Shocking, but this is the first time I've ever read this. This was another one of those books where the majority of the stuff within it's pages I had already heard about from different sources over the years: Online forums, Magazines, Entertainment News Shows, etc... So, for me there really was no desire to give this one a read. But then I heard that Bill Carter had a new book out called The War For Late Night, detailing the train wreck that was Jay Leno Vs. Conan O'Brien. Once I had a copy of that book in my hand I decided that I might as well start with The Late Shift and make it a marathon read for myself. And I'm glad I did just that.

Simply put, The Late Shift is hands down the nuttiest, wackiest soap opera ever printed on paper. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. The stuff that went down was so outlandish that it had to be made up. And yet, it's all real. The book itself reads like a roller coaster. There are so many peaks and valleys that you get dizzy after awhile. But you can't really ever put the book down at all, no matter how hard you try.

The peaks in the book get to insane heights, and the highest of them all is of course Helen Kushnick. For those that don't know about her, she was Jay Leno's manager and Producer of the show who ruled with an iron fist. Even though this book is about Jay Leno and David Letterman fighting over who gets the keys to Johnny Carson desk on The Tonight Show, I believe the real star of the book is Helen, without a doubt. And once she is ousted from the show (as well as the book), it does take a big hit that you end up missing her crazy antics. I did anyways.

The rest of the book continues with the roller coaster ride, but doesn't ever quite reach the same heights  that you get with Helen at the forefront. This is why it gets a lesser rating from me. But that's not to say that the rest of the book sucks. There are still a handful of scenarios that will engage you all the way to the end: Jay hiding in a closet, David seeking council from Johnny and of course all the info pertaining to the pretenders to the throne: Arsenio Hall, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, etc...Yes, even Conan O'brien is here. Duh.

This is indeed a very fun, entertaining read that will have you flipping pages as fast as people were getting fired. I can easily recommend this to anyone that is a fan of Talk Shows or Soap Operas. I really hope that The War For Late Night doesn't disappoint here. But after The Late Shift, it's got a big task of at least equaling it. I still need to watch the movie version of The Late Shift. I have seen parts of it over the years, but never the entire movie all at once.

Before I get into the review for The H*eroin Diaries, I have to address this books construction. I originally intended to read this along with Tommyland, but due to the horrible binding of this book, it literally fell apart in my hands when I opened it. I had to take it back to the library and ask if I could get another copy. She said that it wouldn't be a problem as they had multiple copies floating around at other branches. When she did further research on the book, she saw that all the copies had suffered the same fate and all had to be repaired as well. The current copy I just read had a few pages that started to come apart, but I manage to actually get through and finish the book without any further damage.

This is hands down the worst and most ill conceived book put together of all time. Just looking at the binding "new", you can tell it would and will eventually fall apart. Just horrible. Since I'm talking about the construction of the book I should at least mention the actual design itself. It's different from your typical paper stock as this is all glossy paper. And on top of that the pages are designed to represent the chaos of what Nikki Sixx was going through with his doping. I think it's actually a pretty cool look and feel to it, although there are some pages that were extremely hard to read when it was red text on black pages.

So for the construction of the book, this gets....

For the design elements within the pages, this gets...

Now onto the book review. H*eroin Diaries is kind of what Hit Hard by Joey Kramer wanted to be and it makes perfect sense that Nikki Sixx did the forward for Joey's book. It's another "self help" book as it deals primarily with Nikki's year long battle with H*eroin, coke, and every other drug you can think of during 1987, or the Girls, Girls, Girls Tour. How is this like Hit Hard? Well, H*eroin Diaries is dealing mainly with the root problem of his childhood and his relationship with his Mother. To say that Nikki had a pretty messed up childhood is an understatement. His broken family led to his depression which eventually led to his constant need to self medicate to mask this problem.

Now why does this get a better review then Hit Hard then if it's basically the same topic? A lot has to do with how it's written and constructed. This book literally plays like an episode of VH1 Behind The Music. Just think of the diary entries as the reenactments and the Guest Author's describing each entry as the "on-camera" testimonials to bring it into context of what was going on at the time.

This is a pretty engaging read and I couldn't put the book down at all. It's these testimonials that actually save the book and it's cool to get input from a lot of different people that were involved at one time or another through his year long downward spiral. Those that lend a hand with their insight are: Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Doc McGhee, Vanity (this one is the trippiest by far), Rick Nielsen and Slash just to name a few.

One thing I have to mention here is that when I was reading this book, Nikki mentions a lot of the time that he could never be in a room full of people he didn't know if he was sober. He couldn't relate to other people and would literally run out of the room because it was almost claustrophobic in a way when trying to be social. So obviously when this kept coming up in the book, I was left remembering the time I met and talked to Nikki once before and at no time did he hint at being uncomfortable. So either I am such an awesome and cool cat to talk with, or he was strung out and did an amazing job of hiding it, which I never would have guessed because he was very articulate, engaging and cool when talking with me. I'm just gonna say that this was one of those rare sober moments that he could talk in a social environment.

Now, Tommy Lee on the other hand had to have been high, because no matter how awesome and cool I am, even he couldn't be THAT happy to see and talk with me. Haha. :lol: Both were really cool and down to earth, so I have no idea if they were high or not.

I can definitely recommend this book if you can look past the redundancy of his drug use. It does get repetitive in hearing about him scoring, hallucinating and then vowing to quit. But because of the other's input in telling the story, it keeps you engaged throughout.

I need to take a break from reading Rock Biographies for awhile. The whole drug thing is making me ill just reading about it. Blah. Gonna hit some Baseball Biographies and Comedy books for the foreseeable future.

There are books and then there are BOOKS and then there is The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band. This is the Granddaddy of all Rock and Roll Biographies. It's the benchmark for which all future Rock Bio's will be judged. Everything that you have heard about The Dirt is all that and more. This was Book #20 that I had checked out from the Library. That's how long I had to wait in line with the waiting list for this one to become available. I've been on a major book reading binge and the first book that I put a hold on was for this one.

So, was the wait worth it? Hell **** yeah it was. I really don't know why I never got around to reading this one before. It's been out since 2001. That's 10 **** years. I always had an excuse or I was too busy and kept putting it off for whatever reason. So, I sit here now able to finally cross this off my to-read list.

As for The Dirt, it's all here. All the decadence, debauchery, chaos and fights you've heard about over the years are front and center here. When I originally heard about the book being written by Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Mick Mars I had no idea how it would work. In my mind I originally thought that the 4 of them got together and hashed it out like a regular novel. Not even close. Each member writes their own chapter starting from the beginning and at the end of the chapter it usually ends in a "cliffhanger". Then the next member picks up that thread and takes it from there. Shampoo, lather, rinse, repeat. You get the idea.

I'm glad this is how they chose to put the book together because everyone gets their say and we get to hear their point of view. It all works seamlessly, which makes it even harder to put the book down. Even if you already know the stories (which I did), you still can't put it down.

I knew this book was good when I caught myself carrying the book from room to room, even if I wasn't in the process of reading. The lions share of the book is handled by Nikki. He is the anchor to which all the others expand on. Nikki's stories I think are the best as he does a great job of painting the picture for the reader. Tommy and Vince follow suit and Mick pops up now and then. Even though Mick has the least amount to say in the book, he really comes off pretty good here. He may be the quietest member of the band, but he has a lot to say when does open up. Some of the things he says  will have you agreeing with him and leaving you with a little smirk on your face.

Mick, you **** rock dude! :rock:There are additional authors that also contribute to the book when in need of some serious explanation from the likes of Doc McGhee, John Corabi etc....

Amid all the chaos and insanity of the book, there is a very heartbreaking story when Vince recounts his time regarding his Daughter Skylar and her battle with cancer. If you are not touched by what you are reading, you are dead inside. I've heard the story countless times before. But to actually read Vince's words takes on a whole 'nother level.

It's not all doom and gloom here though. There are so many stories here that will leave you spellbound at the absurdity of what went down on tours, recording studios, etc....

And there are some pretty funny moments that will definitely leave you laughing. For me I would say cockeyed "Geena Davis" is the best and funniest pertaining to a blind date that Nikki had the misfortune of getting stuck on. I will say nothing more. Go read the **** book to find out more about it. Haha.  :rofl:

I definitely recommend this book to everyone. You don't have to be a fan of Motley Crue. Hell, you can hate all the members and you will still come away completely entertained from the first page to the very last page. Of the 20 books I have read so far the past couple of months, I Am Ozzy and The Dirt are the only ones I plan on buying and adding to my personal library collection.

On related topic, the proposed film for The Dirt is being held up in limbo as they search for another Director. I really hope to see the book done justice and that it makes it's way to a theater soon.

Rating: 10 Stars out of 10 (Yes, I usually give out 5 Stars as the highest possible rating. So, 10 should tell you how **** nuts, crazy and awesome this book is)

Is This The Real Life fails to live up to my expectations. Once again I fell victim to reading a Biography from someone not in the band and paid for it with sheer boredom. The thing about books like this, especially coming on the heels of a wide assortment of other like-minded Bio's about a group like Queen, is that once the well has been tapped, the latest author then has the task of coming up with "new" stuff to justify reading his book about a band that has be written about countless times.

This book falls in line with Bon Scott's Bio that I recently read. If you checked out that review, then you have a pretty good idea of what Real Life is like when it comes to reading a bloated book. Too much time is devoted to stuff that Queen fans or just readers in general really don't need to know or even want to know.

It's unfortunate that authors feel the need to pad pages and make a book bigger than it really is. There is nothing new or revealing here. This was a waste of my time.

I do not recommend this to anyone. Don't believe the hype surrounding this book. All the 4-5 Star reviews you may find out there in internet-land are from people that will give better reviews simply for being a fan of the band. I'm the biggest fan here, but even I know a terrible read when I come across one.

I need to get rid of this bad taste in my mouth and read Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History Of The Crown Kings Of Rock.

Game Of Shadows is about BALCO and the impact that it had on the sporting world at large from Baseball (Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Benito Santiago, etc...) to Track and Field (Marion Jones) to Football (Bill Romanowski). But the main crux of this book focused squarely on Barry Bonds, detailing his steroid use starting in 1999.

If Hollywood ever decides to make a movie about BALCO, this is the book they will no doubt use as it's blue print. I for one would love to see it happen because this book was a gripping, fantastic read. I could not put this book down for one second and that's saying a lot since I knew pretty much the entire sordid story before even reading it.

With all the knowledge of what's been happening in real life concerning BALCO, the more I read the book, the more I devoured what was happening in the pages here. Knowing how it all ends, it was fascinating watching, er...reading about this group of people and associates that comprised BALCO as they were building their house of cards. A very shaky house of cards at that. It amazes me that the house didn't collapse sooner than it did with Victor Conte at the helm. He is nothing more than a spoiled little child, crying out for attention. He never amounted to anything in life so the only way he could feel like "someone" was to hang on to celebrities.

I can recommend this if you want an excellent read that will have you flipping page after page, even if it is "incomplete" in that Barry Bonds was never convicted in a court of law or that the book came out before his assault on Hank Aaron's all-time Home Run record which is not documented within'.

On a personal note not related to the book itself, I think Barry Bonds is a dick and an **** and does not deserve to go into the Hall Of Fame. Period. Even though he was never convicted, I (along with everyone else that doesn't live in San Francisco) think he was on the Juice and tarnished the game of Baseball that will take years to recover from. **** you Barry! And that goes for you too McGwire and Sosa! 

Since I am on a rant...why stop now? Pete Rose....you suck!

There, all better now. 

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm a Baseball fanatic. And every year, I always watch Ken Burns' Baseball documentary, usually at the start of Spring Training or at the beginning of the regular Baseball season. That's the case yet again this year. The only thing that's different this time is that instead of watching it once, I decided to watch the entire 9 innings again along with the the sequel The Tenth Inning as well.

The reason why I love this series comes down to not just the sport itself, but the heart and soul of the documentary in the form of Buck O'Neil. This guy was pretty much an unknown to the general public outside of **** Baseball fans when the series premiered on PBS. Since then he has become the face of the documentary as well as an ambassador for the sport. He became a celebrity and rightly so. I can never get enough just listening to him talk about his time in baseball. His stories about Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and countless others are simply amazing to hear and relive.

But rather than watching this again for a 3rd straight time, I thought now would be a good time to read his book, in his own words. The results would be I Was Right On Time. If you know Buck, or have watched the documentary Baseball, you will know that he has been telling his baseball stories to anyone that will listen for the past 60 plus years. I've heard all of them and I never get tired of hearing them and I want more.

The book basically picks up where the documentary left off. By this, I mean that when you shoot filmed testimonies, a lot of the stuff is going to end up on the cutting room floor due to editing purposes. This book fills in and rounds out a lot of the stories that are told in the documentary. There's more to the man then what you see, This is a pretty good read and very insightful of how he was brought up and what he had to endure. The best stories of course still center around his relationship with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, whether your a fan of the sport or not. You will come away enlighten and a better person after you read this one. Pick it up and pass it along to a friend.

As a long time fan of Aerosmith, I was very excited and looking forward to reading Hit Hard, knowing the struggles of Joey Kramer and his combative relationship with Steven Tyler, which  was hinted at in the long-form video for The Making Of Pump. But now having just finished the book, I'm very disappointed with the results of reading it. The best way I can describe Hit Hard is that it's a "self help" book disguised as a Rock and Roll Biography. While reading through the book, I felt cheated as a reader and fan because a lot of stuff is just glossed over, moving on to the next thing.

If you're looking for inside information about Aerosmith and Steven Tyler and the rest of those that make up the band, you are in for a rude awakening. This book isn't your typical rags to riches memoir. This is about Joey Kramer and his depression that came from years of psychological warefare inflicted upon him as a child at the hands of both his Father and Mother, and then later on his Wife, Steven Tyler and Aerosmith band Manager Tim Collins.

If it sounds like I'm ragging on the book, I'm really not....kinda. Just be aware that this is a different kind of book than the norm. I applaud Mr. Kramer for taking a different route than the tried and true format. It just would have been nice to get a little more insight into the band and the wealth of stories related to the creation of some of their biggest masterpieces, which obviously isn't what this book is about anyway. This book just seems like it's a bit undercooked here.

I have to point out that there are 2 things that stuck with me after reading the book. His reconciliation with his Father at the end was absolutely heartbreaking and will leave even the most jaded person on the planet in tears. And the story regarding the band's Manager is pretty riveting in watching a man do anything to retain control of his golden goose by way of pitting everyone within' Aerosmith against each other.

I can't really recommend this book unless you're looking for something a bit different. So, you have been warned.