THE BEAST

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach says that he doesn't take his success for granted, unlike some other artists who have also made it big. "I think some people feel like they're owed something out of life, and I never, ever felt like that," he told the "WDHA Morning Jolt" radio show. "I always considered myself so lucky and so fortunate to be able to do this."

He continued: "Not to get too heavy here, but when I see these guys commit suicide" — apparently referring to Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell — "I think that maybe — I don't wanna say something wrong — but I think that they have an idea of what rock stardom is, and then it's not what they expected. My thing is I never expected this. I never expected to be a big rock star or have a career that's 35, 40 years going. I never expected it, so anything good that happens to me, I'm, like, this is like a bonus, this is, like, killer. I'm very appreciative that I get the chance to do this.

"I would never kill myself because I'm too much of a fan of rock," he laughed. "I really love it — I really, really love the music. And if I got in a car wreck or something — knock on wood — and I wasn't able to perform, I would be like a total rock nerd, collecting my records and doing that kind of thing, 'cause that's who I am. If you hung out with me, you'd know that I'm really a fan of music who got to make it big somehow."

Bach's autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", which was originally made available last December, was released in paperback on November 14.

In "18 And Life On Skid Row", Bach recounts lurid tales of excess and debauchery as he toured the world with BON JOVI, AEROSMITH, MÖTLEY CRÜE, SOUNDGARDEN, PANTERA, NINE INCH NAILS and GUNS N' ROSES, and the details will make readers feel they were backstage. The book is filled with photos from Bach's own personal collection, and this new edition includes additional photos not previously published in the hardcover.

"18 And Life On Skid Row" came out via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. via blabbermouth