As much as rock and roll still likes to play at being rebellion incarnate, we all know that it's just an act. Rock is part of the establishment now; it's the music of restaurants and waiting rooms, the sort of thing parents sing along to while the children roll their eyes in embarrassment. And as such, most rock bands these days exude all the menace and malevolence of a roomful of Rotarians.
Except, that is, for Guns N' Roses.
These guys were trouble from the start. Even before most fans had ever heard "Appetite for Destruction," the album's cover -- taken from a painting by artist Robert Williams -- was getting the Gunners in trouble, outraging women's groups with its apparent misogyny. Geffen Records, the group's label, immediately redesigned the package in hopes of quieting any controversy. But Guns N' Roses was only starting to stir things up.
Since then, the band has been embroiled in a seemingly endless string of scandals. It isn't just the usual range of rock star drugs-and-debauchery, either, although the band has hardly stinted in that department, as anyone who watched a sloshed Slash and Duff curse their way through the American Music Awards a few years back can attest.
No, what put Guns N' Roses into the bad-boy big leagues was serious business. Forget the drug problems that eventually drummed Steven Adler out of the band, or the public punch-outs that muddied Axl Rose's marriage to Erin Everly. Those were minor infractions compared to some of the stuff of which this band stands accused -- things like advocating racism (in the song "One In a Million"), or inciting a riot (during a concert last year near St. Louis, Mo.).
But as the Gunners gear up for what ought to be yet another scandal-studded tour (a stadium spectacular featuring Metallica and Faith No More, which starts Friday at Washington's RFK Stadium), it's worth wondering whether enough is enough. Granted, Guns N' Roses have made great records, but does that entitle the group to act like morons or live like barbarians? At what point does artistic achievement begin to balance out anti-social activity?
Or can any amount of music excuse this band's behavior?
For many older rock fans -- those raised on the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and the Who -- the answer is as immediate as it is obvious: No way. As far as these listeners are concerned, Guns N' Roses crossed the line too long ago for there to be any hope of coming back now. Why, compared to Guns N' Roses, even bands as dangerous as the Rolling Stones seem like harmless dilettantes. Right?
