The Rock & Roll Chef®

I've been hearing about Steven's upcoming book for awhile now from my pal Chip Znuff, who plays & stays with Adler fairly often - they really seem to be good pals (probably for life), and they're an EXCELLENT rhythm section to boot. As I was sharing with some Nashville musicians last night (including a guy who plays with John Fogerty), Steven can still throw down on the skins; I've personally witnessed him laying down a wicked country/shuffle train beat that swung like a lynch mob's rope. FYI, Steven got outvoted by his publisher on his choice for the title: "No Bed Of Roses." (hah). He's a funny one, and no dummy either.

I caught up with Chip a little yesterday, he was pretty pumped; he said Adler has a new 5-song EP of new tracks coming out soon - which is nice - but the thing Chip was most excited about: He tells me Adler will be doing Oprah this year? That IS big.

On top of that, I'm guessing the publisher (Harper Collins) will be scheduling a fair amount of national TV shows, multi-city signings, etc. All of which should result in putting some bodies in seats for concerts.

I have to say: I am LOVING the design on the cover - kudos to whoever knocked that one out. GOOD LUCK STEVEN & CHIPPER!

Labels: 2010 book, chip z'nuff, guns n roses, steven adler

NOW THAT VH1'S "CELEBRITY REHAB" SEASON 2 HAS BEGUN AIRING THIS WEEK, I'M STARTING to get calls from people who know I know Steven Adler of Guns N Roses, telling me they've seen him on that show. If you think about it, that program is pretty much a dead-nut conversation starter of (true or false): "Is any publicity good publicity?" I mean, the whole show is built around being screwed up & famous - I guess that helps some viewers feel like they're not that bad off, compared to them? And even though it reveals the worst in a person, the power of TV is also in full force, which will undoubtedly increase his visibility worldwide.

If you ever have a chance to talk with Adler, he'll let you know pretty fast that 1. Every dream he had with music came true, in a big way; 2. He's tried to kill himself "so many times"; 3. What he really wants most before he dies is a reunion with the original Gunners - even if it's only all of them being in the same room & chatting.

Now that he's putting it all out there on national TV, I don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing that, during his visit to the studio last fall, all the behavior he's described on VH1 was in full force here. Which really sucked. As I once told him to his face: It doesn't matter who you are, what you did or how much money you have - if you're passing out with a lit cigarette in your hand in somebody's house, there's NOBODY who's okay with that.

That said, I had many many many opportunities to videotape Steven in some less-than-ideal moments (and I was encouraged to), but somehow felt like it was a violation of trust.

Labels: chicago, gnr, guns n roses, rock n roll kitchen, steven adler

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PHOTO OF STEVEN ADLER, taken in the kitchen yesterday afternoon around 2-ish before he & Dale Bozzio (Missing Persons) caught a ride together to Midway Airport to Las Vegas and New Hampshire (respectively). Here's the story:

I'm ashamed to say I don't have a digital camera right now (the one I had was "liberated" awhile back, haven't replaced it yet). And so, I called the Blue Island newspaper (The Forum) and told them Adler, Dale Bozzio, Chip Znuff and the Rock & Roll Chef were all here at the studio, and could they send a photographer over? Luckily, Cindy Rippe from the paper said she could make it over with her high-end Sony digital camera; I gave a heads-up to the rock stars (and believe me, trying these people going in the same direction is like trying to herd minnows), and hoped for the best.

The thing I love about this photo is how it seems to demonstrate the two sides of Steven I've witnessed - sweet Steven, and "Monster" (the nickname Chip & I both seemed to arrive at the exact same time). He's flashing that great smile, looking at what he holds in one hand - the shimmery-white, ethereal healthy tea kettle, with the promise of warm, soothing, good-for-the-soul, clean refreshment. In the other hand, only a turn of the head away, the dark side seems to be represented by a bottle of Red Stripe beer and (hard to see, but it's there) a lit Marlboro cigarette. Talk about a literal image...

Labels: blue island recorders, guns n roses, rock n roll kitchen, steven adler, the forum

It's been awhile since the last post, lots of stuff happening. One thing in particular: I've been doing some personal chef stuff for the original drummer from Guns N Roses at Blue Island Recorders (yes, southside Chicago). His name is Steven Adler, he's a pal & bandmate with my pal Chip Znuff, and since meeting & hanging with him, I've started to check out some GNR stuff I've found online.
Apologies to Steven - I can't say I was the biggest GNR fan in the world. But I can say I've really had some fun with him, he's a real sweet & funny guy (and I've been shooting some video of him, which I'll put online soon).

Beyond that, I was happy to find this live video of their band from 1988, and was very impressed. Everyone seems at the top of their games, it's a good tune, and Slash really plays well over the rest. Are the two guitars a little out of tune up front? Hey, that's rock & roll, baby - and maybe they really were one of the best rock bands ever? Enjoy...

Labels: blue island recorders, chip znuff, guns n roses, rock n roll chef, steven adler