How to Be a Man

June 29, 2015
Former Guns N' Roses bassist McKagan follows 2012's It's So Easy with a hybrid memoir/self-help book that addresses a pressing issue for rock stars and those who party like them: how do you live after putting the bottle down? For McKagan, the answer is to stay perpetually busyâwith family, exercise, reading, meditation, and, of course, concert touring. The book alternates tales of road-tripping in support of various bands with chapters on music, dating, fashion, and sightseeing. On the downside, the tour leaves McKagan with serious pneumonia while facing his 50th birthday; on the upside, he attends business school. Unfortunately, his humblebrag tone can grow tiresome as he observes that his family is perfect, he gets last-minute Super Bowl tickets, and he can hold his own against kickboxing champions. McKagan's "manly" advice tends toward the self-evident, and his 100 greatest albums list is surprisingly bland (his book list is far more intriguing). The sizable chip on McKagan's shoulder might stem from being the youngest of eight in a single-parent, blue-collar family, but this goes largely unexplored.