‘How Being Late And Volatile Was Axl Rose’s Contribution To The Guns N’ Roses Brand’

Ruth Blatt in Forbes:

Another myth that Duswalt confronts in his book is that Guns N’ Roses partied all the time. “Don’t get me wrong, they partied,” he says. “But, before a show, Axl would warm up for an hour in the shower doing vocal exercises. He would get a massage, he would get adjusted by a chiropractor. He would tape up his ankles because he ran around so much. He prepared for two-and-a-half to three hours before a show. And then after each show he would go back into the shower and warm down his voice for a half hour.” Not surprisingly, a recent study revealed that Axl Rose has the widest vocal range of any popular music singer, wider even than Adele or Mariah Carey.

Of course, that study prompted the most heated reaction of probably any story in VVN history, and Rose was eventually dethroned. (And Nina Hagen took her rightful place near the top.)

Anyway, this guy reports that “Guns N’ Roses’ Punctuality Problems Are Over,” so:

Rose himself addressed the issue during his 2011 ‘That Metal Show’ interview, leveling part of the blame at former bandmates and technical problems — but also admitting that tardiness has been an issue all his life: “I lived right behind my school, and I couldn’t make it to the class in grade school. I had a job at the grocery store down the street, and I’m running down the street with wet hair, trying to tie my tie, with a sandwich in one hand… it’s a comic strip.”

If you’d told me that one day their music would sound incredible compared to the stuff that’s around in 2014, I’d have bashed a beer bottle over your head.