XX. Notes

Richard played on a single by the band Pagan; Blabbermouth, August 11, 2010:

The new single "Bitter" by gothic horror-inspired metal act Pagan featuring Richard Fortus of Guns N' Roses will hit digital outlets worldwide October 5 via The Genepool/Universal. "Bitter" is the first track to released off "A Season In Hell", the follow-up to Pagan's critically acclaimed full-length debut, "On Black Wings", to be released this winter.

Led by cult filmmaker Michael Bilinski, PAGAN has been mixing dark ambient soundscapes with industrial strength guitars since its debut EP was released Halloween day 2006.

This single features an exclusive mix of "Bitter" that was created for the upcoming music video and is different from the longer version that will appear on "A Season In Hell".

"Bitter" is the first of two planned singles chosen to reflect the album's mix of insturmental tracks and those featuring a variety of guest vocalists.

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/guns-n-roses-guitarist-richard-fortus-featured-on-pagan-single/

In 2010, Matt was involved with "The Pakistan America Peace Through Music Project"; Blabbermouth, August 1, 2010:

According to Koolmuzone, Velvet Revolver/ex-Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum and American guitarist, songwriter and producer Lanny Cordola (Giuffria, House Of Lords, Magdallan) will lead a group of musicians from the U.S. that will travel to Pakistan for a month-long musical caravan throughout the country.

The Pakistan America Peace Through Music Project's goal is to bring Americans and Pakistanis closer together by erasing misconceptions and raising awareness of the diversity and beauty of Pakistan and its people, ultimately revealing the commonalities between Pakistani/Muslim and American cultures, to show Americans the Pakistan they never see in the mainstream media

Later on in the year, the Pakistani musicians will come to the U.S. for performances and events joined by their American comrades (including members of Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.), which will also include time for more songwriting and recording. Both the Pakistani and American "legs" of the gathering will be filmed for a documentary. The music and film will then be completed and released for sale on CD and DVD.

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/matt-sorum-involved-with-the-pakistan-america-peace-through-music-project/

Matt also turned 50 on Nov. 19, 2010. A few days earlier, on Nov. 11, he posted the following on his website (via Bravewords):

Yep its happenin I’m turning 50. How am I feelin about it?? I’m alright. I’m actually surprise I made it this far. Had many close calls and have had quite a life up to now. I have mellowed a lot in the last couple of years and things seem to be easier somehow. I don’t sweat the small stuff I quess.

I have done so many things and traveled so many places and have met so many great people in my travels.

Have I made mistakes??

Plenty… but at this phase of my life I feel like resentments and feelings I held when I was younger for situations I was in at the time seem so minuscule now. Let bygones be bygones if you know what I mean.

A lot of it is like watching somebody else's movie. Like the GN'R years. Feels like another lifetime. And how I was then is so removed from who I am now. Gratitude is where I am at.

The fact that I have lived my dreams that have gone far beyond my expectations. There is nothing that life can hand me I can’t handle at this point. It wasn’t always easy. But knowing that I am always grounded. And did have moments when I wasn’t when I was younger.

So that being said I look forward to what the future holds. Life is more exciting than ever. 50 and ready to rock.

https://bravewords.com/news/velvet-revolver-drummer-matt-sorum-turns-50

Adler's Appetite was forced to cancel a show in Iowa on Sept. 5, 2010; Blabbermouth, Sept. 6, 2010:

Adler's Appetite — the band led by former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler — was forced to cancel its performance last night (Sunday, September 5) at the Iron Horse Bike and Music Festival in Sabula, Iowa after "an over-excited fan jumped on [Adler following] the show [at The Canyon club in Agoura Hills, California on September 3] and caused [him] to throw out [his] back," according to a Twitter posting by Steven.

Adler's Appetite was scheduled to film video for its new single, "Alive", during the group's August 28 performance at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California as part of this year's Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF).

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/adler-s-appetite-forced-to-cancel-iowa-concert/#comments

Gilby toured South America in 2010 and posted this update on his blog (Dec. 23, 2010):

what a great trip this was... it didn't start out great, when i got a call the week before that Dave Langguth (drums) broke his ankle & couldn't make the tour. I called Dennis & he changed some gig's around & was able to do it.

so off to Paraguay we went... now I've played Paraguay before, the fans were great & the production team was 1st rate. now on these tours we always play with rental gear & my band has pretty simple requests when it comes to backline, but in the states they never have what we need & always have an excuse why they can't provide it. so what a surprise that Paraguay had the best gear of the whole tour. brand new Marshalls, classic SVT's & a killer kit.

next up was Argentina for 3 shows & a house party for a radio listener winner. I knew it would be special when i got off the plane & there was a welcoming party of girls. the El Teatro show kicked ass, I met the local Hell's Angel's chapter pres. & my doppelganger. but the 2nd show, we went on @ 2:30am @ Peteco's & that pissed me off.

after the Rosario show we had to drive a couple hours back to Buenos Aires to catch our flight to Brazil. where i met the American ambassador & did a meet n greet with the boys & girls club in Sao Paulo. the show was another packed house & good thing, cuz' last time it was 1/2 filled.

we stayed up all night again to catch our flight to Chile, so we were a lil' beat when we arrived. the promoters took pity on us, since we've been up for 2 days straight & let us cancel the press conference. the show in Santiago was crazy... i hadn't played there since 1994 when i opened for Aerosmith, so i was surprised when the show sold out.

of course we only had a couple hours sleep again to catch our flight to Bolivia... i know this sounds like a broken record, but i didn't book the flights, my agent did & they should know u play @ 1am in S. America, so don't book flights @ 7am ! anyway Bolivia was killer, except i could barely breathe cuz' of the altitude. the mayor gave me a certificate & the key to the city as a token of their appreciation. (that we rocked the house) so i'm sure we'll be back soon.

S. America has the best music fans in the world & are very passionate about good music. can't wait for the next tour!

https://gilbygtr.blogspot.com/2010/12/south-america.html

Twitter, Dec. 11, 2010:



@Mitophin there are several.. "the General" is probably most played before CD
3:46 AM Dec 11th via web in reply to Mitophin

Richard and Frank played with the band The Compulsions; From a press release via Blabbermouth, Feb. 24, 2011:

Critically acclaimed New York City rock 'n' roll band The Compulsions has released a fan-filmed live video for the song "Big, Fat, Sexy Mama" (see below). Viewers can "follow the bouncing boob" to check out the song's profanity-laced lyrics.

The Compulsions is led by founder and frontman Rob Carlyle and includes Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses) on guitar, Sami Yaffa (Micheal Monroe, New York Dolls) on bass and Frank Ferrer (Guns N' Roses) on drums.

Commented Carlyle: "When we played in early January, it'd been over a year since we were on stage together and with our schedules we could only rehearse once the night before. But there's something about the four of us because no matter how long it's been, whenever we get in the same room, the music just comes together instantly."

A full-length The Compulsions album titled "Beat The Devil" is in the works, with a very special guest appearance by guitar legend Hubert Sumlin (Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf).

Added Carlyle: "There's a lot of new Compulsions fans lately and I'm happy to say they've been really getting into it. For starters, one couple drove five hours from New Hampshire through the ice and snow to see us play and a couple girls flew in from Sweden. So we're gonna put out a new record as soon as possible and hopefully keep the momentum going."

When asked about the inspiration behind "Big, Fat, Sexy Mama", Carlyle explained, "Lots of people have written songs like this before, whether it's John Lee Hooker with 'Big Legs, Tight Skirt', AC/DC with 'Whole Lotta Rosie' or Sir Mix-A-Lot with 'Baby Got Back' and it seemed time for someone to write another one. The lyrics are obviously filthy but what's really surprising is the amount of positive feedback I get from women of all shapes and sizes."

Ferrer and Fortus have performed on all three The Compulsions EPs — "Laughter From Below" (2004), "Demon Love" (2008) and "Been Through Hell" (2009). The six-song discs, known to diehard fans as "The Unholy Trinity," have received near universal critical acclaim from both the underground and mainstream press, including Classic Rock magazine, which dubbed The Compulsions "the coolest band in the world."

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/the-compulsions-featuring-guns-n-roses-members-releases-profanity-laced-live-video/

Interview with Wednesday 13 of Murderdolls, who opened for GnR in 2010; RockAAA, Feb. 24, 2011:

Murderdolls love Axl Rose

Wednesday 13 says Guns N’ Roses Axl is the perfect gent, and if he’s late – it’s worth it.

Reported by Eric MacKinnon

Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 has revealed Axl Rose was the perfect host when his band supported Guns N’ Roses on tour last year and has defended the enigmatic singer’s infamous poor time-keeping – claiming any fans who go to a GNR show get their money’s worth.

In a RockAAA exclusive Wednesday said:

“Supporting Guns N’ Roses was awesome. I was terrified at first as you hear all the stories about what it’s going to be like and whether there will be a riot because Axl doesn’t show up. I didn’t know the band so all I knew was what I reading the paper.
“And we were a support band going up against a crowd who sold-out before we were even announced so we knew we were going up against an army ready to see Guns N’ Roses.

“But then we got there on the first day and met the crew who were awesome.

“They loved us and said we could use the whole stage, even use Axl’s catwalk, we could use everything.”

Wednesday reveals the two bands became firm friends with the headliners often rocking out to the Murderdolls’ performance with the exception of Axl who they didn’t see for the first-three weeks of the tour when he personally rolled out the welcome mat to the band.

He continues:

“Every night the band was on the side of the stage, except Axl, rocking out and singing along to 1976 with their fists in the air.

“Then about three-weeks into the tour – no one had ever seen Axl as he comes in right before the show – he came off stage after a three-hour set, comes right into our dressing room with sweat running down him and says ‘Sorry I didn’t get to say hello to you before now, but I’ve heard nothing but awesome things about you, my band loves you guys. I’m going to get dressed, come over to my room and we’ll party.’

“There was nothing that I heard of on that tour that was anywhere close to an audience complaining. He’s Axl Rose, he can be 15 or 30 minutes late. He was talking about that too backstage. He was just like ‘Man, I need to get in my zone, get in the vibe you know. I’m late but when I come out I’ll play for three hours.’

“It’s like he has to play for that long. So he showed up late but he played you an extra hour of songs.

“He’s Axl fuckin’ Rose, you gotta hand it to him.”

https://web.archive.org/web/20110301063452/http://www.rockaaa.com/news/murderdolls-love-axl-rose-3079

Franky Perez says he was the singer in Velvet Revolver for six months (after Weiland left); Las Vegas Weekly, Feb. 9, 2011:

On his stint as the singer in Velvet Revolver: When the first audition process came up for Velvet Revolver, I was introduced to Slash, and I wrote a couple of audition songs. They ended up loving it, and they brought me in. So I was an actual member of the band for probably a little less than six months. In those six months, we wrote, went in the studio, did a bunch of stuff. And for whatever reason, it just didn’t work out. Maybe I’m not the right singer for that band. Just because they consider me a good singer doesn’t mean I’m the right singer for that project.

https://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/music/2011/feb/09/catching-franky-perez/

Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction talks about Duff leaving the band; Rolling Stone, January 12, 2011:

Guns n’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan replaced Avery, but he left after playing a handful of shows with the band. “I couldn’t really tell you what his problem was,” says Farrell. “You can ask him. He’s calling it ‘creative differences.’ I know he didn’t like the idea of electronics at all. That was his complaint. We’ve got our gripes too, but what’s the point?”

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/exclusive-perry-farrell-opens-up-about-dave-sitek-joining-janes-addiction-in-the-studio-250040/

Interview with Brian May, Uncut Magazine, April 2011 issue:

How did you get involved in the making of Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy album?

Can’t remember when I first met Axl [Rose], but we invited them to play the [1992] Freddie tribute. They did a fantastic job, and also donated a lot of money to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

Subsequent to that, my solo band supported GN’R on tour and we got on very well. People think of Axl as difficult, but he was always very attentive to me. When they were making that album, after God-knows-how-many years, he was talking to [Queen’s old producer] Roy Thomas Baker, who was doing some production for them at the time, and they came up with the idea of contacting me to help them work out a direction. I flew out to meet him and he played me pretty much the whole album. We had a long night, talking, thinking, figuring out potential directions, and then I had a couple of days just trying things out. I think I played on two-and-a-half tracks, but they didn’t end up using my parts. They used about 10 guitarists subsequent to that! I have rough mixes of these tracks somewhere in my archive, but I’m not going to let anyone listen to them, out of loyalty to Axl! It was fun, to throw something in there to help out a friend.

Excerpt from Scott Weiland's autobiography "Not Dead and Not for Sale" that was released in May 2011, as published in Rolling Stone:

Slipping and sliding, peeping and hiding.

Basically, the story was that Mary had cleaned up and I hadn’t. I was strung out and fucked up. Mary wanted out of the marriage — the agony of our divorce went on for years — but Mary still took an interest in my career. Always has. Always will. Ka-ching. Ka-ching.

She said she’d been hanging with Susan McKagan, a former swimsuit supermodel and wife of Duff, the bass player with Guns N’ Roses when the group was at its height. Susan told Mary that three guys from GNR — Duff on bass, Matt Sorum on drums, and Slash on guitar — had formed a band. Initially, Izzy Stradlin was in, but soon opted out. David Kushner from Wasted Youth took his place.

“Sounds like a lot of egos,” I said. “Sounds like a lot of trouble.”

“They put some songs on a CD that they want you to hear,” Mary said. “They think you’ll like what they’re doing.”

I didn’t. It sounded like Bad Company-styled classic rock. And I never liked Bad Company. But being a nice guy, I said, “There’s some stuff that’s okay, but just send me another disc when you have a few new songs.”

A week or so later, another CD arrived with songs custom-designed for me. The tunes had STP written all over them.

Duff called and said, “Hey, man, just drop by the studio.” I knew Duff from the gym, and I said I’d try. I still wasn’t sure whether I wanted to hook up with these guys.

“Look, Scott,” Duff said, “there’s also soundtrack stuff we’ve been asked to do. And the money’s great.”

The money attracted me.

My managers, pushing me to join this band, said, “They’re going to cover Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ for a new movie called The Italian Job. And then Ang Lee wants songs for his remake of The Hulk. This is going to be a hot band. Just give it a chance.”

I reluctantly agreed. The idea was just to jam. Couldn’t hurt to see if there was any chemistry. Meanwhile, I was still hurting chemically. I was still shooting dope. That’s the reason I showed up many hours late.

When I arrived, I was shocked. The guys had set up a major industry event. All sorts of music execs were there. It was being billed as an announcement of “Guns N’ Roses with Scott Weiland” and made to look like a done deal, not just a casual jam. I was confused, and, because of my drug habit, I was also a wreck. But what the fuck, I was there and might as well sing.

We sang two songs — “Set Me Free” for The Hulk and the cover of “Money.” I was blown away by the powerful chemistry between us. So was everyone else. These guys attacked rock and roll like a street gang. I liked their ferocity and balls-out commitment. Besides, looking over and seeing Slash playing beside me — Slash, who’d been an idol of mine back in the eighties — was a thrill. I knew Dave Kushner from the Electric Love Hogs, an underground rock band. Back in the day, STP had aspired to be on the Love Hogs level. I remember seeing them at English Acid, a hip spot in West Hollywood. I also knew Matt Sorum from rehab; he and I had been in together.

Fact is, I had a lot in common with these guys. We’d been down the dark alleys, gotten mugged, stumbled, fell, and got back up. When I hooked up with them, they were looking good. Through martial arts, Duff had put together eight years of sobriety. Matt had six years. And Dave had over a dozen years. When they saw my strung-out condition, they vowed to do everything in their power to help.

I went back to rehab but rehab didn’t work. That’s when Duff started talking about his trainer in Lake Chelan, Washington State. “Bring your detox meds and come up there with me,” Duff offered. “You’ll meet my martial arts master, one guy who can really help you.”

His help came quickly and powerfully. His name is Sifu Joseph Simonet, and he’s a master of six different martial arts forms. I planned to stay a month but stayed for three. At his Wind and Rock training facility, I also worked with his associate and fiancée at the time, Addy Hernandez, a kickboxer and holder of a black belt in kenpo karate. Sifu Simonet comes from a kung fu background in addition to the art form of Pentjak Silat Tongkat Serak. He created his own form called Key Fighting Concepts and, from day one, I related to his energy. He’s a deeply wise man with a bit of a temper and a flair for martial arts instruction and philosophical riffing.

“My art form never stops evolving,” he likes to say. “I can never repeat myself because the past is gone and the present is ever new, ever changing.”

With intense daily training, I learned to channel my aggression, confusion, fear, and athleticism in positive directions. The rigorous routine allowed me to wean myself off opiates. The setting also helped. Lake Chelan Valley sits in the center of the magnificent North Cascades National Forest. The lake is a breathtakingly beautiful fifty-mile, glacier-fed body of crystal-clean water. Nature is untamed. Bears and wild goats roam the mountains. I fell in love with the area and decided to buy land there and, in time, build a cabin in the woods.

Back in Los Angeles, I hooked up with Benny “the Jet” Urquidez, a five-time world-champion kickboxer. Benny boasts that he has never been defeated, and when you train with him, you don’t doubt it. He was my instructor for eighteen months after I returned from Lake Chelan. This was a difficult period — around 2006 — because Mary and I were still doing a death dance around our marriage. I’d walk into Benny’s dojo — his karate gym — and right away Benny could read my mind.

“You’re depressed,” he’d say. “The energy between you and your wife has turned especially toxic this week.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’m looking in your eyes — that’s how.”

Then Benny would start to explain the concept of being “glazed.” He said that obviously anyone can incur physical injury. But once you’re glazed, you’re mentally and spiritually protected from harm. The glaze resists negative thoughts. Of course, like everyone, you will be affected by external circumstances, feelings, and moods, but the impact will be minimal because of the strength of your spiritual and mental muscles.

Glazed.

Ready to walk back into the world a whole man, ready to accept the world on its own terms.

Ready to get out there, join up with a balls-out rock band, and reinvent myself as a singer and artist.

It was going to work.

It had to work.

It did.

And then it didn’t.

Back in 2003, after I joined Velvet Revolver and got straight, I wrote all the lyrics and all of the melodies for our first album, Contraband, which wound up selling over four million copies. The big hit was “Fall to Pieces.” Duff and I wrote it at Lavish, the studio I built in Burbank. It was built on a riff by Slash, and somehow in the middle of the night we turned it into a song about coming to terms — or not coming to terms — with my heroin addiction. It was also about my relationship with Mary, and how it was falling apart. When Mary wrote her memoir last year, she titled it Fall to Pieces. In the song, I sang . . .

All the years I’ve tried
With more to go
Will the memories die?
I’m waiting
Will I find you?
Can I find you?
We’re falling down
I’m falling

We went on the road for two years, toured the world, and established ourselves as a premier rock band. Velvet Revolver was a powerful force. There was so much energy on that stage that at times it felt absolutely combustible. Anything could happen at any time. We were a bunch of renegades held together by a rough passion that none of us completely understood. We were dangerous. We were on a runaway train, and audiences were drawn to our breakneck speed.

I liked our first record but can’t call it the music of my soul. There was a certain commercial calculation behind it. We wanted hits; we wanted to prove that, independent of Guns N’ Roses and STP, we could make a big splash. And we did. My fellow STPers — Robert, Dean, and Eric — tried a number of musical configurations without me, but none of them were successful. I wished them well, but I have to confess that, as a competitive guy, I wasn’t displeased to be in a new band that fans were flocking to see.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/scott-weilands-near-salvation-velvet-revolver-martial-arts-and-money-185492/

Blackstar wrote:Twitter, Dec. 11, 2010:



@Mitophin there are several.. "the General" is probably most played before CD
3:46 AM Dec 11th via web in reply to Mitophin

With "mitophin"'s question included:

Blackstar wrote:MetalShrine, March 2005. Update on Steven's official biography (that was in the works then) by Brooke Ellis (webmaster of Steven's official fan site and co-author of his biography):

Mail-intervju - Brooke Ellis, författare / The Fleshgodz

[...]

First off, who´s Brooke David Ellis?

Well, before I answer that, I'd like to state that I don't believe anyone gives a fuck who I am! But since you asked, I'm just a guy who lives in Los Angeles County of California. I write movie screenplays, although I haven't sold one yet. I act in short films. I sing and write songs for the band, The Fleshgodz, a Guns N' Roses - influenced group that people can hear at MySpace.com/thefleshgodz. I have been an eccentric GNR fan since '88. I collect all sorts of memorbillia, and it's really been a passion of mine. I have run the Official Steven Adler Fansite for five years now. From time to time I've gotten flak for the site's low-budget, but I tell people this is a FAN site. It's just one fan telling other fans what Steven's been up to. However, I am slowly moving the sites' entire contents to StevenAdler.Net. I have this great friend, Cat, who wants to update the site as regularly as Snakepit.Org, a favorite of both of ours. So that's the plan right now. Thanks to Steven's candid nature and liberal attitude, I think it's been one of the most honest sites on the net!

Was it Steven´s idea to write a book and in what way have you helped him?

The funny thing is, it wasn't Steven's idea initially. It's really been the farthest thing from his mind as of late, what with his band doing so well...His mother Deanna, a truly wonderful woman, and his cool-as-hell brother Kenny, have been the motivating force behind getting the book out there. Knowing that I ran the Fansite, Deanna asked me to post that she was in need of a literary agent. I had become friendly with a writer/producer named Ray Herbeck, Jr.. In fact, he had helped guide my writing career and took an interest in my work early on. I felt that he could help her get in touch with the right people. He didn't believe that what they had written at the time was quite ready to be published - in fact it was only about a hundred pages - so he recommended me for the job. I had no idea, but then I got a call from Deanna, and the rest is history. As for how I had helped Steven, y'know back in the day, the guy was in a rock n' roll daze, always smiling, forever partying. He was living the lifestyle to the hilt. For him, a lot of it is a blur. I'm very familiar with the bands' history. I was able to get him to talk about specific events, in chronological order. I also did some investigating, unearthing stories that even the most learned fan has never heard! Some are disturbing, some are hilarious!

I guess you´ve known Steven for a while. Tell us some fun memories from back in the day!

Well some highlights of knowing Steven, for me, are: Hanging out with and getting to know Randy Castillo at the Rainbow, having steak and lobster with Stevie & Carmine Appice, my band opening for Adler's Appetite on New Years Eve in Vegas, hanging out on various tour busses meeting guys like Vince Neil, Jani Lane and Kevin DuBrow; singing "Knockin' on Heavens' Door" with Steven, Chip Z'Nuff & Billy Morris on stage, being at the Keyclub when Izzy and Slash showed up, getting backstage at concerts, etc...

What´s happening with the book? Any deal yet and is it really all written?

I'm not sure exactly what's happening right now. Remember I said that the family had already written quite a bit before I was brought on? Well, what was actually completed was Deanna's story, her life dealing with her troubled son. She witnessed the whole ordeal. She watched her son achieve fame and fortune and then dealt with his subsequent spiral into a drug induced abyss. Y'know, getting the calls in the middle of the night, telling her that Steven has OD'd or is in jail. She also writes of the last time Steven saw his father, and the violent circumstances therein. It's all very interesting, intense stuff. Well, my assignment was just to get Stevens' story. I guess they felt it would be best to leave it up to the publisher on how they want to work the two stories in with each other. That could be a potential cause for the delay. Personally I'd like to do it for them. In fact, since the book has been completed, so much has happened! Plus, Steven has so many great new stories that could to be included!

Tell us about the book! Is it about Steven´s life from birth till present day or just about GnR and the 80's?

Literally from birth. Steven was out of control since Kindergarden! I shit you not, the guys life before rock n' roll is just as wild as anything that happened after he became famous. He was couch-surfing and roaming the streets of Hollywood since he was twelve years old. Saul Hudson, who of course later became Slash, was his best friend. Saul was very artistic and had fashioned fake ID's for the two of them when they were thirteen. They became regulars at Hollywoods' top spots, including The Rainbow , The Starwood, and Osco's Disco. The latter of which was sort of LA's version of the infamous Club 54 in NY. Steven and Slash were already partying with celebrities when they were barely teenagers! The fantastic ride of GNR's success is well documented, absolutely. The years after his dismissal from the band are some of the darkest pages you'll ever read. We finished the book a year ago. I'd like to go back in and really elaborate on Steven's comeback. If you had seen Steven five years ago...I mean personally, I felt that his days were numbered. The fact that he turned himself around like he did and is out there making music again has got to be one of the greatest personal triumphs ever.

Any interesting stories in it that you could tell us a bit about?

There's so much great stuff! He and Slash would hang out in the Hollywood Hills at parties thrown by hippies. Steven was fourteen and he would have sex with women twice his age. On one such occasion he was banging a older girl in her bedroom. When they finished, she got up and went to the bathroom. Steven spied a bag of fresh mushrooms (the hallucinagenic kind) on the floor. He grabbed them and took off. Upon returning home, his grandma tells him that she is feeling harrassed by an angry fellow calling over and over again for Steven. When he finally reaches him over the phone, the man shouts, "My woman says you stole mushrooms from me!" Steven denied the accusation, claiming "I didn't take shit from you!" but did admit, "I did fuck your woman though!"

The first time a 18 year old Steven Adler smoked coke was at a well known, platinum award-winning musicians house. Steven was invited to live there, partying non-stop for a month. When he moved out, his buddy Izzy moved in and ended up staying thru the next month! The bands well known trip to Seattle in '85 is told in detail, too. When the bands car broke down, the guys were tired and bummed out. Steven was the optimist and he was the one that stood out on the side of the road and hitchhiked rides for them. A good hearted Mexican man with his son pulled over in a dumpy pick up truck. The guys piled in the back. The weight was too much for the vehicle and the frame was scraping against asphalt, generating a thick smokey fog. Needless to say, he had to drop them off after only a quarter mile. Nevertheless, they scored big when a couple of heavy-set Hippie chicks picked them up. They had weed and fed the boys pot brownies. Steven was in heaven! It was an adventure just getting to the gigs.

Also, we examine the rare kind of comraderie that the band had. There was bonding. One of the most touching stories comes when Steven experiences his first OD. The band was in Frisco hired to do two days of filming for the Clint Eastwood flick, "The Dead Pool". After the first days' shooting was completed, Steven was picked up by a girl who brought him back to her place. She slipped something in his beer. He passed out while she was molesting him. He woke up in the hospital. The first person he saw was Axl, who had chosen to wait by Steven's bedside while the other guys shot their final scenes. Axl was truly concerned and said something like, "I thought you blew it, bro". That's why you don't see Steven or Axl on the boat scenes of the film.

Then there's the stories from the nineties. One time, Steven was high and left his home to get a Slurpee at 7-11. What he didn't realise was that he didn't have any clothes on, except for a pair of boxers. A cop pulls along side him and Steven asks, "Can you take me to the 7-11? I just want to get a Slurpee." The cop eyes him up and down, says "You're on your own!" then screeches off. So Adler makes his way to the store only to discover he had no cash. His old house, which he had just sold to ex-MTV VJ Martha Quinn, was of closer proximity so he made his way there. He knocked at the door and her husband answered. Steven said, "Do you have 75 cents? I just want to get a Slurpee." So Martha's husband takes him back to the store only to find, after all that, the Slurpee machine is out of order!

Will the book include any unpublished pictures and stuff from Steven´s private collection?

I hope so, that would be great! It probably will, I think the book could be a big deal, y'know?

What's the title of the book?

It is tentatively entitled, "No Bed of Roses" coming soon to a bookstore near you!

Who came up with the title for the book?

I believe that was Steven and Deanna. They had the name for years now, in fact I think they had a different author working on it back in like '95. But that fell through, completelty, though.

Do you know any of the other Gunners?

Well, I had been such a fan. Since I was a teenager I've tried to meet the guys and get autographs. Now I have countless signed items! I'll never forget this one time, Doug Goldstein came out and handed a brown paper bag - I have no idea what was in it - to a limo driver and said, "This is Duff's medication, I need you to bring it to him" The driver said "Sure". After Doug left I asked the driver, "Hey can you give Duff this tape of my band?" and he slipped that in the bag too. I just thought that was funny. That same night I met West Arkeen, he was with the hottest black chick who was twice as tall as him! He was stoned out of his mind, but so, so friendly! I got to hang out with Slash a number of times, one time it was just me, him and my buddy Kent Helbig sitting at the Rainbow, shooting the shit. I was surprised that he paid his bill, I figured he was such a staple of the place that he drank for free! Recently, my band opened for the StarFuckers which features Gilby and Dizzy. They allowed me to sing "Knockin' on Heavens' Door" with them - that was awesome.

I mean, I guess they're all non-events, really, but I'll cherish those memories.

Tell us a bit about some of the GnR shows you got to see! Did you attend any gigs prior to "Appetite..." was released or right after it was released?

Oh, no! It sucks but I didn't see them until '91! I moved here from New Jersey a week after they did the "Secret Gig" at the Hollywood Palladium. I could have gone had I got there just a bit earlier, 'cause I immediately started working at Tower Records and all the employees had got to go. I saw them at the LA Forum when Shannon Hoon got on stage to sing, then at the Pacific Ampitheatre, and both shows with Metallica here. I went to all the "Drunk Fux" shows in '91 and '92 - I don't think they had anymore after that. In fact I lost my job at Tower 'cause I went to a Drunk Fux show! I came into work on a Sunday afternoon, and right away the guys on the Ticketmaster machine were like "Brook, there's a show you'll be interested in! It's all of Guns N' Roses except for Axl with Tommy Lee, too! So, I was like "Print those!" then they said "Who are you going to get to work for you?" I said that I'd find someone, then they said, "But, it's tonight!" I thought about it for a second, and said "See ya!" That night at the show, this hot chick was all grabbing my ass and I hooked up with her. So when I found out I lost my job the next day, I was like "It was worth it!" Plus, I went to the first "new" Guns N' Roses show in Vegas on New Years Eve '01, too. I gotta admit, that was fucking awesome.

Do you remember your first encounter with Steven?

Oh yeah, we went to different high schools together! Brothers of different mothers! No, it was at a Namm sponsored show at the Whiskey, in like, what, '99? Steven was onstage and someone said "Thank you, Steven Adler!" And I squinted and said "THAT's Steven Adler?" I never would have recognised him! Anyways, we met him outside and I told him I was a big fan and I had like 40 shows on video. He said "No way! Dude, you gotta bring those over!". I mean, just like that, that's how cool this guy is. We've been friends ever since.

Do you know anything about the song "Do you love me" that Steven recently recorded with Izzy?

Yes! Izzy and Steven had been hanging out a lot. Izzy invited Steven to his place in Arizona for a few days, and Izzy recorded and mixed it on his small 8 track studio. My site was the one that offered it as a download. It was given to me specifically. But then a buddy of mine told me I might need to be concerned about some legal issues, so it was only up for like a day! Now, everyone is taking credit for getting it out there.

Is there any fun and crazy backstage stories from a GnR show you could tell us about?

Sorry, bro, I wasn't there.

Tell us a bit more about your band!

The Fleshgodz! Thank you for asking! We kick ass, man! We've been together since July '03! We've had some great, big shows! We've played with Adler's Appetite, LA Guns, Mike Watt (from The MinuteMen), Steven Perkins (from Janes Addiction), Marky Ramone, Lizzy Borden's new band "Starwood", we've been on TV twice, we had a big write up in the newspaper! Tommy Madari on lead guitar, I call him my very own Slash! Right now we got Jim Thompson on drums, the guy is a shredder! I play bass and sing. I emailed some songs to Carolina (Steven's lovely wife) and she played it for Steven and said "Guess who this is?" and he said, "Is that Axl?" - we always have a good laugh about that!

https://web.archive.org/web/20071113202210/http://web.telia.com:80/~u43123410/mfintervju156.html
Note: Eventually, Steven's biography wouldn't be co-authored by Brooke Ellis and there would be no credits to him in the released book. There is some juicy behind the scenes stuff about that in later sources.

On May 28, 2011, Brooke Ellis (the original ghostwriter of Steven's book) issued this open letter at the HTGTH message board (also sent to other websites):

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“I am the TRUE AUTHOR of Steven Adler’s Tell-All”

Steven Adler is well-known for his years of whining and complaining about how he was kicked out of Guns N’ Roses. How all the people he thought were his friends turned their backs on him, and how management and the guys in his band, his “brothers”, got him to sign away his rights.

These claims make it all the more distasteful as such injustices are exactly what he inflicted upon me. And I never would have believed it. It was I who wrote his book, “My Appetite for Destruction”, then named, “No Bed of Roses”, back in 2003.

I was a huge GNR fan when I met Steven. My hobby was collecting GNR memorabilia. After we became friends, I started the “Official Steven Adler Fansite” and ran it, on my own time and dime, for ten years. Oddly enough, as the only real ‘fan’ among Adler’s people, I was the only one keenly aware of how big Adler actually wasn’t.

When he’d ask me to do outrageous things such as put his nail clippings on eBay or sell signed DVR’s at $100 a pop, I refused. It is no small satisfaction to see the negative feedback Adler currently gets at how his web presence is handled, particularly when he was selling “Fan Experience Packages” (lunch with Steven, $7500!?).

During my tenure, I’ve seen no less than a half dozen management teams & new official websites come and go. The last group of people I worked with really had a yen for power. Among them, one in particular I had known for months by the time business with the book was getting into high gear. I received an email from her with an attachment, stating to the effect of, “here’s your book contract, when can you come in and sign it?”

This was a surprise, I was never given any hint that she was involved with our book dealings. In fact, I was further dismayed to see just how many new hands were in the ‘book pie’ – and that they intended to pay me after each newcomer’s commissions! Needless to say, the contract gave me no rights and I refused to sign.

I had initially signed on in 2002. The contract was with Steven’s mother, Deanna, for a fee of $10,000 upon publishing. In 2003, I renegotiated, and signed a contract for 10% of all book earnings ‘received from Adler’ plus the credit ‘by Steven Adler with Brooke Ellis’. It was Deanna’s intent to find a publisher to combine her own memoir with Steven’s book. A few years had passed and she failed to secure a deal (I need to say that I hold nothing against Deanna Adler, and I am sorry to mention her here).

In 2007, I was told by Steven’s brother, Jamie, to sign a Release of Authorship, which retained only my 10% interest. I refused, and was told, “It’s this or nothing. If you contest this we will fight you hard, and you’ll lose, etc…” I didn’t have money for lawyers!

I was further told that writer Larry Spagnola was going to weave Steven and Deanna’s stories together. I appreciated what a task that would be. They attempted to pacify me with the reassurance that I would have a special acknowledgement in the book, complete with a picture. I signed reluctantly, under duress & without counsel. Meanwhile, Deanna had forged Steven’s signature on the notarized contract.

Unbeknownst to me, Steven had previously sued his mother. Estranged from her since 2007, by ’09, with his new representation he had gotten out of book contracts that Deanna signed on behalf of him – on the grounds that she did not have power of attorney to do so. I breathed a HEAVY sigh of relief! I learned that Larry Spagnola had brokered a “big deal” with Harper Collins which they still wanted, now without the mother’s involvement or added story.

The 2009 “agreement” emailed to me was almost identical to the 2007 one, with the addition of an open-ended “after expenses” clause (tacked on to the stipulation of my 10% interest). Angered, I called Steven and said, “Don’t let them fuck me!” he said he would “never let that happen!”, and was shocked to learn my name wouldn’t be on the book, “There wouldn’t even be a book without you!” he shouted. He told me to “go ahead and make your own contract”. That was the last time I spoke to him. His number was quickly changed and none of our mutual friends would return my calls.

Utilizing what money I had, I acquired the services of a literary attorney. Steven’s lawyers tried to tell her that all I had done was transcribe interviews. She had the original fleshed-out chaptered manuscript and told them so. Then they tried to say it was poorly written, she told them it WAS NOT! She made some headway. A perplexing conversation with Mr. Spagnola revealed that he maintained a bitter sense of entitlement to my work, and was stressed over the matter.

Insanely, my lawyer then botched everything by accidentally forwarding our private correspondence in which we discuss strategy and my own admission of waning financial resources (thereby limiting any potential threat of a lawsuit from me).

While I had the lawyer under retainer, the first advance installment was paid in full (she argued that they COULD NOT deduct expenses). After she was out of the picture, the second advance installment was paid @ only 4.5%, the third @ ½. In my continuing effort to resolve the matter, I waited three months on a lawyer-friend of my family’s who promised to take action on my behalf.

He never did. Then I retained the services of a contingency-based lawyer. After six months, all he did was acquire sales figures. Needless to say, lawyers suck. However, each lawyer had agreed the 2007 contract is void primarily because Steven’s signature is forged, further compounded by the fact that Adler deducted massive expenses from my 10% interest, before refusing to pay me at all.

Therefore, they are using my work with NO VALID CONTRACT. The book has since been released and I have not received a penny. The book, meanwhile, is very much in the form of my initial draft (I had always planned to develop it further), fully edited with a few extra pages added.

My name is changed to “Chuck” in stories that feature me. For the record, much of the real ‘dirt’ had been taken out.
From the opening segue into the first chapter, “Let’s start from the beginning, so we can see how things began to unravel until they got so fucked up” (the gist of which I borrowed from the opening narration of the 1999 movie, Tart) to the closing line, “It’s gonna take a lot more than that to spoil my appetite!” (a cliché phrase I was actually embarrassed over), it’s all me.

I can tell you exactly what came from the 20 hours of audio I have with Steven, what facts came from an existing book, magazine or TV interview – or what I just made up! Ultimately, it was my aim to paint a sympathetic portrait of the man. You’ll notice there’s not much in the novel accounting for the years 2003 – 2009. These are the scant few pages Larry actually contributed.

I always appreciated Steven’s friendship greatly, and we had been through a lot together. But he allowed this injustice against me. He let his people trample and humiliate me.

He is a backstabber of the highest order. Many people have attested publicly that he is not a good person. I always defended him. Then I learned just how right they were. In fact, given the seedy element he associates with, I wonder if I should fear for my safety after this comes out. It’s been me alone against his army. They ganged up and treated me like shit to maximize their potential cuts.

Sadly, it is Lawrence Spagnola with the last laugh. He has credit for a New York Times Bestseller he did not write, and (as it was he who brokered the Harper Collins deal) the lions-share of profits and a strong contract to protect him. I will never cease in my mission to expose him for what he is, a THIEF who STOLE my work and took credit for it.

I’ve done everything in my power to resolve this matter peacefully. I told them I’d sign their contract if they simply got rid of the open-ended after-expenses clause.

They refused! I may have reluctantly gone along with it all, settled for the special acknowledgement – I didn’t want to make waves, or jeopardize my friendship with Adler – but I was not going to allow them to exploit me further by finding new ways to screw me! They saw this as an OPPORTUNITY.

They appealed to Steven’s tampered sensibility by making exaggerated and defamatory claims, saying I was “crazy” and making “unreasonable demands”. Ultimately, they knew I didn’t have the resources to fight this, so they kicked me when I was already down, over and over for the last two years. Recently, I was told that this New York Times Best Seller which has been re-issued in paperback, did not make back it’s advance and there was no money coming to me. I’ve had it. This is my attempt at setting the record straight. I never wanted to go public with this, but Steven hasn’t seen fit to make this right, and I have no choice. I have retained a new lawyer, an aggressive fellow by the name of Michael Lotta, and we are taking this to court.

This has been hurtful and stressful. Adler robbed me. People are lucky if they get one big break, and this was mine. A saving grace has been my own music passion project, “Vintage Quixotic” (New music for Old Hollywood) which, to my satisfaction, proposes more talent than Adler ever will have with his clumsy drumming.

- Brooke Ellis

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He also answered some questions from fans: http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php?topic=62249.0

Interview with Brooke Ellis, The GN'R Syndicate, June 12, 2011:
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Alone: An Interview with Brooke Ellis

At the end of May, Brooke Ellis came forward with an open letter accusing former GNR drummer Steven Adler and his associates of essentially screwing him out of a book deal. Ellis is professional writer, avid music fan, and was the founder/administrator of Adler’s site for nearly a decade. His work has been featured in publications such as Classic Rock Magazine, Skinnie Magazine, Culture Magazine and for music merch retailer, Hot Topic. Ellis’s allegations leave very little to the imagination: A deal was made in which he would write Steven’s autobiography, and after submitting the initial draft, team Adler washed their hands of him and took credit for the work. The book, “My Appetite For Destruction, Sex, Drugs and Guns N’ Roses” went on to become a New York Times best seller with credit to Steven Adler and Lawrence Spagnola.

Unfortunately Steven Adler’s management has declined a follow up interview in regards to this matter, or offer an official statement. They did however inform me to “be careful”of what I print, a veiled threat of sorts, and pointed out that there was no pending lawsuit as a means to validate his innocence and dismissed Mr. Ellis’s claims. In turn I remind our readers that a lawsuit is not necessarily an indication of guilt, no more than a lack of one attests to a person’s innocence. While Adler’s management group claims this is merely a frivolous matter, I feel Mr. Ellis is entitled to his story and have provided him a platform to do so through this interview. To be clear, both sides were given equal opportunity to provide their version of events and only Mr. Ellis stepped forward. I still welcome an interview with Steven Adler to address this if he becomes willing and ready at a later date.

The GnR Syndicate: How did you transfer from fan to friend and then eventually admin of Adler’s website?

Brooke Ellis: Well, I was at a NAMM event in 1999 at the Whiskey in Hollywood. Adler made an appearance there, and when I saw him outside, I told him I was a big fan, and he was totally gracious and happy to talk with my friends and I. When he heard me say I had all these GNR bootlegs, he was like, “Dude, give me your number!” I made him copies of everything with custom covers, brought them to him, and he said, “this is the coolest thing anyone has ever done for me.” After that, I was pretty assertive about getting him out of the house and we were friends ever since. Plus he kept losing the videos, so he always wanted me to bring new copies. I met him in January of that year, and he didn’t have a website at the time, so in July I uploaded mine.

The GnR Syndicate: Whose idea was the website?

Brooke Ellis: I asked him if he wanted me to do one, and he said, “yeah.”

The GnR Syndicate: During the years you ran the site, did Adler ever contribute to the financial requirements of maintaining his site or compensate you in anyway?

Brooke Ellis: No it wasn’t entirely necessary. Hell, I gave him money. But I used free software. It was never hi-tech, I’m not a techie, but I always maintained the content professionally and it became the primary source of Adler news for years. But I put a LOT of time into it, and I’d pay a guy here and there to help me realize my concepts for the site. One of my designs Adler used as his band logo for years. Plus back then, you know, gas, film etc., costs like that. Then nine years later, after he regained control of his money, he started paying me $600 a month. Y’know, as much to reciprocate for the years of work I gave him as it was to help me out. I eventually hired a web designer and started making the site look pretty much high- end. We had some animation, some really cool copy and paste banners, I got paid for three months before the book crap began.

The GnR Syndicate: You’ve stated that Adler would request “outrageous things” such as selling his nail clippings or autographed DVRs at hefty mark ups. Can you provide more examples of these types of requests? Did he explain the reasoning behind this? Was he desperate for money?

Brooke Ellis: Well, yeah, he definitely had grand ideas of the kind of money he could earn off of his name. I don’t want to get into personal stuff, or anything that doesn’t relate to the book fiasco. There’s so much I could say. Steven gravitates toward people with ideas on how to make money off him. That’s why so many of them have come and gone, almost always ending badly. Many of the people that gave me such a hard time with the book are already gone! He didn’t have control of his own money for a long time, so he had some lean times there. He was even on an allowance for years. Heck, I think his brother Jamie benefited from Steve’s earnings more than he did. Nice cars, lavish lifestyle, he might even have more GNR platinum awards than Steven!

The GnR Syndicate: How did you originally come to write his autobiography? Was this his idea? Your idea? Something that came up over drinks one night?

Brooke Ellis: Yeah, very early on he talked about the book. On my own accord, I wrote a few pages about his OD in San Francisco. He read it and said, “This is exactly what I would say if I could write like this.” But his mom was in the driver’s seat and it was another year or so before she hired me officially. They had, like, maybe three other writers take a crack at it. Nobody could make it happen. Even one of his best friends took a shot at it and didn’t get it done. I think this is why that particular person held such an angry, adamant sense of entitlement to it and self appointed authority over me. It was rude. This guy waits on him hand and foot. I think his relationship with Steven is more investment than friendship. It’s paying off, he’s got a cut of the book and has probably made more off of it than me.

The GnR Syndicate: Who was that?

Brooke Ellis: I prefer not to say his name.

The GnR Syndicate: When did you begin writing on the book?

Brooke Ellis: That would be November 2001, I believe.

The GnR Syndicate: Can you explain the process?

Brooke Ellis: Yeah. I knew that band like no other, or few others. You know how there are people out there who really know their stuff about Elvis and the Beatles? That’s how I was about GNR. So, unlike the previous would-be authors, I was able to ask the necessary obscure questions, “How did Vicki Hamilton come into the picture?” “How did West Arkeen start writing with the band?” “How did you feel about tripping on the drum riser on live TV at Farm Aid?” - you get the idea. And I knew something was wrong was in his past, and I treated it sensitively. I worked up slowly to asking if he ever suffered any kind of abuse as a child, and he confided in me. Always after that, he wanted that part taken out. I said, “Dude, it explains a lot. It needs to stay in.” I promised I’d treat it with care. I don’t think he’d ever tell a guy like Larry, a relative stranger, such personal things. So, it’s a surprise to see him open up with that disclosure in nearly every book interview he does now. I think it’s more just like, “OK, just get this out of the way first,” but kudos to him for addressing it head on.

The GnR Syndicate: You claimed you tried to create a “sympathetic portrait” of Steven, did you feel he had gotten a raw deal in general?

Brooke Ellis: Well, sure, I mean, he had me convinced! Hearing it straight from him, it sounded like he got fucked over. He backtracks now, accepting responsibility, but I think that’s more to appease the other GNR guys. You know? To let them know he holds no grudge and he’s ready for a reunion.

The GnR Syndicate: Was this something he has not let go of? Did he hold out hopes of reuniting with the band one day?

Brooke Ellis: I think that’s pretty much on public record.

The GnR Syndicate: You said you left “real dirt” out of the memoir, can you elaborate on that? What was left out and why?

Brooke Ellis: What I meant was, they took out some of the real dirt I had in there. It was probably due to legal reasons, so it would be best not to relay those stories right now. But there was a lot on Axl.

The GnR Syndicate: Was the book solely your work? Who else contributed and what parts?

Brooke Ellis: Yeah, it was mine, and here’s the thing, it was never completed to my satisfaction. I wasn’t getting paid except for $100 per day when I was actually interviewing Steven, which amounted to roughly $1,500. Sometimes when I’d go to interview him, I couldn’t get anything out of him. Plus, I was working a full-time job, and I had my life. So it took over a year for that initial draft, and when I handed it in, they considered it done. No one cared about the quality of the book. It had been essentially five years since they announced a book was coming, now it’s finally getting written, they can’t wait any longer? I was even encouraged to “Just make it up!” In fact, my entire last chapter is all me. Not a word from Steven’s mouth, and it’s still in there. They wanted it wrapped up! So it pisses me off when Jamie tells me “We couldn’t get a deal without Larry attached to it!” To which I replied, “Based on what?” The bottom line was that Larry had the industry resources to make a deal happen. So, give him a broker’s fee, right? No, they happily intended to give him my authorship regardless of how I felt. They were also shopping my manuscript and Deanna’s autobiography. They had a condition that the two be woven together. In my opinion Jamie was clueless. I told him, “dude, you get an advance, they assign an editor, and it’s a process!” But he was always arrogant, always had to be the big man on campus. Steven once told me, “Slash never liked Jamie.” If that’s true, I’m in good company.

But yeah, they just wanted the money. Nobody cared about any integrity for the project. So, what happens? Larry spends a year with an editor, dressing up my initial rough draft, and it’s still my work, nearly verbatim. Larry edited it and added some goofy shit; blatantly made up. For instance he wrote about Steven talking in-depth about reading the Mott the Hoople book. Ask Steven the name of that book, he never read it! Thats’s Larry. When I was still onboard, I valued our friendship, and didn’t want to make waves. So, when Steven asked me go over Larry’s pages for accuracy, I did, and I immediately got pissed off, “All he’s doing is editing this poorly!” Larry added some goofy made-up shit, like Steven telling Slash about a sexual encounter (with a girl) and Slash saying “I just remembered I have to go” and he runs off to jack off! Are you kidding me, Larry?! That’s what you bring to the table?! I have the pages! I told him,“dude, the last thing Steven needs is to piss Slash off with a made-up story.” The bottom line was that nobody cared about producing a good or true book.

If I had some advance money, and that extra year, with a Harper Collins editor, no less, the book would have been one of the greats. No doubt. These days, I make my living as a writer. I’ve contributed quite often to Classic Rock Magazine, it doesn’t get bigger than that for rock journalism. Mick Wall once contacted me and asked me to contribute two stories to the Slash Special Edition. I did and that was awesome. Strangely enough, I haven’t been able to find anything Larry has published. He just took the book further away from Steven’s personality.

The GnR Syndicate: When you say the last chapter was “All you” do you mean, you simply made shit up? Everything in that last chapter is essentially fiction?

Brooke Ellis: Well, it’s not the last chapter in the book as it is now, but all the content is there. It was stuff that had happened while I had known him. That addict neighbor of his, meeting his wife, obviously the stories with “Chuck”, who is me. I mean, I was well-informed enough to write it. I didnt’ make it up out of thin air, but it’s me telling it as if I was Steven. A lot of the book is like that.

The GnR Syndicate: When did you complete it?

Brooke Ellis: April 2003.

The GnR Syndicate: So you originally signed in 2002? What were the conditions of that contract?

Brooke Ellis: It was really short, not drafted by a lawyer. Basically, it said I get $10,000 upon publishing, and the credit, “with Brooke Ellis.”

The GnR Syndicate: Subsequently as it turned out, his mother was acting illegally as power of attorney and this eventually fell apart correct?

Brooke Ellis: I cover that in my open letter. Basically, Steven got out of the deals Jamie was putting together, and he and his mom and their agent were no longer a part of it.

The GnR Syndicate: You say you hold nothing against Deanna Adler. But surely she had a role in this?

Brooke Ellis: Jamie took the ball and ran with it. I don’t think she felt good about it. She was always kind to me. She acts tough, but really she’s vulnerable and sweet. I’m looking forward to her book, “Sweet Child of Mine.”

The GnR Syndicate: What happened after that?

Brooke Ellis: Steven gets a new team of money-hungry scumbags, and Larry holds the key to the big prize. They gave me the same contract, now stipulating that I’d be paid “after expenses.” I just couldn’t believe it and refused to sign. After months of arguing, they say “Oh, we'll just rely on Jamie's contract you signed in 2007” even though they legally got Steve out of other contracts in that group, now they’re going to cherry pick which ones they want to keep and which ones they do not.

The GnR Syndicate: It seems like your original lawyer really fucked up here. How could she have been so stupid as to forward details of your fiscal health to Steven’s lawyers?

Brooke Ellis: My head was spinning!

The GnR Syndicate: Once that fell apart, where did that leave you?

Brooke Ellis: Alone. Alone to contact Adler’s lawyers. They were impossible and you wouldn’t believe how rude. All they had to do was play fair. All of ’em, just play fair! But they saw me as a punk with no money and figured they could get away with screwing me. Perhaps they still might, but after coming out with this, I feel a lot better than I have for the past two years. I can’t believe the support I’ve gotten. I figured people would bash me in favor of Steven, but it’s been the opposite. I get messages telling me about similar things they’ve been through. Crazy stuff. One person wrote me and said something to the effect of “For Steven to betray someone who was so publicly loyal to him for so long is a new low, I lost all respect for him.” Lots of stuff like that, it encourages me.

The GnR Syndicate: You claimed that Adler seemed dismayed at the news, and promised he would not let them screw you over. Did you expect him to change his number and cut you off like that? Were you in denial at first when this happened?

Brooke Ellis: Well, when his people learned that he told me to “make my own contract”, they must have saw his talking to me as a liability, because they orchestrated a blackout. I believed, or wanted to believe, that Adler was in the dark about this. But when I saw him at NAMM in 2010, I waved, “Stevie!” and I could see he wasn’t happy to see me. I was devastated. How lame, huh? I just turned and walked away and right into Matt Sorum, of all people. I had just interviewed Matt over the phone a few weeks prior, so I smiled and introduced myself. But how weird, huh? Anyway, Steven goes promoting the book with lies, telling suicidegirls.com he wrote the book with Larry “over lunch” or that Slash helped him write it, then I knew he was onboard with betraying me.

The GnR Syndicate: Did you feel you had a sincere friendship with Adler?

Brooke Ellis: He once told me I was his best friend. That was important to me and I never wanted to let him down. I was actually tired of being a fan for a band of guys I pretty much didn’t like, but I did it anyway. Getting in the crowd to take live shots, maintaining the site, it was my hobby too. But now I realize it was time to move on anyway.

The GnR Syndicate: You didn’t like most of the guys in the band? Were they dicks or what?

Brooke Ellis: Um, there have been some good people in there.

The GnR Syndicate: Explain Lawrence Spagnola’s role in all this. How did he end up with a contract that protected him, and gave him credit for authoring this book, while you did not?

Brooke Ellis: He got the deal, that’s all. I mentioned my conversation with him in my open letter. He was so stressed and angry, saying, “You know, I put a lot of work into making this deal!” as if that entitled him to steal my work.

The GnR Syndicate: Why would Steven allow him to fuck you like this? What could Spagnola offer Steven that you could not?

Brooke Ellis: Again, the deal! There was the money just ahead, and there was a bunch of smiling people with knives in each other’s backs. They all had agendas, and they all had his ear. Me out of the picture meant more money for them. It’s no surprise many of those people are already out of Adler’s circle.

The GnR Syndicate: Did Adler rob you? Or did his inner circle rob you? Who pulled the trigger here?

Brooke Ellis: His actions since have indicated that he and his people robbed me. I left voicemails with his wife, who I was once close to, pleading her to intervene on my behalf. I spoke to Chip. Nobody saw fit to stand up for me. Here we are.

The GnR Syndicate: Chip Z’Nuff turned his back on you as well as the rest of the band?

Brooke Ellis: Chip’s pretty damn cool. He always tried to be neutral. But he was my last resort. I told him, “Dude, I gotta sue if Steven doesn’t work this out with me” and nothing came of that, so...

The GnR Syndicate: This book went to the NY Times best seller list? How did this make you feel?

Brooke Ellis: Like shit. It’s my book, and it could have been great, especially for fans. I know what they want to know! Larry’s like in his fifties, he doesn’t get GNR. People have said it’s poorly written. Well, you take a first draft and treat it like a final product, what do you expect? No one cared; they were motivated solely by money, while I wanted it to be great. You know, when I picked up that book for the first time, my attitude was, “if this is practically unrecognizable, if Larry did a bang-up job and added tons of new content, I'm letting this go, and good riddance.” That wasn't the case.

The GnR Syndicate: What would you say to Steven Adler if you could talk to him right now?

Brooke Ellis: Profanities. Maybe years from now, when this is over and done, we’ll have a shot of Jaegar and forget about it. I hope it ends well, so I can listen to GNR again without cringing.

The GnR Syndicate: So you could possibly forgive Steve for this one day?

Brooke Ellis: I never actually hated someone or thought I had a real enemy until this. It’s not Steven. It’s not Larry. He knows who he is. As far as Adler is concerned, he’s a dumbass who had people influencing him with their agenda. I mean, ultimately he has the last word, but he’s in his own world. I’m going to sue him, but somehow with him, it’s hard to hold a grudge. He simply doesn’t get it. I think his attitude is it’s his life I wrote about, so why am I owed anything? He just wants to smoke weed and watch TV, y’know? He just wants others to take care of his business which gives them plenty opportunity to exploit matters.

The GnR Syndicate: Why should readers believe you? Who is to say you aren’t trying to cash in here?

Brooke Ellis: Well, I’m past that concern and I’ll have my day in court. I have all the proof I need. I’m going public like this because what they did was just wrong, plain and simple. When Adler’s people start chiming in, I’m surprised they haven’t, maybe they just hope this will go away. I hope your readers will analyze the content of what is being said and weigh my credibility against it.

The GnR Syndicate: How far are you going to take this? Are you ready to fight?

Brooke Ellis: Yeah, I’m willing to risk everything. I’ve got the truth on my side, bottom line.

The GnR Syndicate: What is your end game? What do you want out of all of this?

Brooke Ellis: Justice! A public apology. I would love for someone to call Adler and Spagnola out on this. Maybe on Amazon reviews or at a book signing, that would be awesome. It’s sad, I am very aware of the problems in the world and I believe we are in serious trouble. The global economy could collapse. This book thing is petty, but since it’s a part of my life, I have to do something!

The GnR Syndicate: What has this episode taught you?

Brooke Ellis: Basically what has already been said about meeting your heroes. I also learned a lot about mixing friendship with business. It’s tricky.

The GnR Syndicate: Do you believe you will eventually win?

Brooke Ellis: I think so. I hope so. Either way the word is out, and it tarnishes the integrity of that book. All they had to do was play fair.

The GnR Syndicate: Tell us about your latest project, what is it and what does it mean to you?

Brooke Ellis: Oh, it means the world to me, thanks! Vintage Quixotic, “New Music for Old Hollywood.” It’s about yearning for a bygone era, y’know? The legends, the scandals of the old movie days, cool songs about everyone from Bela Lugosi to Audrey Hepburn. I’ve got an amazing vocalist Lorenz, and I write the songs and produce the videos. If one person checks ’em out on YouTube from this, then for me, something good came from this insanity.

http://www.thegnrsyndicate.com/interviews.php#brookeellis

Eventually Brooke Ellis didn't sue (mygnrforum, Oct. 21, 2017):

Jungle-Natives (Brooke Ellis) wrote: [...]

Yeah, it’s pretty messed up. Every now and then I’ll just get that pang of loss. It never went to court. They did start paying me but nowhere near what Lawrence Spagnola made off of my work.

In fact, I received a small check recently. A couple years back there was a discrepancy with the payments and I reached out to Steven’s wife. To my surprise she was very gracious and got it all worked out immediately. That’s when I felt maybe there’s really no bad blood - it was just the people around us.

A few months ago a friend of mine saw Steve somewhere and put him on the phone with me. He was super nice. He said I was still one of his ten favorite people, so I think I can say we’re good. It is what it is.

https://www.mygnrforum.com/topic/219258-steven-adler-plans-to-release-a-new-book-steven-adler-the-s-t-my-friends-remember-i-did-releases-website-and-wants-people-to-send-him-stories/?do=findComment&comment=4493407

The release of Deanna Adler's (Steven's mother) own book was announced in October 2010 and she started promoting it in 2011.

Blabbermouth, Oct. 23, 2010:

HarperCollins is tentatively scheduled to release "Sweet Child Of Mine" (formerly "No Bed Of Roses"), the much-anticipated tell-all book from Deanna Adler — the mother of original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler — in May/June 2011 (exact date to be announced). The book reportedly documents the rise of Deanna Adler's son "in the most exciting rock band of all time."

Deanna Adler appeared on the second season of "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew", on which Steven was a cast member. During the season's episode five, Dr. Drew, Dr. Sophy and Steven sat down for a meeting with Deanna in a what was described as "a tense whirlwind of accusations, denials and resentment. Steven is so flustered that he storms out of the room, leaving the many issues between he and Deanna unresolved, possibly forever."

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/steven-adler-s-mother-to-release-sweet-child-of-mine-tell-all-book/

Blabbermouth, March 11, 2011:

Steven Adler's Mother Talks About Her Upcoming Book In New Audio Interview

HarperCollins is tentatively scheduled to release "Sweet Child Of Mine: How I Lost My Son to Guns N' Roses" (formerly "No Bed Of Roses"), the much-anticipated tell-all book from Deanna Adler — the mother of original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler — On November 1, 2011.

In the bestselling tradition of "Come Back" and "Augusta, Gone", comes her story of heartache and strength as Deanna Adler stood by her son at his most troubled times.

During the last quarter century, Deanna Adler kept her diaries, journals, and personal letters, as well as a dozen scrapbooks and hundreds of photographs, putting them aside for safekeeping. "Sweet Child Of Mine" is her stunning book about raising her son, Steven Adler, the drummer for Guns N' Roses, and the travails of keeping him alive and herself sane.

Deanna's son has had a turbulent life in Guns N' Roses and afterward; he struggled with drug addiction, financial ruin after being kicked out of Guns N' Roses, and health problems that almost claimed his life several times — two heart attacks, a suicide attempt, and a debilitating stroke. Now, he appears to have finally beaten his epic twenty-year addiction to crack and heroin. But through it all, his mother was by his side. Deanna offers a window into the world of rock'n'roll and addiction while at the same time providing deep insights into her son's tortured years.

These are the memoirs of a mother's love for an infamous son whose phenomenal success is only surpassed by his astounding capacity for self destruction. Her pages are filled with moments of profound joy and crippling heartbreak. "Sweet Child Of Mine" will inform and inspire others to find the strength to help their loved ones.

La Voce, the voice of the Las Vegas' Italian-American community, recently spoke to Deanna Adler about her upcoming book. Part one of the chat can now be streamed using the audio player below. [interview is missing]

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/steven-adler-s-mother-talks-about-her-upcoming-book-in-new-audio-interview/

The book wasn't released in 2011 (apparently the deal with Harper Collins didn't work). On Jan. 26, 2012, Steven tweeted that his mother had signed a new deal:

Steven wrote:Congrats to my mom for signing her book deal just now. "Sweet Child of Mine" will be in the stores in April. http://lockerz.com/s/178002359

https://twitter.com/adlerrocks/status/162616074108542976

Blabbermouth, Feb. 21, 2012:

Steven Adler's Mother To Release 'Sweet Child Of Mine' Tell-All Book; More Details Revealed

Deanna Adler, the mother of original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler, will release her long-awaited tell-all book, "Sweet Child Of Mine: How I Lost My Son to Guns N' Roses" (formerly "No Bed Of Roses"), on April 5 via 4th Street Media.

Deanna gives an honest and revealing look into a life beset by abuse and betrayal and what it was like raising a child who became a member of one of the greatest rock bands in history, and a heroin addict of equally epic proportions. The book emotionally and enthrallingly details a mother's love for her infamous son, whose phenomenal success is surpassed only by his astounding capacity for self-destruction.

"Sweet Child Of Mine" is the universal journey of a mother's devotion to her child, filled with moments of both profound joy and crippling heartache. Deanna takes readers on a roller coaster ride through raising a troubled young boy who ultimately reached the pinnacle of fame and success, only to then be publicly branded a junkie and kicked out of his band in front of a television audience of millions; go on to endure continuing addiction, legal battles, financial ruin, two heart attacks, multiple suicide attempts, a debilitating stroke, and numerous stints in rehab. But it is her courage and indomitable spirit that both educates and inspires, as she is living proof that devotion to family, a sense of humor, and faith in a higher power are the foundations for achieving peace and purpose in life.

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/steven-adler-s-mother-to-release-sweet-child-of-mine-tell-all-book-more-details-revealed/

Then the release was pushed back to August 2012; Blabbermouth, July 1, 2012:

Tell-All Book From Steven Adler's Mother Pushed Back To August

"Sweet Child Of Mine: How I Lost My Son to Guns N' Roses" (formerly "No Bed Of Roses"), the long-awaited tell-all book from Deanna Adler, the mother of original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler, has had its release date pushed back to August 28 from the previously announced April 5 (via 4th Street Media).

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/tell-all-book-from-steven-adler-s-mother-pushed-back-to-august/

Deanna Adler had also launched a website and a video series related to her book (which I'll post when I'll be adding articles from 2012). Her book was finally released in 2017.

Interview with Don Henley, Modern Drummer, May 1990:

Robert Santelli: I was surprised to see you playing drums with Guns N' Roses at the American Music Awards show last year. What prompted you to sit in with the band?

Don Henley: They asked me to. It was after Axl came down and did the vocals on "I Will Not Go Quietly." I was in the studio about two or three weeks later and the phone rang. It was Axl. He says: "I got a proposition for you. We've got to play the American Music Awards, and our drummer's sick. We want you to play the drums." I was a little taken aback by the proposition, I can tell you that. So I told him I'd think about it and call him back. I told Danny [Kortchmar, Henley's songwriting and producing partner on "The End of the Innocence" album] what Axl wanted me to do and he said, "You gotta do this. You have to do this." So I called Axl back and said okay. Fortunately it was a ballad that we played, not a balls-to-the-wall number. I rehearsed with Axl a couple of days, although the whole band never showed up. But it was a piece of cake. There was really nothing to it.

RS: Is Guns N' Roses a favorite band of yours?

DH: I think they're an interesting band. It's gonna be interesting to watch them now, to see how they grow. I feel a lot of empathy toward them right now, because of what they're going through. Getting that hot that fast can be hard on your head. Selling eight million copies of your first album will mess you up. I know it's been rough sailing for them on a couple of occasions. If they can keep it together, I think they might turn out to be a real interesting band. I'm watching them and rooting for them.

RS: When was the last time you sat in with a band?

DH: I hadn't done anything like that in a long time. I was very relaxed. They were pretty nervous, though. I remember how we felt when the Eagles used to do those TV shows in the early years. Those TV shows are kind of slick, and I knew Guns N' Roses really didn't want to be there. They felt like they sort of had to be. And I think they were kind of rebelling about the whole thing. I understood that very well, because I lived through one of those periods. So, in a way, I was reliving my past. Hell, I hadn't seen Dick Clark since 1970.

https://www.moderndrummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/md126cs.pdf

Ultimate Classic Rock, May 27, 2011:

Slash is Declared ‘Not Real’ in New ‘South Park’ Episode

Dexterity-defying guitarist Slash of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver joined a long list of celebrities who have been satirized on the animated sitcom 'South Park' this week.

In the May 25 episode, Clyde and Craig search to find Slash so that he can play at an event EA Sports is sponsoring. When Clyde can’t find Slash, he calls his parents, who squelch the idealistic character’s excitement with the news Slash is make-believe and that he is really based on the Dutch legend of the Vünter Slauche.

The episode wraps up with the boys learning that EA Sports has reached their goal for profits. However, Eric is too disheartened to care. He just wishes Slash was actually real. He also can't accept the fact that someone he knew pretended to be Slash during his eighth birthday party.

'South Park' was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The show, which is intended for mature audiences, is currently under contract to produce 14 episodes in 2011.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/slash-south-park-not-real/

Quote from Corey Taylor, Backstage Axxess, April 20, 2011:

In an interview with BackstageAxxess.com on the Revolver Golden God’s Black Carpet event, Taylor said the following in response to becoming VR’s new singer:

“It wasn’t in the cards, and that’s cool. I made some great friends; obviously, I’m jamming with Duff tonight. It was just cool to kind of get together with them and jam, man. But it’s all good.”

https://metalinsider.net/people-slash/corey-taylor-is-not-the-new-velvet-revolver-singer

On August 12, 2011, Corey Taylor said he was working on new music with Duff; Fuse TV (via Blabbermouth):

Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor was interviewed on this past Friday's (August 12) episode of "Hoppus On Music", the Fuse TV talk show hosted by Blink-182 bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus. You can now watch clips from the program below.

When asked about the persistent rumors that he may end up being the new Velvet Revolver vocalist, Corey said, "I'm not singing with Velvet Revolver. We were doing some writing and doing some jamming and what-not, but it just seemed like there were different ideas as to what they wanted to do. And it was completely mutual; it was all good. I just love the fact that I got to hang out with people I grew up listening to."

He added, "Me and Duff will probably do some stuff later. Me and him, we really hit it off, and we're really close, and we started writing songs together, and we've got some really good stuff. So, you never know. There might be a mystery supergroup out there me and Duff and some other weird people making some weird music that people are, like, 'What?! That's them?!' So, yeah, maybe. We'll see what happens."

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/corey-taylor-says-he-is-writing-new-music-with-duff-mckagan/

Quote from missing audio interview with Duff on New Zealand's The Rock FM, June 2, 2011 (found at HTGTH):

Duff was recently interviewed on New Zealand's The Rock FM. Regarding Corey Taylor he says:

"We played with Corey -- I think Corey, myself, is the best and brightest singer of the new generation, great song writer, he's everything. But in a band everybody's got to be on the same page. And we're a democracy, and if one of the guys is not into it, ya know, because we're going to war together, once we, if we ever find a new singer."

Quote (found at HTGTH) from missing audio interview with DJ Ashba, Stage Rage Magazine, June 8, 2011:

Stage Rage: Are you done touring with Guns N' Roses right now -- like on a break? Or are you guys still out there?

DJ Ashba: We're done for the moment. There's talk we are going to go out this summer. We definitely have -- we're playing Rock in Rio Oct. 2nd. Which is going on 50,000 people, that's going to be a massive concert. And ya know I'm writing songs every day for the new record.

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php?topic=62308.msg1293297#msg1293297

Nikki Sixx says Motley Crue asked Guns N' Roses to tour with them in the summer of 2011 (they finally toured with Poison instead); The Delaware County Daily Times, July 15, 2011:

ROCK MUSIC MENU: Sixx talks about tour drama

[...]

It was the result of a fan poll the band took, Sixx said, that led to the decision to tour with Poison. Well, kind of. Poison was actually the third choice.

"The fans chose Guns N' Roses first, Def Leppard second and Poison third and we're like, 'Really?'" he said. "We talked to Guns N' Roses, talked to Def Leppard, talked to Poison who was available and the other two weren't. It just worked out."

It was a surprise when the tour with Poison was announced, first at a solo show by Bret Michaels, which was then disavowed by Motley's management, and then again by Michaels on an interview show.

"Everything was fine, until Bret went on Piers Morgan and announced the tour when he knew he was supposed to do it with Motley Crue," Sixx said. "It was a Motley Crue tour with the New York Dolls and Poison supporting, and that really pissed off my band. We didn't want the tour, because of the reasons not personally, but because of keeping things segregated and then when he went and took it into his own hands that it was like his idea -- yeah."

"He was the one on the phone that told me he wanted to do it because his band needs credibility and Motley Crue is a credible band -- it pissed us off, because we were sucker-punched."

Slash appeared in a video by Travis Barker; Blabbermouth, July 3, 2011:

Legendary guitarist Slash makes a guest appearance on the song "Saturday Night" from Blink-182 drummer and hip-hop producer Travis Barker. The official video for the track, which is included on Barker's new solo album, "Give The Drummer Some", can be seen below.

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/slash-featured-in-travis-barker-s-saturday-night-video/

Posts from Slash's facebook page.

August 3, 2011 (about his next album):

Slash: Started 2nd round of pre prod today. Its going to be a rockin' fn' record! Iii|; )'

August 5:

Slash: Epic pre-prod session today. Got a major amount work done in the last 48 hrs. Iii|; )'

August 6:

Slash: Last day of pre-prod this month. Back in Sept. Jamming w/Cypress Hill tonight for their 20th anniversary in Hollywood. Iii|; )'

August 7:

Slash: Great getting up w/Cypress Hill tonight. Good people, the whole organization. Survived 20 yrs together in this crazy biz. Iii|; )'

August 11:

Slash: Just finished a session w/Mike Clink engineering on a track w/Mary J. Blige. Sounds killer! Iii|; )'

August 16:

Slash: Perla & I are renewing our vows later this month in early celebration of our 10 year anniversary. Which is really in Oct.  Iii|; )'

Interview with Scott Weiland, Ultimate Classic Rock, July 28, 2011:

Scott Weiland Makes Up With Velvet Revolver: ‘Maybe We’ll Do Some Shows Some Time’

Never say never. That's the viewpoint Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland had adopted when it comes to his other former band, Velvet Revolver. Weiland reports that he is once again friends with Slash and the rest of the group, and says not to rule out an on-stage reunion at some point in the future.

In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, Weiland reflected somewhat wistfully on his time in Velvet Revolver, which paired him with former principal members of Guns N' Roses, saying, "That was a magical thing, too. That was right when I was getting off dope and those guys were all sober and clean, and I had a very special kind of kinship because we'd all experienced the same things."

Weiland intimated that there was a fraternal camaraderie in the band: "It felt like us against the world: 'We're gonna play just pure rock 'n' roll.' And I think we did a really good job of it. It was a great band to see live, and I think we made two exciting albums."

So it's great to see that after the expected nastiness that follows a breakup, the musicians are all friends again, even staying in contact thanks to technology. Weiland admitted, "We patched things up and we get along. I see them every now and again, we text each other."

He also offered up a little sliver of hope to diehard VR fans, saying, "And you know, we can never say never. Who knows, maybe we'll do some shows some time." That's good news, especially since Velvet Revolver still haven't found a replacement for the singer, having shelved recent material recorded with Slipknot's Corey Taylor.

One can dream, right?

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/scott-weiland-velvet-revolver-some-shows-together/

Proud To Be Loud, Aug. 24, 2011: Old L.A. Guns singer Mike Jagosz made some claims and extremely disparaging comments against Axl:

https://web.archive.org/web/20110927174719/http://proud-2-be-loud.blogspot.com/2011/08/interview-with-original-la-guns.html

Interview with Mike Monroe, Sleaze Roxx, Aug. 26, 2011:

Sleaze Roxx: Axl Rose is admittedly a huge Hanoi Rocks fan and he even made a guest appearance on your "Dead, Jail Or Rock 'N' roll" video. What's your relationship with Axl these days?

Michael Monroe: Axl's doing his own thing -- I don't have his contact information. I said hello to him through Sebastian Bach at the end of 2009 when Sebastian was on tour in Finland. He sent a text to Axl saying hello along with a picture of Sebastian and I together. Axl replied with the message, "Doesn't that guy ever age?!" (laughs) -- which was a great compliment. I have nothing but cool things to say about Axl. He was very good to me and Hanoi Rocks as he released our European catalog on Uzi Suicide Records. God bless him. He knows where to find me if he wants to talk.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150315033225/http://www.sleazeroxx.com/interviews/michaelmonroe2011.shtml

Interview with Sebastian Bach, Radio Metal, Sept. 1, 2011:

On to another subject: these recent years, you have made multiple appearances during some Guns N’ Roses concerts. Axl Rose sang on Angel Down and you did backing vocals on the Guns N’ Roses song “Sorry”. What has drawn you together to the point of creating what looks like a strong friendship with Axl?

I met Axl in 1989, when I was opening up for Aerosmith at the L.A. Farm. He came and sang a song with Steven Tyler, and he didn’t know the words, so I taught him the words right before he went on. We’ve been friends ever since. We’re extremely close, Axl is very close to me. I’ve known him for a long time. Nobody helps me in rock’n’roll more than him. He’s helped me out immensely. He brought Skid Row on tour back in ’92 or ‘91, and then he brought my solo band on tour like three or four years in a row. That’s rare in this business. He could take any band out on tour with him, but he takes me out, and it’s really nice. As for me singing on his album, yes, I sang on Chinese Democracy, and then I asked him off-handedly: “Hey dude, I sang on your record, when are you going to sing on mine?” He was like: “Tell me when and where”, and I couldn’t believe it: “What?! You’re really gonna sing on my record?!” He showed up at the studio and we had a great night, and he sang incredibly. He was going to sing on Kicking & Screaming too, he said : “Baz, what’s the last day I can sing on this record?” I gave him a day, and that day came and went, so… (laughs) He didn’t make it this time, but maybe he could be on the next record. He’s a great singer, I love the sound of his voice.

So, you think you will collaborate further with Axl in the future?

We definitely will, sometime in the future. But he has his own schedule, to say the least. He has his own clock, he’s on Axl time! (Laughs) When we did the concerts, people asked me when Guns N’ Roses would go on, and I would say: “They’re going on Axl time!” (Laughs)

I interviewed Bumblefoot, his guitarist, and he said there’s nothing you can predict with Guns N’ Roses. Bumblefoot himself didn’t know what was happening with Guns N’ Roses the following week!

When I was playing with them last year in South America, sometimes we didn’t know if we would be playing the next show. We have to be paid to play; it costs a lot of money to fly to El Salvador or Uruguay, it’s insane how much money it costs. So I would be in Bogota, Colombia, and I would ask: “Are we playing in El Salvador?” And they would tell us yes or no at 6 o’clock. We wouldn’t know if we were playing the next day. One time we flew to Costa Rica, and they’d cancelled the show, so we were in Costa Rica for like three days, just being silly! (Laughs) We didn’t even play! It was very funny. They’re a wild band, and you cannot predict what Axl’s going to do. You never can.

http://www.radiometal.com/article/the-passion-according-to-sebastian-bach,41352

Another interview with Bach; 96 Rock, Aug. 24, 2011 (via Blabbermouth):

When asked about his relationship with Axl Rose, Bach who recently moved to Los Angeles, the city the Guns N' Roses singer has called home since 1982 said, "[Axl] likes to text. He loves texting. It's basically a text relationship. We see each other quite a bit, but he's always firing up the texts. He was gonna sing on 'Kicking & Screaming'. He goes, 'Hey, Baz, what's the last day I can sing on your record?' And I gave him a date, and that day came and went. [Laughs] So maybe we'll get him on the next one. Who knows?!"

https://archive.blabbermouth.net/news/sebastian-bach-on-his-friendship-with-axl-rose-it-s-basically-a-text-relationship/