Guns N’ Roses leader Axl Rose is no stranger to rock disputes and feuds. His combative demeanor has resulted in many high-profile squabbles over the years. One feud that stood out, however, concerned none other than the late David Bowie.
This infamous feud began in 1989, when Bowie allegedly came too close to Rose’s then-girlfriend, Erin Everly, while filming the Guns N’ Roses video for ‘It’s So Easy.’ The animosity gradually grew, resulting in Axl Rose punching Bowie and having him removed from the set.
Bowie’s Apology And Axl’s Reaction
Despite the heated exchange, the issue eventually settled. In a 1990 interview with Kerrang!, Axl recounted how the late singer apologized to him, saying:
“Bowie and I had our disagreements.” Then we talked and went out to supper, then down to the China club, and so on. And when we were leaving, I was like, ‘I want to thank you for being the first person to ever come up to me in person and apologize for the incident and stuff.’ You know what I mean? It was cool. The next day, I turn up Rolling Stone, and there’s an article in there about how I have no respect for the Godfather of Glam even though I wear make-up and all that nonsense…”
Mick Jagger’s Curiosity In The Feud
The situation was not limited to Rose and Bowie. Mick Jagger became involved in the feud. Rose recalled a time during a Rolling Stones soundcheck when Jagger and Eric Clapton approached him about the fight:
“It’s ridiculous. When we were opening for the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton cornered me while I was doing a soundcheck. I’m sitting on this amp, and they’re both right there in front of me. And Jagger doesn’t say much, does he? He’s so serious about everything, and then he’s like (in an exaggerated Dick Van Dyke-style Cockney): ‘So you got into a fight with Bowie, didja?'”
The singer went on, recounting the exchange between Jagger and Clapton:
“So I told him the story quickly, and he and Clapton are off about Bowie in their little world, talking about things that happened years ago.” They were saying that when Bowie gets drunk, he transforms into the Devil of Bromley… I mean, I’m not even involved in this discussion. I’m just sitting down. Listening to ’em bitch about Bowie like crazy. It was amusing.”
Rose also stated that he and Bowie were not great friends, but that he loved the musician. They chatted a lot about their jobs and lives, and they discovered that they were very similar in some intense and bizarre ways. Axl quipped that seeing how similar he was to Bowie made him worried about his future.
