When Axl Rose Wanted To Fight David Bowie

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Behind The Song: Classic Rock Chronicles
Host: Janda (Gamut Podcast Network)
Episode: When Axl Rose Wanted To Fight David Bowie
Date: September 10, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, host Janda dives into one of rock and roll’s strangest backstage stories: the time Axl Rose tried to fight David Bowie over a woman—the same woman who inspired Guns N’ Roses’ classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The episode explores how the personal lives of rock legends intersected in surprising ways and left behind legendary tales. Janda also considers the recurring patterns in classic rock drama: ego, romance, rivalry, and ultimately, unexpected camaraderie.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. David Bowie’s History of Fist Fights (01:30)

• Janda opens with admiration for David Bowie's iconic allure, ability to reinvent himself, and lasting influence—but notes he wasn’t a stranger to physical altercations.
• Bowie’s Eyesight Incident:
  • At age 15, Bowie was permanently hurt in the eye by his best friend George Underwood in a fight over a girl. This resulted in his famous two-color eyes.
  • Despite the incident, Bowie and Underwood remained lifelong friends, collaborating on classic album art like Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.
• Notable Quote:

  “Everything that he did, he did with a touch of class. But he was no stranger to being in the occasional fist fight…”
  — Janda (01:38)

2. The Sweet Child and Axl’s Temper (04:13)

• Erin Everly as Muse:
  • Erin Everly, daughter of Don Everly (The Everly Brothers), inspired “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” She and Axl Rose had a tumultuous relationship.
• The Cat House Incident:
  • Guns N' Roses were shooting the risqué video for “It’s So Easy.” David Bowie, present due to his ties to Slash’s mother (Ola Hudson), took an “excessive” interest in Everly, who was in bondage gear for the filming.
  • Axl Rose, never shy about confrontation, was enraged and chased Bowie out of the venue, yelling:

  “I’m gonna kill you, Tin man!”
  — Janda (Retelling Axl Rose’s outburst, 06:20)

  • The chase spilled into the Hollywood streets; Bowie escaped.

3. Stage Showdown and Aftermath (07:00)

• Later, Bowie returned with Ola Hudson to watch GNR’s show. Axl, still fuming, insulted Bowie from the stage until Bowie left, baffling Hudson who knew nothing about the earlier altercation.
• Slash later had to explain the drama to his mother.

4. From Rivalry to Rock n’ Roll Reconciliation (08:00)

• Despite the confrontation, Rose and Bowie eventually reconciled.

• Bowie apologized, and the two ended up spending the evening drinking and bonding at the legendary China Club.

  “They ended up talking it all out, with Bowie apologizing for moving in on Rose’s girlfriend. They even headed out to the China Club together, where they spent the night drinking. Two rock stars who just found similarities in each other, at least for a night.”
  — Janda (08:07)

• The China Club was a hotspot for musicians and celebrities in LA, often hosting the likes of John Entwistle, Sam Kinison, and Robert De Niro.

• Mick Jagger, intrigued by the story, later quipped Rose for details, noting that Bowie had also been involved with both Marianne Faithfull and Bianca Jagger during Mick’s own relationships with them.

5. Reflections on Rock Star Reputations (09:00)

• Janda marvels at the outlandishness of Axl Rose chasing Bowie down the street and reflects on rock stars acting contrary to their public personas.
• Notable Moment:

  "Can you imagine the sight of Axl Rose chasing David Bowie down the street in broad daylight, hurling insults? Have you ever been surprised to see a rock star doing something that seemed out of character with their public Persona?"
  — Janda (09:07)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bowie’s Iconic Eyes:

  “…he totally embraced that look, knew that it was unique and it became totally iconic.”
  — Janda (02:30)

• On Bowie’s Failed Restraint:

  “…one would think that Bowie would have learned his lesson from this fight with his friend that permanently altered his appearance to stay away from somebody else's love interest or risk physical damage. But it seems that old habits died hard with Starman.”
  — Janda (03:30)

• On Rose and Bowie’s Unexpected Peace:

  “Just two guys having a good time together. Luckily, Bowie managed to escape this potential dust up with his eyes intact.”
  — Janda (08:52)

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:30 — Bowie’s youthful fistfight and eye injury
• 04:13 — Introduction of Erin Everly and the Cat House video shoot
• 06:20 — The altercation between Axl Rose and Bowie
• 07:00 — On-stage insults and second confrontation
• 08:00 — Bowie and Rose reconcile at the China Club
• 09:07 — Reflection on rock star personas and final thoughts

---

Tone, Language & Style

Janda’s narration is energetic, fun, and peppered with pop culture references and sly humor. The tone is both revelatory and reflective, balancing entertaining storytelling with reverence for the artists’ complex legacies. Janda's delivery weaves together music lore, interpersonal drama, and the quirks of classic rock personalities in an engaging, conversational style.

---

Takeaway

This episode spotlights the very human—and sometimes absurd—side of rock icons. It’s a story of jealousy, rivalry, and, ultimately, the unexpected camaraderie that can spring up between larger-than-life figures, reminding listeners that behind every classic song and legend, there’s a real, often messy, life at play.

Transcript

[Audible Narrator]

Audible's Romance collection has something to satisfy every side of you when it comes to what kind of romance you're into. You don't have to choose just one fancy a dalliance with a duke or maybe a steamy billionaire. You could find a book boyfriend in the city and another one tearing it up on the hockey field. And if nothing on this earth satisfies, you can always find love in another realm. Discover modern rom coms from authors like Lily Chu and Ali Hazelwood, the latest romantasy series from Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, plus Regency favorites like Bridgerton and Outlander, and of course, all the really steamy stuff. Your first great love story is free when you sign up for a free 30 day trial at audible.com wondery that's audible.com wondery yes, Mr. Gekko, you're a.

[Janda (Podcast Host)]

Huge inspiration to us all. But who was your muse?

[Geico Advertiser]

Oh my dear old Nan. She imparted many wise words to me. She would say, never let the fame get to your head. Always remember who you are and let people get more than just savings with Geico's fast and friendly claim support. I lived up to her advice and now anyone can file a claim anywh and anytime. I miss her so much.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser]

Did she go somewhere?

[Geico Advertiser]

Extended quilting trip?

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser]

Get more than just savings. Get more with Geico welcome to the behind the Song podcast, taking you deeper into classic rock's most timeless tunes. Here's your host, Janda.

[Janda (Podcast Host)]

I'm Janda, and this bonus episode of the behind the Song podcast is about the girl who inspired Guns N Roses classic tune Sweet Child of Mine, and about the fight that broke out over her between Axl Rose and David Bowie. Now, if you've listened to behind the Song, you know that I am fascinated by David Bowie, by his music and his life. I mean, here was an artist who recreated himself over and over again. He made a mark on pop culture each and every time that he did it, all while raising his son Duncan Jones and overcoming his own struggles with substance abuse and the fear of being a victim to the mental illness that ran in his family. Everything that he did, he did with a touch of class. But he was no stranger to being in the occasional fist fight, as odd as that is to square up in your mind against his usually composed disposition. In fact, the reason that Bowie's eyes appeared to be two different colors is because of a fight over a girl. His childhood best friend, the artist George Underwood, clocked Bowie in the eye after Bowie swooped in on a girl that Underwood was interested in. At a 15th birthday party back in the early 60s, Bowie's left eye was permanently damaged because of that fist fight, resulting in the two eyes appearing to be different colors. The right was the original blue, while the left appeared to be dark brown. After the injury, in true Bowie fashion, he totally embraced that look, knew that it was unique and it became totally iconic. As for the friendship with Underwood, the two remained close until Bowie's death in 2016, and they worked together quite a bit. Underwood is the illustrator who created the album covers for Bowie's Hunky Dory and the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Now, one would think that Bowie would have learned his lesson from this fight with his friend that permanently altered his appearance to stay away from somebody else's love interest or risk physical damage. But it seems that old habits died hard with Starman.

[Credelio Quattro Advertiser]

Wherever you go, whatever they get into, from chill time to everyday adventures, protect your dog from parasites with Credelio Quattro. For full safety information, side effects and warnings, visit cordelioquattrolabel.com consult your vet or call 1-888-545-5973. Ask your vet for Cordelia Quattro and.

[Janda (Podcast Host)]

Visit quattrodog.com it happened again in 1989 when Bowie ran afoul of the mercurial Axl Rose in Los Angeles for taking an interest in Rose's girlfriend, Erin Everly. She was the daughter of Don Everly of the Everly Brothers, if that last name sounds familiar, and the subject of Sweet Child Am I. Everly and Rose had a long, chaotic relationship and were later briefly married before they split apart for good, but in 1989 they were very much a couple. On the day in question, Guns N Roses were set to perform a warm up show and film scenes for a music video for their song it's so Easy at the Cat House in Hollywood, a now defunct rock venue that was the total favorite of the band's at the time. Everly, who was a model, was filmed for the video dressed up in bondage gear, black leather and chains, and the video was so risque that it wasn't even made public until decades later in 2018. And in what has to be one of the most unlikely of all scenarios, David Bowie appeared at the video shoot. And that's where it all went downhill. Bowie was there in the first place because of his relationship with Slash's mother, the fashion designer Ola Hudson. Bowie and Hudson had been romantically involved when Slash was still a child, a relationship that began while Bowie was still married to Angie Bowie, Duncan's mom. In the mid-70s, Hudson designed costumes for Bowie and the romance bloomed and they remained friends afterward. So when Slash became a big success after the Appetite for Destruction album was released, Bowie was invited by Hudson to see her son's band play a warm up show at the Cat House while he was in LA on business with his band Tin Machine. When Bowie arrived that day, the video shoot was happening. It was then that he saw Everly handcuffed and in chains for the music video shoot and he began to pay her just a little bit too much attention. That's when Axl Rose, never one to shy away from a confrontation, took offense and ended up chasing Bowie out of the Cat House, yelling I'm gonna kill you, Tin man. As he ran after and through the streets of Hollywood. Bowie got away, but later, after the video shoot, when Guns N Roses played their show at the Cat House, Bowie was again in the company of Ola Hudson and the two of them were front row to watch the show. Axl Rose went nuts when he saw him and he started insulting Bowie from the stage during the show, which caused Bowie to leave, much to Hudson's surprise. Slash had to explain it all to his mother afterward, and as Bowie had failed to mention what happened earlier that day. Now here's the interesting part. You would think that after all that, Bowie and Rose would just part ways and never speak to each other again. But no, they ended up talking it all out, with Bowie apologizing for moving in on Rose's girlfriend. They even headed out to the China Club together, where they spent the night drinking. Two rock stars who just found similarities in each other, at least for a night at the end of the day. The China Club, by the way, was an LA hotspot that catered to actors and musicians, where on any given night you might find John Entwistle from the who, comedian Sam Kinison, Robert De Niro. It was the place for celebs and rock stars at the time in Los Angeles when Guns N Roses opened for the Rolling Stones. Shortly after all this, Mick Jagger cornered Rose to ask him the details about how he had chased Bowie down the street in Hollywood, delighting in the story about how Rose confronted his old friend and rival over a girl. And Jagger could relate. Bowie had reportedly been involved with both Marianne Faithfull and Bianca Jagger while they were with Mick Jagger. Like I said, old habits die hard. Axl Rose and David Bowie didn't become long term friends, but you can find pictures of them from that night at the China Club on the Internet. Just two guys having a good time together. Luckily, Bowie managed to escape this potential dust up with his eyes intact. And for us fans, his encounter with Axl Rose just one more delightfully oddball story in rock and roll. Can you imagine the sight of Axl Rose chasing David Bowie down the street in broad daylight, hurling insults? Have you ever been surprised to see a rock star doing something that seemed out of character with their public Persona? Something to think about. Until next time, I'm Janda and thanks for listening to this bonus episode of behind the Song. If you like it hit, subscribe on the way. Much more classic rock and roll Limu.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser (Emu Voice)]

Game OO and Doug Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. But now we want you to feel it. Cue the emu music. Limu Save yourself money today. Increase your wealth. Customize and save. We say that may have been too much feeling.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser]

Only pay for what you need@liberty mutual.com.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser (Emu Voice)]

Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Fairy Unwritten.

[Liberty Mutual Advertiser]

By Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Affiliates Excludes Massachusetts.