History Music / GunsNRoses

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Paul Tobias' real surname is Huge, which is not pronounced the way it's spelled. The proper way to say it is hugh-gie.

* AscendedFanboy: The classic line-up can be considered this, and later on, especially Slash. The entire classic lineup were huge Music/{{Aerosmith}} fans, and got to open for them during a tour before ''Appetite'' came out. Lately, Slash himself has been playing "Mama Kin" on-stage together with Aerosmith a couple of times, and has announced a co-headlining tour with them! Considering that Joe Perry from Aerosmith is also a fan of Slash, it's kind of a mutual thing.
** Axl replacing Brian Johnson on Music/{{ACDC}} also counts.

* CoverVersion: "[[Music/{{Aerosmith}} Mama Kin]]" on their debut (the EP ''Live?!*@ Like a Suicide''; later reissued in ''Music/GNRLies''), "[[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...

** ''Don't Damn Me'' has the line "your satisfaction comes from your illusions".

-->''Immigrants and faggots don't make no sense to me''\\

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: In terms of tunings, GNR, which usually plays in E-flat tuning, played "I Don't Care About You" (from ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'') and their cover of "Heartbreak Hotel" in D-flat tuning; their cover of "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.

* NotableMusicVideos: Besides the three Concept Videos, "You Could Be Mine", which was part of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'''s OST. It even features Creator/{{Arn|oldSchwarzenegger}}ie himself.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: Every one of the original six (and later, Matt Sorum) liked a different rock style, and it led to a distinctive sound.

** For a while, even Wikipedia had no idea how old Melissa was, with the only clue being that she was old enough to be collaborating with [[Music/{{Primus}} Brain]] by 2010. It was later revealed she was born in 1983, making her 31 at the start of her tenure.

In another downright unexpected announcement given how troubled things got, in early 2016 it was announced Slash and Duff were returning to the band. This "reunion" of sorts performed in April, being one of the first acts in Las Vegas' new arena before a headlining gig at Coachella. Axl Rose was also chosen to sing in {{Music/ACDC}} after Brian Johnson's hearing loss forced him into (temporary) retirement.

The band is currently on their Not In This Lifetime tour.

* LicensedPinballTable: [[Pinball/GunsNRoses Designed by Slash himself.]]

In another downright unexpected announcement given how troubled things got, in early 2016 it was announced Slash and Duff were returning to the band. This "reunion" of sorts performed in April, being one of the first acts in Las Vegas' new arena before a headlining gig at Coachella. Axl Rose was also chosen to sing in {{Music/ACDC}} after Brian Johnson's hearing loss forced him into retirement.

* IntercourseWithYou: "Anything Goes" and "Rocket Queen". Not to mention a cover of "[[Music/{{Soundgarden}} Big Dumb Sex]]" performed at the end of the Slash-led cover of "Buick Mackane".

* 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.

* BadassBaritone: Axl's speaking voice is a ''very'' deep baritone, making it even more jarring when he switches to his signature screech.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Slash and Axl were both fairly average (5'10" and 5'9" respectively), Izzy was a bit taller (5'11"), Steven was fairly short (5'7") and Duff towered over all of them (6'3").

* TheFellowshipHasEnded: After the band was formed they spent two and a half years straight writing, rehearsing, recording, touring and living as a group. When their tour ended at the end of 1988 they were one of the biggest bands on Earth, achieving everything they had set out to achieve and [[AndThenWhat leaving them with no idea of what to do next.]] They all went their separate ways, leading to the drug and communication issues that eventually destroyed the lineup.
* 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
** TheChick: Melissa
** [[SixthRanger Sixth Rangers]]: Duff and Slash.

* IcyBlueEyes: DJ Ashba, as seen in the link below for the OlderThanTheyLook entry.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: Paul Tobias' real surname is Huge, which is not pronounced the way it's spelled. The proper way to say it is hugh-gie.

* MayDecemberRomance: Slash dated an older woman for a stretch during the early nineties, generally thought to be Music/CaroleKing (with whom he toured during the same period).

* 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.

*** After his stint with the Not In This Lifetime Tour ended in February 2017 (and his Non Disclosure Agreement expired), Steven was finally able to elaborate on why his involvement with the tour turned out the way it did. He stated in an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWWxnoCzHRs interview]] with [[ThatMetalShow Eddie Trunk]] that Duff approached him in January 2016 about joining the tour, and Steven went over to Duff's house to rehearse. He injured his back during the second rehearsal and had to get back surgery, but was only out of commission for 10 days..... by which point the band moved on without him, and then told him he'd have to do guest appearances [[WhatCouldHaveBeen (the original plan was for Steven to do the first third of the shows, Frank Ferrer do the middle, and Steven come back out to do the rest)]]. He stated that although he was glad he did the tour as it gave him closure and allowed him to play with his bandmates again (in Axl's case not since 1990), he didn't think it was as magical as he thought it would be without Izzy's involvement to complete the reunion, and that he grew very tired of flying all around the world to do one or two songs, and spending 95% of the shows he ''was'' at standing off to the side of the stage watching someone else play his songs (though he maintains he has absolutely nothing against Frank Ferrer).

* {{Jerkass}}: Axl. He's reportedly [[KickTheDog pissed on the crowd]] in several shows, never turns up on time and goes crazy at anybody for ''[[DisproportionateRetribution wearing a Slash T-Shirt]]'', of all things. However, as of 2016, he appears to have mellowed with age.
** JerkassWoobie: Though in all fairness, he did have a horrible childhood as he was sexually assaulted by his stepfather at a very young age (Axl mentioned in a 1993 interview that the traumatic experience caused him to stop aging emotionally, remarking that "when people say Axl sounds like a screaming two-year old, they're right") and much of his behavior stemmed from being manic-depressive (something which you often have no control over).
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While Steven, Slash and Duff did criticize Axl in their autobiographies, they also had plenty of good things to say about him (I.E. Axl took time off to visit Steven and Duff in the hospital, he even missed out on being in the movie ''Film/TheDeadPool'' to see the former) and do defend him at some points. Slash in particular says that he has a big problem with people who don't know Axl criticizing him.

* MistakenForRacist: Possibly Axl, [[{{Troperiffic}} yet again]]. [[NeverLiveItDown It seems he can't live down]] "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9B7hgSztA0 One in a Million]]" from ''Lies'', whose lyrics were...[[{{Understatement}} somewhat]] [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero controversial.]] Whether or not to believe his claims that the song was written "in character" or that he was calling out [[StopBeingStereotypical specific people who tried to hustle him on the LA streets]] is an exercise for the reader ([[ButNotTooBlack Slash's]] silence doesn't help). Since the initial furor died down, he's taken to calling out [[Music/{{Metallica}} James Hetfield]] on racial bias over dropping opening act Music/BodyCount, possibly passing the trope onward, and this might finally fade for Axl with his calling out Donald Trump for naming Jeff Sessions, who attracted criticism for racism back in the '80s, as his Attorney General.

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

** From previous albums, "It's So Easy". "Since I Don't Have You" is notable in that it originally didn't have ANY swearing (given the fact that it's a [[CoveredUp '50s song]], you wouldn't be surprised). There are two versions: the album version, which is on ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' and ''Greatest Hits'', and the radio edit that omits the line "Yep, we're fucked", which was used for the music video.

** The two sides of ''Appetite for Destruction'' fit into the theme - even naming themselves after the band. Side A\G(uns) focuses on drugs, alcohol, crime and the horrors of [[WretchedHive the "jungle"]] with songs like "Mr. Brownstone," "Nightrain," and "Welcome to the Jungle." On the flipside, Side B\R(oses) has all of the love/sex songs like "Rocket Queen," "Think About You," and "Sweet Child O' Mine." Thanks to the [[TechnologyMarchesOn rise of [=CDs=] and digital distribution]] this isn't as obvious.

* ArtifactTitle: The group's name was decided by founding members Axl Rose and Tracii Guns, and the name stuck even after Tracii Guns [[ThePeteBest left the group before the band made it big]].

* DrugsAreBad: Steven Adler was hit particularly hard with this, including suffering a stroke in 1996 and several relapses over the years. Creator/DuffMcKagan, who drank enough vodka to drown a horse, destroyed his pancreas and was told that if he had another drink, he'd die. It ''still'' took some time to get clean. DoNotDoThisCoolThing, kids.

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: In terms of tunings, GNR, which usually plays in E-flat tuning, played "I Don't Care About You" (from ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'') and their covers of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Heartbreak Hotel" in 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.

* CoolShades: As you see up there, nearly everyone in the band liked them.

* AchievementInIgnorance: Slash knows ''nothing'' about music theory, but that hasn't stopped him from writing some of the most famous riffs from the 80's.

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: In terms of tunings, GNR, which usually plays in E-flat tuning, played "I Don't Care About You" (from ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'') and their covers of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Heartbreak Hotel" in 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.

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

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: In terms of tunings, GNR, which usually plays in E-flat tuning, played "I Don't Care About You" (from ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'') and their cover of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in D-flat tuning; "Chinese Democracy", "Better", and "Sorry (all from ''Chinese Democracy'') in Drop D tuning; and "Ain't It Fun" (also from ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'') and "Shackler’s Revenge" (also from ''Chinese Democracy'') in Drop D-flat tuning.

* ArchEnemy: While there's quite a bit of revisionist history involved, the Gunners are popularly considered the {{Grunge}} scene's ultimate rival due to their role as the biggest HardRock group in the country in 1991. Their ''Illusion''-era theatrics don't help the perception much (nor does Axl's feud with [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Kurt Cobain]]), though most of the bands who opened for their tours at the time cite the band as particularly supportive headliners, especially [[Music/{{Soundgarden}} Kim Thayil]], who goes out of the way to compliment them in the book "Grunge Is Dead" despite his avowed hatred for their music.

** Ever since Axl has mellowed out considerably in recent years, he hardly pops off during concerts... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1uAdU6g7yg unless he sees security harassing a child]]. (starts around 1:21)

* 2008 - ''Music/Chinese Democracy''

* 2008 - ''Chinese Democracy''

* AerithAndBob: The second line-up consisted of Axl, [[AwesomeMcCoolName Slash]], Duff, Izzy... and Steve. Steve's replacement Matt too.
** Slash was replaced by Music/{{Buckethead}} who was himself replaced by Bumblefoot
** The current line-up reverses the trend while still maintaining the trope with Axl leading DJ, Ron[[note]]the aforementioned Bumblefoot's real name[[/note]], Richard, Chris, Tommy, and Frank.

* RevolvingDoorBand: One of the most glorious examples. Only two people remained since the ''Use Your Illusion'' era, Axl and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, until Slash and Duff doubled that number.