Rock & Metal

Jerry Cantrell Had To Trip On Acid To Like One Guns N’ Roses Record

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Jerry Cantrell once nearly threw a Guns N’ Roses album out the window while high.

During an interview on the Broken Record Podcast, the Alice In Chains guitarist recalled his first conversation with Duff McKagan about GNR and how he initially struggled to connect with their music.

“I was aware of the band, but a lot of my favorite bands I don’t like instantly,” Cantrell admitted. “Because they were so huge and blowing up, I liked the roots of what they were doing—Aerosmith, good funky, R&B, nasty rock and roll—but I just didn’t connect with the record at first. I think I listened to it for about a week.”

Determined to give it another shot, Cantrell took a more unconventional approach. “I was living in an apartment downtown behind Seattle Center, and I still hadn’t connected to the record. So I decided to drop acid and listen to the whole thing one more time. If I still didn’t like it, I was going to throw it out the window,” he revealed.

However, things changed when Rocket Queen came on. “That bass, the drums—it got me. That’s when it all came into focus, and I was just coming onto an acid trip,” Cantrell shared. “The doors of perception were open, and I connected.”

Cantrell also reflected on his long friendship with McKagan in a 2021 interview with BBC Radio. When asked about their history, he joked, “Yeah, yes, we’re old. It’s all right, you can be a leathery old dog and still rock ‘n’ roll.”

He recalled first meeting McKagan and Slash in the late ‘80s, forming a close bond with both. “They were a very important band to us and inspired us. They were part of a bigger change in music at the time—bands like Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction, and Guns N’ Roses—there was a shift on the horizon.”

Cantrell’s latest solo album, I Want Blood, was released on October 18, 2024, with McKagan playing bass. He is set to kick off his North American tour in just a few days, starting January 31 in Niagara Falls.

I'm Emma. I Love rock music, doing guitar reviews, and making food. I love writing works because it is the best way to provide information to people.

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