W. Axl Rose: The Unauthorized Biography

by Mick Wall

Updated for the paperback

Hugely talented, always provocative, followed by controversy wherever he goes... W. Axl Rose's life is a rock 'n' roll drama of epic proportions and now, for the first time, his story is properly told. Drawing on exclusive unpublished material, Mick Wall has written a no-holds-barred study of the turbulent life and career of the Guns N' Roses singer and leader.

Wall describes Axl's difficult childhood in Indiana and how, after escaping to LA, he and his band Guns N' Roses struggled to survive until they were signed up by Geffen in 1986. Fuelled by Rose's drive and ambition, the first album, Appetite for Destruction, turned them into stars, but the band's lurid lifestyle took its toll - they embarked on a two-year tour that sounded the death knell for the original line-up. By the mid-nineties Axl had turned into a virtual recluse, working endlessly on the long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy.

Tracking the singer's story to date, scrupulously researched and vividly written, W. Axl Rose is an explosive biography of rock's biggest living legend.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Rock N Roll, Music Biography, Biography Memoir

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

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

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm very torn about this biography by Mick Wall.

I should first say that the biography can be very enjoyable to read. There is, however, something that keeps getting in the way of making this book truly memorable.

Many people have issues with Axl Rose and it is clear that Mr. Wall is no exception. It is also obvious that he has not "moved on" from the falling out they had many, many years ago. Mr. Wall will have several paragraphs of objective storytelling and then ruin the whole thing but putting in a snide, irrelevant comment. These comments are frequent and tiring. Certainly, Axl is not an angel but instead of making Axl look bad, they make Mr. Wall seem self-important and childish.

I also read the autobiography by former Guns N' Roses guitarist, Slash. Slash's book handles his issues with Axl in a much more objective and mature manner. I would recommend Slash's book over Mr. Wall's book any day.

[Pj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given that Mick Wall was put on Axl's sh-t-list even before Use Your Illusion dropped, a lot of what Wall writes here is based on constructions of second-hand accounts, new reports, court documents, etc. Which would be fine if it were well-written or engaging. But Wall is only an adequate writer, and while he tells Axl's story well enough to to not bore readers, his structure choices and time shifts make it a bit hard to follow.

Worse, this really ends up being less a biography of Axl Rose and more of Guns N' Roses, which is fine for a GNR fan like me, but that's not that the title of the book leads you to believe.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'll remember journalist and critic Mick Wall as one of the gents Axl invited into the ring in the song from Use Your Illusion II. This book, proving that there aren't any hard feelings, is fair, well-researched, and reveals some new things even for those who've been following the band and the main man all along. The portrait of Axl delves a bit into his psychosis and psychiatric treatment so that we see him not as the bad guy who's megalomania broke up our favorite band, so much as the troubled guy who's megalomania broke up our favorite band. It's good to go back to a time when everything was roses when we held on to the guns, and about time we had more information about what's going on now with the everchanging, unwieldy incarnation of GN'R. This book pulls it all together and keeps the hope alive.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some mildly interesting stuff, but nothing new. Plus, the author seemed mainly concerned with addressing his personal issues with the subject.

[Randee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Axl Rose is in my top 5 of English mother tongue (I love a number of Asian singers that I rank separately) singers. In no particular order, he, Steven Tyler, Freddie Mercury, Robin Zander and Steve Marriott are my all time favorites. I've known that Axl was a troubled personality but I did not know to what extent until reading this book. After reading this, I guess I am one of the lucky ones who saw the original Guns 'n Roses without waiting a couple of hours for concerts to start, etc. I play their cd's to this day just about every week, especially "Use Your Illusion" which I think is just as good as 'Appetite for Destruction' Different but brilliant. I'm giving a generous 4 stars to this because I think the author gave as much information as he could about Axl Rose. I found it interesting. And, of course, tragic that someone as uniquely gifted as Axl does not seem to have any happiness from his success. I got the feeling he might have been better off if he had not become a 'legend'. Many do not handle fame and fortune well, it damages them in unpredictable ways and I feel this applies to Axl Rose, who already had issues before he became famous. I love his voice and I may be in the minority but I like 'Chinese Democracy.' Now, I wish Axl would tell his own side of the story...maybe one day.

[Jonas Paro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den ständigt levande drömmen är ju att Axl skriver sina egna memoarer men denna var faktiskt bättre än jag hade vågat hoppats på. Haft den stående i bokhyllan i femton år men borde absolut ha läst den på en gång den införskaffades (innan nästan alla medlemmar i Guns N’ Roses redan hunnit släppa egna biografier).

[Ollie Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on this book. On one hand I really enjoyed it was as a book fan one of those so bad its kind of good. But as a Axl Rose fan I am upset and disappointed. Not only that its probably the most biased books I ever read! The author would go off on a bunch of facts about other bands witch often made me feel that the book was more Guns N' Roses compared to the rest of rock and less about just Axl.

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

DUDE. yes. the unauthorized biography of axl rose! can i just say how totally into guns n' roses i was when i was younger? my parents were weirdo bike speed freaks, & they were way into heavy metal (they once had to sell their house & move after the neighbors found out they had attended a scorpions concert & stopped talking to them), & they got me into heavy metal. as a child, i only wore black & stuff with skulls on it, & i was really into all those metal bands, including guns n' roses. i still quite enjoy flipping around the radio & stumbling across "sweet child o' mine" or whatever. & the awesomest thing about them is that w. axl rose is a total...i don't even know. he has issues. i don't really understand what those issues are, & i don't think his uauthorized biographer (who was called out in "get in the ring" when axl threatened to kick his ass) knows either, but they make for an entertainginyl bitchy book. read all about how axl quit drugs & got into past life regression therapy & keeps an astrologer on staff. read about how he forced his bandmates to relinquish their legal rights to the guns n' roses band name & then spent fourteen years perfecting the "chinese democracy" record, which is sure to be a SERIOUS LETDOWN of historic proportions. the dude is like the michael jackson of heavy metal or something. this book ruled! & it gave me so much new material to work into all kinds of different conversations.

[HeavyReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

I decided that it was silly to force myself to read a book that I wasn't enjoying, just so I could say that I had read it all. Besides, I borrowed a small stack of graphic novels from the library yesterday and got two new books to review for the Feminist Review in the mail. So I have plenty of good stuff to read.

I do want to point out that this book contains some of the worst writing I have ever encountered. I've read a lot of fluffy, simple writing, books that I think of as easy readers for adults, but this is just plain bad. It is full of sentence fragments, and I don't think they were a stylistic choice.

Here's one example of the bad, bad writing: "Clearly there were other things affecting the way Axl thought about things." Really? Some guy got paid to write that sentence?

What I find most unbelievable is that the author is a professional. The back flap of the book jacket says he "has been a rock journalist since 1977 and currently writes for Mojo, Guitar World, Classic Rock and several other newspapers and magazines around the world." Yikes!

[Brenda Roberson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though the author, Mick Wall, said that he had no ill feelings toward Axl, you could tell from the very beginning that that is not the case. I thought an autobiography about a certain person is supposed to be about that certain person. This book was anything but about W. Axl Rose. The author paid more homage to three drug addicts (Slash, Steven and Izzy) and a drunk (Duff) than he did about the actual person (Axl) he was supposed to be writing about. According to most of what was written, it was made out to be all Axl's fault. To me it seemed as though Axl was the scapegoat for everything that went wrong. Anyone, when attacked will attack back in like manner to protect themselves. Your formative years play a big part in the kind of person you grow up to be and Axl's childhood was anything but good. He literally was the "red-haired stepchild". With his voice range and showmanship, Axl was and will always be the best frontman/rock singer EVER. The only good thing about the book was the pictures. I will never read another book by Mick Wall. I give this book 3 thumbs down.

[Ray Cavanaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some say that Axl Rose “killed the rock star,” and that GnR could’ve been the next Rolling Stones were it not for the antics of this charismatic, albeit oft-unlikable, front man. In their prime, Axl & Co. were an apotheosis of chaotic rockers. Aside from digging their music, I found something enticing about their hard-knocks glamour and volatility.

So I figured I’d give this book a shot. Read about thirty pages. Didn’t seem poorly written, certainly accessible.

But then one chapter concluded with Axl saying: “Unless it’s like, this is it, man! Like, fuck it, let’s go down in fuckin flames with this motherfucker…you know?”

At this juncture, I feel like my IQ would drop ten points were I to continue reading.

Perhaps I’m just not meant to “go down in fuckin flames” with Axl.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a GnR summer and I love a good rock bio. My biggest takeaway is that I really hope we get the full story from Axl himself.

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indiana osariigist Lafayette'st pärit Bill Bailey on W. Axl Rose'i nime all tuntud ilmselt viimase rockidinosauruse Guns N' Roses'i vokalist, frontman ja hiljem ka ainus originaalliige. 80ndate lõpus-90ndate alguses suutsid nad mõneks aastaks olla oma generatsiooni hääl, tõmmates ühtlasi joone alla nii L.A.-tüüpi juustemetali/hardrocki ajajärgule, kui olles ka staadioneid täitvate bändide üks viimaseid esindajaid. Axl oli ja on keerulise iseloomuga mees, ega rocki absoluutsesse tippu ei tõustagi süldibändi klafkamehe mentaliteediga. Samas see keeruline iseloom põhjustas ka "maailma ohtlikuima bändi" arusaamatu susinal tühjaksvoolamise ning iseenda paroodiaks ja tragikoomiliseks farsiks muutunud albumi "Chinese Democracy" 15 aasta pikkuseks kujunenud sünnitusvalud, riidumineku kõikide originaalkoosseisu liikmetega ning pehmelt öeldes ekstsentrilised elukombed.
Mick Wall on endise metal-ajakirja "Kerrang" kaastöötaja ning 80ndate lõpul oli ta L.A. rokiskenes oma mees ning liikus sujuvalt erinevate bändide backstage'des, muuhulgas ka GNR'i omas ning bändimehed olid talle isiklikult tuttavad. Ka Axl. Tõsi küll, juba 1991. aastaks oli ta Axl'i nii ära pahandanud, et teenis endale välja laulu sisse paneku. Nimelt on krestomaatilise GNR'i topelt-topeltalbumi "Use Your Illusion II" peal lugu "Get In The Ring", kus nii Mick Wall'i kui Kerrangi nimepidi nimetatakse, teiste hulgas ja pasapuhujateks sõimatakse. Selge see, et härra Axli usalduse ja kontaktid kaotanud mees võis kirjutada ausalt ja otseselt "autoriseerimata" biograafia, kus ilustamata nimetas asju nende õigete nimedega. Mitte et see sellise veidra ekstsentriku nagu Axl puhul eriti raske oleks.
Raamat ilmus 2008. aastal, vahepeal on palju vett merre voolanud. On lõpuks ilmunud ka "Chinese Democracy", mis lasi oma 15 aastase valmimistsükliga mööda nii juustemetalile lõpu teinud grunge kui ka interneti hävitustöö nii albumite kui plaadifirmade hulgas. Ühtlasi tuli vahepeal kokku vähendatud koosseisus (originaalkoosseisust Axl, Duff ja Slash, mõnedel kontserditel esines ka originaaltrummar Steven Adler) GNR ja tegi "Not In This Lifetime Tour'i" mis isegi Tallinna Lauluväljakule jõudis. Gunnerite ja vananeva Axli saaga jätkub...

[William Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great biography of the troubled lead singer. The book is built off of mostly credible and easy to locate sources. There are only a few passages here and there which are suspect, but there's really no bias on Wall's part. The author is very up front about his role in the band. As for Rose, I don't happen to think this paints a completely terrible picture of him. In many regards the book makes you feel bad for the guy, but Rose's own past actions highlighted here in one place really stand to lock his place in music history as just another troubled thoughtless rock star. In the end he is far less likable than any other member of the original band and this book only confirms yet another reason why I won't spend another cent on making this guy rich, unless he can get it together with the original members. As a society we need to stop rewarding jerks for their "art" and start rewarding the folks with a sense of realness and integrity. There are many more bands and musicians that have kept it real.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

W.A.R. is really but a bio about GnR. Armed with virtually a PHD in Hair metal/hard rock, fueled with attitude Wall write's “You had to work fast just to write it all down”. Entertaining as hell. Chocked full of details. More so than the Slash/Duff/Adler books, I feel this one puts the GnR story in proper context. The amazing 87-93 era is laid out quite well. Unfortunately Axl is a monster and a dysfunctional jerk. Broken friendships, death's, cancelled tours, delayed albums. The last half of W.A.R. could have been more personal, perhaps Wall just didn’t have the direct access to Rose? I am left a feeling a bit bewildered by how Axl moves. I wish him well!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unauthorized biographies are the way to go with figures that have created their own mythology, unless you can get an autobiography. The story told herein is a good cautionary tale on artistic "genius" and how the creative process can become a black hole of ever-expanding expectation, soured relationships, and hope for the next big thing.

Despite or because of self-destructive tendencies, Rose remains a sympathetic figure as he goes from top dog to underdog in the race to capitalize on the Guns n Roses legacy. Here's looking forward to the next comeback.

[Mario · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book isn't so much insightful as to the persona of Axl Rose, as it is yet another overview of the rise and fall of Guns n' Roses, the band.

Not to heap the blame entirely on the author, but his very public falling out with the lead singer doesn't exactly make him the ideal choice to give a close up perspective of Axl Rose. Much of the book relies on quotes from interviews with third parties and the latter portion of the book just plays out like a tour diary, not shedding much light or anything of value regarding the troubled front man.

Not much worth the time to read.

[Jamie Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I see the word "unauthorized" in a book title a couple of things come to mind - without input from the subject how accurate could this be or without the subjects involvement material won't be held back to save face. So damned if you do damned if you don't. What's compelling is that the very author of this book has been called out by Axl himself in the song "Get In The Ring". The song where Axl chose to "name names." All considered though as a fan I enjoyed this book and it's revealing details. If you are a fan of GN'R I encourage you to read this.

[Slytano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after seeing the band. I was on holiday in St John while I read it. Usually I was drinking beer by the pool or the beach. It's a terrible beach read. There is no romance or even a protagonist. This book was like reading hate mail that you stuffed in your desk 30 years ago and forgot about.

[William Cartier · Rating 1 out of 5]

The less said about this book the better. Mick Wall likes to think of himself as a top music journalist......I don't think so.

[Coyney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the slash autobiography

[BookNerdsBrainDump · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Snack-Size Review] W.A.R., The Unauthorized Biography of William Axl Rose, by Mick Wall

Quick Bite: Mick Wall HAAAAAAAAAAAATES Axl Rose.

What It’s About: Axl Rose, the temperamental frontman of Guns & Roses, had a rough childhood, followed by an infamously messy adulthood. This book meticulously documents his rise, fall, and every bad decision along the way. And his waistline.

A Word From The Nerd: Duckies, by now, the self-indulgent, washed-up 80’s rock star is a stereotype we’re all familiar with. I was a big hair metal fan back in the day, so I’ve read a few books by and about the heroes of my misspent youth (including Slash’s), and let me say, this is probably the most ridiculous yet. Mr. Wall has the worst case of “b*&$% eating crackers” I’ve ever seen in a “journalist”. Let’s be honest, Axl’s obvious mental health issues, famous temper tantrums, and complete lack of respect for, well… everyone are enough to tell a truthful story, and still make him look like a heel. But Mr. Wall goes all-in on the snark, editorializing on all of Axl’s bad behavior while also pointing out roughly a dozen times that as he aged, Mr. Rose dared to (gasp!) gain weight. His pearl-clutching references to the least interesting thing about Axl, came off as gleefully reveling in being finally able to bully the guy who’s cooler than him. There might have been some interesting stuff in this book, but the author made it impossible to enjoy without feeling icky.

The Nerd’s Rating: TWO HAPPY NEURONS (and a big slice of wedding cake, I ended up going down the November Rain video rabbit hole. Again .)

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually liked this book! Although Mick wall could be quite sour about axl, he still shows that he admires him, but also shows his bad sides. Which were obviously many. I fell in love with guns n roses after becoming a huge Aerosmith fan. That made me check out led Zeppelin, gnr, the yardbirds etc. I've never seen the guns live, but I saw slash when he performed in Athens in 2012 with Ozzy Osbourne! I remember how exciting it was, such huge names, along with zakk wylde, geezer butler and Gus G!! Absolutely fantastic. Slash is a guitarist I absolutely adore. I must say axl was fantastic in the early videos. He was the right person at the right moment. I've never known what a troubled person he is, how terribly he dealt with fame, what kind of huge anger issues he had.. that's what the book shows us and I'm quite sure it isn't lies. There are aspects where I can understand him. But mostly it feels like my mindset is on the absolute opposite side of his. I have also slash's book and I can't wait to read that, too. I might enjoy it more than this, I might not. The strange thing is that I still give four stars because I really wanted to hear the story from someone else, and I wanted to hear what really went on. Well, the truth is probably somewhere close, not exactly what the book tells, but yea, this book delivers. Funny thing is that the book ends and was released just right before Chinese democracy came out finally. So that's kinda irony and I love it haha!!

[Seth Cooney · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's well known that Axl Rose is a complex man with an interesting story and infamous past in the music scene of the 80s and 90s. However, it seems strange to me as I went through this book to read a story from the perspective of a man who had a fallout with Axl and very early on in the book wrote of how much he didn't like the subject he was writing about. An odd choice to write about someone's life who you clearly have spiteful feelings toward.

My other big frustration with this book (prefaced by the fact that this is an "unauthorized biography" .. but still) was that it rarely focused on the life of Axl and more the story of the band and some of those around them--and not a very good telling of the story at that. He wrote often about the numbers of people in attendance at shows, how late the band started and how often Axl stopped shows, as well as speaking of the controversy of the band's/Axl's actions (the author loves using the word "controversy" and talking about it).

A book about the history and stories of the band is fine enough, but it's been done already--and done much better than this--and sets a poor foundation for the namesake of the book. It very much focused on others talking about how difficult Axl is and how much disdain people felt towards him.

Honestly, even for the hardcore GNR fan, I'd skip this one. It misses the mark of a biography and is clearly as one-sided and non-objective.

[Brett buckner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Mick Wall's writing style and the way he engages his subject. The trouble with focusing an entire book on a subject as mercurial and reclusive as Axl Rose, is that answers and understanding of his odd behavior is difficult, if not impossible to nail down, especially when that subject isn't cooperating.

Few rock journalists had the access to Guns 'n Roses supersonic rise from gutter punks to the biggest band in the world that Wall. This bio leans heavily on that early access. But as Axl steadily isolates himself as the band he helped create self-destructs, that access is lost.

Once the band is done and Axl is lost in the seemingly endless creation of Chinese Democracy - a long-delayed Axl Rose solo album under the Guns 'n Roses banner - Wall is mostly fact gathering from bits and pieces from other sources.

Sadly, the book was published while the world still waited - with less that baited breath - for the album's release. This is unfortunate because it's undoubtedly that album's failure and brutal reviews (deserved, the album is terribly bloated, though there are a few stellar tracks), that led to Axl's willingness to reunite with Guns' original members Duff and Slash before embarking on a record setting, 2-year world tour, the success of which would likely have made Axl at least a little more cooperative.

But that's all conjecture, like a lot of this bio.

[Tsvetelina Stambolova-Vasileva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Отдавна търсих тази книга и много се зарадвах, когато най-накрая успях да я намеря в електронен вариант.
Първата част от книгата действително ми хареса. Хареса ми, че авторът е решил да се опита да разбере, без да съди. Не му се е получило, обаче. Личи си обидата от предишните взаимоотнощения, която избива в демонизиране и окарикатуряване на Аксел Роуз. Ако сте чели биографията на Гънс от същия автор, просто няма защо да четете и тази. Нещата в голяма степен се повтарят.
Аксел не ми е любимец. Явно не е готин човек, иначе защо всички ще бягат от него. Със сигурност си има проблеми - емоционални, поведенчески, а вероятно и психически. Но е страхотен изпълнител! Доказват го пълните стадиони - въпреки закъсненията му и непочтителното му отношение към феновете. Освен това е творец - може би не чак толкова продуктивен, но затова пък гениален. А това за мен, като фен, е най-важното.
Много ми се иска някой ден Аксел да се реши да разкаже историята (собствената си и на Гънс) от своята гледна точка, достатъчно безпристрастно от дистанцията на времето и през призмата на натрупания опит и мъдрост. Сигурно нещата ще изглеждат съвсем по различен начин.

[Tony Farinella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not quite sure why I decided to read this book, except for the fact that I want to read every book known to man about Guns N’ Roses. I read this book after reading Mick Wall’s “The Last of the Giants,” which I gave five stars. That was a terrific book.

This book was depressing, tedious to read, and exhausting. Mick Wall has now denounced the book and taken it out of circulation. It’s easy to see why. He said he wrote it for the wrong reasons. He was angry and pissed off, and the book is very negative and tough to read. It’s also filled with inaccuracies.

I’m not going to sit here and say that Axl Rose is perfect, but this is the kind of book where context is key. There is no context here, and it was written by a man with an axe to grind. It’s an incredibly bitter book from Mick Wall. I’m glad he made it right by writing “The Last of the Giants.” Seek out that book and avoid this one.

[Stella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish reading this book and I'm a huge fan of Guns N' Roses. Mick wall tried to make his writing in this book unnecessarly complex, i didn't enjoy his writing style. It was a very boring read. If you want to read about Guns N' Roses then I'd recommend reading an Autobiography by one of the other band members instead of this. Axl Rose was very public about his dislike of Mick Wall, so it seems odd that Mick would choose to write Axls biography. He also mentions at any given opportunity how "important " kerrang magazine (Mick Wall used to write for Kerrang) was for Guns N' Roses success.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's a well written book.

Spoiler: When you finish it, you will think that Axl is a very talented, mentally unstable, control freak who is vulnerable to a lot of "Wooooo" type of crap. Maybe he is... probably he is, but not knowing the man personally, I can't say for sure. This book, however, makes a good case for him needing psychotropic medication and a good, solid kick in the pants. However, there is no denying that he is a talented vocalist who busted his ass to earn his fame and fortune.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was prepping to see GNR in concert this summer, and wanted to read up on the members. I remember reading a really great biography of Axl in the past, but I don't think it was this one. I'm not learning any new details, but at least it is a refresher course on the band. I feel the book is almost as much Mick Wall's story, and I would prefer for all his experiences to fade into the background. Walls also goes on lengthy tangents about other bad members. It's interesting, but detracts too much focus from Axl, since I wanted to read a book about Axl.