Another Record for Guns n' Roses

This record alert comes to us via Forbes. Apparently, GnR is the biggest musical act on YouTube for both the 1980s and 1990s. "November Rain" is the first video from the 90s to reach a billion views.

That's pretty damn impressive. I don't think there can be any argument: GnR were and remain the biggest act of the 80s metal and rock heyday. The only other band that comes close is Def Leppard. I read Forbes a lot (a hobby of mine is investing and finance) so it was totally cool to see an article about Guns n' Roses in that magazine.

#GNR Heads For $500 Million Tour Earnings As 'November Rain' Sets YouTube Record - Forbes https://t.co/CHz0zFbjOP pic.twitter.com/fxR8xpeQxB

— Guns N'Roses News (@GunsNRosesNo1) July 14, 2018

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Comments

[Bkallday]

Sorry but I'm gonna disagree, vehemently, that Def Leppard has ever, ever, even been in the same stratosphere as GNR. Many bands come closer than they do.

[Badland]

Anyone reading the Tuff Diaries?

[Metalboy!]

BK, I sorta get your point about Def Leppard not being in the same league as Gn’R, i.e. more legit or any number of descriptors regarding the authenticity of their music as opposed to the more forthright Def Leppard Pop Metal approach.

However, there are still a lot of people out there who might prefer Def Leppard over Gn’R because ...

[fletch]

Badland: MF Rachelle wore HAIR EXTENSIONS! Let's kick his 9 inch penis!

[Badland]

Lol ikr just dont run ur fingers thru his hair

[Badland]

If you want a real look inside 80s metal read the Tuff Diaries. Should be a book but its not. Just telling his story.

[Him]

Yes, Badland. Been reading it for fun. He, like me, could use a good editor. He, unlike me, seems to have lived quite the life. Never liked Tuff, but find his behind the scenes stories of striving enjoyable (always like stories like this, even when they should come with a salt shaker!). And I wonder if his lack of significant impact outside of smaller metal circles led him to do this sort of free-verse version of what amounts to the draft of a book. Not that I am slagging him. His site is always good for a diversion. And I appreciate that he is a bit humble when it comes to faded (almost) glory and a loss of the already fading hair that he had back in the day!

Not to add further fire to a needless debate, but . . . talk of who "remains" the biggest act from the glory days is always going to be obviously biased one way or another. It is less biased than who "was" the biggest act . . . so long as you add a long list of qualifiers, which still introduces a whole lot of "yes, but" diversions. This sorta' thing reminds me of the Big Four debates: how do you even begin to assess the merits of Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax as against each other? And why leave out Testament, Death Angel, Exodus, etc., etc. They are all fun, if ultimately, pointless. In both cases (the then/now issue), the question is obvious: in terms of what?

So I will add a bit of nuanced tomfoolery to this pointlessness (most of what I write, I assume, is taken by some on this site as pointless!): in terms of longevity, Def Leppard wins due to the band roster and the continued release of product; in terms of craft, it is an unequal tie since you are comparing two rather distinct sub-genres; in terms of catalog, Leppard wins given what they released up through Hysteria; in terms of financials, I have to assume it is still Leppard even if this latest grab (I mean, glam) fest by GnR is raking in the bucks; in terms of fandom, another tie since I have no idea how many people like either band, or both bands, or different periods from either of them; in terms of integrity, I have to go with Leppard simply because of how they treated each other (sorry Willis and Kenning, this is a purely numerical sort of calculation . . . yeah, right!), how they treated Allen, and how they still honor the cog in the machine that mattered when they mattered most, Clark.

See I can debate the undebatable. And, given that this is opinion-driven, I still win (for me). For you? Who knows?

[fletch]

and, to boot, Him...Stevie Rachelle boasts that he has 10+ inches. That c*cksucker has the infamous, "penis chart".

[fletch]

Van Halen v. Def Leppard re: Integrity?

Def Lep wins hands down. Do not pass go, do not collect your $200. There is hardly a topic in which I am so clear that It shines so clearly.