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