Reckless Road Guns 'n Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction

by Marc Cantor

  MARC CANTER Marc grew up with Saul Hudson, a.k.a. Slash, and built a solid friendship with him during their years together in public school. They befriended each other on a BMX practice course in Los Angeles, where Slash impressed Marc with his daring tricks and bold moves. When Slash started playing guitar, Marc was equally impressed with his dexterity and marveled at the speed at which Slash learned the instrument. As a teen, Marc was an avid, almost obsessive, Aerosmith collector. Once he had a feeling that his friend Saul was going to succeed as a guitar player, Marc turned his hobby for collecting into documenting: he photographed, and in some cases audio and video taped, every gig Slash played from 1982 to 1987. Marc unknowingly captured the rise of one the greatest rock bands of the era. Since Marc had a "real" job, managing the family business, he helped the band any way he could. When Slash, or any member of Guns N' Roses, needed help with flyers, ads, demo tapes, food or equipment, Marc provided. He is the manager of one of the most famous delis in world, Canter's Deli, home of the Kibitz Room, which continues to be a hot spot for emerging Hollywood bands. Marc's photos appear in the album covers of "Appetite for Destruction" and "Live Era '87 - '93."

  JACK LUE Jack Lue grew up with Marc and Slash. He shot the earliest group photos of Guns N' Roses and covered the gigs when Marc began videotaping. One of his photographs is on the back cover of "Live Like a Suicide," and several appear in the album artwork on "Appetite for Destruction" and "Live Era '87 - '93."

  RON SCHNEIDER "Ronnie" Schneider began his musical journey with Slash at Fairfax High School. He joined Tidus Sloan as a bass player, with Slash on guitar and Adam Greenberg playing drums. Together they formed Roadcrew, which only lasted a few months, in 1983. When Slash and Axl met and decided to play together, Ronnie was questioned about his vision for the band. Although Axl admired him as a bass player, he thought Ronnie's inclinations leaned toward heavy metal and didn't think he was right for the band. Slash asked him to leave as the new Hollywood Rose was forming and he was replaced by Steve Darrow. However, Ron remained good friends with Slash and Axl when Guns N' Roses formed and he was asked to become their equipment tech.

  Ronnie worked as a roadie with Guns N' Roses for several years, touring the world and witnessing their supersonic rise to success. He left his position with the band in 1988 to pursue his own musical career.

  ADAM GREENBERG Adam went to Fairfax High School with Slash and was invited to become the drummer for Tidus Sloan by Slash and Ronnie Schneider. It was in Adam's garage that the three budding rockers cleared some space and began jamming cover songs from AC/DC and Black Sabbath. Adam's mother was very supportive of her son's musical ambition, but never failed to voice her opinion when the music got too loud. When Tidus Sloan ended and Roadcrew began, Adam followed but was unexpectedly replaced by Steven Adler, a moment he remembers as being devastating. He continued playing, but nothing worked like it did with Slash and Ronnie. A year had passed before he checked out Slash and Steven in their new band Guns N' Roses and when he heard them for the first time, he knew his replacement happened for a good reason.

  CHRIS TORRES Chris bounced around from band to band, just like everybody else. Chris' and Slash's mothers were best friends, so when Roadcrew needed a singer, Chris got the job. Roadcrew didn't last very long, and Chris continued to pursue music while going to high school and preparing for college. It was a passion of his, but when he saw Axl and the "Appetite" line up play, he knew making it in the music business was not his calling. He observed the insane commitment, tenacity and drive Guns N' Roses had to make it and realized he did not have it. He stopped singing, went to school and works as a professional in Colorado.

  CHRIS WEBER Chris Weber went to Fairfax High School with Slash, but they never played together even though their paths often crossed. When Chris was sixteen, he was introduced to Izzy in the parking lot of the Rainbow Bar and Grill by Tracii Guns. It was there that they hopped in Chris' car and listened to cassette tapes of Hanoi Rocks and the New York Dolls, that defined the style they wanted to model. Chris and Izzy found much in common and Izzy suggested including his friend Bill Bailey, a.k.a. Axl Rose. When Axl arrived in Los Angeles, they formed Rose and moved into Chris' parents house. There they wrote several tunes together, Axl putting lyrics to the melodies and riffs Izzy and Chris were creating. One day, Axl was singing Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" in the shower with a high-pitched voice and suddenly Chris and Izzy recognized the sound they were looking for. They encouraged Axl to use that voice, which became his signature sound. Chris played many of Hollywood Roses' first shows prior to his departure in 1984. He contributed to the song "Anything Goes" which appears on "Appetite for Destruction," as well as "Reckless" and "Move to the City," both of which appear on the GN'R Lies album.

  STEVE DARROW Steve Darrow had seen Izzy around the Sunset Strip music scene for at least a year before they officially met through a classified ad that Izzy had placed. The ad called for a musician that had "hair, flash, glam and vogue." They immediately recognized in each other a common style and sound and begin rehearsing together once Rose was formed. Steve began by playing drums, but his skill wasn't up to the quality Izzy and Axl were looking for and they sought out a replacement. In the meantime, Steve joined Kery Doll and started playing bass. When Kery Doll and Rose played a double bill, Izzy and Axl realized how good Steve had become as a bass player and invited him to join Rose/Hollywood Rose. Steve played in Hollywood Rose until the band broke up after Izzy joined London and Axl joined L.A. Guns. At one point as Hollywood Rose, Steve was the only member of the band that did not graduate to the Guns N' Roses "Appetite for Destruction" lineup. Ultimately, Steve was drawn to a heavier sound than Hollywood Rose and moved on to play bass with other bands.

  WILLIE BASSE A mentor to many, Willie has been responsible for nurturing budding Hollywood musicians for many years. He owned several rehearsal studios and always seemed to draw the biggest crowds for his after-hours parties. He founded the band Black Sheep and they hired Slash, after auditioning Tracii Guns and C.C. DeVille. He was proud to work with Slash and tried to block his decision to join Guns N' Roses, by ratting on Slash to his mom. A list of his protégés include James Kottak, Randy Castillo, Paul Gilbert, Kyle Harrison, Mitch Perry and Marshall Harrison.

  DANNY BIRAL It was in Danny's mother's station wagon that the infamous Northwest Hell Tour began. The car broke down in Fresno on the way to Seattle and left the band stranded in the desert with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Although Danny was not a musician, he was a very close friend to Slash and the band. When Tom Zutaut and Geffen Records signed Guns N' Roses, they singled Danny out as a bad influence and told the band to keep their distance from him.

  ROBERT JOHN Robert John was a professional photographer, specializing in local bands in Los Angeles. He knew Izzy from the music scene in Hollywood and was introduced to Axl. Izzy and Axl invited Robert to take pictures of the band, and upon the first viewing of Robert's work, Axl liked what he saw. Axl and Robert quickly became friends and Robert was invited to quit his day job and start as the band's official photographer. From 1986 until 2001, Robert followed the band everywhere they went, and photographed their finest performances and their most intimate moments offstage. In 1993, Robert published a very successful photography book called "Guns N' Roses: The Photographic History," that chronicles their rise to fame. Robert has photographed numerous bands for countless magazines and album covers.

  ADRIANA DURGAN Adriana was a stripper at the legendary Seventh Veil on Sunset Boulevard and loved hanging out with her rock n' roll boyfriends. Like their other stripper friends, she gave the guys a bed to sleep on, a refrigerator full of food and plenty of alcohol. The parties at her apartment always ended with late-night balcony dives into the swimming pool. Adriana and Steven Adler formed a close friendship that became an on-again, off-again intimate relationship for a few years, which fell apart soon after Adriana returned from a trip to New York with Axl, Slash and Izzy. She was invited to hang out while "Appetite"
was being mixed. One night, Axl asked her to record some "environmental" sounds for "Rocket Queen," and she acquiesced, albeit with a guilty conscience. Although the song was not written about her, she takes pride in being the "Rocket Queen" on the album.

  PAMELA MANNING Pamela was the ultimate Guns N' Roses cheerleader. She was a Hollywood stripper who befriended the band as they were climbing their way up the club circuit on the Sunset Strip. Like other stripper friends, Pamela provided sustenance, such as food and shelter, when the band needed it and eventually she became part of their act onstage. She was known for her sultry moves while she and Axl pretended to have sex on stage, grabbing the attention of even the toughest crowd. As a friend, she often sat in on rehearsals and watched songs develop from their inception.

  MICHELLE YOUNG Michelle was the inspiration for the song "My Michelle" and was a junior high school friend of Slash, Ron Schneider and Tracii Guns. She met Axl one day at Slash's house and they became very close, intimate friends. Michelle was a constant companion of Guns N' Roses and was considered one of the gang. She helped the band out with whatever resources she could find: a car to drive them to gigs, money to buy food or a supply of stimulants to liven up the party. Her fondest memory is of Axl playing "November Rain" on the piano in the auditorium of her junior high school, after they broke in one night.

  DESI CRAFT Desi and Izzy met in Hollywood when Desi approached Izzy believing he was a member of the band Hanoi Rocks. They fell in love, moved in together and sold drugs to support the band. Desi, a dancer and choreographer, began stripping at clubs in Hollywood as a way to support herself and Izzy's musical interests. She brought her club act to Guns N' Roses gigs and never failed to arouse the audience with her dance number to the Rolling Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash." Her relationship and affiliation with the band ended when they signed with

  Geffen Records; she was underage and they wanted to avoid potential legal liabilities. Tom Zutaut also suspected she was the one supplying heroin to the band.

  VICKY HAMILTON Vicky had a history of managing glam metal bands, such as Poison, Faster Pussycat and Stryper before accepting the job of managing a group of musical misfits named Guns N' Roses. Between December 1985 and May 1986, she was instrumental in booking gigs for the band while they were emerging on the Sunset Strip circuit and made sure they were visible to prospective A&R representatives around town. Vicky facilitated a meeting between the band and an A&R representative at Geffen Records named Tom Zutaut, which led to the signing of the band by that label. Vicky let Axl and Slash live at her apartment for a short time; a time she remembers as both the best and worst time of her life. Later, she was hired by Geffen as an A&R representative, managed a number of successful bands and now runs her own music management company, Aesthetic V.

  TOM ZUTAUT Tom was known as one of the top A&R representatives in Hollywood and was responsible for discovering some of the most successful rock n' roll acts of the '80s and '90s. He launched the careers of Motley Crue and Dokken while working at Elektra Records and he was hired by Geffen Records to bring in the next big thing. He learned about Guns N' Roses from a tip by a friend who worked at a record store in Hollywood called the Vinyl Fetish. He witnessed the frenzy Guns N' Roses generated with their live performances and after meeting Axl, he believed he was looking at the future of rock n' roll. He signed the band to Geffen Records and tolerated their indulgences as long as he, and Geffen Records, could handle. Through his dedication to the band, his love of their music and his vision to usher in the greatest rock band "since the Rolling Stones or The Who," Tom succeeded at corralling the band long enough to record "Appetite for Destruction." The success of the album is due, in large part, to Tom's effort and commitment.

  MIKE CLINK Mike Clink was an accomplished engineer who started at the Record Plant studios in New York City, where he began to record with a roster of artists including Metallica, Jefferson Starship, Heart and others. His work on the UFO records, particularly the live album "Strangers in the Night," caught the attention of Tom Zutaut and Axl Rose, who considered him a candidate to produce and engineer "Appetite for Destruction." Mike recorded "Shadow of Your Love" and the band was immediately satisfied, offering Mike the job after nearly seven months and auditioning several other producers. It was Mike's easy-handed approach to collaboration, as well as his no-nonsense discipline, that provided just the right balance for Guns N' Roses. The success of "Appetite" put Mike on the map as a producer and he has since produced artists such as Aerosmith, Motley Crue and Sammy Hagar. He is known for capturing the best live performances from the artists he works with. Mike has become somewhat of a legend for his work on "Appetite" and continues to receive praise for his work from every generation that discovers the album. Mike continued working with Guns N' Roses and produced every subsequent album after "Appetite," with the exception of "Chinese Democracy."

  STEVE THOMPSON When it comes to mixing and engineering music, Steve is known for his Midas touch, something David Geffen recognized in Steve when he first began working. Geffen provided Steve and his partner Mike Barbiero with a steady stream of opportunities with emerging bands, but it wasn't until Guns N' Roses came along that Steve emerged as a great mixer. Steve and Mike Barbiero took the studio tracks that Mike Clink recorded and mixed the album to perfection with Axl, Slash and Izzy. They became good friends and the band enjoyed their collaboration with their new mixing team. Steve has become one of the most sought after mixers in the music industry, winning several Grammys and diamond status awards for records he's mixed that have sold into the tens of millions.

  MIKE BARBIERO Mike was working with Steve Thompson as a mixer on a variety of albums for Geffen artists when Tom Zutaut contacted him to mix "Appetite for Destruction." Originally, Tom wanted Mike and Steve to produce the album, but a conflict of schedules forced them to pass, an opportunity that Mike regrets to have passed up. Since teaming up with Steve Thompson in 1984, Mike produced three multi-platinum albums for Geffen artist Tesla, a six-times platinum, Grammy award-winning album for Blues Travelers, a Grammy award-winning album by Ziggy Marley and other assorted platinum recordings.

  SPENCER PROFFER Spencer was hired by Tom Zutaut and Geffen Records to produce a few song demos soon after Guns N' Roses were signed to the label. Spencer had a history of using creative production techniques and shrewd marketing tactics to propel artists to stardom and his client list ranged from Tina Turner to Quiet Riot. Guns N' Roses rehearsed at his Pasha Studios in Hollywood where they worked together for several weeks and recorded versions of "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Nightrain." Spencer produced a few demo tracks, but their relationship ended abruptly when Spencer dropped the project due to an offensive ultimatum presented to him by Axl. The band remembers not being too pleased with his work anyway. However, their contract with Spencer included studio time to produce their live album, "Live Like A Suicide," and it was recorded there without Spencer's participation.

  MANNY CHARLTON Manny was the lead guitar, songwriter and producer from the hard rock band Nazareth. In their quest for the right producer, Tom Zutaut and Axl, being big fans of Nazareth, invited Manny from Scotland to audition and record some demos with the band in Los Angeles. Manny's goal was to capture the best live recording he could using a two-track system and then give his assessment of how the record should be engineered. They recorded over two dozens songs in two days, known as the Sound City Demos. But Manny sensed their dissatisfaction with the process, partly due to their unfamiliarity with each other and partly due to their difference in age. Manny returned to Scotland after the short but productive session in Los Angeles to complete a Nazareth album he was producing and never heard from the band again. Manny is proud of the recordings he captured and believes the final versions of the songs that made the track list for "Appetite" bare a resemblance to the demos he produced.

  DEL JAMES Del moved to L.A. in 1985. While looking for a place to live, he met Axl and Wes Arkin. What was to be a casual drink turned into a weekend of music, fun and de
bauchery. Del and Axl formed a strong bond that is unbroken to this day. Del authored a horror novel entitled "The Language of Fear," which contains the short story "Without You," the basis for the "November Rain" video. He also co-wrote "The Garden" from "Use Your Illusion I." Del was the project coordinator on the "Live Era '87 - '93" recording. He continues to tour with GN'R to this day.

  Credits & Copyright

  Author Profile:

  Jason Porath, Marc Canter - Jason Porath (co-author and filmmaker) is an award-winning author, filmmaker and producer who’s background in theater and journalism led him to explore the art of non-fiction, visual storytelling across a variety of mediums. He is the author of two award-winning books; Reckless Road and Mugshots: A Celebration of the Journey from Ruin to Redemption. He worked for several years in New York and London as a writer and researcher of documentary films, and has directed and edited several films for corporate clients. Currently, he is working with clients to harness the power of mobile devices in service of a new breed of brand narratives.