GN'R Whys

"We would play in front of 20,000 kids, and he's pissed off," Adler told me. "It's like, 'Why? This is what we dreamed of all our lives, and now we're doing it. We should be happy!' And then he'd go backstage and destroy the dressing room. Every night, it never failed. He'd bitch and moan and scream. And I'd always be the one who'd finally say, 'What the fuck's your problem?' During the nine years I was with that band, he showed up for eight rehearsals. Eight rehearsals! He just didn't care. He always complained after a show, 'Oh, my voice! Oh, my voice!'"

Former GN'R guitarist Izzy Stradlin declined to comment for this story, and a spokesperson for guitarist Slash--who was denied access to the 2001 New Year's Eve show in Las Vegas on direct orders from Rose--says the guitarist has nothing to say on the subject. Bassist Duff McKagan did return a phone call, though he says he'd rather not comment on the Axl affair. McKagan is more eager to talk about a much-rumored new project with the three ex-Gunners and Matt Sorum, who replaced Adler in October 1990. "It's the exact same songwriting process as on Appetite for Destruction. With the right vocalist, it could be killer." He confirms that Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, ex-Buckcherry front man Joshua Todd and Days of New's Travis Meeks have all auditioned, although the band is currently leaning toward an unknown. Of his reasons for not wanting to discuss Rose at this moment, he says only this:

Mark Seliger

You might want to clip and save this photo of Guns N' Roses in concert. It could--should, really--be the last time you'll ever see it.

This 11-year-old picture of Guns N' Roses, featuring the classic lineup, seems awfully prescient in retrospect. (Note Daily News "Dead!" head.)

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"Things have been misconstrued and taken out of context in the past," he says, adding that the original members are still partners in Guns N' Roses Inc. and thus "concerned when damage is done to the name." Still, no one in the old band seems terribly surprised by the recent turn of events.

"In all of our best interests, I always thought he should have returned as the Axl Rose Band or something like that," McKagan says. "But there are things you just can't change, and so you move on."

Sounds like something every Guns N' Roses fan ought to do. Move on. There's nothing more to see here.