``They were here for four days, to pick up free equipment from their sponsors at the convention and to do some publicity for them,`` said the manager, who identified himself only as Tom. The latest word, this time from the band`s stage manager, was that they were in the city for the recent National Association of Music Merchandisers convention. Though stories of a Guns N` Roses encounter are fodder perhaps for Dave Letterman`s ``brush with greatness,`` they have done little to clear the question: Why are they here? His bodyguard, however, was more than happy to hail a cab, fold Duff in half and gently place the bassist in the back seat before driving off with him. On one recent evening, a Tribune reporter sighted young Duff leaving the Metro in no condition to drive. It`d be great to get them in a place this size.`` ``I`ve talked to their management, trying to arrange some kind of show if they decide to play while they`re here. ``All I know is that they`ve been downstairs, having a good time in the bar,`` Shanahan said. ``But they`re not recording here or practicing,`` Shanahan said, dispelling reports to the contrary.īut several Metro employees said practice sessions took place in the empty rooms above Metro, the former home of the Smart Bar. Joe Shanahan, co-owner of Metro, confirmed that the band had been seen at the Smart Bar. Guns `N Roses saved their wilder side for a series of North Side bars, including Sheffield`s, Exit and especially the Smart Bar, downstairs at the Cabaret Metro. Limousines? ``They all got into a Ford Aerostar and took off. No one bothered them and they just ate, paid their bill and left.`` They were pretty quiet, not at all what you`d expect from their reputation. ``Actually, it was kind of disappointing. The were singing off-key on purpose, hamming it up. ``They sat at a table in the front window and even joined in when another table started singing happy birthday. ``When she came back and someone told her that they actually were, the guys in the band laughed, introduced themselves and gave her a pretty hard time about it. `Righteous metal dudes-you could be in Guns N` Roses,` `` Kouri said. ``When they walked in, one of the waitresses looked at them and said, Those people, including North Side resident Chuck Kouri, could`ve sworn they saw the Guns N` Roses entourage (minus Axl) chow down on a meal of pizza and pasta. Those who ate at Leona`s on Sheffield the night of June 15 know firsthand. ``disappear`` at will under the guidance of Brian Epstein, Guns N` Roses have proven unable to keep a secret. Unlike the Beatles, who in their later years were easily able to We`re not talking about where they are.`` We`ve got the hottest band in America and we don`t need press to sell albums. ``We don`t have to talk about any of this,`` was the terse response from Doug Goldstein, co-manager of the group. Stravinsky Brothers, a fledgling L.A.-based firm whose fortune and disdain for the press has grown in step with the legend of their biggest client, Guns N` Roses. ``All we know is that they`re working on the album outside the city.`` ``Only management knows where they are,`` said a spokeswoman. In Los Angeles, the city the band calls home, the press department at Geffen Records had no comment on the band`s whereabouts. People started talking, the wild stories began to grow and soon it was time to check fable against fact. Nevertheless, during the first three weeks of June, word spread quickly across the city that Axl and the boys had been sighted in the shops, bars and restaurants along Clark Street. This, after all, is a band in which the lead singer is rumored to have died of a drug overdose about twice a month. It would be big news if Axl Rose, Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Slash had decided to make Chicago their temporary home while planning the follow-up album to ``Appetite for Destruction`` and ``GN`R Lies.`` After selling more than 7 million albums in a couple years, it would be big news if America`s most notorious metal band decided to rent a condo on the North Side, hang out at some bars and rehearse upstairs at the Cabaret Metro away from the crowds and distractions of Los Angeles.īut, ahem, like we said, it`s just not true.Īs a rumor, the band`s stay in Chicago isn`t of Oprah-esque proportions, and it`s tame indeed by Guns N` Roses standards. Don`t listen to the rumors on Clark Street. Ignore that group of young men with the big hair, sunglasses and bodyguard. Stravinsky Brothers, managers of Guns N` Roses Note# the location of the tattoo in Chicago is from the bar in the article below.
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