by Russ Austin

Created on: April 24, 2009

Below the stars is a short story, if you will, that I put together from interviews I read about Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses. These come from my 1996/1997 writing sessions, and I had intended on using this material in my never-completed book on Heavy Metal. The abuse Axl dealt with as a kid, and the effects it had on him well into adulthood, struck me the most.

After re-reading this piece and editing out much of my words and all the quotes that surrounded Axl's insight and profundity, I realized I had something different and special. Mr. W. Rose talks about everything from his fans to his Christian upbringing to his history of abuse, and he pulls no punches. With the recent release of the Guns N' Roses album, "Chinese Democracy," the words of the band's mastermind are even more relevant!

You'll notice numbers by the quotes. As with many pieces that originated from my 1996/1997 writing sessions, I wanted to show people that I wasn't making anything up and was keeping track of the sources of the material. So... there ya go.

I'll be back when it's over...

*

A ROSE IS JUST A ROSE

Kim Neely of Rolling Stone discussed with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses: "Sometimes people relate to celebrties not as people but as objects or possessions - admiring the music or art isn't enough anymore. People have to feel as if they own you."(494)

"Yeah. That's a strange beast. And they don't like it when I let them know that they don't own me. Sometimes, I don't even own myself (LAUGHS)."(495)

An interviewer from RIP Magazine describes Axl:

"The enigmatic superstar has always had the ability to cause a stir but it should be said here that even when Axl would rather curl up into a ball and die than step onstage, 99% of all Guns N' Roses concerts go off without a hitch.

"Controversy seems to follow Axl everywhere but before judging him, one has to ask just where the controversy is really coming from. It's usually created by people (I.E., Yellow Journalists spicing up their stories, media selling you product and hype, overly-ambitious prosecutors who see Axl as their 15 minutes of fame, or lonely people desperate for attention) trying to get close to Axl by any means available.

"That's the dark side of having 'it'."(639)

Axl and GUNS N' ROSES have a reputation of going to their shows late and some people, particularly the media, say that he doesn't care about the fans. "If I didn't give a f* about them, I'd come out and do a s*ty show. I'd come out and tell 'em to f* off. I'd sit down, sing the songs

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