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TARTU KIVILINNA GYMNASIUM

1980s Rock Scene in Los Angeles

based on and

Research paper

AUTHOR: Martin Kallas

SUPERVISOR: Tea Tamm

Tartu 2010 2

Table of Contents Introduction ...... 4 Genre ...... 5 1.1 Bands that influenced 1980s rock scene ...... 5 1.2 Location ...... 7 1.3 Music ...... 7 Kings of the scene: Mötley Crüe Guns N’ Roses ...... 8 1.4 Mötley Crüe ...... 8 1.4.1 Overview ...... 8 1.4.2 Forming the band ...... 9 1.4.3 Beginnings (1981-1992) ...... 11 1.4.4 Troubled times(1992-1997) ...... 12 1.4.5 Reunited (1997-2004) ...... 13 1.4.6 Lifestyle ...... 13 1.5 Guns N’ Roses ...... 14 1.5.1 The beginning ...... 14 1.5.2 Problems with first record ...... 14 1.5.3 Band & addiction problems ...... 15 1.5.4 New Drummer ...... 16 1.5.5 I & II ...... 17 1.5.6 Use your Illusion tour ...... 17 1.5.7 Break-up ...... 18 2 Future of the 1980s rock scene band & musicians ...... 20

2.1 Musical work of the members of Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe during hiatus and break-up 20

2.1.1 Mötley Crüe ...... 20

2.1.2 Guns N’ Roses ...... 21 2.2 Future of the Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe ...... 22 3

2.2.1 Guns N’ roses ...... 22 2.2.2 Mötley Crüe ...... 22 3 Summary ...... 23 Appendix ...... 24 References ...... 28 4

Introduction

In 1980s reached its peak in popularity all over the world. Never before nor after has any rock band served as such a huge influence on the youth. Bands that ruled the stages at that time have shaped and changed the 1980s.

It is interesting to mark that 1980s rock music was most popular in Los Angles and almost all the bands that were reconized internationally came from LA.

This reseach focuses on two bands that were more successful than others – Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses. It examines the successes and failures and life of the members of these bands. After solving their problems both bands are back on stage now, wrting new material and touring.

After consideration, these two bands were chosen for the research because of the amount of the available written material they have released such as the band history of Mötley Crüe in The Dirt and Slash, which in addition to being an autobiography of the lead guitarist of Guns N’ Roses partly serves as a chronicle of the band as well.

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Genre Newspaper ad:”Loud,rude and aggressive guitarist available” and that guy was .

(The Dirt)

1.1 Bands that influenced 1980s rock scene

1980s rock music has rather a unique sound and is recognisable easily to anyone even vaguely familiar with rock music. What is not generally known is how 1980s rock music became to be, what genres influenced it and how they did it, because every style has its roots and never grows out of nothing.

After studying key bands of the 1980s such as Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses as well as their biographies it can be said that both had the same bands that influenced them with some exceptions. The main band that influenced both Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses and their individual members was .

According to Wikipedia Aerosmith is an American band, sometimes referred to as ‘The Bad Boys from Boston’ and ‘America's Greatest Band’. Their style, which is rooted in -based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues. The band was formed in Boston, in 1970. Aerosmith has five members: Steven Tyler (Vocals), Joe Perry (), Brad Whitford (), (Bass) and (Drums) who all have been in the band almost from the beginning (Wikipedia reference 5).

It is written in Slash how Slash, whose real given name is Saul Hudson, listened to Aerosmith’s “Rocks” all day and night long: “Once the opening shrieks of “Back in the saddle” filled the room, I was transfixed; I listened to the record over and over, crouched by the speakers, ignoring Laurie completely. I forgot her altogether as well as whatever intricate plans I had for the evening” (Slash, 43). It is also depicted how he devoted himself to learning Aerosmith’s songs: “I devoted to learning “Back in the saddle”. I stole cassette and songbook and replayed the song until I knew the riffs. I learned valuable lesson: music books can’t teach you 6 how to play properly. /../ It made sense: I struggled for hours and still couldn´t play along properly. So I ditched the books and kept at it until I could play it by ear” (Slash, 44). Aerosmith also influenced Mötley Crüe. Nikki Sixx wrote in The Dirt: “Every day I tried to learn Stooges, Sparks /../ and the Aerosmith.”(The Dirt, 19)

Another great influence to the 1980s rock music was Thin Lizzy which is described in Wikipedia as follows: “Thin Lizzy is an Irish hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. The band were led throughout their recording career by bassist, and singer Phil Lynott, and are best known for their songs "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", all major international hits still played regularly on hard rock and classic rock radio stations. Thin Lizzy’s original members were: Phil Lynott (Vocals and Bass, died in 1986), Brian Downey (Drums), Eric Bell (guitars), and Eric Wrixon (Keyboard)” (Wikipedia reference 6).

Mötley Crüe was largely influenced by glam rock band called Ney York Dolls, the entry for which in Wikipedia reads: “The New York Dolls are an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1971. The band's proto-punk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era groups. New York Dolls lineup consist 5 members: David Johansen (Vocals), Arthur Kane (Bass, died 2004) , Jerry Nolan (Drums) , Sylvain Sylvain (Guitars) and (Guitars)” (Wikipedia reference 7).

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx has stated his affection towards the band and named it his favorite band of all times. He says: “Every day after school [...] listening to the New York Dolls …” (The Dirt, 20) or “I’d guzzle the stuff and stand in front of the mirror, fan out my thickening black hair, twist my mouth into a sneer, sling my guitar around my neck, and rock out, trying to look like Johnny Thunders from the New York Dolls[…]”(The Dirt, 29)

Major influence on both Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe was also Kiss which is referred to in Wikipedia as follows: “Kiss is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Easily identified by its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, and pyrotechnics. Kiss has been awarded 7

24 gold to date in the USA. The band has sold over 40 million albums in the United States, and their worldwide sales exceeded 100 million albums” (Wikipedia reference 8).

1.2 Location

After studying the biographies and other books released by Mötley Crüe or Guns N’ Roses and the members of each, it is safe to note that the centre of the 1980s rock scene was in Los Angeles. As it is shown on the ‘time line’ chart (Reckless Road, 18-19) the members of Guns N’ Roses participated in various bands before forming the original Guns N’ Roses, and the other members of those bands and also the bands like Poison or London, have also achieved international success. It is stated in the Reckless Road by Vicky Hamilton that not all the ‘kids’ lived in , they had travelled from different locations to Los Angeles (Reckless Road, 17).

1.3 Music

The correct word to describe 1980s rock music is ‘rebellious’. When studying the lyrics of Guns N’ Roses’ song Out to get Me or Mötley Crüe’s song Shout at the devil (See the Appendix 1 for both lyrics), it can be said that the attitude towards society is mocking and rebellious. In addition, 1980s rock music is aggressive in music, lyrics as well as in the attitude of the band members. Blame can be laid on the parents of the members of the aforementioned bands that are the subject of the present research, and on the society as a whole. Because in the 1970s and 1980s the whole American society was disappointed in the government and rebelled against it on different scale. American youth were just the group that showed their rebelliousness more in public.

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Kings of the scene: Mötley Crüe Guns N’ Roses

1.4 Mötley Crüe

We are, we are, the saints, one day you will confess And pray to the saints of Los Angeles

(Saints of Los Angeles, song by Mötley Crüe)

1.4.1 Overview

Mötley Crüe is an American hard-rock band that was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, the USA. Mötley Crüe consists of 4 members: (vocals), Nikki Sixx(bass), (drums) and Mick Mars(guitar). They started calling themselves ‘motley crew’ because of their different attitude and looks. In the late spring of 1982, they signed a record deal with a major record company Electra Records. To get a contract with a major record company only within year of being active as a band, is a really magnificent achievement.

The promotion letter of the band, originally released in 1981 to promote the band, shows how popular the band was in LA, even without a record deal, and how different they were from each other. Extract from The Dirt, originally released in 1981 for the promotion of the band. It reads as follows: “Mötley Crüe is the commercial hard rock band the eighties have been screaming for. In just a few months, Mötley Crüe has become the hottest group in . Mötley Crüe has set all time attendance records at the Troubadour in and has sold out the Country Club and the Whiskey A Go-Go. Mötley Crüe is one of the few acts to play the Roxy Theater without major record company support. Mötley Crüe will soon release their debut album on their own label – Leathür Records. They provide an outstanding live show which excites, stimulates and moves the audience. Mötley Crüe is as exciting to watch as they are to listen to. Mötley Crüe is four gifted artists doing what they do best- making timeless music.

NIKKI SIXX, on and vocals, at 22 has made a lasting impression on the Hollywood scene with his former group, London. Nikki is an exceptional songwriter, heavily influenced by and , and is the inspiration behind of Mötley Crüe’s music. 9

MICK MARS, at 25, may be Newfoundland’s greatest claim to fame. Mick’s unique emotional guitar playing combines a fast sound with great showmanship. Mick assist on vocals and his songwriting ability is a prefect blend with Nikki’s. Together they create most of what is Mötley Crüe.

TOMMY LEE, age 21, on drums, is high energy personified. When Tommy picks up a stick, no one sits still. Whether he’s playing sticks, drums, cymbals, gongs, cowbells, or wood blocks, Tommy’s ability and showmanship are unequaled. He is another important component uniquely contributing to Mötley Crüe.

VINCE NEIL, fair-haired, 21, lead vocalist and writer, will have the girls’ hearts throbbing. Vince commands the stage and his every move is watched intensely. Vince’s unique styling and versatile range were influenced by John Lennon and . He is the final piece creating the band Mötley Crüe.

When Nikki, Mick, Tommy and Vince came together, the magic was instantaneous and Mötley Crüe was born.

The creative genius of these four performers has brought forth a new music that will not soon be forgotten. Their music and showmanship are a new driving force in rock. The themes which run through their songs involve the audience in a musical reality of day-to-day living, expressing joys and tragedies to which today’s youth can relate. Mötley Crüe is what the youth of the eighties have been waiting for- the sound to move to, the words that speak, and the looks that heroes are made of.

Mötley Crüe is not a rebellion but a revolution in rock. Are turn to the hard-driving sound of the Beatles reenergized for the eighties.” (The Dirt, 69-70)

1.4.2 Forming the band

The mastermind behind the success of Mötley Crüe was a young bassist Nikki Sixx, who had a detailed vision of what Mötley Crüe should look and sound like. Tom Zutaut, who signed the record deal with the band, describes him in The Dirt: “Nikki was the only one who took the meetings seriously. He had mapped out each step for the band’s future in his head”(The Dirt, 83). 10

The success of Nikki’s plan was immediate. It took only a year for Mötley to be signed by the record company and Mötley Crüe was one of the first unsigned bands who could sell out Hollywood’s venues. This is highlighted also in their promotion letter: “Mötley Crüe has set all time attendance records at the Troubadour in Hollywood and has sold out the Country Club and the Whiskey-A-Go-Go. Mötley Crüe is one of the few acts to play the Roxy Theater without major record company support” (The Dirt, 70).

Sixx also ‘hand-picked’ and chose very carefully the members for the band with whom he was sure to achieve international success. Mick Mars was first, whom Nikki Sixx knew would fit in his plan as a guitarist. Sixx describes Mars as “that gnarly little Quasimodo playing with a microphone stand, running it up and down the neck as fast as he could. He was going crazy, beating the shit out of that guitar as if he had just caught it sleeping with his girlfriend” (The Dirt, 30). Although when they first met in the liquor-store Mars had left a different impression on Nikki. Sixx’s first thoughts about Mars were: “I was disappointed that this hunchback, who looked so demented, had such a lame, predictable taste.” But after he saw him play he thought that he will forgive him ‘his shitty taste in music.’ Mick is also the oldest member of Mötley Crüe.

Next Nikki needed drummer and the singer. He saw a drummer with another band in the local venue called Starwood and he liked his style. He arranged a meeting and started playing together. Mick Mars has described Tommy Lee in The Dirt as ‘too young and scrawny to be any good. But when he started playing, he wasn’t sissy. He hit hard. His name was Tommy’(The Dirt p. 41).

Subsequently they needed a singer. Tommy was the one who arranged a meeting with Vince to come to audition. Vince was handsome and popular with girls. The band wanted Vince to join them more because of his style than his vocal abilities. When a singer was found, Mötley Crüe was ready to perform.

According to Wikipedia Mötley Crüe has released 9 studio albums:

• Too Fast for Love (1981) • Shout at the Devil (1983) • Theatre of Pain (1985) • Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) 11

• Dr. Feelgood (1989) • Mötley Crüe (1994) • Generation Swine (1997) • (2000) • Saints of Los Angeles (2008)

1.4.3 Beginnings (1981-1992)

“This is where it all began...,” says Tommy Lee in front of the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, a nightclub on the Sunset Boulevard in California, in the introduction of Mötley Crüe’s video in 1989.

Before their international success and fame, almost all the members of the Crüe, with the exception of Mick Mars, lived in the same house which they called the Crüe House. At the time they were not rich, so the house was in a horrible condition, because they spent all the money they earned on alcohol, illegal drugs as well as on the make-up and costumes for the shows. According to the description of the house by Vince Neil it had an old brown door with a lock broken from being repeatedly kicked in by the police, which would only stay shut if someone folded cardboard under it. Moreover, the house was crawling with vermin. Vince stated in The Dirt that if they ever wanted to use the oven, they had to leave it on for ‘a good ten minutes to kill the regiments of roaches crawling around inside’. They killed roaches on the wall by using hair spray as a flame thrower. The only item that they had was one stereo. Only Mick Mars was not living in the Crüe house and he states in The Dirt that he hated the place and the lifestyle of the others and did not want to go there even to visit the other band members.

Approximately a year after signing the contract with Electra records in 1981, Mötley Crüe were already performing in front of 370,000 people in the US festival in 1983. The US Festival was the marker of the beginning of their international fame. The band continued to improve and started to become legendary until their first setback in 1992 when Vince Neil left the band. Until the said incident, the band had released five studio albums and one compilation album. All the albums reached platinum.

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1.4.4 Troubled times(1992-1997)

If you wanna live long, on your own terms. You gotta be willing to crash and burn. (Lyrics of Primal Scream, a song by Mötley Crüe)

In 1992 after Vince Neil had left the band, John Corabi became the new lead singer as well as the second guitarist of the band, whom they had not had before. Mötley Crüe were very enthusiastic about the change in the beginning. Nikki Sixx has stated in The Dirt that they thought that this album was their best work and it would sell millions. Fans and critics unfortunately were not as enthusiastic, which means that in 1994 their new album, named after the band: “Mötley Crüe”, hit 7th place in the billboard but dropped to 28th after just one week. Furthermore, the tour that was planned to promote the album was total failure. Most of the concerts were not even half-booked and those fans who came to the shows were demanding to see and hear Vince Neil.

The band was accusing the record company and the management for not promoting their album enough. Sylvia Rhone, who was Elektra CEO at the time, however, discredited this claim stating that Mötley Crüe were a major priority for Elektra, and that the label had spent a large sum of money in order to get the band to perform "Shout at the Devil '97" on the American Music Awards in January of 1997. The management claimed that they did everything in their power to promote the band as well as offered the band that they should consider back the original lead singer Vince Neil back and renew his contract. Mötley Crüe did not take the offer into consideration, being pleased with musical ideas and work Corabi was contributing to the band. It all led to the mass-firing the staff by the band, including the dismissal of their manager Doug Thaler and the producer . Mötley Crüe hired Allan Kovac as their new manager and as their producer. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee agreed to be co-producers and started working on the new album.

During the making of their next album Generation Swine, the band was under a lot of pressure from the record company to return Mötley Crüe to the level of commercial success that the band had enjoyed in the 1980s. Moreover, the new producer’s and Nikki Sixx’s visions of how the new album should sound did not match. Furthermore, the fans were still demanding that Mötley Crüe would reunite with Vince Neil. The lead singer and guitarist John Corabi did not 13 cope with the stress and pressure, which is why he left the band. Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx accepted the management’s proposal to have a meeting with Vince Neil and to try to settle their issues. After several meetings band agreed to reunite and the new album’s vocal tracks were redone by Vince Neil. Generation Swine was released in 1997 and the band was hoping that with a new album and the reunion their ‘days of trouble’ were over.

1.4.5 Reunited (1997-2004)

Although the band was reunited, their album Generation Swine did not meet the expectations neither of the band nor the management. The Generation Swine debuted at number 4 on the and was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 27, 1997. Nevertheless, it was greeted poorly by the critics. The world’s biggest popular culture magazine rated it with two stars and claimed it to be the end of Mötley Crüe. In a 2008 interview, Vince Neil stated that the Generation Swine was a really horrible album and the cause was that they were experimenting too much with different styles. It was also the last album they produced under Electra Records.

In 1999 Tommy Lee left the band due to the increasing tension with the front man Vince Neil. replaced him. Mötley Crüe released their eighth studio album with the new drummer. It got an even worse response than their previous album, and sold fewer than 200,000 copies. Mötley Crüe had lost all its glory and started to fade away from the music scene. Randy Castillo died of cancer on March 26, 2002. After this, band went to hiatus. It seemed that after 21 years of glory, fame and success Mötley Crüe was finally facing their downfall.

1.4.6 Lifestyle

We're the generation swine, gimme no lip, here comes my fist.

(Generation Swine, song by Mötley Crüe)

All members of Mötley Crüe were extremely self-destructive. They were drinking heavily and all addicted to different drugs, some more, some less. They had this illusion that they are indestructible and could get away with everything. The ‘moment of truth’ struck all of them at 14 last as the first wake-up call was in 1984, when Vince Neil was charged with manslaughter. He drove with Nicholas "" Dingley, the drummer of a Finnish rock band , to the liquor-store and lost control over the vehicle. He had a car accident and Razzle died on the spot. He was charged with a month in prison and 30 days of community work.

For Sixx the realisation came in 1986 when he overdosed with and was pronounced clinically dead, he survived only thanks to the ambulance doctor, who was fan of Mötley Crüe and injected another dose of adrenaline. Tommy Lee was in prison in 1998 charged with domestic violence. Tommy’s wife sued him and Tommy was convicted as guilty. He was in prison for 4 months.

Due to their reckless lifestyle and their notorious acts, they are known to world as ‘world’s most notorious and self-destructive rock band.’

1.5 Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses is an American hard-rock band. The band was formed on June 6, 1985 in Los Angeles, Hollywood. The original line-up was: (vocals), Slash (lead guitar), (rhythm guitar) and (drums)

1.5.1 The beginning

Slash has described in his own autobiography that in the early stages of the band, they were more a gang than a band. Guns N’ Roses were originally formed by Axl Rose and Tracii Guns in early 1985 but Tracii left in few months, also Izzy Stradlin was there from the beginning. Slash was invited to the band later by Axl Rose and Steven Adler, who was Slash’s childhood friend, was last piece of the band, who was invited to the band on June 6, 1985(See: chart 1 in the Appendix). This line-up held together until July 1990, when the drummer Steven Adler was fired.

1.5.2 Problems with first record

After the record deal was signed, the band needed a crew who would produce their record. At first no one believed that the music Guns N’ Roses made would make a breakthrough and therefore mangers did not want to work with the band and almost all of them later regretted it 15

(Slash p. 138). The same problem was finding a witting producer. The first producer they found was – a famous producer, who had produced famous bands like Mötley Crüe, Cheap Trick and Poison, but Werman ‘couldn’t handle them’ like Slash has stated in his autobiography (Slash, 143). They played and were too loud for him. Even Paul Stanley, the lead singer and guitarist of Kiss, tried to take up producing their first album. The main cause why the band let Paul produce their album was that Steven liked Kiss and the others thought that they would ‘let Steven have his Jollies’ (Slash, 143).

Unfortunately, it ‘did not work out’ with Stanley also, he wanted to make Guns N’ Roses sound like Kiss and that was not how the band saw what they should sound like. But Paul Stanley was persistent, he did not take ‘no’ for an answer. Stanley gave up on Guns N’ Roses after Slash had given an interview to the radio station, unknowingly insulting Paul Stanley. At last they found manager named Alan Nives, who suggested that band should release demo EP to allure possible producers for the studio record. Finally, they found producer named . He was exactly what the band had been looking for and as Slash has stated in his autobiography ‘had captured the essence of Guns N’ Roses’. They started recording and producing their debut album called .

1.5.3 Band & addiction problems

Everyone in Guns N’ Roses had addiction problems at various times, but due to Slash’s own autobiography Slash, there is more material about his problem. Slash developed a drug habit in 1986, when they ‘had made it’ and were recording their first studio album. He describes in Slash that the first time he acknowledged his problem was when he and Izzy Stradlin went to Tijuana and later that night he got arrested and had to spend 2 days in county prison for unknown charges.

After the prison incident, Slash was trying to become clean from the drugs and he really ended taking drugs. However, he admits in the autobiography that he changed one substance for another, and just started drinking alcohol heavily. Slash stayed clean from drugs until the end of the Appetite tour. But after the tour he found his way back to the drugs and started little by little experimenting with them. In the book Slash admitted that he started using drugs again ‘to fill the void that was left in his life without constant touring’ (Slash, 243). 16

Drug problems also poisoned his relationship with the lead singer of Guns N’ Roses – Axl Rose, who promised before an opening gig for the Rolling Stones to leave the band if Slash and Steven ‘wouldn’t get sobered up’. Slash had to apologize before the crowd and promise not to use drugs anymore. In truth, Slash just started using drugs more secretively and started experimenting with different drugs mixed together.

It all ended when on vacation his mental condition was in such a critical state that he started seeing little aliens. Their road manager Doug Thaler insisted that Slash would check into drug rehabilitation. Slash even attended the drug rehabilitation for some time but as it ‘wasn’t working’ for him, he came clean from the drugs on his own terms. Again he started drinking more and developing one addiction into another, more tolerated one.

Steven Adler, on the other hand, ‘didn’t sober up’. He was sent to rehabilitation by the band or the management numerous times, but Adler always escaped from there. He set the band record, escaping 24 times in total. At last Guns N’ Roses agreed to give Alder a written ultimatum. It stated that if Adler attended recording sessions when he was on drugs, he would get fined and after three fines, he would be fired. Adler agreed to all the terms but did not change his behaviour. The band had to fire him, so that he would not hold the band back from evolving.

Slash wrote in his autobiography that he felt that the decision to dismiss Alder was hypocritical because everyone in Guns N’ Roses had used drugs and he felt it was like ‘the pot calling kettle black’, because he had just ended using drugs. The difference, however, was that drugs never damaged Slash’s playing skills but they did that with Steven Adler

1.5.4 New Drummer

After Steven was dismissed, the band started looking for a new drummer. The task fell to Slash, Izzy and Duff. Slash has stated that at first he thought that their prospects of finding a new drummer are good ‘Sure, anybody can play drums!’, but the truth was that they were on the verge of giving up, until last they found a drummer that would fit into the band musically. After playing with numerous unsuitable candidates, they realized how naive they had been. With most of the 17 drummers they tried Slash and Izzy did not even play, because if Duff’s bass style did not fit with the drummer, it meant that he did not fit into the band.

Drum and bass are the foundation of any rock band. Guns N’ Roses tried good drummers out, for example Martin Chambers from the Pretenders. They realized that even if the drummer is really good, he or she still might not ‘click with the band’ (Slash, p 305-306). At last, they met with , a drummer who had previously played in . After they had played two- three songs with Matt, they knew that they had found ‘their man’. They had found their drummer and were ready to work on their new album that would later be called Use your Illusion.

1.5.5 & II

Guns N’ Roses had already written 36 songs, when Sorum joined the band. They wanted to put on the album all the songs they had written, because half of them were already old songs from previous albums, like or Don’t Cry. After replacing the drummer, recording process of the new album went smoothly. Everyone acted professionally and there were no delays. Matt Sorum appeared to be the perfect replacement and he adjusted to the band really quickly.

Knockin’ on heaven’s door was the first song they recorded with Matt and they were all pleased what the band sounded like with the new drummer. They recorded 36 songs in 36 days. The new album had the basic element of Guns N’ Roses but also it sounded differently. The band was using keyboards on the new album and guitar riffs were more precise and less chaotic. The new double-album had an epic tune. The only concern Slash had with the album, according to his autobiography, was that the albums of the were sold separately. He feared that fans did not have that much money to buy both albums, but in reality both albums reached the top of the billboard: Use your Illusion I was on the first place and Use your Illusion II was on the second place, and they stayed there for weeks (Slash p 524).

1.5.6 Use your Illusion tour

During the Use your Illusion tour, Guns N’ Roses were on the highest level of fame they had ever been. For the first time they had the possibility to design their own stage like they wanted to and they really were in the centre of the world’s attention. Everything seemed to be 18 perfect, but it took a dramatic change. Band was at its best on the stage, everything worked there, but behind the stage things got worse with every day.

The lead singer Axl Rose started getting on stage later and later than planned. In the end they often performed two hours later than was planned. This frustrated others in the band because it cast them in unprofessional light and it was all because of one band member. Also, Axl started spending more money on the tour than they earned. He held expensive costume and theme parties on the luxury boats and cruisers. When Axl was confronted by others, he took a combative attitude. According to Slash’s autobiography, Axl has always been ‘an over-sensitive and aggressive ego-maniac’ but things got out of hand on the tour.

When they finished their first tour, they had go on another tour because they had spent more money than they had earned on the first tour. Also Axl was charged with inciting a riot in 1991, when he, after delaying the performance again for an hour and then after playing three songs, assaulted a fan physically and left the stage saying “Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!" Fans that had waited for the Guns N’ Roses to perform for hours started rioting after band left the stage. After the St. Louis incident, the rhythm guitarist and songwriter Izzy Stradlin agreed to end the tour with the band but promised to leave the band after the tour. The rhythm guitar position was filled by Gliby Clarke thanks to whom the band stayed together for some time.

1.5.7 Break-up

After the Use your Illusion tour, the atmosphere in the band was tense. Axl Rose did not communicate with the other band members and decided the band matters individually. Soon after the tour, he fired Gilby Clarke saying that Clarke was only a ‘hired-gun’ and now that the tour was over they did not need him anymore. Also he persuaded Slash, Duff and Matt to sign a contract that stated that he owned the name of Guns N’ Roses and all the other members besides him were hired musicians, meaning that even the members who had co-founded it had no say what the band’s future should be like.

The breaking point was the recording of the Rolling Stone’s cover of for the movie “Interview with the Vampire”. Slash did not like the movie, so he was against 19 recording the song for the movie, but again Axl persuaded him to record it. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was when the song was released. It was mixed and produced differently than band had agreed upon, plus Slash’s guitar riffs where replaced. After that Slash left the band and soon after all the others did the same. Guns N’ Roses had become a one-man band.

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2 Future of the 1980s rock scene band & musicians

2.1 Musical work of the members of Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe during hiatus and break-up

2.1.1 Mötley Crüe

2.1.1.1 Tommy Lee

According to Wikipedia, Tommy Lee started his own rap project after he left Mötley Crüe. Lee formed a band called . The band released a self-titled album in 1999 and toured in support of it. Although Lee distanced himself from Mötley Crüe after splitting, he agreed to take part in writing their 2001 autobiography, The Dirt. Lee has made guest appearances on the albums by other artists, such as , and .

Tommy Lee also wrote his autobiography, Tommyland, in 2004. In November 2007, it was announced by Nikki Sixx that Tommy Lee was no longer a member of Mötley Crüe. Lee reportedly quit after the rest of the band sued his manager, Carl Stubner, for forcing Tommy to take part in reality TV shows, thus forcing the cancellation of a lengthy leg of Crüe tour dates in 2007. Lee had already quit once in 2007 in September before returning to the band. Vince Neil refuted the claims that Tommy Lee resigned from the band and that the band would be going into the studio in January to start recording their newest studio album. In the end, Tommy Lee did end up recording the new album, Saints of Los Angeles, and toured with Mötley Crüe in 2008 on their tour

2.1.1.2 Nikki Sixx

Durning the hiatus Nikki Sixx participated in several bands. He played bass in super groups like Brides of Destruction and 58. Also after releasing his book Heroin diaries: a year in the life of a shattered rockstar in 2007, formed a band called Sixx: Am and wrote a soundtrack and released the soundtrack to promote his book. His book is a remake of his own diary that he kept from 24th of December, 1986 until 25 December 1987. It tells his story when his he had addiction problems that resulted in killing him for 4 seconds.

After Mötley Crüe reunited in 2006, Sixx started working on their next album Saints of the Los Angeles and is credited as a writer or co-writer of all the songs on the album. 21

2.1.2 Guns N’ Roses

2.1.2.1 Slash

After leaving Guns N’ Roses, Slash started his own project named Slash’s Snakepit. They released their debut album in 1995 called It’s five O’clock Somewhere. Critically, the album was praised for ignoring the conventions of grunge and alternative music. It also fared well on the charts, eventually selling over 1.2 million copies in the United States with little promotion from . The band disbanded in 1998 due to the problems within the band.

Slash approached the bassist Johnny Griparic about forming a new version of the Snakepit as Slash and Griparic were already touring as the cover band Slash's Blues Ball, along with Alvino Bennett and Bobby Schneck. They recruited a singer Rod Jackson after Griparic had played Slash a demo tape of his , with the rest of the line-up being rounded out by former duo Ryan Roxie on guitar and Matt Laug on drums. They recorded new material with producer Jack Douglas, whose past credits include for example Aerosmith. During this time Snakepit was still signed to Geffen, which had merged with Interscope Records. However the group soon left Geffen and signed a deal with Koch Records, which released the album Ain't Life Grand in October 2000. The group toured as the opening act for AC/DC (who were touring in support of their album Stiff Upper Lip), and soon after headlined in theaters. Ryan Roxie departed the group, due to commitments with Alice Cooper, and was replaced by guitarist , formerly of Big Bang Babies. Two months after the tour finished, the Snakepit was dropped by Koch Records.

In 2002, Slash reunited with Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum for a benefit concert for Randy Castillo. Realizing they still had the chemistry of their days in Guns N' Roses, they decided to form a new band together. The band that featured Slash, McKagan, and Sorum also featured former members Keith Nelson and . Later Duff put out a statement that Josh and Keith did not quite fit with the band, and they added as rhythm guitar and, after a long search, ’ singer . The new band was called . Velvet Revolver released two albums before going to hiatus called: Contraband and Libertad.

In 2010 Slash released his first solo album. Different musicians from different music styles appear on the album, for example Fergie or Lemmy Kilmeister. 22

2.2 Future of the Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe

2.2.1 Guns N’ roses

According to the Wikipedia Guns N’ Roses released in 2008 and it is world’s most expensive album to make. Axl Rose is the only original member left in the band. Other musicians are all hired by him and change frequently.

In autumn of 2009, Guns N’ Roses went on world tour to promote their album and the tour lasts throughout 2010.

2.2.2 Mötley Crüe

A promoter in England, Mags Revell, began clamoring for a Mötley Crüe reunion, ostensibly presenting himself as the voice of anxious fans waiting for more from the band. After meeting with management several times, in September 2004, Sixx announced that he and Neil had returned to the studio and had begun recording new material. In December 2004, the four original members announced a reunion tour which began February 14, 2005, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The band's latest compilation album Red, White & Crüe was released in February, 2005. It features the band members' favorite original songs plus three new tracks, "", "Sick Love Song" (co-written by Sixx and ), and a cover of The Rolling Stones' classic "Street Fighting Man". A small controversy was caused when it was suggested that neither Lee nor Mars play on the new tracks (duties were supposedly handled by Vandals’ drummer ). However, a VH1 documentary of the band's reunion later showed that Lee did indeed play on some of the tracks. The Japanese release of Red, White & Crüe includes an extra new track titled "I'm a Liar (and That's the Truth)". Red, White & Crüe charted at number 6 and has since gone platinum.

Mötley Crüe's ninth studio album, titled Saints of Los Angeles, was released in Japan on June 17, 2008 and in the US on June 24, 2008. The album was originally titled The Dirt, as it was loosely based on the band's autobiography of the same name, but the title was later changed. Saints of Los Angeles features the band's original lineup. 23

3 Summary

Rock stars of the 1980s lived a reckless and self-destructive life. With success came the money and mostly they did not know what to do with it. They often invested it into drugs. The members of both bands that the present research was focused on – Mötley Crüe and Guns N’ Roses – admitted that they used drugs to fill the void that appeared after tours, when they had to adjust with normal life.

Both bands had their ups and downs and both bands went into hiatus for some time in the 1990s, but are now still working and touring, both bands have released albums in 21st century. All the members of the bands have also been successful in their solo career.

This research shows what was hidden behind the scene of success and fame and how members of the bands could cope with their lifestyle and it can be seen that in the end they solved their problems and are still, after 30 years of active career, successful musicians and have contributed hugely into the development of the rock scene in the 1980s LA as well as the whole genre of rock n’ roll. 24

Appendix Logo of Guns N Roses:

(http://www.dansoft.ch/privat/Bilder/CDReview/Guns%20N%27%20Roses%20- %20Appetite%20For%20Destruction.jpg )

Members of Mötley Crüe

(http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/oldmotleycrue.jpg) 25

Lyrics of Mötley Crüe song: Saints of Los Angeles

Tonight there’s gonna be a fight, so if you need a place to go Got two room slum a mattress and a gun, and the cops don’t never show So come right in cause everybody sins, welcome to the scene of the crime You want it? Believe it? We got it if you need it, the devil is a friend of mine

If you think it’s crazy you ain’t seen a thing Just wait until we’re going down in flames

We are we are the saints we signed our life away Doesn’t matter what you think We’re gonna do it anyway We are we are the saints one day you will confess And pray to the saints of Los Angeles

Redline trippin’ on a land mine, sippin’ at the Troubadour Girls passed out naked in the back lounge everybody’s gonna score She’s all jacked up she’s down on her luck You want it you need it the devils gonna feed it

Don’t you say it’s crazy, you don’t know a thing Just wait until we’re going down in Flames

We are we are the saints we signed our life away Doesn’t matter what you think, we’re gonna do it anyway We are we are the saints one day you will confess And pray to the saints of Los Angeles

Give it up give it up (4x)

We are we are the saints we signed our life away Doesn’t matter what you think, we’re gonna do it anyway We are we are the saints one day you will confess And pray to the saints of Los Angeles 26

Lyrics of the Guns N’ Roses song: Out to get me:

Been hidin' out They push me in a corner And layin' low Just to get me to fight but It's nothin' new ta me They won't touch me Well you can always find They preach and yell a place to go And fight all night If you can keep your sanity You can't tell me They break down the doors I lose my head And they rape my rights but I close my eyes They won't touch me They won't touch me They scream and yell 'Cause I got somethin' And fight all night I been buildin' up inside You can't tell me I'm already gone I lose my head [Chorus] I close my eyes Some people got a chip on their shoulder They won't touch me An some would say it was me 'Cause I got somethin' But I didn't buy that fifth of whisky I been buildin' up inside That you gave me For so fuckin' long So I'd be quick to disagree [CHORUS:] [Chorus] They're out ta get me They're out to get me They won't catch me They won't catch me I'm innocent I'm innocent They won't break me So you can Suck me Sometimes it's easy to forget where you're Take that one to heart goin' Lyrics of the Mötley Crüe song Shout at the Sometimes it's harder to leave devil: And everytime you think you know just what you're doin' He's the wolf screaming lonely in the night That's when your troubles exceed He's the blood stain on the stage 27

He's the tear in your eye He'll be the love in your eyes Been tempted by his lie He'll be the blood between your thighs He's the knife in your back And then have you Cry for more He's rage He'll put strength to the test He's the razor to the knife He'll put the thrill back in bed Oh, lonely is our lives Sure you've heard it all before My heads spinnin' round and round He'll be the risk in the kiss But in the seasons of wither Might be anger on your lips We'll stand and deliver Might run scared for the door Be strong and laugh and But in seasons of wither We'll stand and deliver [Chorus:] Be strong and laugh and Shout-shout-shout Shout at the devil [Chorus]

28

References 1. Marc Canter with Jason Porath. Reckless Road Shoot Hit Press: 2007.

2. Mötley Crüe with Neil Strauss. the Dirt. HarperCollins publishers inc:2002. 3. Nikki Sixx with Ian Gittins. The Heroin diaries: a Year in the life of shattered rocksta.r Simon & Schusters UK ltd.: 2007.

4. Slash with Anthony Bozza. Slash HarperCollins publishers Inc: 2008.

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13. Wikipedia article on Guns N’ roses http://en.wikipedia.com/Gunsandroses (last accessed on 25.05.10)