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The Days of Guns, & Raz's
In the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-five, a little ol’ band called Guns N’ Roses formed in Raz Cue’s living room. And thus, Cue became the band’s first manager... to be fired. With absolutely no hard feelings, Mr. Cue remained a trusted member of G N’ R’s inner circle for the remainder of the decade, allowing him to witness the iconic band tour the world’s stages as they rose to the pinnacle of rock ‘n’ roll. When the Guns N’ Roses party quit being fun for him, Cue stepped away from the swelling ranks of backstage hangers-on so that he might fully enjoy the band’s incendiary performances from a fan-in-the-audience perspective.
With good times and fun stories constantly swirling about in his mind’s eye, a few years back, Mr. Cue resolved to set the standard for which all future memoirs should be judged. Four hundred and twenty drafts later, the product of that quest The Days of Guns, and Raz’s. Far more than a Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll memoir, the book follows Cue’s drug-addled journey from feral child to moral-ish adult. His spinal injury during high school and lifetime of riding a wheelchair, while higher than the International Space Station, are thrown in to keep it all rolling along.
Mr. Cue manages to wrap up the whole shebang neatly within the changing landscapes of 1970s through 90s America, all the while showcasing his lifelong love of music and cheap thrills. With an undying admiration for hungry up-and-coming artists, Cue remained involved in the Los Angeles music scene through the mid-90s implosion of the Sunset Strip, so he wedges in a bit of name-dropping from that period, too. If you’ve longed for a caustic, satirical, blue-collar rock bio that delivers a stinging bitch slap to our current insanity-level political correctness, this one’s for you!
With good times and fun stories constantly swirling about in his mind’s eye, a few years back, Mr. Cue resolved to set the standard for which all future memoirs should be judged. Four hundred and twenty drafts later, the product of that quest The Days of Guns, and Raz’s. Far more than a Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll memoir, the book follows Cue’s drug-addled journey from feral child to moral-ish adult. His spinal injury during high school and lifetime of riding a wheelchair, while higher than the International Space Station, are thrown in to keep it all rolling along.
Mr. Cue manages to wrap up the whole shebang neatly within the changing landscapes of 1970s through 90s America, all the while showcasing his lifelong love of music and cheap thrills. With an undying admiration for hungry up-and-coming artists, Cue remained involved in the Los Angeles music scene through the mid-90s implosion of the Sunset Strip, so he wedges in a bit of name-dropping from that period, too. If you’ve longed for a caustic, satirical, blue-collar rock bio that delivers a stinging bitch slap to our current insanity-level political correctness, this one’s for you!
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2017
10 people are currently reading
328 people want to read
About the author
Raz Cue
3 books8 followersDuring a freak late-summer snowstorm, under a pile of greasy newspapers at the back of a dilapidated tobacco shack, Raz Cue entered the world to absolutely no fanfare. He was the seventh son born to a merchant-marine-turned-sharecropper father and a slightly intoxicated, pill-popping she-wolf. Cue discovered his writer’s voice at an early age when he took pen to paper and left the note “Leave me alone!” pinned to his crib. Cue quickly regretted the request… right around suppertime. He then resolved to only use his gift of prose for good – and breastfeeding requests. Weaned off she-wolf teat by the age of twenty-one, Cue replaced wholesome mother’s milk with Red Bull, vodka, and strippers. The new lifestyle led to his writing several almost-published poems and scores of highly regarded short stories. In reality, those short stories were merely unfinished long stories, but his cohorts were too high to notice. In search of truth, Cue relocated to Southern California, where he began crafting complex storylines for adult films. That same year, Cue won a coveted AAVN award in the category “Most Believable Plot Not Involving a Plumber.” With complex stories in short demand, Cue was forced to supplement his meager income by selling herbal remedies to major movie studio executives, A-list actors, and – unfortunately – an undercover cop.
After a brief incarceration and much soul-searching, Raz Cue began writing in earnest. He wrote to his probation officer and the judge who showed leniency; he wrote letters to editors about alien technology buried under the Antarctic ice, and he wrote pleas for expositions of secret Grand Canyon gold mines. He also wrote a novel, Radio Snack. An editor suggested the work was a perfect example of “how not to write a novel.” Deaf in one ear and oblivious to negativity, Cue set about penning his next opus. As 2010 came to an end, hard work, determination, and insomnia paid off when Stoneweed Press released Cue’s new novel, Bud’s Love Bus. The following spring, Stoneweed’s publicity department sent him on the road to work the weed circuit in search of stoners who read, then charm those unicorns into spending twenty bucks on a book – not a dub. Instead of promoting the novel as his publisher wished, Cue spent 24/7 toking, then set forth on a quest to discover which is the most delicious type of pie. Despite many sidetracks and setbacks, by 2015, Cue had sold nearly thirty books and narrowed it down to a tie between pecan, cherry, and fresh strawberry.
After a brief incarceration and much soul-searching, Raz Cue began writing in earnest. He wrote to his probation officer and the judge who showed leniency; he wrote letters to editors about alien technology buried under the Antarctic ice, and he wrote pleas for expositions of secret Grand Canyon gold mines. He also wrote a novel, Radio Snack. An editor suggested the work was a perfect example of “how not to write a novel.” Deaf in one ear and oblivious to negativity, Cue set about penning his next opus. As 2010 came to an end, hard work, determination, and insomnia paid off when Stoneweed Press released Cue’s new novel, Bud’s Love Bus. The following spring, Stoneweed’s publicity department sent him on the road to work the weed circuit in search of stoners who read, then charm those unicorns into spending twenty bucks on a book – not a dub. Instead of promoting the novel as his publisher wished, Cue spent 24/7 toking, then set forth on a quest to discover which is the most delicious type of pie. Despite many sidetracks and setbacks, by 2015, Cue had sold nearly thirty books and narrowed it down to a tie between pecan, cherry, and fresh strawberry.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 15, 2017
How does one end up moralish after being born feralish? You've got to read the book! Truly an interesting life journey... Made me laugh out loud at times. Left me questioning the authors life choices at others. I have no room to judge but had plenty of room to enjoy this presentation. I learned things. I was given a calendar to parts of life I have absolutely zero recognition of. Always great to have a time stamp on the unknown. The experiences of life in the 1980's and 90's in Los Angeles, California will never be documented in it's entirety. Not by any one individual. Not by many. Books like this are a necessary part of helping to share what was truly one of the most exciting and fantastically outrageously unbridled times on this planet. Music lover, truth seeker, or just out for a literary ride: you will enjoy all that you get out of this book. I thank the author for taking the time to share his unbelievably cool life journey. The Days of Guns, & Raz's
October 11, 2017
I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
The first half of this book is the author Raz's story, from growing up to how he ended up in a wheelchair. Some interesting bits but a few of the cultural references were lost on me, not being American.
The second part of the book deals with how he came into contact with L.A. Guns and then Guns N' Roses (and some other bands and music players in 1980s LA that you'll be familiar with if you're a fan of music of that era) and for me this was the most interesting part of the book, along with Raz's trials with establishing and running his own recording studio later on.
If you're a Guns N'Roses fan then there's enough in the latter part of this book to interest you and it's worth reading for that alone.
The first half of this book is the author Raz's story, from growing up to how he ended up in a wheelchair. Some interesting bits but a few of the cultural references were lost on me, not being American.
The second part of the book deals with how he came into contact with L.A. Guns and then Guns N' Roses (and some other bands and music players in 1980s LA that you'll be familiar with if you're a fan of music of that era) and for me this was the most interesting part of the book, along with Raz's trials with establishing and running his own recording studio later on.
If you're a Guns N'Roses fan then there's enough in the latter part of this book to interest you and it's worth reading for that alone.
December 22, 2017
Raz Cue's claim to fame is that Guns N' Roses formed in his living room, but whilst this memoir is a great read for music fans and gives the reader an insight into the LA music scene of the 1980s, it is the more fascinating story of the author that kept me turning the pages. Raz's story starts with growing up in the 1970s, his accident as a teen that paralyzed him and then through into the misadventures of his adulthood as a part of the LA music scene. Great read!
I won a copy of this book from in a Goodreads Giveaways.
I won a copy of this book from in a Goodreads Giveaways.
November 2, 2017
I enjoyed Mr. Cue's autobiography very much. His perseverance despite a paralyzing accident is remarkable. He lives his life fully and unapologetically. Unable to pursue his musical ambitions--playing guitar--he instead decides to manage rock bands. He was present at the inception of Guns N Roses and helped launch the band. We are not given any real insight into the lives of the band members; the book focuses on Mr. Cue's life only. Altogether a good read.
September 28, 2017
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
July 19, 2018
DNF. It's possible there were some super cool stories in this memoir but I wouldn't know because it was damn near unreadable. It rambled on and on and on. I couldn't get through much of it before putting it down.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews