Controversy for attention: the hideous original band names for Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses was one of the pivotal groups of 1980s stadium rock, a title they acquired by being one of the most controversial acts of the era. The recipe for this was easy: take an eccentric, confident frontman, an indisputably talented accompanying band, a handful of groundbreaking albums, and a lifestyle defined by sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, and you’re on your way to redefining an entire genre.
While there are many reasons why Guns N’ Roses have come under fire over the years, one of the most glaringly obvious is their material, much of which has struggled to hold up to contemporary listening standards. This isn’t exactly concerned with capability—in fact, they remain one of the most talented outfits out there as far as talent goes—no, this is about actual subject matter.
For instance, it requires an ear belonging to the most thick-skinned to stomach songs like ‘One in a Million’ or someone who is far less prone to second-hand embarrassment to enjoy the entirety of ‘Rocket Queen’, which features a recorded sex act between Axl Rose and groupie Adriana Smith, who said at the time she would do it “for the band and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.”
There are far more examples of problematic behaviour that it would take far too long to go into, but understanding the group’s insatiable desire for boundary-pushing creativity is perhaps best understood by revisiting their genesis. The original lineup famously arose from the ashes of two bands that ended up merging their names: L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose.
In those days, the group comprised Rose alongside Hollywood Rose rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, who both teamed up with L.A. Guns’ guitarist Tracii Guns, bassist Loe Beich and drummer Rob Gardner. While they would go on to hard launch their new band name, the appropriately chosen Guns N’ Roses, ahead of playing at The Troubadour nightclub in March 1985, rejected names prior to this were somewhat…questionable.
For instance, their previous band names – the ones that the members understandably rejected – were ‘Heads of Amazon’ and, rather offensively, ‘AIDS’. Considering the fact that their trajectory coincided with the tragic and traumatic AIDS epidemic, it’s difficult to see why they would have opted for this name for any reason other than to incite shock, which isn’t always the best and most inclusive cause of action, even for a band whose main reason to choose controversy is to attract attention.
It’s less clear why Heads of Amazon might have been an alternative choice, but nothing could have been more fitting and visually evocative than the name they eventually set on. Guns N’ Roses didn’t just end up being the perfect amalgamation of their respective band names; it became an opportunity to create an entity that went beyond music, a spectacle representing both sides of the rock spectrum: destruction and violence versus sex and romance.
