It's So Easy and other lies Author:Duff McKagan A founding member of Guns N? Roses shares the story of his rise to the pinnacle of fame and fortune with the band, his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his unusual path to sobriety, and success as a savvy business investor and loving husband and father. In 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff McKagan left his native Seattle?partly to pu... more »rsue a music career 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 put out by someone who identified himself only as ?Slash.? Soon after, Guns N? Roses, the ground-breaking hard rock band that went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide, was born. In It?s So Easy, Duff recounts Guns? unlikely trajectory to global acclaim: the near-homeless years when they played gigs in exchange for free beer; the creative collaboration that led to the writing of their biggest hits; the legendary ill-fated yet band-forging trip to Seattle; touring the country as the opening act for Aerosmith, Mšotley Cršue, and eventually even the Rolling Stones; deepening drug troubles for most of the band; and finally, the collapse. And in the aftermath of that collapse: Duff?s near death as a result of alcoholism; his unique path to sobriety; his newfound love of books; his hard-won path to the dean?s list at Seattle University; and the formation of Velvet Revolver. Now sober and happily married with two daughters, Duff, one of rock?s smartest and most articulate personalities, relates his remarkable story in his honest, funny, and indelibly original voice, taking 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.« less