So some people are saying Duff is ethnically mixed? Yes he is quarter black as per this kerrang 1990 interview where he says “ That whole thing’s such a bunch of crap, man. Slash is half black. I come from a family that’s a quarter black. And if you [assumes a bullhorn voice] READERS OUT THERE” [Kerrang, March 1990]
@@LeoToppelachedo here ya go kerrang march 1990 duff talks about donnington 1988 fan deaths and then one in a million www.a-4-d.com/t596-1990-03-03-kerrang-i-wish-we-d-never-played-donington-88-duff
That means nothing because when we see duff hes white and im sure he doesnt identify as black. That's a cop out. Making excuses for even now is silly. You wite a song like that , what do you expect. Keep in mind this is at the time where people thought black people didnt listen to rock n roll. Duff is full of it . And slash knows better ? He chose to fall back ? Which isnt good.
Violent thug culture shouldn't be tolerated. They're ruining entire cities and neighborhoods turning this whole country into a giant ghetto. Just look at Chicago shootings every weekend. Not all of them obviously, but an overwhelming majority. Everyone is so afraid to be called the R word and the problems just get worse. The media even celebrates and promotes violent gang culture. Enough is enough. Decent hard working families want a future for their kids.
@@johnfal1849 what do you meen every one is afraid of being called the “R” word??? It has nothing to do with black. Poor people make poor choices. I know white boys in the hood that’s worse then anything else. Don’t speak on a struggle you have no idea to be in and have no solution to speak. These people can’t get jobs because folks won’t hire them a lot have no fathers so every ones emotional, it’s government assistance or you won’t eat or have a place to stay. You sell drugs or do anything to survive now you go to jail and makes your life harder. You don’t know the struggle , you’re just another piece of sh*t on the outside looking in with no desire to help
I loved this song when I heard it. I'm Black and I'll tell you why. First of all AFD album so Nailed the 80's L.A scene it was incredible! Yeah I listened to rock, I lived in cheap Hollywood, was in a Punk band in the 80's for a hot minute. Shout out to Snot Rocket/Name of my Band. lol Firstly the reference to 6th street, which is where the Greyhound Station was at the time, actually the entire station was between 6th and 7th on Los Angeles Street, has moved since. Which is adjacent to LA's Skid Row. On top of that L.A County which is what the Jail is called(HUGE JAIL) is just north of this area. When Axl said no gold chains today, lol, I mean you could not walk 100ft without someone trying to sell you a gold chain, gold ring, leather coat, pair of shoes, I mean aggressively, it was crazy! You had all these guys dumped on the street out of jail, homeless skid row people with no money hustling, hangin on streets, sadly most all were minority, My reaction was the same when going down there. So I knew EXACTLY where AXL was coming from, just like he said he was just a small town White Boy and don't point your racist finger at me... Loved the SONG! Anyway, hope i shed some light on what he was relating in his song.
This is such an interesting post. Axl is subversive, controversial and provocative. I don't believe for a second he is racist or homophobic, I believe he was saying something, which let's be honest, most bands are terrified to do. Thanks so much for your interpretation.
@@mossga Wrong. That's the common sense view of ordinary people. The real view is that he's racist, because if he were not, he'd never have said such things out loud. Because, like really? You could've just, like, not said those things? The concept of racism is an elitist tool of domination. But most people of any ethnicity are slaves, and happily adopt the linguistic tools of the elite which are used against their interests.
Clawfinger (white band) has a song called "Ni--er" from the 90s but they performed it live as late as 2014. It's supposed to be an anti racist song despite the name. I censored it so RU-vid won't freak out.
@@luizgustavosmolarek4440 i find it funny that nwa and living colour agree that he has the right to say it, but then you say "no thats not good enough." If youre pissed off, the song is about you, policeman.
@@darnellpistachio2991 If you read the comment again you will not find a word of me complaining about the song, or saying that I'm pissed off, my comment was simply about the fact that EVERYONE around Axl had something thoughtful to say about the song, except for the man himself. Good night.
I grew up 45 mins from where Axl lived. I've followed his career. His singing November Rain at Lisa Marie's funeral was touching. TY Axl for your music, you stopping a show b/c of ppl throwing stuff on the stage, and being a Hoosier...❤️🌹
First time i listened to Appetite for Destruction I thought 'This is different, but not for me'. Listened to it again, and thought, 'Well it's different but kinda cool.' The last third time i listened to it, I realized I was addicted and it is probably still my favorite album of all time.
Yes sir, the first time I heard the whole album back in 1989, I was sitting in the back seat of a camaro or firebird in my high school parking lot. It had become my favorite album, still is, & probably will always be..
I was working in a record store when this came out. The store was a "lease department" at the front of a Montgomery Wards so we attracted a less hip crowd then most mall stores. We didn't get complaints from this song as much as angry moms who saw the centerfold on the inside. We had a promotional copy but only played it a handful of times. Our customers would be shocked at the swearing on the live side, or complain about the song "Used To Love Her."
@@mooknick242 Centerfold would be an overstatement on my part, that was the complaint we heard. One of the headlines on the foldout said something like "Hottest Girls in G n R Lies" and underneath was a picture of a woman topless with censor bars. A couple moms came in complaining that their kid was exposed to that smut.
I was in middle school when GNR Lies came out and I DEFINITELY remember the “centerfold” pic being in the fold-out liner notes of my cassette version. 😍😛
@@MdlAgedHeadbanger ok yeah of course, I remember the pic now. I had seen GNR open for INXS like right before LIES was released they actually played patience at that show was first time I had heard it of course.
It still has its moments. Too bad many grow old with the era they were stuck in and refuse to listen to the music of today. When it gets too loud you got too old.
@@euphemy that guy has a wide range of music. His grandpa would be proud. Sr. was just as big as a rebel even if he howled country. Need i mention Jr. Family tradition!
The censorship communazis disnt have to cancel that song. The band did it to themselves. They left it out of the new box set. Free speech has left the country and replaced by the iron curtain. Cheers comrades! Keep voting democrat
I was sooooooo hyped to get this album when it came out...... initially I was kind of disappointed with the lack of new tracks- but of course the album grew on me & my friends pretty quickly
This is a great song. People need to lighten up. If you don’t like it turn it off. The hypocrisy is so thick in today’s society you can cut it with a knife.
@@inconnu4961 You’re right. The day is coming. Then everyone will turn around and act like it came out of nowhere. Every cancel and every censor brings us closer. It’s ok to be offended by something. It doesn’t mean it has to go away or be erased. It’s a dangerous path and it will eventually turn around on the same people that are doing it. It’s a shame really. RIP Pepe Le Pew.
@@mattasaurus12 Not really because When I don’t like something that someone says or does I don’t listen or associate with that person thing or idea. I don’t try to make that person stop doing or saying anything I don’t try to take away the right of that person or thing. That’s the difference. Somewhere along the line people started thinking that if something is offensive it should be outlawed and that is not ok. I don’t like cnn but I think they should exist and shouldn’t be cancelled. I find their coverage of what happened last summer offensive but I simply don’t watch cnn. That again is the difference. Its not about the song really it’s about the bigger picture of stifling free speech.
Don't know about culture shock, but the song says the guy is fucked up. He even says, "But it's been such a long time since I knew right from wrong." It's the song actually telling you that this is a lost person who doesn't have a way to really process reality.
@@darnellpistachio2991 Liner notes in the album (Yes, I was listening to this back when such things existed, haha) definitely had "since I knew right from wrong" as the lyrics.
@@mattasaurus12 then it's not the same song.. I play this song all the time.... we use Amazon at work and it plays publicly in our shop even if customers are in.... fuck em
Bingo! They were trying to be the bad boys of rock n roll and there is an upside and a downside. The downside ended up being stronger and more vocal than he expected.
Let's face it he was naive but you gotta remember too he was much younger and lived as they talked about in the video in a rural city where unlike a place like NY or LA there wasn't all the high crime etc going on so it was a complete culture shock being thrown from one enviroment to another.
It's the "That's right!!" after he says the word though haha. It's like, 'Yeah, I said it.' Still, it's easily in my top 5 Gn'R songs. And it's probably my favourite vocal performance from Axl.
The song is absolutely brilliant..how they mix the acoustic and electric guitar..I had never heard anything like that before then. A masterpiece in every single sense.
I agree on the music itself. It's very effective. I could have done without the epithets, though. There are all sorts of ways an artist can get a point or idea across without insulting entire classes of people. Of course, that's all water under the bridge now. What's done is done. But I just heard the track for the first time about 15 minutes ago, and yeah, musically it's good.
@@chriscampbell9191 well obviously you didn't listen to the last verse because you missed the meaning entirely if you thought the song was insulting classes..as a matter of fact the last verse predicted your take on the song brilliantly.
@@mooknick242 I did hear the last verse, where he refers to being a "small town white boy" and didn't want "radicals and racists" pointing fingers at him, so I get what you're saying. Still, even in 1988 there could have been a better way to describe the culture shock without using the N word (and even the F word was considered an insultive term in '88). But what's done is done. It's an honest piece of rock artistry, there's no doubt about that. The music itself I think matches anything on AFD in quality, or anything else they've done. It's as visceral as the lyrical content -- even though it's an acoustic-based song (with acoustic lead part).
@@chriscampbell9191 A "better" way than how people actually talk about this shit on the street? If all you want is sanitized "how things should be" pablum, please go take a bus back to the 1950's.
@@kondor9998 You mean when African Americans were second class citizens and weren't allowed to use the same drinking fountains as whites? that was America in the 1950s, too. No thanks.
Dark and gritty....this was probably my favorite song on the ep. I never felt it was about hate - more like fear and uncertainty. The song played like a short story with It's dark lyrics cascading into a hopeful chorus. Ten Years After released I'd Love to Change the World almost 20 years before it, but I could hear it's echoes in those lyrics.
Listen your comment is the best comment I've ever heard regarding this song it wasn't about racism. Fear small town white man in the black man big city. Crack dealers. Crime and violence. He was in fear.
@@slash4real872 what was the point of saying the n word and the f word? Unnecessary, feels like he's just upset that people are allowed to reclaim slurs and he's not allowed to say it
It’s also overlooked that GnR were signed to Geffen, the head of which was David Geffen, a gay man. I seem to remember in an interview DG said he asked the band to drop the song, but respected them including it. Edit: Geffen did not publicly come out until 1992
Geffen didn't ask them to drop the song. Geffen was collecting giant checks and couldn't give two tiny fucks about someone saying nigger and faggot. Holy shit, how will the world go on!? Oh the humanity!
@@Rehd66 I actually love the fact that RU-vid didn’t censor slurs, but my comment is deleted if I fully type out p*ssy. What a great company they have.
It got the attention that I'm sure it was intended to get. Any time people would talk about a certain band in the 80s, it was a win for the band. There was so much competition among rock bands back then you had to be outrageous.
I remember when they dropped the first album I was about 16 or so. Be 52 this year an still enjoy Guns N Roses. But one in a million is my all time favorite....
I mean, in the time this song was released, and still today, racism was a very big thing that was happening quite often. It didn't seem right for Axl to be saying the N word, the hard R, in his song. Slash is literally half black and Duff is said to be a quarter black, how would you think that would go by? I disagree with him saying it in this song especially the way HE tried to defend it saying basically he doesn't understand why black people can say it and not get shunned for it but when he, or any other white person says it, they are looked at in shock and are insulted by others. I think thats complete stupidity as to why its obvious why he shouldn't be saying it. He is white, and that word is used to insult and offend black people. Its a horrible word that, I believe, nobody should be using, regardless if you are black or not. There is overall no way to defend him saying it. No matter from what "point of view" he was saying it from, it was downright stupid to say. Though i must say, the music and the guitar for this song is very good, those lyrics just throw me off. If it wasn't for the slurs, heck, this might've been my favorite guns n roses song ever. Axl was dumb to think he could release the song and that people would not get mad.
I remember when this came out. Thought it was funny, they have a song about killing his girlfriend on the same album but everyone got mad over his words on this song....
Lol sorry that my grandma all of her life was called a nigga while people she knew getting hang but it was the 70s it’s not like anyone was alive from that time
They should have left the song in the box set. It's part of the band's historical arc, and anyone with eyes could see that if G&R was some white supremacist gang they wouldn't have a black guy as a member. The lesson in all this is how America has fallen on its own free speech sword. Why? The censorious, pearl-clutching mob used to be on the right, now it is squarely on the left. In 1989 Axl defended his right of expression while maintaining he was not racist. Today, far too often, people/artists don't defend themselves, but rather fall to their knees in the false hope that cancel culture, i.e., woke ideology, will forgive them. It's sad and pathetic. We grow weaker as a country the more we censor ourselves and give in to the current sociopathic torch and pitchfork mob.
@@inconnu4961 Freedom of speech and expression is a moral good. The images, lyrics and themes in rock and heavy metal are not always 'good, or moral'. Your point is that people should try to be good. I agree. The First Ammendment stands apart from that, however, as a protective right necessary for disagreement on what is moral.
Excellent overview. I don’t care what anybody says or thinks about the song. And I don’t care what people think of me for thinking It’s a great song. It’s a fact that it’s a great song. Great songwriting that tells a story, and without visuals, the lyrics need to be pointed and frank. I’m not racist or homophobic either. Rock n Roll, and art in general, isn’t supposed to be safe and PC. It’s supposed to be offensive. Unfortunately, GnR caved to the PC police and released that box set without the song. However, a massive payout from potential sales, probably played a fairly large role in omitting the track.
The song is genius. It has deeper meaning than people want to acknowledge. It’s smarter than Axl himself. Why? - it tells a story, it puts you in the shoes of another person whether you like it or not (empathize), it dishes it out in all directions (second half of the song, so not just minorities). And lastly, substantial art isn’t a warm glass of milk (bland), it rattles cages. Side Note: Marilyn Mason in an interview with Howard Stern (I believe it aired on the E Channel), criticised Axl for succumbing to the pressure and not standing up for the song. Mason argued that the song was about much more than its critics/detractors claimed. At the time he planned on doing a cover. I am not sure whether or not the cover song materialized.
This had nothing to do with PC police. They are all uncomfortable with the song as of today. Even Axl wouldn’t defend it. They all made the decision to take it off because as older men, with more wisdom and experience, they began to become ashamed of the song, what it may or may not represent, and how it simply comes off to people.
thought and art shouldn't be censored. you shouldn't be forced to love any group of people. it's phony if you're forced. maybe, just maybe, those groups have done enough to justify not being crazy about them. but nope, not allowed!! no matter what they do!! well, they're allowed to hate your group openly of course. but don't you dare hate them back, you are forced to not do that, or you're canceled(only you of course, not them)
@@Rodzilla97 Yes let people be ignorant fools if they want to be. But do you realize that the 1st amendment of free speech is that the government can't censor the people's voice right? That doesn't mean private biz or the citizens can't be against it or speak out about it. The government didn't stop GnR from releasing the song so their 1st amendment wasn't censored. However, common sense would tell you that if you say shit that's demeaning to certain groups of people, that you should expect those people to react to it. Just like if I called a certain someone a piece of sh*t, then I would expect a reaction back lol. Axel doesn't seem to bright if he actually was surprised that the song caused controversy. But artists are allow by law to say what they want but they should also know doing so they might get a negative reaction from the people. That's how it works.
God forbid that you say a naughty thing that in no way calls for violence or negative action toward anyone, but just basically says leave me alone. Nice to see the world hasn't changed since the 80s.
Real art, true art, is about freedom of expression. Whether it’s offensive or not is irrelevant. Art has been heavily PC for a long time now, and it’s refreshing to see someone speaking completely freely, even if it was decades ago. You’ll never see this level of fearlessness ever again. Big kudos to them. If all their music was like this song, that’d be one thing. But one song? That’s balls.
The people who virtue signal probably ignored Pink Floyd's "In The Flesh" and Dire Straights's "Money for Nothing." Singling out GNR for this song seems arbitrary. I guess if you are a parent, it makes sense not to allow your child to listen to these songs because they are not mature enough to understand satire, but I do not think censorship is necessarily the answer.
@@zannchristo what’s the difference? I just tried posting the lyrics to In the Flesh and the RU-vid bots automatically removed them. What does that tell you?
@@jacobbelyea7945 What about the comedy album "That Nigger's Crazy" by Richard Pryor? Or "Rock N' Roll Nigger" by Patti Smith? Or David Allan Coe's "Nigger Fucker" or "Damn I Wish I Was a Nigger"? Or "Woman Is the Nigger of the Wold" by John Lennon, Or "Be a Nigger Too" by Nas? "One Smart Nigger" by King Geedorah, "Another Nigger In The Morgue" by the Geto Boys, "Funky Nigger" by Boris Gerbiner, "Niggertown" by The Incredible String Band, "Hi Nigger" by Lord Medody, "Nigger Rich" by the Oblivions, "Hello Niggers' by the Watts Prophets, "Nigger Ass" by MrPackage, "Super Nigger" by Schoollt D, "Nigger Attitude" by Big D, :Niggr Baby" by John Dilleshaw, "Slave Nigger" by The King, "Chinese Nigger" by Broken goose, "Chinese Niggers" by Norma Miller, "Young Wild Nigger" by Chucky5, "Rape Your Nigger" by Tourette's Funck Syndrome, "Die Nigger" by Ruthless Juveniles, "Nigger Shit" by Aisha Sekhmet, "Nigger Foe" by Kira Kokoro, "Nigger For Love" by Bloody Mess, "Don't Nigger Me" by The Juse ....etc, etc, etc Axl uses the word once in song lyrics and right away [him and] the song is branded the musical epitome of racism. How'd that happen?
@@ferocentaur8859 It’s not that the word instantly makes him racist. While he really shouldn’t use it, context is still the most important thing to consider. I’m not familiar with all the songs or albums you listed, but I of the ones I do know, pretty much all of them are used in a joking manner by black artists, or for shock value to make an unrelated point that meant a lot to the artists, who wanted to bring attention to it in any way possible. The latter of which is still pretty uncool, but still really nothing to get pissed off by, especially considering the time they were made. “One In a Million” not only uses slurs, but uses them to explicitly put down the minority groups he’s talking about. I love the band and I love Axl, but there’s no spinning this. Writing these lyrics was a shitty thing to do.
The song is harmless. When I was growing up, people called me slurs used for white, Mexican, and black people. Looking back on it, I don't think they were being "racist" but probably angry, lonely, afraid, insecure... which is exactly what this song is.
While I may not 100% agree with the song, your explanation did make a lot more sense than anyone else's (imo) so it makes me feel less awkward about the song
Damn, how does Axl sing so high with such a deep voice? Also, I'm 100% against censorship, and I think context is important. Why call someone racist who isn't? Why give one word so much power? It doesn't make sense to me.
@Auxiliary Stream Services I don't know, I'm not smart -- I guess I'm just willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. The backlash that follows anything even lightly taboo is frustrating. How can you make provocative art in this environment?
@@illdrumatik391 I don't know if you really get it. Art is supposed to be challenging -- that's what makes it interesting. The answer isn't black/white.Your reaction to art tells as much about you as it does about the art itself. Makes sense?
The way I always saw this song wasn’t a bigoted manifesto of ignorance, but rather a criticism of said ignorance, and a portrayal of both the LA streets back during the 80’s and rampant Reagan-era cultural excess and ignorance. I refuse to believe that Axl’s racist, since Slash is half-black. I also refuse to believe that he’s homophobic, since two of his biggest influences are Freddie Mercury and Elton fkin John. But like Duff said, it’s all up to interpretation.
Got damn right brother! AMEN. We as God blessed Americans should be able to say whatever we want! It’s our God given right! Nobody is EVER going to stop me from saying the n word. Period. 🤘🤘 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
I always enjoyed the song, often singing or humming along to it. It's just music. You take out of it what you want to take out of it. That's a huge problem that's even more prevalent in today's society. There are groups that go looking for cause for argument in everything. As far as taking from music, I'll use a simple example. I like Eric Clapton's song Cocaine. It's a good song. I've never used drugs and I don't feel as though he was promoting the use of drugs. He was narrating a personal experience. Isn't that just what Axl said about One in a Million? it's the same in modern art. Some may find a piece fantastic and beautiful, others may think it bland or even repulsive. If you don't like it, don't look at it. Don't listen. Don't watch. It's quite simple.
@@stevenattanasso2003 When did I ever say that? It's true that I don't care for alcoholic beverage, but it's a personal choice. Everyone has their preference, as well as their own opinions. I appreciate you taking the time to read about mine and also for sharing yours with me. Have a pleasant evening.
@@stevenattanasso2003 Ok, so I guess the implication that my example was referring to 'hard drugs' was missed. If you're going to take that stance, then yes I lied. I have had a 'drink' on occasion. I've also taken aspirin and tylenol. Hell, I've even used cough syrup!. Then there was that one time I was prescribed meclizine for my bout with vertigo. Thank you again for your time and for illuminating the skeletons in my closet.
One in a million is one of their best songs. I think it has a message and it still hits. Everyone thinks they are special but you're one in a million 🤷♂️
I love this channel. I love this narrator's voice. This is the best narration other than WEIRD HISTORY channel, or just as good as WEIRD HISTORY channel. * i bought GNR Lies the 1st day I moved to a city of 1 million people *calgary. Then I listened to the album and it was weird and remains weird to this day. Moved to a city of 1 million people from a town of 500 people. That day was July 1, 1989.
In 1989 in America we had something called Freedom Of Speech. Not so much today, to many sensitive people today. You couldnt get away with today, just like you cant read a Dr. Suess book or watch a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving show. But you can have a BET channel or BMA. Just try to come out with a White Entertainment Television or White Music Awards and see what that stirs up.
GnR was never in danger of getting cancelled ever. If you grew up in this era you'd remember nobody ever taking about them getting cancelled. The word cancelled didn't even exist then.
As a kid 11yo and as a GnR fan this song did bother me when i heard it as I was also becoming a rap fan in the early 90's. Made me wonder/question things. I eventually settled on that the song was only semi autobiographical. Axl's experience mixed with a 3rd person pov. Obv finding out about Slash's background helped.
It’s not that Rose just wanted to say the N-word; he wanted to say it without anyone criticizing him. This is another example of free speech being mistaken for consequence-free speech.
I’m divided on it, I can see how people are offended but I also get the context of the story. I also love Pattie Smith’s Rock n Roll N... but how is that any different? Rhetorical question too btw.
I heard about this song for the first time yesterday after reading an article about songs with racist lyrics. I decided to listen to the song and as a black man, that word was a shock to hear from a mainstream band. I immediately got upset but decided to continue listening. It is a really good song. This song, like a lot of other good songs, tells a story. And this story is from a small-town kid coming from a questionable background moving to a big city and I'm looking at it like that instead of hating it for that. Art is subjective, and this song with its story truly was a hard one for a lot of people to get behind. This video was a great piece on the song by the way. 👍
The chronic. Racism against whites. Old dirty bastard 99 album. Racism against whites. I could name 100,000 other rap albums but I've got more important shit to do.
Great song. I bought that album before I acquired Appetite for Destruction back in 1989 or so. At the time I did not pay attention to the lyrics as my English was too basic and the music is so melodious (and back then it was a tape, so the actual album/tape was not including a written copy of the lyrics). However, it does not shock me or comes across as having a racist motive (as in to convey a general feeling that black, gays and immigrants should be hated by everybody, etc), rather being a story/experience. The fact Slash also has black heritage and was fine with it and playing the melody, confirms this point. Freedom of speech's greatest danger is that one might be exposed to difference of opinion, occasional misunderstanding, even shocking content... for good or bad reasons... frankly, anything we really can get over. However, censorship is the end of individual freedom, which is bad for everybody and creation. So to conclude by a statement made by another artist of the same era: "And if I offended you Oh, I'm sorry but maybe you need to be offended But here's my apology and one more thing, fuck you!" (Mike Muir, Suicidal Tendencies - You can't bring me down)
That's because you don't understand the historical context of that word. Slash is half black by phenotype and his nationality and ethnicity and lineage is not African American. That word was used against African chattel slaves in the USA.
@@lamarlo4437 So? You still cant censor it. Besides white folks did not make them slaves. Their own people beat them in war, and took them as slaves and sold them off like they did for thousands of years. They just sold them to new customers thats all.
@Michael Craig Well certain words and phrases are not protected by the 1st Amendment. Second this isn't an allslavesmatter issue. These are white men using the N-word, a word used to justify genocides against African Americans who were chattel slaves in the USA. Now I can't all the way blame them because they're just keeping the traditions of their ancestors. Also this wouldn't be an issue if the zFrican American community had strong leaders to fight these issues.
@Michael Craig If it can't be sending and isn't a big deal them say it to an African American on the street next time you go out and when you do tell me their reaction
*Song:* "IMMIGRANT AND FA**OTS! They make no sense to me, they come to our country, and think they'll do as they please" *Axl:* "How could anyone think the song was being derogatory?"
Thank you for making this video. It was very comprehensive and fair. In 1988, I was a closeted 22-year-old Metalhead who loved Guns 'n' Roses, but was pretty shocked at the song. I liked it musically, but didn't like it lyrically. I was surprised when there was no controversy at first, and instead finally started about a year later. I didn't come-out until 1994, and have only played it a few times since then and not at all in at least 20 years. The only thing I will say about it is I'm glad that Axl Rose learned his lesson from it. I still don't like him, mainly because he's an über-narcissistic ass-wipe who has screwed-over far too many of his fans with his primadonna behavior at shows. He's a very talented songwriter, singer and performer, but ultimately his biggest enemy is himself. I wouldn't pay a cent to see him or his nostalgia band in-concert.
I am an ex patriate in Switzerland.All I know is to hopefully remain living here I should respect my host Country and I cannot just do what I please,if what I wanted to do was something anti social or detrimental or criminal.Axl had a right to make the Statement in OIAM about how some People enter the US and act in a manner they shouldn't.But I sure hope he was never a racist.When I went to University a Student claimed Axl had admitted to being racist.But I've no idea where he got that from .It was probably b.s.Axl certainly disclaimed being a racist in that live Show.Pity he has to use childish foul language though.
All I know is that there's no way they would get away with it these days. Maybe it wasn't racist or may be it was, but these days people don't care about hearing the other side's point of view. Cancel culture is about judging without listening. It's sad.
Very true the cancel culture crowd always will judge people all the time instead of understanding things these people are so full of hatred they refused to listen to anyone that tells them the facts
@@irvinglambert9316 What do you mean by “every social and cultural power structure”? Do you mean social media? I’m also curious as to what you mean by de-person; do you mean de-platform? The first time I ever heard the term “cancel culture” was when Roseanne Barr tweeted (social media) some stuff that got her thrown off her television network (platform). After viewing her statements (and the backlash), the advertisers for that network made a calculated decision and decided that they would make more money if they pulled out of the network and paid to put their ads somewhere else. They understood that if someone saw their products being advertised on a controversial show, they might not choose to purchase their products; they might choose to purchase their competitors products. That’s how you vote with your dollar. And that’s also what some are calling “cancel culture.”
Ya see the way equality works is you let everyone do and say the same things and not get all bent out of shape or possessive with words or actions. You can't say that only we can.. BRILLIANT! So much for equality.
Well I mean it was word use to basic dehumanize an entire race... They just took it back and made it mean something else... Why is it such a big deal that we aren't allowed to use it like who cares.
@@codyharper2561 maybe You're not allowed but the rest of us non cucked people will use the word if needed. Context matters to say only blacks can use that is like saying you think they are that word
@@wolfcorpse I would love to see you use it to a black person and see what happens to you. I'd almost pay to see that. Maybe little Willie Bailey might come save you
Just another thing the weak try to erase. Side note: Picture me, a teenager, long hair, boots and earrings, a few weeks after hearing this song for the first time. Walking into the Greyhound bus station in Atlanta in the middle of the night. I hear from the corner.."Pst, hey slim. Hey.. Slim! Hey check dis out man. You wanna buy a gold chain?" He pulls out a wadded up napkin and shows me a dirty ass cheap gold necklace. I'm like nah bruh, I'm good. I'm thinking..Fuck me, Axl Rose just possessed my body in Atlanta, Georgia.
I’m a Jewish gay black cop and love the song! It’s about culture shock and freedom of speech. If you don’t think people still think and talk this way your fuckin crazy. Quit being so sensitive people. Get over it !!!
When my cousin played it to me when it first came out I thought it a great song despite the "politically incorrect" language.... I felt the song correctly reflected the point of view of a small town kid in the 1980s.... I didn't interpret it as advocating racism/homophobia, etc...
I as a black man was definitely angry about the song at the time but now I know the meaning of "one in a million". If you're some white boy from Indiana and you went to LA or NYC you'll see a lot of stuff there that would cause culture shock and let's not forget the lyrics were also anti-police too.
This video was really interesting and got me to dive deeper on this subject and god i was ignorant and honestly i find myself appreciating the song even more
I’m glad the label didn’t pussy out and throw the band under the bus like many would now. I love that they stayed true to the concept of freedom of speech. Regardless of the contents and personal views on said contents, censorship and the suppression of speech for any reason is wrong.
