18 and Life on Skid Row: The NPR Best Books Memoir of a Rock Star's Journey from Excess and Debauchery to Broadway

by Sebastian Bach

NPR Best Books of 2017

NOW IN GLORIOUS PAPERBACH AND FEATURING NEW PHOTOS

18 And Life on Skid Row tells the story of a boy who spent his childhood moving from Freeport, Bahamas to California and finally to Canada and who at the age of eight discovered the gift that would change his life. Throughout his career, Sebastian Bach has sold over twenty million records both as the lead singer of Skid Row and as a solo artist. He is particularly known for the hit singles I Remember You, Youth Gone Wild, & 18 & Life, and the albums Skid Row and Slave To The Grind, which became the first ever hard rock album to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Bach then went on to become the first rock star to grace the Broadway stage, with starring roles in Jekyll & Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He also appeared for seven seasons on the hit television show The Gilmore Girls.

In his memoir, Bach recounts lurid tales of excess and debauchery as he toured the world with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Soundgarden, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails and Guns N’ Roses. Filled with backstage photos from his own personal collection, 18 And Life on Skid Row is the story of hitting it big at a young age, and of a band that broke up in its prime. It is the story of a man who achieved his wildest dreams, only to lose his family, and then his home. It is a story of perseverance, of wine, women and song and a man who has made his life on the road and always will. 18 And Life On Skid Row is not your ordinary rock memoir, because Sebastian Bach is not your ordinary rock star.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

448 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 2016

About the author

Sebastian Bach is a singer, songwriter and actor. He was the lead singer in the heavy metal band Skid Row from 1987 – 1996.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this and all of the photos etc. I bought my two copies on sale from BookOutlet so I could laminate and hang up the poster under the dust jacket 😉😃



Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a fan of Skid Row and Sebastian Bach I would strongly suggest that Bach get a ghost writer or an editor next time. Or just skip it all together and continue his life as a rock star. It was painful reading 424 pages of babbled stories that surprisingly lacked a lot of detail. It's frustrating because I know that he lived a wild and crazy life, but this book did nothing to paint the picture for the audience. Just flat boring sentences. And cringeworthy song references. Oh boy...

Skip the book and watch the live performances and interviews.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

18 and Life On Skid Row is not a deep book - there are no Keith Richards musings on life or rich observations on the artist as a rock star. Rather, what we have is a series of vignette remembrances told from the simple perspective of a man-child. He got drunk or stoned, he did bad things, pretty much everyone began to hate him (or, in his thoughts, were jealous of him). but really he was just a nice guy on an interesting trip. There aren't any super highs or super lows; no moments of clarity since he never hit rock bottom/nearly died from an overdose as so many did in that era; nor dizzying heights of super stardom and the limelight. Rather, we have a story told in a very straightforward and simple way: a reflection of Bach and his fairly basic story to tell.

The biography unfolds chronologically and moves quickly and cleanly. This is a world centered fully on Bach; every other person, including bandmates or rock star friends, are ciphers and very undeveloped. It felt like that was the superficial way in which Bach operates/operated in the world; never taking anything too seriously and going along with the flow of what everyone else was doing. Crazy sex acts with groupies and cheating on his girlfriend/wife? Expected - it's what every rock star does, right? Doing lots of coke ("blow") until hitting utter stupidity? Again, it's what all the rock guys are doing. And so we never get analysis, observations, or interesting thoughts on the people with whom Bach interacted. He's a little whirlwind of pure egocentricity (though not narcissistic, fortunately). We really are swimming in fairly shallow waters.

So where does this get interesting? Bach interacts with 1970s acts like Kiss and Aerosmith - and they had survived 1970s partying to come out on the other side with strict sobriety edicts. Bach blissfully walks in with drugs or alcohol and is summarily told to take off. Especially poignant was a scene in which Gene Simmons of Kiss (Bach's idol) expresses his disgust at Bach's drug fueled antics. Similarly, behind the scenes of life with Bon Jovi, with whom his band was intimately bound, are also worth the read. Vignettes of other bands including Guns N Roses, Pantera, etc. are interspersed throughout.

Because Bach is, admittedly, fairly oblivious, one can read between the lines that he managed to tick off nearly everyone with whom he worked/interacted. What he believed were jealousies begin to look more and more like people wanting to get away from the wrecking ball that was a drunk/stoned Bach. Either punching out relatives of band mates or doing crazy things - I don't think he remembers most of it but I bet all the people he ticked off remember well. He is abandoned constantly yet doesn't seem able to understand why when he's such a nice guy (when sober).

I was, admittedly, not a fan of Skid Row and didn't choose this book to read specifically about Bach or the band. Rather, I was curious about the late 1980s because I lived in LA and would often go to the Rainbow/Roxy on weekends to hang out with/watch the metal bands as they tried to make it big in the years just before Skid Row made it big. There is some of that in here but we don't get the sense of hunger or the ups and downs. It's a pretty linear path of partying, hanging out with other rock stars, and then more partying. Like I mentioned earlier, he's a pretty simple guy lacking depth or guile. And the book is very much in that vein as well. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the 80s. If you weren't there, well, you missed out. And if you were there and remember it clearly, then you didn't do it right.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough one to review. I love the fact that Sebastian Back wrote this entirely on his own, no ghost writers at all. It makes this rock bio much more personal than others I've read. But it also suffers from leaving Sebastian in the driver's seat. It lacks that hot narrative that other rock bio's like The Dirt have. The difference is, I felt closer to Sebastian than Motley Crue or Paul Stanley or Ace Frehley but I felt a distance from the substance of the book.

I loved getting to look behind the curtain at Skid Row during their peak. Getting the real scoop on stories I'd only read about with the managers spin on thing in Heavy Metal rags like Spin, Rip and Hit Parader. I wasn't surprised by the drug use but I was surprised by the volume of drug use. Some stories are very specific, name dropping names of those involved innocent or not. And then oddly, other stories were totally "vaguebooked" and made me question why he even bothered to tell them.

In the end though there was too much focus on the the drugs and party stories. The real human stuff, his break up from Skid Row, the failure of his marriage, loss of his home, etc. lacked the same detail and honesty that shone on the less intense stuff. A fun read nonetheless. I'm glad I took the time to hang out with Bas for awhile.

Oh and the story from the Sayreville White Castle is worth the price of admission alone! #SayrevilleRocks

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Title: 18 And Life On Skid Row
Author: Sebastian Bach
Narration: Sebastian Bach
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Autobiography, Nonfiction
Source: Audiobook (Library)

OVERALL RATING: 4/5 STARS

Find my full review with video included for book song at Leah's Bookish Obsession

♪♫MY PICK FOR BOOK THEME SONG♫♪
♫I Remember You by Skid Row --This is my favorite Skid Row song… ♫

⇝Ratings Breakdown⇜

The Feels: 4/5
Addictiveness: 4/5
Flow: 2.5/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Narration: 5/5
Ending: 5/5

⇝My Thoughts⇜

Sebastian Bach is quite bizarre and super hilarious at times…

The very first line of this book made me think…wow Sebastian Bach can write…and that thought soon ended as I kept listening to his story…If you're looking for a super well written autobiography than…this isn't the one for you. What you will get with this audiobook is Sebastian Bach getting up close and personal about his life. Sometimes his thoughts seem a bit jumbled and it even seems like he contradicts himself, maybe that’s the drugs confusing him…I don't know??? I feel this truly benefitted from Sebastian's narration, because I don't think anybody else could have told it better than him. They just couldn't have gotten the crazy right. His accent for Lars Ulrich is super hilarious. Overall, this book is highly entertaining, despite the confusion.

Disclaimer: If you didn't grow up with this kind of music and life, you probably won't like this. But, if you loved the 80's hair bands, even into the 90's, than you'll probably love this. Especially, if you liked the book The Dirt by Motley Crue. This book is filled with a lot of drinking, drugs, and very profane language, in general; the rock and roll lifestyle. Plus...a really bizarre story about a rat chewing his hand off. I do feel, though, that he could have left a few of his stories out of this book.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I just relived my middle and high school years! Listening to Sebastian read it on audio was a huge treat.

[Eric Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow! Another memoir of sex, drugs, and rock n roll. For me in my humble opinion, this fell flat. It was incoherent at times and just so self absorbed which you would think when your reading an autobiography you would expect it to be all about the author and you would be correct, but it reeks of self glorification to the point it just gets old fast. Make no mistake about it this dude is one solid frontman his voice and performances are bad to the bone. I remember snl having Skid Row as their musical guests on back in the day and being totally blown away by the sheer awesomeness of their sound and energy.
I was hoping for some kind of personal redemption story here but all I got is a story of leaving behind whiskey and cocaine for red wine and weed. Diet debauchery? I guess. I was hoping to hear how playing JESUS in JESUS CHRIST superstar might have made him ponder on the one he portrayed on Broadway, I was disappointed he mused on it but if his portrayal made him think on the life of CHRIST he didn't write about that aspect. Then Mr. Bach proceeded to piss in my cornflakes some more by accusing one of my musical and political heroes of racism, I'm sorry but I can't believe Ted Nugent is a racist. I went online and read Uncle Ted's account and I'm sorry but I believe Uncle Ted. The incident would probably looked different if you were stoned so in Mr.Bach's mind,who knows.
2 stars because it kept me in it until the end not more because I'm just a little sad I wasted some vacation time reading it.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Head-bangers and "party on doooood!" fans will love this memoir of heavy metal band, Skid Row. It's also interesting for readers who can't resist a good tell-all memoir that totally embraces the "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" lifestyle.

This was told in a conversational and candid style, occasionally breaking the fourth wall by prefacing a sentence with "Dear reader" and sometimes apologizing for his behavior and justifying why he acted a certain way, which was a little jarring. He did seem to piss off a lot of people, and quite frankly, his abominable actions would piss me off, too. What I found most interesting were his friendships and working relationships with bands of the 80s such as Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Guns 'n Roses, Motley Crue, and more, but unfortunately his drug use and occasional violent episodes caused a few riffs with various band members. Eventually he makes his way to the Broadway stage starring in Jekyll and Hyde and Jesus Christ, Superstar and included a little of the behind-the-scenes information. I'll be looking for old videos and Broadway performances on YouTube.

Recommended for those who are interested in the music of the 80s and especially for fans of the band.

[Sami Flight-fuda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, how I enjoyed reading this book! Took me back to my metal loving teen years (and still a huge fan to this day!), when Skid Row was definitely the main soundtrack to my life.
I really loved the stories that Sebastian shared with his readers, although at times would have enjoyed a bit more detail. This was definitely a window into Bach's passion for music, how hard he had worked to prove himself and his confusion and heartbreak over the decline of Skid Row. His enthusiasm and love of life is evident in the way he writes, and I devoured this book in no time at all. A fantastic trip down metalhead memory lane.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't the most poorly written book I've ever read, but it is the most poorly edited book I've ever read. I guess Sebastian Bach doesn't rise to the level that merits an editor competent enough to make sure the author's notes to himself get deleted before the book is sent to press. As a result of this, I now know that it's possible to be too drunk to fuck in Germany, but I do not know how drunk that is (I assume it's more drunk than in other places).

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just ok. I enjoyed parts of this autobiography, but others seemed to drag on. It is admirable that Sebastian Bach wrote this himself without a ghost writer, but it could have used a good editor. Many times sentences were so unclear that I had to go back and re-read just to try to figure out what he was trying to say.

[Dennis Nieves · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can definitely tell Sebastian wrote this himself. Honest, telling and a great read coming from the man himself!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was never a doubt I'd give this 5 stars. It could have been the biggest piece of trash, with the worst writing ever, and I'd have given it 5 stars. Just being honest.

But, for real, this earned its 5 stars. Now, the writing isn't destined to win any awards. There are run-on sentences and sentence fragments, there's no chronology (okay, there's a bit of it, but it makes little sense), and there are writing rules broken on nearly every page. But it reads like you're having a conversation. A CONVERSATION WITH SEBASTIAN BACH.

I was born shy of the age when I could have really lived it up during the heyday of Skid Row et al., (1979, so I was only 8 or 9 when 18 and Life came out), but I was and still am a devoted 80s fan, and I especially LOVE all hair bands (a term Baz himself cringes at, but I love). I saw Sebastian Bach when I was a junior in high school, just after he'd gotten kicked out of Skid Row and when I was still underage (thanks mom!) It was an experience I'll never forget.

He lived a LIFE, man. A LIFE.

This was just engrossing, from the first page. I can't believe he's still alive. To be fair, he can't believe it either.

For his yelling and gruff exterior and partying and fighting, he's a very sensitive (he mentions crying many times) and thoughtful person. I hesitate to say he's misunderstood, but he's deeper than people give him credit for.

Or maybe I'm fangirling and fell for his act.

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay, the details were vague. This could be because Bach was under some kind of substance during the events. His details of using drugs is prevalent all over this book. A perfect example of how this book is written, it has words that creates sentences and eventually make a paragraph. This book has some information about his life but it lacks the depth as I feel that Bach does not remember. Overall a okay book there are better rock autobiography that focus on the music and life as a rock start.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebastian Bach seems to find himself very amusing, but it’s ok because he pretty much brings the listener to this audiobook along with him. Bach has had an interesting life and has some good stories to tell. There was some repetition throughout the book but I was ok with that. I was not a Skid Row fan but I always thought he was awfully pretty. This audiobook is full of personality.

[Lyubov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Клетник.

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are about 25 "Hair Farmer" Pop Metal bands from the 80's that I enjoy (Dokken, Ratt, Poison, Accept, Quiet Riot, Great White etc...) Skid Row didn't even make my top 100. I never bought one of their albums or thought twice about seeing them live.

And this tale proves why. Sebastion keeps stating that he loves music - but then he boasts about Drugs, Alcohol, Drugs, more Drugs, more Alcohol, bad behavior and stupidity, more Drugs. Hey, talk about what you know after all. The boy knows how to make a spectacle of himself and Do drugs with celebrities - perfect for reality TV show fodder.

Quick aside: I listened to a bunch of Skid Row. I really like their Bass Player. I'd jam with him. Great Bass groves on their albums.

Sebastion is your typical dumb rock musician. He's got a fancy car or two (or Had?), big house, a tour bus to himself, wrecks stuff and makes people miserable, and mostly ignores his wife and kids. Then he pouts "Poor Me, where'd all my money go?"
Up your nose of course, and you drank most of it, partied the rest of it... traveling isn't FREE you know? Oh, you didn't know that? Typical.

It was strange that Sebastion keeps talking about the importance of family, yet he barely mentions his wife (of over 20 years) and his kids. Almost no stories with them. What we do get is stories of Sebastion partying with insane celebrity Rockstars. Yes, all those nasty wasted dangerous drug addicts and alcoholics who hurt people, their businesses, their families, basic moral laws (Yep, people like Ace Frehley, Axle Rose, etc.) Rockstars who don't think for a second about other people. Even Sebastion speaks of his driving drunk and stoned. He worships his relationship with Axle Rose, yet is afraid of the guy. Do recall that Axle wouldn't think twice about holding up an arena full of people for a few hours because he can't have his... and he wastes thousands of dollars on venue security and overtime staff. Yes Axle: even those truck drivers who work for you have to sleep and follow log books and endless rules. And your fans have families and children AND jobs to get home to. But you don't care about that.

I don't have much good to say about this Sebastion guy. He has an interesting argument with Ted Nugent about moral behavior and racism. Apparently Nugent likes using the N word to refer to certain black people on occasion (bad form Ted, grow up. Be better than all those Black Rappers, and Actors, and teenagers, and athletes... all those people that keep the N word alive and healthy in their vocabulary. Imagine what might happen if Black people stopped calling their posse and Ho's that? Probably not in my lifetime.)
Sebastion tells the story of himself marching off the set of their Rockstar reality TV show because he's offended by Ted's rants. (I looked it up. Ted adores legendary black musicians like James Brown, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry etc. So i'm not sure he's really a racist. Maybe?) But the problem is Sebastion is WORSE. He tells us stories of himself ducktaping women naked and leaving them on hotel patios. I just watched a newer video of his with mostly naked women writhing and seducing...basically being soulless sex objects...
Anyway, best to mostly ignore Nugent AND sebastion. Although he and I agree that Ted Nugent's Weekend Warrior album was pretty awesome. Music is music after all.

Even though this book is around 400 pages, he leaves out so many stories. Sure we get a page or so about his broadway work, his solo albums, his tv shows, his getting the boot from Skid Row. But mostly it's 100's of pages of partying like a rockstar and feeling sorry for himself. I did enjoy him mentioning that Alice Cooper ran into him and basically told him to "GROW UP". 2017 - he may have begun to do that. Now, apparently he has a newer wife and more kids, please don't screw them up.

So why did I bother to read this?
Well, I knew almost nothing about Skid Row. And I love tales of people and their music careers. It was great fun to hear of Sebastion jamming with Ace Frehley and Duff McKagan (I actually admire Duff and what he's mostly made of himself. Good luck with your daughter becoming a teenager.)
Sebastion did give us a few musician tidbits: Vocal training, recording, lyric writing, getting a good preformance. Stuff like that is priceless. Too bad you gotta sort through the bloated ego's to get to it.
At the end of the day: Sebastion Bach seems like a fun guy to jam with in a nightclub. But I wouldn't want to take him home to meet my kids or Dog.

Thankfully I did get to see just about every OTHER 80's band that made great rock music. (except Guns N' Roses - I found them way too annoying - I refuse to sit in an arena with Axle Rose.) The best thing about the 80's was that it gave us The Black Crowes. Freakin Awesome!

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Skid Row was not one of my favorite bands of the 80's but I liked songs like Monkey Business and Slave to the Grind. I did like Bach's voice and liked some of the music from his solo career as well. He always seemed liked a decent sort but a bit of a wild man. That seems to be the general point of the book as well.

At first, I found the book's conversational style to be awkward but I got used to it. Like the books by Sammy Hagar and Duff McKagen, this one didn't name a lot of names. It also wasn't a catalog of how many women he'd slept with, which I appreciated. His love for the music certainly came through.

[Dy-an · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, Sebastian Bach, back in the day was a total hottie... well, he was pretty. Like, really pretty. The guy liner, the cheek bones - swoon!
And, of course, so bad! The perfect mixture...

until you continue that nonsense for 10 years, alienate all your friends and wonder why no one likes you. It's because you're a jerk that drinks too much. You have children - grow up! But, please, please, please, keep telling me stories about the backstage antics of Bon Jovi.

The only part that REALLY bugged me was his description of duct taping a lady. Here's the deal - if her mouth is taped shut, you don't know if you have consent.

[Stephanie Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm starting to think rock stars shouldn't write books. I was so spoiled by Nikki Sixx's book, I guess I hold every other rock autobiography to the same standard. I love Skid Row and Sebastian Bach, but that alone couldn't save this book. The story chronilogically skipped around so much, the sentences were short and choppy, and he would go from one subject to another with no segway or connection. However, I did learn more about him as a person and how that affected his career. I'm excited to go back and listen to their first two albums, now that I know some of the details and stories that went into making them.

[Hewitt Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical "sex, drugs and rock n roll" memoir, where Sebastian recalls his life of being an asshole drunk and druggy. He talks about starting fights with people for looking at him, duct taping chicks to chairs, hitting a gal in the face with a bottle, etc. Ironically, he dedicated 3 pages to how nauseated he became when he heard his idol Ted Nugent use the "n word." You know you've reached the point of pathetic when you're a "rock star" and spend half a chapter whining about Ted's word usage, when throughout the book you've used every word of profanity that exists..

[ColinJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun read. Both the best and worst thing I can say about it is that it reads like someone telling you a bunch of really cool anecdotes. The downside is that as a result a lot of the fine detail gets left out. And as a hardcore Skid Row fan I want DETAIL.

So he skims over so much that I would love to hear more about; like working with Bob Rock, the whole Nick Sterling drama and even his firing from Skid Row. The most he can really muster up there is basically "I dunno, dude. They just stopped talking to me." Although he and Snake Sabo have a blow-up about a KISS supporting gig they were offered that pretty much ends their relationship.

There's nothing about Dimebag's death. With the whole 'Supergroup' debacle he talks about Ted Nugent dropping N-bombs on the set but nothing about Evan Seinfeld punching Bas in the head.

It's telling that the book opens with the famous incident of getting a bottle thrown at his head on stage. What there is no mention of is the politically and racially charged rant he was in the midst of when said bottle was thrown. So he kind of avoids taking much responsibility for stuff, apart from the odd fight he gets into.

Still, it's a must read for any Skid Row fan. It's not THE DIRT, but then what is.

[Kori · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I have a feeling Sebastian Bach would be the kind of author to read his reviews, so I'm talking to you Baz.

As far as rock biographies go, this wasn't my favourite. There isn't a clear timeline, and there's so many pictures without captions. Between the many contradictions and the endless lists of songs you've written/recorded listed, I felt a bit ripped off of your personal family life.
The pros of this book were the memories it brought me. I loved Skid Row as a teenager and had posters of you hanging in my room. I saw you at the Sky Dome in 1990 opening for Aerosmith and you made a lasting impression on me. Another pro of this story was finding out you've had quite the television career since the band broke up, which I'm not sure how I didn't know. But as I finish your book I can honestly say that if you weren't already a fan with a nostalgic place in your heart for "18 and Life" and "I remember you", I doubt you would be engaged in this story. You write like you're talking to a friend, reminiscing. Which isn't a bad thing, it will just limit the audience who choose to read it. But I'll always be a fan. I certainly admire your total devotion to singing rock and roll.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This auto bio could have easily been summed up by a list: here are all the famous rock stars that I partied with. The end.

It reads like someone recalling bits and pieces of memories; it is not in any chronological order. He may be talking about tying a naked girl to a chair on a balcony and then about his dad's death in the next paragraph. No rhyme or reason.

It started out OK, and it was interesting to hear about his family and growing up years, and then the impact of the divorce, but after that, there was no real personal stories, only endless drug/drunk fests. I would have liked to have read more about his family; what happened to his sibling? You hear that his dad got sick and eventually died, but it's only mentioned in passing. What about his mom?
And he was married 20 years and had 3 kids-again this is briefly mentioned in an aside. Then he got remarried but that is only at the very end and you see that in pictures-how she saved his life, etc. How?

Lots of pictures but none of them notated. Showing up on pages apropo to nothing.

If this book is representative of him as a person, it's not saying much.

[Lupine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fact: Sebastian Bach got me through my divorce with one clip that made me laugh and laugh on Celebrity Fit Club. I can't imagine the book being as good as the audio version. He made me laugh and laugh, just with his inflection and laughing what he was reading. It also includes some great extras i.e. his poem about The Incredible Hulk that he wrote when he was 8. There are some things that were off putting to me (some gross stories regarding women) and there were times when he comes across as a bit like that bf you had in HS that was always getting into trouble because he just can't stop messing around with stuff, but I also got the sense that he's a very intelligent and talented guy. It was a fun and interesting book to listen to. I'm just sorry he didn't talk about the incident from Celebrity Fit Club that I found so bloody entertaining.

[Vishwanath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining read. To me, the first 2 skid row albums are seminal late 80s-early 90s albums that far outshine any of the other hair metal tripe that came out during that period. A large part of that is due to Bach's vocals i.e. pipes of steel that crushed any other voice that sang in that scene. I remember many satisfying hours spent headbanging to tracks from "Slave to the grind". The band is not the same without him hence the consistent clamoring amongst fans for a reunion. The book was not ghostwritten so expect the writing style of an adolescent. However, it's honest and you tend to admire the talent and tenacity of Bach to survive the dizzy heights of late 80s MTV stardom, sudden obscurity during the grunge era, homelessness and his resurrection on Broadway along with his solo career.

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did I tease my hair and throw on spandex shorts to read this?
No, but I totally listened to a fuckload of Skid Row while reading this.
The writing is...well....not good. The stories from the road do make it easier to keep turning pages. His funny personality slips through the words and makes it entertaining.
So put on your favourite Skid Row album (mine is by far the self titled album) and dig in kids.

P.S
Lots of pretty pictures of Sebastian Bach in the 90's
THAT. HAIR.
*drool*

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was a bit rough around the edges, with a lot of repeated words and thoughts. The book is a collection of memories and thoughts, and is sometimes tough to follow as it jumps around quite a bit, not following a timeline. But it is an entertaining collection of crazy stories about rock music and that lifestyle in the 80’s and 90’s. Also, the audio book is narrated by Sebastian Bach so that provides plenty of entertainment by itself.

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one: while I do appreciate the writing effort, it is clear that Bach is a great frontman, but not a writer. Thoughts are often disconnected and delivered in short bursts. It makes. The book. Hard to. Read. Other than that, it is the standard rock bio, with the usual tales of drinking, debauchery and, unfortunately, sexual assault.

As it is often the case with bios that cover beyond the stardom period, the book slows down after Skid Row.