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Guns N' Roses drummer happy he's alive, sober, playing Philly

"I'm just an underdog who wants to get his life back together and fulfill his dreams before he dies," says Steven Adler, original Guns N' Roses drummer, who played on the best record of all time, "Appetite for Destruction."

Adler, who was kicked out of the band when his heroin problem got out of control, is now clean, thanks, he says, to Dr. Drew Pinsky, on whose VH1 show "Celebrity Rehab" Adler has appeared. The rocker and his new band, Adler's Appetite, play July 27 at the Mill Creek Tavern (4200 Chester). From 6 to 7 that night, Adler signs copies of his new memoir, "My Appetite for Destruction," at the Barnes & Noble on Rittenhouse Square.

Adler says that writing the book was a healing experience because he kept so much anger and pain bottled up inside.

Fans tell him at shows that he's smiling the whole set. "I'm very appreciative," Adler told us on Thursday. "I survived so much crap. I didn't kill myself."

His bandmates include Chip Z'Nuff, from Enuff Z'Nuff, Alex Grossi (ex-Quiet Riot) and Michael Thomas (Faster Pussycat), and Rick Stitch, of Ladyjack. The guys perform mostly old Guns N' Roses songs and originals, including their single, "Good to be Alive."

Anchored, from Texas, and local band Razorblade Skin open on the 27th.

Tickets are available online.