Guns N' Roses is being sued by Alan Niven , for allegedly trying to prevent them from releasing their memoir.
Titled Sound N' Fury: Rock 'N' Roll Stories , the book was originally scheduled for release in July 2025. However, it was postponed to September due to rumors that a legal team representing vocalist Axl Rose was working to prevent the book's publication. Now, the expected release date is March 2026. Pre-orders are available online.
In an interview with Classic Rock , Alan Niven accuses Axl Rose of having "violated the terms of the agreement in 1991"—an agreement signed at the time between the band and the manager when their relationship ended.
Now, Alan Niven has filed a lawsuit seeking a court order mandating the publication and distribution of the book
Sound N' Fury: Rock 'N' Roll Stories , as well as compensation for damages and "any other measure deemed fair and appropriate."
What the former manager of Guns N' Roses alleges
The former manager told Classic Rock : “In 2009, I was fed up with his public comments and started giving interviews. Slash sent me an email saying I should clear things up and that, obviously, I had the right to say what I wanted. He also constantly encouraged me, via email, to finish the book. Axl seems to forget that nobody, and I mean nobody, wanted to be his manager in 1986. In 1991, I put Wembley Stadium up for sale. I did my job. I think what we have here is a lack of recognition.”
The website Louder Sound reported that Guns N' Roses invoked a confidentiality clause in their 1991 purchase agreement with Niven to prevent the book's publication. According to Niven, this may have been done in an attempt to stop the book's publication "through repeated threats and contact with ECW ." The former manager also stated that "the agreement was made to allow Guns N' Roses to purchase my perpetual commission rights. It was not conceived as a confidentiality agreement."
During an interview in April 2025 , Alan Niven stated that Axl Rose wants to control everything and currently holds 50% of the band's revenue, a fact that, according to him, explains many of the changes in the creative dynamic and chemistry that previously defined Guns N' Roses.
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