The Rolling Stones gig that forced Guns N’ Roses to quit drugs
They say write what you know. If you listen to Guns N’ Roses’ first album, the majority of the songs are about sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll and partying, and the band were very much the living embodiment of all of these things.
When you watch early footage of Guns N’ Roses, it isn’t hard to tell that they are all on a great deal of drugs. It was very much the scene in Los Angeles at the time, as many people within the rock scene were taking them. Guns N’ Roses were a part of this community, to the extent that it became a problem for a lot of them moving forward. Not only did it put their health at risk, but it also potentially jeopardised their careers moving forward.
Axl Rose was famously one of the hotheads in Guns N’ Roses and was responsible for quitting gigs halfway through (if he turned up to them at all). When the band were on tour with Metallica, Slash found it difficult facing James Hetfield’s musical outfit because of how bad Guns N’ Roses’ attendance at these gigs was proving. It hit a boiling point when Hetfield was injured, and Guns N’ Roses couldn’t even fill in the time for their bandmates.
“It was a very tense time – a major straw on the camel’s back for me and for everybody in our camp,” recalled Slash, “It was actually a huge issue for me because I’d lost face with everyone in Metallica. We didn’t keep our promise to them, the fans, or to ourselves to put on the best show possible. I felt like an ass and I couldn’t look James, Lars, or anyone from their band in eye for the rest of the tour…..”
While Rose might have been a loose cannon, it was him who called the band out for letting their drug habits get out of control. They were playing a show supporting the Rolling Stones, and Rose wasn’t happy with the way that the band sounded. He quoted one of their songs from the first album, ‘Mr Brownstone’, when making it clear that members in the band desperately needed to kick their drug habits.
“Unless certain people in this band get their shit together, these will be the last Guns N’ Roses shows you’ll fucking ever see,” he said, “Cause I’m tired of too many people in this organisation dancing with Mr Goddamn Brownstone.”
Band members Slash, Izzy Stradlin, and Steve Adler all promised to clean up their acts; however, it took them a while before they were completely clean. Slash particularly spiralled after Guns N’ Roses split up, and he was working on Slash’s Snakepit. “The last incarnation of Snakepit was just a huge mess; as much as I liked it,” he said, “I was fucked up – I almost killed myself drinking too much – and I had a lot going on.”
The band members eventually completely cleaned up their acts, and the current Guns N’ Roses shows, despite not sounding quite like they used to, at the very least, start on time and run smoothly.
