Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Ex-GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler says that he has not been approached by any of his former bandmates about a possible reunion of the classic GN'R lineup and blames the lack of communication in part on the fact that Slash and Duff McKagan don't believe that he is sober.

Slash recently revealed that he and GUNS N' ROSES' lead singer, Axl Rose, had repaired their estranged relationship after nearly 20 years, immediately leading to a storm of speculation about a possible reunion of the classic GUNS lineup.

Asked point blank if he knows anything about a rumored reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' "Appetite For Destruction" lineup, Adler told Eddie Trunk during a September 28 appearance on Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live": "Nothing. Even if it was happening, I don't think Slash would tell me, because he knows how excited I get and that I would probably say something before I should. I would be the last one to know."

Adler, who was famously fired from GUNS N' ROSES in 1990 for his rampant drug use, added that part of the reason he hasn't heard anything about a rumored GUNS reunion is the fact that he hasn't been able to convince his former bandmates that he is clean from alcohol and drugs.

"I love those guys, and I always will, but Duff, he doesn't think I'm cool," Adler said. "He doesn't think I'm a cool guy. This is what people tell me. And he doesn't think I'm cool and that I'm not that great of a drummer. And Slash, he doesn't believe that I have 21 months and 21 days sober. He doesn't believe it. I don't know why, but they forget that at one time in their life, they were doing drugs and drinking and they were fucking up. They forget that they were like that too. Duff has got 20 years sober or more, Slash has got, like, 11 or 12 years sober, and I've got a year, nine months and 21 days. So everybody gets it at a different time. I'm just thankful I got it."

He went on to say: "They don't think I'm cool and they don't think I can play drums that great and they don't think I'm sober. Duff, he has a right, in a way, but, like I said, he forgets where he came from too. But we did do some shows [together] in Japan [in 2013], and Duff invited [Steven's current band] ADLER to come down, and I was still drinking then. And the second I got to the airport, I made a beeline for the bar, and I just started doing shots of J?ger. And the whole trip I was sick and I was just a mess. And, you know, Duff's sober and he's very judgmental and forgetful of where he came from. And he was just so bummed and pissed at me. I mean, the playing part, the shows when we actually were performing, that went all right, but everything else? So I kind of ruined it and gave him the excuse to be able to say, 'Well, he's not cool and he's not that good.' But I stopped doing that. They stopped doing that. Just because they stopped doing it before I did doesn't make them any better. We're all people who have addiction problems. I was just able to get a grip on it later on in life than they did."

Asked what the turning point was for him to get his life together and stop going into detoxes and rehabs, Adler said: "I learned from going to meetings with the right people and talking to the right people at AA meetings and stuff, and I got a great sponsor, and we worked it out. My problem was I had resentment towards those guys [GUNS N' ROSES bandmates], and towards other things, and I had abandonment issues. So once I was able to forgive those guys and realize it wasn't them to blame, but me to blame ? I did what I did to me; they didn't do what they did to me; I did it to myself ? and once I started hating them, I was able to? and have some time, 'cause it takes time for the brain to heal after drinking so much. Alcohol fucks your brain up and it takes a good nine, ten, eleven [months or] a year until you actually start thinking clear again. Now I'm just able to live my life and be happy with who I am."

According to Adler, he is still in contact with Slash, but he hasn't been able to convince the guitarist to meet with him in person for quite some time. "I'm always trying to get [Slash] to go to Crossroads, this vegan restaurant," Adler said. "I [tell him], 'Get your girlfriend and come meet me and my wife over? And John 5 [ROB ZOMBIE]. I say, meet me and John 5 and Rita over at Crossroads for brunch or dinner.' [And he writes back] 'Ehh, I can't. I'm working.' I'm going, 'You've gotta be home way more than that. Just come meet with me. Let's go have a cup of coffee.'

Asked if it's true that he recently said that he would kill himself if the classic GUNS N' ROSES lineup reunited without him, Adler said: "I would probably feel like I would wanna kill myself, but I wouldn't. I would probably just kill them. [Laughs] 'Cause if I'm not doing it, they're not doing it. If I'm going down, they're going down."

Adler also expressed frustration over the fact that so many world-famous musicians, including GUNS N' ROSES, can't seem to overcome personal differences and reunite for the sake of their fans.

"I don't understand what the problem is," he said. "We're just rock bands. We all started practicing in our garage or our bedroom. We met each other, and we started playing in our garage, then we worked on songs. This is what we wanted to do. Our dreams came true.

"I don't know why it's so difficult for people that have been successful and still can moderately successful," he continued. "Of course, nobody's gonna be like they were in the '80s; that was our generation. It's a new generation now of music and people and kids. But there are bands like BON JOVI and METALLICA and the GUNS N' ROSES reunion; [if that were to happen] that would be huge."

Adler added: "I don't get it. We just play music. We're living our dream. Why does everybody have to be such a dick and so fucking crazy? It's, like, hey, we play music. When we're together, we play it really great. Let's just do it. What's the problem?"

Despite the fact that he hasn't heard anything about a possible reunion of the classic GUNS lineup, Adler remains optimistic about his future. "Even if the GN'R thing doesn't happen, I'm still gonna do what I'm doing every day," he said. "I'm gonna keep living, being happy, practicing, playing with my band. I wasted enough time in a blackout, in a haze. I'm living now."

Wonder if his comments about Duff will make everything between them ok? Is that his plan?

Ladies and gentelmen, from Hollywood, a half assed reunion of the now watered down, and politically correct GN?R! featuring the drummer you?ve never heard of because they are afraid the drummer who?s inclusion would be necessary to consider this a true reunion may say something to the media that could hurt your feelings!

They all had a hand in fucking up one of the greatest rock n? roll bands we will ever see, but if they are trotting out yet another C-list lineup, they can keep my ticket.
I got your back, Steve!

If think the only criteria should be if Adler is still capable of playing the songs.
Who gives a shit what he says to the media?

I have two takeaways here :

1) There obviously have been some reunion discussions

2) Steven has been told, directly or indirectly, he's out.

All around really bizarre interview. But hey! It?s Adler   :hihi:

So someone told him that Duff doesn`t trust him. Well I think Adler should be more concerned about how Axl feels. Even if Duff loves him with all his heart  it won`t matter to Axl.

It may sound crazy but when it comes to Axl, he may take Adler over to the Sorum. Axl and Sorum never got along. I remeber Sorum being pissed off because in the Live Era booklet he is just an "aditional musician". And in old interviews Axl has said that Sorum never was in the partnership.

Still if he was told something I guess Adler should talk to Duff first instead of giving too much credit to a gossip

If think the only criteria should be if Adler is still capable of playing the songs.
Who gives a shit what he says to the media?

Due to all this recent reunion talk in the media, he's getting to do more interviews. Unfortunately for you, and maybe him, people read/listen to what he says and might not always agree with what was said.

I would think the reasons behind Axl's distaste for Matt basically just stem from Matt siding with Slash on most things. I don't know if it was really personal.

Just always thought that.

He went on to say: "They don't think I'm cool and they don't think I can play drums that great and they don't think I'm sober. Duff, he has a right, in a way, but, like I said, he forgets where he came from too. But we did do some shows [together] in Japan [in 2013], and Duff invited [Steven's current band] ADLER to come down, and I was still drinking then. And the second I got to the airport, I made a beeline for the bar, and I just started doing shots of J?ger. And the whole trip I was sick and I was just a mess. And, you know, Duff's sober and he's very judgmental and forgetful of where he came from. And he was just so bummed and pissed at me. I mean, the playing part, the shows when we actually were performing, that went all right, but everything else? So I kind of ruined it and gave him the excuse to be able to say, 'Well, he's not cool and he's not that good.' But I stopped doing that. They stopped doing that. Just because they stopped doing it before I did doesn't make them any better. We're all people who have addiction problems. I was just able to get a grip on it later on in life than they did."

They do, I suspect.  And I don't blame them.

You also don't need the bullshit if you have other options.  Steven is hardly a one of a kind irreplaceable part of the operation.  Wasn't like the UYI tour struggled to move tickets without the legendary Steven Adler.

No one gave a fuck.

And now, if a miracle happens 20 years later and Axl and Slash actually patch it up, people are going to be unmoved to get off the couch if there is no Steven Adler?

That's a hill you die on?

Not arguing that tickets will fly regardless if Steven is there or not. Doesn?t make it any less of a sham.

GN?R has served as a great example of what not to do over the past couple of decades.
If a reunion were truly in the cards, it would be nice if they could get it right.

Look at those bits in bold.

Now seriously tell me a how a high profile world tour goes.

You best make a back-up agreement with Matt, or Frank, who whoever.  Because you'll probably need them by show #5.

I don't think Steven said anything insanely negative about Duff.  Certainly nothing worse than Axl has said about Slash, but yet people around here seem content to believe they've patched everything up.

He made whatever issues he has with Duff public.



/jarmo

Not arguing that tickets will fly regardless if Steven is there or not. Doesn?t make it any less of a sham.
Guess it?s just hard for me to understand how fans of Guns N? Roses could be so disinterested in a legitimate reunion.

Steven?s dismissal is when things started going bad for Guns creatively.
Sure, the Illusions were a massive success, as were the tours, and Matt put his stamp on those songs.
That doesn?t change the fact that Steven was behind the kit for AFD, Lies, and the creation of the majority of UYI songs.

Guns N? Roses creatively face planted without Steven and Izzy around.

Some of the UYI songs were written during the AFD days or even before that album was made. For example Back Off Bitch, Bad Obsession, Don`t Cry, YCBM, NR.

Adler has recorded demos and rehearsals of UYI songs. Don`t Cry and Back Off Bitch were performed live during the club days

UYI songs were not unfamiliar at all for Adler

The UYI songs are not unfamiliar to me either, doesn't mean I had anything to do with writing them.  I know he was there but what was he contributing?  That's my question.  By all accounts from books and interviews over the years he was just the drummer playing songs the other guys wrote.

For that matter Sorum didn`t contribute that much either with songwriting. So if your problem is songwriting then I guess you have a problem with Sorum as well.

Adler?s main contribution is in the sound of the AFD songs

Exactly.  This guy for whatever reason just can't ever keep his trap shut.  He always makes everything so awkward and weird in his interviews.  It is no wonder nobody has really worked with him professionally since 1990.  Steven just seems to be a real pain in the ass.  He is a like a teenager with no filter that just says every single thing that pops into his brain.

depends if you want to be in a rock n'roll band, or an entertainment one.

depends if you want to be in a rock n'roll band, or an entertainment one.

Yeah, and as I've already said, they were rather mild at best.  Axl has made many issues with Slash very public-- including his infamous "cancer" comment.  Yet some people can buy into the fact that Axl and Slash can mend fences despite everything they've said publicly about each other, but you think Steven's (rather tame) comments about Duff are unforgivable?

Sigh.   :no:

No it doesn't.  The point was that people on this thread are acting like it's the end of the world that Steven made mild comments about Duff disapproving on his past drinking and such, acting like everything was an unpardonable sin between them of two of them. 

For that matter Sorum didn`t contribute that much either with songwriting. So if your problem is songwriting then I guess you have a problem with Sorum as well.

Adler?s main contribution is in the sound of the AFD songs

I disagree  as I thought the "Illusions" were their best album, and Steven has very little to do with them.  How many songwriting credits did he have?  I know "AFD" credited all 5 band members with songwriting credits, but in your opinion how much do you think Steven Adler contributed to that?  Yes he sat behind the drum kit, great, how many lyrics or choruses did he write?   If you feel the band took a turn for the worse creatively after Izzy left thats an argument that could be made as he was a main songwriter.  But are you saying GNR "creatively face planted" because  Steven Adler left?  Really?  You don't think that might be more of a timely coincidence? 

Dave Mustaine  wrote most of "Kill Em All" and did way more than "sit behind a drum kit" for some ideas that appeared on later Metallica records.  He gets kicked out and immediately creates a new band that becomes one of the most successful metal bands of all time.  If anyone deserves retroactive credit for what a band did after he left it is him, he actually created the style of music Metallica went on to play.  Steven on the other hand is more of someone who was in the right place at the right time.  That is not to rip on Steven, but he has offered little else to prove otherwise.

And he was fired why?
He was living the sex, drugs and rock n' roll life. so why didn't they want him in the band?




/jarmo

At this level, its a business.  The 5 starry eyed kids coming to save rock n' roll...that shit has been over for some time.

So anyone that is going to jeopardize the business, you don't need.

because he pushed it too far, apparently..

You know... this makes for great water cooler talk... but I don't think Steve needs to worry too much about what Duff thinks of him...

No matter how they would agree to move forward with the business of GNR...

Does anybody actually think anything will get done without Axl having final say ?

Of course not.

But if Steven doesn't even have Slash or Duff in his corner, he truly has no shot.

Steven is the worst drummer the band ever had by a significant margin and he is a completely unreliable pain in the ass. Matt stepped in seemless

Steven's dismissal undoubtedly affected the chemistry of the band.
Izzy said the band was never the same without him. I believe he said it made his decision to leave the band easier, and when Izzy left, they were done from a creative standpoint

What Steven has done since GN?R doesn?t prove anything in my opinion. If it were, one could easily point to any of the alumni?s post Illusions output.
I like/love at least a few songs from Izzy?s solo albums, Slash, VR, Chinese, but wouldn?t hold that material up against classic Guns.
Some here might, but 99.9% of GN?Rs fan base doesn?t. Those albums won?t be making any all time great records lists

So prefer the live 'Mr. Brownstone' from the Ritz show (which sounds like its being played at double time) to any of the UYI tour live versions that has more of a groove?

So you see, it's not only about being in a rock band and being cool...





/jarmo

All versions of "Mr. Brownstone" that I've ever heard Sorum play sound like clank and smash, and as opposed to rhythmic, whether it's during the UYI tour or at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. 

At the end of the day, the biggest draw under the name Guns N Roses will always be the original five bad boys..... and no Emily, I'm not talking about Tracii Guns!!!!     8)

And I think sometimes it's better to keep personal issues private. His best friend from his days in GN'R doesn't wanna hang out with him. Does the world need to know this?
If this interview helps, and they become best friends again, then congrats to Steven!

If not, maybe it would've been better to wait until Slash had time for that coffee....



/jarmo

If think the only criteria should be if Adler is still capable of playing the songs.
Who gives a shit what he says to the media?

Ladies and gentelmen, from Hollywood, a half assed reunion of the now watered down, and politically correct GN?R! featuring the drummer you?ve never heard of because they are afraid the drummer who?s inclusion would be necessary to consider this a true reunion may say something to the media that could hurt your feelings!

They all had a hand in fucking up one of the greatest rock n? roll bands we will ever see, but if they are trotting out yet another C-list lineup, they can keep my ticket.
I got your back, Steve! (Until tickets go on sale).

Then again Stevens mom will be a major pain in the ass about all the legalities. Maybe it's best to not have have back in he band permanently but just be a guest at a few shows and play some AFD. Or maybe there is a way to keep him on but as a par time member.  I think he would sign off on that and be happy

I believe Axl said that very thing, right?  That his mother was an even bigger pain in the ass than he was?

As for him being happy with a part time role, I can't see it.  He'll bitch and moan.