Shortly after that Iron Maiden concert, Izzy and Axl regrouped Hollywood Rose for a one-off gig at Dancing Waters. The South Bay club featured an actual waterfall cascading down behind the stage, but I never actually saw it because the joint wasn’t so wheelchair friendly. The flyer warned of “Hollywood Rose: The Band That Refuses to Die!!!” Axl seemed quite eager for the gig, not merely due to a chance to perform after a five-month hiatus, but also because of the huge stage featuring a catwalk jutting out into the crowd. Hollywood Rose needed a drummer, so Axl sought Tracii’s blessing before asking Robbie to play the show, which he did. Good drummers were hard to come by, and I kind of hoped Izzy and Axl planned on stealing Robbie to get Hollywood Rose back together permanently.
Robbie stored his gear at my house, plus Hollywood Rose borrowed my van to cart everything to the venue. The L.A. Guns’ crew of Joe, Danny, and Carlos worked the show, and afterward brought everything back to my house, where we all celebrated well into the a.m. By all accounts, the show was a roaring success and everyone had a blast.
Tracii said, “Hey, Axl, L.A. Guns has a Troub show booked for the end of the month, and they won’t let us cancel. Will you do one more show with us?”
Axl was in an outstanding mood the next afternoon, and Tracii chummed it up with him while breaking down the show song by song. Even though it was obvious to me Tracii was disheartened because, instead of him, Izzy and Axl used Chris Webber for the gig, Tracii didn’t show it. So with all his supportive talk and congratulating, I sensed him working some sort of angle. Soon, my instincts proved correct when Tracii said, “Hey, Axl, L.A. Guns has a Troub show booked for the end of the month, and they won’t let us cancel. Will you do one more show with us?”
Then, without hesitation, Axl said, “Sure.”
And I was absolutely floored.
By the following afternoon, Tracii had put together an L.A. Guns flyer with pictures of him, Axl, Robbie, and Ole. When Axl dropped by to approve the artwork, I said, “If you two are going to jam together, why not bring Izzy in and do that Guns and Roses thing you two talked about?”
Axl did a double take, gave me one of his dog-eat-dog sly smiles, and then, after a slight pause, nodded and said, “That sounds cool. I’ll see if Izzy’ll do it.”
I had good, selfish, reasons for my suggestion. From the first time I heard it, I knew Guns N’ Roses was one of the greatest combination of words ever conjured, with broad brush-stroked images of contrasting emotions and multi-layered meanings leaping from the tongue headfirst into a pool of fiery desire. Don’t even get me started on the whole penis ‘n’ vagina double entendres. If it sounds like I’m trying to claim credit for coming up with the name, I’m not. Axl Rose conjured up Guns N’ Roses all by himself, combining surnames Tracii (Guns) and Axl (Rose). It’s just until that very point in time, Axl had no idea I even knew he and Tracii had considered a side project. All I am laying claim to is this: Guns N’ Roses formed in my living room after I suggested Izzy join in on a previously booked L.A. Guns show.
The reason I suggested Izzy join in on the gig is obvious. I was, and remain, a huge fan of Izzy as well as his brilliant songs. The best L.A. Guns tunes were written by Izzy and Axl, with some contributions from others. Also, I thought he might give Tracii some sorely needed help in the song-crafting department. Another important factor, both Axl and Tracii held immense respect for Izzy, and not just because he’s almost as cool as Fonzi. Plus, ever since Axl escaped Indiana in search of Izzy in Hollywood, those two were destined to take their shot at the big time together. If Tracii wanted Axl to be his singer and put it all together in a show to last forever, eventually Izzy would join together in their band. It’s Izzy’s world. Axl and Tracii were just rocking in it.
But the thing absolutely foremost in my mind when suggesting the name change was that I wanted to save the name L.A. Guns from being blacklisted by the Troubadour. I figured once Tracii and/or Axl quit or fired me – which I was 100 percent positive was going to happen – I’d hire a few cats to reform a Mike-Jagosz-fronted L.A. Guns, load them into the van, and hit the road to hopefully sell some EPs. Right before Tracii fired Mike, I had already laid groundwork for a four-week spring and summer national club tour. So making a little bit of cash was only a few phone calls away.
He added, “Izzy’s got some great new songs that we’ve been working on.”
The next night, a clearly thrilled Axl stopped by to report that Izzy was down for the show. He added, “Izzy’s got some great new songs that we’ve been working on.” With little more than two weeks to get ready, I was beyond stoked about those five guys – Izzy Stradlin, Axl Rose, Tracii Guns, Robbie Gardner, and Ole Beich – jamming together. Even though Tracii had converted a bedroom into a rehearsal space, everyone agreed the better option was Willie Basse’s Wilpower Studios, with its nice stage and powerful PA. Plus, Willie was an awesome soundman, and after adding my QSC power amp and wedge monitors to his system, Axl probably had his best rehearsal PA ever.
