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Access All Areas: Stories from a Hard Rock Life
Entertaining, crazy, and hilarious stories from Scott Ian of Anthrax
Scott Ian, famous for cofounding legendary thrash metal band Anthrax and only slightly less so for his iconic beard, has done and seen a lot in his decades of touring. Those of you who have read Scott's memoir I'm the Man may know the history of the band, but Access All Areas divulges all the zany, bizarre, funny, and captivating tales of what went on when the band wasn't busy crafting chart-topping albums.
In his more than thirty years immersed in the hard rock scene, Scott has witnessed haunting acts of depravity backstage, punched a legendary musician, been a bouncer at an exclusive night club, guest-starred with Anthrax on Married with Children , invaded a fellow rock star's home, played poker professionally, gone on a non-date with a certain material girl, appeared on The Walking Dead , and much more.
Access All Areas allows its readers to do just that. With humor, candor, hindsight, and writing chops that would make Stephen King jealous (nope, not even on Bizarro world), Scott Ian takes his fans along for the ride at all the parties, hot spots, and behind-the-scenes shenanigans they will never hear about from anyone else. And none of it would have happened without a bit of divine inspiration from KISS. (No, seriously. Read chapter two.) Best of all, Scott seemingly lacks the ability to be embarrassed, making Access All Areas howlingly funny, self-deprecating, and every bit as brash and brazen as one would expect from one of the original architects of speed metal.
Scott Ian, famous for cofounding legendary thrash metal band Anthrax and only slightly less so for his iconic beard, has done and seen a lot in his decades of touring. Those of you who have read Scott's memoir I'm the Man may know the history of the band, but Access All Areas divulges all the zany, bizarre, funny, and captivating tales of what went on when the band wasn't busy crafting chart-topping albums.
In his more than thirty years immersed in the hard rock scene, Scott has witnessed haunting acts of depravity backstage, punched a legendary musician, been a bouncer at an exclusive night club, guest-starred with Anthrax on Married with Children , invaded a fellow rock star's home, played poker professionally, gone on a non-date with a certain material girl, appeared on The Walking Dead , and much more.
Access All Areas allows its readers to do just that. With humor, candor, hindsight, and writing chops that would make Stephen King jealous (nope, not even on Bizarro world), Scott Ian takes his fans along for the ride at all the parties, hot spots, and behind-the-scenes shenanigans they will never hear about from anyone else. And none of it would have happened without a bit of divine inspiration from KISS. (No, seriously. Read chapter two.) Best of all, Scott seemingly lacks the ability to be embarrassed, making Access All Areas howlingly funny, self-deprecating, and every bit as brash and brazen as one would expect from one of the original architects of speed metal.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published December 12, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 15, 2017
Pretty much just a bunch of leftover stories from his last book, but without any of the context. Some were amusing - his story about breaking into Kirk Hammet’s house and sneaking a peek at Lemmy’s daisy dukes - but others either fell flat (I have no interest in his snowboarding escapades) or just interminably dull (I care even less about poker).
I like Scott Ian a great deal, but his first book was vastly superior to this one.
I like Scott Ian a great deal, but his first book was vastly superior to this one.
December 15, 2017
some great stories for metalheads... although i think everyone could do without replaying poker hands in detail. no one wants to hear that shit, not even your friends.
February 7, 2018
I enjoyed the hell out of the rock n roll stories .
But , Scott.
No one gives a shit about poker !
Those two LONG chapters really took a lot of the buzz out of the book
But , Scott.
No one gives a shit about poker !
Those two LONG chapters really took a lot of the buzz out of the book
May 5, 2018
What a fun read. Very quick at under 250 pages, but well worth the time. I've read complaints from people saying "just a bunch of stories that didn't make his other book"......AND!?! SO WHAT!? His first Autobiography was great as well, what's wrong with another book of funny stories? As with his first book, this is a great and different read as it's not your typical rock star bio. Sure there are stories that involve drinking, but that's about the worst of it. just a fun lighthearted book. I heard a couple of these at his spoken word tour a few years back, but Scott is such a great storyteller I could listen to his stories on repeat. absolutely check this one out if you're a fan or just like funny stories in general.
March 13, 2018
Just ok
A collection of stories that were left out of “I’m the Man”, Scott Ian’s autobiography and 1st book. Some of them are good; however, most were cut from the first book with good reason. If you are a super fan of Mr. Ian, then this books for you. However, for most others, just stick to the first book - it’s much better.
A collection of stories that were left out of “I’m the Man”, Scott Ian’s autobiography and 1st book. Some of them are good; however, most were cut from the first book with good reason. If you are a super fan of Mr. Ian, then this books for you. However, for most others, just stick to the first book - it’s much better.
December 18, 2017
Very easy read. I’m a fan of both Scott and Anthrax, and this book is worth reading, but in my opinion his first book was much better!
December 29, 2017
The Sebastian Bach story had me laughing my ass off.
February 5, 2018
Not as good as I'm The Man, not enough Rock n Roll.
December 18, 2018
This was one of those books that I tried to read slow in order to delay it's ending, but to no avail. I have been an Anthrax fan since I was in high school, and I had always enjoyed reading Scott's interviews in various magazines and viewing them on TV. I found Access All Areas to be a choice addendum to his previous Autobiography "I am the Man". I initially approached this book with caution because I was expecting to be another literary orgy of non stop backstage debauchery which bores me at this point since I had read so many books of the like. Access, however, differs in the way that he discusses many other facets of his life outside of the band. What I mostly take from Scott Ian's life is that he is the type of person who always knew what he wanted and would stop at nothing to get it whether it be his first Kiss album when he was 10 years old and his clever way of obtaining it to his success with Anthrax, which he explains in more detail in "I am the Man", to his growing in prowess from a novice to a professional poker player. If there is something else I can add, I have seen Anthrax live many times, and have never been disappointed except for those shows when they had a short set.
January 14, 2023
Anthraxi rütmikidramehe Scott Ian'i teine raamat (esimene oli biograafia "I'm the Man") on üllatavalt lahja, igavapoolne ja vesisevõitu kogumik Ian'i karjääri eri aegadel toimunud vahejuhtumitest. Sex, drugs & rock'n'rolli asemel on siin peotäis vesteid kus pole midagi eriti huvitavat, kõmulist, paljastavat ega šokeerivat. See võib ka tuleneda asjaolust, et olemuselt on Scott Ian suur nohik - seda tunnistab ta korduvalt ka ise - ja nohikud jäävad alati nohikuteks, nendega ei juhtugi midagi eriti muud "põnevat" kui et konsoolimängu pult kukub maha või koomiksiconventionil magatakse lemmikautori esinemine maha. Ian on suur nohik kuid ta mängib kitarri Anthraxis ja see staatus teda kuigivõrd rehabiliteerib. Ent see ei muuda asjaolu, et tal pole midagi eriti mahlakat meenutada ja see vähenegi mis on, on üsna lahja ja leige supp.
Ajaviiteks käib kah, eraldi ei tasu väljaajamise ja lugemise vaeva ära.
Ajaviiteks käib kah, eraldi ei tasu väljaajamise ja lugemise vaeva ära.
March 12, 2018
Good pick up and read
Well composed short stories that are great for reading in small sections. Lots of funny bits, and also lots of history on rock too.
Well composed short stories that are great for reading in small sections. Lots of funny bits, and also lots of history on rock too.
January 5, 2018
Fun and easy read. Great book! Been a fan of him and Anthrax since the beginning and was fun to get some great stories. Scott Ian can write and keep you in the book even if you were not a fan of his or of one of the best bands in the world. The Dimebag/Sebastian Bach story was freaking hilarious as well as hearing the full Lemmy daisy dukes story!
Rob Howell
Rob Howell
August 28, 2018
This book goes along great with his first one, I'm The Man. The stories made me literally laugh out loud like a psycho in front of strangers. Ian really has lived a rock star's life yet he's still humble.
January 31, 2019
Did not enjoy this one as much as I did I'm the Man, but there was a couple of laugh out loud moments. I think most of the stories were ones that did not make the cut from his first book. Although, I have to admit, the Lemmy story was hilarious.
Now, I find the whole concept of watching people play poker (in person or on television) mind-numbingly boring. Yes, I understand it is popular, but I just do not personally see the joy in it. So, when over 20% (two lengthy chapters) of this book is devoted to Scott either playing poker, talking about poker, or explaining poker, you can understand why I could not give this book any more than three stars.
If you enjoyed the first book, and you like to read about the exploits of playing poker, then you should also enjoy this book. Or, just read the book, and skip over the "All-In" chapters if you do not want to read about poker.
Now, I find the whole concept of watching people play poker (in person or on television) mind-numbingly boring. Yes, I understand it is popular, but I just do not personally see the joy in it. So, when over 20% (two lengthy chapters) of this book is devoted to Scott either playing poker, talking about poker, or explaining poker, you can understand why I could not give this book any more than three stars.
If you enjoyed the first book, and you like to read about the exploits of playing poker, then you should also enjoy this book. Or, just read the book, and skip over the "All-In" chapters if you do not want to read about poker.
July 15, 2018
Un libro de anécdotas e historias de Scott Ian, guitarrista de Anthrax, que no tuvieron cabida en su anterior trabajo biográfico I'm the man.
En esta ensalada de historias destaca una broma que le gastó Dimebag Darrell, el fallecido guitarrista de Pantera, y cómo Ian se la devolvió tiempo después.
Hay capítulos dedicados a la infancia del músico y a cómo vivió su primer concierto de Kiss, su aparición con Anthrax en Married with Children, su aparición en The Walking Dead y su relación con el póker, que ocupa un par de capítulos. En uno de ellos nos narra cómo ganó, con alguna copa de más y sin apenas saber las reglas del juego, su primer campeonato benéfico.
Acudío al torneo con el objetivo de no quedar en ridículo y terminó ganándolo porque al parecer le entraba una mano buena tras otra.
Una lectura para fanáticos de la música metal, de Anthrax o del personaje.
En esta ensalada de historias destaca una broma que le gastó Dimebag Darrell, el fallecido guitarrista de Pantera, y cómo Ian se la devolvió tiempo después.
Hay capítulos dedicados a la infancia del músico y a cómo vivió su primer concierto de Kiss, su aparición con Anthrax en Married with Children, su aparición en The Walking Dead y su relación con el póker, que ocupa un par de capítulos. En uno de ellos nos narra cómo ganó, con alguna copa de más y sin apenas saber las reglas del juego, su primer campeonato benéfico.
Acudío al torneo con el objetivo de no quedar en ridículo y terminó ganándolo porque al parecer le entraba una mano buena tras otra.
Una lectura para fanáticos de la música metal, de Anthrax o del personaje.
December 7, 2020
Scott Ian comes across as the kind of guy you'd love to hang out with in this, his second collection of "stories" from his life in heavy metal band Anthrax. From growing up loving Kiss, to hanging with Madonna, to breaking into Kirk Hammett of Metallica's house in the middle of the night, to stumbling into Lemmy from Motorhead playing Ms. Pac-man in a pair of Daisy Duke shorts, there's lots to keep you laughing. He lost me a bit with his long descriptions of his professional poker-playing days, but he redeemed himself by recounting his short stints as a zombie on the Walking Dead and a back-and-forth practical joke ware with Dimebag Darrell. A quick, enjoyable read, and I'm not even a huge Anthrax fan.
March 26, 2021
Scott Ian is a great storyteller. After listening to I'm the Man, I just wanted to hear him tell more stories (listened to both on audiobook, which is 100% my recommendation) because the music and the mayhem, and the "characters" are all so familiar to me and my childhood, it was like listening to an old friend tell the stories about all my other old friends. The stories about breaking into Kirk Hammett's House, Dime and Sebastian Bach, and (OMG) Lemmy's Daisy's Dukes had me cackling. There is, of course, a difference between listening to Ian tell a great story, and read a great story, and I can forgive the readerliness of some parts, and the really long poker stories because living vicariously through his stories was a great respite from the complete shitshow that is Covid 2020-21.
April 28, 2018
"Access All Areas" is a entertaining book on road stories and other events told by the guitar player of metal band Anthrax. The book is an easy read, and filled with wild, and humorous stories, that music fans would like-even if you are not familiar with Scott Ian (which I only knew small details about him). The book also talks (in depth) about his love of poker, and playing in tournaments (these parts are the longest chapters of the book). The book is under 250 pages, so there is not much filler in the book-just great stories.
For a more in depth review, go to : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
For a more in depth review, go to : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
August 16, 2020
This book is definitely not as good as the book that proceeded it. I have just a few comments to make about it. I liked the stories about Rock and Roll, but quite of a few of them were not very interesting. Snow boarding, gambling and being a zombie in TV show are not what I wanted to read about. I could not understand the point of Ian not allowing some guy into a night club. I did not find it funny or interesting. I returned the audiobook, but I still giving it three stars based on the strength of Ian's powerful narration and some of the stories are about the music business as promised in the title.
April 20, 2022
I’m glad this book exists because I’m sick of Trent Reznor miraculously not being seen as the typical groupie hound he is. Which is fine, it seems these particular weirdos consented to have Fruit Loop enemas so 🤷🏻♀️. The freak-out stories are also fun , the jokey, conversational prick schtick decent enough.
There’s a campy, Scooby Doo-esque fan fic w/ his rock star friends, super jargony poker tournament blow-by-blow, and an ode to his missing underwear. Outrunning tsunamis, Walking Dead cameos, & kissing Madonna: This book packs many light-hearted punches. The last one being the absolute most hilarious about seeing a certain saggy rockstar in Daisy Dukes.
There’s a campy, Scooby Doo-esque fan fic w/ his rock star friends, super jargony poker tournament blow-by-blow, and an ode to his missing underwear. Outrunning tsunamis, Walking Dead cameos, & kissing Madonna: This book packs many light-hearted punches. The last one being the absolute most hilarious about seeing a certain saggy rockstar in Daisy Dukes.
April 12, 2023
If you're reading this book, you already know who Scott Ian is. This is a good companion to "I'm The Man". That book was the story of Scott in Anthrax, this is the story of Scott everywhere else. It doesn't have a overreaching plot or any kind of timeline. It's more like somebody gave Scott an editorial column with no rules and then collected everything into a book. Each chapter is a self-contained story, and they cover everything from his childhood to misadventures with other celebrities. Some of these stories are VERY funny - if you're a fan, you can picture Scott telling the story, and I definitely laughed out loud.
May 11, 2023
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ian at a convention and purchased his book. I knew nothing about Anthrax, but had seen him interviewed on many rock documentaries. I thought to myself, "When will I ever read this?" Well, thank goodness I picked it up. From page 1, I laughed myself silly. I took it to the doctor's office with me and got in trouble for laughing too loud. If you are a child of the 70's or 80's, like me, you will enjoy the stories about Kiss, Metallica, NIN, Steven Spielberg and more. Just don't consider reading it in a quiet room, or you will get in trouble.
December 23, 2021
I could read music bios all day long. As a self professed music geek I can't get enough of the backstage stories and anecdotes of my favorite musicians. This by far is high on the list as one of the most entertaining. It's all in his superfan perspective and delivery. Scott Ian is one of the most grounded musicians to ever strap on a guitar. He sang "I'm The Man" and no doubt he is in fact "The Man."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2018
I'd give this a five star rating but I'd already heard a couple of stories in Scott's spoken word performance DVD. The rock n' roll stories were hilarious and I was hoping the whole book would be full of material like that. The chapter about his horror show and cameo in The Walking Dead was great but I really didn't care much about his adventures as a poker player.
December 27, 2023
I really liked this book. Scott Ian is a friend of mine and I never met him...He's just a guy that has one hell of a cool job. I could do without the poker stories, but hey. that's a big part of his life. Fun fact, that we did have a mutual friend that he writes about Don Bernstein. That was really a trip reading about. Rock on Scott! looking forward to the next book.
May 22, 2018
Great read, felt like a good balance of short stories and stuff which wasn’t appropriate for the biography. I bet Scott has more of these that are just as funny! It is well written and I found it such an easy read. I loved I’m the Man and this book is a great follow up! Great second book!
March 28, 2018
A quick and fun read. The story about “Sebastian Bach, motherfucker” was hilarious! The poker stuff... not so much.
March 31, 2018
Scott Ian is the "Forrest Gump" of rock! Entertaining stories but I concur a little heavy on poker.
December 14, 2018
Great book
Great read, totally different from I'm the man. Thoroughly enjoyed it, roll on the next tour. Here's to Dime 🤘🤘
Great read, totally different from I'm the man. Thoroughly enjoyed it, roll on the next tour. Here's to Dime 🤘🤘
July 3, 2019
Too much poker.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews