"They'll make it... if they live long enough," has been one of the comments on Guns N' Roses.

 

"'That quote's kind of pessimistic. We do sleep - once in a while," guitarist Izzy Stradlin says in a telephone interview from Los Angeles, the band's home base.

 

The lifestyle of Guns N' Roses fits the stereotype of life in the fast lane. The boys in the band idolize such nasty rock 'n' rollers as Aerosmith, the New York Dolls and the Rolling Stones back in the days when they were at the top of rock's hedonistic heap.

 

But Stradlin makes rude noises when Motley Crue's name comes up.

 

"The kids can tell the difference between their homogenized garbage and the stuff we play," he says. "Our music is a reflection of our lifestyle, not vice versa. It's not a pose."

 

And every naughty thought and deed comes to play on the blistering recording debut by Guns N' Roses, who open for The Cult at the Max Bell Arena Thursday night. These boys snarl, swear and sweat their way through 12 rock numbers on their just-released Appetite For Destruction.

 

"Our favorite music is from the '70s and from bands like Aerosmith and the Stones. That's what we dig and that's what we play. Exile On Main Street (by The Rolling Stones) is an immortal album. It's so emotional. Music has to hit a nerve and that sure does," says Stradlin.

 

"That's what we aim for. We may be on Geffen (one of major American labels) but we don't give a damn about sales. We play rock because that's what we want to do. It would be nice to make a decent living, but the bottom line is the music. If we didn't have this record deal and didn't even have any gigs, we'd still be jamming away."

 

Stradlin says touring with The Cult is an ideal musical marriage. The Cult's latest album, Electric, has drawn comparisons to Led Zeppelin and sold more than 100,000 copies in Canada alone.

 

"The Cult is great. I really like the direction their music is moving in and, as people, they're so cool to us on the road. Hell, they even give us a sound check before the show. It makes the whole tour a helluva lot of fun," says Stradlin. "By the way, are there any strip joints in Calgary?"

 

Stradlin heaves a sigh of relief when told that Calgary has strippers to spare.

 

"That's cool. Strippers are great between gigs to help restore a little sanity."

 

 

THE CULT and GUNS N' ROSES at the Max Bell Arena Thursday night. 

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