Access All Areas: Stories from a Hard Rock Life

In this follow-up to I’m the Man—which chronicled Ian’s life over the past 30 years as cofounder and guitarist of Anthrax—Ian presents another selection of off-the-wall stories from the road and beyond, including a stint as a zombie on the TV show The Walking Dead. Mostly, his humorous anecdotes capture the esprit de corps of his many touring musician friends, such as the late guitarist from Pantera, Dimebag Darrell, who had a habit of pulling off incredibly complex practical jokes. In another hilarious chapter, Ian writes of “looking at the perfectly tanned back and legs of an almost naked person” wearing Daisy Duke shorts, only to realize it was his hero, the legendary Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. He also relays some disturbing and disgusting backstage stories, such as a gathering after a 1994 Nine Inch Nails concert that involved beer enemas and bowls of Fruit Loops. Elsewhere, Ian is self-reflective, such as when he describes his life as a teenage Kiss fanatic: “They were my religion, and I was a radical extremist.” With this outing, Ian has proven his writing chops. (Dec.)