UPDATED: Sebastian Bach’s memoir to hopefully include that time he was too high to fuck in Germany
This week, Sebastian Bach, the lead singer of late ’80s/early ’90s hair metal band Skid Row, published his autobiography, 18 And Life On Skid Row. We’ll be running a review of it on Monday, but first, there’s something you should see. As you may know, publishers often send out early proofs of a book to media, so that critics have time to read the book and write reviews prior to its release. Bach’s book was sent out in unusually raw form. Whereas an uncorrected proof normally means it hasn’t been copy-edited, the early version of Bach’s book reads more like a second draft that still has a lot of work left. There are voluminous editors’ notes, or possibly Bach’s notes to himself, littered throughout the book. Reminders to include stories not yet written down, questions about extending or continuing anecdotes, and single-word references to various other bands or people that played a role in his life conclude many of the chapters.
But there’s one box that appears which seemed worth noting. One single black box, nested within all the half-formed thoughts, that summed up Bach’s life story better than any lengthy autobiography or long-form narrative ever could. It appears roughly halfway through 18 And Life, and it might be the most perfect encapsulation of anyone’s life, let alone a notoriously hard-partying rocker, ever preserved for posterity. Here it is: A list of stories that either Bach or his editor wanted to make sure got added to the final edition of the book. Either this will make you very excited to read Bach’s memoir, or you’ll look at it and go, “Got it.”
UPDATED (2:15 p.m.): We’ve heard back from a publicist at HarperCollins, who helpfully informed us of this little fact: “These editorial blocks are in the finished book on purpose just fyi.” So not only did Sebastian Bach sign off on including these in the book, they are listed and that is all we are going to know about those events. Did Bach eat pussy with someone named Matt? Sure did, but you’re not getting any details. Was he in Iceland, coming down from ecstasy and getting in a fight while drinking Jack Daniel’s? Absolutely, but he would rather you not ask any questions about it, thanks. And what did Soundgarden do to merit those two bold brackets after its name? The world may never know.