Last of the Giants: The True Story of Guns N' Roses

by Mick Wall

INCLUDES BRAND NEW CHAPTER COVERING GUNS N' ROSES EPIC WORLD TOUR Many millions of words have already been written about Guns N' Roses, the old line-up, the new line-up. But none of them have ever really gotten to the truth. Which is Guns N' Roses has always been a band out of time, the Last of the Giants. They are what every rock band since the Rolling Stones has tried and nearly always failed to dangerous. At a time when smiling, MTV-friendly, safe-sex, just-say-no Bon Jovi was the biggest band in the world, here was a band that seemed to have leapt straight out of the coke-smothered pages of the original, golden-age, late-sixties rock scene. 'Live like a suicide', the band used to say when they all lived together in the Hell House, their notorious LA home. And this is where Mick Wall first met them, and became part of their inner circle, before famously being denounced by name by Axl Rose in the song 'Get in the Ring'. But this book isn't about settling old scores. Written with the clear head that 25 years later brings you, this is a celebration of Guns N' Roses the band, and of Axl Rose the frontman who really is that thing we so desperately want him to the last of the truly extraordinary, all-time great, no apologies, no explanations, no giving-a-shit rock stars. The last of his kind.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Pop Culture, Musicians

512 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2016

About the author

Mick Wall is an author, journalist, film, television and radio writer-producer, who’s worked inside the music industry for over 35 years. He began his career contributing to the music weekly Sounds in 1977, where he wrote about punk and the new wave, and then rockabilly, funk, New Romantic pop and, eventually, hard rock and heavy metal. By 1983, Wall become one of the main journalists in the early days of Kerrang! magazine, where he was their star cover story writer for the next nine years. He subsequently became the founding editor of Classic Rock magazine in 1998, and presented his own television and radio shows.

Reviews

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Axl Rose really is that thing we so desperately want him to be: the last of the truly extraordinary, all-time great, no-apologies, no-explanations, no-quarter-given rock stars. The last of his kind."

Spanning from the formation of Guns N' Roses to their eventual demise and most recent reunion tour, Last of the Giants leaves no stone unturned. Mick Wall tells the true story of "the most dangerous in the world" through interviews with those involved, excerpts from autobiographies and first-hand encounters with the band.

It's no secret that GnR have been one of my favourite bands ever since I was young - I grew up in a GnR house. So I already know a lot of the stories, a lot of the rumours... and yet this book was still thoroughly enjoyable. I had forgotten so much of the absolutely insane shit Axl Rose and the rest of the band got up to - how are the original members still alive?! Given the number of times Slash was practically on death's door and brought back, the limits that Duff pushed his body to, as well as Steve Adler and Izzy Stradlin... and how did Axl's mouth not get him into far worse trouble??

My issue with biographies is that they can often be one-sided and biased, but I don't feel like that's the case here. Mick Wall doesn't hold back - everything is laid bare. All the dirty details - no matter how bad it makes the band members and members of the entourage or management team look. The number of times I laughed out loud or had to close the book because I was flabbergasted - honestly, I can't believe a lot of this happened. Mick Wall's writing itself flows well and is easy to read, he has constructed the book in such a way that it doesn't feel boring at any point. He also is a fan of using the last section of each chapter to tease the next - which made for some late nights and running behind schedule for the gym because I couldn't put the book down until I found out what he was referring to!

My only negative about this book was that sometimes it felt like certain anecdotes were repeated and that got a tad annoying at times. I perhaps would have liked a few more details on the recording of Chinese Democracy and what was going on behind the scenes, but apart from that, can't really complain.

Overall, this is a fantastic look back at one of the greatest (and most captivating) bands in history. I don't even think you need to be a die-hard GnR fan in order to enjoy this - although it does add to the experience! A great read, 4 out of 5 stars from me!

[Jarek "the Mistborn" Dąbrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome as everything concerning gnr I can get my hands on. A couple of cool stories that didn't make it to slashes, duffs, Stevens and axls bios:) I've read them all. There's one other thing I would love but I know 99% it wont happen is to read Izzies take on the whole thing....next from rock bios for me will be motley crues the dirt. Can't wait:)

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2017, after waiting for two decades, I literally walked 3km in the fucking desert, four days before my birthday, to squeeze in with 30,000 pumped up people like me, to go crazy for the greatest rock n roll band ever existed. Guns N fucking Roses.. one of the best moments in my life. There they were, the band who got me into metal. I’ve been a solid fan of GNR ever since I heard them first. Then I saw them in a magazine. Bloody hell, THAT music and THOSE guys stole my world and they have already broken up by then. As I grew older, my taste in metal became darker, colder and blacker but GNR never ever lost their place on top of my list. It’s a band that made me; an Ill fitting teenager to a woman who would say, "U don’t like it, then back the fuck off.."

This book was bloody chaos, my brain was honestly trying to keep up with the riot the whole time. I guess it can’t be any better given the status of the band and the people involved. And this book, gives such a clean cut insight into the band. I love Mick Wall’s writing. It’s so captivating and chilling, terrifying even. I’d say, I didn’t really want to know about some stuff in the book. It’s that bloody raw. At a point, I asked myself, how is slash alive? How is any of them alive? It’s fucking horrendous.

This book is all over the place. I don’t even know how to really put a proper review about it, hence all the bullshit that’s all over the place. It says a painful story of five individuals (sorry, I’m one of those people who sees guns as Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff and Steven) who made such brilliant music that truly was the last of proper rock n roll. There were numerous times I almost forgot to breathe. I wasn’t very interested about all the people that tagged on later on but I guess that was crucial to tell the story of this amazing band. And I guess that’s one reason why I never went to see them in 2013 when they played right next door to me. No matter how much I loved Axl’s legs back in the days, Axl alone was never GNR for me. GNR will never be GNR without those who came from the hellhouse. And in this book, Axl is exactly how Axl should be, a paranoid, eccentric genius. Slash is simply Slash an nothing else. If anyone wants to know, I mean REALLY know how the paradise city went to the jungle, this is the book to read.

This book says it all, the good, the bad and off the fucking marbles kind of ugly.. yet one thing is true. They are the last of the giants to walk the earth. There was and never will be a band like GNR, ever. And this, this is something every bloody fan out there should read. Fuck everything and everyone else.



Book #61 of 2021..
Around the year in 52 books - ""A book related to ""the end""".

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I'm a GNR fan, some would even say a GNR apologist, so of course i'm going to read this .... and there was some interesting insight into the earlier years, the AOD years but ...

I cannot excuse the myriad of typos and just flat-out sloppy journalism and reporting for example

- Duff's name switched from McKagan to McKagen numerous times throughout the book
- When you are saying GNR covered an AC/DC song ... please make sure it's an actual AC/DC song
- And in my opinion, the most egregious, saying that the band went to "Disneyland's Magic Mountain in Los Angeles" is just .... ugh. Facepalm city.

Good for early info, bad for editing.

[Aellirenn Czyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fajnie móc poczytać o Gunsach. Dobre to było.

[R7835 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled through this one. It felt like there was so much repetition, and with so many quotes and narratives I often struggled to keep track of who was currently being quoted. I'd often find myself having to glance back to see who was currently speaking when half way through the quote I'd realise I'd no idea who or what was currently being spoken about.
There were also sections of the history that I felt was skipped over, such as the recording and release of The Spaghetti Incident? which was barely covered. I was also disappointed in the lack of coverage of the story behind the name of The Spaghetti Incident, and more could have been said regarding the controversy of including a Charles Manson song. The coverage of the release of the live album was also skimmed over - I guess there just wasn't that much reference material for these parts.
Other sections just seemed to drag on forever, such as the coverage from 2000-2017 where the focus was on whether or not G N' R would reunite. By the end of the book I just couldn't care anymore about what G N' R do, I just desperately wanted the book to end.
For those interested in reading about G N' R without much prior knowledge I'd recommend giving this a light read while skimming some sections.
For fans of G N' R, you've probably read this all before.

[Fred · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good, but uneven, GNR bio. I wish that it covered the origins of each song better. The whole process of writing each album is covered in just a few paragraphs. It does cover a lot of the business aspects of the band, and how important the band managers were in their success. I got a real sense of seedy, debauched L.A. in the 80's, and how important that scene was to the origins of the band. I got a good sense of Axl's personality and issues, and how underrated and important Izzy was, but didn't get much sense of Slash's personality or issues aside from drug addiction.

Overall, I would say this book focuses a lot on the business side of things, tours, and the drama and conflicts, but doesn't cover the music or musicianship as much as I would have liked. The music is what interests people in a band, so I think band bio's should have a strong focus on the music.

The writing is often confusing and repetitive. Frequently, Mick will cover a certain episode in the band's life, then suddenly start talking about things that happened months or years before, and finally come back around to the episode. It can be difficult to follow the timeline. There is usually a reason for this: he is trying to show the same episode from different perspectives, or give a preview before going into the details. I think he could have done a better job of this as a writer, but I do appreciate that he tries to give all sides.

One of the frustrating aspects of the book - well, of GNR really - is that for just about any episode in the life of the band, every person involved has a very different, often contradictory, story to tell about it. Not to be political about it, but it reminds me a lot of Donald Trump's presidency - irreconcilable distortions of whatever actually happened. Anyway, such disagreements about what happened are pretty close to the core of the problems that have plagued the band for the past 30 years. So, in that sense, Mick does a good job of presenting the band.

The first half of the book is everything up to Use Your Illusion. The second half is everything since. I wish the split had been more 80/20. I got pretty tired of reading about all the drama and letdowns post-UYI. I did like the coverage of Velvet Revolver though. But I ended up skipping past quite a bit of the last 25% because it was so repetitive hearing about tour after tour cancelled or interrupted by the same old excuses, the same old fights, the same old lies.

I should mention that this is the only GNR biography I've read, so I can't say how it compares to others. It does cover the band right up to 2017, so it's nice that it includes the Not in this Lifetime tour.

[Sam Donoghue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book

[Catherine Kubiak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on various magazine and video interviews, books and online sources, this book is the history from the beginning to now of what is considered to be one of the greatest rock bands of all time and, The Last of the Giants, Guns N Roses.
I liked this book and would recommend it if you are into GNR. My interest grew with each chapter. The first several chapters were quite fast paced with shocking storylines that didn’t have enough time to sink in. Some controversial topics seemed to be glorified as a “rock n roll” lifestyle including the alleged rape of an underage girl which I wasn’t a fan of...
The writing jumped between accounts from different sources so was a little hard to follow at times, but that also may be due to the fact that I read before bed and my attention isn’t always at 100%.
All of the band members, despite their various addictions and downfalls over the years were portrayed in a light that made them all likeable and I felt sympathy for each one. The disputes between the band were all quite factual and unbiased in anyone’s favour. These disputes were the reoccurring theme of the bands history and they were notorious for their no shows to concerts, late starts and crazy riots.
3-3.5 stars, I’m undecided. All I know is that if GNR ever have another concert, I’ll be buying a ticket!

[Ashley Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could've done without the final third which gets too bogged down what the various members were up to in the late nineties and most of the noughties.

Aside from that though this is a thoroughly entertaining book, with much less reliance on stories about rock star extravagance than Motley Crue's The Dirt for instance.

[Markku · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kirja on hyvin samankaltainen kuin bändi, josta se kertoo: möhköfanttinen, pateettinen ja kestoltaan liian pitkä. Liiallinen yksityiskohtaisuus ja keittiöpsykologia menee usein överiksi, vaikka toki Axl Rosen sekoilu on toisinaan viihdyttävää luettavaa. Mutta oli kyllä työn takana lukea kirja loppuun.

[Marita Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, at the most. Nowhere near as enjoyable as Slash's book, but then again, Slash isn't just my favourite in the group, he's my favourite rock star in ALL groups. Axl still annoyed the hell out of me in this read, he's beyond frustrating to read about, though I can understand aspects of his personality because I see it to a lesser extent in someone I know who has asperghers, making me wonder whether Axl has it too. Therefore, I can understand how much harder things would've been for him, it's just unfortunate the other members had to suffer for it.

As for the writer of this book, he has a massive wealth of knowledge, though at times the writing dragged on and was bogged down with too much detail, plus I couldn't give two craps about the people who filled the originals' roles. To me, Guns 'N' Roses is the original line up: Slash (Notice how I put him first? For me, he's the heart of GNR), Axl, Duff, Izzy, and Steven, plus Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke are also important. I don't mind acknowledging those two since I think of them as GNR, plus Dizzy Reed. Everyone else that followed, nah, don't know them, nor do I care to.

I did enjoy reading about Velvet Revolver again, mostly because of Slash and Duff, plus Matt. I would like to read Steven Adler's book next. P.S. I liked reading about Sebastian Bach too, I'd just finished reading his book the day before. He's such a lively fella, who does fantastic concerts. I saw Slid Row in the 80s. One of the best concerts ever. My ears rang for three days afterwards but it was totally worth it!

Ultimate thoughts of this book, its took about three months to finish and I'm glad it's over, whereas Slash's book was a fast read and I was sad when it was finished. So, IMO, read Slash's book first.

[Tony Farinella · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I discovered that Mick Wall had written a book on Guns N’ Roses, I was skeptical and wasn’t sure if it would be worth my time. After all, his autobiography on Axl Rose was a book he regretted writing because it came from a place of anger. Would “The Last of the Giants” be filled with more lies and with a personal vendetta against the singer and the band?

I’m happy to report “The Last of the Giants” is the best book I’ve ever read on my favorite band of all time: Guns N’ Roses. He starts off by writing in the book, “For Axl, you won.” Yes, this is the same Mick Wall who was talked about in their song, “Get in the Ring.”

This is a comprehensive and detailed look at the band from the beginning, the middle, and up until their 2016 reunion tour. It includes archival interviews with the band along with interviews with their former managers, Alan Niven and Doug Goldstein.

The story of Guns N’ Roses is one of struggle, success, financial failure, and ultimately happiness and one of the most successful rock tours of all time. When you read about the band, it’s easy to see where things went wrong, just like it’s easy to see why they were so successful and why they are still so popular to this day.

Mick presents the stories and information from various sources and various interviews. He also knows when to put himself in the book from an opinion perspective and when to let the story tell itself.

I absolutely loved this book and if you are a diehard Guns N’ Roses fan like myself, you owe it to yourself to read it. It’s a masterpiece.

[Sebastian Sampallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a huge Guns N' Roses fan since I was about 14 or so. I would say that it is still one of my favourite bands, although my taste has become somewhat more diversified with my increasing wisdom and life experience... Notwithstanding this, I have read surprisingly little about Guns N' Roses. As a consequence, Mick Wall's book really gave me a better understanding of Guns N' Roses, where they came from and what caused what appeared to be the unhealable rift between the band members (although we know now that not even Axl's and Slash's feud was unhealable).

I loved many parts of the book, and since I have intimate knowledge about the songs of Guns N' Roses, it was really cool to get to know more about how the songs came to be, and what they are about. The history of the some of the songs I was already aware of (For example, I knew Mr. Brownstone was about heroine and Night train was a cheap whine), although that was not the case with all of them.

The book was perhaps a little too long. While I enjoyed the many details, I would assume that someone not as interested in Guns N' Roses would not have the same tolerance. Although, perhaps this would not be a book for them either.

In other news, I have read that Axl and Slash have been spending their Corona quarantines writing new music for Guns N' Roses. I will believe it when I see it, but damn, that would be great. "Not in this lifetime", my ass!

[Erik Hermeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compleet en leuk verhaal over alle leden van Guns n Roses, inclusief not in this lifetime tour.

Je leest ook waarom Axl Rose bepaalde keuzes maakt wat het interessant maakt. Begin is het leukste, later gaat het veel over de randzaken en de managers. Toch blijft het boeien.

Dit boek heb ik na de biografie van Duff McKagan gelezen, waardoor ik van Duff al veel wist. Als je dat boek nog niet hebt gelezen, zou ik eerst daarmee beginnen.

[Syarul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mediocre book about Guns N Roses. Such a pain in the ass trying to finish this book. I personally more prefer The Dirt by Motley Crue rather than this so-called band biography.

[James Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

[Kirstie May · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an absolute avid GNR fan and I saw this in my local library I knew I just had to grab it! I've already read Slash's own autobiography (even though that was years ago now, so calls for a re-read) but this was so much better and more in-depth into the band themselves, as you see the trials and tribulations, the successes and (sort of) failures from all sides of the story, with stories coming from the different line ups of the band, as well as the managers, and Scott Weiland of Velvet Revolver, along with snippets of reviews (album reviews and tour/concert reviews) from magazines/newspapers and radio interviews.

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wo, what a ride! This book is a crazy and excellent historical exposé of one of the biggest and best rock bands the world has ever seen. A weird and sometimes frustrating story, written in an easy and informal style by a top respected music journalist, I enjoyed this from the first word to the last. While the GN'R saga is generally well known these days, this book seems to offer the story in a fresh and exciting new way which makes it so much fun to read. It's current too (published late 2016) so there is plenty of gen on the "reunion" and the pleasantly surprising Axl/DC shows. I loved it. I recommend it for any fan of Guns N' Roses and/or rock music in general, and it rates for me as the second best music bio that I've read to date after Slash's own autobiography.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want the real story you have to go to the source - Mick Wall. This guy was in Guns N’ Roses inner circle. He knew them personally. They trusted him, up to a point. When I was a kid listening to “get in the ring” (Axl calls him out on that song) I had no idea who mick Wall was at the time. He was the front line reporter for the rock n roll revolution back in the day.

You will get a full on, detailed account of the band’s beginning up to their “not in this lifetime” tour. Wall does a great job of covering the details of the band and their management through the years. I have read slash’s and Duff’s autobiographies and this book lines up with their first hand accounts.

Any fan of the band should read this book.

[James Jobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking to get a good updated overview of the Guns history then this is a good book. Though Mick does seem to use the same anecdotes a couple of times for several stories which was annoying and strange, but he writes well and it's an interesting read. If you're really into the band though you can't go past all the band members autobiographies (excluding Izzy and Axl), even though they may have been out of their heads most of the time, you can't beat authenticity straight from the rockers mouths.

[Andy Moss · Rating 2 out of 5]

They saw you should never meet your hero’s, and that should probably be expanded to never read about them either. Mick Wall obviously knows what he talking about but you can't get past the fact all these people are pretty dull, especially after a succession of inter-changeable drugs/ booze filled anecdotes. Taking themselves much more seriously than the Crue there’s little to save the last third of this where no one is doing much of anything, but taking a long time doing it.

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a really good job of not being one sided & just tells the story of guns & roses straight, good or bad. I grew up listening to guns n roses and heard stories of how weird axl roses was. This book explains why he was the way he was. One second your thinking what an asshole he is and deserved everything he got and the next second your feeling sorry for the guy. Great book if your even a little bit of a fan of guns n roses.

[KSena · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is one word you can use to describe Guns’N’Roses: Absolute chaos.

These five guys stumbled upon each other on the Sunset Strips underground scene way back when and then created all that incredible music. And then crashed and burned in chaos and drugs.

I had the same reaction to this book as I did after reading Ozzy Osbourne's book: How in the HELL are they still alive?!??!?

Anyway, I was listening to the audiobook version of this, and I usually have no issue with the speed with which the reader has when reading. But this time I did. This reader needs to take a chill pill! I had to lower the speed from 1.0 (normal) to 0,8. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have understood even half of what was going on. Once at that speed though, it was perfectly enjoyable to listen to his voice.

What I did like with this book was that it did not stop when the original five split up (see: chaos and drugs), it continued on after that. We follow Axl Rose and his new G’n’R. We follow Slash, Duff, Steven, Izzy and what they are up to. Matt as well. The ups and downs of all their projects, their struggles to be free from drugs… Music they make. Not so much about wives and kids, just very very briefly. This is all about the music. We follow friends, producers, managers that have worked with them and their experiences. It’s all very good and interesting!

I also liked that there was no blame-game in this book. It was very neutral and took everyones side at the same time. Refreshing since in most books about G’n’R Axl gets a lot of blame. In some ways he gets that here too, but not only. We get to see a lot of events from his perspective as well, and the others get some of the blame too. I like that!

But, and here’s the negative, it was very confusing sometimes who was saying what. Because the writer is writing a lot in first person perspective, since he’s been interviewing a lot of people around G’n’R, so it changes perspective a lot of the time which was very confusing. That pulls down the rating quite a great deal, because that was VERY annoying at times!

If you’re a new or old fan of Guns’n’Roses though (like me) this kinda is a most-read despite that. It’s packed full of info about all that music we all know and love.

[Aomame* · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I Guns N' Roses sono sempre stati un gruppo fuori tempo, gli Ultimi Giganti, Quella qualità autentica, trascinante che ogni gruppo rock dai tempi dei Rolling Stones ha rivendicato e non è quasi mai riuscita ad avere: la pericolosità. Creature in cerca di guai da un altro mondo, venute qui a rubarci l'anima, a succhiarci il sangue. A fotterci. Non l'hanno mai negato. Nemmeno negli anni Ottanta, quando stavano appena iniziando, quei ragazzi dello Strip di L.A. minacciosi, maliziosi, col culo scoperto e tatuati che dicevano "cazzo" nel primo singolo. Quegli scherzi della natura drogati di luci al neon che si rifiutavano di seguire le regole. Dovevi guardare due volte, perché c'era da non credere ai tuoi occhi. In un periodo in cui i sorridenti Bon Jovi, amici di MTV, promotori del sesso sicuro e del no alle droghe erano il gruppo più famoso del mondo, c'era una band che sembrava essere saltata fuori direttamente dalle pagine intrise di sangue e sporche di coca della scena rock originale del periodo d'oro di fine anni Sessanta; un periodo in cui formazioni magiche, mistiche e musicali come Led Zeppelin, Doors e Stones stavano scrivendo le proprie regole, disegnando le un mondo fatto di strani sogni e fantasie proibite. Non sembrava possibile, ma nulla di Axl Rose, Slash, Duff e Izzy (dove avevano trovato quei nomi?) sembrava possibile. Ed è il motivo per cui, alla fine, ci siamo innamorati pazzamente di loro. E il motivo per cui adesso vogliamo che ci restituiscano quelle sensazioni quando ne abbiamo ancora più bisogno.
[...]
Soprattutto, i Guns N' Roses erano importanti perché in un periodo in cui sembrava che fosse tutto finito per quel genere strafottente e diretto, è arrivata questa band totalmente impossibile che rappresentava il tipo di rivoluzione mentale che non fa prigionieri e che non vedevamo dal 1969. I Guns N' Roses hanno riportato i tempi cupi, e per questo motivo hanno conquistato i cuori neri di tutti i ragazzacci e le ragazze fighe. Anche alla gente normale piacevano i Guns N' Roses, si sapeva che avevano qualcosa di autentico, anche se lasciava i lividi"

[Spoilsporty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Неудивительно, что это единственная полная биография Guns’n’Roses))
⠀
Мик Уолл - это музыкальный журналист, который в своё время написал книги не об одной группе. Еще у него были тёрки с Экселем Роузом, и зарыть топор войны он решил посвятив ему книгу.
⠀
Собственно книга...может помочь вам разочаровываться в Ганзах (если вы однажды были ними очарованы).
История группы одновременно рок-н-ролльная и печальная. Одна из тех, которые я очень люблю: о примерах магии в реальной жизни. Как совершенно разные люди с разными возможностями и разным стартом осуществляют свои мечты. Как маленький мальчик из неблагополучной семьи, будучи выходцем из глубинки и жертвой насилия, становится мировой звездой благодаря своему таланту.
⠀
Но с талантом можно начать, а для того, чтобы проложить важно ещё и помнить о том, какой ты человек.
И в книге об этом много. О том, как саморазрушение рушит мечты.
⠀
Ещё один повод к разочарованию связан с самой книгой. Так как в ней сплошная политика. Контракты, лейблы, записи, альбомы, суды, разводы...Дух рок-н-ролла в такой рутине теряется и даже рассказы о самых диких концертах не передают сполна атмосферу хард-пока и сумасшедшей жизни “самой опасной группы”.
⠀
Идеальным названием для книги стал бы тот самый “Appetite for Destruction”, если вы не главные герои - Последние гиганты. Это не Эксл, не Слэш, не Дафф, не Иззи и не Стив. А менеджеры группы. Настоящие романтики рок-н-ролла, способные отдать все силы ради банды деструктивных подростков. Поверившие в талант и разглядевшие звёзды, там, где до этого не ничего не было видно.
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Думаю, обида на Эксела у Уолла все таки осталась. В некоторых местах Роуз у Уолла ну настоящий антагонист. Но и доля правды в этом есть. Роуз - тот самый гений, который балансирует на грани безумия (и об этом в книге тоже достаточно).
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Короче, если вы такой же рок-н-ролльный романтик, как и я, то книгу безусловно надо читать. Даже если вам не особо близки Guns’n’Roses.

[Shavaun Chaytor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wow! Mick Wall's talents of writing this story is just incredible, to the highest achievements of 'the biggest rock band in the world' to the lowest points where there were countless tours and postponed albums due to Axl Roses pure tantrums. This book has shown me the process in which Gun N' Roses actually began, and is striving after years of hard ache. I originally thought that Gun N' Roses was just a good band with a small amount of legal involvement and separation, but when I actually delved into the story behind everything I learnt not only Axl Rose's side to the story, but each and every party that was involved in the upbringing of Guns N Rose's. To the original line up- Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradalin, Steven Adler, and of course Axl Rose. To the producers and co-producers of studio companies and tour personnel - Alan Niven, Doug Goldstein. To the countless partners of the band members that encouraged them to pursue their dreams, or helped them acknowledge that they are strong to continue. And of course to the incredible fans that didn't know whether to continue supporting the band to Axl continuous excuses as to why he would cancel shows or just walk off the stage leaving everyone to riot. I thank my Dad for loaning me this book to read it has given me a larger insight to the 'true story' behind the Guns N' Roses. Thank you so much Muck wall for creating this masterpiece, encapsulating every party's view opinion and the down right truth of everything. You showed the light over the truth and I am incredibly fortunate to have read it. Thank you.

If you ever want to learn about the true story of Guns N' Roses check out this book, it's 100% worth the time!

[Wisdom Wasp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mick wall writes in an accessible, easy to read way about one of the last great rock and roll bands and a true favourite of mine in guns n roses.

But where's the excitement!? GnR were such an exciting band in such an exciting time - where's the fun?

The research and scene setting is excellent. He also does not go into glamorising the band which is appreciated. However Im sure a lot of the early days of Guns n Roses were exciting and fun, this doesnt come through in the book to me, perhaps its my reaction to some things.Heck they made great music when they weren't being horrible people, stealing, fighting, abusing drugs and potentially worse. Its been great to see that in the their older more mature years they've not only mellowed out but seem to be good people.

The book proves a couple of things:
- connections and "who you know" always matters more than talent. You arent discovered playing one street corner. I think Slash's connections are underrated in helping the band get big bo matter what the lord says.
- mental health needs to be dealt with or you'll break out in drug addiction from just a bit of fun. Yes there's a lot of "partying" but a lot of time just being strung out and hopeless drug addicts
- LA's hair metal scene was a unique brief period of time at one place. I had dreams as a young man of bringing my guitar to LA and living the cruise band lifestyle, but now I have no regrets for not pursuing that, because that time had long passed.
- although Guns n Roses were huge and brilliant, there is a sadness and loneliness there too which I cant quite explain but the book captures well.
- they were all brilliant musicians and songwriters, regardless of their flaws

Where the book falls off a bit is Mick Wall seems to be a bit too believing of those who give him interviews such as Vicky Hamilton, Goldstein and Niven rather than examining the flaws in their seemingly tall heroic stories. This book is a bit of Doug Goldstein's career as manager featuring axl rose and GnR at times

Also Mick Wall retells in a bit too much a quite detailed sex story, which is misogynist and unfair to all and I dont like weaponising those terms and I know its GnR but he really should have left that out of the book

[siica · Rating 4 out of 5]

“O Guns N’ Roses sempre foi uma banda atemporal, o último dos gigantes. Aquele ouro maciço, que toda banda de rock desde os Rolling Stones sempre quis ser e quase nunca conseguiu: perigosa. Criaturas de outro reino à-procura-de-problemas, que estão aqui para roubar nossas almas, sugar nosso sangue. A gente que se foda.”

Não sei o que dizer depois desse livro, ao mesmo tempo em que foi um livro rico, e me fizeram viajar para Los Angeles dos anos 80, e sentir todo o caos envolvido nisso. Alguns capítulos perdiam o ritmo da narrativa, me fazendo demorar mais que o pretendido pra terminar o livro. Tirando esse detalhe mínimo, absolutamente incrível. Eu estava obcecada pela banda enquanto lia isso. Eu amo tudo que o Guns construiu, e o quão genuíno eles eram com suas convicções e seu gosto pela música.

E como o próprio mick wall diz “Este é o Guns N’ Fuckin’ Roses, meu bem. E, como diz a música, eles nunca, jamais cairão.”

[Stef · Rating 3 out of 5]

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The very depressing rise and demise of one of the most greatest rock bands of all time: guns n roses. Band members getting fired, quitting, the never ending tantrums from an obvious member of the group, and why the hell it took 17 years to bring out a new album.

No offence to Doug Goldstein but he’s got his head so far up axls ass and yet he is still hated by the man over something so silly.
Defends mr rose by saying that the reason he is always late to his shows is because he wants the absolute best for his fans. Spending hours on vocal warm ups, getting massages, acupuncture and if that doesn’t feel right he doesn’t even go out at all?!? No, that’s not for the fans. I’m sorry but it takes a very selfish person to be wasting someone’s time and in the case, money.
This book just only seemed to focus on the bad and never the good. Was there any good from that band?