Last of the Giants

by Mick Wall

  ‘My Record Collection (Duff McKagan)’ – Kerrang!, February 1997

  ‘More than Blanks’ – Entertainment Weekly, 31 July, 1998

  ‘At Home with Slash’ – Metal Hammer, August 1998

  ‘Welcome To The Videos [press release]’ – Geffen, October 1998

  ‘At Home with Duff McKagan’ – Metal Hammer, January 1999

  ‘Duff McKagan: Laying Down His Guns’ – Hit Parader, May 1999

  ‘Snake, Rattle ‘N’ Roll’ – Guitar World, May 1999

  ‘Duff McKagan Interview’ – Hard Force Magazine, June 1999

  ‘Just A Little Patience’ – Spin, July 1999

  ‘Guns N’ Roses 2-Part Article’ – Kerrang!, August 1999

  ‘“Oh My God” [press release]’ – Geffen, September 1999

  ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirty’ – NME, 25 December, 1999

  ‘Axl Speaks’ – Rolling Stone, January 2000

  ‘Slash is still breathing’ – FHM, March–April 2000

  ‘What Happened To Axl Rose: The Inside Story of Rock’s Most Famous Recluse’ – Rolling Stone, 11 May, 2000

  ‘Modern Life is Rubbish’ – Kerrang!, 10 June, 2000

  ‘Slash’s Snakepit: For the Love of Art’ – Hard Rock Magazine, October 2000

  ‘Slash’s Heroes & Villains’ – NME, 7 October, 2000

  ‘Axl Talks at the Pool Side’ – O Globo, January 2001

  ‘Interview with Beta Lebeis’ – O Globo, January 2001

  ‘GN’R Article’ – Clarin, February 2001

  ‘The History of Hard Rock: The Eighties (Appetite For Destruction)’ – Guitar World, March 2001

  ‘Didn’t You Used To Be Axl Rose?’ – Q, May 2001

  ‘Slash Interview’ – Steppin’ Out Magazine, 16 May, 2001

  ‘Democracy in Action’ – Q, July 2001

  ‘Matt Sorum Interview’ – Lawrence Journal-World, 2001

  ‘Inside The Lonely Mixed Up World Of Axl Rose’ – Classc Rock, January 2002

  ‘Gilby Clarke, Staying True to His Roots’ – Guitar Player, April 2002

  ‘Ready to Rock Again, or is Bloom off the Roses?’ – Florida Times Union, 14 August, 2002

  ‘Review of London Docklands Show’ – London Evening Standard, 27 August, 2002

  ‘Duff McKagan Interview’ – Classic Rock, October 2002

  ‘A new Bloom from GNR Veterans’ – LA Times, 3 November, 2002

  ‘We’re Catching our Groove Again Now, (Richard Fortus interview)’ – Albany NY Times Union, 21 November, 2002

  ‘Meltdown’ – The Guardian, 3 January, 2003

  ‘Appetite For Self-Destruction’ – Classic Rock, February 2003

  ‘Welcome To The Jungle: A Timeline of Axl’s Return to the Road’ – Classic Rock, February 2003

  ‘GN’R: The Inside Story’ – Total Guitar, June 2003

  ‘Appetite For Reconstruction (Velvet Revolver)’ – Kerrang!, 2 July, 2003

  ‘Velvet Revolver Set To Fire’ – Hit Parader, October 2003

  ‘Tommy Grows Up’ – Harper Magazine, October–November 2003

  ‘Geffen Guns N’ Roses DVD Press Release’ – Geffen Records, 15 October, 2003

  ‘The Big Bang (Velvet Revolver)’ – Guitar World, November 2003

  ‘Guns N’ Roses: The Scum Also Rises’ – Q, November 2003, Issue 208

  ‘Spotlight on … Camp Freddy’ – Metal Hammer, January 2004

  ‘Velvet Revolver Beating The Odds’ – Hit Parader, February/March 2004

  ‘Appetite For Self-Destruction’ – Record Collector, February 2004

  ‘Guns N’ Roses. GREATEST HITS. For the First Time (press release)’ – Geffen, 19 February, 2004

  ‘Gilby Clarke Moonlightin’ With Sinatra’ – Guitar One, March 2004

  ‘Where Are They Now? The 411 on 46 Missing Guitar Heroes: Izzy Stradlin’ – Guitar One, March 2004

  ‘The Scum Also Rises’ – Revolver, March 2004

  ‘Welcome Back To The Jungle: Duff McKagan Reloads With Velvet Revolver’ – Bass Player, March 2004

  ‘Shooting from the Hip (Velvet Revolver)’ – Classsic Rock, March 2004

  ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ – Kerrang!, 17 March, 2004

  ‘Ten Reasons Why Guns N’ Roses Still Rock’ – NME, 20 March,

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Not Able to Perform at Rock in Rio [press release]’, Sanctuary Records Group, 30 March, 2004

  ‘Matt Sorum Rocks with Velvet Revolver’ – Drum!, April/May 2004

  ‘Duff McKagan: Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver’ – Total Guitar Bass Special Issue 2, April 2004

  ‘Velvet Revolver: It’s All Gonna Go so Wrong’ – Metal Hammer, April 2004

  ‘Velvet Revolver’ – Total Guitar, April 2004

  ‘Meet “The Most Dangerous Band in the World” …’ – Kerrang!, 10 April, 2004

  ‘Hanging With … Slash – Velvet Revolver’ – Kerrang!, 10 April, 2004

  ‘Paradise Lost’ – Classic Rock, May 2004

  ‘Bulletproof: Duff interview (Velvet Revolver)’ – Guitar World’s Bass Guitar, June/July 2004

  ‘Slash Answers Your Questions’ – Guitar World, June 2004

  ‘Velvet Revolver The Ego Has Landed’ – Revolver, June 2004

  ‘Mexican Food With … Velvet Revolver’ – FHM, June 2004

  ‘I’m With Stupid (Velvet Revolver)’ – Q, June 2004

  ‘Gunning It (Velvet Revolver)’ – The Times, 5 June, 2004

  ‘Top Gun (Slash Interview)’ – Guitarist, July 2004

  ‘Slash and Burn’ – The Sunday Mail, Brisbane, Australia, 29 August, 2004

  ‘Velvet Revolver Cocked & Loaded’ – Circus, October 2004

  ‘Magnum Force (Duff interview / Velvet Revolver)’ – Guitar & Bass, October 2004

  ‘GN’R Set the Record Straight [press release]’ – Sanctuary/Business Wire, 12 October, 2004

  ‘Velvet Revolver – Drugs! Booze! Kung Fu! GN’R!’ – Classic Rock, November 2004

  ‘Guns at the Ready Indie legend Tommy Stinson Shoots Solo First’ – Guitar World’s Bass Guitar, December 2004

  ‘An Appetite For Reconstruction: The Inside Story Of Velvet Revolver’ – Metal Edge, December 2004

  ‘Breaking The Big Machine (Velvet Revolver)’ – Metal Edge, January 2005

  ‘Tommy Gun’ – Classic Rock, January 2005

  ‘Radio Axl’ – Classic Rock, January 2005

  ‘Matt Sorum’ – Mojo, January 2005

  ‘Brain-Cheesy Fun And Cubist Funk’ – DRUM!, March 2005

  ‘Nowhere else to go but forward (Tommy Stinson)’ – Los Angeles Times, 3 March, 2005

  ‘Tom Zutaut Interview’ – New York Times, March 2005

  ‘Steven Adler Interview’ – Classic Rock, April 2005

  ‘The Complete Classic Axl Rose Interview’ – Hit Parader, April 2005

  ‘The Story Behind The Song: “Sweet Child O’ Mine”’ – Q, December 2005

  ‘Axl Rose Responds To Lawsuit (press release)’ – 6 March, 2006

  ‘Hammerstein Preview’ – New York Times, 13 May, 2006

  ‘GN’R Get In The Ring! [press release]’ – 19 May, 2006

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Storm New York [press release]’ – 22 May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – Hollywood Reporter, 25 May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – News Day, May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – Illinois Entertainer, May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – Reuters, May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – Chicago Tribune, May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – Variety, May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – New York Times, May, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – New York Post, May,

  ‘Tommy Hilfiger Fight’ – Associated Press, May 2006

  ‘Axl Vs. The World’ – Classic Rock, Ma
y 2006

  ‘Review of Hammerstein Ballroom Show’ – Blender, June, 2006

  ‘Review of Lisbon Show’ – El Diario Vasco, Spain, May 2006

  ‘Review of Madrid Show’ – MTV Spain, 26 June, 2006

  ‘Review of Hammersmith Apollo Show’ – London Evening Standard, 9 June, 2002

  ‘Review of Hammersmith Apollo Show’ – Daily Telegraph, 9 June, 2002

  ‘Review of Hammersmith Apollo Show’ – Channel Four Teletext, June 2006

  ‘Review of Hammersmith Apollo Show’ – NME, June 2006

  ‘Guns N’ Babies! [press release]’ – 21 June, 2006

  ‘Axl Rose Held for ‘Biting Guard’’ – Associated Press, 27 June, 2006

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Knock Out Stockholm [press release]’ – 28 June, 2006

  ‘Axl in Fight with Security Guard’ – Expressen, Sweden, June 2006

  ‘Axl in Fight with Security Guard’ – Aftonbladet, Sweden, June 2006

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Continue Through Europe! [press release]’ – 30 June, 2006

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Heat Wave [press release]’ – 22 July, 2006

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Win Big In Europe [press release]’ – 11 August, 2006

  ‘Axl Rose Could Be Kept In Jail Until Friday’ – Classic Rock, August 2006

  ‘The Final Comeback Of Axl Rose’ – American GQ, September 2006

  ‘Axl Rose article’ – New York Magazine, September 2006

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Announce “Chinese Democracy” North American tour and Strategic Relationship with Major League Baseball Advanced Media [press release]’ – 29 September, 2006

  ‘Uncut’ – October 2006 (grunge cover)

  ‘A Polished Guns N’ Roses Now More Brand than Band’ – Tribune, 28 November, 2006

  ‘Show in Portland, Maine Cancelled (press release)’ – 6 November, 2006

  ‘Christina Aguilera Feature’ – Blender, November 2006

  ‘GN’R line-up a thorn in Axl’s Side’ – Boston Herald, 10 November, 2006

  ‘New Story’ – Los Angeles Business Wire, December 2006

  ‘Freedom du Lac, J. “Velvet Revolver, A Legal Substance”’ – The Washington Post, August 2007

  ‘And Now Let’s Go Over to the Leather Report: Velvet Revolver’ – Dan Gennoe, Mail On Sunday, March 2008

  ‘Use Your Illusion’ – Classic Rock, July 2011

  ‘Axl Rose’ – USA Today, October 2012

  ‘Axl Rose’ – Revolver, April 2014

  ‘Axl Rose China Exchange Interview’ – June 2016

  ‘Axl Rose’ – NME, May 2016

  Online & Etc.

  Special mention should also go here to the many well-intentioned people who emailed stories and information to my website, www.mickwall.com, many of which were exceptionally helpful in compiling my investigations for this book. Also, to www.contactmusic.com who filtered hundreds of related news items to my desk. Also to the brilliant www.metalsludge.com for providing laughs as well as good information and inspiration. And to the equally wonderful www.youtube.com for allowing me to view many related TV and video clips, both professional and amateur, from the past 20 years.

  Specifically, though, I obtained useful information and quotes from the following sources:

  Transcript of Slash online chat – Pepsi Live @ Ticketmaster Online, 16 October, 1996

  Music West in 3-D: Duff, Dallas and Drugs, taken from the e-zine File, 1997

  ‘For Slash, Life After Guns Is Grand’ – , October 2000

  ‘Slash Exclusive: Appetite For Reconstruction’ – , October 2000

  Brain interview – , 2001

  Izzy Stradlin interview – , March 2001

  GN’R press release with Axl interview – , 14 August, 2002

  ‘Guns N’ Roses Blooms Again’ – Life & Mind Desk, 19 September, 2002

  GN’R North American tour press release – , 25 September, 2002

  ‘Beneath The Bucket, Behind The Mask: Kurt Loder Meets GN’R’s Buckethead’ – , 21 November, 2002

  ‘Use Your Delusion’ – , 3 June, 2003

  ‘Scott & Slash Speak’ – , 17 June, 2003

  Lonn Friend article – , 15 April, 2004

  ‘This tastes like pretzels: the Tommy Stinson interview’ – Here Today … Gone To Hell!, 10 October, 2004

  ‘Sanctuary Music Publishing has signed Axl Rose to a publishing deal’ – Sanctuary website announcement, 26 January, 2005

  Steven Adler Interview, Metal Sludge, January 2006

  Online review, Hammerstein ballroom show – , 15 May, 2006

  Review of Hammerstein Ballroom show – MTV News, 18 May, 2006

  ‘Tommy Hilfiger fight’ – , 20 May, 2006

  Sophie Anderston romance story – Digital Spy Showbiz, 29 May, Slash interview – , June 2006 Axl ranting onstage on the 2002 US tour – , 27 June, 2006

  Axl’s appetite for destruction – Pop Bitch, 29 June, 2006

  On the road by Del James – , 3 November,

  Concert review – , November 2006

  Concert review – , December 2006

  Various clips:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Plus mostly unofficial, some claiming to be semi-official GN’R fan sites, most still active, some no longer so, such as: Aco’s Guns N’ Roses Unofficial Site; Belgian Democracy; Appetite Guns N’ Roses; Chinese Democracy; Encyclopedia GN’R site; Evitaph’s Guns N’ Roses site; Garden Of Illusions: Guns N’ Roses; Get. to/GnR; GnrDaily.com; GN’R en Español; GN’R Exclusive; GN’RLIVE.COM; Guns N’ Roses: The Lost Rose Guns N’ Roses Bootleg Page; Guns N’ Roses Fans; Guns N’ Roses In The Jungle; Guns N’ Roses Videos; Gunz N’ Roses; Here Today, Gone To Hell; Hugo’s Guns N’ Roses Bootleg Site; Intentional Illusions; John’s GN’R bootleg page; Marcy’s Guns N’ Roses Page [Hungarian]; Mark’s big GNR Collection; Nightrain; Portal Guns N’ Roses; Rat’s Guns N’ Roses site; Right Next Door To Hell; Ryan’s Guns N’ Roses Page; Surfers Delight; The Tableture Incident; The Unofficial Uzi Suicide Homepage; Use Your Illusion; We Ain’t Dead Yet; Welcome To The Jungle; and of coruse, the official sites such as www.newgnr.com, and Guns N’ Roses - GN’R Online.

  DVDs, TV AND RADIO

  Axl on MTV in 1988 talking about One In A Million

  Axl Rose – ‘A conversation with Kurt Loder’ – MTV US, 8 November, 1999

  Axl interview – Radio Rock And Pop Chile, January 2001

  Axl interview – Rock & Pop FM Argentina, January 2001

  Post VMA interview – by Kurt Loder, MTV, 29 August, 2002

  Axl interview – KISW Seattle, 8 November, 2002

  Songs leaked on internet – MTV News, 23 February, 2006

  Axl interview, KROQ, Los Angeles, May 2006

  Plus:

  Welcome To The Videos – DVD

  Use Your Illusion World Tour 1992 In Tokyo – DVD

  Axl Rose: The Prettiest Star – DVD

  Guns N’ Roses: Sex, Drugs N’ Rock’n’Roll – DVD


  ILLUSTRATIONS

  1.Slash (3rd row, 2nd from left) in his 6th grade class photo from Third Street School in 1977 in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)

  2.Slash plays with his first band Tidus Sloan during lunchtime at Fairfax High School on 4 June 1982. (Getty Images)

  3.Steve Darrow (left), W. Axl Rose and Slash of the rock group ‘Hollywood Rose’ perform at Madame Wong’s on 16 June 1984. (Getty Images)

  4.Axl and Slash backstage at the Stardust Ballroom in LA on 28 June 1985. (Getty Images)

  5.Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, W. Axl Rose, Steven Adler and Slash pose for an early group shot in a booth at Canter’s Deli in June 1985. (Getty Images)

  6.Slash with his English father Tony Hudson backstage at the Roxy Theatre, LA, on 31 August 1985. (Getty Images)

  7.Guns N’ Roses onstage at the LA Street Scene on 28 September 1985. (Getty Images)

  8.Pam Manning dancing with Axl onstage at the Whisky-A-Go-Go on 5 April 1986. (Getty Images)

  9.Izzy in Tokyo, 1988, holding his award for the Music Life ‘Popularity Vote’ and a bottle of saké. (Getty Images)

  10.Backstage at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium after opening for Ted Nugent on 30 August 1986. Centre: Geffen A&R rep Teresa Ensenat and Tom Zutaut, who signed the band to Geffen. (Getty Images)

  11.Axl onstage at the Castle Donington festival, England, 1988. Two fans died during their set. (Getty Images)

  12.Axl and Slash onstage at Rock In Rio II on 15 January 1991. (Getty Images)

  13.Axl shares the stage with Mick Jagger at the Rolling Stones show in Atlanta, December 1989, performing ‘Salt Of The Earth’ – suggested by GN’R manager Alan Niven, who Axl then banned from the show. (Getty Images)

  14.Axl with would-be second wife, Stephanie Seymour. The model would later claim in court that after one fight the singer had grabbed her by the throat and dragged her barefoot through broken glass. (Getty Images)

  15.Axl is escorted to a police car after being arrested as he stepped off an Air France Concorde jet from Paris, 12 July 1992, at New York’s Kennedy Airport. He was arrested on charges stemming from the St. Louis riot a year before. (Press Association)