30. MARCH-DECEMBER 2010 - TOURING EUROPE AND REUNITING WITH DUFF

He didn't accuse Irving of being on the grassy knoll in Dallas on November 22, 1963?

That was a great time. It was kind of nuts, but it was great. Axl Rose…can outsing all rock stars.

The funny thing is, it wasn't Steven's idea initially. It's really been the farthest thing from his mind as of late, what with his band doing so well...His mother Deanna, a truly wonderful woman, and his cool-as-hell brother Kenny, have been the motivating force behind getting the book out there. Knowing that I ran the Fansite, Deanna asked me to post that she was in need of a literary agent. I had become friendly with a writer/producer named Ray Herbeck, Jr.. In fact, he had helped guide my writing career and took an interest in my work early on. I felt that he could help her get in touch with the right people. He didn't believe that what they had written at the time was quite ready to be published - in fact it was only about a hundred pages - so he recommended me for the job. I had no idea, but then I got a call from Deanna, and the rest is history. As for how I had helped Steven, y'know back in the day, the guy was in a rock n' roll daze, always smiling, forever partying. He was living the lifestyle to the hilt. For him, a lot of it is a blur. I'm very familiar with the bands' history. I was able to get him to talk about specific events, in chronological order. I also did some investigating, unearthing stories that even the most learned fan has never heard! Some are disturbing, some are hilarious!

I'm not sure exactly what's happening right now. Remember I said that the family had already written quite a bit before I was brought on? Well, what was actually completed was Deanna's story, her life dealing with her troubled son. She witnessed the whole ordeal. She watched her son achieve fame and fortune and then dealt with his subsequent spiral into a drug induced abyss. Y'know, getting the calls in the middle of the night, telling her that Steven has OD'd or is in jail. She also writes of the last time Steven saw his father, and the violent circumstances therein. It's all very interesting, intense stuff. Well, my assignment was just to get Stevens' story. I guess they felt it would be best to leave it up to the publisher on how they want to work the two stories in with each other. That could be a potential cause for the delay. Personally I'd like to do it for them. In fact, since the book has been completed, so much has happened! Plus, Steven has so many great new stories that could to be included.

Yeah, very early on he talked about the book. On my own accord, I wrote a few pages about his OD in San Francisco. He read it and said, “This is exactly what I would say if I could write like this.” But his mom was in the driver’s seat and it was another year or so before she hired me officially. They had, like, maybe three other writers take a crack at it. Nobody could make it happen. Even one of his best friends took a shot at it and didn’t get it done. [...] I knew that band like no other, or few others. You know how there are people out there who really know their stuff about Elvis and the Beatles? That’s how I was about GNR. So, unlike the previous would-be authors, I was able to ask the necessary obscure questions, “How did Vicki Hamilton come into the picture?” “How did West Arkeen start writing with the band?” “How did you feel about tripping on the drum riser on live TV at Farm Aid?” - you get the idea

It is tentatively entitled, "No Bed of Roses" coming soon to a bookstore near you!

I believe that was Steven and Deanna [who came up with the name]. They had the name for years now, in fact I think they had a different author working on it back in like '95. But that fell through, completelty, though.

And I knew something was wrong was in his past, and I treated it sensitively. I worked up slowly to asking if he ever suffered any kind of abuse as a child, and he confided in me. Always after that, he wanted that part taken out. I said, “Dude, it explains a lot. It needs to stay in.” I promised I’d treat it with care. I don’t think he’d ever tell a guy like Larry, a relative stranger, such personal things. So, it’s a surprise to see him open up with that disclosure in nearly every book interview he does now. I think it’s more just like, “OK, just get this out of the way first,” but kudos to him for addressing it head on.

Yeah, [the book] was mine, and here’s the thing, it was never completed to my satisfaction. I wasn’t getting paid except for $100 per day when I was actually interviewing Steven, which amounted to roughly $1,500. Sometimes when I’d go to interview him, I couldn’t get anything out of him. Plus, I was working a full-time job, and I had my life. So it took over a year for that initial draft, and when I handed it in, they considered it done. No one cared about the quality of the book. It had been essentially five years since they announced a book was coming, now it’s finally getting written, they can’t wait any longer? I was even encouraged to “Just make it up!” In fact, my entire last chapter is all me. Not a word from Steven’s mouth, and it’s still in there. They wanted it wrapped up! So it pisses me off when Jamie tells me “We couldn’t get a deal without Larry attached to it!” To which I replied, “Based on what?” The bottom line was that Larry had the industry resources to make a deal happen. So, give him a broker’s fee, right? No, they happily intended to give him my authorship regardless of how I felt. They were also shopping my manuscript and Deanna’s autobiography. They had a condition that the two be woven together. In my opinion Jamie was clueless. I told him, “dude, you get an advance, they assign an editor, and it’s a process!” But he was always arrogant, always had to be the big man on campus. Steven once told me, “Slash never liked Jamie.” If that’s true, I’m in good company.

But yeah, they just wanted the money. Nobody cared about any integrity for the project. So, what happens? Larry spends a year with an editor, dressing up my initial rough draft, and it’s still my work, nearly verbatim. Larry edited it and added some goofy shit; blatantly made up. For instance he wrote about Steven talking in-depth about reading the Mott the Hoople book. Ask Steven the name of that book, he never read it! Thats’s Larry. When I was still onboard, I valued our friendship, and didn’t want to make waves. So, when Steven asked me go over Larry’s pages for accuracy, I did, and I immediately got pissed off, “All he’s doing is editing this poorly!” Larry added some goofy made-up shit, like Steven telling Slash about a sexual encounter (with a girl) and Slash saying “I just remembered I have to go” and he runs off to jack off! Are you kidding me, Larry?! That’s what you bring to the table?! I have the pages! I told him,“dude, the last thing Steven needs is to piss Slash off with a made-up story.” The bottom line was that nobody cared about producing a good or true book.

If I had some advance money, and that extra year, with a Harper Collins editor, no less, the book would have been one of the greats. No doubt. These days, I make my living as a writer. I’ve contributed quite often to Classic Rock Magazine, it doesn’t get bigger than that for rock journalism. Mick Wall once contacted me and asked me to contribute two stories to the Slash Special Edition. I did and that was awesome. Strangely enough, I haven’t been able to find anything Larry has published. He just took the book further away from Steven’s personality.

"I am the TRUE AUTHOR of Steven Adler’s Tell-All”

Steven Adler is well-known for his years of whining and complaining about how he was kicked out of Guns N’ Roses. How all the people he thought were his friends turned their backs on him, and how management and the guys in his band, his “brothers”, got him to sign away his rights.

These claims make it all the more distasteful as such injustices are exactly what he inflicted upon me. And I never would have believed it. It was I who wrote his book, “My Appetite for Destruction”, then named, “No Bed of Roses”, back in 2003.

[...]

When he’d ask me to do outrageous things such as put his nail clippings on eBay or sell signed DVR’s at $100 a pop, I refused. It is no small satisfaction to see the negative feedback Adler currently gets at how his web presence is handled, particularly when he was selling “Fan Experience Packages” (lunch with Steven, $7500!?).

During my tenure, I’ve seen no less than a half dozen management teams & new official websites come and go. The last group of people I worked with really had a yen for power. Among them, one in particular I had known for months by the time business with the book was getting into high gear. I received an email from her with an attachment, stating to the effect of, “here’s your book contract, when can you come in and sign it?”

This was a surprise, I was never given any hint that she was involved with our book dealings. In fact, I was further dismayed to see just how many new hands were in the ‘book pie’ – and that they intended to pay me after each newcomer’s commissions! Needless to say, the contract gave me no rights and I refused to sign.

I had initially signed on in 2002. The contract was with Steven’s mother, Deanna, for a fee of $10,000 upon publishing. In 2003, I renegotiated, and signed a contract for 10% of all book earnings ‘received from Adler’ plus the credit ‘by Steven Adler with Brooke Ellis’. It was Deanna’s intent to find a publisher to combine her own memoir with Steven’s book. A few years had passed and she failed to secure a deal (I need to say that I hold nothing against Deanna Adler, and I am sorry to mention her here).

In 2007, I was told by Steven’s brother, Jamie, to sign a Release of Authorship, which retained only my 10% interest. I refused, and was told, “It’s this or nothing. If you contest this we will fight you hard, and you’ll lose, etc…” I didn’t have money for lawyers!

I was further told that writer Larry Spagnola was going to weave Steven and Deanna’s stories together. I appreciated what a task that would be. They attempted to pacify me with the reassurance that I would have a special acknowledgement in the book, complete with a picture. I signed reluctantly, under duress & without counsel. Meanwhile, Deanna had forged Steven’s signature on the notarized contract.

Unbeknownst to me, Steven had previously sued his mother. Estranged from her since 2007, by ’09, with his new representation he had gotten out of book contracts that Deanna signed on behalf of him – on the grounds that she did not have power of attorney to do so. I breathed a HEAVY sigh of relief! I learned that Larry Spagnola had brokered a “big deal” with Harper Collins which they still wanted, now without the mother’s involvement or added story.

The 2009 “agreement” emailed to me was almost identical to the 2007 one, with the addition of an open-ended “after expenses” clause (tacked on to the stipulation of my 10% interest). Angered, I called Steven and said, “Don’t let them fuck me!” he said he would “never let that happen!”, and was shocked to learn my name wouldn’t be on the book, “There wouldn’t even be a book without you!” he shouted. He told me to “go ahead and make your own contract”. That was the last time I spoke to him. His number was quickly changed and none of our mutual friends would return my calls.

Utilizing what money I had, I acquired the services of a literary attorney. Steven’s lawyers tried to tell her that all I had done was transcribe interviews. She had the original fleshed-out chaptered manuscript and told them so. Then they tried to say it was poorly written, she told them it WAS NOT! She made some headway. A perplexing conversation with Mr. Spagnola revealed that he maintained a bitter sense of entitlement to my work, and was stressed over the matter.

[...]

Therefore, they are using my work with NO VALID CONTRACT. The book has since been released and I have not received a penny. The book, meanwhile, is very much in the form of my initial draft (I had always planned to develop it further), fully edited with a few extra pages added.

My name is changed to “Chuck” in stories that feature me. For the record, much of the real ‘dirt’ had been taken out.
From the opening segue into the first chapter, “Let’s start from the beginning, so we can see how things began to unravel until they got so fucked up” (the gist of which I borrowed from the opening narration of the 1999 movie, Tart) to the closing line, “It’s gonna take a lot more than that to spoil my appetite!” (a cliché phrase I was actually embarrassed over), it’s all me.

I can tell you exactly what came from the 20 hours of audio I have with Steven, what facts came from an existing book, magazine or TV interview – or what I just made up! Ultimately, it was my aim to paint a sympathetic portrait of the man. You’ll notice there’s not much in the novel accounting for the years 2003 – 2009. These are the scant few pages Larry actually contributed.

I always appreciated Steven’s friendship greatly, and we had been through a lot together. But he allowed this injustice against me. He let his people trample and humiliate me.

He is a backstabber of the highest order. Many people have attested publicly that he is not a good person. I always defended him. Then I learned just how right they were. In fact, given the seedy element he associates with, I wonder if I should fear for my safety after this comes out. It’s been me alone against his army. They ganged up and treated me like shit to maximize their potential cuts.

Sadly, it is Lawrence Spagnola with the last laugh. He has credit for a New York Times Bestseller he did not write, and (as it was he who brokered the Harper Collins deal) the lions-share of profits and a strong contract to protect him. I will never cease in my mission to expose him for what he is, a THIEF who STOLE my work and took credit for it.

I’ve done everything in my power to resolve this matter peacefully. I told them I’d sign their contract if they simply got rid of the open-ended after-expenses clause.

They refused! I may have reluctantly gone along with it all, settled for the special acknowledgement – I didn’t want to make waves, or jeopardize my friendship with Adler – but I was not going to allow them to exploit me further by finding new ways to screw me! They saw this as an OPPORTUNITY.

They appealed to Steven’s tampered sensibility by making exaggerated and defamatory claims, saying I was “crazy” and making “unreasonable demands”. Ultimately, they knew I didn’t have the resources to fight this, so they kicked me when I was already down, over and over for the last two years. Recently, I was told that this New York Times Best Seller which has been re-issued in paperback, did not make back it’s advance and there was no money coming to me. I’ve had it. This is my attempt at setting the record straight. I never wanted to go public with this, but Steven hasn’t seen fit to make this right, and I have no choice. I have retained a new lawyer, an aggressive fellow by the name of Michael Lotta, and we are taking this to court.

This has been hurtful and stressful. Adler robbed me. People are lucky if they get one big break, and this was mine. A saving grace has been my own music passion project, “Vintage Quixotic” (New music for Old Hollywood) which, to my satisfaction, proposes more talent than Adler ever will have with his clumsy drumming.

Well, yeah, he definitely had grand ideas of the kind of money he could earn off of his name. I don’t want to get into personal stuff, or anything that doesn’t relate to the book fiasco. There’s so much I could say. Steven gravitates toward people with ideas on how to make money off him. That’s why so many of them have come and gone, almost always ending badly. Many of the people that gave me such a hard time with the book are already gone! He didn’t have control of his own money for a long time, so he had some lean times there. He was even on an allowance for years. Heck, I think his brother Jamie benefited from Steve’s earnings more than he did. Nice cars, lavish lifestyle, he might even have more GNR platinum awards than Steven!

Well, when his people learned that he told me to “make my own contract”, they must have saw his talking to me as a liability, because they orchestrated a blackout. I believed, or wanted to believe, that Adler was in the dark about this. But when I saw him at NAMM in 2010, I waved, “Stevie!” and I could see he wasn’t happy to see me. I was devastated. How lame, huh? I just turned and walked away and right into Matt Sorum, of all people. I had just interviewed Matt over the phone a few weeks prior, so I smiled and introduced myself. But how weird, huh? Anyway, Steven goes promoting the book with lies, telling suicidegirls.com he wrote the book with Larry “over lunch” or that Slash helped him write it, then I knew he was onboard with betraying me.

As far as Adler is concerned, he’s a dumbass who had people influencing him with their agenda. I mean, ultimately he has the last word, but he’s in his own world. I’m going to sue him, but somehow with him, it’s hard to hold a grudge. He simply doesn’t get it. I think his attitude is it’s his life I wrote about, so why am I owed anything? He just wants to smoke weed and watch TV, y’know? He just wants others to take care of his business which gives them plenty opportunity to exploit matters.

Yeah, it’s pretty messed up. Every now and then I’ll just get that pang of loss. It never went to court. They did start paying me but nowhere near what Lawrence Spagnola made off of my work.

In fact, I received a small check recently. A couple years back there was a discrepancy with the payments and I reached out to Steven’s wife. To my surprise she was very gracious and got it all worked out immediately. That’s when I felt maybe there’s really no bad blood - it was just the people around us.

A few months ago a friend of mine saw Steve somewhere and put him on the phone with me. He was super nice. He said I was still one of his ten favorite people, so I think I can say we’re good. It is what it is.

All upcoming Guns N' Roses dates are officially cancelled. Please contact your place of purchase for any refunds.

Well, well, well, you never can tell... We are looking into this tweet [...] from the @AxlRose twitter account. Please keep up with us here on Facebook and Twitter for official word. Thank you - GN'R.

If Guns N' Roses decide to take to stage as late as they did in Leeds some years ago then the performance just won't happen. I've had a very heavy warning from the local councils. There is a curfew -- it's a very strict curfew. We got away with it once. We won't get away with it for a second time. Unfortunately, if the band chose not to take to the stage on time there's really nothing I can do. I won't be allowed to break the curfew. The truth is -- it's threatening the viability of the festival. It threatens the licence. It really is quite important.

We r in constant talks to ensure the fans attending Leeds get what they paid for w/out undue bureaucratic interference. We thank you for your understanding. Peace!!

Please feel free to share retweet, etc.: The show tonight at #leedsfestival is ON!

I wouldn’t have the current line-up, certainly not at the moment. It doesn’t feel right. [...] Of course if it was the original line-up, I would definitely consider it and if they could tell the time, it would be fantastic. With the original line-up it would be something very special. We’d have to give them all a watch each, but we’d certainly try to get them if they reformed.

that's a proverbial wrap!!! Thank you METZ/AMNEVILLE!!! this was tres fun! next stop! PARIS!

After a while some of the people in this business get so comfortable that they feel like they own your band or something and it’s like “Wait a minute, I hired you, not the other way around man”. So I fired him. He’s pissed off about that just as he’s pissed off Guns fired him and I get that, I do. So, now I’m the antichrist, Axl’s the antichrist and everyone’s against him or at least that’s how he presents it in his interviews.

Hey guys, sorry for the delay this evening. I was/am a bit under the weather and appreciate your hanging with us. peace - Axl

Kentsterling.com has been told that preliminary talks have already taken place to reconvene the most popular lineup of Guns N’ Roses to turn Indianapolis into Paradise City. Gun N’ Roses might be the only rock band with it’s members still living that hasn’t played a Super Bowl halftime show that could generate a real sense of excitement for what this year became a devolving mess.

After a significantly lesser halftime show this year with the overexposed Black Eyed Peas with Usher (who had to cancel a bar mitzvah appearance) and Slash from GNR, the NFL is looking to make a splash, and reuniting Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, either Steven Adler or Matt Sorum, and Dizzy Reed.

[Axl] told me he wasn’t opposed to doing it at some point, and that he had no real issues with Slash.

This is the band's dressing room compound. And normally the band and Axl have to separate, different compounds, just because there's so many in the band and Axl has so much stuff and.. so we just kind of separate it cause Axl and his whole party travels separately from the band's party. It's always been like that. They get on really well when they are together. Each family works differently, I guess.

A bottle of water thrust into my hand, I was dripping with sweat having run the length of Yas Island. Only an hour ago I was casually driving to Abu Dhabi, to see a band that I have listened to and respected since my teenage years, when I took a call to say Axl Rose would do an interview.

As the voice explained at this point it was only a possibility and nothing was guaranteed, I could feel my foot pushing down on the accelerator.

I dumped the car on a startled valet, I hot footed it backstage praying for a call to say it was on and I wasn't too late.

I crashed down on a bench back stage, tried to cool off and set about scribbling some notes on what to ask the "legend" I was about to meet.

A suited man greeted me, listed the no-go topics and with that unknowingly increased the already mounting pressure. Rose is infamous for having a poor relationship with the media (understatement) and has been extremely vocal about this over the years. I knew the history, I was a fan, and I was now nervous.

The roar of the crowd out added to the atmosphere and tension and I was sure that would entice Rose and the boys to skip the interview with a pesky journo.

He didn't let me down. Ushered into a well laid out room backstage, tables we set for a posh dinner, akin to that of a charity auction, "not very rock n' roll" I thought. People buzzed around and the atmosphere was electric. A table was then rapidly cleared, I was plopped down at it and a few bottle of water and glasses arranged opposite me, I clutched my scraps of hurriedly scribble notes and my borrowed pen and waited.

This was it, 20 years ago I was a spotty kid, wearing ripped jeans and unlaced boots, thinking Guns N' Roses were rock Gods, and now I was about to meet their frontman, the voice, Axl Rose.

Then the severity of the situation increased along with my heart rate. Rose, accompanied by the new line-up, entered. I was shaking hands with Rose. The room suddenly took on a much more sinister feel. Colourful tattoo's, gothic hair-cuts, funky headwear and leather bedecked the band members as they took up the empty chairs.

The sinister feel was fleeting, as a relaxed, friendly, approachable, funny group unfolded. If there was any animosity toward all those who had previously bad-mouthed, lied about or generally slated the name of Rose or Guns N Roses, it was extremely well-hidden. They looked like a bunch of mates about to have some serious fun and the camaraderie in the group was clear. They have a lot to live up to and even more to prove. Even DJ Ashba, the newest member of the group, looked and acted like he'd been rocking with these guys for years.

If this interview, willingness to meet the press and the pure enthusiasm for their music is anything to go by, I'd say the days of Get in the Ring days are past and we can expect more November Rain and Paradise City classics on the horizon.

The roar of the Abu Dhabi crowd accompanied our chat and was an ever present reminder our time together was short. This is one moment that will stay with me forever.