Axl Rose Owes His Fans A Guns N’ Roses Reunion, Snaps Former Drummer Steven Alder

Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Alder believes Axl Rose and the rest of the original Guns N’ roses line-up ‘owe it to the fans’ to reform and ‘blow Appetite For Destruction away.’

Speculation about a full-blown Guns N’ Roses reunion involving the original Appetite For Destruction line-up has run rife for many a moon by anyone who has ever owned a beat up leather jacket or been hypnotised by Axl Rose’s peculiar snake wriggle in the “Sweet Child o’ Mine“ video.

With each passing year and extra inch on Axl’s waistline, the reunion of the band who many fans regard as the “real” Guns N’ roses, looks as likely as Izzy Stradlin having a No.1 album.

Yet like a candle in the wind or a lighter held aloft in the cold “November Rain,” fans of the classic line-up have never given up hope that Axl may forgive Slash, or Slash may forgive Axl for whatever epic transgressions the one has committed in the other’s eyes, and walk on stage together once more. Not necessarily hand-in-hand and skipping, but at least accompanied by the lanky frame of Duff, the cool and nonchalant gait of Izzy, and of course, the breezy and bouncy brassiness of Steven, as the lads from L.A. welcome us to the jungle once more.

However, in the latest edition of the podcast One On One With Mitch Lafon, current Guns N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus hammers another nail into the Guns N’ Roses coffin, whilst no doubt simultaneously protecting his day job and much sought after residency in the court of Axl Rose.

In slightly sycophantic terms, stand in Gunner Richard Fortus has this to say about Axl Rose and the possibility of a Guns N’ Roses reunion.

“I’ve never met anybody (Axl) that has so much genuine musical integrity. He won’t whore himself out, he won’t do anything for business or money; it’s just about the music. And he won’t defend himself in the press, because he doesn’t think it matters; it’s just about the music — that’s all he cares about. I’ve worked with a lot of people in this business, and I’ve never seen, or met, anybody that was motivated purely by that — by the desire to make art. And you can say whatever you want about it, ’cause he’s not gonna defend himself, but he is that, and that’s for sure. Otherwise, there would have been a reunion, because the offers for money have been outrageous. But he would never do a reunion unless it was for something besides money.”

Yet during his own interview with Mitch Lafon, former Guns N’ Roses stickman Steven Alder believes that even if Axl doesn’t want to reform the band for the money, there’s a billon other reasons worth reuniting for.

“That’s nice to say he wouldn’t do it for the money, but if he needs a reason to do it, I have a billion reasons, and that’s a billion people around the world who love us and have supported us and want more than anything to see us.”

“I think if we did a reunion show, or shows, it would definitely be for the fans. I mean, we’ve lived our dream lives. Everything we dreamed about we have experienced — good or bad. Sometimes you don’t know what you want when you dream things. But we’ve experienced it and done it. We owe it to the fans.”

“It’s Axl’s call on doing a reunion. It’s all up to him. And I love him and I have his back, and I support him in everything he does except for if he doesn’t wanna play for the fans, I can’t support that. ‘Cause it’s all for the fans. If he says it’s not for the money, it’s for the art — it’s for the fans. That’s what it’s for.”

Wether or not the fans should be exposed to five middle-aged red-faced men shuffling around on stage breathlessly in a vain attempt to relive the glory days of their youth doesn’t appear to trouble Steven’s enthusiasm for a Guns N’ Roses reunion.

The band once dubbed “the most dangerous band in the world” would certainly have a lot of expectations on their more meatier shoulders if they were to rock the great unwashed hordes of yesteryear once more, but not only does Steven believe it’s possible, he believes a reformed Guns N’ Roses would kick butt like never before.

“As of today, I have four hundred and four days sober, and I have never been happier, I have never played better or had more fun playing. I mean, if we did ever do a reunion, or if we even made a record again together, the GN’R guys, I think it would blow Appetite For Destruction away. All of us are such better players. And when we did Appetite, we were only adults for maybe three or four years. And that’s from our experiences in life, that’s what we came up with. Now we’ve been adults for 30 years, and I’ve been through ups and downs, like an emotional roller coaster. I have a lot to write about, and I know the other guys, if we got together, being adults now and knowing what we know, and having been through what we’ve been through, I think we could make an even bigger kickass record.”

As a rule of thumb, it’s not only nice boys, but also, old guys who don’t play rock n’ roll the way it’s intended. So are a bunch of contented millionaires who have been around the block more times than an overworked greyhound pumped full of steroids, going to deliver the goods in the same way that five hungry, reckless, and unknown young guys once did? Not only that, but in case we forget, capturing bottled lightning in a bottle isn’t so much governed by talent and hard work, as it is the stars aligning in the right place at the right time.

Ever the optimist, Alder remains supremely confident that one day Axl Rose will change his mind, pick up the phone and say, “You know what Stevie? I’ve been a prize chump. Call up Slash, Izzy, and Duff right now and tell them to come on over. We’ve got a tour to plan and an album to record. Let’s jam!”

“I would love to finish what I started with them. Like Motley Crue, they’re doing their last tour. They started something, and they finished something. And to go out that way, it’s gotta be magic. To look back on your time in the band]and say, ‘I had a great career. God really blessed me.'”

As for the legendary rift between Axl and Slash, such is Steven’s belief in the power of rock n’ roll, he feels such animosity is a matter of little consequence when it comes to Guns N’ Roses getting back together again.

“Mick Jagger and Keith Richards hated each other. They still hate each other, but they’re still playing music 52 years later, because they know what they’ve got. They have something that’s magical, and the fans love ’em.”

It’s a nice sentiment Steve, and for this “One In A Million” long-shot to come true perhaps all we need is just a little “Patience.”

{Photos By Ethan Miller/Jeff Cross/ Getty Images}