Richard Fortus Admits He Wasn’t Into Guns N’ Roses

Some people cannot bring themselves to like certain bands and musicians no matter what. Apparently, Richard Fortus is not one of those. In an interview with Headliner, Fortus talked about how his opinions of Guns N’ Roses changed, and he became a member of the band.

The guitarist tried auditioning for an available part in Guns N’ Roses in 1999. However, he didn’t get the chance because auditions were canceled when the band hired Buckethead as the guitarist. Luckily, when a new position was opened a few years later, he became a band member from 2002 onwards. He and Slash, who rejoined the band in 2015, caught good sync with each other, and Fortus claimed to admire his bandmate’s style on different occasions before. But has it always been like this?

As we find out from the recent interview, the guitarist was not a fan of the band in his youth. He states that he got a bit judgemental and assumed the band was like ‘any other 80s hair metal group.’ He also adds that after joining the band and getting to know the bandmates and their styles better, he noticed the things they have in common, resulting in good relationships and good music.

Answering a question about his thoughts on working with Slash, Fortus explained:

“Slash and Duff, and I all come from similar musical backgrounds and have a lot of the same influences. We get along very well, and the funny thing is, I wasn’t that into Guns N’ Roses as a kid because I lumped them in with all the other ’80s hair metal. I suppose I realized they were more legit than bands like Poison, but they weren’t on my radar then. Once I got into the band, I realized how much we have in common.”

So, it turns out Richard Fortus was not very warm toward Guns N’ Roses and their music when he was younger because he believed they did not align with his taste. Fortunately, after joining the band, he realized the case was the opposite and started admiring what they did.