Tracii Guns thinks Slash didn’t need a better singer than Axl Rose.
When Rock History recently asked on X whether Slash is among their followers’ list of top 3 guitarists, a user replied by saying:
“He is a better guitarist than Guns N’ Roses is a band. If only he could have had a better singer. Either way, one of the greatest.”
Guns commented on this post, writing:
“Like who? And what level of success would it have brought him? I think most people would say Axl, Scott, and Myles are kinda top of TheShockNews of what has been available to him. I’m curious why you said this. Is it because you don’t care for his singers or you think fans don’t?”
What Did Tracii Think Of Axl When He First Met Him?
In 2022, Tracii talked with Metal Edge and recalled the time he first heard Rose singing:
“The first time I met Axl, he had just flown in from Indiana, and he was staying with… it was his ex-girlfriend or current girlfriend, this chick Jane. And we drove over to meet him. I only met him briefly, and he was super nice. I was 17. And then the first time I heard him sing was when L.A. Guns, Hollywood Rose, and Poison all did a show together. This was pretty soon after I met him. L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose were playing downstairs, and Poison was playing upstairs.”
The rocker shared his reaction to Axl’s vocals:
“It was their first gig in L.A. I remember I kind of was hanging out with Axl, and then he got up to soundcheck, and he blew my face off. I was like, ‘Holy sh*t!’ Cause Mike Jagosz was a really great singer, but he had kind of a Klaus Meine, Dio thing going on. Axl had more of this Robert Plant, bluesy thing, and I really never heard anybody sing like that. Because that wasn’t what was fashionable at the time. I told Izzy Stradlin, ‘Man, that guy, wow!’ He goes, ‘I told you…’”
Guns was involved with Guns N’ Roses in the early days. Izzy Stradlin, who lived with him, had a band called Hollywood Rose with Axl. Tracii came up with the name L.A. Guns for his band and asked Axl to join, but they eventually formed Guns N’ Roses together. Tracii left the band after a disagreement with Axl over a guest list issue.
You can check out his tweet below.
Like who? And what level of success would it have brought him? I think most people would say Axl, Scott and Myles are kinda top of TheShockNews of what has been available to him. I’m curious why you said this. Is it because you don’t care for his singers or you think fans don’t?
— Tracii ⨁ 🇺🇸🇩🇰 (@TraciiGuns) May 21, 2024