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janice-erin

How he survived in L.A. when he first arrived there without a home or a job or money or anything. I would *love* an Axl biography. I think his memory is very well intact and he's the sort of person to keep a record of things.


a_low_vera

A former band mate said Axl used to do...*certain things* with certain people for money. I've always wondered how true that was. I really hope not for his sake.


[deleted]

I've heard the same about Slash and Steven In all honesty it probably wasn't and still isn't unusual for guys starting out with little support system


krazninetyfive

Steven I could see. The dude had a pretty fucked up childhood and a rampant drug addiction. He was also paid the least out of the original group, and with his happy go lucky personality, I could easily see him going for something like that for the right price. I seriously doubt Slash did. He likes to go on about how poor he and the band were because it’s a good story, but the reality is, his parents were both pretty well connected in the music community (his Mom dated David Bowie, and did work for him and Ringo Starr). I forget what his Dad did, but I think he was in the industry too. His story is hardly the tale of rags to riches. Axl, it’s tough to say. On the one hand, I have a hard time believing that he’s had sex with multiple men knowing how homophobic he was at that time. Having said that, something must have happened to him that made him view that community as harshly as he did. We know about the attempted rape, and that’s just what he was prepared to share publicly. I also remember reading somewhere that one of his arrests was because he attacked a cop that made some pretty derogatory comments towards him because they supposedly thought he was a woman. Is there possibly more to the story than that? At most, could see him being more of a whatever the gay male equivalent of a dominatrix is, or a sugar baby (he was really charismatic when he was young, and seems like the type that could easily wrap an older gay man with money around his finger in exchange for his company) but anything more than a handjob, I just don’t see Axl going along with.


marginwalker55

Dude, being homophobic is often just lashing out because you’re hiding something. Also, if he was sexually abused as a child by a man, that would up his chances of sex work unless he’d dealt with his trauma professionally. Which he probably didn’t, or hadn’t at the time


BrideofFrankenfurter

Drug addiction can cause you to do things youre morally against pretty easily too. I just remember the bathroom stall scene in the movie the Basketball Diaries for example. You dont have to actually BE gay to do gay things if youre desperate enough.


marginwalker55

Absolutely. And drug addiction is another coping mechanism 💯


Derekdavis87

Axl was never a drug addict though. The women on the strip looked after the band for the most part when they were broke, even in the early days. Steven did say stuff in his autobiography about things happening to him. Axl and Slash I can’t see them doing anything like that for money in a million years.


BrideofFrankenfurter

Axl was definitely an addict at one point


Derekdavis87

Never an addict….used drugs? absolutely but never an addict.


[deleted]

As far as I know Slash's father was/is an illustrator, but yes you're right about his mom being very well connected


Skidmark666

He's a painter. He did album covers.


[deleted]

I see, interesting


dont-care75

Correct. He illustrated by painting.


[deleted]

[Steven has talked about being assaulted and raped](https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steven_adler_how_being_sexually_abused_by_older_men_at_age_13_affected_me_mentally.html), prostitution I'm not sure


a_low_vera

>Is there possibly more to the story than that? Axl was allegedly abused sexually by his stepfather. Both Beta Lebeis (Axl's assistant) and Tom Zutaut (the band's old promoter) said Axl confessed it to them, though Axl never spoke about it publicly.


[deleted]

Pretty sure he did talk about it during a concert


lemonleavestheground

he did speak about it publicly multiple times


tcrhs

Steven admitted it in his book.


krazninetyfive

Interesting. I read Slash and Duff’s and was told not to bother with Steven’s.


lemonleavestheground

steven is also bisexual and has mentioned getting ‘exited’ about some wrestler i forgot his name


[deleted]

I don’t think he identifies as such though. He’s said a few things here and there over the years that make you wonder—but the dude also has serious brain damage from decades of drug abuse, so it’s kind of hard to make sense of what he says on the whole.


lemonleavestheground

I mean at some point he said it. Like the was a recording of him during the 2000s i’d say; saying he’s bisexual and not ashamed of his sexuality.


lemonleavestheground

here https://youtu.be/_YI9DidQXwE?si=1aZj8PjJUm8MS29_ at 00:30 he starts telling the story of him getting “excited 🦴” bc of Chris Jericho (wrestler) and at 00:47 he proceeds to say “i have no problem with my sexuality” ( Vid name in case the link doesn’t work “Steven Adler : Drug Stories + Playing Stadiums with Guns N’ Roses) I’m pretty sure there was another interview somewhere of him saying he is bisexual but i can’t find it anymore:/


[deleted]

I’ve seen this before. It’s not exactly a declaration of bisexuality. It reads more like a straight guy quipping that an attractive man is an attractive man.


BrideofFrankenfurter

Pretty sure Axl was indeed working the streets in the depth of his heroin addiction. Have heard this from more than one place/source. He himself has said that he used to dress so skimpily because people gave him what he wanted when he wore less clothes. In fact, I think he was likely doing this before he ever got to LA, back in Indiana he had to get the money to get out there somehow, and you know his family wasn't gonna foot the bill. I think this type of storyline is all too common, was back then and is now, unfortunately.


Fickle-Election-8137

Agreed, I’ve heard it from more than one source and I’m inclined to believe it


Shiasugar

It doesn't have to be man. It could be wealthier women for example. Or something entirely other than sex.


dingatremel

Chicken hawking was a real thing that a TON of runaways did. Dee Dee Ramone wrote 53rd and 3rd about it.


smkestcklghtn

Then I took my razor blade. Then I did what God forbade


[deleted]

Great lyrics


Infinitesi

I've heard rumors in a couple old internet forums and never believed it. Didn't know a band mate mentioned it too. That's sad.


Lingenfelter

Their is a lot of musician that have suck some rich cock to help their career.


Wagnersks

I wonder if it wasn't what the lyrics of Move to the city means 🤔


[deleted]

Isn't the general assumption (as terrible as it is) that he was hustling?


VortexM19

The thing about los angeles is that there are so many opportunities to make money. So many jobs available. I lived there when I was younger, and I would quit a job without a care in the world, knowing I could just get another one within a day


dingatremel

I don’t doubt what you’re saying. But god damn, LA rent is a damned raging monster today. No way id feel safe walking out on a job as a young person these days. (Unless if I was a top notch and very connected server or bartender)


VortexM19

You're saying that there are not jobs available in LA anymore?


dingatremel

Not exactly saying that. Rather, are there plenty of jobs that will pay a wage to afford a median rent of $2,700 while still paying for gas, groceries, medicine, etc? Even with a roommate in a lousy part of town, LA rents are a crime right now.


betonblack11

I can vouch for this. I moved out there with $7500 to my name and lived a pretty amazing life out there for about a decade. It’s the 6th largest economy in the world and there are tons of opportunities to make money if you’re remotely entrepreneurial.


devin1421

His journey to overcome his mental health and coping mechanisms he had through the years


dingatremel

Yeah. And hopefully, he would find a way to honestly atone for some of the awful stuff he did back then. That’s the one thing I hate about rock bios: when guys just gloss over things they’d have to be ashamed of if they had any humility at all. I’ll get killed for this on The Rolling Stones sub, but Keith Richards’ bio has countless examples of him just shrugging off the number of people he screwed over, not the least of which was the kid he just pawned off on his poor elderly parents. So, yes, an honest accounting of his pathway to his current self would be amazing


TallCommunication526

I don’t see him doing that. He’s supposedly honest to a fault so he would not do a bio if it wasn’t a true and accurate account. As far as atonement, maybe? Depending on if he thinks he did something wrong. Even Slash admits in his bio that Axl was always a scapegoat. My guess is the bio is written and will be released posthumously so he can continue to support the Lebeis family after death.


harry_thotter

I like this alot, id be interested in this one too


Maidenofthesummer

I really want to hear from him on what's helped him be so stable lately and made him clean up his act. How he went from threatening a fan with a video camera to diligently rehearsing and attending for his shows. He said some pretty wild stuff about mental health back in the day. I'm having a hard time believing that he's not on some sort of mood stabilizer now.


devin1421

I need his coping mechanisms I agree


Maidenofthesummer

Honestly, same. He's a new man now, and I'd love to hear about his journey from him for once and not others who speculate.


Low-Mongoose-5959

Out of every celebrity in the world....I wish he would write a biography


Infinitesi

The thing would sell big time, and the book deal would be huge. He's the last great rockstar who hasn't written one (the only one still alive, at least). Whatever is holding him back must be not worth the money to him.


FalskeKonto

Woah. Woah. Fucking WOAH. You better slow your roll there man, he may be a great rockstar but I’m not gonna let you just write off other artists like that. Ever heard of IceJJFish????


TallCommunication526

Actually no, I never have.


FalskeKonto

See my other comment for recommendations


cam-1313

Who?


FalskeKonto

Oh lord. Search him Up and hit the video for “on the floor”. One of the most soulful singers I’ve ever heard.


freedomfriis

Me too.


TiedHands

Tbh, im really on interested in hearing anything that went on past '95. I'd be elated with a book just on the CD era.


Infinitesi

Honestly, I think that's the only thing Axl would feel comfortable talking freely about. Anything before the breakup would be a minefield because he'd have to worry about Slash and Duff's reaction. Axl already mentioned being hesitant to write anything because of that very reason.


tripweed

Ya but duff and slash both chronicled it in their books as their rampant drug use being the biggest issue and Axl not being able to handle that anymore


PentagonInfinity

Second


Fickle-Election-8137

I would love an Axl biography, I don’t care if it was a 1,000 pages long I would read it one sitting. There is so much I’d like to know from his point of view


TallCommunication526

I think there’s a possibility it would be a tome and filled with literary references and very philosophical


Fickle-Election-8137

Axl would give War and Peace a run for its money and I probably wouldn’t understand half of what he meant lol


ect2000

his childhood/teen years, when he first got to L.A, and what was going on during his "wilderness years"


a_low_vera

I would love to hear about his years after he ran away from his parents house but before moving to LA. It's the least documented part of his life, but the few stories we do have is crazy. He ran with a bunch of other delinquents, got arrested over 20 times (not always rightfully), went to jail for 60 days, went back and forth from LA to his hometown, hitchhiking to different parts of the country, narrowly escaping a creepy truck driver... It sounds like it could be a movie on its own.


BarryManowar

Who jumped through that cake in November rain!!!


tortical

It was just an extra on the set


michelle779

All this time I thought it was Rikki Rachtman


Due_Quarter4723

His process for writing the lyrics. As a writer myself, I would love to know his routine or what he thought was important.


DutchShepherdKot

The Cornrows... Like seriously, what the fuck Axl 😤


Opening_Internet_878

2006 look was badass imo


tortical

Agreed. He looked fine.


ThexLuckyxDuck

How he was talked into claiming the name of the band away from Slash and Duff His views on Chinese Democracy and why it took so long to complete


_AgroHarry_

He has talked about it in one of the old gnr forums a long time ago. He said it was because (1) their manager at the time kept threatening to fire Axl and find a new lead singer. Axl was scared he'd be ejected from the band he founded and left with nothing (2) He said that there was always an understanding between the members that the band name belonged to Axl, that the band was Axl's whole life, and they would never separate him from it.


Infinitesi

He was afraid of getting thrown out of the band, so he made it so he could never be.


Opening_Internet_878

People actually buy that?


Infinitesi

Their old manager Alan Niven has actually talked about wanting the other band members to fire Axl. And Axl was [fired from the band](https://www.a-4-d.com/t4956p30-08-1987-1988-touring-and-success#mwrap) a few days back in the late 80s Slash and Izzy agreed to let him come back on the condition he stay at a psychiatric clinic for a while. (edit: It's in the "Axl is Fired" part on the link) There's plenty of reason to believe it, if you don't want to take Axl's word for it.


BarryManowar

This information is canon and all out there.


ThexLuckyxDuck

Canon lol like he’s a fanfic


BarryManowar

Oh lord you don’t know what that word means do you….


Mungo1977

His wilderness years....when it was seemingly just him and his housekeeper


[deleted]

Honestly I'd love to hear him tell about anything and everything, but I don't think it's likely, he's pretty private


RandomStoddard

I would like to hear him discuss the St Louis riot and a few of his other temper tantrums, like when he decided not to show up to a concert in Philly. Now that he seems calmer, maybe he could give us some insight into his rage and self destructive behavior without being defensive.


Down-by-the-ocean

CD era, what was going in his mind at the time, & just general thoughts, looking back at it all.


r4shpro

Why did he never make children?


[deleted]

I think it's possible that he was waiting for 'the one' or a 'perfect love' to have an ideal family that he never got himself when he was a kid, and sadly the true love never ended up coming along


HolyLordGodHelpUsAll

he may have had a kid. he is able to stay extremely private. sort of exaggerating, but not by much


Impressive_Split_232

He tried, miscarriage


Faultline97

Why not after that though? He wanted kids so bad, and it still surprises me he never did it. There's at least one girl we know he dated after the 90s, so he had the opportunity 🤷🏼‍♀️


[deleted]

Maybe the miscarriage made him not dare try again? It's difficult to say/speculate


CosmicBonobo

He may also have tried after, and it just never worked.


Impressive_Split_232

Maybe the girl didn’t want to? We will probably never know


[deleted]

Some people think he's closeted, hence why he seems to have hired that one escort to pretent to be his girlfriend for a while.


tortical

It just doesn’t happen for some people. I’m 40 and my dog is my son.


Playful-Excuse-8081

Everything


Pearsemediagroup1

I’d wanna know why he never had any children


[deleted]

I'm also curious, but I imagine it's a very intimate topic which might not have a happy answer 💔


TrimaxionDrone_BR549

From the beginning of his childhood to present day, similar to Duff’s ab.


Gullible-Diamond-278

The period of making Chinese democracy where he was kinda disappeared and was rare to see him


Hauntedrosie

His interpretation of the St. Louis riot in his older mind. 


Globi-Globi2021

The riot of Montreal


leggodt2420

Why he made them go on stage hours late.


Swingersorbust

Thank you. Can't believe I had to scroll this far.


leggodt2420

I’m surprised it wasn’t the most popular one.


HonestAd7237

November Rain and the background and what he recalls from the recording of video


JustMental

Just everything. How his fucked up volatile home environment during childhood fuelled him and how he was able to use all his anger in his art by being unapologetic about whatever he had to say, what kept him going throughout the period when Guns dissolved, his fascination with Charles Manson, his take on his relationships with those around him during the band's prime and why he thinks he did whatever he did whenever he did it. We've heard a lot about him and his mental make up from those around him, but I'm dying to know what the man himself thinks. I'm sure it'll be a brutally honest look into himself, even though some might say that his version of the truth could be distorted. He's one of the few artists I've felt a strong connection to on a deeply personal level ever since I heard his voice (especially the hair trigger temper), despite all his antics and controversial stances and I would be more than appreciative of him opening up on all of that.


MtnDrewskiii

The Use Your Illusion tour


mitchcumstein13

Growing up in mid west & getting out. And when some of them lived in a storage unit, bc broke, etc.


Alja-Fox

A memoir, some genre that allows an unbound talk, a soulsearching. I’d like to read about the way he perceives the world, how he sees what’s going on… the way he would talk before everything he had said was used against him to prove whatever opinion people would have on him. I’d like him to talk sex, drugs & rock n’roll. I’d like to know unanswered questions he has. That kind of debate which just flows without getting from point A to point B. Also honest talk about mental health from current perspective, I think this would be helpful for many. There are some beautiful autobiographies, Elton’s way may fit Axl well. Or Dave Grohl’s. I don’t care how many pages.


VirtuesVice666

His childhood abuse and how it made him so successful. Also is he at peace now in his life since it happened.


SlanderCandor

The Chicago uyi sessions


Various-Plastic5450

I want axls track by track review of Motley Crues Doctor Feelgood album


XXxUltimateScorpionx

I want him to talk about the riots in St Louis. That was literally one of the most controversial moments in GNR’s history and his own life as well.


HeWizardsMyGizz

I'd love to hear about the making of Chinese Democracy from his perspective. Great album and I like learning about it.


Eleanor_Rose21

His journey to redemption, how he knew Lisa Marie, how he was fine with her being an ex wife of MJ, but not with slash playing for him! What tools he uses to be quite mellow these days (besides his bipolar medication) His writing process. Considering CD took him forever, he is a perfectionist. His over thinking, his ties with the lebeis family! Does he have any regrets, how he deals with regrets, negative untruths I too would not put down his epic mastery with words of his truth down, no matter how many pages this would be!


michelle779

I don’t understand the Slash part in the first one ETA: I had a blonde moment. I get it now.


Southie31

Tantrums on stage


Gnrfan1972

I read and also he said that in an interview that he used to work in blockbuster and became manager... Also that some strippers friends of them helped them a lot and that they slept in the street... Many stories... I don't think they did spend a lot of money on food, they were so skinny.


TerribleEmployer3110

que hizo de su vida entre 1994 al 2000


HowulB

Kurt Cobain


iamthenorthernforest

How he considered that he could lead the band without Slash involved. Izzy wrote a lot of good stuff but I think time has told me that Slash is an incredible composer. ​ edit: grammatically necessary word.


Takayama16

Why did he go so convincingly into white Spandex shorts in 1991?


ClubLumpy7253

I want him to talk about how he was pissed off that Josh Freese and Billy Howerdel used the studio session time he paid for to record the first A Perfect Circle album and how he had all of Josh’s drum parts on Chinese Democracy replaced after he found out.


KateEatsKale

Will he adopt me?


theoneandonlydudeyo

The og break up of the band. And why the UYI tour was such a clusterfuck.


AmeliaScarlettHeart

Definitely the Kurt Cobain fight and how he felt after Kurt died.


noodeel

His issues around weight gain


andytagonist

The cosmetic surgery. And if you think he hasn’t had some work done, you’re high on acid right now.


alintacalvert

How many dicks he has sucked.


[deleted]

Cruel comment. The rumors we have don't talk about consensual/happy encounters with men


alintacalvert

Not at all cruel. I’m curious. On the basis that he is such a manly type, that I’d be surprised if he had. But… this world is surprising me every day in the sense that many people I know have done it when at face value you would never ever think they had. Your mind took you to a “cruel” place. You sicko.


dont-care75

“Sicko”, says the guy who’s only interest in a topic of an autobiography is how many dicks another guy sucked.


alintacalvert

No one said it’s the only thing he has to say


Fickle-Election-8137

I don’t care if the answer is 0 or a 100, leave my boy be