Stereoboard Look At Guns N' Roses As The 25th Anniversary For 'Appetite For Destruction' Draws Near
Tuesday, 03 July 2012
Written by Heather McDaid
The 21st of July marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most iconic albums in rock 'n' roll, if not the most iconic. Back in 1987, Guns N' Roses were at their prime and 'Appetite For Destruction' catapulted them to dizzying heights of glamour and excess, fame and fortune. That was, of course, until it all fell apart.
There's been many feuds, the most famous being that of Axl Rose and Slash, yet it looked like fans might get a chance to see them at least stand together as they were inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. That was also not to be. So what have the five behind rock 'n' roll's most celebrated record been doing for the last 25 years?
Axl Rose is the only member still to tour under the lure of Guns N' Roses, though they have had countless line up changes. Dizzy Reed, who has been with the band since 1990 is keyboardist and pianist - excluding Axl - the longest standing member of the band. Other current members include Richard Fortus of Thin Lizzy and DJ Ashba of Sixx:AM.
While Axl has consistently been in Guns N' Roses for these past 25 years, the great puzzle lies in what he did for fifteen year's between 1993's 'The Spaghetti Incident' and 2008's 'Chinese Democracy'. Allegedly he started work on it in 1994 and by 2005 has spent in excess of $13 million on it. 2001 was the band make their first live performance in nine years, with two concerts in Las Vegas and Rio De Janeiro respectively. After sparce shows in 2001, 2002 embarked on their first full tour since '93. There was more touring and more push backs on the album until finally the band released 'Chinese Democracy' 15 years after its predecessor.
Since then Axl has been touring with the band, including headlining 2010's Reading and Leeds Festivals, and facing the usual controversy surrounding his late stage arrivals. Though at his recent Glasgow date he only rolled on 30 minutes late, other shows have seen him appear after two hours, causing many to have left before they even appear. After 25 years, some things don't seem to change. At the moment it seems the band have been working on some new songs, merely batting around ideas. Hopefully this one doesn't take another 15 years.
To the other member of the infamous feud, Slash has had quite a lucrative musical career. Following his departure from Guns N' Roses, Slash formed Slash's Snakepit along with Matt Sotrum, Gilby Clarke, Eric Dover and Mike Inez. Though they split in 1996, Slash restarted the project with a new lineup three years later, disbanding it completely in 2002 when he started his new musical suit.
He then formed Velvet Revolver with Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum; Izzy Stradlin was involved at first, but soon left. Dave Kushner stepped in, while Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland seemed to be the final piece in the puzzle. Touring relentlessly, the band released both 'Contraband' and 'Libertad' before Scott departed the band. In 2010 they were auditioning for new singers while writing new songs; one of those to be highly considered was Slipknot's Corey Taylor, but this didn't work out. For now, the band remain on hiatus while the members focus on other projects.
Not content to stay away from music, Slash embarked on his solo career. His self-titled debut saw him collaborate with everyone from Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas to Iggy Pop and Ozzy. His touring band which followed was fronted by Alter Bridge's vocalist Myles Kennedy, who took on full vocal duty for his sophomore solo release 'Apocalyptic Love'. Currently touring in support of his latest release, Slash has constantly kept himself in the public eye with, even releasing his autobiography (creatively titled 'Slash').
Over the years he's added a number of strings to his bow. He's performed on Michael Jackson's single 'Give It To Me' as well as a number of other hihg profile collobarations. He's had a few parts in films and TV shows including Tales From The Crypt, Bruno, and Private Parts. He even became a game character in popular game Guitar Hero. Of all the classic members, Slash has had the most lucrative and successful career.
Bassist Duff McKagan has had his fair share of successes too. While life in Guns N' Roses was quiet, Duff formed Neurotic Outsides - a supergroup comprising of him, Matt Sorum, John Taylor of Duran Duran and the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones. They released a self-titled record, briefly toured and disbanded. Following this, Duff officially quit Guns N' Roses. He reunited his previous band 10 Minute Warning, releasing another eponymous record.
Following this he tried to release his second solo record, but lost his commercial rights to the record as Geffen dropped him from their roster. To tour the record, he formed his band Loaded. Then, this included Black Flag's Dez Cadena and a few others. The line up was changed upon reformation in 2000, yet the band still tour today. This October they will be supporting shock rock veteran Alice Cooper on his UK tour. Loaded has had breaks over the years, a key reason being down to the formation and work with other bands: Velvet Revolver and Jane's Addiction.
Mere months after he had joined Jane's Addiction, they parted ways due to differing musical directions. At this point he had worked on songs with the band and played a few dates, nothing more. Aside from his key musical projects (that with Velvet Revolver already detailed), Duff did briefly reunite with Guns N' Roses in 2010. He performed a few songs at their o2 Arena show in London.
He too collaborated on a number of other albums outside of his own: 'Brick By Brick' by Iggy Pop and 'Beggars and Hangers-On' by Slash's Snakepit to name but two. He has appeared on the TV show Sliders and well as writing weekly columns for Seattle Weekly, Playboy and ESPN. He also released an autobiography and founded 'Meridian Rock', a firm which seeks to "educate musicians about their finances". 25 years is a long time, but it seems Duff has kept himself busy with new and differing projects.
Though Izzy Stradlin co-wrote some of the biggest hits on GNR's double album 'Use Your Illusion', it's widely reported that he became unhappy with his time in the band. Following his subsequent departure, he formed a new band Ju Ju Hounds. Releasing a well-received self-titled record in 1992, the band soon embarked on their own tour. He briefly reunited with Guns for a few shows, before returning to his own band and taking time off to travel and enjoy his other key interest: motorcycle racing.
Upon his return he recorded his second solo record, though he didn't tour the release. His third solo offering 'Ride On' was release four years later, where they promoted it with four Japanese shows. He briefly worked with Velvet Revolver, yet in the end refused to join the band. Rather than forming numerous bands, he continued with his solo career; though in 2006 he rejoined Guns N' Roses for a string of shows. He did this for two shows again in 2012.
Though not as prominent in the public eye as some of the others, Izzy has held a strong career over the years, with over 10 post-Guns records. It seems that every now and then, there will be the opportunity to catch him alongside Axl more than any other member, but overall he seems most introverted in his work, though still happy.
Last but not least, Steven Adler was fired from Guns N' Roses in 1990 due to his heroin addiction. Following this incident, he reformed his previous band Road Crew and recorded a new album; this garnered some major label attention but the band ultimately disbanded due to the same problems that led to him being forced out of GNR. He then took some time out from the industry, to which he said, "I wish I could say that I did a lot of travelling or self-improvement, but all I actually did was sit on the couch and get high."
In June 1998, following some particularly bad drug issues that led to him spending a few days in jail and being forced into drug counselling, he joined 'BulletBoys'. He was set to tour with the band following the recording of their album, but he soon returned to prison following two counts of battery. The most renowned band he formed would be Adler's Appetite', where he toured on performances of 'Appetite for Destruction' classics and covers of other classic bands. 2005 saw him release an EP featuring both covers and original work from the band, yet the full length record that was to follow never saw the light of day. He released his own autobiography also, entitled 'My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses', releasing a single 'Alive' to coincide with the event.
Earlier this year, he formed a new eponymous band 'Adler', citing he's not been so excited about a band of his since Guns N' Roses. The band have been working on their first record together. Outside of music, his autobiograhpy has been a good seller and he also featured on the reality TV show 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew' as well as the spin-off 'Sober House'. It's not been the easiest ride for Steven Adler since his Guns N' Roses heyday, but if he's finally rediscovered his excitement for music, then that's certainly exciting for fans of the classic line-up.
25 years is a long time. Some members have changed, some haven't, some have taken over the music world and others have happily taken time away from it. Regardless, these five men were the driving force behind rock 'n' roll's most definitive record and despite the fact that they'll never truly reunite, there's still a lot going on there to enjoy from each and every one of them.
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There's been many feuds, the most famous being that of Axl Rose and Slash, yet it looked like fans might get a chance to see them at least stand together as they were inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year. That was also not to be. So what have the five behind rock 'n' roll's most celebrated record been doing for the last 25 years? 
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