Guns N’ Roses released their debut LP, Appetite for Destruction in July of 1987. The album was a slow burn, taking nearly a year to break big. In 1988, almost a year after the album came out, Slash, Duff and Izzy made an appearance on the radio program, Rockline.
Appetite For Destruction Rises the Charts
Guns N’ Roses were about to go out on tour with Aerosmith. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was out and Appetite for Destruction was climbing up the rock charts.
The group’s appearance on Rockline, which was hosted by Bob Coburn, was so bad that LA radio station, KLOS, which syndicates the program, pulled “Sweet Child O’ Mine” off the air.
“No Bed of Roses”
On July 24, 1988, the LA Times published an article detailing the fallout from the interview titled “No Bed of Roses.” The article reported that shortly after the interview, LA’s top album rock station, KLOS was pulling “Sweet Child O’ Mine” off the air.
The station’s Program Director told the paper, “Our testing found it had a highly negative reaction with anyone over 25, they just didn’t like the song. Those listeners are really important to us so it isn’t worth the risk of playing it.” A spokesperson for the band’s label, Geffen Records claimed the move likely stemmed from the group’s interview.
“They couldn’t straighten up long enough to do the show.” – KLOS Program Director
The Program Director for the station addressed the interview, saying the band acted, “disgraceful’. “They couldn’t straighten up long enough to do the show. The guitarist, Slash vomited all over the studio and Bob said they ripped a girl’s blouse and were pretty out of control. But that had nothing to do with my decision to pull the record.”
The spokesperson for Geffen responded to these comments, telling the Times, “Slash did vomit, he’d eaten a bad artichoke but he didn’t attack a girl or anything. And jeez, he did vomit in a paper bag, it’s not like he threw up on the Program Director.”
“I guess obnoxious behaviour is okay if it makes the station money.” – Reader of the LA Times
The incident resulted in readers of the LA Times commenting on the story. One reader sent in a letter that read, “I think the real reason KLOS is depriving its listeners of hearing Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ is the incident involving the band’s behaviour during the Rockline program. Speaking of obnoxiousness, has the Program Director, Charlie West ever listened to the KLOS morning deejays? I guess obnoxious behaviour is okay if it makes the station money.”
3 years after the interview, Axl Rose appeared on Rockline with Bob Coburn to promote the Use Your Illusion records.
Rose – “So, I didn’t know what to expect coming into this show. I mean Rockline and GNR have a history. I had never met you before. I was ready for almost anything.I was hoping it would just be an argument man. I was all psyched up.”
Coburn – “I was ready for that if that was the case. I was like, okay, let’s go after each other, you know. I gotta tell you, the last thing I really was expecting was for you to be so nice and calm and answer the calls the way you have. It seems like you’ve really gotten control of your life here.”
Rose – “Well, maybe a little bit, you know but like we’ve been like this a lot when we’re actually doing an interview and you know sometimes that isn’t shown when the thing comes out.”
Coburn – “That’s the thing about Rockline. You’re live and unedited.”
Rose – “Yeah, it’s been a good experience for me too.”
“The dust on that fiasco settled long ago.” – Bob Coburn
Bob Coburn listed the incident as one of the most memorable interviews of his career, telling All Access, “Izzy, Duff and Slash from GNR came on the show absolutely smashed and a ridiculous feud broke out between the band, the label, KLOS and anyone else within an earshot, including the L.A. Times… The dust on that fiasco settled long ago.”
Sadly, Bob Coburn passed away in 2016 at the age of 68 from lung cancer. Shortly after his passing, Slash gave an interview, discussing the feud and his memories of Coburn.
“I just really love Bob a lot and I’m really sad to see him go.” – Slash
“Bob Coburn was one of the handful of DJs that I grew up listening to on FM radio in Los Angeles and I always liked Bob Coburn because he had this great, sort of dry delivery and he was always interviewing, you know, as an aspiring musician.
He was always interviewing all the artists that I really liked and I was able to hear anecdotes from some of these great rockstars, great musicians, that I was into… Guns N’ Roses finally got to the place where we were getting some radio play and Bob Coburn and I started out on the wrong foot.
We met for the first time and Guns was down in his little studio in Studio City, doing an interview. I was drinking and doing all kinds of stuff and I had just eaten next door at some little restaurant prior to the interview.
On air, I got really sick and I threw up into a paper bag… At the time, I didn’t think it was a big deal… I don’t know, the story spread that we were out of control and I was pretty, I guess for a lack of a better word, despicable and so there was a big negative thing between myself and Bob for a long time.
Then we got reacquainted years and years later… he was such a good guy and so eloquent and so knowledgable and such an open-minded and you know just very generous… I really liked him a lot so we established a really good report.
I talked to him when I first found out that he was really sick. We spoke on the phone and I was hoping that he was going to pull through this… it’s just really sad to lose Bob. He was such a great guy and such a unique guy. Such a one of a kind and there’s no replacing him… Anyways I just really love Bob a lot and I’m really sad to see him go.”
Like this story? Check out Randy Rhoads’ Tragic Death and History with Ozzy Osbourne
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