1992.08.23 - The Akron Beacon Journal/Hollywood Reporter - Rose may shoot for career in movies (Axl)

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Rose may shoot for career in movies because of Guns Ν’ Roses bickering

Sources say he’s looking for solo music projects in addition to film drama

BY JEFFREY-JOLSON COLBURN AND MARC POLLACK
Hollywood Reporter

Guns N’ Roses lead singer Axl Rose is looking to expand his horizons with feature film and solo music projects, according to sources.

Rose, who has demonstrated his acting talent in videos such as Don’t Cry and November Rain, has been looking at various film scripts to find a vehicle for his dramatic motion picture debut.

‘‘We’re looking at a script a week,” said one person in the GNR camp.

Rose’s big-screen debut may come even sooner than his dramatic debut, though, sources said. A film crew has been documenting the current stadium tour with an eye to creating a feature-film release.

In addition, sources said Rose, who is reportedly disillusioned with GNR, will begin recording a solo project after this tour. He has reportedly been saving songs since at least the Use Your Illusion recording sessions.

Rose is reportedly unhappy with his band mates, though that is not an unusual state for the singer. There has always been a great deal of strife within the group, which has seen numerous personnel changes, the most recent being the departure of guitarist-songwriter Izzy Stradlin.

From the stage in Montreal earlier this month, Rose implied that the group would disband, and he has privately threatened to break up the act after this tour. He quit the group in a widely publicized fit in 1989 at the group’s concert with the Rolling Stones at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Rose, who quit the group on opening night of the four-show engagement, rejoined the following evening.

Shortly after the Los Angeles dates, drummer Steven Adler was ousted from the band due to a much-publicized drug problem.

Rose also reportedly has threatened never to play in Europe again after he was detained by customs agents in London on Guns N’ Roses’ current tour. Rose apparently did not want to be searched before leaving the country.

Bassist Duff McKagan has a solo album completed and awaiting release, while guitarist Slash continues to do outside work, most recently on the new Motorhead album, for which he played lead guitar on two cuts. Slash has recorded with Lenny Kravitz, Bob Dylan and other leading artists.

In addition, former guitarist Stradlin is putting the final touches on his first solo album.

Also applying pressure are a series of lawsuits, including one filed by former drummer Adler. There also have been riot-related suits filed against GNR by store owners and officials in St. Louis and Montreal.

Meanwhile, Metallica and GNR will resume their stadium tour in Phoenix on Tuesday. The tour was postponed in the wake of injuries sustained by Metallica lead singer James Hetfield during a special-effects mishap at a show on Aug. 8. Second- and third-degree bums on Hetfield’s hands are not completely healed yet.