cover image Sex, Drugs, Ratt and Roll: My Life in Rock

Sex, Drugs, Ratt and Roll: My Life in Rock

Stephen Pearcy, with Sam Benjamin. Gallery, $26 (320p) ISBN 978-1-4516-9456-7

Opening with a harrowing account of attempting to cut his newborn daughter's umbilical cord as a cocktail of intoxicants coursed through his system, Pearcy's story of life in one of America's biggest hard rock bands of the '80s runs the gamut from charming to saddening to deplorable, sometimes within the space of a paragraph. Growing up in a dysfunctional family with a heroin-addicted father, Pearcy developed an early fondness for drinking, drugging, and riding his bike at top speeds through San Diego, the latter of which led to a horrific accident that left him in the hospital for months. While recovering, he began learning guitar, which he quickly abandoned in favor of singing. Once he found his medium, Pearcy eventually made his way to Los Angeles and founded the band Ratt. Hanging out with the likes of David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, and M%C3%B6tley Cr%C3%BCe, Pearcy and his cohorts worked tirelessly to get stage time before getting signed. Once there, the escapades with women, drugs, and alcohol escalated until the misbehavior caught up with them. It's a common cautionary tale, but Pear-cy's humility and sense of humor make engaging reading for those who were there%E2%80%94and those who wish they were. (May)