2010.07.26 - The Record - Former Guns N' Roses Drummer Reflects On The High And Low Life (Steven)

Former Guns N' Roses drummer reflects on the high and low life

BY MIKE KERWICK
STAFF WRITER

As his tour bus rolled through Montana, Steven Adler took a break to reflect. He tries not to look back too often, not when his past is a page-turning mix of glamour and danger.

But Adler, the former Guns N' Roses drummer who partied his way out of the band, has a new book that offers a stunning look at his life — good, bad and plenty of ugly. Adler will visit Ridgewood Wednesday to sign copies of "My Appetite for Destruction: Sex & Drugs & Guns N' Roses."

He spent a few minutes on the phone with us discussing the book.

Q. You wrote in the introduction, "People love train wrecks." Is this the story of a train wreck?

A very successful train wreck. If you're going to do something, do it right. Definitely it was a major train wreck. Of course it didn't start off that way, but when you're doing drugs and drinking and hanging out with the wrong people, it's bound to turn into a crash.

Q. The book has some stunning revelations, including a passage where you intimate that you were raped. How difficult …

No. No. I wasn't raped. That's not in there, is it?

Q. You said you didn't want to get into details in the book, but you said there was a guy and there were two other guys … Maybe you can clarify …

Now you're bringing back old memories back to me, I'll get depressed in a second.

Q. You said, "We arrived at this dumpy little apartment. There was another guy there, only he was in his 40s. A completely scruffy-looking loser. Right away, I felt uneasy. Something wasn't right. This guy …"

Oh man. Oh yeah. Now I think I'm depressed. Yes, of course, now that you mention it … I guess it was one of those memories that I try to stuff up. But now that you bring it up, I'm gonna cry. Thank you very much [laughs].

Q. Was it tough to include?

You're young. You're living in Hollywood. And things like that happen. You never expect anything like that to happen. … It's something I just had to take it and get stronger.

Q. Axl Rose has always been one of rock's most polarizing figures. On Page 98, you write, "Of all of us, Axl seemed to be the most strait-laced." I think that would surprise some people. Was Axl actually the tamest member of the band?

When it came to drugs and fighting and things like that, he definitely had some issues to work on. He was just always there. He was a singer and he really did care about how he came out and what sound … it was very important to him. When we recorded "Appetite," he would sing word for word. He does care a whole lot, I know that.

Q. When you hear Axl's name now, what are the first feelings that pop into your head?

A superstar that I was thankful enough to know and have a part in my life.

Q. How about when you hear Slash's name?

It's an honor that we're still friends. I love him more than anything. With Slash, I called him up when I started doing Dr. Drew "Celebrity Rehab." I told Dr. Drew I don't think I'd be able to accomplish and achieve the goals that I have if I didn't have an opportunity to talk to Slash and apologize to him. I apologized to all the guys. For 20 years, I blamed them for my downfall. And they had nothing really to do with it.

Q. You point out in the book the irony of a band glorifying drug use, then firing a drummer for his drug use. Are you still bitter at all about the way things ended between you and the band?

No more. It would be really cool if we could do a reunion with the five of us. Would be great, but I'm not relying on that. It's been too long. I've got to take care of myself. If I want to be successful I can't rely on anybody but myself.

Q. In one section you wrote about the incident where your lip split, your teeth cracked and there was blood dripping all over the floor.

Ah, the stroke incident.

Q. Yeah. And then you get to the hospital, you still want to get dope. Was that one of the lowest moments?

It was definitely a low point in my life. Once the convulsions stopped, I went right back and kept doing it again. I was definitely trying to kill myself. But I have to say that honestly God or Satan, whoever runs the show, definitely had my back.

Q. How long have you been clean now?

Well, it's been 2 1/2 years since they started the Dr. Drew thing, and I relapsed twice. ... I don't know, like five months.

Q. Some people will wonder what makes this time different.

This time I have goals, I have dreams that I want to fulfill. And I know damn well there's no way in hell I'm going to be able to accomplish those dreams and those goals if I'm using drugs.

Q. Gut feeling: Will we ever see the original Guns N' Roses lineup on stage again?

I would love that more than anything. But like I said earlier, I can't rely on that. I try to rely on that, but after 25 years already, I can't rely on it [any] more. I wasted too much time in my life. I want much, much more happiness than I had in the past.

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WHO: Steven Adler
WHAT: Book signing/discussion for "My Appetite for Destruction" (It Books, 2010).
WHEN: Noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday.
WHERE: Bookends, 232 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood; 201-445-0726.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: book-ends.com.