In 1960, Keith Richards began his musical career. Two years later, he assisted in the formation of The Rolling Stones, a group that went on to become one of the most popular and influential of all time. The musician had a crucial role in the development of Rock and Roll music, particularly in the 1960s, and had the opportunity to watch up close other bands during the next decades that would alter the genre’s direction.
Richards, who was renowned for being a remarkably truthful guy, discussed several different bands throughout the years, always providing his honest judgment. One of the bands he had mentioned was Guns N’ Roses, one of the largest bands to emerge in the 1980s and have a significant effect in the 1990s.
What is Keith Richards’ opinion on Guns N’ Roses?
1985 saw the formation of Guns N’ Roses in Los Angeles, California, 23 years after the Rolling Stones. The group released “Appetite for Destruction” (1987), their debut album, two years later. It went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time and is thought to have sold more than 30 million copies.
The band was the focus of interviews with other rock artists at the time because of the popularity of their debut album, which elevated them to the top of the musical world in 1987. In 1988, Keith Richards was questioned by Rolling Stone magazine about them and asked if he liked the band. He answered by saying:
“Not much. I admire the fact that they’ve made it despite certain resistance from the radio biz. I admire their guts. But too much posing. Their look – it’s like there’s one out of this band. One looks like Jimmy, one looks like Ronnie.”
Keith Richards said, “Too much copycat, too much posing for me. I haven’t listened to a whole album to be able to talk about the music. I’m a very hard taskmaster. I know that everybody’s gonna say, ‘Oh, he’s putting everybody down,’”
The Rolling Stones opened for Guns N’ Roses on their “Steel Wheels” tour a year later, in 1989. On four occasions at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, they performed on the same bill as Living Colour.
Even The Rolling Stones invited Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin to perform with them in 1989 at Atlantic City, New Jersey. “Salt Of The Earth” from the Stones’ 1968 album “Beggars Banquet” was played during the performance.
Keith Richards was not happy when Axl Rose was late one night
Keith Richards was always dedicated to the band and the concerts, despite his reputation as a rock star who liked to party. But for the band’s live performances, Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose was never there at the appropriate moment. especially in the 1990s, sometimes arriving hours later than scheduled to perform. Richards was not pleased when the singer arrived late for a scheduled performance with the Stones. In order to teach him a lesson, he attempted. In a 2021 interview with RT Sound Cloud, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum recounted the tale.
“Axl showed up late to sit in with The Stones, I believe it was at the Coliseum or something. He was a little bit late, and Keith Richards walks up to him and says, ‘I slept on a chandelier last night, and I’m here on time. What’s your excuse? If you’re going to be in a rock ‘n’ roll band, the least you can do is get here by 9 PM. You know what I mean?'”
In 1994, the Stones’ timeless song “Sympathy For The Devil” was recorded by Guns N’ Roses. The cover was created for “Interview With The Vampire” by Neil Jordan. At the time, their rendition peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The funny story of when Slash had the chance to meet Keith Richards
Slash, the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, was born in London, England, in the early 1960s. Up to the age of 5, he resided in a rural area before moving to Los Angeles with his mother. Even though he was still very young when he immigrated to the United States, he never lost his affection for British bands, notably the Rolling Stones. During the early years of the Hard Rock band, he got the opportunity to personally interact with Keith Richards. Ronnie Wood, a guitarist with the Rolling Stones, set up the encounter.
Slash recalled that story in an interview Revolver Magazine back in 2021, “Laughs) The first time I ever really personally met Keith, he was great. But he pulled a f*cking switchblade on me. Ronnie Wood introduced us and took me to Keith’s hotel room. Keith sort of motioned me over. He put not a swtichblade, a butterfly knife and flash it around. I was like ‘Cool’. I didn’t really know how I was supposed to react to. But it was a funny. Sort of auspicious kind of first meeting.”
The Stones are one of Slash’s favorite bands, as he has stated often throughout the years. He is particularly fond of the musical period when Mick Taylor played guitar. He told Esquire, “The period that Mick Taylor was in the band. As far as lead guitar was concerned, that was my favorite Stones period.”
Richards once told Slash that he should love Guns N’ Roses and should not leave the band
The former Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven said that Keith Richards once took Slash out to dinner in an interview with Mitch Lafon and Michael Brandvold (transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage in 2013). even though he at the time despised Axl Rose, advised him during the meeting that he should stay in the band. The Rolling Stones guitarist claimed that while he didn’t particularly care for Mick Jagger, he liked the Stones more, which led to his decision to join the group.
“Keith Richards took Slash out to dinner one night and told him that he really needed to think through his relationship with Axl. That the last thing that he should do is leave Axl. Basically his pitch was ‘You should love Guns N’ Roses more than you love and respect what it means to the fans to have this front line that everybody has connected to and associates with.”
Alan Niven said, “Obviously Slash looked at Keith and said ‘You have no idea’. I mean, Keith turned around and basically said ‘You know, I dislike Jagger as much as you dislike Axl. But I love The Rolling Stones more’. Slash still said ‘You have no idea.’”
