The 100,000,000-selling rock icons Keith Richards dismissed as ‘posers’
Keith Richards praised Guns N’ Roses for succeeding despite resistance from radio, but criticised the band’s appearance as imitative and overly posed. His comments show how he valued musical substance over image, even as the band’s striking look helped define its public identity.
Slash has said The Rolling Stones were a lasting influence on him and that Richards was someone he looked up to. When Slash was considering leaving Guns N’ Roses amid difficulties with Axl Rose, Richards told him, “You never quit”; Slash said the advice helped him return to rehearsals and remain with the group longer.
- Richards admired Guns N’ Roses’ success and resolve.
- He thought their image was too imitative and posed.
- His advice helped Slash stay with the band longer.
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Guns N’ Roses are an American rock band whose best-known line-up included singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash. They rose to prominence in the late 1980s, when hard rock bands often used distinctive clothes and hairstyles as part of their public image.
The Rolling Stones, the British band featuring guitarist Keith Richards, had already become one of rock’s most influential groups. Slash has said their music shaped his own playing, and that Richards’s advice helped him stay with Guns N’ Roses during a difficult period with Rose.
The story reflects a long-running tension in rock between musical ability and stage image. A band’s look can help it stand out, while musicians may disagree about how much that image says about the music.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Richards’s criticism can be understood as a defence of musical substance and originality: a band’s look may attract attention, but should not substitute for its own voice and performance. From this perspective, calling out imitation is fair, especially when a younger musician has acknowledged the older band’s influence.
The case against
Guns N’ Roses’ image can be seen as part of its artistic identity rather than a pose detached from the music. A distinctive look helped the band communicate its attitude and connect with listeners, while influence from the Stones does not by itself make its style unoriginal; Richards’s praise for the band’s success and his encouragement of Slash also suggest respect beyond the criticism.