Izzy Stradlin , who left the band in November 1991 , later stated that replacing Adler with Matt Sorum of The Cult had a big impact on the band 's sound . In response to an interviewer 's suggestion that the line-up change had turned Guns N ' Roses from a rock 'n' roll band into a heavy metal one , Stradlin said , " Yeah , a big musical difference . ... Our songs were written with Steve playing the drums and his sense of swing was the push and pull that give the songs their feel . When that was gone , it was just ... unbelievable , weird . Nothing worked . I would have preferred to continue with Steve , but we 'd had two years off and we could n't wait any longer . " Following his departure from Guns N ' Roses , according to Adler , he was set to join AC/DC and relocate to Australia . However , during the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1990 , Axl Rose announced Adler 's firing onstage and branded him a drug addict , which Adler said caused AC/DC 's manager to withdraw their offer . Adler instead reformed Road Crew with a new line-up , consisting of former Vain members singer Davy Vain , guitarist Jamie Scott , and bassist Ashley Mitchell , along with guitarist Shawn Rorie . They recorded an album and attracted attention from a major label , but due to Adler 's persistent drug problems , the group disbanded shortly thereafter . Adler then entered a prolonged , self-imposed exile from the music industry ; he later recalled , " I wish I could say that I did a lot of traveling or self-improvement , but all I actually did was sit on the couch and get high — while the TV watched me . It was a very , very hard time . " A year after his dismissal , in July 1991 , Adler filed a lawsuit against his former Guns N ' Roses band mates , contending that he was fired because the opiate-blocking drug he had been taking to aid his detox interfered with his concentration . He also alleged that the contract he had been made to sign took away his financial interest in the band , stating , " I was told that every time I did heroin , the band would fine me $ 2,000 . ... What these contracts actually said was that the band were paying me $ 2,000 to leave . They were taking my royalties , all my writing credits . They did n't like me any more and just wanted me gone . " The case was settled out of court in 1993 ; Adler received a back-payment check of $ 2,250,000 and was granted 15 % of the royalties for everything he recorded prior to his departure
MTV Video Music Awards
1990 MTV Video Music Awards
Steven Adler