BLIND MELON: Excerpts From 'A Devil On One Shoulder' Book Available

Two excerpts from the book "A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon" have been posted online, both of them dealing with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose and BLIND MELON's tour with GN'R in 1993:

* The chapter "Axl and Shannon" can be found at this location.
* Click here for an excerpt from the chapter "Crammed in a Van Tour" (which includes touring with GUNS N' ROSES in 1993)

"A Devil on One Shoulder" author Greg Prato was interviewed recently for the "Blind Melon Forum Radio Show". In addition to the taking part in the chat, he picked out his favorite BLIND MELON songs, and read parts of the book. Download the Prato portion of the show as an MP3 audio file at this location.

One of the most tragic stories of the 1990s rock world was that of singer Shannon Hoon and his band, BLIND MELON. Despite scoring one of the decade's most enduring singles and videos, "No Rain", and a quadruple-platinum hit with their 1992 self-titled debut album (in addition to touring alongside rock's biggest names),Hoon could not overcome a dangerous drug addiction. Only two records into a promising career, Hoon was dead from an overdose at the age of 28. "A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other" is the first book to tell the group's story — culled from over 50 exclusive interviews, and featuring many never-before-seen photos.

"A Devil on One Shoulder" was written by journalist Greg Prato, whose work as appeared in a variety of sites and magazines, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, RollingStone.com, and Classic Rock magazine, among others. A longtime fan of the band, Greg has been working on this book — with the help of the surviving members of the band — for the past few years. In the process, Greg conducted interviews with such renowned rock names as Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES),Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES),Mike Clink (GUNS N' ROSES producer),Kim Thayil (SOUNDGARDEN),Jerry Cantrell (ALICE IN CHAINS),Mike Inez (ALICE IN CHAINS),and Craig Ross (LENNY KRAVITZ),plus family and friends — including Shannon's mother, Nel Hoon.

While it will obviously appeal to fans of Shannon and BLIND MELON, this 344-page paperback book (whose title comes from a phrase that guitarist Rogers Stevens once said to describe Shannon) will also be of interest to fans of GUNS N' ROSES, as Shannon's friendship with Axl Rose is chronicled throughout the years, as well as memories of when MELON opened shows for GN'R in 1993 (at their out-of-control peak). Elsewhere, you'll find additional stories on SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, NEIL YOUNG, LENNY KRAVITZ, PAGE & PLANT, and THE ROLLING STONES — all of which are bands that BLIND MELON toured with. And of course, new light is shed directly on this great yet often underrated band, as you get the inside scoop behind the three classic Hoon-era albums (the aforementioned "Blind Melon", 1995's "Soup", and 1996's posthumous release, "Nico"),the story behind "No Rain", the colorful yet tragic life of Shannon, and the group's recent rebirth, with new singer Travis Warren (and new album, 2008's "For My Friends").

The book is available through www.lulu.com for $19.99 (U.S.),and there are samples to read at the site (including a full chapter, titled "Axl and Shannon"). BLIND MELON and Shannon Hoon's unforgettable story certainly deserves to be told, and "A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other" covers all the bases. "I am honored that Greg has painstakingly accounted for what the hell happened during those crazy times. He has summed up all the chaos, jubilation, and paranoia that is BLIND MELON," stated Brad Smith, BLIND MELON bassist.

For more information, go to this location (to access the sample chapter, click on the book's title at the top of the page).