Test Your Knowledge: Guns N' Roses

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Test Your Knowledge: Guns N' Roses
Image: Michael Putland/Getty

About This Quiz

Guns N' Roses rocked and rolled their way into music history and managed to self-destruct along the way. How much do you know about this iconic band?
What year was Guns N' Roses officially formed?
1983
1988
1985
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

But the band didn't release it's first album until two years later.

Which major label signed the band to their first record deal?
Def Jam Records
Geffen Records
EMI Records
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It’s the same label that promoted the likes of Beck, Garbage, Deborah Harry, Nirvana, Tesla and hundreds of other famous acts.

"The Spaghetti Incident" featured a cover song by which famous criminal?
Dennis Rader
Charles Manson
Jeffery Dahmer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The hidden track rose the hackles of law enforcement and the general public.

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As the band deteriorated their live performances became largely known for what?
Tardiness
Fireworks
On-stage drug use
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Axl was known to delay shows by hours … and then also cut them short.

Ozzy Osbourne said that if GNR had stayed together they could've been the next incarnation of what band?
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
Aerosmith
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Alas, the infighting and celebrity status tore them apart.

How many copies of "Appetite for Destruction" have been sold worldwide?
40 million
50 million
30 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is still the best-selling debut album in history in the United States.

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Which two of the band's members have one of the most famous feuds in rock history?
Rose and Stradlin
Rose and Slash
Rose and McKagan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Rose knows how to hold a grudge. He swore he'd never play with Slash again.

Which band member was most famous for his self-destructive drug abuse?
Duff McKagan
Izzy Stradlin
Steven Adler
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He later appeared on a reality show called "Celebrity Rehab."

In 1997, Slash was replaced by guitarist Robin Finck, who toured with what band?
Nine Inch Nails
Slipknot
Rage Against the Machine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He brought an industrial edge to the rock group.

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"Chinese Democracy" is the most expensive album ever produced. How much did it cost to make?
$14 million
$ 9 million
$12 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It took Axl Rose roughly a decade to make the album, which was received with rather lukewarm reviews.

During the worldwide Use Your Illusion tour, the band played how many shows?
194
202
186
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The tour lasted more than two years and ended in Argentina.

As the band's lineup continually changed, it wound up with a guitarist best known for what?
wearing a bucket on his head
biting the heads off of bats
spraying the audience with fake blood
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Yes, his nickname is, well, Buckethead and is considered a guitar virtuoso.

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Other than Axl Rose, which member has been with the band the longest?
Frank Ferrer
Chris Pitman
Dizzy Reed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Reed has been with GNR since 1990.

What sort of animals does Slash enjoy collecting?
dogs
reptiles
birds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He's been known to keep the creatures in cages all around his house.

Duff McKagan finally stopped drinking after what bodily malfunction?
His pancreas exploded
His heart stopped
His liver quit working
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According the McKagan he's been sober ever since.

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Axl relied heavily on which professional when making decisions about the band?
accountant
therapist
psychic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Her nickname in the band's inner circle was Yoda.

Before taking up guitar, Slash was obsessed with what activity?
Surfing
BMX biking
Running
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

For a brief period he got fast enough to compete professionally .

The "Use Your Illusion" records were released as double albums. How many total songs did they feature?
27
30
25
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The albums debuted at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Billboard charts.

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In what city did the band play their first shows?
San Diego
Los Angeles
Seattle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Their vehicle broken down on the way and hardly anyone came to the concerts

The video for "Estranged" was one of the most expensive in history and cost how much, after adjusting for inflation?
$8.5 million
$6.5 million
$4.5 million
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The video was part of a trio that also included "Don't Cry" and "November Rain."

Which song caused an uproad because of its homophobic and racist elements?
"One in a Million"
"Patience"
"You Ain't the First"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unsurprisingly, it's also the first song that Rose wrote all by himself.

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Which song was the band's first and only number one song on the Billboard charts?
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"November Rain"
"Welcome to the Jungle"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Billboard ranked it as the number five song for all of 1988.

This song was the theme of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day"
"Don't Cry"
"Civil War"
"You Could Be Mine"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A failed relationship between Stradlin and his girlfriend is the song's central theme.

What was Axl Rose's first idea for cover art on "Appetite for Destruction"?
A bloody car wreck
The explosion of the space shuttle
A violent war scene from a Middle East war
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Record label executives decided the idea was a bit too extreme for their tastes.

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The band attempted to replace Adler due to drug problems, but his proposed alternate was too drugged up to appear for his chance. Who was it?
Gilby Clarke
Richard Fortus
Dave Navarro
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Navarro had his own set of substance issues that made him a poor choice.

Which song was cut by roughly 90 seconds to make it more palatable for radio and TV stations?
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Paradise City"
"November Rain"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The edited version cut most of Slash's guitar solo, angering the entire band.

"Mr. Brownstone" is a song about what?
Rose's ex-girlfriend
Heroin addiction
Slash's Brooklyn apartment
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The band's well-known addiction problems contributed to its demise.

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Adler claimed that the band attempted to convince him to leave by paying him how much?
$2000
$20000
$200000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

They wanted him gone because of his destructive drug problems.

During recording for "Appetite for Destruction," Rose insisted on doing what?
Recording his lines one at a time
Being completely intoxicated
Having his girlfriend sit on his lap
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

His perfectionism drove his bandmates crazy and they'd abandon the studio while he sang.

Which artist was one of the forming members of the band?
Tracii Guns
Richard Roses
Dizzy Reed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

He was replaced by Slash before band achieved notoriety.

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You Got:
/30
Michael Putland/Getty