How big or popular GN'R on their heyday

[chrosken]

"It is always strange that gnr is kind of forgotten about when that period of music is talked about, the story normally just talks about the hair bands of the 80s and how nirvana wiped them out, and that's it, gnr is normally not even mentioned. That's always kind of been a reason I've hoped that Axl would come back and make everyone remember just how great gnr was/is and correct the fact that music history about the early 90s was rewritten after Kurt's death."

I totally agree with you.  I don't really care if GN'R was forgotten because of the death of Kurt Cobain. Atleast Axl Rose is still alive, and there is always a chance that Axl will release a song and see him perform. 

[The Dog]

I wouldn't say they were forgotten, but I think they were unfaily lumped in with the hair metal scene, and anyone who was around at the time just knows that wasn't the case at all.  Guns broke away from that scene, redefined hard rock and set the standard for rock/rock bands.  Then grunge comes along at a time when the economy is doing bad - people didn't want to see Axl and all his excess on stage - they wanted someone to feel their pain - enter grunge.  Of course, that recession only lasted a few years and surprise surprise, so did grunge.  I think its so ironic how the anti-success bands made it so big in the early 90s, and yet now all the pop stars/rap stars have videos with their expensive cars, and their "bling".  How soon people forget.
I hope someday a GNR movie is made to bring Guns back into the main spotlight - kinda the way the Doors movie did for them.  Introduced them to a whole new generation of fans.

[badapple81]

It was like it went from being cool to be into Guns N' Roses in 1993 to being totally uncool in 1994. I guess the music scene took a big turn that year. Around the time of Kurt's death everyone was really into Nirvana.

I remember lots of articles from around 94 to 97 with headlines like "will GN'R be back.. does anyone really care?".

Although it has dragged on a long time now ( ), I think Axl did the right thing to lay low and let that attitude and trend pass. It seems when they came back for RIR and the VMAs etc.. everyone was really glad to have Axl back.

[The Dog]

^^ not only that, but by laying low Axl has made himself into a true legend.  I think if he was out there releasing NIN or nirvana wanna be CDs he eventually would have been laughed off the music scene.  But by keeping a low profile, having people asking from time to time "what ever happened to GNR??" it just made the legend grow.

It is sad that we missed out on his entire 30s though - I think not hearing how his music could/would have evolved and matured over a decade or so of time is going to really be a shock when CD is released with nothing in between the UYIs (besides OMG).  I'm sure it'll be rocking though.

[metallex78]

It was like it went from being cool to be into Guns N' Roses in 1993 to being totally uncool in 1994. I guess the music scene took a big turn that year. Around the time of Kurt's death everyone was really into Nirvana.

Yeah, I remember that if you would admit to being a GN'R fan at that time you'd get laughed at.
I thought it was really odd to be into a band so much and then so suddenly not be, but then I was never one to follow whatever was "trendy" like the rest of the sheep

Now though, it seems like its ok again to admit you're a GN'R fan, well at least the original line-up anyway.

[badapple81]

That's true Hanna Hat. But I hate to think how the music would have sounded if Slash & Duff didn't want to do what Axl was into and vice versa. I don't think the results would have been crash hot.

And true what you say, the whole laying low and how long it has taken has really made the world curious. Even non GNR fans would be keen to hear an album that has been talked about and reported on for so many years.

[ClintroN]

It was like it went from being cool to be into Guns N' Roses in 1993 to being totally uncool in 1994. I guess the music scene took a big turn that year. Around the time of Kurt's death everyone was really into Nirvana.

Yeah, I remember that if you would admit to being a GN'R fan at that time you'd get laughed at.
I thought it was really odd to be into a band so much and then so suddenly not be, but then I was never one to follow whatever was "trendy" like the rest of the sheep

Now though, it seems like its ok again to admit you're a GN'R fan, well at least the original line-up anyway.

Thats why there wasnt a WAYNES WORLD III

[badapple81]

That whole era seems to be trendy now. I see youngens who have probably never heard the bands wearing reprinted unofficial GN'R, Poison, Motley Crue etc. t-shirts ? ?They probably replaced their Sum 41 and Green Day shirts ?

[mikegiuliana]

^^ not only that, but by laying low Axl has made himself into a true legend.? I think if he was out there releasing NIN or nirvana wanna be CDs he eventually would have been laughed off the music scene.? But by keeping a low profile, having people asking from time to time "what ever happened to GNR??" it just made the legend grow.

It is sad that we missed out on his entire 30s though - I think not hearing how his music could/would have evolved and matured over a decade or so of time is going to really be a shock when CD is released with nothing in between the UYIs (besides OMG).? I'm sure it'll be rocking though.

I sometimes wonder being axl basically skipped his 30's in front of the fans then did something minor around 40 which had the chance to be huge only to be a huge letdown if he didn't wait too long.. Not many people in their mid 40's with an entire new band are nmearly as big the second time around..

I can still remember the nirvana scene like it was yesterday..... The slackers of the world thinking he was so amazing Ah april 94
Store near me use to sell everything gnr, they were one year removed in 94 when he killed himself then I couldn't find gnr bootlegs or t shirts anymore.... I had to look at the 67-94 t shirts with him (kurt) as a kid.. All those cool kids with nirvana patches on their bookbags

Lets just say the band falling apart ever since after the get in the ring tour was why they left the scene, releasing two big ballads so damn close together with a video only a true gnr fan could love (estranged) lets say TSI and using SIDHY in like nov 93 as another single really burried gnr at that time

The one non grunge band that really did good around then that I really remember was aeromsith with Get A Grip, living on the edge, crazy, amazing, etc all did great and it was still basic guitar rock..

I think guns at that point could have still sold out any arena and most stadiums but their commercial success was way down and people were sick of the giant rock star..... I remember by the start of the 90's every band had power ballads, and although gnr wasn't dfoing fly to the angels, or every rose has it's thorns people were just sick of that style..  Grunge had a lot of hard rockers and that helped... YCBM would have been a better type single for gnr..

[jazjme]

During the AFD days, when SCOM hit, all cliques in my high school like GnR.  Headbangers, burn-outs, guidos, preppies, nerds, even the rap faction liked them.  Haven' seen that since.

I have to agree there, it was so universal , and it was like lightning. BAM

[Megaguns]

i can remember not even being able to get GnR merch for a good few years..... Maybe 97? around there... I didnt have the internet and i live in australia.

[Origen]

Well put it this way: Novemeber Rain was #1 for 60 weeks in Columbia.

[nesquick]

people loved so much GNR, it was amazing.

[avesia]

lol...you guys sound like granpas telling their children how great things were when they were young
I like it, though...
...and I totally agree 

[ryan_of_lax]

See, I think Guns were bigger than U2 are now, and certainly bigger than Eminem.
EVERYONE liked them. Rap wasn't big in the mainstream then, so pretty much all the white kids who listen to rap now were into Guns at the time. The rock audience was just bigger, and GNR had everyone eating out of their hands. Parents were scared of them, but yet when they heard a song like Patience or November Rain, even they would admit that it was damn good music. Eminem doesn't get that kind of reaction these days.

Plus, U2 don't have the teen appeal these days that GNR had. Bono comes off as being like your dad... Axl was like that guy down the street who just got out of jail and everyone was afraid of, but you still had to talk about him and pay attention to him.

I don't know how many people wore bandanas just because Axl did... It was crazy. I can't think of anyone who has had any kind of fashion impact like that lately. And all those bands that had singers trying so hard to be Axl... I mean, anyone remember Jackyl? hahaha

And I don't think younger people quite remember just how big November Rain was. At the time, and for years later, it was pretty much regarded as the new Stairway To Heaven. You could count on hearing it at every highschool dance up until at least '97. And MTV and Much Music used to play the video regularly until at least then too. How often do videos from 5+ years ago be shown on MTV now?

Guns N' Roses will be remembered for how huge they were. Even if it was just 5 or 6 years of glory, they'll always be remembered. I expect that in 5 or 10 years time, Guns will definitely be remembered on the Led Zeppelin and Pink Floy level. Bands seem to TRULY be remembered and admired about 20 years after their time. I mean.. would you have seen a kid with a Motley Crue shirt on a few years back? Hell no. Things always work in cycles.

[88 Days]

Anybody like me old enough to remember what a watercooler event the video trilogy was?? Some small part of their hugeness in the early nineties was definitely due to trying to figure out what the hell had happened to Stephanie Seymour's face that required a mirrored casket divider.

Ahh, those were the days, I remember everyone talking about that at the time. It's all true folks, Axl and GNR were as big as anyone back in those days. I guess Eminem is the best comparison from recent times, Axl was just as controversial (probably more so) and always talked about, everyone had an opinion. I remember watching the news one day, and there was a report about how Axl and his limo got a traffic ticket on the way to a show. This made the news!

It's funny, it seemed like all the chaos was accidental, but I swear Axl planned it that way. He had a major controversy ready for each album release that got them into the news - rape cover + explicit lyrics for AFD, "One in a Million" lyrics for Lies, the constant delays and "Get in the Ring" for UYI, and the Manson cover "Look at Your Game Girl" for "The Spaghetti Incident?"

I guess somewhere around 1994 Axl got tired of the mayhem and basically disappeared.

that pretty much sums it up.
eminem is a good comparison actually, i remember kurt loder interviewing eminem and asking him if he was the axl rose of today, talking about all the hype, the controversies, being from the midwest and moving to LA, the homophobia accusations, the elton john performance, racism accusations and so on (i've thought about this myself, alot of similarities between the two) and eminem replied that he didn't know axl rose personally or know anything about the way he was brought up. at least he didn't diss him, cause if he did he would be fucking stupid. one major difference between the two though, as i see it: eminem tried to be controversial, axl never did.

[Origen]

Anybody like me old enough to remember what a watercooler event the video trilogy was?? Some small part of their hugeness in the early nineties was definitely due to trying to figure out what the hell had happened to Stephanie Seymour's face that required a mirrored casket divider.

Ahh, those were the days, I remember everyone talking about that at the time. It's all true folks, Axl and GNR were as big as anyone back in those days. I guess Eminem is the best comparison from recent times, Axl was just as controversial (probably more so) and always talked about, everyone had an opinion. I remember watching the news one day, and there was a report about how Axl and his limo got a traffic ticket on the way to a show. This made the news!

It's funny, it seemed like all the chaos was accidental, but I swear Axl planned it that way. He had a major controversy ready for each album release that got them into the news - rape cover + explicit lyrics for AFD, "One in a Million" lyrics for Lies, the constant delays and "Get in the Ring" for UYI, and the Manson cover "Look at Your Game Girl" for "The Spaghetti Incident?"

I guess somewhere around 1994 Axl got tired of the mayhem and basically disappeared.

that pretty much sums it up.
eminem is a good comparison actually, i remember kurt loder interviewing eminem and asking him if he was the axl rose of today, talking about all the hype, the controversies, being from the midwest and moving to LA, the homophobia accusations, the elton john performance, racism accusations and so on (i've thought about this myself, alot of similarities between the two) and eminem replied that he didn't know axl rose personally or know anything about the way he was brought up. at least he didn't diss him, cause if he did he would be fucking stupid. one major difference between the two though, as i see it: eminem tried to be controversial, axl never did.

[estrangedpaul]

It seems amazing to me that they were so big, especially in Europe. Over here, GnR have been completely forgotten about in the mainstream media. I wasn't really into GnR yet in 2002 and I heard nothing about any big tour or return. It was never mentioned, except in magazines. When Velvet Revolver came out, I know lots of people, including GnR fans, who never heard of them, even now. They are never mentioned and their songs are never played on the radio. In spite of them having the fastest selling debut album ever and having three members who were in the world's biggest band at one stage. As for GnR, you hear SCOM on  the radio very rarely but never any other song. People do talk about Nirvana but never GnR. On stations and magazines, dedicated to rock they get mentioned, but on more general music radio or magazines, neither GnR or VR are ever mentioned.

[jbenzz]

The main reason GN'R aren't mentioned much is because there was no blow out, they just fizzled out.  It's easy to tell a story about Motley Crue where they lost their singer and released a crappy album etc, or to talk about Led Zeppelin who disbanded after John Bonham died.  How do you explain that they just stop touring and go in the studio and every year a different member quits. 

It's true about them getting popular again.  They're almost considered 'retro' which is always good.  GH did alot to help improve their image.  Alot of reviews don't like them that much for whatever reason.  Read the pitchfork review of GH, basically sums up what the 94-99 view of GN'R.

[The Dog]

one major difference between GNR and Eminem is the musical legacy.  I think with music, rap in particular, being so dynamic in terms of change, ten, twenty years from now, nobody is going to care about him.  you won't have kids who were 15 who are now 35 STILL playing their eminem tapes.  There really isn't such a thing as "classic rap".  Sure people will point to run DMC and big daddy kane and public enemy and all of those guys as pioneers, but you put on any of their songs and you kinda laugh.  they dont stand the test of time.  especially when they drop in all the pop culture references.  they just won't make sense 20 years from now.  i think rap/hip hop just doesn't have the sound that rock has to make it classic.  when you do hear old school rap its kinda like a joke, i don't think anyone REALLY digs it though.  Does ANYONE you know put on dre, snoop or puffy from the early 90s???  I don't think eminem has a chance of equaling GNRs legacy.   I think hes kinda on his way to becoming a has been as it is.
people can/will argue that axl is over the hill, but GNRs music will never be.  I seriously pray that CD comes out and does what AFD did to the rock scene 20 years ago....we need our rock back!!!