Jump to content

Alan Niven: I'm really disappointed to see Axl playing in AC/DC


Recommended Posts

Former Guns N' Roses manager Alan Niven says he can't help feeling there are great similarities between Axl Rose and late boxing icon Muhammad Ali.


He tells Mitch Lafon: "I saw them both as anti-authoritarian. I saw them both as champions of individuality, champions of the worth of every individual.
"In terms of fame, I think there was a similarity - they were both heavyweights. I think their fame qualified them as major citizens of the world."

The manger then added that seeing Rose in AC/DC highly disappointed him, saying: "I'm looking at what Ali stood for and what he was prepared to give up and the spirit of the man, and at the same time I'm really disappointed to see Axl playing in AC/DC and running around under a pair devil horns.
"There's an old maxim that I've always tried to follow, which is: 'Never defend the devil.'
"So why celebrate going in his footsteps? The superficial thing is that while Ali is obviously ascending his stairway to heaven, I think I'm watching Axl really unfortunately on his highway to hell, and that's really sad to me. I always thought he was on a spiritual quest, but I don't think it ends up with being on stage with someone like Angus Young."

Niven then focused on Richard Ramirez, aka Night Stalker, a serial killer, rapist, and burglar who left an AC/DC hat at one of the crime scenes. Although Richard's connection with the band is quite feeble and mostly driven by media sensationalism, Alan went on to say:
"When you live through the Night Prowler in Los Angeles, it really bothered me and I really wondered what they thought about someone crawling through people's windows, raping and murdering, taking their song as his theme song and it being ascribed to him to describe him. I find that thoroughly disturbing and really troublesome!
"And yet the stage which AC/DC have right now has a pair of devil horns on it! I'm sorry, call me simple, call me simplistic, but to me - I look at a simple message there and go, 'That's fucked up!'"


Alan added about Axl later during the chat: "There was once upon a time when I though he was going to become a great rock 'n' roll statesman. When he wrote 'Civil War' I was thrilled, absolutely thrilled. I thought this was a major step to him joining the pantheon of the greats who inspired me to be involved in this. Your Dylans, your Lennons, your Marleys. And I thoroughly believed that my friend from Lafayette was going to join that pantheon.
"So it disappoints me to see him running around the stage under devil horns. He wasted his prime, he could have been of great significance in guiding people's states of mind."

Edited by Silent Jay
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can relate to Alan point of view, despite the fact that musically it's a brilliant collaboration as AC DC never sounded so good. To bad they're satan worshippers, ruins it for me as well.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a lot of respect for him and he could actually move the band forward, but seriously his whining is really getting annoying now.

He should realize that the GNR chapter of his life is over, other than Izzy, no one else is even in contact with him.

He should move on in life, yeah its shitty that he managed one of the worlds biggest bands and then got fired and now the same band is managed by a Brazilian Nanny and her kids.

But he should not always be negative in everything. Yeah I want Steven and Izzy back, will I travel to watch the big 3, hell yeah I will.

Brian was the voice of AC/DC, so what Axl joined, people are liking him, I still do prefer Brian than Axl even though im not a huge AC/DC fan, but Im happy Axl is in the band now.

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Gracii Guns said:

Alan, please join MYGNRFORUM for that kind of opinion. 

I get the feeling you'll get on well with Snake-pit. 

We used to have a user called "Alan Niveen", he was an absolute trumpet of a man from what I recall...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Niven had said in an old interview that AC/DC aren't worthy more than being GnR's roadies or something like that; so from the title of this article and before reading it I assumed he said something relevant to that statement, which was unfair for AC/DC, but, anyway, the guy has the right to his opinion and musical taste. But saying that AC/DC is a satanist band and bashing Axl for playing under devil horns is just ridiculous.

Edited by Blackstar
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...