EvH Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 (edited) https://www.loudersound.com/news/the-man-who-designed-the-cross-on-the-cover-of-guns-n-roses-appetite-for-destruction-has-died White was an art student in Long Beach, California, when he was introduced to the unknown Guns N’ Roses in the mid-80s by his cousin. He was asked by Axl to design a tattoo for him after the singer spotted White’s work on his cousin’s wall. “One day Axl called and asked if i could draw him a tattoo, after he’d seen a drawing I’d done on my cousin’s wall,” White told Culture Creature in 2016. “I said sure, and we talked. “The cross and skulls that looked like the band was Axl’s idea, the rest was me – the knot work in the cross was a reference to Thin Lizzy, a band Axl and I both loved.” White’s image ended up on the cover of Appetite For Destruction after the original cover image, a painting by underground artist Robert Williams, was rejected by the band’s label Geffen, for being too controversial. “Axl called again, and said [my design] was going to be on the cover of everything, because the Williams painting got rejected," White recalled in 2016. “I was okay with that!” Edited July 11, 2023 by EvH 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhazUp Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Sad news, RIP Billy I know that it technically was the second album cover meant for AFD, but fate was really on their side with that one. The cross with the skull avatars is so iconic and more iconic than the original cover in my opinion, it really was a slam dunk and I think really helped out the album and the band as a whole 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvH Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 Just now, WhazUp said: Sad news, RIP Billy I know that it technically was the second album cover meant for AFD, but fate was really on their side with that one. The cross with the skull avatars is so iconic and more iconic than the original cover in my opinion, it really was a slam dunk and I think really helped out the album and the band as a whole Agreed. So timeless while still having that 80's Sunset strip vibe. Much better than the first cover, no comparison here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratam Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 No Axl reaction, just Slash and Duff. I guess he should be around same age that they. R.I.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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