The Kurt Cobain Vs. Axl Rose Feud Timeline Explained

Strangely enough, this rock 'n roll feud didn't begin with bad blood; if anything, it began with Axl Rose's overenthusiastic Nirvana fandom. In 1992, Guns were gearing up for a tour with metal kings Metallica, and in a 2006 Esquire interview, Dave Grohl described how Rose was relentless in his attempts to get Nirvana to participate. "I remember that when 'Nevermind' first came out, Axl Rose was a really big fan of us," Grohl said, explaining that Rose had gotten hold of Kurt Cobain's number and had been calling him, like, a lot. He recalled that one day as he and Cobain were walking through an airport, Cobain blurted out a certain F-word before griping, "Axl Rose won't stop calling me."

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett even joined in on the lobbying. Speaking with NME, he remembered how he had gotten Cobain on the horn to make the offer to join the tour, only for Cobain to "[go] on and on about how he just didn't like what Guns N' Roses stood for." Hammett said he quite reasonably suggested that the band "just go out there and represent Nirvana," and that he literally pleaded with Cobain to reconsider — but ultimately, the rocker wasn't interested. It stands to reason that the rejection might have left Rose a little miffed, but if so, he wasn't saying anything about it — at least, not yet. The first public volley in what Grohl described to Esquire as "back-and-forth ... tenth-grade bulls***" would, rather uncharacteristically, be launched by Cobain.