Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has commented on Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose’s reputation as a difficult character and his vocal performance over the years, speaking on Classic Album Review.
McBrain was asked about his impressions of Rose after touring together and Rose’s known difficult personality. The drummer gave a frank assessment of how Rose’s voice has aged and reflected on Rose’s behavior both during a guest appearance with AC/DC and in his ongoing work with Guns N’ Roses.
Question: “You’ve had some interesting support bands over the years. I mean you toured with Guns N’ Roses. And what’s interesting about that is Axl Rose has got a reputation for being a difficult character. What was your impression of him?”
“Well, look, you know, he hasn’t aged well,” McBrain said. “I’ll be honest. His voice hasn’t really stood, you know, he’s got a very high range of voice and I don’t think his voice has stood the tight, you know, the ties of time.”
“I do believe though that what, you know, having played with AC/DC when Brian had that little hiccup a few years back and he did well there I thought though. And Axl stepped in and did a really good job. He did and he behaved himself. So we know he can. You know, so I think that he’s learned his lessons.”
“I know that there’s been one or two difficult times with Slash and him and going forward. I mean, they’re almost as old as a slot, you know, being around as long as, you know, Welcome to the jungle. Was that 87, 88? So yeah, I think he’s kind of behaving himself more now, and I’m glad he is because he honestly he wasn’t he wasn’t a particularly nice guy to get on with.”
McBrain also revealed that he attempted to resolve tensions with Rose but was unsuccessful. “And you know, I tried to make my peace with him and he didn’t want to know. No, I thought, ‘Okay that’s fine. All right, you do your own thing,’ you know.”
McBrain and Rose’s connection goes back decades. Guns N’ Roses opened for Iron Maiden starting in May 1988, beginning with their first show on the tour in Moncton, Canada. The partnership was troubled, with Guns N’ Roses cancelling numerous shows during the North American leg before being fired from the tour. Reports at the time indicated that Axl Rose had throat problems.
Rose joined AC/DC in May 2016 to front the band for 23 shows after vocalist Brian Johnson had to step away from the tour due to hearing issues. Rose performed the role successfully, earning praise from Johnson himself, who said Rose did a “fantastic job” while substituting for him onstage.
Rose, Slash and bassist Duff McKagan reunited at West Hollywood’s Troubadour nightclub on April 1, 2016, after decades of conflict between Rose and Slash. McBrain’s attempts to make peace with Rose during the original tour show that tensions between the drummer and the Guns N’ Roses frontman were significant, and his comments now reflect those long-standing difficulties.
