Axl Rose: ‘I Strongly Request That I Not Be Inducted’ into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Axl Rose doesn’t want to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and don’t even think about inducting him if he doesn’t attend.

Axl doesn’t want Guns N’ Roses to be inducted in Cleveland next weekend at all, and wrote a letter spelling it all out for Hall of Fame officials.

It seems that the strained relationship between Rose and the rest of his former bandmates is still at the heart of the issue.

The Guns N’ Roses lead singer wrote that after being “polite, courteous and open to an amicable solution,” he concluded that the induction ceremony “doesn’t appear to be somewhere I’m actually wanted or respected.”

“Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N’ Roses were to be inducted it’d be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation,” said Rose, who has put together a new version of the band that contains none of the original members from the mid-’80s.

Rose expressed frustration with what he called “a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies” from former bandmates “for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities.”

He called out ex-drummer Steven Adler for giving “interviews filled with reunion lies” five years ago.

“Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn’t room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion,” he wrote.

Finally, Rose made it clear that if he doesn’t attend the ceremony, he doesn’t want to be inducted at all.

“I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf,” Rose wrote. “Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of ‘Guns N’ Roses’.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though, seems just fine with moving ahead without Rose’s seal of approval.

“We are sorry Axl will not be able to accept his induction in person,” said Lauren Bishop, a spokeswoman for the Hall of Fame.

Slash, the original lead guitarist who left the band in 1996, will attend, according to his rep.

Duff McKagen, the original bass player for Guns N’ Roses, also tweeted that he plans to attend.

Rose ended his letter saying, “as ironic as it may seem, I’d like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns’ induction.”

Related articles

• Axl Rose Declines Induction Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (people.com)
• Axl Rose Declines Rock Hall Induction (huffingtonpost.com)
• Axl Rose tells Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to shove it, Twitter reacts (twitchy.com)