In a new Guns N’ Roses Central interview, former Guns N’ Roses manager Doug Goldstein was asked about two people passing away during a Guns N’ Roses performance in Donnington at the Monsters of Rock festival in 1988 with KISS and Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth. Alternative Nation transcribed Goldstein’s comments.
“I knew during the show, I knew when it was happening, but I didn’t tell the guys, because it crippled Axl [Rose]. When we got back to the hotel David Lee Roth was staying there and he was at the bar, and Axl said: ‘Can you introduce me to him? I want to talk to him.’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure. Dave, this is Axl.’ ‘Hey man, how you doing? Diamond Dave! Sit down!’ So Axl said, ‘How do you deal with stuff like that when it happens?’ He goes, ‘Aw fuck man, you’re in the U.K. 10 people die every time they hold a soccer match. Fuck it! It’s rock and roll!’ Axl just said, ‘Really? I’m sorry, I don’t really want to sit here anymore.’ He went back to his room. He was disgusted at Dave, and I was kind of embarrassed that I introduced them. To each his own I guess. Everybody has their own way of getting through things.”
He added, “When I was working with [David Lee Roth], he used to get fucked up and want to throw kicks at me. So I went to knock his head off one time in the elevator. Andy, his bodyguard jumped in and said, ‘Doug, you can’t hit him!’ I said, ‘Fuck you.’ I said, ‘Where I come from, if somebody continues to throw kicks at you, you knock them on their ass and then they don’t throw kicks anymore.’ ‘Well he pays the bills!’ ‘I don’t care, I’ll quit, I’ll go home. I don’t give a shit.'”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEsmXOFFlFc
