Back in September, Guns N' Roses were announced as one of the finalists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We won't find out until next month if they actually got enough votes to get into the Hall, but even if they do, a major question looms: Who's going to go on stage during the induction ceremony? The GNR that most people love -- the one that made Appetite for Destruction and the Use Your Illusion records -- looks nothing like the lineup that made Chinese Democracy or are currently touring. The only person who unites the two versions of the band is their singer, Axl Rose. So it only makes sense to ask Rose his thoughts on the matter.
Thankfully, Eddie Trunk, host of VH1's "That Metal Show," did just that when he interviewed Rose recently. Rose just about never does interviews, so Trunk's sit-down with the vocalist was a major get. And when Trunk asked about the Hall of Fame, Rose seemed uncertain.
"I don't know what it means in terms of me with the old band and the old lineup," Rose responded. "If we were to be invited, I don't know what they would ask of me. It's up in the air."
Of course, the big problem is that the original lineup doesn't hang out at all. Bassist Duff McKagan and guitarist Slash remain friends -- they're in Velvet Revolver together -- and McKagan has performed on stage with Rose in the past. But Slash and Rose don't speak to one another. (Axl doesn't even like having Slash in the band when it's in video game form.) In the Trunk interview, Rose mentioned that he has talked with guitarist Izzy Stradlin, but it's unclear which drummer would be included in the induction ceremony: Steven Adler (who was part of Appetite) or Matt Sorum (who was there during Use Your Illusion).
So, yes, a lot is up in the air, like Rose said. But, then again, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. As Slash said earlier this month, "with Guns 'N Roses, there's really no guessing exactly how it will go. I suppose if it happens, everybody will get some sort of ducks in order. But I think the first thing to do is wait and see if we actually get inducted, because you know how unpredictable that is."
Very true. If GNR don't get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there won't be any need to wonder about who's going to have to talk to whom after so many years.
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