Reckless Road by Marc Canter is a visual documentary of the making of the best selling debut album of all time Appetite For Destruction released in July of 1987 by Guns N’ Roses. Reckless Road is the only book ever released authorized by all 5 original members of Guns N’ Roses: Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Slash and Axl Rose.
The author, Marc Canter, is a third generation owner of the landmark Canter’s Deli in the Fairfax District. Canter’s, originally in Boyle Heights, moved to the Fairfax District after World War 2, converting a Yiddish movie theater into a delicatessen. In the 1960’s, an adjacent area became the infamous Kibitz Room where The Doors, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell and in later years Guns N’ Roses played. Canters Deli was bestowed a Historical Landmark by the city of Los Angeles.
Before Marc was to take the helm of the family business at Canter’s, Marc, as a young kid, becomes an avid collector of sports cards and signed memorabilia. Later, as a teenager, his sports obsession turns to music. When Marc entered the 5th grade, he met and became friends with a shy, multi-racial classmate from England named Saul Hudson who went by the nickname of Slash. Like Marc, who was deeply rooted in the family business and the surrounding culture so too is Slash. Slash’s family is deeply rooted in the arts and its surrounding culture. His father was an album cover designer and mom was a renowned fashion designer. At 14, Slash’s maternal grandmother, an artist as well, gave him his first guitar. The life long friendship between Marc and Slash is based on this similarity, but above all, it is the shared love of music.
Throughout their teenage years, Slash joined many bands. In 1985, along with Axl Rose, he created Guns N’ Roses, and Marc is right there capturing every moment with his camera. He attends every rehearsal, gig and band meeting. During this time, money was scarce for Slash and his bandmates. The costs to play and promote a band in clubs are high. Often times, Marc would step in and buy unsold tickets to please the promoters, print flyers needed to advertise a gig and even feed them a meal at Canter’s. It is common knowledge, if it were not for Marc Canter, Guns N’ Roses might have never existed or would have faded into oblivious like so many others. Marc is considered the unseen 6th member of Guns N’ Roses. Slash describes Marc as his best friend and the only person who has remained constant in his life.
As seen in Reckless Road, Marc’s hobbies of photography and collecting memorabilia have served him well. He has amassed one of the biggest rock n’ roll memorabilia collections of its kind. Along with the photographs of the band, Marc includes pictures of the unique memorabilia and is one of the highlights the book. Reckless Road is narrated by interviews of the people who were closest to Guns N’ Roses and tells many of the infamous stories of the band firsthand.
The stories are all true and are meticulously documented. The photos are vast and every picture tells a story. It is a must read, not just for Guns N’ Roses fans, but for anybody who enjoys a great story, amazing photos, who root for the underdog or just want a voyeuristic glimpse into the underworld of the gritty 1980’s Hollywood music scene.
Reckless Road is not another biography of a band. It is chronological uprise of one of biggest and most controversial bands of all time told by insiders. Winner of the 2008 Best Pop Culture Book by the Independent Publishers Association, Reckless Road has been called by critics and fans as definitive, unique, raw and honest.
This piece was written by Patricia Degen, Writer/Agent.
Taken at Marc’s wedding.
Slash:
“Marc’s my best friend and one of the only good friends that is consistent in my life. There isn’t a better person to actually release any material having to do with the coming together and history of Gun’s N’ Roses, Where it went and what was going on behind the scenes.”
Duff McKagan:
“When Gun’s N’ Roses formed, Marc became like the sixth guy in the band. He believed in us from the beginning and had a much broader view of what the band was about than even we had. He documented the whole thing tirelessly.”
I’ve been a rock n’ roll fanatic since the age of 10.
I’m a rabid Stones, Aerosmith, GNR fan… to name a few.
I must have literally hundreds of book on these bands and others. Stacked on the floor 5 feet high in my study. I need a bookcase. Seriously.
I will say Reckless Road is by far one of, if not THE best book ever done on a band. Period.
I don’t care whether you like Guns N’ Roses.
I don’t care if you’ve ever bought any of their albums.
I don’t care if you’ve never seen them in concert.
You must buy this book. It’s beautifully written and exquisitely designed. The passion and love Marc has put into this book pours out of every page, every never before seen photo, every never heard before story. The memorabilia is mind blowing.
I own this wonderful print from the book I bought from Marc.
Marc believed so deeply in this band, he could only be described as a visionary.
This is a must own book. Stop reading this post and go buy it. Or go buy a print from the book.
Thank you Marc. This book is a treasure.
Check out the trailer. http://marccanter.com/trailer.html
RN’FR.
Gary Rocks
Gary Rocks. A blog about collecting Vintage Rock and Roll Memorabilia. 