Former Guns N’ Roses Members Hope for Onstage Reunion at Hall of Fame Ceremony
It looks like several ex-members of Guns N’ Roses have an appetite for reconstruction after it was announced that the band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Drummers Steven Adler and Matt Sorum both expressed hope that everyone will be wash away years of bad blood are reunite onstage April 14 at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland.
“It would mean so much to me,” Adler tells Rolling Stone. “I personally just want to finish what I started with those jack-offs. We started off something, let’s end the career playing together, at least once.”
If Adler had had it his way, the resurrection of the band’s original lineup would continue long beyond the night Guns are inducted. “I’d love to do a whole tour of the world,” he said. “I personally — and I know that Slash and Duff [McKagan] feel the same way — we owe it to the fans to do a tour. We haven’t performed for over 20 years and they’ve stuck by us and believe in us. I get Tweets every day from people around the world saying how much they love the original band.”
As for the magical induction night, Adler feels that former Guns N’ Roses member drummer Matt Sorum, who was in the band from 1990 to 1997, and current keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who joined in 1990, should also be on the podium with the founding members. “Dizzy did play on ‘Use Your Illusion,’ and he’s been with Axl longer than anybody. He deserves it. Matt Sorum also played on ‘Use Your Illusion.’ I think that the seven of us deserve it.”
In a separate interview, Sorum also expressed hope that the members who played in the band’s heyday should consider making history again, but he accepts that it’s hardly his call. “We’re about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is pretty cool, but I can’t really say about another tour,” he said. “It’s down to Slash and Axl to patch things up.”
Therein lies the problem. The enmity between the two Guns N’ Roses anchors has grown so strong that even Adler admitted there’s a good chance that the two won’t even take the stage together at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “Unfortunately, I don’t foresee it,” he said. “You figure that time could heal all wounds, but some people just really hold a crazy grudge.”
On VH1′s ‘That Metal Show,’ Axl Rose — the only original member still playing with the band – recently said, “I don’t know what it means in terms of me with the old band and the old lineup. If we were to be invited, I don’t know what they would ask of me. It’s up in the air.”
Slash has been equally cryptic. “It’s quite an honor to be inducted,” he tweeted upon hearing the news, giving no indication of whether or not he’s interested in reuniting at the ceremony or in the future. And last month, he told Billboard.com, “With Guns ‘N Roses, there’s really no guessing exactly how it will go. I suppose if it happens, everybody will get some sort of ducks in order.”
Guns N’ Roses were named as inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yesterday (Dec. 7) along with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, the Small Faces/Faces, Donovan and Laura Nyro. It was the first year Guns N’ Roses were eligible for nomination; artists become eligible 25 years after the release of their first record.