During an appearance on the podcast Appetite for Distortion in promotion of his upcoming book “Sound N’ Furry: Rock N’ Roll Stories,” Alan Niven (who managed Guns N’ Roses from 1986 to 1991) spoke candidly about the band and his time with them.
In the interview, Niven wasn’t shy about his feelings towards frontman Axl Rose, accusing him of being a bit of a control freak.
“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.”
“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 sh*tty thing of punk covers. And that’s it.”
Niven was also critical of Guns N’ Roses in a 2022 interview with Classic Rock, with the former manager calling them “creatively impotent.”
“I have no hope of, or interest in, a new Guns N’ Roses album,” he told the publication. “The tantrums of youth look absurd on a 60-year-old. It’s a shame they have been creatively impotent since 1991.”
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