1992.09.09 - MTV Video Music Awards, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA

Craig Duswalt wrote:
There are so many versions of the Axl Rose / Kurt Cobain story and since I was there, I will share exactly what happened on September 9, 1992, at the MTV Video Music Awards at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Guns N’ Roses was going to be presented with the Video Vanguard Award, also known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to musicians who have made a profound effect on the MTV culture. They were also going to play “November Rain” with Elton John. Axl was very excited to play with Elton John, and I was very excited to meet him.

Nirvana was scheduled to play their song “Lithium.” I heard that MTV wouldn’t allow Nirvana to play their song “Rape Me” for obvious reasons, but Kurt played a few bars live before they played “Lithium.” A bit of a slap in the face, but pretty harmless.

Outside Pauley Pavilion were a plethora of trailers, used as dressing rooms for all the bands and stars appearing at the awards show that night.

Nirvana had a trailer, and in the next row over, Guns N’ Roses had a trailer.

At this point in their careers it had been documented that Axl and Kurt did not get along. Kurt said things about Axl. Axl said things about Kurt. They definitely had a past, so it was weird that the promoters of the event put the two bands’ trailers that close to each other.

Stephanie Seymour and Axl wanted to take a walk around the backstage area to just relax, and maybe visit some industry friends. As always, Earl and I tagged along.

The four of us arrived at the hospitality tent, and as we walked by we saw Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, sitting at a table, eating, with their new baby, Frances Bean.

This is where the story starts to vary. And this is where the media and/or secondhand accounts have blown this “meeting of the minds” way out of proportion.

No matter what was said, it never really escalated into anything.

As we walked by, Courtney sarcastically asked Axl, “Do you want to be godfather to our daughter?”

Stephanie said something about being a model. Courtney said something about being a brain surgeon. Silly fun.

Axl then told Courtney to shut up … blah, blah, blah …

And that was it. It was quick; it was said in passing; it was really nothing. Yet, there are so many different accounts on what was said, and how it was said, that it makes us all laugh, because it was nothing.

It was so nothing that Earl and I did nothing, except smile. And the four of us went on our merry way.

That’s it. When I saw it in the papers the next day I was amazed that this was a “story.”

Now, what was really interesting was what happened next. As we continued our leisurely walk backstage we saw comedian Andrew Dice Clay talking to a man dressed in a suit. As we got closer we heard Dice Clay begging this man (we come to find out), an MTV executive, to let him appear on the awards show that night.

It wasn’t going well for Mr. Dice Clay.

In 1989, Andrew Dice Clay was banned from MTV because he veered way off a prepared script when he was supposed to introduce Cher. And when he veered off, apparently he said some pretty crude things on live television. MTV did not like that.

Well this trying-to-mend-the-past thing was not working. Not even close. I actually felt bad for Dice Clay—it was really sad. No matter what Dice Clay said to this guy, he kept getting turned down. It was really weird watching a guy who was over-the-top onstage be very vulnerable when confronted with a real-life situation.

We finally got back to the GNR trailer, and we could immediately see that something was brewing. A potential fistfight between Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana. Earl and I looked at each other and I said, “Damn, news travels fast.” I assumed that this potential fight was because of the “discussion” Axl and Kurt had minutes prior in the hospitality tent. But it wasn’t. This was a whole new fight.

Since I wasn’t there I won’t pretend I know exactly what happened, but when we got back Duff was pissed and he kept trying to get all of us to go over to Nirvana’s trailer to kick some ass. He even tried to get the Nirvana guys to come out of their trailer by yelling obscenities at the closed trailer.

Luckily Doug stepped in, and the rest of our entourage calmed the band members down, so nothing happened.

Great day of music. No fights. Made for a very enjoyable day.