Welcome to My Jungle (27 page)
Read Welcome to My Jungle Online
Authors: Craig Duswalt
Tags: #Biography & Autobiography, #Rich & Famous
Axl and a kangaroo. Or wallaby. I still can’t tell the difference. Axl loved animals, and somewhere in Australia we went on a private tour of an animal preserve.
Axl and a baby koala bear.
Axl pointing out how dangerous it is for him to dive into a pool of water next to this machine while shooting the Estranged video in Long Beach, CA
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More letters and pages Axl wrote for the “Estranged” video
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A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS from this book will go to my Band Together Foundation, a foundation designed to help charities and bring about world peace, even if for just one day.
Someday, in the near future, my Band Together Foundation will put on a concert similar to Live Aid. The featured bands will be bands that have broken up for one reason or another. The theory being this—if these bands could put their differences aside for one day to play a concert, maybe we as a world, made up of different nations, could put our differences aside for one day as well, in an effort to bring about world peace.
The Headliner: My dream is to have the original lineup of Guns N’ Roses put their differences aside and get back together, even if for only one day, and play a set.
I believe, with all my heart, that they will get back together again. I just have to ask them nicely.
WHEN I STARTED WRITING THIS BOOK I thought it was going to be easy because I was just going to relive a few years from when I toured with Guns N’ Roses. But when I really got into it, I realized how detailed I had to be when writing a book like this, and then it got really hard. But I got it done.
What I also realized, as I trudged through memory lane, was that I had a lot of people in my life that I wanted to thank for numerous reasons. This book gives me a chance to do just that. If your name isn’t here, I still love you. But I had to narrow it down to people who specifically helped me while I was on tour.
To Robert Street, who discovered me in a small theater in Long Island, New York. Thank you. This is all your fault… and I am truly grateful.
To Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell of Air Supply, and their manager Barry Siegel. Thank you guys so much for giving me my first opportunity, for showing me the ropes, and for respecting my work even though I was the “assistant.” You are truly wonderful friends.
To Chip Forte and Michael Diaz, my buddies from childhood. Thank you for hanging with me and supporting me when this journey started. And thank you both for helping me stay out of trouble by hiding the pieces of our broken beds in the ceiling of the hotel we “destroyed” in Hollywood. They are probably still there. Our little secret.
To Doug Goldstein, thank you for giving me my big break, and for your amazing loyalty throughout the years.
To Axl, thanks for treating me like one of the guys all those years, and thank you for the experience of a lifetime!
To Slash, Duff, Gilby, Dizzy, and Matt, thank you guys for making me feel welcome on the tour, and letting me into your insane world.
To Brain May, thank you for Queen, thank you for keeping in touch, and thank you for putting up with me being a fan.
To Steven Tyler, thanks for the personal concert in your hotel room in Paris, France.
To Teddy Andreadis, Cece Worrall, Anne King, Lisa Maxwell, Roberta Freeman and Tracey Amos, thank you for all the awesome memories on tour. You guys ROCK!
To Robert Finkelstein, thank you for being a great friend all these years, and thank you for helping me stay grounded and sane on the road.
To John Reese, Earl Gabbidon, Steve Thaxton, Sabrina Okamoto, Ron Stalnaker, Robert John, Gene Kirkland, Jerry Gendron, Jon Zucker, Rick “Truck” Beaman, Bill Greer, Bob Wein, Brad Harper, Hans Olin, Tom Maher, Mike Hall, Kirt Klingerman, Chris Jones, Alex Kochan, Dale “Opie” Skjerseth, Tom Mayhue, Mike Mayhue, Adam Day, Will Jennings, Amy Bailey, Stuart Bailey, Blake Stanton, Wendy Laister, August Jakobsson, Tim Fraser, Karen Klichowski, and Louis Marciano, thanks for all your help on the tour, and thanks for being a friend during the good times and the difficult times.
To Beta Lebeis and Del James, thank you for keeping me in the loop all these years.
To the GNR entourage, the GNR documentary team, and the GNR crew, thank you all for the incredible memories.
To the band members of Air Supply—Don Cromwell, Ralph Cooper, Wally Stocker, Ken Rarick, and Frank Esler-Smith (who passed away in 1996), thank you all for your continued friendship, and for letting me play in your awesome world for all those years.
To Steve Rutenbar and Rick Warren. Thank you for your inspiration, and for helping Natasha and I get closer to God, and guiding us (by example) to continue our journey.
To my RockStar MasterMind Members, thank you for helping make my RockStar brand so successful.
To James Malinchak, one of my mentors, thanks for helping me develop the RockStar brand, and for helping me become a successful speaker, author and coach.
To Scott Hoffman and Michael Harriot, my agents, thank you guys for giving me a shot. I think we did great!
To Glenn Yeffeth, my Publisher, and the amazing BenBella team, thank you for putting up with my crazy schedule and my missed deadlines.
To Gary Peterson and Eric Wechter, my editors, thank you for all your hard work in helping me bring this book to fruition.
To Joe Potter, thank you for the great cover design, and for all your design work over the years. You rock!
To Rear Admiral Upper Half Paul Becker, Steve Dantzig, Tom Monahan, Suzanne Forte, Neal Weichel, Marcus Slaton, Dan Westcott, Mark Cole, Ron Medici, Shannon Penrod-Miller, Kevin Kennison, Eric Shapiro, Eric Bauer, Elaine and Ray Parker, Jr., Michael & Ria Cannizzo, Rick & Lori Peters, Steve & Gina Meyer, and Andrew & Cindy Jacquett—thank you all for being my really good friends over the years.
To Larry Broughton, Adam Ace, Bobby Kelly, Maryann Ehmann, Carol Shockley, Rhonda & Phil Vigeant, and Maurice DiMino, thanks for staying with me and inspiring me all these years.
To Glenn Morshower, thank you for becoming one of my closest friends. I love you, brother.
To my wife’s family—Tania, Ron, Cameron, Cory, Tricia, Alex and Rashi, thank you for all your love and continued support.
To Pamela, my sister, and her family, William, Courtney, Taylor, Ashley and Michael, I love you all very much. Thank you for all the love you give back.
To Mom and Dad. Thank you for always being there my entire life, through ups and downs, supporting me and encouraging me. And thank you Mom for seeing the future way back in the beginning. It WAS extremely bright. And it gets brighter with every new day. And Dad, thank you for always sticking up for me.
To Natasha, my wife, my best friend, and my soul mate. Thank you for always believing in me. You are the main reason for all my success, and that is why you are “Simply the Best.” I love you.
And to Tyler, Ryan and Hayden, my three sons, and the loves of my life. May you be true to who you are, and may you stay as curious, kind, and passionate as you are today, and continue to make great choices. I love you this much, plus infinity.
WHEN YOU MEET CRAIG DUSWALT you know he’s the real deal and you want to be part of his world. He personifies energy, sincerity, creativity, and just plain old fun.
Craig’s background with Guns N’ Roses and Air Supply gives you the secret insight into his formula for success. Their diverse styles of music offer a great metaphor to help identify what makes him so unique, yet so effective. His style is strong, yet adaptive; he is patient, yet demanding; he is high energy, yet focused. Just like the rock bands of his past, Craig leads clients on a journey of discovery, discipline, hard work, creative explosion, and massive delivery of consistent results.
He has found the unique balance between building on the lessons of his past and bringing them to life in his own business through the RockStar brand he delivers to clients through his speaking, his writing, and his coaching. Craig believes in out-of-the-box thinking to break through barriers of traditional marketing and focuses on ways to stand out from the competition.
Craig believes that everyone can be a RockStar in their industry and he is living proof that his methods work.
Table of Contents
How I Got into the “Business”
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Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
My First Day with Guns N’ Roses
Alone in Germany
Cash
How We Traveled
Decoys
Bath Salts
Autographs at Customs
Limo Accidents
Shots Fired: Bogotá, Colombia
The Shot Heard around the Hotel
Almost Missed My Flight
Life Magazine Article
Paparazzi—Germany
Tower Records
Waiter Wants Axl’s Autograph
The $5,000 Phone Call
Chili & Cheese
What Would You Do for $1,000?
My Towel
Drug Searches & Close Calls
Slash “Dies”
A Typical Show Day
A Not-So-Typical Show Day
