Gary Holt’s Memoir A Fabulous Disaster to Be Released April 8
Gary Holt, known primarily for being the guitarist for thrash metal legends Exodus and also a recent addition to Slayer (since people get butthurt at me whenever I call him “Gary Holt of Slayer”) has been teasing his upcoming memoir, A Fabulous Disaster: From the Garage to Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way for some time now. We’ve known the title for a while now and we recently got the news that the book will feature a forward from Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. Well, now pre-orders are live from the publisher, Hachette Books, with the release date confirmed to be April 8, 2025.
In the description on the Hachette website, it describes the book as such:
“Prolific guitarist and Exodus songwriter Gary Holt presents an entertaining, personal memoir detailing his “destruction-laden” life and the origins of the Thrash Metal scene from the Bay Area to its world dominance.
“Since exploding out of the Bay Area heavy metal scene in the 1980s, thrash metal has made its way to every corner of the globe, conquering worldwide charts year after year. As the guitarist and primary songwriter of Exodus, and an originator of the subgenre and one of its fiercest proponents, Gary Holt watched as his peers—Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax—soared to superstardom. As his fellow artists amassed millions of fans and record sales, Exodus’s albums received critical recognition and inspired generations of listeners but struggled to reach the same heights of success, as the band was plagued by years of bad management, bad luck, and bad decision-making.
“In A FABULOUS DISASTER, Holt shares a deeply personal account of what it was like to ‘live fast, play fast, and crash hard’ as thrash metal dominated the globe. Readers witness his highest of highs and lowest of lows as Holt and his bandmates juggle major label contracts, MTV-sponsored tours and festivals, growing addictions to alcohol and meth, and the departures of original members. In the throes of addiction, Holt’s own fall from grace is swift: one year he’s playing on the MTV Headbanger’s Ball Tour with Anthrax and Helloween, and the next he’s struggling to find minimum wage jobs as he battles drugs, divorce, and the impending collapse of his music career. Ultimately, after the tragic death of one of his closest friends and former bandmates—Holt realizes the only one who can save him is himself.
“An ‘unadulterated odyssey through decades of insanity,’ punctuated by Holt’s unique insight and knack for storytelling, A FABULOUS DISASTER is a thrill ride from start to finish. His story proves that redemption—even from the pits of rock ‘n’ roll excess—is always possible.”
It will be interesting to see if the guitarist has the writing skills that Hachette boasts he has. Holt is the lyric writer for Exodus so he certainly has a way with words, but writing songs and writing a memoir are two very different beasts. Still, in interviews he does show a talent for telling a good story, and the memoir was co-written by music journalist Adem Tepedelen. So hopefully the book is as good as Holt’s storytelling in interviews.
