- I'm finally finishing Slash, biography of the Guns N' Roses guitarist. It's an intriguing look into the life of an 80s rock band, from the lows of trying to make it to the excesses of mass popularity. I'm not sure how much was actually written by the guitarist himself, or dictated entirely to the biographer, but the book is full of great lines, such as:
"I had no remorse whatsoever about my overdose-- but I was pissed off at myself for having died."
"It was an amazing show, and all went off well...until the next night, when the country experienced a sudden military coup just after we left for Colombia."
"I can't say that I was surprised when the audience started rioting."
I've heard from interviews of other members of Guns N' Roses that due to their early popularity and waiting on signing with a label (which is consistent with the story that Slash tells), the band was in a position to sign a very favorable deal once they put the pen to the paper. I was hoping for a bit more of the business details of the deal, myself, but the book really doesn't get too far into the contracts. Slash does mention, however, that GN'R spent a goodly portion of their substantial earnings during their mammoth two-and-a-half-year, 192-show Use Your Illusions tour. Plenty on the relations between Slash and Axl Rose as well; all in all, it's an enjoyable, though surprisingly long, read.
- Pete Leeson's The Invisible Hook. You could poke around the internet for a few minutes and find more in depth reviews; nonetheless, it's a great book that will be assigned to my Micro Principles class in the fall. It's a great example of applying usually-tepid textbook concepts to an interesting subject, and bringing alive economics in the process. I'm hoping that my students read this book and are able to apply economic concepts to non-traditional areas. That's the goal, anyway.
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