Book Review: Last of the Giants: The True Story of Guns N' Roses by Mick Wall

Spanning from the formation of Guns N' Roses to their eventual demise and most recent reunion tour, Last of the Giants leaves no stone unturned. Mick Wall tells the true story of "the most dangerous in the world" through interviews with those involved, excerpts from autobiographies and first-hand encounters with the band. 

"Axl Rose really is that thing we so desperately want him to be: the last of the truly extraordinary, all-time great, no-apologies, no-explanations, no-quarter-given rock stars. The last of his kind."

It's no secret that GnR have been one of my favourite bands ever since I was young - I grew up in a GnR house. So I already know a lot of the stories, a lot of the rumours... and yet this book was still thoroughly enjoyable. I had forgotten so much of the absolutely insane shit Axl Rose and the rest of the band got up to - how are the original members still alive?! Given the number of times Slash was practically on death's door and brought back, the limits that Duff pushed his body to, as well as Steve Adler and Izzy Stradlin... and how did Axl's mouth not get him into far worse trouble??

My issue with biographies is that they can often be one-sided and biased, but I don't feel like that's the case here. Mick Wall doesn't hold back - everything is laid bare. All the dirty details - no matter how bad it makes the band members and members of the entourage or management team look. The number of times I laughed out loud or had to close the book because I was flabbergasted - honestly, I can't believe a lot of this happened. Mick Wall's writing itself flows well and is easy to read, he has constructed the book in such a way that it doesn't feel boring at any point. He also is a fan of using the last section of each chapter to tease the next - which made for some late nights and running behind schedule for the gym because I couldn't put the book down until I found out what he was referring to!

My only negative about this book was that sometimes it felt like certain anecdotes were repeated and that got a tad annoying at times. I perhaps would have liked a few more details on the recording of Chinese Democracy and what was going on behind the scenes, but apart from that, can't really complain.

Overall, this is a fantastic look back at one of the greatest (and most captivating) bands in history. I don't even think you need to be a die-hard GnR fan in order to enjoy this - although it does add to the experience! A great read, 4 out of 5 stars from me!

Johann

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