Let's - for the uninitiated, do a quick history o' Stacey...tell our readers how you came to be Stacey Blades of LA Guns?
My music career goes pretty far back, I started playing clubs in Toronto, Canada in the late eighties with bands of my own then finally got a shot at somewhat big time when I joined Ex-Virgin Recording artists Roxx Gang in '92 and moved to Tampa, Florida. I spent 8 years in that band and did 4 albums with them and 4 videos. I soon grew tired of that band and all the bullshit that was going on in that organization and moved to L.A. in early 2001. I toyed around with a few bands before replacing Tracii Guns after he quit L.A. Guns in 2003. The last 6 years have been amazing and it's been an awesome ride touring the world and making records with these guys and what I consider one of the coolest bands to come out of the L.A Sunset Strip metal scene.
If you want it bad enough you can make it happen, but be prepared to sacrifice EVERYTHING!!!!!! |
You've done what few rockers have been able to do..write an autobiography..tell us why you decided to do this?
Well, after having read quite a few rock autobiographies over the last 7 years or so I started to think " You know what? I have a pretty good story to tell!" I started writing the book, Snake Eyes: Confessions of a Replacement Rockstar, back in October of '07 and it was like a flood gate had opened up. My life has been a roller coaster ride from the get go but it really has a story of inspiration through the book. Of course it's a rock autobiography story, so there is lots of dirt, i.e. drugs, alcohol, psychotic girlfriends, porn stars, suicides, stalkers and plenty of road stories.
It's always a bit of exposure being on stage--but writing about your life peels back the layers a bit more than most are comfortable with...how do you feel now that "it" is out there?
Well you really put yourself out on a limb and let's face it you are gonna piss a few people off, lol. I have gotten a lot of great reviews on the book so I'm not really bothered by people knowing my life story, I mean that's why I wrote the damn thing, lol. Really, I wanted people to know MY story and the truth behind it and my name and my career.
One of the key themes in your book is about being adopted and you are the "replacement" adopted "gun" if you will, guitarist in LA Guns- I don't want to sound like a psychologist, but isn't that kinda deep? :)
Ya how profound, lol. One of the reasons I used the title "Confessions of a Replacement Rock Star", coz That's kinda of how I got started. I replaced the main guitarist in Roxx Gang and replaced Tracii. I think it goes more deeper than that now because I have brought a lot to LAG over the last 6 years
How much confusion is there actually in the rock scene with the two versions of LA Guns and how does it affect you, personally and professionally and the two bands as well?
There isn't that much confusion anymore. However I do get quit a few emails from pissed off fans who thought they were coming to seeing us and got stupped into seeing Tracii's band. It hasn't really been affecting us too much this year. We have had an amazing year!! While those guys are playing dumpy bars we are playing in arenas with Whitesnake and playing to thousands of people with other bands like Skid Row, Warrant and Dokken. The "other" band has had a different lineup every year over the last 3 years and they are now onto their 3rd singer, lol. There is one LA Guns and that's this band, the one Tracii quit.
So far the book has been well received by readers, what pulse point are you hitting?
Trying to target of course people who are into the whole rock' n roll scene, but I think someone who doesn't know much about this rock world would really enjoy the book as well
What was your process in writing Snake Eyes...?
It was hard trying to remember the last 40 years. I basically started from birth and led up to about 9 months ago. I did it on my desktop in MS Word. It was really time consuming because I was always remembering stuff and then would have to go back into a certain chapter and write more then reformat the whole chapter again. It was hard placing the flow with all the pictures and cool little graphics, I didn't have much help so it was very frustrating but thank God for Scott McKenzie, my editor and Brooke McKaig my artist and layout design. I would have been lost without them.
As you wrote the book, you had to recall a great deal --the good, the bad, the ugly..after the last chapter was written was there any event that you retold that you would change if you could?
Absolutely, I would write about my recent divorce and finding my first love after losing contact with her for 19 years. I think there was stuff that I also wanted to leave out that was just too fucked up to talk about.
What is your one piece of advice to anyone trying to make their own path in the business of rock and roll?
If you want it bad enough you can make it happen, but be prepared to sacrifice EVERYTHING!!!!!! LOL
What's next for Stacey Blades?
Well my new signature guitar from TTM Guitars comes out next month called the "Bonecrusher" It's so fuckin rad. So I'm excited about that. When I have more time I am gonna do a second edition of the book as well. Gonna try to get a major publishing deal this year or next . Of course keep kicking ass with L.A. Guns!!! I have also had a few meetings about some reality show projects.
When can we expect the companion piece solo album?
Funny you should ask. You know I have recorded a ton of stuff over the last 20 years of my career with Fraidy Katt, Roxx Gang, Supercool, Smack, Crenshaw Mafia and L.A Guns. Was thinking of putting out a cool compilation with the same name.
Any final thoughts for our readers?
If you haven't gotten the book, definitely grab a copy. It's a great easy read. You can purchase it directly through Amazon.com. And what I like to say is "Have a good time all the Time!!"
--Strutter
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