Ex-GUNS N' ROSES Bassist TOMMY STINSON Says AXL ROSE Is 'Very Misunderstood'

October 27, 2016

During a brand new interview with "The Ledge" podcast, former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Tommy Stinson, who was in the band from 1998 until 2014, was asked if he thought GUNS singer Axl Rose was misunderstood by the fans and the media. He responded: "He's definitely someone who's very misunderstood. You know, he's an emotional guy, he's gotten a bad rap for his emotions probably getting the better of him at times, but a lot of what his bad rap is about, I think, is a lot of fooey. I've know the guy for twenty years now, and we've had our issues back and forth but he's always had a heart of gold. And I don't think anybody really knows that part of him. He's your friend, you know, fucking a lifer kind of thing. And that's great."

He continued: "That's why I think when Slash, when [Axl and Slash] spit up and stuff, I think it was such a painful thing; it'd be like your fuckn' brother leaving you here, or your family breaking up or something to that extent. But, you know, I saw those guys [on the GUNS N' ROSES reunion tour] and they're having a ball and they're tearing it up. So I am glad for all of them."

Stinson, a founding member of the seminal Minneapolis-based rock band THE REPLACEMENTS, last played with GUNS N' ROSES at a 2014 show in Las Vegas.

The bassist told Music Aficionado that the last pre-reunion version of GUNS got a fair shake from fans. He explained: "They came out in droves to see Axl Rose. He's the man who was the front guy of the whole thing. I think the fans were more than ingratiating to us. I still get people Facebooking me and saying, 'Oh, man, we really loved you in the band. Thank you for keeping it going for all those years.'"

GUNS N' ROSES' recent "Not In This Lifetime" stadium tour featured classic lineup members Slash, Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose backed by drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Interview (audio):

Find more on Guns n' roses
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).