Young Gunners: Why do you love GN'R?

[hitmanhart408]

I became a fan of new GNR because of the confetti they use at the end of Paradise City (which Slash stole by the way)

[Freddie Mercury's Ghost]

I'm 20 and what got me into GNR were the MTV Video Music Awards in 2002. Though it was kinda weird,

it had something very special to me.

Same here - watched that performance over and over.

Never saw a lead singer work a stage like that before.

[AxlIsGod.]

Im 17, got into Guns, strangely, when i picked up Burnout paradise for Xbox. Theme song was paradise, and i was like, What is this beast? Downloaded it, and i guess the rest is history. ChiDem is my favourite record of all time.

[kbirdie76]

Guns N Roses are artists. Axl is an artist. Huge difference between a musican, and an artist. I think that's why the music resonates so much - it's not just catchy music because of how it sounds. It's not just music.

[Bansidhe]

i was born in 1992.... meet Gnr in 1997 but my father said that the band was satanic O.O so i stop listen axl until 2007, when my gunner side explode!

I have things in common with axl

Jesus rose to heaven, Axl Rose to hell....

[bacardimayne]

I originally was that kid who just liked classic rock, and eventually I got into GNR. Seeing as AFD is one of the very few "classic rock" albums that has modern production and doesn't sound like ass, it's stuck with me past my classic rock phase.

[volcano62]

Interesting how all the younger fans appreciate CD more.....

[vaida]

Love is a strong word

Edited May 28, 2012 by vaida

[WhazUp]

GNR was one of the very first rock bands I got into so they were very influencial in terms of my love for music. Appetite is still one of my favorite rock records of all time. I really like Chinese Democracy but it doesn't quite do it for me like the way that the 87-94 output does it for me. The CD years are really fascinating to me and I dig the current lineup a lot though, I feel that they have the oppurtunity to create some badass music (and I would love to hear more stuff from the Bucket era). I consider the old lineup and the recent lineups to be two different bands with the same name rather than a different lineup of the same band, although I love all the music any of the lineups have done (although I perfer the old lineup).

[izzyisgod]

Interesting how all the younger fans appreciate CD more.....

Not neccassarily, the only other mate of mine who is a guns n' roses fan can't stand CD. The reason I love it so much is cause every time I listen to it, I hear something new in the background that I haven't heard on other listens cause there's so much going on

[arnold layne]

I was in seventh grade and I made friends with the new kid who was big into GN'R. I started to like them too, but that was seven years ago and I don't really listen to them anymore.

Maybe twice a year I'll play Use to Love Her or Mr. Brownstone but that's about it.

[username]

Young? Meh... I'm 28. So I got into them after their prime. Got into gnr in 1998 (age 14) when I was watching the top 90 of the 90's. Saw a video of KOHD live at the Freddy Mercury tribute. It blew my mind and sparked my interest in music (in general) and rock music in particular. The music, the attitude, the realness, the danger. The raspy emotional timebomb singer. The weird hairy bluesy guitar player. First band I really fell in love with. I feel I owe them a lot as music is now a huge passion for me. From GnR onward it was a rollercoaster ride. Stones, Aerosmith, AC/DC.. GnR started all that and I know I'll always have a soft spot for them.

[rendestroi95]

I'm 16, around 2006 my dad told me to search for GNR on youtube, then i listened to WTTJ, since then i didn't stopped with this vice called Guns N' Roses

Edited May 28, 2012 by rendestroi95

[Gunner55]

I'm 21. Obviously I grew up knowing the classics. Around 2006 is when my interest in music in general started to pick up. Of course, there were talks about Chinese Democracy that year. I did the research and learned as much as I could about the album, which lead to me looking into the bands entire album collection at the time. I became quite into them. Around October that year, a radio station announced Guns N' Roses playing Winnipeg in December. Managed to get free tickets, went to the show, and became hooked from there. That was definitely the best show I had ever seen in my life at the time. Sure, all new members to me, but they were amazing. Ended up seeing them again in Winnipeg in January 2010, then again in November 2011 in Minneapolis. Being in Minneapolis 3 rows from the front on the floor was probably the best night of my life. Haha

[axlrod]

Axl Rose one of the greatest singers of all time. Greatest frontman.

Edit: ChiDem is my favourite record of all time.

Edited May 28, 2012 by axlrod

[Voodoochild]

I'm 31 and I barely remember the first time I heard the songs, but I actually remember pretty well the Illusions era and things like the Paris 92 broadcast live. Survived through all the bullshit drama after that and here I am, still eager to hear the band in the next streaming.

[OJones90]

For fellow Young Gunners (let's say people who were below the age of 13 between 1987 and 1993, so people born after 1980):

What makes GN'R (any version) so appealing to you? What first got you into GN'R? What made you love GN'R so much that you joined this forum?

I ask because I'm 21. Most people I know who are around my age like Hip Hop, some form of Modern Rock or Dance/Electronic music. For most casual music listeners my age, GN'R is either something they've never heard of, or something they know of as an "80s band" that made some cool songs called Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, and Paradise City--A novelty from a kinda cheesy era full of hairspray and makeup. Something that might be mentioned on TV sparingly or heard on a radio once in a while--Basically, not a band on their musical radar. Not really "relevent" or important at all with people of our age group.

In fact, Guns is in many ways music that doesn't really belong to our generation. It's not the music of our time or age. It belonged to either the generation of our big brothers and sisters, who were teenagers in the 80s/90s, or to our parents/uncles/aunts who got into GN'R as adults in the 80s/90s. A product of a brief time in history--the late 80s to early 90s. A time when those here who were born after 1980 were either in Junior High School, were kids, were in diapers, or not even born yet. Music born out of a world utterly different from our time--an age before the internet, cell phones, when the world was still in the Cold War, when mullets, shoulder pads and acid washed jeans. An age where some subgenre of rock music was the most popular form of music.

It's not music of our generation and yet here we are--Loving GN'R probably more than any other band. I mean, you don't tend to join a forum unless you REALLY love a band (in my case I've been a member of the community for 10 years so for me it's more about the community than the band at this point).

So, what brings you to a forum of a band who belongs to a different time than we do? What made you love GN'R so much, instead of say Nickleback, Creed or Avenged Sevenfold? If you're a Young Gunner, why is Guns so beloved by you?

Im 21 too. And yes, most people i know who are around my age like hip hop and all that.

I'm just a fan of rock. And i like old rock. I suppose i have slightly more knowledge about rock than my friends, because i have an older brother and older cousins who used to live across the street from me during my childhood.

About GnR.....well, like everyone, i always knew Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child, Paradise City & November Rain. But when i was about 15 or so i thought of looking them up on YouTube, because i hadnt actually seen them live. People like Axl Rose, and Michael Jackson, i only ever HEARD about, or i only saw their music video on TV. I realised they were unbelievably huge stars, but they were almost like a myth to me, because i hadn't actually seen them perform properly. So i looked up Guns N Roses. And from that point, i was hooked. I became absolutely fascinated with Axl Rose's voice and the way he moves on stage, not to mention my love for the music.

[Flayer]

The music itself was and still is the main draw.

[Johnny Drama]

Interesting how all the younger fans appreciate CD more.....

No they dont. Everyone loves AFD et al much more. Fact.

[californiaz06]

Interesting how all the younger fans appreciate CD more.....

No way man . . AFD for me. I heard Paradise City on the radio one day I was in 6th grade or so and asked my good friend at the time who sings that song?? He told me GN'R and let me borrow AFD. Shortly after that he lent me the UYI I. I didn't even know there was a UYI II until years later. This was before the internet was huge so I really didn't know. My mind was blown when I found out.

[maynard]

i have a 14 years old student who loves gnr and only recently got to see a video with current formation of the band. she loves afd and some uyi, she loved the hall of fame and doesn't know much about CD... it's obvious 90% of the fans, young or new, prefer the classic era of gnr.

[GNR12/17/11]

Actually I have a somewhat funny story for you guys.

A year ago when I was 15, me and my family were in San Francisco on vacation. My headphones had broke during the trip so I asked if I could pop into Best Buy quickly (while we were on the road) so I could buy a new pair.

I ended up seeing a CD vinyl while walking through the store. I thought it was the coolest thing, but it didn't have a price tag. I only had about 10 dollars on me, so I asked an employee if he could scan it and tell me the price.

$1.99 apparently. I was astounded, I bought it and walked out of the store estastic, I even forgot about the headphones.

I got in the car and my brother, sister, Mom, and Dad all had a wtf expression on my face when I had a vinyl record shaped bag in my hand instead of headphones.

I told them it was Chinese Democracy for under 2 bucks, and this was a completely unbelievable moment. My Dad ended up getting super pissed, mainly because he hates Guns and thinks they're garbage (specifically their mannerisms I'm assuming).

My Dad was super pissed at me for the rest of the day for buying a Guns N' Roses vinyl deeming it as useless and stupid and that I was into one of the worst bands in existence. To this day he still deems Slash specifically as an "idiot", and Axl as well.

Oddly enough my Dad likes bands like Audioslave, he likes AC/DC and Pearl Jam and all the Stones-era bands. Guns is one band he CANNOT stand myself listening to.

Anyway, I loved that day. I mean, 2 bucks! It's a double vinyl too.

(And if anyone wants a 16 year olds opinion on CD, it's great, one of my favourite albums. Especially the title track and There Was A Time. Shacklers is FANTASTIC live.)