History Music / GunsNRoses

* CoverVersion: "[[Music/{{Aerosmith}} Mama Kin]]" and "[[Music/RoseTattoo Nice Boys]]" on their debut (the EP ''Live?!*@ Like a Suicide''; later reissued in ''Music/GNRLies''[[note]]Both of which also contained "Reckless Life", which was part of Hollywood Rose's repertoire before it became half of Guns N' Roses[[/note]]), "[[Music/{{Wings}} Live and Let Die]]" in ''Use Your Illusion I'' and [[Music/BobDylan "Knocking On Heaven's Door"]] on ''II'', and "[[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Sympathy For The Devil]]" for ''Film/InterviewWithTheVampire'', which [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil#cite_ref-book_11-0 arguably]] was the straw that broke the camel's back...

* FieryRedhead: Axl Rose is a male example of the trope.

* FiveManBand:
** The classic lineup
*** TheLeader: Axl
*** TheLancer: Slash
*** TheSmartGuy: Duff
*** TheHeart: Izzy
*** TheBigGuy: Steven/Matt
*** TheSixthRanger: Dizzy
** The current lineup
*** TheLeader: Axl
*** TheLancer: Richard
*** TheSmartGuy: Dizzy
*** TheBigGuy: Frank
*** TheSmurfettePrinciple: Melissa
*** [[SixthRanger Sixth Rangers]]: Duff and Slash.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Axl and Slash, big time. However, the animosity is pretty much one sided. While Axl's dislike for Slash is well noted on this page, Slash says that he pretty much just ignores his bullcrap, stating that dwelling on it would drive him insane, and is very complimentary of Axl's singing and songwriting talent in his autobiography.

[[caption-width-right:350: The classic line-up of Guns N' Roses. From left to right: Duff [=McKagan=], Slash, Axl Rose, Steven Adler, and Izzy Stradlin.]]

->''"You know where you are?\\

You're gonna die!"''
-->--"'''Welcome to the Jungle'''"

*** TheChick: Melissa

* FatBastard: Axl during his later years. There is a [[https://atribbledmind.wordpress.com/2014/12/29/the-best-fat-axl-rose-memes-on-the-internet/ bunch of memes with GNR songs with food]] in the lyrics.

* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Axl in the band's heyday, as seen [[https://data.whicdn.com/images/308776469/large.jpg in this photo]]. (See DudeLooksLikeALady above)

* AerithAndBob: The classic line-up consisted of Axl, [[AwesomeMcCoolName Slash]], Duff, Izzy... and Steven. Then Dizzy joined and Steven was replaced by Matt, and eventually, Izzy was replaced by Gilby.

* TakeThat: Bumblefoot's stage name came from a medical condition that commonly affects chickens, the [[Music/{{Buckethead}} previous guitarist's]] AnimalMotif.

** His sunglasses are so iconic that some people wonder if he's blind or if he even has eyes. Neither of these claims are true, [[HandicappedBadass but his playing would somehow be even more epic if he was blind/eyeless.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqRxsu8tegE He has been seen once]] without his hat or his sunglasses, when he played with [[Music/DefLeppard Joe Elliot]] and members of Music/{{Queen}} at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. But even so, you don't really see his eyes past his hair, to the point where you wouldn't even know it was him if Joe Elliot didn't shout, "Slash!" when he takes to the stage. And aside of this, have you ever seen him without his sunglasses? He can be seen occasionally without his signature top hat, but without the glasses? Not so much.
*** And in the video for "November Rain", during the churchfront solo.
** [[ExpressiveHair The hair.]] Nothing screams "Slash" like his hair.

* CoverAlbum: ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'', which was the last album by the original lineup ("original" in this case meaning Axl, Slash, Duff, Dizzy, Matt and Gilby Clarke, the latter of whom only ever appeared on this album, and was referred to by Rose as a "hired hand"), and which attracted some bad publicity by including a song written by ''Charles Manson''.

** Live, there were others, such as "Whole Lotta Rosie" (which probably helped Axl become a live singer for Music/{{ACDC}}). After Music/ChrisCornell's death, the band added Music/{{Soundgarden}}'s "Black Hole Sun" to the setlist as a tribute.

* CoverVersion: "[[Music/{{Aerosmith}} Mama Kin]]" and "[[Music/RoseTattoo Nice Boys]]" on their debut (the EP ''Live?!*@ Like a Suicide''; later reissued in ''Music/GNRLies''[[note]]Both of which also contained "Reckless Life", which was part of Hollywood Rose's repertoire before it became half of Guns N' Roses[[/note]]), "[[Music/{{Wings}} Live and Let Die]]" in ''Use Your Illusion I'' and [[Music/BobDylan "Knocking On Heaven's Door"]] on ''II'', and "[[Music/TheRollingStones Sympathy For The Devil]]" for ''Film/InterviewWithTheVampire'', which [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil#cite_ref-book_11-0 arguably]] was the straw that broke the camel's back...

* NiceHat: Slash's iconic top hat. Izzy frequently wore a newsboy hat or cowboy hat.

** [[CoolHat The top hat]].

* Music/{{Slash}} - lead guitar, dobro, backing vocals, bass, talkbox, banjo (1985–96, 2016–present)

* PetTheDog: When Dr. Pepper made its famous bet (see TheBet below) they offered a free soda to everyone in the USA except for {{Music/Slash}} and {{Music/Buckethead}}. Axl responded that he would share his with Buckethead.

* InspiredBy[=/=]FilkSong: "November Rain", "Don't Cry" and "Estranged" are inspired by Del James's short story ''Without You''.

Guns N' Roses has sold an estimated 90 million albums worldwide, including over 42 million in the United States. The band's 1987 major label debut album, ''Appetite for Destruction'', has sold in excess of 28 million copies and reached number one on the United States Billboard 200. In addition, the album charted three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Sweet Child O' Mine" which reached number one. The 1991 albums ''Use Your Illusion I'' and ''Use Your Illusion II'' debuted on the two highest spots on the ''Billboard'' 200 and have sold a combined 14 million copies in the United States alone. After over a decade of work, the band released their follow-up album, ''Chinese Democracy'', on November 23, 2008, a date to be remembered throughout rock history as the day when [[CueTheFlyingPigs pigs actually flew]] ([[Music/{{Animals}} not associated with]] Music/PinkFloyd, anyway).

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: In terms of tunings, GNR, which usually plays in E-flat tuning, played their covers of "[[Music/{{Fear}} I Don't Care About You]]" (from ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'') and "[[Music/ElvisPresley Heartbreak Hotel]]" in D-flat tuning; their cover of "[[Music/TheRollingStones Jumpin' Jack Flash]]" in Open D-flat tuning; "Chinese Democracy" and "Sorry" (both from ''Chinese Democracy'') in Drop D tuning; and "Ain't It Fun" (also from ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"''), "Shackler's Revenge", and "Better" (also from ''Chinese Democracy'') in Drop D-flat tuning.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Current keyboardist Melissa Reese.

* ContemptibleCover: The original "rapist robot" ''Music/AppetiteForDestruction'' cover, eventually changed in the USA after pressure from the [[MoralGuardians PMRC]].

* AchievementInIgnorance: Slash is self taught and has a rather basic knowledge of music theory (and can't read notation), but that hasn't stopped him from writing some of the most famous riffs from the 80's. [[OddlyCommonRarity This isn't actually too uncommon for most a majority of self taught or non-classical/jazz-trained musicians,]] but was a change of pace from the very technical shredders of the '80s.

Guns N' Roses has sold an estimated 90 million albums worldwide, including over 42 million in the United States. The band's 1987 major label debut album, ''Appetite for Destruction'', has sold in excess of 28 million copies and reached number one on the United States Billboard 200. In addition, the album charted three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Sweet Child O' Mine" which reached number one. The 1991 albums ''Use Your Illusion'' I and ''Use Your Illusion'' II debuted on the two highest spots on the Billboard 200 and have sold a combined 14 million copies in the United States alone. After over a decade of work, the band released their follow-up album, ''Chinese Democracy'', on November 23, 2008, a date to be remembered throughout history as the day when (non Music/PinkFloyd-affliated) [[CueTheFlyingPigs pigs actually flew]].

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Generally 6 or 7. With some songs going down to about a 4, and a few bordering on 8.
** MohsScaleOfLyricalHardness: As the quote atop ''Music/AppetiteForDestruction'' shows, they have a tradition of showing the uglier side of the world, thus some can have lyrics as high as 10 (the screwed up life of "My Michelle", the depression in "Estranged", the WarIsHell nature of "Civil War", and desperation in just about everything of ''Chinese Democracy''). The ballads rank at 4 or lower.

* DisneyDeath: This happened to Slash in 1992 in San Francisco. He'd OD'd in a hotel and died of a cardiac arrest... for all of eight minutes before paramedics revived him.