The real story of how Dave the Snake Sabo and Skid Row created the 80s metal classic 18 and Life. There are a lot of urban legends about this song and Dave sets the record straight. The top 5 hit came from Skid Row’s multi-platinum 1989 self titled album that included the hits Youth Gone Wild, I Remember You and this classic. . As an opener for Bon Jovi during their New Jersey tour, many said that Skid Row was better with the duo of Dave Sabo and Rachel Bolan and Sebastian Back on vocals, they helped rock rule radio as the 80s came to a close.
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Hey Music Junkies, Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. WE interview the great artists of the rock era and you never know what’s in store from day to day, subscribe so you don’t miss out. and check out our exclusive content on patreon.
I’m excited to bring you another episode from our series Revelations- where featured artists go deep on their greatest songs. And this one really is a revelation because the story that’s been going around about Skid Row’s famous 1989 metal song 18 and Life is inaccurate.
On this installment of Revelations, Dave the Snake Sabo, the guitarist co-founder and cowriter of Skid Row and this song set the record straight on the real inspiration behind this crime ballad. When Skid Rows eponymous debut album came out in early 1989, I was transfixed by it. With the anthem Youth Gone Wild that seemed to speak directly to our generation, the ultimate power ballad of I Remember You, the straight ahead hard rock of Piece of Me, and of course 18 and life, the story of Ricky who shoots his friend with a gun he didn’t think was loaded. There has been a lot of speculation about who Ricky is. Most say it was based on real news story that Dave Sabo and Rachel Bolan read about at the time. The true story is coming up next straight from Dave as well as the story of the recording the song and it’s effect on the culture . As we go into this interview I want to thank our sponsor Zenni Eyewear my favorite frames ever. I have 10 paris of these and I love very one of them because I designed them. Go check it out at the link below. Here’s Dave the Snake Sabo with the story of 18 and life on revelations.
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Poll: What was the best song on the radio in the waning days of 1989?
Because the song appeared to talk about a murder, my parents wouldn't let me listen to it on the radio.. that's when I started saving to buy myself a pair of headphones so they couldn't hear what I was listening to. Great song! Fascinating story behind the song. Thanks for all your work Adam!
And I still say Skid Row is better than Bon Jovi. Songs about murder are so good that Nick Cave even named one of his albums Murder Ballads
Being an alcoholic, my favorite line was ‘you can’t think of dying when the bottles your best friend’!
I saw Skid Row when they opened for Bon Jovi, I already loved a couple of their songs, but my jaw dropped when they played!!! Been a fan ever since
Late '80s/early '90s music history trivia:
Name the then-unknown band (sometimes a trio, other times a quartet) that would later dominate first college radio before crossing over to the mainstream and taking over M-TV (where they'd be ftd. on both Headbangers Ball and 120 Minutes) for whom one of their earlier brand-names before settling on the name that they'd forever after be remembered by was also Skid Row?
70's murder song Not rock. Delilah with ham bone Tom Jones lounge singing his way through it..
Great song
I love Skid Row, still haven't seen them live. I did catch their old side project "Ozone Monday" in Baltimore back in the day in a small club, was lots of fun.
Yea, this song sucked. Didn’t consider it heavy metal. More like metal for girlfriends
Skid Row was great and powerful in concert! Who could forget Sebastian Bach in gold lame pants on Rolling Stone!! WoWoW!!!!!
This album! Man what memories. It was the go-to cassette for me and my friends while cruising the strip. Great back story of an awesome song. I would love an episode on the follow-up album "Slave to the Grind". As much as I loved this album, to me, Slave seems to be underappreciated. Would love to get your take on it, Professor.
You have become the Casey Kacem of video!
I thought it met 18 as in, you just become a legal adult and life and counting as your just going to keep getting older.
Grunge sucks metal is awesome don't blame skid row for ruining music
In 1982 I had messed up my senior year pretty good and had to repeat my 12th grade of high school in 1983! A close friend of mine, who had missed a grade in grade school also graduated with me a guy I had known since we were literally 2 years old, and I had been friends with all my life! After we graduated though, I had met my first wife, got married and began QUICKLY regretting my decision to marry her, because she was very abusive!! Meanwhile my friend, had joined the Air Force, and was basically, IMMEDIATELY sent off for training in his "new military life" as an enlisted "soldier"!! Twelve years seemed to fly by as my friend, re-enlisted TWO MORE times, each for a four year tour. And by the time he finally got out of his military service I was divorced from my first wife, and remarried to my second wife, and raising HER TWO kids for her!!
The point is when my friend finally came home there was just something "off" with him!! He still had his quirky sense of humor, and his wit was focused and razor sharp, BUT he never "sat down" always seemed like he was "ready for action" and wouldn't allow himself to just "relax"!! Further he seemed to be able to actually "out drink me" which was strange because back then I was a hardcore and heavy drinker myself!! And people often commented on how much I could drink, and still function!! My friend on the other hand would drink much more than I could, then he'd turn into a even stranger version of himself!!
My friend had never really seen "combat" that I know of, BUT he was stationed in Germany when the Berlin Wall fell and had been stationed all over the world in places where small conflicts had happened! To this day, he still is NOT the man I knew and grew up with!! Though still a fairly decent person, there is still "something about him" that at times, seems "closed off" as though he is "struggling" with his own demons!! And there is at times something disturbingly "dark" about him, especially when he is drunk!!
On a totally unrelated story to this………I had a third cousin named Matt, that went hunting with a friend (Tony) in 1978. They were both just 16 years old at the time, and it was the second week of deer season that year. Keep in mind I was only 13 years old at the time, BUT the story we were told is Matt and his friend Tony, had been hunting all day, and both had fired off a few rounds out of their shotguns, while trying to scare up some deer. Unsuccessful at the hunt they returned back to Matt's house emptied the guns, and were getting ready to clean them! Screwing around Tony aimed the gun at Matt, and said "Maybe my sights are off, and pulled the trigger, unaware that a round was STILL loaded in the chamber!! The gun fired killing my cousin Matt, and it was later determined that it was a TOTAL ACCIDENT!! But it had never changed the fact that Tony had shot Matt with a 12 gauge shotgun and nearly point blank range!!
Sadly for me Matt was one of the only family members I was ever close to in my family!! Though a couple years older than myself, I always looked up to him!! LIKEWISE I do not blame Tony for what happened that day, and to be honest, Tony, who I had also known from years was always a "good kid" with what should have been a "bright future"!! BUT one day, one accident and Tony has never been the same since, that I know of!! In fact it has been years since I seen Tony last, and I ran into him in a bar one night where he literally was begging me to forgive him!! And I told him repeatedly that I didn't hold anything against him for what had happened!! So I don't know what ever became of Tony, since the last time I saw him was 1986, but I hope very dearly that he got some help, and stopped holding himself responsible for what happened that day!! Yes it is sad Matt died, he was my cousin that should have had a long life ahead of him!! But equally Tony doesn't deserve to suffer every day, knowing that accidents DO happen!!
Much love for Dave The Snake Sabo and Skid Row ❤️🤘🏼 and thank you and much love to you Adam for Bringing this to us ❤️🤘🏼 always touching to find the meaning behind these songs and bands
"wasted time" was an even more powerful and disturbing song, having to do with addiction.
You ever heard DOA by Bloodrock (1971)?
Those first two Skid Row albums were off the hook!
When you look like the dad in the music video from your band's younger days.
The time of Skid Row's self-titled album (1989) was deep with pretty decent rock. Skid may have gotten lumped in with the leagues of 'hair' bands, but they stood clear of the pack based on the strength of 18 And Life along with I'll Remember You. Part of the cassette era, that tape lives amongst hundreds of others in huge boxes in my basement… which has become its own skid row. Great episode POR.
Rolling Stones Midnight Rambler.
The Doors Riders on the Storm and The End. AC/DC Night Prowler, alleged inspirational tune for Richard Ramirez The Night Stalker. Many others these are most notable to me.
Not really sure they were glam. Long hair, sure. But they brought serious thunder. A ballad or two doesn’t make you glam. Straight up in your face without apology hard rock.
Thanks for the video…I was already 21 when this song came out. I was into this style of metal but luckily I got away from it by this time.
Dave is an awesome guy. He lived in my neighborhood, my brother Tommy (RIP) was friends with him, when our Parent's house was destroyed from Hurricane Irene Dave got his old band together and played at a benefit for my folks. He also donated an autographed guitar that was raffled off at the benefit. He's a great guy who never forgot where he came from, unlike another person from the same neighborhood who's name shall not be mentioned. I'll never forget what Dave did for my Family ❤️
Adam thanks for getting the truth about this song. That definitely makes sense how they finally got to the finished song. If you get the chance to talk to Dave again, could you please tell him that I said thank you for the amazing music and how much it means to me that a few of the songs on the first album got me through some tough times. I Remember You is my all time favorite ballad. Such an amazing band. Thanks!
Thumbnail made me immediately think of "Hazard" by Richard Marx.
Awesome interview
I was flashing on 'Fine, Fine Day' by Tony Carey.
Great interview Professor!
I saw Nine Inch Nails open for David Bowie in 1995 or thereabouts… at that point in history Bowie's star was fading and NIN had become huge. After the opening act left the stage most of the audience filed out it was pretty remarkable.
Skid Row was my first concert, when they were headlining in support of Slave To The Grind. Pantera was supposed to open, and they were here, but were pulled from the concert that day and replaced with Love/Hate. My friend and I were kinda bummed about that, but it didn't take away from Skid Row's performance.
"Youth Gone Wild?" I always thought they were singing "Union Wall". LOL. Seriously it didn't make much sense to me either but I didn't really care for the song or group so I just shrugged it off..
Skid Row likely would've been mentioned in the same breath with G&R, Metallica, STP, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Nirvana had Skid Row debuted a couple years earlier or later. Unfortunately they sounded like a lot of late 80's hair/glam metal bands. Everyone was so tired of that crap by 89 that it really hurt an extremely talented band.