Mike Ladano, from Grab A Stack of Rock, and I had a chance to sit down with former Guns ‘N Roses and Great White Manager, Alan Niven to discuss his upcoming book. ‘Sound N’ Fury: Rock & Roll Stories’ will be out on June 24th so go pre-order your copy now at any fine bookstore. Appetite for Destruction! Once Bitten! Twice Shy! This is the guy who made Guns N’ Roses into superstars, and gave Great White their big second chance.
Alan talks about the great stories in his book. So many Axl Rose stories, Slash and Izzy as well as some great stories on Great White. We even talk Shakespeare, sending the cops to get a band member to a show, the art of saying yes, Def Leppard is a boy band, Bon Jovi is cliche and the fact there are only 7 songs you can write plus a whole lot more. We got to spend an hour with him, so get ready as the interview will be coming Monday, June 2, 2025 on Youtube and right here. Get ready as Alan unleashes the Sound N’ Fury and it will also put everything I said above in context.
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In 2023, Def Leppard felt it was time to tell their story, in their words. ‘Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard’ is a personal account of Def Leppard from their formation all the way up to 2022’s last studio album ‘Diamond Star Halos’. The book was released in 2023 and there were several versions you could buy. By the time I got around to buying it and the only option available to me was the Publisher’s Edition which is strictly the book. There were other options you could’ve purchased as well.
There was the Deluxe Copies which was Editions Numbered 1 to 350. The Deluxe copies are fully bound in black vegan leather, with an inset aluminium plate on the front, printed with a portrait of the band, and the Def Leppard logo blocked on the back. Every Deluxe copy is signed by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, Rick Allen and Vivian Campbell. Presented in a clamshell box, the interior holds the specially pressed 7″ single. The red and black marbled vinyl presents two previously unreleased live recordings: the A-side is ‘Animal’ (performed at the Royal Albert Hall, 2018), and the B-side is ‘Slang’ (recorded in Las Vegas, 2019). A compartment under the book includes five Diamond Star Halos guitar picks in a small cloth bag and three replica tour passes. A large pull-ribbon, printed with the Def Leppard logo, lifts the book.Exclusive to the Deluxe copies is a signed and numbered photographic print of Def Leppard on stage at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Wembley Stadium, 20 April 1992. Suitable for framing, the print is signed by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Allen, Rick Savage and Vivian Campbell. Completing the Deluxe boxed set, a second recess under the book contains a collectable cassette of the band’s latest studio album, Diamond Star Halos.
The Collector’s Copies were Numbered 351 to 1,500. The Collector copies are 3/4 quarter bound in black vegan leather, with a portrait of the band printed on an aluminium plate front cover and the Def Leppard logo blocked on the back cover. The 296-page book is finished with colour foil blocking on the spine, and red page edging. Every copy in the edition is signed by Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, Rick Allen and Vivian Campbell. Presented in a clamshell box covered in a montage of images with an inset Def Leppard logo sticker and tour pass, the interior lid holds a specially pressed 7″ single. The red and black marbled vinyl presents two previously unreleased live recordings: the A-side is ‘Animal’ (performed at the Royal Albert Hall, 2018), and the B-side is ‘Slang’ (recorded in Las Vegas, 2019). A compartment under the book includes five Diamond Star Halos guitar picks in a small cloth bag and three replica tour passes. A large pull-ribbon, printed with the Def Leppard logo, lifts the book.
We are excited to announce that this week’s episode has a very special guest and friend to 2 Loud 2 Old Music as we interview author Tim Durling. You know Tim from his YouTube channel, Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, and you will love it as we discuss his first book called ‘Unspooled: An Adventure in 8-Tracks’. The book walks through the 80’s where 8-Tracks were a dying breed but you could still buy them in those Record Club’s like Columbia House or RCA.
Tim has some great insight in to the 8-Tracks that were only available in these clubs and you will be surprised at some of those that you would’ve never thought were on that format, but they were. We show off some 8-Tracks in our collection and Tim has some rare ones. It is really cool to see. And find out the answer to the riveting questions…Who gave Tim the idea to do a book on 8-Tracks? Do either of us an 8-Track Player??? and many more…
Come join Tim Durling and I in this fantastic discussion on ‘Unspooled: An Adventure in 8-Tracks’ tonight at 8pm on April 22nd, 2024 on YouTube. Click the link below. Don’t forget to hit Subscribe and Like and please leave a comment. Thanks and have great day!!
We are excited to announce that this week’s episode has a very special guest and friend to 2 Loud 2 Old Music as we interview author Tim Durling. You know Tim from his YouTube channel, Tim’s Vinyl Confessions, and you will love it as we discuss his new book called ‘Down for the Count: The Y&T Album Review’. The book walks through all the details of the band’s studio albums and we discuss that as well as where Tim got the idea and how the amazing artist Hugh Syme came about doing the cover of the book.
Tim has some great stories and we even talk about why we think Y&T didn’t make it to the A list of rock bands in the 80’s. A lot of missteps along the way and not the band’s fault…in my opinion at least. They had the songs, they had the guitars, they had it all…what happened??? We also talk about Sean Kelly who does the foreward and mention a lot of the guest that are in the book…including yours truly!! Me!!
Come join Tim Durling and I in this fantastic discussion on ‘Down for the Count: The Y&T Album Review’ tonight at 8pm on April 8th, 2024 on YouTube. Click the link below. Don’t forget to hit Subscribe and Like and please leave a comment. Thanks and have great day!!
I remember August 3, 1987 really well. I ran to the store and bought the Vinyl, CD and cassette of Hysteria and on the way home, I opened the cassette and put it in the car stereo and cranked it. And the rest is history. Def Leppard was my favorite band in 1987 and after waiting four years since ‘Pyromania’, I couldn’t wait for the new album. When I got home, I opened the rest and inside the Vinyl, I remember an order form for the Def Leppard book called ‘Animal Instinct’ written by David Fricke who was Rolling Stone magazine’s senior editor and the photos were by Ross Halfin. I remember filling that in and sending a check and several weeks later the book arrived.
Now, years later, I would sell the book on eBay and make a hefty profit. Then years later, I regretted it and bought it again. After re-reading it, I remembered a lot of what I read the first time. The book is fantastic. David did a great job writing the biography of Def Leppard. He covers the whole gamut of the band which at this time wasn’t very old. The book opens with the car crash that took Rick’s arm and the effect that had on everyone, but it quickly moves to the origin story of Def Leppard and how the members came to be members of the band. There are some great pictures including the first photo of the band. That is what is great about this book. Not just the stories but the photos that go along with it.
If you are a Y&T fan or you know a Y&T fan, this book is for you. My buddy, Tim Durling, has released his 2nd book which talks about all the Y&T albums. I received my copy and I can’t wait to dive and read it. If you need a great Christmas gift idea, this is it. Got to Amazon.com and buy a copy now. You won’t be disappointed. I mean, look at that cover…it is awesome. It was designed by the great Hugh Syme who is one of Canada’s premier graphic artist. You also have a forward by Sean Kelly who you know as the guitarist for Lee Aaron, Nelly Furtado, Helix and Crash Kelly to name a few.
And as a bonus, you get me, John T. Snow as one of the contributors to the book. What more could you want. Ok, you do get Martin Popoff, Pete Pardo, Mike Ladano and a ton of other great people which is probably a better reason, but you know, I’m not bad either!!!
I’m a huge Ratt fan as the first series the site ever did was a Ratt one where we reviewed every Ratt album in their discography (and my collection). A big part of that is because I like Stephen Pearcy. So when I was in Los Angeles and saw a book by Stephen Pearcy called ‘Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life in Rock’, I had to grab it. Now, Stephen didn’t write it by himself, he had the help of Sam Benjamin. But the two together crafted a book that was an easy, entertaining read and I like easy. And you will notice down below, the copy I picked up had been signed by Stephen back in 2018 which I didn’t notice until I got back home. Pretty cool!!
The story opens with birth of his daughter and him going to rehab, then quickly jumps back to his childhood. He was a typical kid, parents divorced when he was young so he didn’t now his Dad very well and raised by a single mom. He had to move from L.A. to San Diego when he was young and didn’t fit in with the scene. He found some hippie type friends and got in to drugs and drinking at a young age. He was hit by a car and both legs broken and was in rehab in the hospital for months on end and took a long time to recover.
When he finally discovered music, that became his motivation, his drive, his obsession. He knew he was going to make it and did everything in his power to make it happen. He met David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen early on when that band was getting ready to break and there are some fun stories with that. And with a book called Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll, you get all of that and then some. Most of the book is about his sex addiction and his drug addiction and after awhile that does get old because how many times can you talk about getting trim and not just sound like it is on repeat. He gets a lot and constantly. Stephen is a giant man-child who can’t commit to anything or anyone except the addictions, but his drive to be a rock star was insane.
Being a fan of AC/DC, this purchase was a no brainer. An autobiography of Brian Johnson, yes please! And the book didn’t disappoint, but it also wasn’t what I expected. The book takes place from basically birth up until his getting hired in to AC/DC and the ‘Back in Black’ album, but that is all the AC/DC you get. It stops there. It then does jump up to the time where he had to step away from the band for his hearing issues, but nothing in between as he is saving that for another book. I’ll buy that one too.
Usually, I find the childhood stuff a little tough to get through for most autobiographies, but I can’t say that here. I really enjoyed it. As Brian was born on October 5, 1947 in Dunston, England, you get a fantastic glimpse in to life in Post World War II in England. I know what life was like here in the States, but not so much in England. Is was interesting hearing about how hard things were during that time and it was really fascinating learning about day-to-day life. The book takes you through his school years and all the events that shaped who Brian Johnson, the man, is.
Brian’s humor also shows out nicely in his take on life and the stories are detailed and colorful as only Brian can describe. I loved learning about the housing, the cars and every day life. The Johnson’s were not a rich family, nope, they were quite poor. His mom was from Italy as that is where his dad met her during the war. The family lived with his grandparents for awhile and then finally got a house of their own. It is as miserable as it sounds, but for Brian it was normal and he seems fond of those times.
When I was a kid, I loved the comic strips and when my dad would finish the paper, I would grab it to head over to the comics. Especially on Sunday when there was a huge section of strips to read. You had Peanuts, Beatle Bailey, Family Circle and tons more. But as I got older, my humor got a little darker and I would race over to read Calvin & Hobbes and most especially The Far Side by Gary Larson. They were only one panel strips with humor that was so absurd at times that it made you think and then laugh. I don’t know if my parents got the humor, but I sure did.
Gary retired from the strip way back in 1994 going out in his prime. I guess he felt he might as well quit while he was ahead and boy was he. I think he was way ahead of his time as the humor to me was really subtle and advance and not like anything out there at all. So, when he called it quits, it made me a little sad as a childhood memory was being taken away and lost forever.
The Far Side ran for over 15 years and by the end was running in over 1,900 newspapers….do kids today know what a newspaper is…doubtful. And the series was so popular, he sold a series of books including a set of the comics. Those books have sold 45 million copies. Gary Larson was a rock star!! I will admit, I didn’t buy all these books because when I started feeling nostalgic for the series, there were too many to buy. Then my prayers were answered and a complete series was released. In August 2003, my wish came true and ‘The Complete Far Side: 1980-1994’ was finally released and I could get them all in one set.
Back in December 2021 when I announced I was doing a Jeff Scott Soto Series, I got a lot of response on the picture of my collection. One such person contacted me on Facebook and offered to send me a hard back edition of a biography on Jeff Scott Soto, so I quickly thanked him and agreed. He quickly mailed out this glorious copy of the book. His name was Sundeep Pooni and that book has been a massive reference guide for my review series up to this point. So, a big thank you to Sundeep and his very generous gift!! From here on out in the review series, we are past the date of the book so none of the albums I’ll be reviewing from ere on out are in the book, so I am on my own.
Before we get to the next review, let’s go through this book. It was originally written by Ronny Hahn and it was written in German and only an electronic book. For the 30th Anniversary of Jeff’s career, it was released thanks to Frank Tunney who took the original book and added more chapters and re-organized the structure. It is now a hard back book and chock full of the details of his career that all hardcore fans love to know. The book is called “Authorized” so it has the blessing of the man himself and that is good enough for me.
The book starts off with the original foreward written by Ronny Zahn and then there is a great dedication to the late Marcel Jacobs who played with Jeff in several bands and was a very close personal friend. It was a terrible loss, but thankfully he left behind a great legacy of music. Afterwards you get a brief biography of Jeff’s very early life, but the rest of the book is all Jeff’s music career.
2 Loud 2 Old Music 