Rob Gardner recalls when he and Tracii Guns were replaced by Slash and Steven Adler in Guns N’ Roses

[Sosso]

In terms of his recollection of early Guns N’ Roses gigs, Gardner indicated: “I don’t know them in succession, I’m bad with timelines, but I know we did a place called Dancing Waters and that’s out in San Pedro or Long Beach or something like that. 

So, that was a little bit out of our realm of Hollywood — it’s only like an hour south of L.A. — but still, it’s just out of our usual area. Then we did another place in Glendora called The Timbers. And that’s the same thing, about another hour out of town. The Hollywood scene was so saturated, so we just started branching out to the outskirts a little bit. Then we did shows at The Troubadour. With the name Guns N’ Roses, me and Tracii did about five or six shows with them, and then we both left.”

With respect to the pivotal merging of members from Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns that led to Guns N’ Roses, Gardner stated (with slight edits):

“So, Axl was singing for L.A. Guns, and then Izzy came in. Then our bass player from L.A. Guns kinda wasn’t working out, so Izzy suggested Duff [McKagan]. That transition was really already taking place and we had thought, I think Izzy had come up with the name, and said, “Hey, that’s perfect! Hollywood Rose – L.A. Guns – Guns N’ Roses!” So, we all obviously thought that was cool. But for me and Tracii, on the other hand, we got our bass player replaced with Duff – which isn’t a bad thing because Duff is a great guy and he’s a great player. [Duff] had more of an image and kind of just fit our style better. Ole [Beich] was much more of a heavy metal player.

That being said, the whole name change came around. You know, me, Tracii, and Raz had worked so hard and put all this money into that name and really had a buzz going and everything. And it was like, “Well, why change that? It’s kind of a risk to change it.” Like all of the sudden, that whole L.A. Guns thing just disappeared into thin air, and now it’s Guns N’ Roses; which kind of happens all the time in music, I get it. But when you have something going and it was your baby, and then all of the sudden you have two more big influences that are trying to take more control and change the name and change the members. So, me and Tracii were a little bit like – not that we didn’t like it because it was cool and it was working – I think there just was that whole control factor I think that kind of got overtaken. So, for me and Tracii, I think it was a little more bitter. There weren’t any big fights or anything, I’m just saying that I think we were both in the back of our minds like, “What’s going on?” Then the drugs really started.

Me and Tracii may have smoked some pot here and then, you know, drank and stuff, but we never did heavy drugs like that really at that time. So, some of the other heavier drugs got introduced and we were seeing the effects of that, too, within the band and we were losing control of everything. I mean, we were doing shows and stuff and the shows were good and what have you, we were getting a little buzz and things like that, but then the Hell Tour thing came up. They wanted to go all the way up to Seattle and then work our way back down to Portland, San Francisco, blah, blah, blah. But the vehicle we had just was not gonna make it. I mean, I was thinking, “If this thing breaks down, what are we gonna do?” We were all broke; we didn’t really have any money. Raz had the money, but he ducked out. He was like, “If you guys are gonna change the name and do all this shit, then I’m outta here.” So, we lost him; we didn’t have any financial backing.

So, Tracii decided not to go. I thought it was the other way around; I thought I ducked out of that tour first and then he ducked out after me like a week later or something like that. But my friend Marc Canter told me it was the other way around; he said, “Tracii ducked out first and then you followed him and said, “Nah, I’m outta here, too. I’m done.” That’s when we pulled out and then they basically immediately replaced us with Slash and Steven. And the rest is history.”

https://sleazeroxx.com/rob-gardner-recalls-when-he-and-tracii-guns-were-replaced-by-slash-and-steven-adler-in-guns-n-roses/

Edited August 20, 2021 by Sosso

[Blackstar]

Full interview here:

https://vinylwritermusic.com/an-interview-with-rob-gardner-of-guns-n-roses-l-a-guns/

It's interesting that there are so conflicting accounts about the hell tour and whether Rob or Tracii left first.

Tracii has insisted that Rob left first and that he got to play with Steven before he quit, which is supported by an Axl interview in 1988. He also insists that his quitting had nothing to do with the hell tour.

But according to everyone else (Marc Canter, Raz Cue, Slash, Duff, Steven) either Tracii left first, or he and Rob left at about the same time, and Slash and Steven joined at the same time or Steven joined just after Slash. Rob himself says  he didn't remember and was reminded of it by Marc Canter.

[DownUnderScott]

I’d trust Marc Canter over all of them. Not a crack head and hasn’t got his own hidden agendas behind his truths.

[Blackstar]

4 hours ago, DownUnderScott said:

I’d trust Marc Canter over all of them. Not a crack head and hasn’t got his own hidden agendas behind his truths.

I agree.

In this particular case, though, in regards to whether Tracii or Rob left first, I'm not sure if Marc's knowledge is firsthand. Plus, it's not like they left a month away from each other. It probably all happened within a couple of days, a week at most, so anybody could remember it wrong.

My biggest problem as to which version to lean towards is the Axl interview from 1988. If it was just Tracii's version vs. Marc's and everyone else's, I'd probably trust Marc's. However, that Axl quote that was closer to the events, seem to support Tracii's version:

Axl: .... When I left Hollywood Rose the first time, I joined L.A. Guns with Tracii. The rest of the band he had at the time, though, just didn’t seem to have the drive, and it fell apart. Izzy and I had had a falling out earlier, but then we got back together and wrote a song with each other. Then Tracii and I decided to bring Izzy into the band - and then we got Steve and Duff. And then Tracii wasn't into it because it wasn’t going quite the direction that he wanted to go. So he went his way and put L.A. Guns back together, and we brought in Slash.

https://www.a-4-d.com/t3174-1989-09-dd-creem-close-up-metal-magazine-guns-a-blazin-axl

[GNRmello77]

Anyone ever wondered if Rob and Tracii ever feel like they made a mistake by leaving?? I mean not that GN'R would've become as huge without Duff and Slash, but Axl and Izzy would've achieved succes in any band if only nationwide.. I just wonder if they feel any regrets? Hell Axl would be somewhere with that voice anyway

[Sosso]

2 minutes ago, GNRmello77 said:

Anyone ever wondered if Rob and Tracii ever feel like they made a mistake by leaving?? I mean not that GN'R would've become as huge without Duff and Slash, but Axl and Izzy would've achieved succes in any band if only nationwide.. I just wonder if they feel any regrets? Hell Axl would be somewhere with that voice anyway

Good question. They seemed to handle the situation better than Ole (who moved back to Denmark and became addicted to heroin before committing suicide). Tracii had some success with L.A. Guns and Rob worked as a drum teacher (to my knowledge). 

I dont know how successful GN'R could have been with Tracii and Rob. They would probably at the same level as Dokken or Warrant nowadays. 

 

[GNRmello77]

50 minutes ago, Sosso said:

Good question. They seemed to handle the situation better than Ole (who moved back to Denmark and became addicted to heroin before committing suicide). Tracii had some success with L.A. Guns and Rob worked as a drum teacher (to my knowledge). 

I dont know how successful GN'R could have been with Tracii and Rob. They would probably at the same level as Dokken or Warrant nowadays. 

 

Yeah sad story about Ole. L.A. Guns did quite okay indeed, even made some nice songs! Haha nah I'd aim a little higher than Dokken and Warrant! Songs like Patience, Don't Cry and even November Rain would've been put out and probably be hits too, tho the guitar sound would be way different

[MaskingApathy]

58 minutes ago, GNRmello77 said:

Anyone ever wondered if Rob and Tracii ever feel like they made a mistake by leaving?? I mean not that GN'R would've become as huge without Duff and Slash, but Axl and Izzy would've achieved succes in any band if only nationwide.. I just wonder if they feel any regrets? Hell Axl would be somewhere with that voice anyway

 

50 minutes ago, Sosso said:

Good question. They seemed to handle the situation better than Ole (who moved back to Denmark and became addicted to heroin before committing suicide). Tracii had some success with L.A. Guns and Rob worked as a drum teacher (to my knowledge). 

I dont know how successful GN'R could have been with Tracii and Rob. They would probably at the same level as Dokken or Warrant nowadays. 

 

Tracii has said in recent interviews that he's at peace with how things turned out and that if he had stayed the music would've sounded more like what the first 2 LA Guns records were and they probably wouldn't have become as big as GnR did. Maybe when GnR was really blowing up he felt some competition but by 1991 it was over for all of the Hollywood Sunset Strip bands anyway and a couple years GnR was basically done. Tracii has had a career resurgence and higher profile lately with the reunion with Phil Lewis and his work with Gibson, so I think he's happy with that now. Idk about Rob now but it seems from that interview that's accepted how his life has turned out. 

[GNRmello77]

2 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

 

Tracii has said in recent interviews that he's at peace with how things turned out and that if he had stayed the music would've sounded more like what the first 2 LA Guns records were and they probably wouldn't have become as big as GnR did. Maybe when GnR was really blowing up he felt some competition but by 1991 it was over for all of the Hollywood Sunset Strip bands anyway and a couple years GnR was basically done. Tracii has had a career resurgence and higher profile lately with the reunion with Phil Lewis and his work with Gibson, so I think he's happy with that now. Idk about Rob now but it seems from that interview that's accepted how his life has turned out. 

Ah Cool didn't know that from Tracii, thanks 

[Sosso]

28 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

 

Tracii has said in recent interviews that he's at peace with how things turned out and that if he had stayed the music would've sounded more like what the first 2 LA Guns records were and they probably wouldn't have become as big as GnR did.

Not as big as GN'R but still more successful than other local Bands from Hollywood.

They had some of the songs already (Think About You, Don't Cry, Back off Bitch, Move to the City, November Rain). 

[MaskingApathy]

3 minutes ago, Sosso said:

Not as big as GN'R but still more successful than other local Bands from Hollywood.

 

You can describe current LA Guns as that but there's a significant difference between that and current GnR.

[Sosso]

3 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

You can describe current LA Guns as that but there's a significant difference between that and current GnR.

I'm a huge Fan of the current L.A. Guns! The Missing Peace is one of the best comeback albums for me. 

Also, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin and Scot Coogan are fantastic additions.

Edited August 23, 2021 by Sosso

[MaskingApathy]

5 minutes ago, Sosso said:

I'm a huge Fan of the current L.A. Guns! The Missing Peace is one of the best comeback albums for me. 

Also, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin and Scot Coogan are fantastic additions.

I agree. Have you heard their new song? They have another record out in the fall.

[Top-Hatted One]

My take is Rob left because of the unknown/financially unstable Hell Tour. Tracking left because he wanted to keep doing the LA Metal scene. Can’t blame him. Those LA musicians were all trying to be the next Van Halen, Motley, Ratt. They idolized and had grandiose visions of running the scene themselves. Factor in the unknown Hell Tour and it wasn’t worth his while giving up on his dreams.

it’s gotta annoy Tracii that the story got misconstrued and he’s been lumped in with Robs reasons