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Book Review: Roxana Shirazi's The Last Living Slut: Born in Iran, Bred Backstage
By Jeff Hahne @jhahne
The Deal: The autobiography of a woman born in Iran who eventually finds what she's looking for in the laps of countless musicians.
The Good: While the book starts slowly as it traces her early years in Iran, you quickly get an idea of the sex drive that "burdens" the life of young Roxana Shirazi. It's not until her move to England that she becomes immersed in the lives of rock bands – performing just about every sex act under the sun while realizing none of the relationships is likely to go anywhere. It's pure sexual gratification as she brings friends along for threesomes, has trysts on tour buses and hops from hotel to hotel. You get a few clues to the person Shirazi may be today, though most of the book focuses on her activities that took place with the likes of Guns 'N' Roses, Buckcherry and Avenged Sevenfold, among some lesser known acts.
The Bad: It's difficult to read her story and wonder why she kept putting herself down and submitting herself to humiliating circumstances. When a roadie suggests that she perform oral on one of the older crew members, she does. When musicians ask her to go sleep with someone else, she does. And worse... Sometimes a little self respect can go a long way.
The Verdict: It's a fascinating trainwreck that's tough to look away from and keeps your attention for the duration – she's not afraid to name names and give details. A lot of musicians offer their sides of stories in books, but it's always nice to get a fresh, yet dirty, perspective on the idea of groupies and backstage behavior.
Igniter; 336 pages; Release date: June 1, 2010
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