Original Guns N' Roses drummer, Steven Adler, has the dubious distinction of being the first member of the band to have been fired by singer/leader Axl Rose (touching off a trend that would continue until Rose was the only remaining original member left in attendance by the late '90s). Born January 22, 1965, in Cleveland, OH, Adler was entirely self-taught on the instrument, inspired by such '70s hard rockers as Kiss and Aerosmith. After relocating to the Los Angeles area, Adler befriended a fellow musician, Saul Hudson, who would eventually adopt the nickname Slash -- as the duo formed a musical bond and played together in an outfit called Road Crew (named after a Motörhead song). By the mid-'80s, Roadcrew had split up, while Adler and Slash had joined forces with other members of the Sunset Strip metal/glam/punk scene -- Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, to form Guns N' Roses. The story of G N' R is a well-known one, as the quintet issued one of the best-selling rock debuts of all-time, 1987's Appetite for Destruction, whose raw, stripped down approach (both musically and visually) was a welcome break from the overwrought glam pop bands that were ruling the airwaves at the time.

But with success, came increasing internal difficulties within the band, as most of its members became addicted to hard drugs and seemed hell-bent on imploding before they could offer a sophomore effort (in addition, Adler had to sit out a spell of the album's tour when he broke his arm during a spat with a bouncer at a club). G N' R offered a stopgap mini album, 1989's Lies, to temporarily satisfy their fans, but sessions for a proper follow-up seemed to drag on for an eternity. In 1990, Adler was fired from the group (replaced by former Cult drummer Matt Sorum), and slid even deeper into drug abuse, resulting in such health problems as a heart attack and a pair of strokes. Adler has made several attempts at re-entering the rock world since his exit from G N' R, with such obscure outfits as Freaks in the Room and a new version of Road Crew, as well as a brief spell as the drummer for '80s Van Halen-disciples the Bulletboys. Adler's biggest publicity during the '90s wasn't musically based, however -- as he successfully sued G N' R for "wrongful termination," as well as doing jail time for assaulting two women (in separate cases). By the early 21st century, Adler was supposedly at work on a book detailing his tenure with Guns N' Roses (with a working title of No Bed of Roses), playing shows with different L.A. bands, and trying to get the ball rolling for a reunion of the original Guns lineup.

GILBY CLARKE

Although he's issued several solo albums on his own, guitarist Gilby Clarke is best-known for his brief stint as a member of Guns N' Roses. Born on August 17, 1962, in Cleveland, OH, Clarke later relocated to Los Angeles, where he fell into the local music scene playing with such obscure '80s outfits as Candy (who issued a lone album, Whatever Happened to Fun?) and Kill for Thrills (who too, only managed a single release, Dynamite From Nightmareland). During this time, Clarke befriended the members of Guns N' Roses, who had endured a meteoric (yet rocky) rise to superstardom. Shortly after a mammoth tour in support of their overblown Use Your Illusion albums got underway in late 1991, founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin abruptly left the group. Clarke was one of the few guitarists that G N' R tried out, and was quickly invited onboard. Clarke remained with the group for the remainder of the tour (which lasted through 1993), and appeared on their all-covers release, The Spaghetti Incident.

But after coming off the road, Guns singer Axl Rose decided to try pursuing different styles of music, which he thought Clarke's rough and ready style wasn't suitable for, leading to Clarke's (and soonafter, the rest of the other members') dismissal from the band. Undeterred, Clarke automatically launched a solo career, releasing such albums as 1994's Pawnshop Guitars (which spawned the moderate rock radio hit, "Cure Me...Or Kill Me"), 1997's Hangover, 1998's Rubber, 2000's 99 Live, and 2002's Swag. In addition, Clarke has produced albums for others (including a pair of albums by late-'90s power popsters Beat Angels and '80s glam mainstays L.A. Guns) and continued to play from time to time with his former Guns bandmates (on Duff McKagan's 1993 solo release Believe in Me and touring with Slash's solo group, Slash's Snakepit). In 2001, Clarke formed a group with former Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom, called Col. Parker, issuing their debut album the same year, Rock N' Roll Music.

The youngest of eight children, Duff McKagan was born in Seattle, WA, in the spring of 1964. His real name is Michael, but his family gave him the nickname Duff at the age of two and it stuck. He grew up rebellious, falling in love with punk and glam rock by the time he was a teenager. His brother, Bruce, introduced him to the bass, but he did not take to the instrument right away. At the tender age of 16, the Fastbacks hired him on as their drummer, giving him his first shot in the developing Seattle rock scene. He left the band toward the end of 1981 and began playing in countless other punk combos in the area. Most influential was his work with the Fartz, a band that never made it that far but served as one of the primary influences on grunge innovator, Mudhoney. While McKagan enjoyed the gigs he was working, he tried his luck in Los Angeles after a few years of playing in the Northwest. Upon moving to the town, he met future Guns N' Roses founders Slash and Steven Adler, and decided to form a trio with the others called Road Crew. The band gave them the kind of visibility they craved, but upon meeting Indiana transplants Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose, the five flirted with the idea of combining their forces, until finally Guns N' Roses became a reality in 1985.

After a self-released EP gained them more attention in the Los Angeles area, Geffen Records signed them for an album in 1986. The result, Appetite for Destruction, would be one of the most important rock records ever released, although it would be hard to tell from the initial impact. The album floundered at first, McKagan even considered going back to Seattle, until "Welcome to the Jungle" became a runaway hit. The band instantly became a huge sensation, and the media ate up their bad boy reputation and incredible live performances. The whole band let fame get to them, but no member took it as seriously as Axl Rose, who began to shake up the band with his increasingly controversial statements to the media and erratic behavior. Things became serious during the release of the Lies EP, which featured a racist rant in the song "One in a Million" that McKagan and Slash both spoke out against in the press. Rose slowly continued to dominate the band, driving out Adler and Stradlin and replacing them with less vocal contributors Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke. Ironically, McKagan and Slash bonded with these two members strongly, making the distance between Rose and the other members only larger. When the band hit the road for the endless Use Your Illusion tour, the backstage decadence and wild spending became ridiculous, as opening bands would report to the press about orgies and pig roasts.

McKagan was disillusioned with the music he was making, and after contributing songs to Iggy Pop's Brick by Brick, he tried his hand at a solo album. His drinking had gotten wildly out of control, and the resulting Believe in Me was a disjointed and awkward effort that failed to spark the public's interest. When the tour ended, McKagan discovered that his pancreas was in such terrible shape that he had to immediately give up drinking or face almost-certain death. After a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," the band separated to take time away from one another. Thinking that Guns N' Roses was just taking a break, McKagan started working with Slash on the Slash's Snakepit project along with the other members of Guns N' Roses, except for Rose. Sessions for a new Guns N' Roses album continually fell apart, and McKagan started working with the Neurotic Outsiders and several solo projects from fellow- and former-Guns N' Roses members. As the years began to tick away, Rose finally sent news to the remaining members of the band that they had to stop working on other projects or they were going to be fired. That was the final straw for McKagan, as he separated from the band and joined Seattle punk rockers Ten Minute Warning, a band he had played in almost 15 years before.

Since that point, McKagan has continued to release solo projects, perform with his fellow Guns N' Roses outcasts, and was married for the third time. He even had his first child in 1999, and managed to get acting jobs on television. He ran a marathon in 2001, right before reuniting with Izzy Stradlin for a tour of Japan. The likelihood of the original Guns N' Roses reuniting looks slimmer every year, but even his brief time with that band will forever give McKagan the notoriety that has made him one of the most recognizable bassists in rock music.

As the lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses, Slash established himself as one of hard rock's finest and most soulful soloists during the late '80s, technically adept yet always firmly grounded in the gritty Aerosmith and Stones' licks he loved. Slash was born Saul Hudson on July 23, 1965 in Stoke-on-Trent, England, to artistic parents both involved in the entertainment industry; his mother was a clothing designer who worked on David Bowie's film The Man Who Fell to Earth, and his father designed album art for such artists as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. The family eventually moved to Hollywood, where Hudson attended junior high, received his first guitar, and met future GN'R drummer Steven Adler. With Hudson adopting the nickname Slash, given to him by a family friend, the two formed a band called Road Crew; although it proved unsuccessful, it was the vehicle through which they met and eventually joined up with the other members of Guns N' Roses. The Gunners debuted in June 1985, and even before Appetite for Destruction was released in 1987, the band acquired a reputation as notorious alcohol and drug abusers. As their popularity soared, the reserved Slash established himself as an important part of the band's visual image, with a top hat and a mound of shaggy black hair covering his face as he typically staggered around the stage with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Hedonistic excess consumed most of the band, with such incidents as Slash and Duff McKagan's drunken, profane acceptance of the band's American Music Award on live television. In 1990, opening for the Rolling Stones, Axl Rose's infamous on-stage pronouncement that he would leave the band if certain members did not stop "dancing with Mr. Brownstone" (using heroin) was primarily directed at Slash and Adler; Slash kicked his habit within a year, but Adler did not and was fired. In 1992, Slash courted controversy again with a product endorsement for Black Death vodka. Later that year, he was married to actress and model Renee Sorum, a union that lasted five years.

Meanwhile, in spite of controversy and personnel turnovers, Guns N' Roses had actually continued to record music. After the Use Your Illusion sets of 1991, and the 1993 punk covers album The Spaghetti Incident?, the band went on hiatus. Slash formed a side project called Slash's Snakepit, which consisted of fellow Gunners Matt Sorum (drums) and Gilby Clarke (guitar), plus bassist Mike Inez and vocalist Eric Dover. The group released an album in 1995 titled It's Five O'Clock Somewhere; Slash hit the road with a slightly different touring lineup, with Brian Tichy and James LoMenzo signing on as the rhythm section. In 1996, Slash put together a different band to play at a blues festival in Budapest, an endeavor that evolved into Slash's Blues Ball. Featuring vocalist/harmonica player Teddy Andreadis, rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck, saxophonist Dave McClarem, bassist Johnny Griparic, and drummer Alvino Bennet, Slash's Blues Ball devoted themselves primarily to a repertoire of classic blues covers, plus occasional GN'R and Snakepit material. Rumors about the status of Guns N' Roses had been swirling for some time, and in October 1996 it was confirmed that, owing to his unwillingness to follow Axl Rose's interest in industrial and electronic music, Slash was no longer a member of the band (although he left the door open for a reunion if Rose decided to return to guitar-based rock & roll). He gigged off and on with the Blues Ball into 1998, although a rumored live album never materialized. Instead, Slash decided to re-form the Snakepit in 1999 with an entirely different lineup (the original members were by this time involved in other projects, and the Blues Ball was more suited to touring than developing original material). Raspy-voiced singer Rod Jackson and ex-Venice drummer Matt Laug came on board, along with Blues Ball bassist Griparic (now Johnny Blackout) and Teddy Andreadis, who contributed keyboard and harmonica work. After trying out ex-Alice Cooper guitarist Ryan Roxie, Slash settled on rhythm guitarist Kerry Kelly, who had previously worked with Warrant and Ratt. The new Snakepit played some gigs together and in the spring of 2000 completed a new album, which was originally slated to be released on Interscope/Geffen. However, feeling that a more traditional guitar rock album would get lost in the promotional shuffle, Slash moved over to Koch, which finally released Ain't Life Grand in October 2000.