1989.03.15 - Journal and Courier - Guns N' Roses axed from AIDS benefit

Guns N' Roses axed from AIDS benefit

NEW YORK - Guns N' Roses, one of the country’s hottest heavy metal bands, has been dropped as a headliner at an AIDS benefit concert be¬cause of anti-gay lyr¬ics on some of their songs, the event’s sponsor said.
Officials at Gay Men’s Health Crisis, which is sponsoring the June 8 “Rock and a Hard Place” benefit at Radio City Music Hall, are searching for another name act to save the concert.
“We acknowledge that Guns ’n Roses was the first act to step forward for ‘Rock and a Hard Place’ and we thank them for their offer,” GMHC announced in a statement. “However, after accepting their offer, the lyrics of several of the cuts on their current album came to our attention.”
The statement indicated the invitation was withdrawn “on the basis of the songs’ misinformation about AIDS.”
Among the songs deemed objectionable was “One in a Million,” which uses a degrading term for homosexuals and implies they spread disease.
David Geffen of Geffen Records, one of the vice chairmen of the benefit, said, “Guns ’n Roses still wish GMHC every success with the event.”

Articles from other newspapers, same date:

Arizona Republic:




Band cut from AIDS benefit; anti-homosexual lyrics cited
 
The Associated Press
 
NEW YORK - The sponsors of an AIDS benefit concert have dropped Guns N’ Roses because of anti-gay lyrics in some of the heavy-metal band’s songs.
The invitation was withdrawn “on the basis of the songs’ misinformation about AIDS,” said officials at Gay Men’s Health Crisis, sponsors of the June 8 benefit, “Rock and a Hard Place,” at Radio City Music Hall.
Now sponsors are searching for another name act to save the concert.
“We acknowledge that Guns N’ Roses was the first act to step forward for ‘Rock and a Hard Place,’ and we thank them for their offer,” the sponsors said in a statement “How ever, after accepting their offer, the lyrics of several of the cuts on their current album came to our attention.”
Among the songs deemed objec­tionable was One in a Million, which uses a degrading term for homosexu­als and implies they spread disease.
Geffen Records, whose chairman, David Geffen, is one of the vice chairmen of the benefit, said in a statement, “Guns N’ Roses still wish GMHC every success with the event.”

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Daily News:



Guns Blasted out of Show

By DAVID BROWNE
Daily News Staff Writer

We had a feeling something was up. Last week, rumors circulated that the Gay Men’s Health Crisis was reconsidering its invitation to Guns N’ Roses to appear at the Rock and a Hard Place AIDS benefit June 8 at Radio City Music Hall. The band’s lyrics, particularly to “One in a Million,” contained references to “faggots” and “their [expletive] disease.”

But last Friday, GMHC spokesmen and press reps for the benefit denied the rumors. Then came the announcement late Monday: Guns N’ Roses is out. “We acknowledge that Guns N’ Roses was the first to step forward for Rock and a Hard Place, and we thank them,” the GMHC stated. “However, after accepting the offer, the lyrics ... on their current album came to our attention.” The GMHC statement said the group was turned down “on the basis of the songs’ misinformation about AIDS.” Officials at Rock and a Hard Place said they would announce two more headlining acts shortly.