GN'R crew responds to Die Mannequin singer
By Doug Miller / GunsNRoses.com

From left to right: Chris Gratton, Gio Gasparetti, and Tom Mayhue
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A recent interview with the lead vocalist of the Canadian indie band Die Mannequin has managed to rub several members of the Guns N' Roses touring staff the wrong way.

Die Mannequin opened a few shows during the 2006 GN'R North American tour, and in a recent interview with Chart Magazine, the singer, known as Care Failure, described the experience this way:

"There were just so many rules about Axl!" Failure told Chart. "He used to show up 45 seconds before their set and wouldn't really hang around, so we barely saw him. Once, Tony (Useless, the Die Mannequin bassist) tried talking to him and got pinned against the wall by a guard."

GN'R stage manager Tom Mayhue offered this explanation of the events in question:

"This is how I remember it," Mayhue said. "Guns had just finished doing their two-hour set and were getting off the stage to go to their dressing rooms, and some drunk guy goes up to Axl.

"Now, no one knows who this guy is or what the hell he wants. Our head of security, Gio Gasparetti, is probably the best in the business at what he does, and he intervened. Later on, Gio went up to the guy and explained to him that what he did wasn't too bright, and that was that.

"I mean, when Care Failure's amp was fucked up, my crew fixed it. When their crew was late or drunk, sleeping in the dressing room at set change, our crew was there to set them up. This band was given more sound checks, extra guests, and whatever they needed from our production management, so I don't get why she felt the need to talk shit."

Chris Gratton, GN'R's production manager, added that there are no "rules" regarding Axl or any other member of Guns N' Roses.

"I hate it when I read or hear about things that never occurred," Gratton said. "The only rules are the ones I set in terms of the show schedule, like when the first band goes on, how long a set change is, et cetera.

"For most of the North American tour, Axl traveled in a tour bus and he would be at the gig several hours before Guns went on and watch the openers.

"Axl often had people partying in his dressing room -- I'm talking about everyone from his friends to the guys in Helmet to Sebastian Bach to the Suicide Girls -- until the wee hours in the morning.

"We had a lot of good times on that tour."