Reckless Road Guns 'n Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction

313 Pages·2010·23.51 MB·English

by  Marc Canter

Reckless Road
Table of Contents
List of Videos
Act I
Introduction
Foreword
1. Chapter 1: Anything Goes
2a. Chapter 2a: Laws of Attraction
2b. Chapter 2b: Slash in Transition
Act II
3. Chapter 3: Welcome to the Jungle
4. Chapter 4: Reckless
5. Chapter 5: Rocket Queen
6. Chapter 6: You're Crazy
7. Chapter 7: Songwriting
8. Chapter 8: It's So Easy
Act III
9. Chapter 9: Paradise City
10a. Chapter 10a: Out Ta' Get Me
10b. Chapter 10b: Origins of Sweet Child O' Mine
11. Chapter 11: Appetite for Destruction
12. Chapter 12: The Rest is History
13. Chapter 13: Cast of Characters
Videos List
1. I Want to Share It with the World (1:29)
2. The Sixth Guy in the Band (1:32)
3. The Dream (1:26)
4. Alright! Let's Do It! (2:54)
5. Like Lightening Hit the Place (2:02)
6. Hell Tour (3:10)
7. Hollywood Hustlin' (1:31)
8. The Art and the Music Came First (1:31)
9. God Bless the Strippers (1:30)
10. The Music Industry Needed a Kick in the Ass (2:53)
11. A Song, Out of Nowhere (2:17)
12. We Were Wined and Dined (2:22)
13. Time Off Meant Trouble (2:25)
14. They Didn't Know Who They Were Dealing With (3:06)
15. We Rolled When They Were Ready to Roll (2:04)
16. MTV Will Never Play This Band (4:55)
17. A Work that Stands the Test of Time (1:40)
Act I
Act I
Introduction
00:00 / 00:00
I Want to Share It with the World (1:29).
I actually said it out loud to Slash that I was starting a project.
1981 is when I first realized that I wanted to document this project, or at least
with Slash at that time. I said, "Wouldn't that be neat if we could start
documenting this right now, and every time there's an event just capture it. I
mean what does it cost to put a TDK tape into, what is it a dollar? And a roll of
film, it's not that much." I never knew it would grow into something like this.
I first met Slash in 1976 when we were in the fifth grade and we became good
friends. At that time, I noticed that he had a great talent for sketching on school
projects.
Slash, third row, second from left. Marc Canter, first row on end.
By 1978 we were riding bicycle motocross. The tricks that he performed were
ahead of the time. Slash was a star. Camera flashes would go off when he took
his jumps. He approached bicycle motocross with the same style and flash as he
did everything else, including the guitar, which he took up in 1980.
By 1981, he was flying again, but with guitar, and I would always push him to
learn tough solos. He understood how to get the right tone.
In trying to contribute to his success, I always helped out in any way I could. I
would help him buy guitar strings, I'd help him with the effects that he might be
interested in. He worked a lot, like twelve-hour days at a clock company and he
got by on very little wages, but he did buy his own guitars. The twelve-hour days
at a clock company supported his guitar habit.
Slash wanted to play the bass, but when his teacher, Robert Wolin, pointed out
that the bass had four strings, whereas the guitar had an alluring six, Slash
characteristically went for the more challenging instrument. A quick study, he
didn't need many lessons to master the basics and achieve his own expressive
style. He had a lot of respect and admiration for Wolin's playing and credits him
with inspiring his own ambitious approach to the instrument.
When Slash hooked up with Axl, because of the chemistry they had, I knew
that if they could stay together they would go places. In June of 1985, when
Guns N' Roses were together with the Appetite for Destruction line up, songs
started to pile up quickly. They were the perfect team of songwriters and they
were all living together at that time. Slash knew what to do with whatever Izzy
and Duff came up with and Axl knew what to do with whatever Slash came up
with. At that point, I helped the band with some money for flyers, advertising,
food and other odds and ends. Later that year, as the band became a better draw
in the Hollywood scene, better backing soon arrived.
I took the photographs, audio and video taped the shows, and collected the
memorabilia including ticket stubs, newspaper ads, press clippings, set lists,
show fliers, and just about everything else from every performance that Guns N'
Roses did from their very first gig until the recording of Appetite for
Destruction.
My goal here is to let everybody that likes this band -- or even if you don't like
the band -- see the making of one of the greatest records ever made. It shows
how the band came together and how their style emerged. I want to share that
with the world; let you see what I was lucky enough to witness. I was there and
witnessed the making of Guns N' Roses.
It took me fifteen months and over three thousand hours to complete this
book. It covers over fifty performances, thirty of them prior to their being signed
by Geffen Records. Between Jack Lue and myself, we somehow managed to
shoot just about every performance. Through this book you will see how it all
came together. The goal was to use as many photos as I could, so the reader
could feel the flow of the live shows. And when the reader is finished reading
this book I want them to feel that they were there, right next to me. That's my
goal.
If you ask me, I guess I'm still documenting. Anytime something comes
around with Guns N' Roses on the cover, I'm buying it no matter what. So, I
guess I never stopped. Enjoy the show,
Marc Canter, Los Angeles, CA