​The Story of Buckethead & Axl Rose

Good evening everybody, today we’ll take an in-depth look at the history between guitar hero Buckethead and iconic guns n roses frontman Axl Rose. So, let’s begin.

The story begins in late 1999, 3 years after lead guitarist Slash quit the band and shortly after one of his replacements Robin Fink had left.

(Josh Freese in 2013)
When robin finck had left for nine inch nails we were looking for a guitar player and we auditioned a few people. And then one day I walked into the studio and Axl says “Buckethead. Do you know him?”. I said “Yeah man I’ve known Buckethead since 1991”.

Axl had first became aware of Buckethead through his newly released album Monsters & Robots. Which Buckethead was promoting whilst on tour with Primus.
Through Josh Freese Axl called Buckethead in November of 99 and invited him to his house for a Christmas party.
At the time Buckethead was apprehensive about joining GNR because it “wasn’t really…his kind of thing”.
A 2002 press release for Buckethead’s album ‘Bermuda Triangle’ recounts the meeting stating:-
“At a 1999 Christmas party at Axl Rose’s house, the Guns N Roses leader, whom he had never met before, presented Buckethead with a gift…a hard to find Leatherface doll no one else had given him”.
Buckethead would later tell the story to MTV stating he took the gesture as sign and that Axl “must understand me somehow”.
So, it wasn’t because of money or fame that Buckethead joined GNR, it was all because of a leatherface doll. Excellent.
Buckethead officially joined GNR In March 2000. And as for the signing of the contract…

(Brain interview)
“He signed his contract with Axl at Disneyland. I think Axl went to Disneyland and they signed on the Haunted Mansion. As he was on the ride he signed the contract.”

And although you could probably throw away this story away as being a joke with anybody else, knowing what we know about Buckethead, it’s probably true.
In fact, in a December 2008 forum post Axl himself said “I’m pro Disney, go about once a year. Went with Buckethead a lot.” Woo.

(2001 June European tour cancelled/ Rescheduled December tour cancelled)
The new GNR would play their first shows less than a year later in January 2001 in las vegas and brazil before announcing and later cancelling a European tour…twice.
Both of these times GNR manager Doug Goldstein would release a statement putting the blame on Buckethead.
The first time, stating that Buckethead had a “Stomach ailment”.
The second time, saying that“unfortunately, Buckethead’s illness not only stopped the tour, but it slowed down our progress on Chinese Democracy”.
Yep, Buckethead slowed down the making of Chinese democracy so much that it took another 7 years to come out, and 4 of those years buckethead wasn’t even there. Shut ya face.
Incidentally when both of those statements were released, buckethead had already put out a handful of albums that year, was in the middle of making Bermuda triangle for a 2002 release and recorded the soundtrack for John Carpenters ghosts of mars.

The band would eventually tour in late 2002, which not only included the infamous vma awards appearance, but also a handful or riots and the firing of GNR manager Doug Goldstein. The tour was eventually cancelled in December 2002.