Sweet Rocket Queen

[ from a 1992 Rolling Stone interview ]

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Beta Lebeis [2001]: Axl is a man who wants to do the right things. I think he was the type of boyfriend that every woman would like to have, like a prince charming. The things he did for [Stephanie] were something you only read in books. Let's just say that when they were about to break up, he went to her house begging, dressed in a white suit, riding a horse and carrying flowers... I’m telling you, the things he did for her I’ve only read in history books. They don’t exist in real life. In my mind he’s what many women would dream of having. I would never let something like this go.

[ Beta Lebeis - (Axl's assistant) Bolsa de Mulher, 📸 by Robert John @robert.john.photography ]

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[ February 1991 ].

In March of 1994, Erin Everly initiated her own lawsuit against Axl Rose. Rose refused to be interviewed about Everly’s accusations, but in court papers he claims that the Everly provoked him —and that his actions were purely in self-defense. The magazine would interview a female friend, unknown to whom, who would argue that it had been Everly who was the aggressor. She concedes that the couple “did have a combative relationship. But,” she adds, “Erin portrays herself as the victim and him as the evil aggressor. From what I witnessed, she was the aggressor.”

[People Magazine, July 18, 1994].

The lawsuit was eventually settled outside of court.

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Michael Monroe: Axl and I had many great conversations over the years. He’s highly evolved, very spiritual, and we talked about some pretty heavy stuff. He’s a really interesting personality, and he’s very smart. He’d always call me up whenever he was in New York, and we’d go out to dinner, and he was never late - he always a gentleman. I have nothing but good things to say about him.

[ Louder Sound, December 4, 2020 ]

Happy Birthday @michaelmonroeofficial! 💘

Hyvää syntymäpäivää! 💞❤

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AXL: It was funny: when Bruce Weber was taking the photos of Stephanie and l for this article, that's when l got the call that Izzy was leaving the band.

Bruce was taking photos and I was standing there crying. l was blown away. At those times when we're against the wall kissing and my tongue was out and stuff, it's like, there were also tears going dawn my face but with the lighting or whatever it doesn't show. But it was there. Stephanie was helping to comfort me. We didn't go, "Well, let's hug and kiss for the photos." She was comforting me -- my friend of fifteen years was leaving.

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Axl: I like being successful. I was always starving. On the other side. When it came to people with money, it was always "The rich? F**k them!" But I left one group and joined another. I escaped from one group where I was looked down on for being a poor kid that doesn't know sh*t, and now I'm like, a rich, successful a**hole. I don't like that. I'm still just me, and with a lot of people's help, the group was able to become a huge financial success. None of us were the popular kids in school - we were all outcasts who got together and pooled our talents.

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Axl: And there are times when everybody comes together, like in singing 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door.' That's one reason we do the song: it's for people.

[ Interview Magazine, May 1992 ]

🕊 Kn-kn-knockin' on heaven's door

Kn-knockin' on heaven's door

Kn-knockin' on heaven's door

Kn-knockin' on heaven's door 🕊

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"She began dating Axl in 1982, Axl had already bussed or hitchhiked out to LA and back twice. In December 1982, she and Axl move to LA together in her car. They lived together on and off until 1985, and were engaged to be married about nine times - by her count. "

"He is extremely intelligent", insists Gina. "That was one of the things that attracted me to him. He is just a nit-picky perfectionist and when things don’t go smoothly and to his liking he just loses it.

He knew he wanted to be in a band. He was made to be a musician. "

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Axl: I'm a person that has a lot of different relationships. It's really hard to maintain a one-on-one relationship if the other person is not going to allow me to be with other people. I have a real open, hedonistic, s*xual attitude. Just 'cause you're not totally in love with a person doesn't mean you don't like them. You can think they're attractive, and you want to touch them, have a great time with them. Maybe at that moment you are in love. 

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AXL: Nine people living in this one room with a bathroom destroyed by people throwing up! I used to sh*t in a box and throw it in the trash because the bathroom was so disgusting.

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AXL: People would show up at all hours, and we’d talk everybody into climbing into the loft, and someone would hit the light and go, “Alright! Everybody in the loft! Let’s get naked or leave!” This one girl [email protected] almost the whole band, friends of the band, the band next door and two days later she goes, “Axl, I’m having your child.”

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Josh Richman (to Stephanie): What’s it like working with your boyfriend?

Stephanie: It certainly makes things a lot nicer. I mean, I’m a lot happier when he’s around. I think he’s a lot happier when I’m around.

Josh Richman: Did you ever have to do a scene like that that has that much, you know, physical stuff involved?

Stephanie: No, I’ve never had to do a scene before. But it was weird, because we’ve never fought.

Josh Richman: You and Axl.

Stephanie: Never. I mean especially not physically, but never even verbally or – we’ve never had a disagreement.

Josh Richman: Wow. Seriously, I mean, I watch you guys and you both look so vicious in that fight. It’s pretty strange, you know?

Stephanie: It’s fun.

Josh Richman: To see it, cuz I know you don’t fight.

Stephanie: I like to see that side of him.

Josh Richman (to Axl): Axl, we were just talking about how you guys are doing a fight scene, yet you and Steph don’t fight. That’s correct?

Axl: Oh, yeah. It’s really wild. Last night was very strange, cuz it was like, I’m gonna be next to this person with this attitude to me. I don’t care who she is (laughs).

Josh Richman: Oh, that’s right. She’s never dealt with you with any of that attitude like she did in the bar scene.

Axl: I thought it was gnarly (laughs).

[ Don't Cry: Makin' F@*!ing Videos Part I ]

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Axl: It’s gonna be a real bitch to do this, because the other scenes were a lot easier; with the makeup and everything it was a lot easier to get into the character. The fact that this situation, the scene is very close – you know, it’s somewhat of a dramatized reenactment of something that really happened.

Axl: She's vicious...

Axl: So it’s really hard emotionally to do it, and to put myself in that place and think about it, because I was really upset that day. The room here and stuff is nothing like where I lived, but it’s what we could get to do this. It looks cool, it’s fine; we’re making the best of it. We might as well not establish it with any of my stuff, because, it’s like, nothing in here is anything of my stuff, so it doesn’t really fucking matter. So when I first got here tonight, I saw it and I was just like, “This blows. I want the fuck out of here” (laughs). Every scene is getting completely different than what we sat down and talked about, so I’m loving it.

[ Don't Cry: Makin' F@*!ing Videos Part I 1993 ]

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[ Footage from the preparation of the “frozen man” scene ]

Axl: The frozen man, it was more metaphoric. So it’s more metaphoric, and I just kind of saw what he should wear. And I wanted a sense of another time, to show somebody trapped in a place in time – you know, frozen there, stuck there. That wasn’t even the exact reality of where that person was now; you know, like caught in a pattern of, like, a past life or something.

[ Don't Cry: Makin' F@*!ing Videos Part I ]

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Axl: The reason it says 1990 [on the tomb stone] is because 1990 was, you know, a very suicidal year. Some things were really good, and then with the marriage not working and stuff like that, it just made me realize all kinds of things haven’t ever really worked, and I got to get through it and figure out why so many things continually go wrong.  

...

Axl: It’s pretty trippy.

Stephanie Seymour: It freaks me out. I looked at it and I went, “Uh, I don’t like that.”

Axl: (laughs)

Josh Richman: Why it said 1990?

Axl: I wanna break it with a big sledge.

[ Documentary Don't Cry: Makin' F@*!ing Videos Part I 1993 ]

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