Just what is it about Guns N' Roses' debut album, Appetite for Destruction? Is it the pure rawness of the music? Could it be the messages behind the lyrics, that can be interpreted in so many ways? Could it be the sheer drive of the way the music was mixed? Could it be the energy of the band? I think it's all of these things all rolled into one album.
I first listened to it back in June of 1989. I had heard of the band before, but the music I have heard was a little on the twangy side. So it didn't really speak out to me, other than, "Dammit this sounds country so it sucks." At that time, I was only 9, turning 10, and didn't hear the elements of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin in the music. All I heard was twang and the smell of dust and sheep poop. That all changed once I heard the opening guitar lines of Welcome to the Jungle. If it were me meeting a person for the first time I would have been missing some teeth. It was a sucker punch for sure, because it was nothing I had expected.
For some time I had heard the music, finally I owned a copy of the album on cassette. I thought that was the coolest cassette to own, I carried it everywhere. I thought I was a privileged kid, listening to lyrics like "Why don't you just, fuck off, I'm fucking innocent, that old man is a real motherfucker gonna kick him on down the line, you're fucking crazy, " I had heard my parents talk like that but I never thought they would allow me to listen to music that had that same speech.
I grew up in an abusive home with addicted parents. I spent a lot of my time alone. But when I heard Axl Rose cuss out the world at high volumes, things would be okay with me again. Because he said things I have always wanted to say, whether it would be towards my parents, peers, bullies, or authority figures. At some point he would encourage me to say things that were on my mind, regardless of what other people thought. He basically taught me, "Who gives a fuck what other people think, it's your own voice, use it." So I did.
So Appetite for Destruction wasn't just another album in my CD collection, it was my inner voice. I thank those five guys for battling the elements of Hollywood to make themselves a rock n roll phenomenon, and recording every second of it. Their lyrics and music may have meant something to them, but it meant something entirely different to me.
Appetite for Destruction isn't just another album, it's a way of life for me.
