The Biggest Scandals To Ever Hit Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses isn't billed as "the most dangerous band in the world" for the grins and giggles. Since the hard rock group's inception in the mid-'80s, the Los Angeles-formed outfit established itself as a magnet for all kinds of scandal and controversy. And no, this isn't only about the controversial moments Axl Rose will never live down, as the other members of the band are equally culpable and capable of participating in or producing their own drama. 

For instance, they have been involved in not one but two notorious concert riots. In addition to this, Rose aired the band's dirty laundry at arguably their biggest show at the time and threatened to quit — live on stage. It doesn't end there, though, as the act released a song with offensive and racist lyrics, as well as another that used real-life intimacy noises after Steven Adler's girlfriend cheated on him with Rose and they recorded the whole ordeal. Remarkably, the record label released both tracks to the public.

The more one thinks about it, the more that Guns N' Roses' first album's title, "Appetite for Destruction," proves to be sensationally apt, summarizing their attitude and orbit to a T. So, let's head back to the jungle and discover all the biggest scandals to hit one of the rock bands with the worst drama.

Out of every Guns N' Roses album, one stands above the rest. "Appetite for Destruction" kicked the music industry in the teeth at a time when glam ruled the rock roost, as GNR produced an aggressive, more in-your-face sound that had a cutting-edge appeal and signified a new era. The 1987 album generated a number of hit songs, too; however, there was one that caught everyone's attention immediately: "Rocket Queen."

Not only does it have an infectious bounce and sing-along-worthy chorus, but it also features a section that causes the listener to pause and rewind to make sure they heard right in the first place. In a part of the song, audible moaning and groaning from heavy petting layers the instrumental track.

Turns out it wasn't only the band trying to be edgy with a publicity stunt, but it was also entirely real. Adriana Smith had been seeing GNR drummer Steven Adler, but after he reportedly cheated on her, she got revenge by sleeping with singer Axl Rose. They decided to record their tryst in the vocal booth of the studio, and put it on "Rocket Queen." Engineer Vic Deyglio explained to Rolling Stone how he had to go into the booth to adjust the microphone, quipping: "It was like a Ron Jeremy set in there." Smith added that Adler wasn't pleased when he found out, but she "would do anything Axl asked me to do" because "[h]e's f***in' magical."

The original album cover of "Appetite for Destruction" caused a major stir that had parent groups calling for the heads of Guns N' Roses and Geffen Records. Counterculture artist Robert Williams was responsible for the controversial design that depicted a significant slice of sex and violence; however, he told Revolver that he had advised the group to choose something else initially.

Williams explained how the painting came from a series he created, titled "Appetite for Destruction." The band then reached out to him about using a piece for their album cover. "Guns N' Roses finally got my home number and called me," Williams said. "I suggested that they come over to my house and look through some slides and pick something other than 'Appetite for Destruction' for the cover, because I knew they were gonna get in trouble with it. I'd faced a lot of legal troubles doing underground comics, so I was really well-versed in that."

According to Williams, Axl Rose and his manager arrived at Williams' home and Rose was adamant he wanted that specific painting. A while later, GNR asked if they could use the name for their album as well, and Williams granted them permission. Ultimately, the album cover caused such outrage that GNR and Geffen chose to move it to the inside sleeve and replace it with something safer.

Guns N' Roses experienced a meteoric rise. They were offered big tours alongside the greatest names in rock — including the Rolling Stones in 1989. Sharing the stage with Mick Jagger and Co. isn't an opportunity that comes along often, so one would expect a band to keep their noses clean. Not Axl Rose and GNR.

The band's former manager Alan Niven revealed to Yahoo! Music that he was worried about GNR at that stage of their career, as several members were deep in drug and alcohol misuse. However, when they negotiated with the Rolling Stones for $1 million per gig, how could anybody say no?

The first problem arrived when Rose was nowhere to be found on the opening night, so Niven sent the police to get him to the show. Niven delighted in the fact that the band made it onto the stage and all went well in front of 77,000 people. "I was standing in the backstage area feeling pretty damn clever," Niven said. "And that was the moment that Axl announced that this was going to be the last show and he was going to retire. My heart just went straight to my boots." In an infamous speech, Rose broadcast how he wasn't prepared to be part of a group who were "dancing with Mr. Goddamn Brownstone" and he was ready to pack it in. Ultimately, he didn't, but his words made headlines.

Anyone in the public eye knows that criticism is part and parcel of the job. Not everyone will like what someone else does, and that comes with the territory. Expectedly, Guns N' Roses wasn't universally beloved either, as music critics wrote about them — both the good and the bad.

This prompted the band to release a track called "Get in the Ring," which is off the 1991 album "Use Your Illusion II." Featuring enough profanity and F-bombs to make Samuel L. Jackson smile from ear to ear, the song's lyrics take aim at Andy Secher from Hit Parader, Kerrang's Mick Wall, and Bob Guccione Jr. from Spin, all by name. The track goes on to accuse them of "printing lies" and "starting controversy," while claiming they deceive their readers. In one section, Axl Rose challenges them to "get in the ring" for a fight and proclaims he'll hand them a beating.

It seemed like a bizarre song to release; however, there was a reason behind it, according to Spin's Guccione. He explained how GNR had insisted on the media signing a contract that would give them full editorial control of all interviews conducted. "Rather than editorialize about this, we published the contract, and for fun, invited readers to submit it if they wanted to get an interview themselves," Guccione wrote. "Thousands did." Guccione doesn't think that GNR was too pleased about this and retaliated with the song.

In 1991, Guns N' Roses performed at the Riverport Amphitheater — now known as the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre — in St. Louis, Missouri. The concert rocked and rolled without much incident until Axl Rose took issue with a photographer taking snaps. According to Rose's claims, it was the fourth incident of someone taking illegal photos and security had been notified, choosing to do nothing about it. Rose also stated that the photographer belonged to a local motorcycle club.

After alerting the security guards mid-performance, Rose would take matters into his own hands as he dived into the crowd and proceeded to fight with a number of people in attendance. When Rose made his way back to the stage, he said (per Classic Rock): "Well, thanks to the lame-a** security, we're going home." Rose stormed off and so did the rest of GNR, as the crowd came unglued.

The audience chucked items and looted the stage for musical equipment, while others damaged and destroyed the venue. The event descended into a violent riot and the police were forced to intervene, as the chaos resulted in 65 injuries and a warrant for Rose's arrest. Ultimately, Rose received two years of probation for his part in the incident.

In 1992, Guns N' Roses and Metallica embarked on a dream tour. As two of the biggest bands in the world, this was an event for the ages. However, it all came apart at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Metallica performed before GNR, but the heavy metal group's set was cut short after vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield experienced a pyrotechnics accident that left him with burns and the need for medical attention.

On the tour, there would usually be a two-hour turnaround between Metallica and GNR's sets, but there was hope that GNR might take to the stage quicker in lieu of Hetfield's accident. But that didn't happen, and GNR only made their way onto the stage three hours later. Fifty-five minutes into his band's performance, Axl Rose pulled the cord, citing the same voice issues that he had experienced earlier in the tour.

The 53,000-strong crowd didn't appreciate this. They destroyed the Olympic Stadium's windows and took to the streets, where they started fires, looted a store, and created havoc on a path of destruction. The police contained the chaos and shut down the subway stations, fearing that the riot would spread to other areas.

For Guns N' Roses' second studio album, "G N' R Lies," the band continued to push buttons. That time, though, they may have gone too far with the release of the track "One in a Million," which not only consisted of homophobic slurs, but also the N-word and eyebrow-raising comments about immigrants. The song attracted a lot of controversy from critics, fans, and other artists — with even Living Color speaking out about it.

When confronted about the backlash by Rolling Stone in 1989, Rose doubled down on the lyrics of the track, stating: "Why can black people go up to each other and say, [N-word], but when a white guy does it all of a sudden it's a big putdown? I don't like boundaries of any kind. I don't like being told what I can and what I can't say." He added that he sees the N-word as "a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem" and "doesn't necessarily mean black."

Despite Rose's explanation and insistence that "One in a Million" is about how everyone belongs to the human race, the song still didn't sit well with others for many years. The band actually removed the track from the re-release of "G N' R Lies."

How many times has Axl Rose been arrested? A lot, as it turns out. In 1998, he received press for all the wrong reasons as he engaged in an altercation with airport security at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. As reported by MTV News, Rose was alleged to have obstructed airport personnel from checking his bags, proceeded to insult them, and threatened physical violence, telling a security guard, per the police's statement: "I'll punch your lights out right here and right now."

Rose was arrested for his misconduct but let out on bail a short while later. So, why didn't he want airport security to check his luggage as they are allowed to do with any other citizen? According to Geffen Records then-publicist Bryn Bridenthal, Rose feared for the sentimental value of an object in his bag. "Axl had some birthday presents in his bag, including a glass object that a friend had given him for his birthday," Bridenthal said. "The way they were going through the bag he was afraid it would get smashed."

In 2006, Rose got himself into quite the pickle and locked up in Stockholm, Sweden. According to reports, Rose stayed at the Berns Hotel after a Guns N' Roses show that week. Rose, who was allegedly intoxicated after a night out on the town, engaged in an argument with a woman at the hotel lobby when a security guard stepped in to calm the situation. Reportedly, Rose bit the security guard's leg and the police were called to arrest him for his unruly behavior.

Rose was charged and put in jail for the charges of attacking the guard and damaging hotel property. According to the police's spokeswoman Towe Hagg (via CBS News), Rose copped to the charges in the end and agreed to pay two fines: $5,500 and an additional $1,360 to the security guard. A costly experience for a rocker who partied way too hard.

Attending a Guns N' Roses concert is like opening a lucky packet — no one knows if the gig is going to happen or not due to Axl Rose's notorious inability to keep time or show up. Stories of his lateness/absence are legendary, and promoters and managers have gone to incredible lengths to ensure that Mr. Rose doesn't pull a runner.

Promoter Barry Fey wasn't about to lose out on his investment, as he told LA Weekly in 2011. Fey relayed a story of a show featuring Guns N' Roses and Metallica. When it was time for GNR to play, Rose slid into a limousine and departed the venue. The promoter sent his guys to retrieve the vehicle and Rose, while GNR tried to negotiate with Metallica's Lars Ulrich to play with them. Being aware of the ruckus Rose had caused before by no-showing gigs, Fey grabbed his gun and put it in his back pocket as Rose returned and played the set, while security kept a close eye. Fey said that Ulrich tells a different version of events, stating: "He swears I put the gun up to Axl's temple and said, 'Get on that f***ing stage or you're going to die.' It never left my pocket."

In a 2013 Q&A with Adelaide Now, Rose apologized for his tardiness, saying he's "not a 'punctual' type of person." However, he still found the time to blame others for it.

One of the strangest incidents that featured a member of Guns N' Roses took place in 2006. According to Today, Axl Rose and fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger got into an altercation at the Manhattan club The Plumm that got tongues wagging. According to Rose's comments to KROQ, he only intended to move Hilfiger's girlfriend's drink to ensure it wouldn't spill when Hilfiger reportedly assaulted him. Rose, who performed at The Plumm for Rosario Dawson's birthday, later took the time to dedicate the track "You're Crazy" to Hilfiger.

It took a few years for Hilfiger to give his side of the story, but he did so in 2010 at the French Institute Alliance Française's Fashion Talks. The Poison Ivy blog (via Vogue) reported that Hilfiger said: "Axl pushed me, and I said, 'That was rude.' He turned around and had a huge ring on. He wears all this jewelry. I'm thinking, if I get hit, it's over. No teeth, no eye. So I hit him before he hit me. It was self-protection. Now we're friends."

To read more about Rose's brawls, check out why Axl Rose once got into a fist fight with David Bowie.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).