It's So Easy: and other lies

by Duff McKagan

Overview

A founding member of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver—and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee—shares the story of his rise to the pinnacle of fame and fortune, his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his personal crash and burn, and his phoenix-like transformation.

In 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff McKagan left his native Seattle—partly to pursue music but mainly to get away from a host of heroin overdoses then decimating his closest group of friends in the local punk scene. In L.A. only a few weeks and still living in his car, he answered a want ad for a bass player placed by someone who identified himself only as “Slash.” Soon after, the most dangerous band in the world was born. Guns N’ Roses went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.

In It’s So Easy, Duff recounts Guns’ unlikely trajectory to a string of multiplatinum albums, sold-out stadium concerts, and global acclaim. But that kind of glory can take its toll, and it did—ultimately—on Duff, as well as on the band itself. As Guns began to splinter, Duff felt that he himself was done, too. But his near death as a direct result of alcoholism proved to be his watershed, the turning point that sent him on a unique path to sobriety and the unexpected choices he has made for himself since.

In a voice that is as honest as it is indelibly his own, Duff—one of rock’s smartest and most articulate personalities—takes readers on a harrowing journey through the dark heart of one of the most notorious bands in rock-and-roll history and out the other side.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451606645
Publisher:	Touchstone
Publication date:	03/20/2012
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	117,483
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.98(d)

About the Author

Duff McKagan played bass for Guns N’ Roses for twelve years and co-wrote many of their most iconic songs. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Duff formed Velvet Revolver with his former band mate Slash and fronts his own band, Loaded. He writes weekly columns for Seattleweekly.com and ESPN.com. McKagan lives in Seattle with his wife, supermodel Susan Holmes McKagan, and their two daughters. Visit Duff-ItsSoEasy.com.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

Prologue 1

Part 1 Knockin' on Heaven's Door 7

Part 2 Just Ah Urchin Living Under The Street 81

Part 3 Loaded 141

Part 4 I'd Look Right Up at Night and All I'd See Was Darkness 177

Part 5 A Good Day to Die 227

Part 6 You Shined a Light where it Was Dark, On My Wasted Heart 275

Part 7 Fall To Pieces 307

Part 8 You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory 333

Acknowledgments 363

Editorial Reviews

McKagan recounts his (tale) with flamboyance and an engaging wit.

Booklist

In a book that mourns friendships and talent lost to drugs, his transformation is a relief and an inspiration. McKagan writes with honesty and even humility, seemingly refreshingly devoid of rock star egomania.

Shelf Awareness

"You’ll read this memoir from the former Guns N’ Roses bass player for the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but you’ll remember it for what comes after—recovery, family, and fulfillment.

Los Angeles Magazine

McKagan recounts his (tale) with flamboyance and an engaging wit.

Booklist

"You’ll read this memoir from the former Guns N’ Roses bass player for the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but you’ll remember it for what comes after—recovery, family, and fulfillment.

Los AngelesMagazine

"You’ll read this memoir from the former Guns N’ Roses bass player for the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but you’ll remember it for what comes after—recovery, family, and fulfillment.”

“In a book that mourns friendships and talent lost to drugs, his transformation is a relief and an inspiration. McKagan writes with honesty and even humility, seemingly refreshingly devoid of rock star egomania.”

“Honest, well-written…McKagan is surprisingly self-aware and candid, and he doesn’t let himself off the hook easily.”

“In his solid debut, the author…proves himself to be a legit writer.…McKagan has a nice eye for details and a surprisingly good memory. He’s proudly raw and harsh, refusing to hold back in terms of language and content…fans will be thrilled by this honest, detailed memoir."

“Fans will love the descriptions of the struggles and early triumphs of GNR, but McKagan's descriptions of his equally driven efforts at self-transformation are just as compelling (particularly his meditation on the redemptive power of reading and the satisfaction he receives in his intellectual as well as physical revitalization). Verdict: Rock fans—and would-be rockers—will find much to savor here. McKagan has packed a lot into his life and a lot of his life into this book. Readers will enjoy the ride.”

“McKagan recounts his (tale) with flamboyance and an engaging wit.

From the Publisher

In this honest, well-written memoir, former Guns & Roses bass player McKagan recounts the age-old rock and roll saga of rise and fall—complete with private jets, busted marriages, drunken brawls, and drug addiction. But as McKagan relates, he took an unusual path to recovery, healing himself with martial arts, mountain biking, and meditation. Along the way he also earned a finance degree from Seattle University. McKagan’s musical career started early—at age 15, the Seattle native was already playing in several punk bands. In 1983 he left for Los Angeles, where he met the other members of Guns & Roses. The 1987 release of Appetite for Destruction made the group an international phenomenon. For a rock star, McKagan is surprisingly self-aware and candid, and he doesn’t let himself off the hook easily. The first half of this book alternates chapters between his youth in Seattle and early career in L.A., and he vividly evokes both music scenes—drugs and all—and his own enthusiasm, desperation, and joy. As the years progress, McKagan, who wrote a financial column for Playboy and currently writes a weekly column for the Seattle Times and ESPN.com, is more cautious and measured but no less insightful. 16 pages color photos (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly