Why Axl?

[dontdamnmeuyi2015]

If this has been asked already I do apologize.

Has Axl ever said why he picked the name Axl? I mean I was young back then, but this was a very unusual name for the time. Just curious. 

This is why Axl has to write a auto biography soon.

thanks.

[janrichmond]

36 minutes ago, dontdamnmeuyi2015 said:

If this has been asked already I do apologize.

Has Axl ever said why he picked the name Axl? I mean I was young back then, but this was a very unusual name for the time. Just curious. 

This is why Axl has to write a auto biography soon.

thanks.

Wasn't his band gonna be called Axl and he ended up using the name himself? 

That's a vague memory but @Blackstar is our resident fact finder, she will know for sure.

[Blackstar]

Yes, Axl and Izzy were in a band called AXL back in Lafayette, and that was also the name of their first band together in L.A. before it was named Rose/Hollywood Rose  Then Axl called himself after the band name - according to him, after Izzy's suggestion:

Axl: "“Axl" came along as name of band, cuz my friend used to write down - my friend Dave Lank [in Lafayette] wrote down names of bands, him and Mike Staggs and Roger Miley. And we always thought of names of bands and he had this page, like hundreds of names he thought of for names of bands. One day they called me up and they said, "We got a name for a band, 'Axl'". And, like, I don't know, the world was coming down on me in my house;  and it's like, I answered the phone and I was like, "What do you want?" "We got a name for a band, 'Axl'. How should we spell it?" And I was like, "A-X-L". Click (laughs). [...]

The name Axl, they said when I - that I live, breathe, eat, sleep, walk, talk Axl.  I knew in first grade that I was gonna change my name, so W. Axl Rose. It’s like, you know, my name was William Rose. My mom remarried and then my name was changed to Bill Bailey, William Bailey. My dad has told me that he begged my mom to change my first name, cuz he knew I was gonna get crap. I mean, imagine, you're a little kid, you know, and every place you go someone sings “Won’t you come home Bill Bailey.” I wanna cover the song. I like the song (laughs). [MTV, July 1989].

Chris Weber: Originally, the band  [in L.A.] was called A.X.L. Axl was going by Bill Bailey (his real name), Izzy's name then was Jeff Isbell, but I was calling him Izzy. One day Axl got mad and we ended up changing the name to Rose. I don't remember exactly why the change occurred. Then we began playing gigs under that name, and then again we changed it to Hollywood Rose. That was back in '84, I think. [Rock Scene, October 1989]

Axl: I had a thing that I called AXL. That was a project, you know, and I was writing songs and I had them all in this little book and I was, like, looking for people. Izzy and I were trying to put it together. Axl, eventually, became me out of Izzy’s suggestion. He goes, “Look, you live, breath, walk, talk Axl. Why won’t you just be Axl.” “Okay, I’m Axl” [MTV Japan, November 1987].

Axl: I was originally in a band called AXL a long time ago. I got the name because people said you live, breathe, walk, and talk Axl, so why don't you just be Axl  [Creem, September 1989].

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Blackstar

[lame ass security]

I had never seen the excerpt where Axl talked about his dad wanting to change his name because of the crap he would take.😄  Good stuff.

[Tio Didi]

I thought Axl Rose was an anagram to Oral Sex.

[Blackstar]

5 hours ago, Tio Didi said:

I thought Axl Rose was an anagram to Oral Sex.

Coincidence - and urban legend that the press loved  

Edited October 24, 2019 by Blackstar

[Politania]

16 hours ago, Blackstar said:

Yes, Axl and Izzy were in a band called AXL back in Lafayette, and that was also the name of their first band together in L.A. before it was named Rose/Hollywood Rose  Then Axl called himself after the band name - according to him, after Izzy's suggestion:

Axl: "“Axl" came along as name of band, cuz my friend used to write down - my friend Dave Lank [in Lafayette] wrote down names of bands, him and Mike Staggs and Roger Miley. And we always thought of names of bands and he had this page, like hundreds of names he thought of for names of bands. One day they called me up and they said, "We got a name for a band, 'Axl'". And, like, I don't know, the world was coming down on me in my house;  and it's like, I answered the phone and I was like, "What do you want?" "We got a name for a band, 'Axl'. How should we spell it?" And I was like, "A-X-L". Click (laughs). [...]

The name Axl, they said when I - that I live, breathe, eat, sleep, walk, talk Axl.  I knew in first grade that I was gonna change my name, so W. Axl Rose. It’s like, you know, my name was William Rose. My mom remarried and then my name was changed to Bill Bailey, William Bailey. My dad has told me that he begged my mom to change my first name, cuz he knew I was gonna get crap. I mean, imagine, you're a little kid, you know, and every place you go someone sings “Won’t you come home Bill Bailey.” I wanna cover the song. I like the song (laughs). [MTV, July 1989].

Chris Weber: Originally, the band  [in L.A.] was called A.X.L. Axl was going by Bill Bailey (his real name), Izzy's name then was Jeff Isbell, but I was calling him Izzy. One day Axl got mad and we ended up changing the name to Rose. I don't remember exactly why the change occurred. Then we began playing gigs under that name, and then again we changed it to Hollywood Rose. That was back in '84, I think. [Rock Scene, October 1989]

Axl: I had a thing that I called AXL. That was a project, you know, and I was writing songs and I had them all in this little book and I was, like, looking for people. Izzy and I were trying to put it together. Axl, eventually, became me out of Izzy’s suggestion. He goes, “Look, you live, breath, walk, talk Axl. Why won’t you just be Axl.” “Okay, I’m Axl” [MTV Japan, November 1987].

Axl: I was originally in a band called AXL a long time ago. I got the name because people said you live, breathe, walk, and talk Axl, so why don't you just be Axl  [Creem, September 1989].

 

good job!

[dontdamnmeuyi2015]

Thanks guys for your help. I don't know why I just thought of this the other day after all this time. lol

Anyway, Axl seems to just fit him so well.

Still wish Axl would write an auto biography. I would love to learn about his childhood and after he came to LA and of course during the GNR days and after up until now.

Maybe one day he will. 

So glad he took the name AXL and named the band Guns N Roses. Just all goes together very well.

18 hours ago, Blackstar said:

Yes, Axl and Izzy were in a band called AXL back in Lafayette, and that was also the name of their first band together in L.A. before it was named Rose/Hollywood Rose  Then Axl called himself after the band name - according to him, after Izzy's suggestion:

Axl: "“Axl" came along as name of band, cuz my friend used to write down - my friend Dave Lank [in Lafayette] wrote down names of bands, him and Mike Staggs and Roger Miley. And we always thought of names of bands and he had this page, like hundreds of names he thought of for names of bands. One day they called me up and they said, "We got a name for a band, 'Axl'". And, like, I don't know, the world was coming down on me in my house;  and it's like, I answered the phone and I was like, "What do you want?" "We got a name for a band, 'Axl'. How should we spell it?" And I was like, "A-X-L". Click (laughs). [...]

The name Axl, they said when I - that I live, breathe, eat, sleep, walk, talk Axl.  I knew in first grade that I was gonna change my name, so W. Axl Rose. It’s like, you know, my name was William Rose. My mom remarried and then my name was changed to Bill Bailey, William Bailey. My dad has told me that he begged my mom to change my first name, cuz he knew I was gonna get crap. I mean, imagine, you're a little kid, you know, and every place you go someone sings “Won’t you come home Bill Bailey.” I wanna cover the song. I like the song (laughs). [MTV, July 1989].

Chris Weber: Originally, the band  [in L.A.] was called A.X.L. Axl was going by Bill Bailey (his real name), Izzy's name then was Jeff Isbell, but I was calling him Izzy. One day Axl got mad and we ended up changing the name to Rose. I don't remember exactly why the change occurred. Then we began playing gigs under that name, and then again we changed it to Hollywood Rose. That was back in '84, I think. [Rock Scene, October 1989]

Axl: I had a thing that I called AXL. That was a project, you know, and I was writing songs and I had them all in this little book and I was, like, looking for people. Izzy and I were trying to put it together. Axl, eventually, became me out of Izzy’s suggestion. He goes, “Look, you live, breath, walk, talk Axl. Why won’t you just be Axl.” “Okay, I’m Axl” [MTV Japan, November 1987].

Axl: I was originally in a band called AXL a long time ago. I got the name because people said you live, breathe, walk, and talk Axl, so why don't you just be Axl  [Creem, September 1989].

 

Yeah, he does feel like an Axl. Amazes me how people get their nicknames and they just seem to be perfect for them.