Guns 'n' Roses, the band that re-created rock n roll in the mid-eighties and continued on a roler coaster of drink, drugs and excess until it was all torn apart by ego's. This is the story, as I know it from the very beginning to the present day.
It was the early 80’s and two friends named Steven Adler and Saul Hudson started jamming together and decided to form a band. With the awesome guitar work of Saul (Slash) Hudson it wasn’t long before this young band hit the L.A club scene. However this band was only made for the fun of it and would never really go anywhere without the singer to really captivate the audience.
In search of this very singer,
Slash went to check out a band by the name of Hollywood Rose. Two good friends who had changed their names to
Izzy Stradlin and
W. Axle Rose formed this band. Slash was instantly impressed by Axle’s amazing captive stage presence.
“There was a certain menace about Axle that made him truly unique as a performer,” -- Slash.
“I said to Slash if we get that singer we can form a kick ass band” -- Steven Adler.
So after the show history was made, Slash was introduced to Axle and invited him to join Steven and himself in their band. Axle was interested by this but wasn’t willing to leave his band mate Izzy behind. It was decided after a few jam sessions both the old bands would be scrapped in favour of a new project To be named Guns N’ Roses. A bass player was auditioned and a few weeks later Duff McKagen completed the band.
While still on the club scene Guns ‘N’ Roses loud heavy rebellious stage shows captivated the audience but this didn’t always work in their favour. “Nobody wanted to sign us and even if they did they wouldn’t deal with us, manage or produce us, even the club owners were scared of us” -- Slash.
But a Geffen Records executive changed the fate of Guns when he saw them play at the Rainbow club in L.A. He realised they were the rebellious alternative fans were looking for and went straight to David Geffen himself. Within a few month /guns ‘N’ Roses had signed there first record deal with Geffen. The debut album was put into recording.
When the Appetite For Destruction album came out it was taken straight to the top by surprise to Geffen and Guns they had made history with the singles Sweet Child O’ Mine and Welcome To The Jungle. This was the difference maker for the Gun’s as the single Sweet Child O’ Mine showed them in a different light and as respectable musicians for the first time. Though critics doubted the Guns would last a year they were soon ready to hit the road to support the massively successful album.
“We were the right band with the right message at the right time, people just related to us” -- Axle Rose.
“We were the bad boys, we play rock n’ roll music to kick your ass” ~ Steven Adler.
“We were a bunch of crazy kids who were given the keys to every major city in the world really, which was f***ing great” -- Slash.
The tour was a huge success with the combustive stage presence of G’N’R offering an amazing spectacle for fans. “All the other bands, they had all the make-up, the spandex and crap, we didn’t we just played rock n roll” -- Steven Adler.
“They had a certain genuine thing to them, what you see is what you get, take it or leave it which I think there fans loved them for” -- Joe Perry.
Guns ‘n’ Roses rolled on through all the continents as a big hit but all the fame and glory couldn’t prepare them for what would happen next. Among all the 24-hour a day parties and excess tragedy would soon hit the band’s tour. During the well-known and now legendary set at the monsters of rock festival in Donnington, UK, two fans were crushed to death in the huge crowd. The band expressed there sympathy to the fans and there family’s at the soonest opportunity. Even though they were not really to blame critics cast the Gun’s into the fire.
“It really screws with your head, how they got there having a good time but never walked out, it’s a tragedy” -- Duff.
“It was the best example of having an all time high come crashing down to the worst case low” -- Slash.
After the tour G’N’R decided to re-enter the studio for another EP recording. The album soon hit the charts in the top ten along with Appetite. This was amazing success for something that was knocked out in a single day! “We just sat there and recorded these acoustic tracks in one day and it made millions” -- Slash.
The single patience also hit the carts and G’N’R decided to hit the road again.
This tour had the same atmosphere and excitement as the Appetite tour. G’N’R concerts sold out huge arenas with there spectacle and rebellious hard rock sound. But once again the band’s tour was to have severe consciences, this time it was a riot. During a gig in St. Louis Axle famously leapt from stage to tackle a fan with a camera. No sooner had Axle stormed off the stage than 80,000 people erupted into a huge riot. This caused massive damage to the arena and to the band’s reputation. Also it was another chance for the critical flames to burn again.
“It was a really embarrassing moment for us, we had no control of the situation” -- Slash.
“I jumped off the stage and things went crazy after that, no one was really doing anything so I took it into my hands with what I could do” -- Axle.
The band made up for this embarrassment by continuing the tour it was, once again, an unprecedented success. But the tour took its toll on the band, as did the excess. After the tour G’N’R took a break from recording and touring, during which time the band went truly off the rails.
“I got lost in a world of blurred days and forgotten nights” -- Duff.
“We were all strung out and we all got lost, as for Axle he disappeared altogether” -- Slash.
Then the rock legends the Rolling Stones offered G’N’R the chance to open their shows on their North American tour. G’N’R agreed this was a good time to get back together. But the established band had found difference of opinion during there down time. “It was like his bunch of guys are over here, then there is this other guy on a different page” -- Slash. This newly found tension was expressed in two particular moments. The first was Axles threat to end the band if a “certain member”, i.e. Slash, didn’t stop “dancing with Mr. Brownstone” the band would be over. “I know it was directed at me because I was so strung out at the time, but it was what really made me hate Axle because he never discussed it with me, I never really forgave him for that” -- Slash.
But Axle didn’t stop there he also issued the band with an ultimatum he wanted the full rights to the bands name, this was supposedly to keep the band going with him if this version didn’t survive.
“We just did what we had always done and kept the f***ing thing going” -- Slash.
“If we didn’t Sign it our band was going to break up right then and there, what were we supposed to do?” -- Duff.
After there tour with the rolling stones G’N’R decided to enter the studio once again but this time to record a huge double album they called the illusion project. But the old demons of drink and drugs were still hitting home with the band, in particular drummer Steven Adler.
“He couldn’t leave his drugs, he would lie to us, pure and simple, I want nothing to do with him” -- Axle.
“We all managed to straighten our selves out except Steven, he couldn’t even play, his depression got the best of him” -- Slash.
And after a lack of progress Adler was fired from G’N’R. in his place they hired the cult drummer Matt Sourum. But the sessions had a strange air to them with the rarity of actually seeing Axle and his bizarre creative directions.
“We can’t re-make appetite, I cant live my life through that one album I have to bury appetite.” -- Axle.
“Use Your Illusion was like the Guns ‘n’ Roses version of the white album so to speak, in the sense we had all this material from all these different directions” -- Slash.
But that still wouldn’t prepare G’N’R or their label Geffen for the huge success of the albums use your illusion 1 and 2 were a master class mix of everything guns had to offer. The albums went platinum in a week but this wouldn’t be enough for Axle. During the video shoots Axle went really grand on the budget for the so-called “trilogy”. The videos had to be on a grand scale including: dolphins, an oil freighter, building a church in a desert and of course destroying a mustang.
This was the leadership that crushed the band as a whole, as they prepared for their epic 2-year tour for the album(s) Izzy decided to quit. “He felt dictated to and wanted out” -- Slash. To replace Izzy the band called the L.A. guitarist Gilby Clarke but he had already heard about the dominant domineer Axle imposed on the band. “I knew form day 1 that it could end tomorrow” -- Gilby Clarke.
From the very beginning of the tour a lot had changed about G’N’R their friendship with Axle was lost and they had hardly any contact with him at all. Though they were mostly clean at the time drink was still a problem.
“You know when you get to the show, you have a cocktail at the show …. You have another cocktail, when he would show up we would be hammered from sitting drinking so much” -- Gilby Clarke.
“It was very dark and unsettling, sightings of Axle Rose were few and far between” -- Matt Sourum.
“Axle would sometimes not show up at all, we had a lot of candled gigs we had a lot of shows where we almost didn’t play, it was all very trying” -- Slash.
Even though the band was falling apart they were still a band. When they did all show up for the shows they delivered an incredible performance that would be remembered for decades. But the tour would be the last big thing Guns ever did, the high risk “Most dangerous band that ever lived”
“Saviours of rock n roll.” “Kings of excess.” That was Guns ‘N’ Roses would soon come to an end.
The band grew increasingly distant once the tour was over. This left Slash and Axle talking by phone only as they threw together a bunch of covers called the spaghetti incident. This was really the last album G’N’R ever made.
The last time the original Guns were in a studio together they recorded a soundtrack cover of Sympathy For The Devil (The Rolling Stones).
Now to the present day the Guns that were have stuck together in Velvet Revolver that’s Matt Sourum, Duff and Slash. They released their debut album contraband, which was a success worldwide. They also hit the road on a huge tour to support the album and are currently still going strong with this year’s Ozzfest (2005).
“I’m out on the road, I’m touring and the fans have stuck with us, that’s everything I want right now” -- Matt Sourum.
“We have drawn a whole new audience, there are 18 year old kids coming to our shows in search of a good hard rock band, I’m glad we can give them that” -- Duff.
“I have played enough gigs been in enough bands and played enough sessions that I finally understand what IT is, what it’s all about and having that come around a second time is a real blessing” -- Slash.
As for G’N’R, Axle has attempted a re-incarnation of the band that failed miserably at its attempted tour. The greatest hits collection sold well, largely because it was the real band.
“No matter how much money they stick in our faces we will never get together to do anything again unless there is a mutual respect and understanding and we are way way far from that. So I can’t see a reunion in the future.” -- Slash.
“It was a great band and a great time, will it be the same again? No, never that s*** will never happen again” -- Matt Sourum.
So in my opinion Guns ‘N’ Roses is now dead. Though it lives on in Velvet Revolver Chinese Democracy will be lucky to see a release at all. Even if it does hit the shelves I can’t see Axle lasting a tour without firing half of his band and support crew.
The quotes in this article came from various interviews and documentaries I have seen about the band. The rest of the article is my own work.
One final and famous quote to sum up this legendry band from their tour manager: “You never knew if it was going to end from an overdose or an argument, drunk depression or inflated egos. But at the same time you never knew if that day you would see the greatest musical performance ever.”
Thanks for reading
this is my first article by the way
peace out RAVEN
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