Guns N’ Roses Ex-Manager Reveals the ‘Nightmare’ Behind the Band’s Antics

Alan Niven, the former manager of Guns N’ Roses, is pulling back the curtain on his time with one of rock’s most infamous bands — including how Slash’s charm convinced him to sign on, why ‘narcissist’ Axl Rose abruptly fired him, and how rampant drug use impacted the group.

The New Zealand-born mega-producer, songwriter, and manager — who’s also worked with the likes of Great White, Dokken, Berlin, and Mötley Crüe — is detailing the wild ride in his upcoming book Sound N’ Fury: Rock N’ Roll Stories, out August 5.  

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com ahead of the release, Niven recalled how he turned down the job three times before finally agreeing to manage the band—whose unhinged reputation was already well-established long before their 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction hit shelves.  

At the time, Guns N’ Roses consisted of Axl on vocals, Slash on lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan on bass, and Steven Adler on drums.

‘No one wanted Guns N’ Roses. They’d been through at least two other management situations… They couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. No one wanted to deal with them. They were a nightmare,’ Niven said.

‘So the question is, “How did I get sucked into that?”‘ he quipped, claiming it was Slash who ultimately drew him in.

Alan Niven (pictured), the former manager of Guns N’ Roses, is pulling back the curtain on his time with one of rock’s most infamous bands

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com ahead of the release, Niven recalled how he turned down the job three times before finally agreeing to manage the band; (L-R) Drummer Steven Adler, Duff McCagan, vocals Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and guitarist Izzy Stradlin in 1988)

‘It was Slash because I found out, one, he was English, and two, he was not just articulate, he was eloquent, he was smart, he was incredibly charming. And I’m going, “This is not just a knucklehead drunk like I saw on the stage of the Troubadour where he was just a knucklehead, Sunset guitarist drunk. This is a really interesting guy. He’s smart, very charming.”‘

‘That was the beginning. That’s where it all started to go wrong,’ he joked. ‘And of course then I got to know Izzy and simply put, Izzy Stradlin… for me… personified rock and roll.’

Niven said he only began to understand Slash and Izzy during their first truly bizarre meeting — the moment he reluctantly agreed to try and bring some order to the chaos surrounding Guns N’ Roses. 

‘I turn up for a band meeting and I park my bike outside and there’s this broken toilet by the front door and I go, “That’s interesting symbolism.” Most people put a big old pots of beautiful flowers, but they’ve got a broken toilet by the front door. That’s a different message.’ 

Inside, the eccentricity continued, per Niven.

‘The door opens and out wanders this quite well-known stripper and she smiles and walks past. I go in and there’s only two people there at the meeting — Slash and Izzy… And then there was one, because Izzy nodded out. He’s sitting at the table and literally he just slowly goes like this,’ Niven said, mimicking someone passing out face-first.

‘So that just leaves me and Slash, and Slash says, “Let me show you something in the bedroom.” Oh, that’s an interesting invitation. I go in and I freeze ’cause there’s this enormous snake in there and I hate snakes.’

Then came the kicker. 

‘No one wanted Guns N’ Roses. They’d been through at least two other management situations… They couldn’t get rid of them fast enough. No one wanted to deal with them. They were a nightmare,’ Niven (pictured) said

‘So the question is, “How did I get sucked into that?”‘ he continued, claiming it was Slash who ultimately drew him in; (Duff McCagan, Slash, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler in 1987)

‘I turn up for a band meeting and I park my bike outside and there’s this broken toilet by the front door and I go, “That’s interesting symbolism,” he said of his intro to the band; (pictured in 1993)

Regarding the band’s well-known struggles with addiction, Niven offered a deeper perspective on which member was most affected

‘He goes, “Watch this.” And he takes a perfect beautiful little white bunny and feeds it to this legless monster.’

Even with their outrageous antics, it was clear to Niven early on that the band was becoming a sensation. 

‘You’re driving down to Electric Ladyland Studios one afternoon and you see that there are some kids in leather jackets running after the car because Slash is sitting next to me,’ he recalled, describing one of Slash’s first brushes with fame.

‘And we pull around on Eighth Street, I dive out of the car, get the front door of the studio open and go “Curly, get your ass in here!” And he leaps from the car and zips in, and we close the door and look at each other and go, “Whoa, that’s different. Things have changed, haven’t they?”’

He added, ‘Because the one thing about fame is everybody knows you’re famous before you do.’

Still, not every band member handled fame the same way, according to Niven.

‘It didn’t change Axel one bit. It amplified him. He was always that way. He’s a narcissist,’ Niven said. 

‘And I think if you go and look at the employment forms for “Front Man in Band,” the first box that you have to tick is, “Are you a narcissist?” Tick. Okay. Now you can answer the rest of the questions.’

According to Niven, fame affected each member differently — but it amplified what was already in place

The weight of managing the band’s meteoric rise hit Niven almost immediately. 

‘My sense of lighthearted joy of what I did evaporated in September of 1986 when I signed a contract with five individuals collectively known as Guns and Roses,’ he joked. ‘From that point on, we had stress, we had pressure every day.’

That included alleged pressure from Geffen Records co-founder David Geffen.

‘David Geffen getting right in your face. I mean, this close,’ Niven said, holding a hand to his face. ‘“When am I going to get my record?”’ Niven recalled him asking. ‘“When it’s done, David!” You had to give as good as you got from him.’

Regarding the band’s well-known struggles with addiction, Niven offered a deeper perspective on which member was most affected. 

‘I had this perception that in most bands, all those who were band members usually came from dysfunctional childhoods and families and a part of the motivation of forming a band was not just to make noise, not just to get laid, but to create your perfect family that substitutes that,’ he said.

‘So there’s that aspect of it in that everybody who comes into the band brings familial dysfunction with them. Now, in terms of how does that relate to recreational drugs use or addiction? I believe people from dysfunctional circumstance are prone to addiction.’

He continued, ‘Now, with Axel, his sense of dysfunction… and I’m not talking outta school here, I mean, he’s talked about this. He had a rotten childhood. I’m aware of some of the rottenness of his childhood, and he’s had to deal with that. So that absorbed Axel, as he was not one really for getting f***** up and out of it.’ 

Alan Niven, pictured recently, is speaking out about his days as the band’s manager 

Even with their outrageous antics, it was clear to Niven early on that the band was becoming a sensation; (Steven Adler and Slash in 1986)

‘Now Slash, bless his heart, he had an appetite for anything.’ 

As for Izzy, Niven said he was ‘incredibly street smart and cool’ — and once confessed that he had sold drugs to Aerosmith frontmen Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

‘When we were going out with Aerosmith, Izzy sidled up to me in the office one day and he said, “Now, I think we’re gonna have a bit of a problem.” And I said, “Oh, why?” He said, “Well, I should tell you this, but I used to deal for Joe and Steven. I was their dealer once.”’

‘I turned around to Izzy and I said, “If you don’t mention it, I’m sure as hell they won’t mention it.” Because they were in super rehab mode. So everybody was on the down low.’

Niven insisted addiction wasn’t what ultimately wrecked the band — it was ego. 

‘It became about power. It became about control,’ he said.

As for the end of his relationship with Guns N’ Roses in 1991, Niven said it came without warning. 

‘There was no breaking point except for a phone call from Axl,’ he recalled. ‘I was on the East Coast, he was on the West Coast. I was gig at Meadowlands. There was a phone call in the production studio, “Axl’s on the phone for you.” Axel says, “I can’t work with you anymore.” “Okay, Ax, I’ll be back in a couple of days. Let’s go have dinner, talk about it, and if you still feel the same way, then we’ll deal with what we have to deal with.”’

‘I never heard from him again. He did not have the courage, the grace, the appreciation to even sit down and say, this is why.’

Axel is pictured in his iconic stage wear amid the band’s success 

Twelve weeks later, Izzy also left the band.

‘I get a phone call. I’m in Switzerland at a gig in Switzerland, and I go get a phone from Izzy and he goes, “I’m out. I can’t deal with this anymore.”’

‘And I said, “Well, you better tell me about it.” And he told me about it. And I said, “Well, what have you got left on the calendar?” And he said, “Well, you’ve got Wembley left.” I said, “Well, you are playing Wembley. You cannot not turn up for Wembley.”’

Izzy indeed played Wembley in August 1991 with the original lineup, sans Adler, who had already been fired in 1990 due to his drug use and was replaced by Matt Sorum. 

By 1997, lead guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan had also departed, leaving Axl as the sole original member.  

The band’s lineup continued to shift throughout the 2000s, culminating in the long-delayed Chinese Democracy album in 2008 with an entirely different cast.

In a shocking turn, Slash and Duff officially rejoined in 2016 for the Not in This Lifetime… reunion tour, marking the first time the trio had shared a stage since 1993. 

The band’s present-day roster includes Rose, Slash, McKagan, Richard Fortus on guitar, Isaac Carpenter on drums, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.

‘Now Slash, bless his heart, he had an appetite for anything,’ Niven said; (Slash in 2024)

Although his relationship with Axl remains fractured, Niven said he still cares deeply for Slash, even though they lost touch after Slash ended his feud with Axl. 

‘I considered Slash a friend for life until he reunited with Axel,’ he said.

But Niven believes they’ll reconnect eventually.

‘I didn’t hear from Slash from ’91 to ’98. I didn’t hear for seven years, and then he called me up and we spent some time together. And the cliché is there are certain people in your life that you can be separate from them for a long time, but the minute you’re back together, it’s as if it was just yesterday.’

‘He’s one of those people in my life. I may not see him for two or three years. I know I’ll be in a groove with him when I do see him again.’ 

Looking back, Niven admitted that walking away from Guns N’ Roses may have been for the best—despite the years of toil and dedication he poured into the band. 

Under his leadership, Appetite for Destruction became a landmark release and the best-selling debut rock album of all time, launching the band into global superstardom. 

His role in shaping their legacy is indisputable. 

‘I don’t think I’ve ever said this to anybody else before, but in some ways I’m really glad that I got outta GNR when I did,’ he admitted

‘I don’t think I’ve ever said this to anybody else before, but in some ways I’m really glad that I got outta GNR when I did,’ he said.

‘Because sometimes I have the honesty to sit in a tub and think, “What kind of an ass*** do you think you would’ve been if you’d been multimillions rich?” 

‘What makes you a character that you can live with? What gives you a persona that you can live with when you are going through the tough times. 

‘So as I can live with myself, I can look at myself in the mirror.’

Alan Niven’s Sound N’ Fury: Rock N’ Roll Stories hits shelves August 5.