Love Is Like a Glass Splinter

LA wasn’t the greatest thing; it wasn’t what everyone said it was. Actually that’s a lie, it probably was everything that people said it was but the people who said it, they were rich; they were rolling in cash practically. For the people who had basically nothing, like me it was bad.

When I left Lafayette when I was 17 in 1979 and I didn’t leave alone. I brought my girlfriend, we weren’t in love it was a very dysfunctional relationship.

After Izzy left and I was in LA we managed to meet up again in 1982. A coincidence to this day I’m sure of it, but I’m very glad it happened none-the-less. The girlfriend, who shall remain unnamed, left me for someone else and for a while it was just me and Izzy. We got along as only two friends could but I always thought that we could’ve been something more.

The year 1985 rolled around and turned 23 years of age on February 6th. That was the year that our band line-up was finalized and I nearly lost my heart.

I had a girlfriend, Erin Everly. We had met at some club and hooked up and things were going great. We were in love I can guarantee it. Everything was going great; I had Erin, the band seemed like we might actually be getting somewhere.

Two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and of course a singer; five kids that had given up on school and were just trying to get by. Izzy was of course one of the guitarists and we had met another guitarist named Slash, or rather I had run into him at a club and we had became friends. I had even bunked at his house for a night or two. Both the bassist and the drummer Slash had introduced me to. The bassist was a tall blonde tank that went by the name of Duff and the drummer was a goofy blonde-haired laid back guy by the name of Steven.

Well the years blew by fast and soon it was 1987 we had just recorded our first ever album titled Appetite For Destruction and everything seemed to be going amazingly. Slash’s friend Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue had gotten us in as an opener for them. I wasn’t exactly pumped for that but Slash and Duff both seemed to be excited. Erin and I were still together and the relationship was going beautifully.

I think it was about that time that I fell in love again not with Erin, Slash, Steven or Duff but with the band as a whole. Not a specific member but the entire thing. The five of us; Guns N’ Roses, the years of singing in the church choir and practicing piano had paid off, and it was all thanks to that one Led Zeppelin song.

It was 1989 when I realized that I had feelings for Slash, and I’m not talking the whole best friend’s thing I mean like I liked Slash. I was still with Erin at the time so I had to hide my feelings but every once in a while I’d pretend to act overly drunk and when Erin wasn’t around I’d accidently kiss Slash on the cheek or do something stupid, of course he was normally drunk too by that time it became our little secret, but as you know all secrets in due time must come out...