A former manager of Guns N’ Roses has claimed that Axl Rose now takes 50 per cent of the band’s income and “wants to be in control of everything”.
In promotion for his forthcoming book Sound N’ Fury: Rock N’ Roll Stories, Alan Niven – who managed the hard rock band from 1986 to 1991 – appeared on the podcast Appetite For Distortion, a show dedicated to all things Guns N’ Roses.
The episode, which was issued earlier this month (April 2), saw Niven speaking candidly about the band and his time managing them. He also didn’t mince his words about his feelings towards frontman Axl Rose, whom he had accused of wanting “to be in control of everything all the time.”
“It’s a control thing with Axl,” Niven said. “Here’s another little snapshot that is illuminating and goes to forming a correct perception. Axl takes 50 per cent of the income of Guns N’ Roses now. 50 per cent, OK? That, to me, is anathema. He is not Guns N’ Roses.” Watch the full podcast episode below.
“They were five individuals. It was a chemistry. It was a moment,” he continued. “But Axl wants to be in control of everything all the time. And look what that gets you. A boring solo record and a shitty thing of punk covers. And that’s it.” NME has reached out to representatives of Guns N’ Roses for comment.
Niven shared a similar sentiment recalling his days with the band in a 2012 interview with Metal Sludge. He spoke about Rose wanting to cancel their support slot on Aerosmith‘s 1987 tour, attributing it to his apparent stage fright.
“I empathised with him, but I told Axl, ‘Look, I signed five individuals collectively as Guns N’ Roses. My responsibility is to the entity, not the individual,’ but he called back again and said he just could not do it,” he recalled. In a public statement by Rose in 2013, he claimed that he felt forced to embark on the massively successful ‘Use Your Illusion’ tour in 1991, blaming it on Niven and Slash.
“In my opinion Alan wanted money and Slash wanted the touring to get the better of me given my circumstances at the time,” Rose said. “My safety and well-being were not their concern.”
In 2022, a Classic Rock interview with Niven also featured him criticising the singer and the band, which he called “creatively impotent”.
“I have no hope of, or interest in, a new Guns N’ Roses album,” he told Classic Rock. “The tantrums of youth look absurd on a 60-year-old. It’s a shame they have been creatively impotent since 1991.”
Earlier this month, Niven claimed in a newer Classic Rock interview that Slash and Izzy Stradlin once consumed an entire drug stash to avoid an airport bust. Niven recalled the incident taking place at Los Angeles International airport as the group were preparing to depart on their first Guns N’ Roses tour of Japan.
In other news, Slash recently announced that he will “no longer be active” on X/Twitter after “repeated hacks” on his account.