Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Credits Himself For Guns N’ Roses Reunion
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler claims he played a part in Guns N’ Roses‘ decision to get back together for their anticipated Coachella reunion and speculated tour in 2016.
According to Rolling Stone,Tyler spoke on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM show Monday and admitted to his involvement, along with others, in convincing Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose to resolve his issues with guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan.
Steven Tyler tells Howard Stern what he said to Axl Rose to convince him to reunite Guns N' Roses https://t.co/5P37QaQsGM
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) January 26, 2016
“I did meet Axl in a couple of clubs, a year ago, two years ago, three years ago, and I’d bump into him and I’d have that talk,” Tyler said on Stern’s SiriusXM show. “I said, ‘You need to get the fuck back together again soon, because we all miss you.’ Same thing someone said to me when [Aerosmith guitarist] Joe [Perry] and I were fighting.”
Tyler went on to name Jon Bon Jovi as the individual who pushed for Aerosmith to put their differences aside while Tyler was in rehab. Tyler said Bon Jovi told him, “People in the world need you,” advice he would pass on to Axl Rose.
Once considered the “most dangerous band in the world,” a homage to their revival of rock music to the main stream in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Guns N’ Roses fell apart in the early 1990s due to a feud between Axl and guitarist Slash, a drama that has been well documented over the past two decades.
10 Best @gunsnroses Songs: https://t.co/bxxItnxlWi pic.twitter.com/iYUHjYjOUh
— Loudwire (@Loudwire) January 24, 2016
“There’s a place and time, where if you don’t [reunite], you’re gonna miss it,” Tyler said. “And in another four or five years, no one’s even gonna know who they were or care if they were on tour.” He added, “I have such a huge ego about keeping the fire and the music together, because if people come up to me and say, ‘Dude, I got laid to your music,’ or a woman comes up and says, ‘We got married to your songs’ — you had something to do with the fabric of people. Guns N’ Roses had something to do with the fabric of humans on this planet.”
In February of 2011, Slash went on record and stated that if Axl were to call him and apologize, all would be forgiven, leaving the door open for a possible reunion. Tyler also mentioned in his interview with Stern that Slash had been “more open to a reunion than the front man”.
Stern then went on to ask Tyler if he believed the reunion would last between the Guns N’ Roses members, with the situation being as volatile as it is.
“I can only hope that Axl sees that the greater picture is to not be angry at Duff or Slash, and for Axl to understand that he’s the lead singer of a great band,” Tyler said. “And the world wants to see Axl with the original band.”
Axl Rose is infamously known for the feuds he’s been a part of throughout the years. From Tommy Hilfiger to Kurt Cobain, the front man was constantly bumping heads with others in the entertainment industry.
It’ll be interesting to witness what kind of chemistry the band has when they perform together this spring for the first time in over 20 years.
It’s gonna be a jungle opening weekend at T-Mobile Arena! #GnFnR pic.twitter.com/SYhUfoigi7
— Guns N' Roses (@gunsnroses) January 23, 2016
Guns N’ Roses have announced that they will be playing two gigs at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on April 8 and 9 before headlining the Coachella music festival.
(Photos by Jason Merritt & Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)