Axl Rose Once Refused Touring With Aerosmith, Ex-Guns N’ Roses Manager Recalls

When Guns N’ Roses looked for someone to represent them, Alan Niven stepped in after an executive’s insistence and kickstarted GN’R’s career. However, the manager recently argued that the band wasn’t that grateful for his help, and Axl Rose, in specific, had gone against him multiple times. Niven discussed how Axl refused to tour with Aerosmith as he chatted with Classic Rock.

“Guns consumed so much of my energy,” admitted Alan before mentioning his other project, Great White. “I have no doubt Great White would have had a bigger profile had this not been the case. I took Guns from the streets to selling out Wembley. There was no gratitude whatsoever from Axl. Who, every now and then, I would have to work against.”

Niven continued by explaining how the band members would also ask for his help while dealing with Rose’s irrational ideas. “Iz [Stradlin], Slash, and Duff [McKagan] would sometimes call and say, ‘Have you heard what he wants to do now, Niv? You gotta nip it in the bud.’”

“One prime example is that Axl refused to do the Aerosmith tour,” Alan Niven recalled. “He told me to cancel. I had signed a contract with five individuals collectively known as GN’R. My responsibility was to the whole, to the entity, not the lead singer alone. I refused. He was pissed. [He] banned me from the tour for three weeks, by which time everyone knew it was going great and the then highpoint of the band’s career.”

Alan also mentioned how Rose refused to open for the Rolling Stones. He remembered, “I had to send cops to his apartment to drag him and Erin [Everly] down to the Coliseum to perform before the Stones. Again, he wasn’t happy, but it ended up being a triumph.”

The singer exhausted Niven, but everybody else was tolerant towards him, even if that meant Alan getting ignored. “I have no doubt he has been an impediment to other projects  –  Universal Music will do anything to get something, anything, from Axl, even if that means I get ignored. They took prime energy out of my life and gave very little back  –  they still owe me for the Adler court case and for paying for their tour manager. Users are not friends. Not family.”

It seems apparent that Alan Niven felt betrayed by Axl since the singer’s problematic behavior resulted in various issues. Even though he literally saved Guns N’ Roses from getting dropped by their label and helped them make good deals, Niven believes he was never appreciated or respected by Rose.