News Summary: The Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, KISS, and more!
News Content: For those of you unaware, my wife is a DIE-HARD fan of The Rolling Stones. She's definitely a fanatic, and as such, we've seen them countless times in concert and have the privilege to have met each member on may occasions. When we found out that Ron Wood (guitarist) would be doing his 1 and only US book signing in NY on Halloween, we were pretty excited to go pay him a visit. When we heard that Slash would be doing appearances and also doing his book signing the day before, it was just icing on the cake!We arrived into Manhattan on December 30th around noon and headed right to the entrance of the David Letterman Show. We took our spots, whipped out our guitars and photos and got ready. First to arrive was the coolest looking rocker out there. Slashed bobbed his way out of the tinted windowed SUV with his top hat and sunglasses on and came right over to the barrier to start signing. I was ecstatic but things immediately took a drastic turn. Just after he grabbed the first guys marker to sign one of his new books, he gave it back to the guy and proceeded inside, stating he didn't have a marker to sign. WOW! Devastation kicked in when I realized that by the time he'd be coming back out, he'd have very limited time as his book signing was across town and in only a few more hours. It wasn't looking too good and many of the other dealers and fans left after he went in, making sure they could go get a spot in line for his book signing. They were only allowing 300 in so space was limited and lines form early.
Next to arrive was the very sexy Jennifer Connolly. She showed up and was accompanied by an escort/agent of sorts. This guy has also served as assistant to other big stars including Tom Cruise and seemed to be her puppet master, guiding her on when to sign, where to sign, with what to sign, and when to finish. It was interesting to watch as she used his black marker to sign for nearly everyone but did stop short of doing all the signatures. She gave a smile and a wave just after posing for the paparazzi and went on in. She was also kind enough to sign on the way out and after I had her sign one with my blue marker, again her assistant/handler made her take his black marker and led her along the line, telling her when to stop. We ended up with a couple great signed 8x10 photos and video footage of her signing for everyone!
After some time went by, Slash's bodyguard came out and there was Slash standing in the Letterman entrance smoking a cigarette, looking as cool as ever. His bodyguard proceeded to go up and down the line of dealers/fans/bystanders, letting us all know what he would sign and what he wouldn't. I had 3 guitars there with our staff and he wasn't quick to say if he'd sign them or not, so even when Slash walked out to start signing, I honestly wasn't sure if I'd be getting any of them done, but Slash did not disappoint! We were able to get a couple 12 string electric guitars signed by Slash and also a nice flame bodied electric guitar signed by Slash and each come with video footage of him signing them! INCREDIBLE! He didn't sign a lot, but he did sign all the items that the handler said he would.
Next we were off to the book signing. The line was formed and bracelets were down to about 20 left when we arrived. We secured our bracelets and our spots in line. This signing was horrible. No memorabilia and no photos up at the table. The only bonus was that Slash actually acknowledged his fans and shook your hand but that was it. We ended up with 6 books signed by Slash and do have both photos of him signing them and video footage of the signing, something I don't think anyone else has!!! I forgot to mention we also greeted Slash on his way into the signing but he was too rushed to have the time to sign and was quickly escorted in. On the way out, he set up a decoy back in the front where he had come in. Luckily I had inside information so I knew this and greeted him on his way out the side but alas, he was again rushed and no additional autographs came of it.
Next stop was however a much different story. After his book signing at Barnes & Nobles, Slash went to Trash and Vaudeville, a Goth-style clothing store where I'm sure he was shopping for more rock attire for his wardrobe. This opportunity however was given to us by inside information and left us 1 on 1 with Slash, something we hadn't had all day. Because of this, it was much more relaxed and we were able to get another 12 string electric guitar signed by Guns N Roses guitar God, Slash, as well as a Fender Electric Guitar signed by him! All the while, we videotaped him signing each guitar so again, this is as good as it gets! In addition to the 2 autographed guitars, Slash was also nice enough to take photos with each of us who asked. What a great way to end an evening!
Day2: Today is all about Ron Wood for us. We showed up at the Union Square Barnes & Noble just after noon and secured our wristbands and seats. Yes, seats! What a pleasant surprise as most signings are you, a line, and a sidewalk to wait on, this event had nice seats and was indoors! I assumed he would do a reading from the book and a Q&A. When we arrived there were a fair amount of people already there and this event was much different than the Slash event. This event was scheduled to only allow 200 people and this was the ONLY US book signing event Ronnie was to do. He had done one in London but this was it, so it was truly a special Halloween event to say the least! As soon as he arrived, a pleasant introduction from one of the B&N reps was abruptly ended by cat-calls and heckles and loud chants of "RONNIE!". New Yorkers are just not subtle and this grand introduction was simply ended by Ronnie stating that the B&N rep was a new "Midnight Rambler"! Ronnie did a Question and Answer period and we have this all on videotape and will be selling copies for $20. It's not very long, but definitely has some great candid moments and shows Ronnie being his crazy self and having a blast. He seemed ready to do the signing so he jetted over the table and whipped out his marker and went to town. When it was our turn we got 8 books signed all with video footage of each being signed, photo proof, and we will be including the flyer from the signing! Also it was hit or miss on if Ronnie would sign memorabilia. We were able to get a couple albums signed but got denied on our guitar inside. Then we saw Jo Wood, Ronnie's wife, who is featured all throughout the book and includes pages of photos of her and their wedding photos. We had her sign a couple books on the same page as Ronnie and also one on the inside photo page. This makes these books just that much more ultra-rare! Photos of her signing are also included.
On his way out, he exited and rolled his limo window down and proceeded to sign another album for me and a guitar as well! What a beautiful buzz!Our next stop was across town to Times Square to the Hard Rock Cafe to try to get Ace Frehley (famed Kiss member) who was doing his first solo performance in God knows how long. As soon as we arrived for Ace's exit, there were maybe 6 or 7 others waiting. Ace exited with a barrage of body guards, pushing and shoving and he jutted into his limo. Absolutely a waste of time. No one was out of line and each person had only 1 item each to be signed. He stiffed everyone there and then stiffed us again at his hotel. Too bad, as I have an incredible collection of Kiss magazines with 3 out of 4 of them signed, with him being the only one I'm missing. Oh well, maybe next time. In the end, we ended up with another car load of ultra rare, super hot memorabilia. Guitars signed by a couple guitar legends, a few photos signed by a very sexy Hollywood star, and some memories that will certainly last a lifetime.
You can view all of these items at www.AutographPros.com