Ramble On

18 and Life on Skid Row – Sebastian Bach (Dey Street Books)

To borrow a popular internet headline…These Facts about Sebastian Bach will Shock You!

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•      As sold over 20 million albums as the lead singer of Skid Row and as a solo artist. 
•     Skid Row was the first hard rock band to have an album (Slave to the Grind) debut at Number 1 on the Billboard Top 200.
•     He starred on Broadway in productions of Jekyll & Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Thumbing through the pages of Bach’s new autobiography 18 and Life on Skid Row you will pick up on these facts in the midst of seemingly endless tales of debauchery and excess, which is not a shocking turn of events in the average rock star bio.

It’s easy to write Bach as long-haired pretty boy, but there seems to be something that you can pick up on if not in the lines of the book then between the lines. If you’re paying attention you will pick up on Bach’s seemingly single-minded purpose and desire to be successful. It becomes pretty clear that this guy was driven to become a star and truly focused his boundless energy in that direction.

While he is focused on success, I can’t say the same about his writing. 18 and Life on Skid Row reads like a rambling, disjointed meander through Bach’s life. At times it causes the stories to roll into one another and leave you wondering where one begins and the other ends.

While I tend to gravitate towards rock bios, even for bands/artists I don’t necessarily listen too, like Skid Row, I think this one is better suited to those who are fans of Bach and the band.