How Guns N’ Roses made the most insecure song in rock history

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. All bands should experiment with their sound every now and then, but seeing one of LA’s most dangerous groups suddenly make the most over-the-top videos in MTV history, like “Estranged” and “November Rain,” isn’t something fans would just overlook.

And neither do the critics. From day one, many supposed music experts have taken turns bashing GNR for their antics, whether it was Rose’s brutal honesty in interviews or his later need to insert racist slurs into the middle of his lyrics on songs like “One in a Million.”

But that’s the nature of the beast. There are always people out to take you down, and most artists know how to roll with the punches. But Rose wasn’t one of those people. No, he was insulted, and “Get In The Ring” is perhaps one of the greatest expressions of insecurity a rock star has ever experienced.

Because when you think about it, many artists have done things that are considered inappropriate. From John Lennon’s admission of domestic violence to Noel Gallagher’s demand that his rival Blur should die of AIDS, it’s not as if no one has admitted they’ve done something wrong.

When Rose had a goal, he recorded “Get in the Ring” as one long diss track against his critics. But whatever. There are already plenty of songs about ne’er-do-wells, but Rose had to go a step further to twist the knife even more. He listed the names of certain music journalists from magazines and claimed he would come to their houses and kick their asses if they didn’t follow the rules.

A cheap shot, yes, but so what? There have been many musicians in the past who have attacked journalists, and usually with good reason, when they have misbehaved. But these are not just a few choice lines that Rose has included in the song. No, this is a revenge fantasy, and the second half of the song is one of the funniest pieces of musical theater the 1990s have ever produced.

After rattling off his supposed hit list, Rose essentially recreates a heavyweight match between all of these journalists, taking on the voice of the commentator who introduces Guns N’ Roses as the heavyweight champions of the world who want to stomp anyone else who disrespects them into the ground.

While Rose has the right to record whatever he wants, it’s a little odd to see someone do what he attempted so effortlessly just a few years later. Given that one of Rose’s harshest critics was Kurt Cobain, having the grunge icon face the same kind of criticism was the diplomatic route Rose didn’t want to take, either keeping it out of the press or simply letting it bounce off him.

That’s not even the last intimidation song Rose put on the record. He eventually worked his way through an industrial beat on the track “My World” to close out the double-album experience. Anyone who breaks into the music business usually has to deal with more than a few critics over the course of their life, but Rose’s way of dealing with his problems is far from what most celebrities expect.

No, this is the equivalent of a rock star acting like a school bully, trying to convince everyone around him that he’s winning at life. There’s an old saying that good rock ‘n’ roll is three chords and the truth, and while those three chords do indeed appear in “Guns,” the only truth “Get in the Ring” has in its name is that Rose’s cozy mansion was probably made of glass.

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