Jimmy Jag discusses Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction
After more than two years worth of columns, we rsquo;ve all discovered that, when it comes to the music that influenced this generation of Edmonton rsquo;s musicians, metal has been king. Distant Replay has featured more Iron Maiden albums than Beatles records, more Metallica than punk or indie rock. So, it rsquo;s fitting that in this, the final Distant Replay of them all (wait to see how the column will change in the next issue), Jimmy Jag of Edmonton dirty metal-punks Bidwhisk has decided to talk about arguably the most influential metal record ever, Guns N rsquo; Roses rsquo; Appetite for Destruction.
While many music historians point to Nirvana rsquo;s Nevermind as the album that destroyed the hair metal scene, it was really Appetite for Destruction, released in 1987, that marked the beginning of the end for the hairspray bands. At that time, Los Angeles was filled with bands short on musical vision boasting little more than big hair and tight pants. Appetite for Destruction was the anti-metal album; there were love songs ( ldquo;Sweet Child O rsquo; Mine rdquo; and ldquo;My Michelle rdquo;), but they were about prostitutes and drug addicts.
ldquo;Welcome to the Jungle, rdquo; the frantic lead single, was singer Axl Rose rsquo;s middle finger to Los Angeles, which turned hopeful teens into drug-addled street kids. In the end, Appetite for Destruction was more than a record; it was a look at the American Dream gone wrong. And it became the biggest metal album of all time.
ldquo;They came out of nowhere and stung the music industry, rdquo; says Jag. ldquo;They said they were going to do things their way. It wasn rsquo;t a fabricated band.
They were real, from the streets, and you knew they rsquo;d eaten biscuits or done anything they needed to do just to get by. rdquo; What made Appetite for Destruction so appealing is that it was a metal album that came from punk roots. Yes, it all changed for G N rsquo; R when the fame arrived, and following albums (like the Use Your Illusion series) were overwrought.
But remember that the band recorded Appetite for Destruction while still living on couches. ldquo;I think when the fame came and the money started to add up, the egos came into play, rdquo; says Jimmy. ldquo;And, even though I like the Use Your Illusion albums, it wasn rsquo;t the same as Appetite.
They couldn rsquo;t repeat it. rdquo; Bidwhisk is the kind of band that fosters roots in old-school punk, metal and some dirty rock. Think of the Stooges with some real metal volume.
Oh, and that G N rsquo; R attitude, too. As a band that embraces both punk and metal, Appetite for Destruction is an obvious lightning rod for Bidwhisk. ldquo;It rsquo;s true for us, rdquo; says Jimmy.
ldquo;I came from more of a punk background, our guitarist loves metal, but we both agree on Appetite for Destruction. It rsquo;s what brought us together. I think anyone who really knows music respects that album.
They don rsquo;t have to like it, but they have to recognize on how it changed music. rdquo; V | | | |
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