STEVEN ADLER Says AXL ROSE Is 'Being A Total Baby'

Andrew Lau of Crawdaddy! magazine recently conducted an interview with original GUNS N' ROSES and current ADLER'S APPETITE drummer Steven Adler. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.,

Crawdaddy!: After you left GN'R, they added keyboards, backup singers, and a horn section. Was that a direction you would've been okay with had you still been in the group?

Adler: No, that would've never happened, so they're lucky they did kick me out. I would've okayed the one keyboard player, but it wouldn't have been that jackoff [Axl's] got. It would've been a friend of ours named Howard; that was the whole plan, anyway, that was the only change we were going to make. Bit it was going to be kinda like the AEROSMITH keyboard player, off to the side. Put a mask on him or something [laughs].

Crawdaddy!: Does it makes things any easier for you knowing the band started to go downhill after you left?

Adler: No, it didn't, because I wanted them to succeed. Because Axl did this record, "Chinese Democracy", he didn't call it what he should've called it which was "W.A.R." — W. Axl Rose, not GUNS N' ROSES. It would've' been much better for him. Look at Sting, when he does his solo stuff, he doesn't call it THE POLICE. Phil Collins doesn't call it GENESIS. That's how you're supposed to do it. He's being a total baby. Fuckin' grow up already. For me personally, I want to finish what I started with those assholes. If it wasn't for all these fans who still love us 20 years later, we wouldn't have lived the way we lived, and it's not fair for Axl to keep it from them. All they want is to see the five of us assholes play. Together. I just got off 56 shows in 62 days and had the best time ever traveling around America meeting wonderful people, and all they keep saying is: "'Appetite For Destruction' is the soundtrack to my life, you guys gotta do a reunion." No kidding, if it was up to me it would happen. I know we owe it to the fans.

Crawdaddy!: What have you found to be more difficult: Cleaning up and staying sober or being in a band with Axl Rose?

Adler: [exhales deeply] Wow. Quitting cigarettes. I'm having a harder time with quitting cigarettes than with that asshole and those assholes. [laughs] The reason, I'm telling you right now, the reason he started going off the wall like he [did] was because there wasn't someone there to focus him and bring him down to earth. If he would throw the microphone and leave the stage after the first song, I would go to him, "Dude, remember when we were kids and we wanted to go see our favorite rock bands? Remember how long and how hard we had to work to save up the money to go see them? That's what these people did to see us. You can't do that." He'd be, "You're right, Steven," and it would bring him back down to earth.

Crawdaddy!: A lot of bands lose sight of that.

Adler: He talked some pretty goofy fuckin' shit, you gotta admit. He can't deny it, but he's also done a lot of wonderful things, and those things don't get any press. People want to hear the negative.

Read the entire interview from Crawdaddy!.