The Rolling Stone Interview - Axl Rose - Part II
            Issue #558 - August 10, 1989 by Del James 

The "One in a Million" lyrics about "faggots" who "spread some fuckin' disease" got G n' R bounced from an AIDS benefit in
New York by the Gay Men's Health Crisis, one of the groups that was involved with putting on the show. How did you feel
about that?

We're in no way associated with the Gay Men's Health Crisis, except that David Geffen is on the board of directors for the
concert and he's the owner of our record company. We were asked to do this, and we wanted to contribute some money to
help stop a deadly disease that's killing humans of all kinds. A friend of mine who's homosexual and was largely responsible for
the record companies taking notice of us was upset about it because we didn't even get a chance to clear ourselves, to make
good.

AIDS is something very scary. The concert was something we wanted to do and felt it was important to do but we were
denied the opportunity. We were even denied the opportunity to say anything about it. It was just publicly announced that we
weren't allowed to do it because the Gay Men's Health Crisis wouldn't let us. I don't feel they have the right to deny the money
and attention they would have gotten from us playing. It's pride, it's ignorant and it's childish.

Women seem to be one of the more popular subjects with Guns and Roses. Are you a romantic kind of guy?

I'm a person that has a lot of different relationships. It's really hard to maintain a one-on-one relationship if the other person is
not going to allow me to be with other people. I have a real open, hedonistic, sexual attitude. Just 'cause you're not totally in
love with a person doesn't mean you don't like them. You can think they're attractive, and you want to touch them, have a
great time with them. Maybe at that moment you are in love. I think love and lust go hand in hand, like good and evil. One
without the other is not complete, But I don't tell someone I'm in love with them if I'm not. I never have.

You'd describe yourself as promiscuous then?

I have sex as often as possible.

Don't you ever think of contracting AIDS?

Yeah, but I also live in a city that's supposed to get the big quake any day. You can get killed on the freeway in drive-by
shooting, the foods irradiated, there's a million ways to go out. A lot of times, sexual situations are very spontaneous, but I try
not to be overly careless.

So you practise safe sex?

Practicing safe sex . . . . I like the word practice. It means keep doing it, keep repeating the process, get it right. Practice
makes perfect. I don't know if it'll get perfect. but you can get a lot better. Just keep practicing.

What about drugs? Everyone and their mother seems to have a G n' R story involving junkie debauchery . . . .

I'm not and never have been a junkie. The last interview in RIP Magazine got taken out of context about me talking openly
about my drug use. That was over two years ago and was only for a few weeks when there was nothing to do. I was also very
safe about it. That doesn't mean that at some point I won't get really sick of life and choose to OD. Then people will go, "He
was always a junkie." That's not the case, but you can believe what you want, I don't give a fuck. No one's really gonna
believe anything I say anyway as far as what I do or don't do with drugs, 'cause it's such a taboo subject. Lately I've been
drinking champagne for fun, a few beers, you know. Right now drugs get in the way of my dreams and goals. I really don't
want drugs around me now, I'm not necessarily against the use of drugs, they just don't fit in my life right now. Then again, I
could be out on tour for six months and a blast might be what cheers me up that night.

Do you ever think these excesses might hurt other members of the group?

I don't want to see drugs tear up this band. I'm against when it goes too far. Right now, for me, a line of coke is too far. A line
of coke puts my voice out of commission for a week. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I did a lot of stuff before. Maybe
it's guilt and it's relocated in my throat. All I know is it's not healthy for me right now. And if somebody goes, "Oh, man, he's
not a partyer anymore," hey, fuck you! Do you want a record or not?

With all the misconceptions floating around about G n' R, the biggest misconceptions seem to come from magazine interviews
you've granted.

That's just a lot of sensationalism. People out there don't know what's real or not. Things are always going to get changed or
taken out of context, but some magazines will make up an interview just to sell issues. One's written that Slash said I run over
dogs. I think it sucks when a kid has three bucks and he buys a candy bar, a soda and a magazine because he's really into
Guns n' Roses, and he gets bad photos and an interview that's not true. It's not fair. Unfortunately, it probably will never
change.

Some schools have banned G n' R t-shirts, and organizations like the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) have objected
to what they feel is the band's glorification of a degenerate lifestyle. When you sing to a younger audience, do you think you
have any responsibility as their idol?

It's just a record. . . I don't know. You have to go through your own changes sand growth. I'm not trying to influence anybody
in a negative way. Also, I'm not raising your kid. You're the parent. The PRMC? Who are they? A TV show, like AM/PM?

If you had a young son, say Axl Rose II, how would you feel if he brought home an album with lyrics about "niggers" and
"faggots"?

Right now I don't want to have a child, because I can't give it enough time. But I'd want him to talk about what he listened to
with me, and have him show me new things, and me show him new things. He could play me the Screaming Banshees From
Hell, and I could play him Jimi Hendrix or something. We could talk about the music. We'd talk about things together. I think
it's a parents job to raise their child. My father likes "Welcome to the Jungle." Ten years ago, if a song like that was caught in
our house, man, it was over. But I can't hold how he once felt against him.

Let's go back to your childhood. Were you a bad student? 

No. On the placement tests in school, I was always in the top three percent. I dropped out in the eleventh grade, went back as
a senior, then dropped out again.

Why did you drop out?

'Cause I couldn't make school work for me. I was having to read books, sing songs, draw pictures of things that didn't
stimulate or excite me. It just didn't do anything for me. So I dropped out and started drawing and painting at home and
spending a lot of my time in the library. Basically I started putting myself through Axl's school of subjects that I wanted to learn
about.

You grew up in Lafayette , Indiana. What influence do you thing your small town had in shaping you?

It made me despise people with closed minds. It made me want to break out.

What about small-town values?

That's a load of shit.

Were you in trouble a lot?

Me and my friends were always in trouble. We got in trouble for fun. It finally reached a point where I realized I was gonna
end up in jail, 'cause I kept fucking with the system. This guy and I got into a fight. We became friends afterwards, and he
dropped charges against me, but the state kept on pressing charges. Those charges didn't work, so they tried other ones. I
spent three months in jail and finally got out. But once you've pissed off a detective, it's a vengeance rap back there.

They tried everything. They busted me illegally in my own back yard for drinking. They tried to get me as a habitual criminal,
which can mean a life in prison. My lawyer got the case thrown out of court. I left and came to California. They told me not to
leave, but I left anyway. My lawyer took care of it. I didn't go back for a long time. Now when I go back to see my family, I
avoid the police there. I try to avoid all police in general.

What happens when you go back now as a celebrity instead of an outcast?

It gets a little bit out of hand. I can't really go any where. I just go to my friends' houses, but people I don't know show up
wanting autographs. People that I used to go to school with, people that used to hate my guts, want me to invest money in this
and that. People say shit like "Axl thinks he's too cool to party with us." But those people never wanted to party with me
before, The people who are offended by this comment are the ones who should be.

How do you explain your volatile nature?

When I get stressed, I get violent and take it out on myself. I've pulled razor blades on myself but then realized that having a
scar is more detrimental than not having a stereo. I'd rather kick my stereo in than go punch somebody in the face. When I get
mad or upset or emotional, sometimes I'll walk over and play my piano.

Your own music has been diluted somewhat by radio stations that play different, shorter versions of G n' R songs. How do
you feel when you music is cut to suit the airwaves?

Not that any of our songs compare, but if you hear a short version of "Layla," I think you're gonna be pissed off, especially if
you're planning on hearing the big piano part at the end. I hate the edit of "Sweet Child o' Mine." Radio stations said, "Well,
your vocals aren't cut." My favorite part of the song is Slash's slow solo; it's the heaviest part for me. There's no reason for it
to be missing except to create more space for commercials, so the radio-station owners can get more advertising dollars.
When you get the chopped version of "Paradise City" or half of "Sweet Child" and "Patience" cut, you're getting screwed.

What kind of music and bands do you enjoy?

That's always the hardest question. Lately I've been listening to Derek and the Dominos, the Bar-Kays. I really like the first
Patti Smith. I'm just starting to discover the Cure. I keep trying to find things to open myself up to. I enjoy Sound Garden. The
singer just buries me. The guy sings so great. On the club circuit, I like Saigon Saloon a lot.

Today, my favorite record is Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything . I just got turned on to it. I've still got my favorites and
things like the Pistols, ELO and Queen. The two records I always buy if there's a cassette deck around and I don't have the
tapes in my bag are Never Mind the Bullocks and Queen II . I think I'd be in a bind to figure out which one I'd want if I was
stranded on a desert island. I might go with the Pistols, because maybe a boat would hear me if I played it.

You are also a Rolling Stones fan. There were some rumors floating around about G n' R possibly opening for them ontheir
upcoming tour. What happened?

No formal offer has been made. I'd love to open for the Stones, but at the same time I really want to do my own record. We'll
probably go back on the road sometime next year. I don't know exactly when.

Do you consider yourself the leader of the band?

That's a good question. I'm gonna do what I want to do. That may be selfish, but it's the best way for the most to come out of
me. When we write a song, nobody in this band plays anything they don't really want to. When we write a song, the bass
player plays his line and it ends up being what he wants to do on bass. It ends up working that way and fitting, so we end up
with a set of songs that everybody likes. I couldn't say I'm the leader, like "We're gone do what I say." It doesn't work that
way.

Earlier you touched on the rock-star image and people falling into the music just because it adheres to a certain attitude and
look. What about Axl Rose's longhaired, tattooed, pierced-nipple image?

What about it?

Is it just an image?

It's part of me. When I put on my clothes or do a photo session, I want to look the best I can. If you're going on a date, you
want to look good for that person or for yourself. I've got enough money now to buy a suit I like and wear it the way I want. I
don't wear suits every damn day now. Maybe I'm gonna shave and wear makeup and do my hair fuckin' way up.

We're definitely image conscious. I think if Izzy came wearing a clown suit to a photo session, we'd want to know how he
could validate his presence in a clown suit. [laughs] But if he could back it up and convince us there was a reason, then it
would be cool. Otherwise, it wouldn't be. Steven has his own way of dressing, in the latest commercial-rock fashions. Steven
enjoys the hell out of the clothes he wears, whereas Slash and I wouldn't be caught dead in either. It's just different
personalities.

If we're gonna do a show, I wear a headband because my hair gets in my face. When we do a photo session, a lot of the time
I'll wear a headband because that's how I am onstage. If I feel real dominant and decadent, I'm gonna be wearing my
jack-boots and stuff like that. I try to express myself through my clothes. It's another form of the art. I'm not afraid of what
people think about different ways I look. I'm gonna do what I want to do.

Do you really get hassled much when you go out locally in L.A.?

I really only go to clubs where I know the people who work there, so I can have some privacy and hang out. It's hard when
you go to a club with 600 people and you end up having to talk to 400 people. You have no time of your own to have fun.
Maybe if I haven't gone out for a week, I'll go to the Cathouse, because I know some friends are gonna be there. I just want
to be around my friends, even if we don't talk about anything. I just need it.

You have all these people asking you for an autograph, and it gets kind of embarrassing. I don't want to be a prick to people
and go, "Get away from me." But I don't enjoy goin someplace and just signing autographs all the time. It comes with the fame,
but sometimes it gets out of hand and people can be very rude and obnoxious about it. I've had people break into my hotel
room with cameras, waking me up and taking photos. People find out where I live and show up at my building. I've never
asked anyone for an autograph.

Having to deal with autographs doesn't seem like it's the worst thing in the world. At this point in your life, what's your biggest
regret?

That I didn't talk to Todd Crew before he went to New York. [Crew, the bassist in the band Jetboy, was a close friend of the
band's who died due to an alcohol-related overdose.] I felt a massive need to talk to him out of concern for his well-being. But
I wasn't aware enough to realize I didn't have the time I thought I did. I thought I'd have time later . . .

You seem to have an exceptionally strong bond with your friends. Do you think your values have changed any since you've
become a rich rock star?

I saw a guy last night, a homeless guy on the beach. I hate panhandlers 'cause I've never done that. I just couldn't, it would
have felt too weird. I walked past the man and realized I had some money in my pocket. It's not that I give everybody I see
money. I don't at all. But I handed him twenty bucks and he was like "Thanks, man, I appreciate it." He can have breakfast
tomorrow.

I could have just walked away, but I could tell in my heart that the guy could really use the money. He wasn't trying to scam.
He looked like he was gonna get up tomorrow and look for a job or something to survive. I felt good about that, and I'm
wondering if he's all right now. I don't know. The next day I was hoping he didn't go buy crack with it.