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Rose Tattoo's Mick Cocks was asked to replace Izzy in 1991


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Wow, I didn’t realise GNR approached Mick Cocks, but Mark would know.

Having said that, I’m not sure he has the timeline quite right relative to Pete Wells, unless GNR approached Pete twice, which they well could have, and may fit better with the below.

Pete was definitely approached around the time of GNRs 88 tour of Oz. It was reported in the press at the time - I’ve still got the magazines reporting it, and many years later (after Pete’s death) I met his niece and she confirmed it for me and went through the reasons why he knocked it back. Some what co incidentally, this discussion took place at a show Mark Evans was playing !

i also saw it reported in one magazine that both Pete and Mick were approached, but I can’t remember the date of that mag, hence not sure if it was after Izzy left. I had always put it down to an error. I also have a vague recollection of asking Mick about it one night after a Doomfoxx show, and I thought he said it wasn’t true, however it was after quite a few drinks so I must be remembering that wrong...

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3 minutes ago, Euchre said:

Pete was definitely approached around the time of GNRs 88 tour of Oz. It was reported in the press at the time - I’ve still got the magazines reporting it, and many years later (after Pete’s death) I met his niece and she confirmed it for me and went through the reasons why he knocked it back. Some what co incidentally, this discussion took place at a show Mark Evans was playing !

This is interesting. Were they looking for another guitarist in 1988?! And why?

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the one guy from rose tattoo that would be a much better fit to GNR than any of the known aliens is the one that appears on the very opening scene of the video above

the one with the crazy haircut who keeps doing lunatic faces and singing bizarre backing vocals during the video as if he has just escaped from a mental institution!

is that mick cocks?

 

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3 hours ago, Blackstar said:

This is interesting. Were they looking for another guitarist in 1988?! And why?

 

1 hour ago, ludurigan said:

that doesnt make no sense at all unless the axl-slash takeover preceded the illusion era in MANY YEARS!

It does seem strange, but I assume they were thinking of a 3rd guitarist. Pete Wells played slide guitar in Rose Tattoo, so certainly could have brought a different dynamic to GNR.

Pete also played bass in Buffalo prior to the Tatts, so would have been quite versatile as well.

As to why - maybe it wasn’t thought through to well - they were massive Rose Tattoo fans and Pete was the driving force behind Rose Tattoo originally so maybe the saw he wasn’t doing much and threw it out there on the spur of the moment. That tour was Dec 88 and I think it was the first time they met he guys from the Tatts.

You’ve got to remember at that stage Lies was perhaps only out for a week or so if it was even available in Oz at that point. so that whole GNR/Rose Tattoo connection wasn’t so strong. What I mean by this I was talking to the Geordie Leach bass player from Rose Tattoo a few months back about GNR and he wasn’t aware of Live Like A Suicide, let alone that Nice Boys was on there - the first he knew that they did it was after Lies came out.

1 hour ago, ludurigan said:

the one guy from rose tattoo that would be a much better fit to GNR than any of the known aliens is the one that appears on the very opening scene of the video above

the one with the crazy haircut who keeps doing lunatic faces and singing bizarre backing vocals during the video as if he has just escaped from a mental institution!

is that mick cocks?

 

No that is Rob Riley he replaced Mick Cocks for the 3rd album.

Mick went onto play guitar in a band called Heaven and then was replaced in Heaven by Mark Evans...

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1 minute ago, Euchre said:

 

It does seem strange, but I assume they were thinking of a 3rd guitarist. Pete Wells played slide guitar in Rose Tattoo, so certainly could have brought a different dynamic to GNR.

Pete also played bass in Buffalo prior to the Tatts, so would have been quite versatile as well.

As to why - maybe it wasn’t thought through to well - they were massive Rose Tattoo fans and Pete was the driving force behind Rose Tattoo originally so maybe the saw he wasn’t doing much and threw it out there on the spur of the moment. That tour was Dec 88 and I think it was the first time they met he guys from the Tatts.

You’ve got to remember at that stage Lies was perhaps only out for a week or so if it was even available in Oz at that point. so that whole GNR/Rose Tattoo connection wasn’t so strong. What I mean by this I was talking to the Geordie Leach bass player from Rose Tattoo a few months back about GNR and he wasn’t aware of Live Like A Suicide, let alone that Nice Boys was on there - the first he knew that they did it was after Lies came out.

appreciate your answer mate

but a 3rd guitarist?

makes even less sense!

it would make total sense if they asked Pete to guest on an album, or on whatever, but to join the band?

i cant see that

besides, i am not sure about his age but he seems to be at least 10 or 15 years older than everyone in GNR

that would make even less sense to ask a guy this much "older" to join the band

 

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11 minutes ago, ludurigan said:

appreciate your answer mate

but a 3rd guitarist?

makes even less sense!

it would make total sense if they asked Pete to guest on an album, or on whatever, but to join the band?

i cant see that

besides, i am not sure about his age but he seems to be at least 10 or 15 years older than everyone in GNR

that would make even less sense to ask a guy this much "older" to join the band

 

Yeah I don’t know the reasons, I’m only speculating, but it is definitely what happened. As I said it was widely reported in the Oz rock press at the time, the interviewer above mentioned it, Mark Evans who was close with both Pete and Mick confirmed it, I spoke with Pete’s niece who confirmed it and told me the reasons why he turned it down.

So it may seem odd, but it is what it is.

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8 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

If I ended up with the name Mick Cocks, I'd be changing my name to Cox or Cockrell by deed poll. 

When I was in high school, there was a teacher who taught P.E. called Mr. Sanders. After school broke up for the summer holidays, he went missing in Chile or somewhere daft like that. It made headlines in various media outlets where they said his name was Sandercock. The poor fella was as well as calling it quits with his teaching career after that, he never stood a chance.

I always wondered what a Navarro/Slash combo would have been like.

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I love Jane's Addiction and Navarro's playing but I don't think he would have worked in Guns. He's not really a rock 'n' roll guy if you know what I mean. Not that they necessarily had to get someone just like Izzy but Guns needs some  rock n roll in their sound or it's not really Guns.

 And...Dave is not that guy. I mean, Jane's covered Sympathy For the Devil years before Guns did, and Dave has said he didn't want to do it because he hates the Stones.

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