Reckless Road: Guns N' Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction by Marc Canter

Author:Marc Canter [Canter, Marc]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography, Non-Fiction, Music
ISBN: 9780979341878
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 2225828
Publisher: Music Sales Corporation
Published: 2007-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Act III

Act III

Chapter 9: Paradise City

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Time Off Meant Trouble (2:25).

These doors were opening up to the band and we had to figure out what was through them.

DUFF

Now that GN'R bagged a $75,000 advance and a six record contract with Geffen, it was time to record an album. Tom Zutaut had the task of corralling the band at a time when they had Hollywood at their feet and money in their boots. Penning them in would be no easy task.

Tom had two objectives: record an album and make Guns N' Roses the next greatest rock band of the era. Ambitious as that may have seemed, Tom knew the music would catch larger audiences and he was confident the band could channel their attitude and presence into arena-sized concerts. They were already a great act, even on the Sunset Strip.

He decided to implement a simple strategy to accomplish both: limit the band's exposure locally and rent them an all-expenses-paid pad where they could write a few new songs to round out the album. Tom directed the band to only play one or two gigs a month, which, according to his theory, would make them more desirable when they did play. He got them out of their transient lifestyle and into a clean, air-conditioned apartment so that they could write in peace.

What Tom didn't consider was the inherent nature of Guns N' Roses. They were animals on the hunt, not creatures of comfort and he took away the only two things that kept the band sane: performing on stage and hard living. Tom's strategy was disastrous.

With the keys to the city and cash to burn, the $75,000 advance that was meant to sustain them through the recording of an album was gone within weeks. They developed an insatiable appetite for drugs, tattoos and new clothing until their funds dried out and their creative discipline diminished. No new songs had been written.

Geffen was concerned. Where was their money? Where was their record? Tom Zutaut created another plan while the band got back on stage, sometimes billed as Guns N' Roses and other times under the alias "Fargin Bastydges." They simply could not stop performing. Tom found more money and pushed them to compose new material. The band stalled -- they didn't like being told what to do -- and the growing tension almost derailed the deal. Tom knew he couldn't baby sit the band forever and something had to change.

TOM ZUTAUT I said, "Ok, it's time to stop playing." I felt like they needed to let the mystery build. There was this big buzz on the band and I've always subscribed to the theory that less is more. If you think back to Led Zeppelin, when I was a teenager, they never did interviews. If Jimmy Page or Robert Plant did an interview, I was at the newsstand waiting for it to come out because it meant something.

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