At a time when the music scene was dominated by dance and pop, Guns N’ Roses propelled raw Rock ‘N’ Roll to the top of the charts, as did the band Ghost, for example. They weren’t nice guys: nice guys don’t play Rock & Roll. They were scruffy, misogynistic and violent. However, they were also funny, vulnerable and sometimes even sensitive, as evidenced by their groundbreaking hit “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.
While Slash and Izzy Stradlin ferociously produced guitar riffs worthy of Aerosmith or the Rolling Stones, Axl Rose screamed his tales of sex, drugs and apathy lived in the city. Meanwhile, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler formed a supple rhythm section that kept the music in a free-flowing, powerful dynamic.
Guns N’ Roses’ music was raw and gritty, with solid, powerful foundations. They were dark, sleazy, dirty and honest: everything that good Hard Rock and Heavy Metal stood for. There was something refreshing about this band, capable of arousing as much devotion as hatred. No hard rock band had been this talented for years. Rose’s primitive rage, the sound of a confused and frustrated white working class fighting for its piece of the pie, lent a certain intensity to their music. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
In the 80s and 90s, no other hard rock band could compete in terms of interest. However, due to internal tensions within the band and the emergence of alternative rock, Rose’s secondary role eventually faded. He spent over 15 years recording solo material before the release of Chinese Democracy in 2008.
Today, we’re going to give you 15 facts about this sultry band you’ve probably never heard of! And if you’re tempted to join the band and pretend you’re a real rockstar, don’t hesitate to get your hands on the best skull ring around. We’ll even show you how to wear a skull ring.
1) The Members of Guns N’ Roses Narrowly Escaped Death Before Signing a Contract
The band was involved in a serious car accident when they returned to Los Angeles after their first tour. All band members were in a Toyota Celica when another car crashed into them at an intersection, leaving drummer Steven Adler with a broken ankle.
2) Axl Rose Aggressed His Neighbor with Chicken
“I have a psychopathic neighbor,” Axl Rose told a TV reporter after being released from prison for apparently assaulting his neighbor with an empty wine bottle. The same neighbor also accused the singer of throwing a piece of chicken at him.
3) Slash injured himself and escaped from his Naked Hotel
After a night of heroin and cocaine debauchery, Slash remembers seeing “Predators with rubber dreadlocks” chasing him with machine guns and harpoons. To escape these creatures, Slash ran through a glass door, breaking it in the process, before escaping from his bedroom completely naked. Still naked, Slash then used a chambermaid as a “human shield” before running across the hotel lobby and hiding behind a lawnmower.
4) Axl Rose Hit Rockstar David Bowie
Bowie had paid a little too much attention to Axl’s girlfriend, Erin Everly, during a band shoot. So Axl Rose decided to take a swing at the legendary rock star. Apparently, Bowie apologized and the two friends went out later to party with lots of booze.
5) The Rockers Turned a Los Angeles Backstreet into a Drug Den
The alleyway behind which the rock band lived, in Los Angeles, quickly turned into a notorious spot for heroin sales, prostitution and other drugs.
6) Axl Rose sparked a Riot
Towards the end of a concert in St. Louis, Axl got angry when he spotted an unauthorized paparazzi in the front row. So he decided to take his camera from him, diving into the crowd to punch him before returning to the stage. “Because of this lousy security, I’m going home,” he announced before running off. Dozens of fans were injured in the ensuing riot, and Guns N’ Roses was banned for life from St. Louis. Axl was even charged with four counts, including one for property damage, as a result of the violence that broke out that day. He was fined $50,000.
7) Slash turned his House into a Zoo
Slash bought a new house in Los Angeles and turned it into a veritable zoo with venomous snakes, lizards, eight cats and a mountain lion cub named Curtis. “I created a reptile zoo there,” he writes in his autobiography. “There were just a few thousand snakes and all sorts of other animals.”
8) Izzy Urinated on a Plane in Front of Retirees
During a flight from Los Angeles to Indianapolis, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin urinated in the plane’s galley in front of pensioners. He said, “I was drunk in the middle of this group of elderly people. I was smoking and the flight attendant came over. I told her to fuck off”.
9) Axl Threatened Kurt Cobain
Axl and Kurt Cobain had several notable disagreements between them. Once, during a backstage incident, Courtney Love spotted Axl Rose and jokingly asked him to be godfather to her child. As Cobain later recalled, Axl confronted him and snarled, “You’d better keep your wife locked up, or I’ll walk you down the street.”
10) Axl Threatened Airport Security
After a long period of silence, Axl Rose reappeared in 1998 and made headlines for threatening a security guard at an airport. It seems Axl didn’t want his luggage searched and allegedly made threats to the security guards, telling them, “I’m going to turn you off right here and now.”
11) They Were Known As Hollywood Rose
The origins of their name date back to when rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin and Los Angeles guitarist Tracii Guns teamed up with singer Axl Rose to form the band known as Hollywood Rose. The band also included Ole Beich on bass and Ron Gardner on drums. Tracii and Axl decided to change the band’s name by combining their surnames, giving birth to Guns N’ Roses. Tracii Guns, although he left the band after an argument with Axl Rose, still contributed to the popularity of the name “Guns” in popular culture. Thanks Tracii!
12) Paradise City was Composed in the Back of a Pickup Truck
One of their most popular songs, “Paradise City”, was written in the back of a van! “Paradise City” is not only an iconic Guns N’ Roses song, it has also become an anthem for partygoers everywhere. The song has dominated the charts and is sung as a rallying cry at rallies. It’s a rousing rock anthem, with a touch of country, that inspires enthusiasm and the desire to sing at the top of your lungs.
The song’s origins are as modest as the song itself. While the band was riding in a van to a concert in San Francisco, the members were in the back of the van, drinking and playing guitar. Slash started with the intro, then Duff and Axl joined in. Initially, Axl proposed the phrase “Take me down to the Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty”. Slash then added the famous line “Where the girls are fat and they’ve got big titties”. In the end, Axl preferred the first version of the song.
It’s fascinating to see how some of the greatest achievements, like the hit “Paradise City”, can originate in simple, unassuming moments, like the back of a rental van playing acoustic guitar and sharing beers with friends. Incidentally, I wonder if that van still exists?
13) Drummer Steven Adler Almost Joined AC/DC!
It could have happened! In the early 1990s, Steven Adler had left GNR, Axl Rose claiming he was a “drug addict”. Steven Adler was then invited to join AC/DC. However, when AC/DC’s manager discovered Steven’s addiction, he rescinded the offer.
As a result, Steven Adler filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates. He alleged various financial shortcomings and claimed he had to pay a $2,000 fine every time he used heroin, among other charges. Eventually, a settlement was reached and Steven Adler received $2,250,000 plus 15% of the royalties for everything he had recorded before leaving the band.
After all these ups and downs, Steven Adler unfortunately suffered a stroke which briefly put him in a coma following a drug overdose. These were difficult times for the rock drummer, as his life took a dark turn. Fortunately, in recent months, Steven has been able to put aside his differences with the band and join them for a show on their reunion tour. So things are looking up for the drummer from now on!
14) November Rain Took 8 Years to Compose
Perfection doesn’t have to be rushed! From the early days of Hollywood Rose, Tracii Guns, Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose began work on an EP in 1983, and one of the EP’s standout songs was “November Rain”. This musical masterpiece could have propelled Hollywood Rose, the band of the time, to stardom, and Guns N’ Roses, as we know it today, would never have existed, at least technically.
After the departure of several Hollywood Rose members, the song was shelved, but was reworked and polished over a period of 8 years. It was finally completed and has become one of the most legendary musical masterpieces of our time!
This song is proof that you shouldn’t rush things when you’re aiming for perfection. “November Rain” is one of the most meticulously orchestrated compositions in GNR’s arsenal. It combines piano, rock instruments and a full orchestra. It’s a song that filled concert halls and for which you could wait hours and hours, because it was definitely worth it!
15) Sweet Child O’ Mine was Composed in Only 5 Minutes!
In fact, it would seem that perfection can be achieved very quickly! Well, that’s quite a feat. While their song “November Rain” took 8 years to compose, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was completed in just 5 minutes! So, can you really rush when you’re aiming for perfection? The answer remains uncertain, because both songs are incredible!
According to Slash, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was composed in around 5 minutes, mainly because it’s a simple three-chord song. The composition itself was quite simple, with the exception of the famous guitar part. It’s a difficult concept to pin down.
Now, obviously, the two songs are very different. One is a romantic epic with many instruments, while the other is a three-chord bomb with one of the most recognizable guitar riffs of all time. Guns N’ Roses are truly one of the most amazing bands of all time, capable of spending 8 years on one song and creating another in just 5 minutes. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
