2018.04.08 - Rogue Inc. - An Appetite for Honesty with Steven Adler

An Appetite for Honesty with Steven Adler

By Kris Peters

"It represents my life," beamed former Guns 'N Roses drummer Steven Adler in reference to the band's debut album Appetite for Destruction. "It represents everything that we, the five of us, lived through. What we experienced and went through and the most amazing, crazy, most wonderful time of our lives and we were able to put it down in music with the help of Axl, because Axl is such an amazing songwriter and he could put his feelings and things that happened in his life into words that are like poetry that will last for hundreds of years. Like poetry from Shakespeare, Axl's words will live on. He's brilliant. He's a tough cookie but he's definitely a genius."

That Adler is even alive today to tell the story of that turbulent chapter in hard rock music is a story in itself. After battling drug and alcohol addictions - so severe that heroin addiction forced him from the band - Adler is now bringing Adler's Appetite to Australia to perform the Appetite For Destruction album in its entirety to celebrate the thirtieth year of its existence.

"Let me tell you I've got a great show together," he proclaimed. "We're gonna be playing Appetite from the beginning to the end and then some. I've got myself a powerful Broadway singer and I'm coming there with my Mom who is talking about her book Sweet Child of Mine: How I Lost My Son to Guns 'N Roses and it goes along with my book, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex and Drugs and Guns 'N Roses. Most rock star books are all about the crazy stuff but you never hear about how what you're doing is affecting the people closest to you and who love you the most. In my Mom's book, you get the other side of all the things I was doing."

Not only was Adler instrumental in the early days of one of the most notorious bands to grace the Sunset Strip, he also co-wrote as well as played on their debut album, something which he treasures to this day and garners much enjoyment from being able to recreate for his fans.

"We will be playing that whole album AND THEN SOME," he stressed. "I'll be playing a couple of songs from Use Your Illusion that I helped write and did the demo tapes for but didn't get to record. Australia is gonna hear the songs the way they are supposed to be played! I'm gonna hear something back from that comment (laughs) but it's the truth. We're gonna kick ass. God, I can't wait to breathe clean air and eat clean food. I just wanna be where the air is clean and the people are beautiful and sweet and the food tastes amazing. When it comes to America you're not missing a thing (laughs). Even Australian McDonalds is better. It's gonna be a great time. Bring your records, bring your books, I love signing things. You can take pictures and I wanna meet every single person that comes to the show and if you're not planning on coming to the show come anyway so I can get a hug from you (laughs). I can promise you one thing - no drugs but lots of hugs (laughs)."

When Appetite For Destruction was released in 1987 it redefined the very parameters of rock music. Here was an album by a bunch of self-confessed upstarts that put their love of a good time openly over their music, but were also a dangerous band that was simply too good to ignore. The album has sold almost 30 million copies since and it's rawness and brutal honesty is something Adler believes would not be tolerated in the modern age.

"God no, of course not," he scoffed. "You know what? I am so disgusted with the music now. As far as I am concerned I believe that the Gods of rock are so pissed off with the music that is being created now. There's no more rock and roll. Unless you're in Aerosmith or Bon Jovi or Metallica or AC/DC or Guns 'N Roses - which unfortunately I don't get to be a part of - but dude, rock and roll is dead and I hate to say that but I will not stop playing it and will do my best to bring my love of rock back to the people. Music is so special. Remember when you used to go to the record store and you would go and look at an album and get excited to listen to it? Now music is all about groupies and getting high and I don't know what they're talking about! There are no more good stories. I remember the music I grew up with in the 60's and 70's. They had great stories and when I was listening to that music I was going through such a great time in my life. You're only a teenager once. After that, you're working or you have kids so people that are my age, that grew up with that music, are satisfied with that music. Even if a band came up with a great song it would never mean as much as it did when I was a teenager. Now is the time to make rock music that is enjoyable and with stories that people our age can relate to because we were all teenagers once. Like Poison said, all we wanted to do was party and have a good time. We're older now so it's time to change rock and give it a new story about a new life."

While being confident in the current incarnation of Adler's Appetite delivering a recital worthy of the material, Adler is teasingly coy about announcing who will be front and center for the performance.

"You know what? I'm not gonna tell you," he laughed. "He's a Broadway singer, he's been in movies, he's got a great name but he won't announced until May 4. We're putting it on the website. Everybody is going to go "wow, that's so cool." Unfortunately, it isn't Steven Tyler but it is gonna be somebody that's really, really great."

As part of the tour, Adler's mother will be conducting a special Q & A segment, answering questions about her book and relating to the struggles she herself faced through her son's demons.

"She will be there for whatever people wanna know," he shrugged. "Me and my Mother are very honest and very open and we don't beat around the bush. If you wanna ask my Mom what she went through because of my drug and alcohol addictions she's gonna be completely honest and tell you. What I went through in my life, I'm gonna be completely honest and tell you. I can tell you right now one thing that helped me was a book called The Four Agreements by a guy named Don Miguel Ruiz. The four agreements are: be impeccable with your word, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions and always do your best. No more, no less, and my whole life has done a complete 180 since reading that book. If anybody says life doesn't come with a handbook well it does now. It's called The Four Agreements. I attribute my happiness and my love and the joy I have in life to that book as well as my sobriety, but that book helped me get my sobriety too."

His mother's book is so confronting and painstakingly honest that Adler admits he hasn't even found the courage yet to read it himself.

"Oh, I can't read it," he stammered. "I won't read it (laughs). I read my book and I threw it in my fireplace and I said that's my past. Now is the second chapter of my life. My mom's book, if you look at the back cover - just read the back cover - and you'll understand why I can't read it (laughs). Trust me, if you read the liner notes you will go ah, okay, I get it. Now I see why he won't be able to read that (laughs). Me and my Mother have a wonderful relationship again. Resentment is like rocket fuel and a match. You light it and it's gonna be a big mess and it's gonna get ugly. I've been able to get rid of 99% of my resentment with my brother and my family and my mother and it's wonderful. The resentment came from my drink and drug abuse... when you have resentment towards people you are the only person thinking about it. The person you have resentment to, they're not even thinking about you so you're driving yourself nuts and having this resentment to people and it's just a waste of life and energy and life is too important to waste on having resentment. To me the only thing that matters about the past is yesterday. Did I do anything yesterday where when I woke up this morning I had to be ashamed of or have to make amends to somebody or apologize or feel terrible about and the answer is no so today has been a beautiful, beautiful day. No resentment; I didn't do nothing to hurt anybody or hurt myself so it's a beautiful day. Aside from that the only thing that matters right now and I'm gonna tell you from my heart is that I love you and I love Australia and I thank you for letting me come there and giving me this opportunity to play. I have nothing but love and a kick ass rock and roll show and if you don't show up you're a square (laughs). You're a loser and you're gonna lose out on a kick-ass show. If you wanna hear the songs played the way they're supposed to be played then make sure you are there."

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THE EXPERIENCE PRESENTS

STEVEN ADLER
ADLER'S APPETITE
Touring May 2018

Wednesday 16th May - Discovery, DARWIN
Thursday 17th May – The Gov, ADELAIDE
Friday 18th May – Capitol, PERTH
Saturday 19th May – The Backroom, BRISBANE
Friday 25th May – 170 Russell, MELBOURNE
Saturday 26th May – Max Watts, SYDNEY

Tickets on Sale – 9am Monday 26th March
GA & VIP Tickets Available

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