This week I read Chuck Klosterman’s Fargo Rock City. The book is part memoir, part analysis of 80s glam rock. It begins with Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil and hits it’s climax at Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction.
First off, I absolutely adored this book. Within 50 pages I realized that I wanted to read everything Klosterman writes. By the end of the book, I was more interested in glam rock than I had ever thought possible.
The album that Klosterman probably spends the most time talking about is Appetite for Destruction. Now, I’m extremely familiar with Appetite for Destruction. The album cover is burned into my brain as are the three big hits from that album – Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City & Sweet Child O’ Mine. If you had asked me if I owned that album, I would have quickly said yes. The problem is I didn’t own it nor had I ever. I never owned it on tape, cd (burned or otherwise) or had a copy digitally.
After finishing Fargo Rock City, I went out and finally bought my very own copy of Appetite for Destruction. I’ve spent the past few days listening to it over and over again and I have to admit that it’s even better than advertised. There are a handful of songs that are as good as the singles and more importantly, there isn’t any filler on the album – every song rocks.
Still, I’m fascinated that I had been so familiar with an album I didn’t even own. Obviously it was a big seller, but I was only four years old when it was released so I don’t think I could have been influenced that much by the sales. After some though, I realized that I have some distinct memories that are specifically tied to that album.
GNR Memory 1
Growing up in Spooner, WI there was a bowling alley in town. Occasionally I’d go to this bowling alley with friends, but we also went there for gym class for a week. There wasn’t anything that stood out about this bowling alley (outside of it being the only one within 15 miles), but I distinctly remember there being a Guns N’ Roses pinball machine located between the bowling alley and bar area.
In fact, I remember this pinball machine so well that I’m starting to question it’s actual existence. There are times that I find my memories conflicting with fact and I’m afraid that this might be another example of this occurring.
GNR Memory 2
When I was in high school, I took an Honors English 2 class my junior year. At the time, I was starting to become friends with a quiet kid named Zach. I was just beginning to get to know him because he had gone to Catholic school up until our freshman year. I knew that he was nice and had a sense of humor that seemed to come out of nowhere. Still, I didn’t expect he would do what he did one day in Honors English 2.
We were asked to bring in a poem that we liked and read it to the class. This poem request was rather liberal since we were allowed to bring in song lyrics (which looking back on it, seems silly). We were supposed to bring our poem in front of the class, read it and explain to the class why it meant something to us.
Zach quietly came up to the front of the class and proceded to read the lyrics to Welcome to the Jungle. The brilliant part of this reading was threefold. First off, he didn’t tell anyone he was doing it. Often great ideas are too difficult to keep secret and are often spoiled with anticipation. Second off, he read the entire thing without cracking a smile. Some of the class was laughing so hard that my friend Josh and I literally fell out of our chairs laughing. Finally, Zach read off the entire lyrics, including pronouncing every single na in the “Watch it bring you to your shun na,na,na,na,na,na,na knees, knees” line. Quite honestly, it was the single funniest comedic moment I’ve ever experienced in my life.
GNR Moment 3
When Molly and I first started dating, I remember having a fight that I honestly thought was going to be the beginning of the end of our relationship. She was listening to Sheryl Crow’s version of Sweet Child O’ Mine and I remember mentioning how she should stop wasting her time with that version and just listen to the original Guns N’ Roses version. She defended the Crow version and even argued that it was better than the GNR original. I remember that this made me so mad because I could not comprehend such faulty thinking. I remember thinking, “if she can make such a mistake on something as obvious as this, what else is she wrong on?”
I’m happy to say that she has moved on and recanted such a silly statement. I also admit that it’s ridiculous to think that a difference in a matter of opinion could shake me so much. Still, it’s honestly the biggest argument I have had with her that I can remember so clearly - even though it happened 7 years ago.
In conclusion, I’m fascinated by Chuck Klosterman. I’m really digging Appetite for Destruction and I’m amazed that I could have so many memories and strong feelings about an album that I had never owned until a few days ago.
I don’t know exactly when it happened — I’ll guess around 2006ish — “Appetite for Destruction” joined a growing list of albums that through no fault of their own have become too omnipresent for me to fully enjoy.
I think it’s a combination of things: I’ve worked in a lot of offices where JACK FM stations were on, and the the three big singles from AFD are played on a constant basis. The Metrodome used to pipe in “Welcome to the Jungle” as if our bodies would wither and die if we didn’t hear it every half hour. And so forth.
I hate that awesome albums/songs become blase to me simply because I become too familiar with them. Other albums/songs that have joined the ranks:
U2 – The Joshua Tree
Nirvana – Nevermind