Highlights
- Axl Rose punched David Bowie during a Guns N' Roses performance in 1989.
- Despite their fight, Rose and Bowie eventually made amends.
- The woman involved in the altercation was Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly.
During David Bowie's music career, he became one of the most respected and talked about singers in the world. As a result, it is no surprise that there are many rumors about Bowie including one that refers to his relationship with Mick Jagger.
On the other hand, while Axl Rose has been wildly successful, he is a lot more controversial and his band has been plagued by lawsuits. Despite Rose's scandalous reputation, it is still very surprising to learn that Gun N' Roses' frontman once punched Bowie.
Why Did Axl Rose Punch David Bowie?
By 1989, Guns N' Roses had become one of the biggest hard rock bands in the world. Known for songs like "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City", "Sweet Child o' Mine", and "Patience" by that time, the band was on a huge roll.
Thanks to all the success Guns N' Roses was enjoying, the band got a huge opportunity that also would be an honor for most bands. The Rolling Stones asked Guns N' Roses to open for them when they performed at The Cathouse in Los Angeles.
When it came time for Guns N' Roses to perform, there were a couple of VIPs in the audience. Slash’s mother Ola was there in the front row to watch her son's band play and so was one of the most legendary rock stars of all time, David Bowie.
While it may seem like it would be thrilling for any musician to have Bowie watch them perform, Axl Rose didn't feel that way. According to an article published by Kerrang, Rose was angered by Bowie's presence in the audience.
During his 1989 performance, Axl Rose reportedly took note of Bowie's presence and began to act aggressively toward him. From the stage, Rose is said to have hurled insults at Bowie and adopted an aggressive posture while sneering at him. Rose's behavior reportedly was so obvious that Slash's mom was confused by what was happening.
Based on Kerrang's reporting, Rose's behavior toward Bowie was motivated by a previous incident. When Guns N' Roses was filming a music video for the song "It’s So Easy" at The Cathouse, Bowie showed up and things quickly went wrong in a big way.
During the filming of the music video, Rose had his girlfriend at the time, Erin Everly, film a scene. The outfit that Everly wore to film her scene was very revealing, to say the least, and that is what led to the drama behind Rose and Bowie.
After Everly's outfit caught Bowie's eye, he reportedly began hitting on her during the filming of the music video. According to the owner of the venue who spoke to Kerrang, Rose caught wind of Bowie hitting on his girlfriend and chaos ensued.
Before long, Rose and Bowie were said to be trading punches. Ultimately, Rose reportedly chased Bowie out of the venue and threatened the legendary rock star's life while calling him "Tin Man".
During an interview with Mick Wall, Rose revealed that Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger later asked him about his fight with Bowie. According to Rose's version of the resulting conversation, Jagger and Clapton then proceeded to gossip about Bowie.
"I was out doing a soundcheck one day when we were opening for the Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton cornered me. I’m sittin’ on this amp and all of a sudden they’re both right there in front of me. And Jagger doesn’t really talk a lot, right? He’s just real serious about everything, and all of a sudden he’s like 'So you got in a fight with Bowie, didja?'"
Rose continued, "So I told him the story real quick and him and Clapton are going off about Bowie in their own little world, talking about things from years ago. They were saying things like when Bowie gets drunk he turns into the Devil from Bromley.... I mean, I’m not even in this conversation. I’m just sittin’ there. Listening to ‘em bitch like crazy about Bowie. It was funny."
During the same interview with Mick Wall, Rose revealed something more important. Even though they came to blows, Rose said his relationship with Bowie had a happy ending. The reason for that is Rose claims that Bowie sought him out to make amends which was greatly appreciated.
"Bowie and I had our differences. And then we talked and went out to dinner and then went down the China club and stuff. And when we left, I was like, 'I wanna thank you for being the first person that’s ever come up to me in person and said how sorry they were about the situation and stuff.' It was cool, you know?"
Who Is The Woman Who Came Between Axl Rose And David Bowie?
Since Gun N' Roses first rose to fame in the '80s, the band's frontman has been in the public eye for decades. Over that time, Rose has been romantically linked to several different women at one time or another.
In some cases, Rose's romantic relationships were only rumored. Some examples of that include rumors that he dated Olivia Williams, Elle Macpherson, and even Lana Del Ray whom he supposedly was linked to in 2012.
Probably Rose's best-remembered relationship was with the supermodel Stephanie Seymour. According to Whos Dated Who, Rose and Seymour dated from 1991 until 1993, and they were even briefly engaged before their eventual split.
Unlike Seymour, Rose's girlfriend that led to his fight with David Bowie wasn't a supermodel. However, Rose's then-girlfriend whom Bowie hit on did have an impact on pop culture that has gone down in music history.
The daughter of Don Everly of The Everly Brothers, Erin Everly inspired the lyrics for the Guns N' Roses song "Sweet Child 'o Mine".
After the incident involving Bowie, Rose and Everly tied the knot in 1990. After being married for nine months, Rose and Everly's marriage came to an unceremonious end as she accused the Guns N' Roses star of being abusive.
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