It all began back in 1983 when childhood friends Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose in Lafayette, Indiana) and Izzy Stradlin (born Jeff Isbell) reunited in Los Angeles, where they both had dreams of making it in the music business. They formed a band, first called Rose, and then Hollywood Rose, with other local musicians. It was short-lived, although Rose and Stradlin wrote a song “My Way, Your Way,” that would eventually become Appetite’s “Anything Goes.” While Stradlin joined a band called London, Rose become frontman for L.A. Guns. Meanwhile, Slash (born Saul Hudson), Adler, and McKagan hooked up and formed Road Crew. By 1985, Rose, Stradlin, and McKagan had formed an early incarnation of Guns N’ Roses (the name taken from the two bands Rose performed in - Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns) with Traci Guns on guitar and Rob Gardner on drums.

When McKagan organized a few gigs in Seattle, Guns and Gardner dropped out of the band. Replaced by Slash and Adler in 1985, the original lineup was now in place. The band began scoring gigs at infamous L.A. clubs like the Whiskey A Go-Go, the Roxy, the Water Club, the Troubadour and Scream. At the time, the Sunset Strip was awash in big hair, glam/metal bands, most notably Poison, who ultimately drew bigger crowds with their uninspired, sophomoric songs. This put the more serious-minded and infinitely more talented Guns N’ Roses in a class by themselves. Geffen Records recognized the untapped genius of the band and signed them in 1986.

While Geffen planned a July, 1987, release of Appetite for Destruction, the company whet the appetites of fans by releasing the four-song EP Live?!*@ Like a Suicide in December of 1986. From the start, the band was drawn to controversy. The cover of Appetite for Destruction featured a graphic, sinister Robert Williams painting depicting a rape that eventually got the album banned from major retailers. Even with a new cover, however, the album stalled upon its release. It wasn’t until MTV began playing the video for “Sweet Child O’ Mine” that Guns N’ Roses exploded into the living rooms of America’s youth. “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City” shot the band to superstardom. By the summer of 1988, Gun N’ Roses ruled the roost.

Their meteoric rise was riddled with problems ranging from alcohol abuse and drug addiction, last-minute concert cancellations, ridiculously long concert delays, riots, and violence, all which fueled the hype machine and inspired rumors of an impending breakup. If that weren’t enough, the release of 1988’s G N’ R Lies sparked new accusations, this time of racism and homophobia stemming from Rose’s derogatory lyrics from “One in a Million.” Despite offensive lyrics and bad behavior, Gun N’ Roses’ appeal remained unstoppable. G N’ R Lies climbed to number 2 on Billboard, marking the first time in 15 years that a band had two records simultaneously in the top five. It would be another three years before the band released a new album. During the recording, Adler was fired from the band for alleged drug addiction. He was replaced by Cult drummer Matt Sorum, and in 1991, Guns N’ Roses released a double-album, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (Rose took the name from a painting by Mark Kostabi). They debuted in the top two spots on Billboard’s album charts.

Though massively successful, the Use Your Illusion albums marked a severe departure from the band’s blues-based beginnings. While more ambitious than Appetite, the double LPs were simultaneously praised and criticized for their soul-searching ballads and rock epics that featured horns, piano and female backup singers. It was the beginning of the end, as Rose was veering into musical territory that found inspiration in Elton John and Queen as well as Nine Inch Nails, while Slash and Stradlin wanted to keep the band firmly planted in its rock roots. Artistic differences and general frustration led to Stradlin’s departure in November 1991. He was replaced by Gilby Clarke (Kill for Thrills).

In 1992, the music industry experienced a major shift with the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind and the introduction of grunge. By comparison, Guns N’ Roses’ rock star excesses appeared vacuous and superficial to the unrefined, earnestness pouring out of Seattle. The band released an album of little-know punk covers in 1993 called The Spaghetti Incident. Again, the band sparked a debate over a hidden track of a cover of a Charles Manson song. Around the same time, the band settled a lawsuit with Adler over what he claims was his wrongful dismissal from the group. Guns N’ Roses paid Adler 2.5 million dollars. By 1995, Rose had virtually disappeared while Slash struck out on his own with Slash’s Snakepit, releasing It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere. Again, rumors flew about the band’s uncertain future.

Rose remained holed up in the studio, working on new material with several outside musicians, some of who would later become official members of the band - Tommy Stinson (Replacements) and Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails). In 1996, everything fell apart when Rose, allegedly acting like an angry dictator, insisted on including childhood friend Paul Huge on recording sessions. Clarke was shut out of the group, while the tension between Rose and Slash reached its breaking point over the final cut of the band’s cover of “Sympathy for the Devil.” Rose had replaced original cuts with those of Huge without consent from the band. When McKagan left in 1997, Rose became the sole surviving member of the band and legal owner of the name. In 2000, Guns N’ Roses contributed “Oh My God” to the End of Days soundtrack. It was their first piece of new material in eight years.

Slowly, Rose and the reformation of Guns N’ Roses came out of the woodwork. The new members were Stinson, Finck, avant-garde guitarist Buckethead, former Primus drummer Brian Mantia, Paul Huge and keyboardist Dizzy Reed. The band played at the Hard Rock Café in Vegas New Year’s Eve 2000. The following year found the band headlining the Rock in Rio festival. Despite detractors, Guns N’ Roses received an overwhelming response in Rio. It seemed the band might be back on track and the long-awaited new album Chinese Democracy might finally be ready for release.

It wasn’t. In fact, another tour was cancelled, another member left (this time Huge stepped down to be replaced by Richard Fortus), and more producers were fired and hired. The new album’s release date took on mythic proportions, as reports speculated about how many millions of dollars had been spent by Interscope Records on an album that may never see the light of day. Hope returned when Guns N’ Roses made a surprise appearance at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, performing a medley of “Welcome to the Jungle, “Madagascar” and “Paradise City.” After the show, Axl announced plans for a North American tour that would begin in November.

Not to be outdone, Slash, McKagan and Sorum started jamming together and performed a few impromptu gigs with various singers, including Sebastian Back (Skid Row). It was reported that they were looking for a permanent lead singer, a search that will take them to VH-1, who planned to document and air their quest.

The Gun N’ Roses tour initially faltered when a riot ensued on opening night in Vancouver because the show was abruptly cancelled. Some stories reported that Rose was a no-show, while the band’s management blamed the owners of the venue who shut down the show even though Rose was supposedly on route to the concert. The next few shows went off without a hitch; however, the band’s sold-out gig on December 5, 2002 at Madison Square Garden in New York City would be their last. The entire tour was officially cancelled days later, and Rose hasn’t been heard from since. Despite the years of sturm and drang, worshippers still flock to the altar of Axl Rose, and fans still eagerly await the release of Chinese Democracy. - Michele Drohan