Guns N’ Roses, and Axl Rose in particular, remains a monument to a bygone day of rock ‘n roll, when hard rockers ruled the roost and excess conquered the day. After all, Axl is a man who once delayed a show so he could finish watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze. The majority of the “classic” lineup of the band is reuniting and will be playing at Coachella, as well as a national tour. In honor of the band’s reunion, Vulture interviewed a few concert promoters with stories about working with Axl, Slash, and the rest of the gang. Shockingly, they don’t picture a glowing picture of the band.
The stories are about what you would expect. They involve the band, and particularly Axl Rose, acting like egomaniacs and getting in trouble with the law. One promoter tells a story of the time he heard a roadie singing on stage because Axl Rose was in the process of being arrested for punching multiple cops, including a female officer. On multiple instances, promoters were called upon to inform crowds the band would not be playing that evening. And, of course, there was the time that a promoter found Slash “lying on a cot with a rigor-mortis grip, his arms around a bottle of Jack Daniels.”
Of course, things are a bit different now, as these gentlemen are now older, and, in some instances, more sober. However, perhaps for old time’s sake, this reunion will lead to some more stories of excess and obnoxiousness from the guys.
In the meantime, check out our mini-doc about one man’s quest to reunite the band.
(Via Vulture)
