Steven Adler “Guns N Roses Lost It’s Magic When They Fired Me”
Steven Adler says that both he and Izzy Stradlin are “heartbroken” that they’re not part of the GUNS N’ ROSES reunion tour.
Although he wasn’t included in the lineup that launched the “Not In This Lifetime” trek in 2016, Adler rejoined GUNS N’ ROSES at several shows on the tour, including three stops on the U.S. leg and one gig in Buenos Aires, Argentina, playing drums on “Out Ta Get Me” and “My Michelle”.
While promoting his band ADLER’S APPETITE‘s upcoming tour during which it will play GUNS N’ ROSES‘ debut album, “Appetite For Destruction”, in full, the drummer told Hysteriamagazine: “The thing about GUNS N’ ROSES that made us so great and so magical is because we were a magic band, like LED ZEPPELIN or AEROSMITH or QUEEN. Once we were together, we couldn’t do anything wrong. If one person left the band and did ‘Appetite’, ‘Appetite’ would not be ‘Appetite’. And it’s a shame because ‘Use Your Illusion’ when we did the demo tape, I kept saying, or we kept saying, it was gonna be bigger and better than ‘Appetite’, but once they kicked me out of the band, part of the magic was gone. It’s a different band. A completely different band.”
Despite the fact that he hasn’t been invited to perform with GUNS N’ ROSES in more than a year, Adler says that the door is still open for him to reunite with his former bandmates.
“You know, if they want me, they know my number — I’m ready to rock,” Steven said. “My goal was to finish what I started, and Izzy‘s too. Iz is just as heartbroken as I am that the three of them decided to leave us out and bring three strangers in — who are those people? It’s just not cool. I love those songs, I love those records. I practice them here at home every day because I love them and I’m so proud of them and I’m proud of what the five of us did — we accomplished our dream exactly the way we wanted to. It didn’t end the way we wanted, or I wanted, but we did it our way. Like Frank Sinatra said, ‘I did it my way.'”
It was rumored that Stradlin turned down a five-figure fee to play with GUNS N’ ROSES at the April 2016 reunion shows. The guitarist later tweeted about the dispute, writing that the band didn’t want to “split the loot equally.”
In February 2017, Adler revealed to podcaster Mitch Lafon that he was originally supposed to appear at more than just a handful of shows on the GUNS N’ ROSES reunion trek. He claimed that he expected to play all the “Appetite For Destruction” material during the entire tour, only to be told he was out after he hurt his back during rehearsals.
Speculation was rampant that Adler would participate in at least a portion of the reunion tour ever since GUNS made it official in January 2016. The regular GUNS drummer for several years has been Frank Ferrer, who is also part of the current lineup.
Steven is currently working on a new book called “Steven Adler: The Shit My Friends Remember I Did”.
He described the book on “The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show”, saying: “Now that I’m sober, I’m talking to people and they’re telling me stories, and it’s just blank up there [in my head]; there’s nothing there. So I decided I’m gonna put a book together [as a] reminder of the stories.”
Adler started a web site called Steven Adler Stories where fans can share their personal tales about the drummer for possible inclusion in the book.
GUNS N’ ROSES will return in June for a seven-week European jaunt, but the band’s plans until then, and beyond that, remain unknown for now. The three core members — singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan — have not given a single interview together.
Blabbermouth
