Guns N' Roses are known as one of the most notorious acts in music history. The stars of today have nothing on these guys; from trashed hotel rooms, international manhunts, riots, serial killers, the list goes on and on. With more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, the band that broke onto the hard rock scene in the 80s during the L.A. Glam period then reached its peak in the mid 90s has had more than its share of scandals. Making the antics of bands like The Rolling Stones or Black Sabbath look absolutely docile in comparison, GN'R didn't just live the sex, drugs, and rock n' roll lifestyle, they redefined it. Founding members were out of the group before it ever released its debut album, whilst lyrics to songs like "One in a Million" and "Used to Love Her" caused an outcry. A live sexual romp was recorded for the song "Rocket Queen" and drummer Steve Adler was fired for drug use after multiple warnings. Let go in the early 90s, by 1996 he had suffered a stroke induced by a speedball (a mixture of cocaine and heroin). All this led to multiple membership changes and the band barely being active during the later half of the 1990s/early aughts. Yet despite the decline in output, as a touring act, Guns continued to draw well enough to survive - and the rock n' roll antics continued. Bassist Tommy Stinson, he of The Replacements fame, became known as a hard drinker who wouldn't think twice about throwing his bass down on stage. Axl Rose continued to be, well, Axl Rose. The riots and controversy continued. So lets take a look at thirteen of the most notorious incidents from the band once called "The most dangerous band in the world."
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
