All members of Guns N' Roses used large amounts of alcohol and drugs during the group's heyday, but Steven Adler reached such a severe point in his addiction that he was fired for substance abuse in 1991.
After signing a document giving him 30 days to recover from his addiction, the drummer was dismissed from the band. However, he disagreed with his bandmates' decision and filed a lawsuit against Guns N' Roses. In 1993, Axl Rose had to testify about his bandmates' drug use and explain the meaning of "Mr. Brownstone," a track from the album Appetite for Destruction , at a hearing related to the case.
Asked about “a song about heroin” on the group’s debut album, the singer explained the meaning of “Mr. Brownstone.” “A song about trying to avoid or get rid of the heroin habit, staying away from it,” he began. “It’s about heroin and continuing to deny the habit, being in the situation while denying what’s happening.”
When the prosecuting attorney began reading the lyrics of the song to Rose, there was a lighthearted interruption. “We have a witness humming this,” an unidentified hearing participant interrupted in the video recording.
The singer went on to explain the meaning of the lyrics beyond heroin. “It could be any substance, it could be television. I see it as any possibility. I think it addresses any kind of substance abuse or repressed emotion. That’s how I see the song and always have seen it,” Rose explained. “In a simpler way, you can look at it as heroin or anything you want.”
The process lasted several months, but the group reached an out-of-court settlement with Adler, with a payment of US$2.2 million and 15% royalties from all material recorded with the band.
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