What happened to Steven Adler?

[Tonto]

Just now, tremolo said:

The fact they agreed to those % doesn't mean they thought it was fair.

Axl gets off intimidating people, using power to impose his ideas. Back then they were all junkies/drunkies, with Axl being the sober one. What i see is that he took advantage of that and the rest just complied cause they were either too fucked up or too afraid to speak up and upset Sir Poops-a-lot.

Who are they? The ones who came up with it? That makes sense.

Slash came up with the percentage idea so what does it have to do with Axl?

You really should know something about GN'R before you go spouting off horse shit on a GN'R board.

[MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle]

5 minutes ago, janrichmond said:

I really NEED my like button on days like these 

#teamDuff 

You can just switch between themes when you want to like. ^^

[Tonto]

5 minutes ago, tremolo said:

Yes you did, yo moved it towards Adler overdosing Axl's girlfriend, which has absolutely nothing to do with what was being discussed.

Bill Burr has a funny bit about that. Basically, you argue like a broad.

When you're throwing Axl, Duff and Slash under the bus for "backstabbing" Steven don't you think a little bit of context is important? It's just as relevant as the percentage split which is not even the main point of this topic.

I'm surprised the guys kept him around as long as they did after pulling that stunt. 

Bill Burr, you're a fan? That explains a lot! Jog on.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Tonto

[janrichmond]

5 minutes ago, MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle said:

You can just switch between themes when you want to like. ^^

forgot about that 

[Blackstar]

1 hour ago, Pishy said:

Wow, "one of my biggest mistakes in life", as if he gave something when he just described stealing something . Axl is truly an asshole.  

He was angry because of Steven's lawsuit and other things. And when Axl is angry, he lets it all loose (and he really comes across as an asshole); he has no filter when he talks (it's the one thing he and Steven have in common).

The full quote:

DEL: Want to talk about another former member of Guns, drummer Steven Adler?
AXL: The misconception is that we kicked him out for the hell of it, and that I was the dictator behind it. The truth is, I probably fought a little harder to keep him in the band, because I wasn't working with him on a daily basis like the other guys were. They grew tired of not being able to get their work done because Steven wasn't capable of it. I've read interviews where he's saying that he's straight. Most of the time he isn't. He's the type of person who wants everything handed to him, and he did get it handed to him. He got it handed to him from me. At one point, in order to keep this band together, it was necessary for me to give him a portion of my publishing rights. That was one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life, but he threw such a fit, saying he wasn't going to stay in the band. We were worried about not being able to record our first album, so I did what I felt I had to do. In the long run I paid very extensively for keeping Steven in Guns N' Roses. I paid $1.5 million by giving him 15% of my publishing off of Appetite For Destruction. He didn't write one goddamn note, but he calls me a selfish dick! He's been able to live off of that money, buy a shitload of drugs and hire lawyers to sue me. If and when he loses the lawsuit he has against us, and he has to pay those lawyers, if he has any money left, it'll be the money that came from Guns N' Roses and myself. At this point I really don't care what happens to Steven Adler, because he's taken himself out of my life, out of my care and concern. I feel bad for him in ways, because he's a real damaged person, but he's making choices to keep himself in that damage. There's nothing we can do at this point. We took him to rehabs, we threatened his drug dealers, we helped him when he slashed his wrists. I even forgave him after he nearly killed my wife. I had to spend a night with her in an intensive-care unit because her heart had stopped thanks to Steven. She was hysterical, and he shot her up with a speedball. She had never done jack shit as far as drugs go, and he shoots her up with a mixture of heroin and cocaine? I kept myself from doing anything to him. I kept the man from being killed by members of her family. I saved him from having to go to court, because her mother wanted him held responsible for his actions. And the sonofabitch turns on me? I mean, yeah, I'm a difficult person to deal with, and I'm a pain in the ass to understand, and I've had my share of problems, but Steven benefited greatly from his involvement with me - more than I did from knowing him. Steven had a lot of fans, but he was a real pain in the ass. I need to keep him in my life for you? F?!k you!

Edited August 26, 2017 by Blackstar

[MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle]

5 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

He was angry because of Steven's lawsuit and other things. And when Axl is angry, he lets it all loose (and he really comes across as an asshole); he has no filter when he talks (it's the one thing he and Steven have in common).

The full quote:

DEL: Want to talk about another former member of Guns, drummer Steven Adler?
AXL: The misconception is that we kicked him out for the hell of it, and that I was the dictator behind it. The truth is, I probably fought a little harder to keep him in the band, because I wasn't working with him on a daily basis like the other guys were. They grew tired of not being able to get their work done because Steven wasn't capable of it. I've read interviews where he's saying that he's straight. Most of the time he isn't. He's the type of person who wants everything handed to him, and he did get it handed to him. He got it handed to him from me. At one point, in order to keep this band together, it was necessary for me to give him a portion of my publishing rights. That was one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life, but he threw such a fit, saying he wasn't going to stay in the band. We were worried about not being able to record our first album, so I did what I felt I had to do. In the long run I paid very extensively for keeping Steven in Guns N' Roses. I paid $1.5 million by giving him 15% of my publishing off of Appetite For Destruction. He didn't write one goddamn note, but he calls me a selfish dick! He's been able to live off of that money, buy a shitload of drugs and hire lawyers to sue me. If and when he loses the lawsuit he has against us, and he has to pay those lawyers, if he has any money left, it'll be the money that came from Guns N' Roses and myself. At this point I really don't care what happens to Steven Adler, because he's taken himself out of my life, out of my care and concern. I feel bad for him in ways, because he's a real damaged person, but he's making choices to keep himself in that damage. There's nothing we can do at this point. We took him to rehabs, we threatened his drug dealers, we helped him when he slashed his wrists. I even forgave him after he nearly killed my wife. I had to spend a night with her in an intensive-care unit because her heart had stopped thanks to Steven. She was hysterical, and he shot her up with a speedball. She had never done jack shit as far as drugs go, and he shoots her up with a mixture of heroin and cocaine? I kept myself from doing anything to him. I kept the man from being killed by members of her family. I saved him from having to go to court, because her mother wanted him held responsible for his actions. And the sonofabitch turns on me? I mean, yeah, I'm a difficult person to deal with, and I'm a pain in the ass to understand, and I've had my share of problems, but Steven benefited greatly from his involvement with me - more than I did from knowing him. Steven had a lot of fans, but he was a real pain in the ass. I need to keep him in my life for you? F?!k you!

This was enlightening.  Not read the full quote before.  Thanks (again). 

Edit: Who is the 'you' when he says, 'I need to keep him in my life for you?  Fuck you!'

Edited August 26, 2017 by MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle

[Blackstar]

2 minutes ago, MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle said:

This was enlightening.  Not read the full quote before.  Thanks (again). 

Edit: Who is the 'you' when he says, 'I need to keep him in my life for you?  Fuck you!'

I believe "you" is a portion of the fans.

[Pishy]

51 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

He was angry because of Steven's lawsuit and other things. And when Axl is angry, he lets it all loose (and he really comes across as an asshole); he has no filter when he talks (it's the one thing he and Steven have in common).

The full quote:

DEL: Want to talk about another former member of Guns, drummer Steven Adler?
AXL: The misconception is that we kicked him out for the hell of it, and that I was the dictator behind it. The truth is, I probably fought a little harder to keep him in the band, because I wasn't working with him on a daily basis like the other guys were. They grew tired of not being able to get their work done because Steven wasn't capable of it. I've read interviews where he's saying that he's straight. Most of the time he isn't. He's the type of person who wants everything handed to him, and he did get it handed to him. He got it handed to him from me. At one point, in order to keep this band together, it was necessary for me to give him a portion of my publishing rights. That was one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life, but he threw such a fit, saying he wasn't going to stay in the band. We were worried about not being able to record our first album, so I did what I felt I had to do. In the long run I paid very extensively for keeping Steven in Guns N' Roses. I paid $1.5 million by giving him 15% of my publishing off of Appetite For Destruction. He didn't write one goddamn note, but he calls me a selfish dick! He's been able to live off of that money, buy a shitload of drugs and hire lawyers to sue me. If and when he loses the lawsuit he has against us, and he has to pay those lawyers, if he has any money left, it'll be the money that came from Guns N' Roses and myself. At this point I really don't care what happens to Steven Adler, because he's taken himself out of my life, out of my care and concern. I feel bad for him in ways, because he's a real damaged person, but he's making choices to keep himself in that damage. There's nothing we can do at this point. We took him to rehabs, we threatened his drug dealers, we helped him when he slashed his wrists. I even forgave him after he nearly killed my wife. I had to spend a night with her in an intensive-care unit because her heart had stopped thanks to Steven. She was hysterical, and he shot her up with a speedball. She had never done jack shit as far as drugs go, and he shoots her up with a mixture of heroin and cocaine? I kept myself from doing anything to him. I kept the man from being killed by members of her family. I saved him from having to go to court, because her mother wanted him held responsible for his actions. And the sonofabitch turns on me? I mean, yeah, I'm a difficult person to deal with, and I'm a pain in the ass to understand, and I've had my share of problems, but Steven benefited greatly from his involvement with me - more than I did from knowing him. Steven had a lot of fans, but he was a real pain in the ass. I need to keep him in my life for you? F?!k you!

This made it 10 times worse!

Only someone who believes it word for word and who is incapable of reading between the lines, would find it a better explanation.  And that wholesale acceptance is only because the brand speaks and the brand must be true, all hail the brand! 

And saying Steven benefitted greatly from knowing him, more than he benefitted from knowing Steven? That's so gross, first, you don't view people in terms of what you can benefit from or how they can serve you, unless you're a user, and more relevant to the topic, what a lie! Without Steven , there would have been no GnR and no Axl Rose.

Axl thinks he is GnR and gave all these people a chance and "gave" them money, he is delusional. He is telling everyone, very clearly, how he saw himself as above others, and how he is the only valid and worthy member and how it's all his to dole out or not. He is also explicitly saying how he mistreated Steven! 

And that bit about EE, yes im sure Steven crept up from behind her and shot her up, these stories are absurd. One we do know for sure is how Axl had sex with Steven's gf. But things are only valid if they happen to Axl, Steven is not an equal human so it doesn't really count, he should be happy with what he got.

Steven helped to create GnR, he is absolutely critical to the sound and what they did.  He didn't "get"'anything and certainly not from Axl, aside from a constant stream of abusive.

Izzy wanted more than anyone to keep Steven and is the only one to ever have apologized to Steven. And Izzy would always say how he preferred Steven , how talented he was, how nothing worked after Steven left. He told the truth while Axl lies non stop about Steven's abilities as a musician and about his character as a person.

But hey, don't think badly of Axl for crushing a man, he wanted to keep Steven the most, even though he just said he was useless. It was the others who wanted him out, says Axl. And Axl always tries to throw in something convincing , a little extra info so idiots can say yeah, that makes sense. In this case, he said he was the least adamant about kicking him out and the others the most , because the others had to "work more closely with Steven", he moves the responsibility away from himself , becomes the nicest one, his hand forced out of fairness to the what the others are demanding and paints a picture to make it all seem very possible and true. "Oh yeah, they would work more closely , axl is just the singer, he wouldn't know as much." 

its funny, don't know the guy at all but he is so obvious when he lies, he follows a very specific pattern every single time, without fail. And he situates himself as the hero while doing it, lol! 

Edited August 26, 2017 by Pishy

[AtariLegend]

I heard a rumor once that Steven Adler was fired 27 years ago. Almost 3 fucking decades ago.

[RussTCB]

Had to remove a lot of posts to clean up the thread. @Pishy & @Tonto, insults are not allowed on the forum. Try to make your argument without breaking the rules of the forum. Posting this as a verbal warning to all involved.

[Tonto]

1 minute ago, tremolo said:

Izzy is loved around here. He made great contributions to the songs we love. And time has proven he is a cool guy with integrity and 0 bs and 0 compromise.

Time has shown that he's a money grubber, nothing more, nothing less.

[Modano09]

29 minutes ago, Pishy said:

This made it 10 times worse!

Only someone who believes it word for word and who is incapable of reading between the lines, would find it a better explanation.  And that wholesale acceptance is only because the brand speaks and the brand must be true, all hail the brand! 

its funny, don't know the guy at all but he is so obvious when he lies, he follows a very specific pattern every single time, without fail. And he situates himself as the hero while doing it, lol! 

What exactly about any of that seems uncharacteristic of Steven Adler? 

[Pishy]

32 minutes ago, AtariLegend said:

I heard a rumor once that Steven Adler was fired 27 years ago. Almost 3 fucking decades ago.

And I heard a rumor once that GnR ended 25 years ago. Almost 3 fucking decades ago. Yet, here we are with a partial reunion and here we are with the same betrayals by the same 3 members .

[Pishy]

1 hour ago, Blackstar said:

Imo the turning point was Izzy's phasing out (from both sides) and his eventual departure. Then Axl stopped seeing GnR as a band of five members or as a sum, and he replaced it with "GnR is Slash and myself". After Slash left too, the different eras/lineups concept was just his way to legitimize/justify his going on with the name; I think (reading between the lines of what he said over the years during the NuGnR) that deep down he knew that NuGnR wasn't GnR.

Yes, this is true only it didn't happen spontaneously. It was a concerted effort by both slash and Axl, to take full control of GnR, hence trying to demote Izzy. But they lost the plot and ended up going against one another, no honor among thieves. 

And yes, axl kept his circus troupe going thinking if he pulled in skilled players, everyone would see how gnr was really always all Axl, the other 4 were replaceable. He brought in countless people trying to make CD, chasing his illusions and delusions. 

There is no doubt axl knows, very well, that the circus is not GnR and that he did less than all the others after GnR dissolved . If he thought it was working, he wouldn't have reunited with slash. 

[Ratam]

1 hour ago, MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle said:

You can just switch between themes when you want to like. ^^

what happened with this topic? This is a logic title 😂💣💣

[Modano09]

19 minutes ago, Pishy said:

And I heard a rumor once that GnR ended 25 years ago. Almost 3 fucking decades ago. Yet, here we are with a partial reunion and here we are with the same betrayals by the same 3 members .

What betrayals? Adler was a raging drug addict who couldn't perform. I know, you'll say he could, but I'll go with the word of the people who were actually there, trying to work with him at the time. Also, there's about 25 years of evidence that Adler's is/was a raging drug addict. Unless everyone ends up on Celebrity Rehab at some point. But some people would rather come up with conspiracy theories rather than acknowledge that a proven drug addict was thrown out because he was a drug addict. As for today, as recently as 3 years ago he was relapsing and unreliable and Axl/Duff/Slash would have to be fools to have all of this relying on Adler keeping it together for huge, multi-year tour. 

[RONIN]

So to surmise this thead:

W. Axl Pose, $la$h, and Puff are ruthless, unethical douchebags who sold their souls. 

Adler is an annoying man-child douche that continues to be used and discarded unceremoniously by Guns n' Poses.

And then ofcourse we have Izzy Stradlin' - the badass rock n' roller who still has his integrity and stayed true to his friends. He also left on his own terms before the band turned into a joke in '92. Legend.

[colonizedmind]

What was that "Special Event" Adler was talking about regarding the Appetite 30th and how Fernando was taking care of it? HA
Or was that the NYC Gig? 

Edited August 27, 2017 by colonizedmind

[Magnus Cavalerra]

Adler had 25 years to prove himself worthy and or just being a better person, yet keep failing that resulting nobody want to works with him, Slash and Duff main choice was Matt the human drum machine, In 25 years span of their solo career how many song that Slash or Duff collabing with Adler together? It's just fucking two song right? One bonus song on Slash solo album about a bitch can't drive and one on Adler album. I believe Adler ain't that expensive. So why they never choose him?

Damn, even on that Slash solo album the main drummer itself was Axl's former mercenary Josh Freese! They missed huge ass chance to have Slash, Izzy, and Adler on song Ghost, imagine it would be better than any Chinese Democracy song with 150% more cowbell!

[DieselDaisy]

58 minutes ago, Magnus Cavalerra said:

Adler had 25 years to prove himself worthy and or just being a better person, yet keep failing that resulting nobody want to works with him, Slash and Duff main choice was Matt the human drum machine, In 25 years span of their solo career how many song that Slash or Duff collabing with Adler together? It's just fucking two song right? One bonus song on Slash solo album about a bitch can't drive and one on Adler album. I believe Adler ain't that expensive. So why they never choose him?

Damn, even on that Slash solo album the main drummer itself was Axl's former mercenary Josh Freese! They missed huge ass chance to have Slash, Izzy, and Adler on song Ghost, imagine it would be better than any Chinese Democracy song with 150% more cowbell!

Slash and Duff did not collaborate until VR and Matt was the drummer there because - and this bit is crucial - he instigated the whole thing. The only two members who played regularly together really until 2016 were McKagan and Stradlin, on Stradlin's solo albums. The rest is just a smattering of studio/live guest appearances and Izzy's live stints with Newgnr. Oh yes, the Snakepit thing, Slash, Matt, Gilby - and Dizzy surprisingly - but that was originally intended to be Guns.

When the band ended these people I believe wanted to distance themselves from Guns. Duff wanted to re-establish his punk credentials. Slash wanted to be in control of his bands and do hard rock. Rose wanted to do weird bleep albums with freaks. Etc.

PS

Gilby's solo album is one of the best for guests. Even Rose turns up. There is also the Outpatients song with Rose and Slash which when you think about it is probably the closest thing to a post Illusion (proper) Guns song.

[Magnus Cavalerra]

28 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

Slash and Duff did not collaborate until VR and Matt was the drummer there because - and this bit is crucial - he instigated the whole thing. The only two members who played regularly together really until 2016 were McKagan and Stradlin, on Stradlin's solo albums. The rest is just a smattering of studio/live guest appearances and Izzy's live stints with Newgnr. Oh yes, the Snakepit thing, Slash, Matt, Gilby - and Dizzy surprisingly - but that was originally intended to be Guns.

When the band ended these people I believe wanted to distance themselves from Guns. Duff wanted to re-establish his punk credentials. Slash wanted to be in control of his bands and do hard rock. Rose wanted to do weird bleep albums with freaks. Etc.

PS

Gilby's solo album is one of the best for guests. Even Rose turns up. There is also the Outpatients song with Rose and Slash which when you think about it is probably the closest thing to a post Illusion (proper) Guns song.

Yeah, Matt is obvious leader of VR, he has that frontman attitude that's why he's clashed with Scott, that's also why he has no place on Guns reunion, being a such bland drummer he need to chill the fuck out. He at same totem pole level as Dizzy.

About Adler why Slash didn't utilize him more on his solo album, i believe he isn't that expensive and playing with long time buddy/guitar god would motivate him more. It will benefit Slash too, since at least Adler certainly bring more credibility.

It's lucky we have Slash and Izzy at Ghost otherwise it can easily be Slash and Fortus because Slash apparently trying to steal him too!

[RONIN]

2 hours ago, Magnus Cavalerra said:

 

About Adler why Slash didn't utilize him more on his solo album, i believe he isn't that expensive and playing with long time buddy/guitar god would motivate him more. It will benefit Slash too, since at least Adler certainly bring more credibility.

The obvious answer here is that Slash clearly does not want to work with Steven. Neither does Duff, Izzy, or Axl given the limited involvement Steven has had with any of those guys in the last 25 years. I imagine they're probably embarrassed by their connection to him if their behavior is anything to go by. 

And who can blame them? Steven went full retard post guns. Just look at him on that celebrity rehab show a few years ago - he was a complete ass clown. A man-child. Even if he's the best drummer for Guns, the guy is a serious liability.

All that being said, I think they could have easily rotated Steven in with Brain or Freese for NITL and that would have been light years beyond what we have now. Freese and Adler's punk stylings fit GnR so much better than Frank and Sorum.

The excuse about excluding him because of his back problems was just another line of bull from Axl. They don't want him there, plain and simple. That was a band decision. Say what you will about Adler, the guy is the best drummer for Guns and he's an original member. The way Slash and Duff threw him under the bus with only doing 1 or 2 songs and forcing him to choose only one foreign date to play was just messed up. Shows you what type of people they are. And all that posturing from those two clowns Duff and Slash about how they would never do anything without the original 5. Horseshit. All it took was Axl saying yes and live nation dropping a bag of cash in their face. 

I didn't expect much integrity from Axl and Slash, but Duff? That was surprising. He also just worked with Izzy last year iirc. I almost feel like Duff is even more two faced than the other two. 

NITL is a really good tour ... but it could have been so much better with a few compromises. Too bad greed ruins everything.

[VampireSoul]

A level bullshit and musical ignorance to say Freddie never wrote anything like Axl. Do you even know what inspires Axl? Queen made him love music as a kid so gtfo and gay remark so not needed, fuckwit.

[MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle]

1 hour ago, RONIN said:

 

I didn't expect much integrity from Axl and Slash, but Duff? That was surprising. He also just worked with Izzy last year iirc. I almost feel like Duff is even more two faced than the other two. 

NITL is a really good tour ... but it could have been so much better with a few compromises. Too bad greed ruins everything.

It being the case that Duff recently worked with Izzy, is it beyond the realm of possibility that he isn't two faced and there might be more to it?  

Without knowing all the facts, my speculation on Izzy not being there is he simply doesn't want to be.  He wanted a certain amount of money; Axl wouldn't give; so Izzy's like fine, see if I care, which he apparently doesn't.  

Clearly, getting Izzy and Steven on board for NITL tour was part of the original plan.  We know this because Steven showed up and Izzy was asked.  Then something went wrong with Steven, God knows what, and Izzy said no to what was offered him.  This tells me that Axl and co. had intentions to include them initially, not exclude them.  So I find it a bit of a stretch to label Duff two-faced at this stage, or to say that they threw Steven under the bus after agreeing to get him on board in the first place.  I mean, why do that?  If they wanted nothing to do with him, they would have had nothing to do with him.  Something has happened to change their minds.  It's not impossible to believe that Steven has messed up somehow.  

I do think something dodgy is going on now with the silence tactic Steven is employing - but I'm playing devil's advocate here.  Trying to look at this from different points of view. 

 

[RONIN]

33 minutes ago, MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle said:

It being the case that Duff recently worked with Izzy, is it beyond the realm of possibility that he isn't two faced and there might be more to it?  

Without knowing all the facts, my speculation on Izzy not being there is he simply doesn't want to be.  He wanted a certain amount of money; Axl wouldn't give; so Izzy's like fine, see if I care, which he apparently doesn't.  

Clearly, getting Izzy and Steven on board for NITL tour was part of the original plan.  We know this because Steven showed up and Izzy was asked.  Then something went wrong with Steven, God knows what, and Izzy said no to what was offered him.  This tells me that Axl and co. had intentions to include them initially, not exclude them.  So I find it a bit of a stretch to label Duff two-faced at this stage, or to say that they threw Steven under the bus after agreeing to get him on board in the first place.  I mean, why do that?  If they wanted nothing to do with him, they would have had nothing to do with him.  Something has happened to change their minds.  It's not impossible to believe that Steven has messed up somehow.  

I do think something dodgy is going on now with the silence tactic Steven is employing - but I'm playing devil's advocate here.  Trying to look at this from different points of view. 

 

Sure - I mean, anything is possible. Duff is an extremely savvy businessman now with a wealth management company. And the partners have made a very financially sound decision of excluding Izzy and Steven from the tour. Coincidence? Perhaps, but it seems unlikely. There is also the fact that Duff was complicit in Steven's firing and the attempt to demote Izzy. I know the latter was never put into action but that contract Axl tried to get Izzy to sign would never have even existed without approval from Duff and Slash. Whether they were coerced or not, the precedent had been set.

My guess? Live Nation probably twisted Axl's arm to reunite the Appetite 5 or at least get Izzy and Steven involved in some capacity to properly sell this tour as a reunion. The partners halfheartedly agreed and once Steven had back problems - that was used as an excuse to reduce him to a few token appearances. Ditto with Izzy where he was probably low-balled and offered a pittance to play. If we can put aside our own biases and look at things objectively - this is a multi million dollar tour. The principals stand to make enormous sums of money - the kind that could set up trust funds for their great-grandchildren. The partners had a choice of either splitting the spoils between themselves and hiring cheap guns like Fortus/Frank or paying significantly more to secure Adler/Izzy plus the potential headaches that come with Adler. The choice seems obvious. 

It makes you wonder just how accidental that Duff/Axl meeting was back in 2010. Especially with Velvet Revolver being on life support back then. 

Edited August 27, 2017 by RONIN