Axl Rose, New York's hottest party boy

[MarianoG]

New York's hottest party boy
Axl Rose, 48, is on a three-week bender ? and he just won?t quit

By BRIAN NIEMIETZ

Last Updated: 9:34 AM, March 2, 2010

It was just after 8 a.m. on Feb. 12, and for the last three hours Guns N? Roses frontman Axl Rose had been knocking back cocktails of vodka, cranberry juice and champagne at hip NYC lounge Greenhouse. Hot off the stage from an electric two-hour gig at the John Varvatos store on the Bowery, Rose still had enough energy to keep the party going with his entourage of 20 or more rockers and hangers-on.

?It?s kind of his thing,? said Greenhouse co-owner Barry Mullineaux of Rose?s early after-partying that morning (Mullineaux later named a rose-colored champagne cocktail ?the Axl Rose? in honor of the rocker?s wild morning at his club.). ?His shows always run late, and he?s a true rock star so he liked to have after-parties after all of his shows.?

But Rose?s recent high jinks are legendary even where rockers are concerned. For the last three weeks, the singer has been on an epic bender in New York, tearing through the city?s nightclubs and bars like he?s still the stick-thin 25-year-old who became a worldwide phenomenon after the release of his album ?Appetite for Destruction.?


Since he arrived in the city for his Fashion Week concert on Feb. 11, he?s gone out nearly every night (and continued on till the morning), usually crashing afterward at his $1,550-a-night suite in the Essex House Hotel. His assault on New York night life has made him a one-man stimulus package during the scene?s winter doldrums ? and the city?s nocturnes are thrilled.

?It?s like he?s teaching the next generation how it?s done,? said one source who has joined Rose on at least half a dozen of his jaunts, where Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill has also been spotted. ?Who?s a bigger rock star than Axl Rose??

One of Rose?s guitarists, Richard Fortus, is in the process of getting started on an elaborate back tattoo at Graceland in Brooklyn, which will take some time to complete.

Though Rose, who lives on the West Coast, has been in New York on and off in the last couple years, night-life insiders say he hasn?t hit the town this hard since 2006.

That year, Rose was in town to play a show at the now-defunct club The Plumm ? and got into a punch-up with preppy designer Tommy Hilfiger. (Rose moved a drink that belonged to one of Hilfiger?s friends, so Hilfiger hit him in the face. The clothier was shown the door, and Rose later performed ?You?re Crazy? ? dedicating the song to Hilfiger.)

Now, the rocker, who turned 48 on Feb. 6, is back on the rampage in the Big Apple. Rose asked to play the concert at the Varvatos store ? for reasons that are still unclear ? and proprietor John Varvatos was happy to oblige. ?We thought they were only going to play five or six songs,? Varvatos said of Rose and his band. In fact, he played 17 to a packed room which included Kevin Bacon.

Rose clearly enjoyed the show. Following his appearance at the store, also the former home of CBGB, Rose raved on his Twitter  account: ?The NY shows were insane!! Love the free form laid back vibe . . . John [Varvatos] was really great! And to keep CBGB?s rockin??! Badass!! . . . We all had a great time, it was a madhouse!! . . . I LOVE NY!!?

He wasn?t kidding. The next day he made late night stops at 1Oak followed by a mid-morning bash at Essex House.

Then he went upstairs to a private suite where the party continued from 3 a.m. until 8 a.m.

Two nights later, he hit the Spin Club for pingpong games with none other than Scarlett Johansson. (He later showed up at posh watering hole Avenue, paddle still in hand).

On Thursday, Feb. 18, he crashed three clubs: The Box, SoHo?s Goldbar and SL in the Meatpacking District. At the last venue, he expressed an interest in buying a house in the metropolitan area ? possibly in Connecticut, an insider there said. He capped off that night at a private loft in NoHo, where he drank a $1,000 bottle of wine with members of the Black Eyed Peas.

Although he has no wife or children to worry about, the middle-aged rocker has put on at least 15 pounds since his heyday and doesn?t appear to have a strict eating and drinking regimen to keep him in tip-top shape. Dressed in unbuttoned shirts and chunky man jewelry while sporting a wacky biker mustache, he looks more like a Western outlaw than a skinny metal kid.

Rose refused to give an interview for this article, but people who know him say his hard partying is simply a balance to his tough road schedule. ?He works hard on the road, so who cares if he wants to blow off some steam when he?s off duty? What?s the fuss? He?s havin? a good time. God bless him,? said Nur Khan, a Rose Bar bigwig, who set up Rose?s show and after-party there.

As for the late hours Rose plays and performs, says author Ray LeMoine who?s partied with the rocker in the past three weeks, ?He?s Axl Rose playing in a small club. When do you want him to go on? I want him playing at 3 a.m. when I?m completely f - - - - d up.?

Another person who?s partied with Rose says he?s working on a new album after last year?s disappointing ?Chinese Democracy? ? the first Guns N? Roses studio album in 15 years ? and has something to prove.

LeMoine thinks Rose lets the negative press get to him more that he should. ?The interesting thing about the guy is that he?ll tell stories and you?ll say, ?Dude, you?re Axl Rose, you?ve got to not worry about that s - - t,? ? LeMoine says. ?You?ve put out so many great records and you?re the man, but he won?t hear it ... there?s a nuanced psychological thing about the guy where he?s not trying to be Axl Rose.?

So far, no one knows when the party ? or his existential crisis ? will end. As Rose prepared to leave one club, The Post cornered him and asked how late he generally stays out. Rose just smirked. ?As long as it takes,? he said.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/music/new_york_hottest_party_boy_H44lJMpys5ISi02a7jB7hM

[FunkyMonkey]

New York's hottest party boy

By BRIAN NIEMIETZ

March 2, 2010

It was just after 8 a.m. on Feb. 12, and for the last three hours Guns N? Roses frontman Axl Rose had been knocking back cocktails of vodka, cranberry juice and champagne at hip NYC lounge Greenhouse. Hot off the stage from an electric two-hour gig at the John Varvatos store on the Bowery, Rose still had enough energy to keep the party going with his entourage of 20 or more rockers and hangers-on.

?It?s kind of his thing,? said Greenhouse co-owner Barry Mullineaux of Rose?s early after-partying that morning (Mullineaux later named a rose-colored champagne cocktail ?the Axl Rose? in honor of the rocker?s wild morning at his club.). ?His shows always run late, and he?s a true rock star so he liked to have after-parties after all of his shows.?

But Rose?s recent high jinks are legendary even where rockers are concerned. For the last three weeks, the singer has been on an epic bender in New York, tearing through the city?s nightclubs and bars like he?s still the stick-thin 25-year-old who became a worldwide phenomenon after the release of his album ?Appetite for Destruction.?

Since he arrived in the city for his Fashion Week concert on Feb. 11, he?s gone out nearly every night (and continued on till the morning), usually crashing afterward at his $1,550-a-night suite in the Essex House Hotel. His assault on New York night life has made him a one-man stimulus package during the scene?s winter doldrums ? and the city?s nocturnes are thrilled.

?It?s like he?s teaching the next generation how it?s done,? said one source who has joined Rose on at least half a dozen of his jaunts, where Kings of Leon singer Caleb Followill has also been spotted. ?Who?s a bigger rock star than Axl Rose??

One of Rose?s guitarists, Richard Fortus, is in the process of getting started on an elaborate back tattoo at Graceland in Brooklyn, which will take some time to complete.

Though Rose, who lives on the West Coast, has been in New York on and off in the last couple years, night-life insiders say he hasn?t hit the town this hard since 2006.

That year, Rose was in town to play a show at the now-defunct club The Plumm ? and got into a punch-up with preppy designer Tommy Hilfiger. (Rose moved a drink that belonged to one of Hilfiger?s friends, so Hilfiger hit him in the face. The clothier was shown the door, and Rose later performed ?You?re Crazy? ? dedicating the song to Hilfiger.)

Now, the rocker, who turned 48 on Feb. 6, is back on the rampage in the Big Apple. Rose asked to play the concert at the Varvatos store ? for reasons that are still unclear ? and proprietor John Varvatos was happy to oblige. ?We thought they were only going to play five or six songs,? Varvatos said of Rose and his band. In fact, he played 17 to a packed room which included Kevin Bacon.

Rose clearly enjoyed the show. Following his appearance at the store, also the former home of CBGB, Rose raved on his Twitter account: ?The NY shows were insane!! Love the free form laid back vibe . . . John [Varvatos] was really great! And to keep CBGB?s rockin??! Badass!! . . . We all had a great time, it was a madhouse!! . . . I LOVE NY!!?

He wasn?t kidding. The next day he made late night stops at 1Oak followed by a mid-morning bash at Essex House.

On Sunday night, Feb. 14, Guns N? Roses played a late-night gig at Rose Bar to a crowd of 150 that included Mickey Rourke. ?Are you as hung-over as I am?? he snarled between GNR hits ?Paradise City? and ?Welcome to the Jungle.?

Then he went upstairs to a private suite where the party continued from 3 a.m. until 8 a.m.

Two nights later, he hit the Spin Club for pingpong games with none other than Scarlett Johansson. (He later showed up at posh watering hole Avenue, paddle still in hand).

On Thursday, Feb. 18, he crashed three clubs: The Box, SoHo?s Goldbar and SL in the Meatpacking District. At the last venue, he expressed an interest in buying a house in the metropolitan area ? possibly in Connecticut, an insider there said. He capped off that night at a private loft in NoHo, where he drank a $1,000 bottle of wine with members of the Black Eyed Peas.

Rose refused to give an interview for this article, but people who know him say his hard partying is simply a balance to his tough road schedule. ?He works hard on the road, so who cares if he wants to blow off some steam when he?s off duty? What?s the fuss? He?s havin? a good time. God bless him,? said Nur Khan, a Rose Bar bigwig, who set up Rose?s show and after-party there.

As for the late hours Rose plays and performs, says author Ray LeMoine who?s partied with the rocker in the past three weeks, ?He?s Axl Rose playing in a small club. When do you want him to go on? I want him playing at 3 a.m. when I?m completely f - - - - d up.?

Another person who?s partied with Rose says he?s working on a new album after last year?s disappointing ?Chinese Democracy? ? the first Guns N? Roses studio album in 15 years ? and has something to prove.

LeMoine thinks Rose lets the negative press get to him more that he should. ?The interesting thing about the guy is that he?ll tell stories and you?ll say, ?Dude, you?re Axl Rose, you?ve got to not worry about that s - - t,? ? LeMoine says. ?You?ve put out so many great records and you?re the man, but he won?t hear it ... there?s a nuanced psychological thing about the guy where he?s not trying to be Axl Rose.?

So far, no one knows when the party ? or his existential crisis ? will end. As Rose prepared to leave one club, The Post cornered him and asked how late he generally stays out. Rose just smirked. ?As long as it takes,? he said.

Photos: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/music/axl_rose_new_york_hottest_party_HiDMd1q0esK9tnmgwX0QGM

Full article here: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/music/new_york_hottest_party_boy_H44lJMpys5ISi02a7jB7hM/0

[FunkyMonkey]

I see someone else posted this just before I did -- I spent too much time looking at the photos. 

[AxlReznor]

Singer for Guns N' Roses likes to party... hardly news, New York Post!

[MrMojoRa]

Awesome! Axl Rose lovin' life. Hopefully the bit about him working on the next album is true. That would be FANfuckinTASTIC!

[The Hinge]

'Another person who?s partied with Rose says he?s working on a new album after last year?s disappointing ?Chinese Democracy? ? the first Guns N? Roses studio album in 15 years ? and has something to prove.'

last year ? dissappointing ? something to prove ? 

what a cock smoker 

[Ignacio]

Another person who?s partied with Rose says he?s working on a new album after last year?s disappointing ?Chinese Democracy?

wtf? CD is awesome... And the Tours are going well!

[jacdaniel]

They just mean disappointing cos it didn't sell as well as people thought, but it was never going to live up to the hype anyways.

Wonder what members of Black Eyed Peas he was with.  They're now hanging with Axl and Slash 

[Nytunz]

They just mean disappointing cos it didn't sell as well as people thought, but it was never going to live up to the hype anyways.

Wonder what members of Black Eyed Peas he was with.  They're now hanging with Axl and Slash 

i wonder how the sale have been if no one downloaded it...
Still love the album. And listening to it almost daily. But for more albums to come? Oh yeah! I would welcome that
whenever they decided to release one =)

[14 Yrs Of Silence]

Its interesting to me how Axl becomes such a party animal when he's out on the road touring yet when he's not touring he seems to lay really low.  Of course, I only know what I read about him, but certainly NYC seems to bring out wild side.  Back in '06 Axl stayed in the city for some time partying at Butter and other hot spots at that time.  After the subsequent tour there was basically not one reported sighting of him until he got to LAX to fly out for the recent Asian shows.  He's definitely got his mojo going again.  Great to see.  Would be cool if he buys a place in CT, we need Axl out on the east coast!

[helenluna]

I really dig the article, except for the part where they call Chinese Democracy disappointing. Anyway, it's awesome to know that Axl is having fun and I hope he does the same here in South America! 

Pretty cool that GnR tweeted this too. Seems they liked it, hehe.

[downzy56]

Hey All,

I had the good fortune of partying with Axl and most of the band in Toronto a month or so ago and I'll attest to the validity of much of this article: Axl parties like no one else.  The guy is like the energizer bunny, he just doesn't seem to want to quit when the drinks are flowing and everyone is having a great time.  I remember (barely, I was in a drunken haze at the time) coming out of the club with Axl and Tommy and realizing the sun was up for the next day and thinking, so this is how it's done.  The man is the quintessential rock star: he does his job better than anyone.

Cheers,

Andrew

[oldgunsfan]

'Another person who?s partied with Rose says he?s working on a new album after last year?s disappointing ?Chinese Democracy? ? the first Guns N? Roses studio album in 15 years ? and has something to prove.'

last year ? dissappointing ? something to prove ? 

what a cock smoker 

compared to every other GnR album's sales I would say it was a dissapointment as well

[Annie]

Its interesting to me how Axl becomes such a party animal when he's out on the road touring yet when he's not touring he seems to lay really low.  Of course, I only know what I read about him, but certainly NYC seems to bring out wild side.  Back in '06 Axl stayed in the city for some time partying at Butter and other hot spots at that time.  After the subsequent tour there was basically not one reported sighting of him until he got to LAX to fly out for the recent Asian shows.  He's definitely got his mojo going again.  Great to see.  Would be cool if he buys a place in CT, we need Axl out on the east coast!

He should get a place in NYC in Manhattan instead of CT. It makes me sad to have people call CHINESE DEMOCRACY a disappointment. I love that CD so much. I still think TIL is one of the greatest love songs ever!

[Annie]

Hey All,

I had the good fortune of partying with Axl and most of the band in Toronto a month or so ago and I'll attest to the validity of much of this article: Axl parties like no one else.  The guy is like the energizer bunny, he just doesn't seem to want to quit when the drinks are flowing and everyone is having a great time.  I remember (barely, I was in a drunken haze at the time) coming out of the club with Axl and Tommy and realizing the sun was up for the next day and thinking, so this is how it's done.  The man is the quintessential rock star: he does his job better than anyone.

Cheers,

Andrew

Glad you had a good time.

[Jessica]

Ah well...Good ..I guess..

Not too much drink should i say but it's all too maternal lol...

I'd feel like a good party myself...It's been long enough..

Enjoy yourself.

[Vicious Wishes]

Axl is doing exactly what he should,  which is whatever the hell he wants.
Anyone else in his position would do exactly the same thing. Well, at least I would.

[FunkyMonkey]

I can't believe they put this together. 

SIGHTINGS MAP: WHERE IN NYC IS AXL ROSE?

http://www.nypost.com/rw/nypost/2010/03/02/entertainment/photos_stories/map.jpg

[mnsotapop]

Up all night, sleep all day.... Hopefully the the moods stay the same 

[draguns]

NJ would welcome Axl!!! Plenty of nice house in the Montclair Heights section of Clifton if he were ever to move in North NJ.