug. 13, 2010.
Rock ‘N Rev Festival’s sweltering lineup also includes: Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Wolfmother, Creed, Daughtry, 3 Doors Down, Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Cage The Elephant, Rev Theory, Eagles of Death Metal, The Darling Stilettos (featuring former GNR drummer Matt Sorum), and Swayback — just some of the bands making massive music at this colossal biker bash.
Tickets for the Rock ‘N Rev Festival are $45 per day, general admission ($150 for a five-day pass), and on sale now through www.ticketmaster.com and rocknrevfestival.com and at all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available in person beginning August 5, 2010 on location at the Festival’s on- site box office. For more information on exclusive VIP packages ($150 for a single day, $300 for all five days or $1,000 5 day platinum packages), including backstage access to a VIP area to special, air-conditioned tents with private bars, motorcycle parking, luxury bathroom facilities and more, go to www.rocknrevfestival.com.
Adler’s Appetite, featuring legendary Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler, has announced their summer tour.
Fresh off recent appearences on VH1′s That Metal Show and Sober House, Steven and company are hitting the road this summer in support of Adler’s tell-all biography, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex, Drugs & Guns N’ Roses, which is set for a July 27th release through Harper Collins.
The tour will also mark the debut of new original material from the band, which includes guitarists Alex Grossi (ex-QUIET RIOT) and Michael Thomas (FASTER PUSSYCAT), bassist Chip Z’nuff (ENUFF Z’NUFF) and vocalist Rick Stitch (LADYJACK). “We are really looking forward to getting back out there and playing some new material,” says Adler. “As much as we love doing all the old GN’R stuff, which of course we will contiune to do, it will be nice to show the fans that there is so much more to this band than what people have seen”.
Supporting Adler’s Appetite on the tour will be Texas-based ANCHORED, whose new single, ‘Dirty In Texas’, will drop on June 15th. Confirmed shows are as follows:
June
12 – Glass Cactus – Grapevine, TX
13 – BFE Rock Club – Houston, TX
14 – Lone Star Sports Bar – Temple, TX
July
9 – Brixton – Redondo Beach, CA
10 – Galaxy Theatre – Santa Ana, CA
11 – Canyon Club – Agoura Hills, CA
12 – Club Vegas – Salt Lake City, UT
13 – The Railyard – Billings, MT
15 – Frequency – Madison, WI
16 – The Back Bar – Janesville, WI
17 – Bada Brew – Crest Hill, IL
18 – Festa Italiana – Milwaukee, WI
21 – Hayloft – Mt. Clemens, MI
22 – Market Block Party – Syracuse, NY
23 – Ram’s Head Live – Baltimore, MD
24 – The Cube – Newark, DE
26 – Bowery Electric – New York, NY
27 – Mill Creek Tavern – Philadelphia, PA
28 – The Bell House – Brooklyn, NY
29 – Hard Rock Cafe – Pittsburgh, PA
30 – Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY
31 – Showcase Live – Foxboro, MA.
August
1 – City Limits – Sanford, ME
5 – Dingbatz – Clifton, NJ
6 – The Underground – Sandusky, OH
7 – McGuffy’s House Of Rock – Dayton, OH
8 – Cosmic Charlies – Lexington, KY
10 – Mill Creek – Appleton, WI
11 – Clyde Iron Works – Duluth, MN
12 – International Raceway – Brainerd, MN
13 – Reverb – Cedar Falls, IA
14 – Elko Speedway – Elko, MN
15 – Phoenix Lounge – Harrisburg, SD
19 – Union Station – Colorado Springs, CO
20 – Roadhouse – Dacono, CO
25 – Cedardome – Milton, WA
26 – Hayley’s Bar & Grill – Everett, WA
Guitar Center (www.guitarcenter.com), the world’s largest musical instrument retailer, along with Gibson Custom Shop guitars, today announced the new Gibson Custom “Appetite” Les Paul Guitar, a limited-edition guitar made to honor Slash, and the same model that he used to record his recent chart-topping solo album SLASH. Guitar Center will carry both the hand-aged and signed model along with the VOS (Vintage Original Spec) version.
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite” Les Paul is crafted in the image of an original 1958-’60 Les Paul Standard, and available in strictly limited numbers. The guitar was crafted to honor Slash and his devotion to the Les Paul Standard guitar since 1987 with the debut of Guns N’ Roses’ album, Appetite for Destruction. All Custom Shop Slash “Appetite” Les Pauls come with a lined hardshell case, a Certificate of Authenticity, an Owner’s Manual and adjustment literature, and a rare bonus of a deluxe vinyl LP edition of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. The VOS model went on sale Friday, May 7th at 1pm EST, while the hand-aged and signed model will go on sale Friday, May 14th at 1pm EST.
“This guitar plays and sounds very unique,” said Slash. “It is a beautiful piece of work.”
Slash, as well as representatives from Guitar Center, announced the guitar’s debut at Guitar Center Hollywood. Slash and Guitar Center are also in the midst of conducting Guitar Center Presents Your Next Record with Slash, an initiative created to foster growth and success within the music community by providing emerging artists the chance to win the ultimate career-altering opportunity: record a 3-song EP with legendary producer, Mike Clink and have Slash write, record and perform on the winning artists’ single – www.YourNextRecord.com.
About Guitar Center Guitar Center is the world’s largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 214 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician’s Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company’s Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.
The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
About Slash Slash is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time. He has received countless accolades and awards including a 2007 star on the Rock Walk of Fame at the Guitar Center store in Hollywood alongside his idols Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. He has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, is a Grammy Award winner, and his recent solo album Slash debuted atop the Billboard charts in more than a dozen countries. An original member of iconic rock band Guns N’ Roses, Slash helped the band create signature sounds like the guitar riff of #1 hit “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Welcome To The Jungle.” The band dominated the 1980′s and 90′s music scene selling more than 100 million albums worldwide and ushered in a decade of hard charging rock music. After the band’s break-up, Slash went on to critical acclaim in his personal project Slash’s Snakepit, and global success with supergroup Velvet Revolver. He has been widely sought after by the biggest musicians of all time, performing with everyone from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder to Ray Charles. Slash is one of the marquee playable characters in Guitar Hero III, has two signature Gibson guitars in his name, and authored his own top-selling biography Slash in 2007. For more information please visitwww.slashonline.com.
Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler will release his biography, entitled My Appetite For Destruction, on June 22nd via HarperCollins. A pre-order for the 304 page hardcover, trimsize book, priced at $25.99, is available at this location >
Check out the kick ass artwork for the book below!
Steven Adler issued this statement in regards to his upcoming projects:
“We have been in the studio all week putting together new original music for a spring/summer release. The songs sound great! It feels so good to be moving forward! It’s been a long time coming, but will be worth the wait. We will be debuting some of the new songs at The Key Club on April 10th. I want you all to be there! Plenty of time to plan your trip to Los Angeles.”
Adler was fired from Guns N’ Roses in 1989 amid rumours the drummer’s drug use was hampering his performance.
Adler’s battle with addiction has been well documented in the press and on reality television, as he did stints on both Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and its spin-off series Sober House.
Adler is currently working on a full length album with his band, Adler’s Appetite which is comprised of vocalist Rick Stitch (Ladyjack), guitarists Alex Grossi (Hookers ‘N Blow, ex-Quiet Riot), Michael Thomas (Faster Pussycat) and bassist Chip Z’nuff (Enuff Z’Nuff).
As you mentioned, the band’s new single “Alive” is out now. Are there any plans for a full length release from Adler’s Appetite in the future?
As far as I am concerned progress peaked at “Appetite For Destruction!” That album is phenomenal!
After this tour, what’s next for you?
This year’s 
