Music awards were not a picnic for all concerned however including Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy
Stradlin who was punched in the face by Motley Crue vocalist Vince Neil as Stradlin
walked off stage with his manager Alan Nivens This was apparently Neil's reaction to a 1988
incident at an LA rock club in which Stradlin allegedly assaulted Neil's wife Charisse then
had her ejected from a room at the club Today I wanted to look at a feud that by
today's standards would probably be called the Battle of the blobs but I only joke
I love both bands but thirty years ago Axl Rose and Vince Neil were
poster boys for charismatic rock n' roll frontmen and then Vince Neil became well
So back in 1987 Motley Crue was touring on the Girls Girls Girls album and Guns
N' Roses were an up-and-coming band who opened for Motley Crue in November of 87
The bands partied together and even seem to have camaraderie
Fast forward to a few years later and Vince Neil was out of town and his wife had gone
to the Cathouse Club in Los Angeles where she been allegedly assaulted
by Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin Shortly after the incident both members of
Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue including Vince Neil frontman Axl Rose and Stradlin himself who'd been
in attendance at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards That night Guns N' Roses were up for two awards
for their big single Sweet Child of Mine from their 1987 full-length
debut record Appetite for Destruction The record was up for best group and
best metal videos award and the later of which they actually won
Now ironically it would be Motley Crue who presented the award to the Guns N' Roses rhythm
section which was made up of drummer Steven Adler and bassist Duff McKagan as you guys can see here
Okay and the winner is
All right Guns N' Roses
Hey we want to thank everybody for this
Despite the the Grammys the strip on the Grammys we're going to take this for Metallica
alright thank you Metallica (inaudible)
Now the same night Guns N' Roses members Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin would be performing
on stage with Tom Petty and following their performance with Tom Petty Vince
Neil would lay in wait ready to approach Stradlin about what happened with his wife
Here's a clip of Vince Neil (inaudible) talking about the incident of the Cathouse
and remember guys they each have their own take and here's what happened the night of the VMAs
These two metal luminaries came way back in 1988 when Guns N' Roses Izzy
Stradlin allegedly assaulted Vince's female friend at a Hollywood Club
We were at the Cathouse I was there with Charisse who was in Vince's
girl at the time and Izzy grabbed her breasts He kicked her in the stomach while she
was pregnant I was pissed
I said next time I see the guy I'm gonna kick his ass
Fast-forward to the 1989 VMAs where Vince made good on his word
We're walkin' off the stage and Vince Neil reaps up the audience and hits Izzy right in the face
He made a move and so I clocked him And that was it
So later that night Neil was confronted by an incensed Axl Rose with Neil remembering
Axl came snarling after us like an overdressed Doberman come on mother f..er I'm going to kill
you he yelled at our backs Neil would remember
Now nothing happened that night but the singers went their separate ways
and took shots at each other in the press Axl most famously was interviewed by Kurt Loder
in 1990 on the show Famous Last Words and brought up the feud with Vince Neil and said the following
Have you patched up your differences with Vince Neil and the boys
You had a scuffle last year No way no no way
I haven't patched up anything What's the dispute there
Well I mean they think I've read in the interviews
of theirs that they feel that it's like I'm just standing up for Izzy and stuff but Vince should be
careful what golf courses he's mouthing off about Axl on and who he's playing golf with
You know when he goes out playing golf and mouths off about Axl and he happens to be playing golf
with people that work for me Yeah
Stories come back you know and he likes to put in magazines that he broke Izzy's
nose or how Alan Niven wasn't even our manager or anything like that
No one was around I don't know
We didn't want to take it to court because it would be too much trouble and too much hassle
but when you know Tom Petty security crew wants to be witnesses in court you know it's you know
It's funny because Izzy's like going because people think it's gonna happen sooner or
later or whatever and it's like that Vince and I'll get into it or something you know
and Izzy just laughs because he's like That guy you know had a full-on free
shot you know and he's like a powder puff I mean I'm just like so it's like it's pretty
scary if the guy thinks about a hassle you know I put in a magazine you know any time he wants it
Anywhere Atlantic City
I don't care I put my money on it you know
I don't care You know and then
he tried to turn around and say the same thing but you know the invitation is there
I'm easy to find If you really want a hassle you know
We can we can have it out Following Axel's interview on Kurt Loder's
show Vince Neil offered his own take during an interview of MTV and here's what he had to say
After mulling that over for well almost a year Vince Neil who's reportedly just
separated from his wife Cherese sat down with MTV News this week and issued this challenge
He said a lot of bad things about me the last few years and a lot of threats and even on one
of your guys our shows before the MTV Awards and where he said well anytime anyplace and
right now I want to put an end to this and what I want is Axel if you're watching this
I want to challenge you to a fight I'm gonna give you the time and then
give me the place and there's no backing out now buddy and it's time to put up or shut up
I'd like to do it at an arena where people can come and see
I'd like to have it televised I like I want the whole world to see this
fight and it's gonna be I think it'll be great I just I'm really psyched for it because I need
to put an end to this so there's no more I mean it'll end it once and for all and bad
blood between us So let's do it
So it was reported that Vince Neil had wanted to do the fight on a Monday night at the Great
Western Forum in Inglewood Los Angeles Even Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar
offered to put up the money to stage the fight in New York's Madison Square Garden
Now sadly at the end of the day no fight ever happened
Guns N' Roses for their part would release a song Shotgun Blues from their Use Your Illusion
2 records which was said to be a diss track aimed at Motley Crue's Vince Neil
For his part Statlin would call Neil to apologize and nothing would be said by either camp each
other for almost two decades until 2009 when Vince Neil criticized Guns N' Roses album Chinese
Democracy in the press for being a flop and saying a buddy of mine went to go play guitar for him
referring to Motley Crue collaborator DJ Ashba They rehearsed for three months and Axl
never turned up once Rule number one show up
He's been doing that for many years and finally I think fans said screw this
Fast forward now to 2014 and Axl Rose was named the world's
greatest singer according to Concert Hotels Neil would respond to this news on Twitter and
then deleted his tweet He would tweet
News just said that Axl Rose is the greatest singer of all time? #lol
So that does it for today's video guys Thanks for watching
Let me know who you think would win in a fight Axl Rose or Vince Neil and as always guys be sure
to hit the like button and subscribe and remember guys bands may break up artists may die but rock
n' roll lives on Take care