Nirvana's Kurt Cobain also took offense, according to then-manager Danny Goldberg: "Kurt's whole thing about being a feminist, this was at a time when Guns N’ Roses had a song that was on one of their big albums that referred to niggers and faggots. Hearing this, Rose suggested they play the song in their act "just to piss them off". When Guns N' Roses and Living Colour supported The Rolling Stones for a concert in Los Angeles in 1989, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid publicly commented on "One in a Million" during his band's set. Others - including music industry peers - accused Rose of racism for the use of the word ' niggers'. This infuriated him so much that he attacked the officers, resulting in his arrest.
He responded that, as a teenager, he was mistaken for a girl by two police officers, who proceeded to make sexual comments towards him. Rose was also accused of being biased against police owing to the lyrics. He later softened this stance, and insisted that he was not homophobic, pointing out that some of his icons, such as Freddie Mercury and Elton John, as well as David Geffen, the head of his record label, were bisexual or gay. In response to accusations of homophobia, Rose initially stated that he was "pro-heterosexual" and "I'm not against them doing what they want to do as long as it's not hurting anybody else and they're not forcing it upon me", and spoke of negative experiences in his past, such as a seemingly friendly man who let him crash on his hotel room floor, then tried to rape him. A small "article" entitled "One in a Million", credited to Rose, ended: "This song is very simple and extremely generic or generalized, my apologies to those who may take offense." The cover of GN'R Lies – a mock- tabloid newspaper design – contained an apology for the song, suggesting controversy was anticipated. Fuck him! Why'd he put us in his skit? We don't just do something to get the controversy, the press. Bob Goldthwait said the only reason we put these lyrics on the record was because it would cause controversy and we'd sell a million albums. Doesn't John Lennon have a song " Woman Is the Nigger of the World"? There's a rap group, N.W.A. The word 'nigger' doesn't necessarily mean black. I used the word 'nigger' because it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. I don't like being told what I can and what I can't say.
I used words like police and niggers because you're not allowed to use the word 'nigger.' Why can black people go up to each other and say, 'Nigger,' but when a white guy does it all of a sudden it's a big putdown? I don't like boundaries of any kind. In a 1989 Rolling Stone interview, Rose explained the lyrics: Critic Jon Pareles noted that "with 'One in a Million' on G 'n' R Lies, the band tailored its image to appeal to white, heterosexual, nativist prejudices, denouncing blacks, immigrants and gays while coyly apologizing 'to those who may take offense' in the album notes." Getting really far away from all my friends and family in Indiana." Controversy Īccusations of homophobia, nativism and racism were levelled against singer and lyricist Axl Rose. 'Cos he couldn't believe I would write that… The chorus came about because I was getting, like, really far away like ' Rocket Man (song)', Elton John… Like in my head. And it stuck with me… When I said 'Police and niggers/that's right,' that was to fuck with (band associate) Wes (Arkeen)'s head. "I was picturing trying to call me if, like, I disappeared or died… The chorus – 'You're one in a million' – someone said that to me once, real sarcastically. "I came up with 'We tried to reach you but you were much too high,'" Rose told Mick Wall.