By Alfred Branch, Jr.
Could Guns Nā Roses, one the biggest rock bands of the ā80s and early ā90s be headed for a reunion with the five original members? Steven Adler, the first drummer with GNR, thinks itās possible.
Nothing has been announced, but according to Adlerās Myspace fan site, he and reclusive GNR frontman Axl Rose spoke backstage at a recent GNR show and ironed out much of their past differences. If you recall, Adler was booted from the band in part because of his drug use at the time. Adler also said heās spoken separately with guitarists Izzy Stradlin and Slash about the possibility of a reunion, and apparently neither of them laughed him out of the room, and Stradlin has turned up as rhythm guitarist at several current GNR shows. Reports say fifth member Duff McKagan is also considering it.
āI saw Axl, talked with him from, s***, what was it? Ten or 12 at night to 8 in the morning, we talked. We resolved a lot of f****** s***,ā Adler is quoted in a blog on the site, Myspace.com/stevenadlersappetite. āIt was wonderful! Just wonderful. I was the same happy-go-lucky person that Iāve always been to him, and he enjoyed it. Dude we talked ātil 8 in the morning! I said āYou know the five of us have to get back together! That’s when it will really f****** take off again! Nothing will be bigger. It would be the biggest reunion ever in historyā.ā Adler added that Rose ājust grinned and giggled a little bitā at the notion of a reunion.
For a brief time more than 15 years ago, GNR was one of the most famous bands on the planet, so a reunion of the original members would draw intense interest from promoters and the ticket industry, especially with the 20th anniversary this year of one of the bandās best-selling albums āAppetite for Destruction.ā In recent years, however, the band has been a bit of an enigma due to Roseās mercurial behavior and lingering animosity among members. Rose still tours under the GNR banner with new members, but GNR shows have been plagued with problems and missed dates. Slash and McKagan are currently in the successful band Velvet Revolver, and Adler plays small dates with his band Adlerās Appetite, which mostly plays GNR covers.
However, none of the original members have had the impact ā or sales ā of the original GNR.
The problem lies in what to believe and just how extensive talks have been between the members. Adler would not be the first musician to float a rumor in hopes that the coverage would spark enough interest to make a reunion happen. Also, trying to predict Roseās next move is anyoneās guess. For example, the singerās long-awaited album āChinese Democracyā has been recorded and re-recorded over a period of about 10 years but is finally slated to be released in early March.
Perhaps time has healed whatever lingering wounds the bandās break-up may have caused. This year Van Halen is slated to tour with original frontman David Lee Roth, which almost didnāt come together because of the bandās alleged hatred of each other. And, after more than 20 years, the Police will mount a world tour, despite members engaging in fistfights at the time of their break-up.