Path Of Life

10) "November Rain" Just when you thought there was no way that MTV would ever play anything so long and involved, they not only play this "November Rain" video once, they play it constantly until everyone on earth has seen it and understands how much rain can mess up your plans. And weddings aren't just for Bridezillas.

9) Riot In St. Louis: What would Guns N' Roses be without Axl's insistence on fighting with his audience and bringing about a riot? This does take audience participation to a new extreme. Almost makes Jim Morrison seem tame by comparison. Ride the snake, baby, ride the snake...

8) Waiting For Chinese Democracy: Actually releasing this album has to be anti-climactic. I mean, c'mon! The anticipation is always better than the real thing. Has there ever been a Christmas that's lived up to its hype? As a kid, I waited for Santa to bring me all kinds of great things and I got socks. Every year. Thanks for nothing, fat man.

7) Controversy Over "One In A Million": By calling people out with inflammatory words, Axl Rose was deemed a potential racist. I prefer to think he's just a challenged linguist. Just as I would not be a worthy lead singer for a hard rock band, Axl would probably not be such a fine, astute blogger beloved to utter millions.

6) The Dual Release Of Use Your Illusion I And II: Nothing kicks up your self-importance more than releasing two albums at the same time. They pressured Bruce Springsteen to do the same. And then that guy in Smashing Pumpkins did a double album. And it makes you wonder if this is actually making things better? Or just more expensive?

5) Kicking Out Drummer Steven Adler For Doing Too Many Drugs: This is pretty amazing. Adler should probably be considered the "ultimate" member if he actually forced the other guys to draw the line and get rid of him because he was doing too many drugs. Was there a rule in the band that you could only pass out once during a performance?

4) Izzy Stradlin: Sure, Axl and Slash were the focal point. And Duff looked pretty solid standing there all tall and proud with the bass, but the word has always been that it's Izzy Stradlin's songwriting that brought this band to their true heights. And let's face it, you can look the part, you can buy the loudest amps, you can hire the coolest art department and you can come up with the best song titles, but if you don't have the songs you're just another lousy band with a tireless publicity company backing you.

3) Most Of The Band Forms Velvet Revolver With Scott Weiland: This almost feels like a game of "Ditch ‘Em." How difficult must Axl Rose be if the members of his old, very successful band would rather play with Scott Weiland, who spends much of his time going in and out of rehab?

2) "Civil War": Everyone has their favorite Guns N' Roses tune. Everyone. Even my father said before he died that if he had to choose one Guns N' Roses song to be played at his funeral it would be "Civil War." Or as he put it to me at the time, "If you're going to be a jerk and play some horrible music at my funeral, at least make it something like that song about the ‘Civil War'." I took that to mean, he really wanted to hear it from his casket. And if the uptight priest hadn't been so uptight, it would've happened. We settled on some old gospel spiritual instead. Life is so full of "compromises."

1) Appetite For Destruction: Who can argue this? This was the album that made their reputation. Without this, all the antics, all the poses, all the ups and downs don't add up to anything. But here we were Welcomed to the Jungle with a "Sweet Child O' Mine" and warned about dancing with Mr. Brownstone and told to keep an eye on "My Michelle" out in "Paradise City" while we're at it. That was 21 years ago! If that doesn't make you feel old, you must be sitting in a vat of Ben-Gay as we speak. So turn up your hearing aid and rock on, old man!

by Rob O'Connor