FACTS ABOUT GUNS N' ROSES

EVEN THOUGH WE ALL KNOW HIM AS AXL ROSE,

THE LEAD SINGER OF THE BAND WAS BORN

WILLIAM BRUCE ROSE JR. IN CASE YOU DIDN’T

KNOW, HIS STAGE NAME IS AN ANAGRAM

OF “ORAL SEX.”

BEFORE TAKING UP THE GUITAR WHEN HIS

GRANDMOTHER GAVE HIM HIS FIRST ONE, A

STRINGED ACOUSTIC, SLASH WAS MAINLY

INTERESTED IN BMX BIKING AND BRIEFLY

COMPETED AT THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

ONE OF AXL ROSE’S MANY TANTRUMS CAME ON

SIGNING DAY WITH GEFFEN RECORDS. HE HAD

MISPLACED HIS CONTACT LENSES AND STORMED

OUT OF HIS HOME, BELIEVING SOMEONE

WANTED HIM TO BE UNABLE TO READ THE

CONTRACT. SLASH AND MANAGER VICKY HAMILTON

FOUND THE CONTACTS AND CONVINCED HIM IT

WAS JUST AN UNFORTUNATE COINCIDENCE AND

NOT A CONSPIRACY

GUNS N’ ROSES’ FIRST ALBUM, APPETITE FOR

DESTRUCTION, HAS SOLD MORE THAN THIRTY

MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE, AND IS THE

BEST-SELLING DEBUT ALBUM OF ALL TIME

IN THE UNITED STATES WITH EIGHTEEN MILLION

UNITS SOLD

GUNS N’ ROSES TOURED AS AEROSMITH’S OPENING

ACT IN THE SUMMER OF 1988. IT WAS A THRILL

FOR THE BAND, SINCE THEY ALL IDOLIZED

AEROSMITH AND PARTICULARLY STEVEN TYLER,

AND THE TWO BANDS GOT ALONG GREAT. AT FIRST,

A SYSTEM WAS PUT IN PLACE TO KEEP THE

BANDS SEPARATED, SINCE AEROSMITH HAD BEEN

THROUGH REHAB AND THEIR MANAGEMENT DIDN’T

WANT THEM AROUND DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. AS THE

TOUR PROGRESSED, A MENTOR RELATIONSHIP

FORMED BETWEEN THE BANDS, AS AEROSMITH SAW

THEIR YOUNGER SELVES IN GUNS N’ ROSES

STEVEN ADLER WAS THE FIRST TO LEAVE THE BAND,

GETTING KICKED OUT IN 1990 WHEN HIS DRUG

ABUSE GOT OUT OF CONTROL. HE TOOK THE BAND

TO COURT, CLAIMING HE WAS OWED ROYALTIES

AND THAT THE OTHER MEMBERS EXASPERATED

HIS DOWNWARD SPIRAL

AT THE TRIAL, A LAWYER ASKED DUFF MCKAGAN

ABOUT “THE SPAGHETTI INCIDENT,” REFERRING

TO THE DRUGS STEVEN ADLER KEPT IN A

REFRIGERATOR WHEN THE BAND WAS

REHEARSING IN CHICAGO. THAT PHRASE BECAME

THE NAME OF THE BAND’S 1993 ALBUM. THE

CASE WAS SETTLED, WITH ADLER RECEIVING

$2.5 MILLION

ACCORDING TO LEGENDARY SOUND ENGINEER

BOB CLEARMOUNTAIN, AXL ROSE “WOULD THREATEN

TO QUIT THE BAND THREE TIMES A WEEK.”