Steven Adler Misses The Excitement Of ’80s Rock Scene

former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler was asked what he misses most about the rock ‘n’ roll scene from the ’80s compared to today. He responded: “It was more exciting back then, ’cause you didn’t find out everything like you do now. Everything is instantly over people’s phones and everything. It was exciting to read magazines and read about your bands and what’s going on, and it’s just a completely different world now.”

He continued: “I think I got to catch the end of when rock was really rock. That’s what I miss. I miss going to record stores and hanging out. I miss going to magazine stands and reading magazines and looking at pictures. I miss looking at record albums and reading all the liner notes and looking at the pictures in the sleeves and reading how they did the record and what happened. That was exciting. Nowadays, it’s nothing. You just push a button and you’re on the computer. There’s no liner notes. There’s maybe one goofy picture that’s been photoshopped. I like the real stuff. I like real instruments. Reality. Real. People practicing. I’ve never known one person that practices as a teenager and looked in the mirror and was air guitar playing practice to see how they look and thinking in their head, ‘Oh, I just wanna play for myself.’ No, it’s that I wanna play for the world. And I miss that whole real kinda rock thing, ya know. Music.”

Steven Adler has been sober for several years, but spent a long time battling his addiction, ever since being thrown out of Guns N’ Roses in 1990 because of it. He performed with the band for a handful of guest appearances during its reunion tour last year, but has not played a full show with Guns N’ Roses in more than two and a half decades.

The regular Guns N’ Roses drummer for several years has been Frank Ferrer, who is also part of the current lineup that boasts classic lineup members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan. Steven’s mother Deanna Adler released her long-awaited tell-all book, “Sweet Child Of Mine: How I Lost My Son to Guns N’ Roses” (formerly “No Bed Of Roses”) on January 24 via Monarch Publishing, LLC