Former Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven has claimed that he called the police to get Axl Rose to show up to play at a concert with The Rolling Stones.
Niven told Louder Sound, “I had to send cops to his apartment to drag him and Erin down to the Coliseum to perform before The Stones. Again, he wasn’t happy, but it ended up being a triumph. I have no doubt he has been an impediment to other projects – UMG [Universal Music] will do anything to get something, anything, from Axl, even if that means I get ignored.
They took prime energy out of my life, and gave very little back – they still owe me for the Adler court case and for paying for their tour manager. Users are not friends. Not family.”
Niven said he never foresaw Appetite for Destruction’s enduring legacy 35 years ago in the thick of GNR’s hey day, “And if anyone claims they foresaw the future they are liars. Or certifiable. My best estimate was, ‘if I can keep them alive’ and ‘if I can instil a minimum of professionalism’ then after a while we may have a great underground record that reaches the gold standard. Keep in mind Never Mind The Bollocks did not go platinum in the US until Appetite For Destruction generated greater interest in the Sex Pistols.”
