Before his escalating substance use led to his dismissal from the seminal hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, Steven Adler was a part of something great. His powerful yet loose approach to drumming helped the band’s landmark 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction, sell more than 30 million copies and spend four weeks atop the Billboard 200. Today, we’re taking a look back at the life and career of Steven Adler, born on this day (Jan. 22) in 1965.
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Born Michael Coletti in Cleveland, Ohio, Adler’s rebellious streak surfaced at a young age. As a teen, his poor behavior prompted his mother to send Adler to live with his grandparents in Hollywood. That’s where he met Saul Hudson, now better known as Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. Eventually, he returned to his parents’ home in California’s San Fernando Valley, where he picked up the drums.
After finishing high school in 1983, Steven Adler reunited with Slash in Hollywood, and the two formed the band Road Crew with bassist Duff McKagan. The group lasted just one year, but in 1985, the trio joined vocalist Axl Rose and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin in Guns N’ Roses.
“We Just Knew”
Cutting their teeth playing the Los Angeles nightclub scene, Guns N’ Roses inked a deal with Geffen Records in 1986. The following year, their freshman record Appetite for Destruction would become the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S.—to the surprise of everyone but the rockers themselves.
“We just knew. Me, Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy… we all knew where it was gonna take us,” Steven Adler recalled in 2010. “We’d go into the booth and listen back, looking at each other, saying, ‘This is gonna be the greatest record ever.’”
The band followed it up with another hit, G N’ R Lies, in 1988. Unfortunately for Adler, fame had also brought a taste of something far more destructive. In Paramount’s 2024 docuseries Nothin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ’80s Hair Metal, the drummer explained that he first tried h***** as a way to keep up rock-and-roll appearances.
Unfortunately, in his own words, “The third time was the charm. I fell in love with it.” Adler’s drug use soon spiraled out of control, culminating in his 1990 dismissal from Guns N’ Roses. A very public battle with addiction would play out over the next decade or so, including a felony charge and appearances on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew and its spin-off Sober House. He has since resumed touring.
Featured image by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
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