Former Guns N' Roses Drummer Shares Candid Opinion of Axl Rose

A little more than a year after he was dismissed from Guns N’ Roses, drummer Frank Ferrer has opened up about his previous employer.

It was 2006 when Ferrer originally joined the GNR lineup. Initially, it was meant to be a temporary thing – he was replacing Brian “Brain” Mantia, who was taking a break to care for his newborn child. But when Mantia opted not to return, Ferrer was offered the full-time job. He kept it for nearly 20 years, a tenure which included the famous return of Duff McKagen and Slash to the Guns N’ Roses lineup.

Ferrer’s impressive run with GNR concluded in 2025. “Everything comes to an end,” the drummer reflected during a recent interview with Rolling Stone. “Everything just comes to an end. And I’ve said this before, I knew this thing wasn’t gonna be forever. I was just so happy I got to do it when I got to do it.”

While he didn’t go into too much detail regarding his exit, the drummer confirmed there was
“nothing dramatic” and “no animosity.” “We didn’t get into a fight or anything like that,” he remarked.

Frank Ferrer Says Axl Rose Is the 'Complete Opposite' of What People Think

Within Rolling Stone’s interview, Ferrer took the opportunity to discuss Axl Rose, a man he described as “super nice and friendly.”

“I think the world thinks that [Axl is] a scary, mean guy. And he’s the complete opposite,” Ferrer contended. “He doesn’t suffer fools, so that might piss people off. But he’s generous and super funny, and worried about us all the time, worried about, ‘Hey, you guys, how you guys doing?’ ‘Hey, is Frank OK? Hey, Frank, are you OK?’ ‘I’m doing fine.’ He’s, ‘Oh, OK, cool.’ It’s that kind of stuff constantly. I wish they could know him the way I know him. That’s the only way I could say it. He’s a great musician, great singer, all that stuff that goes in the pot, but he’s a good man.”

The drummer also praised Rose’s work ethic and immeasurable talents.

“He’s out there busting his ass, trying to make everything sound great, be great every night. He’s under immense pressure, and he delivers,” Ferrer noted. “He would lead the way. We would go up there and even if you’re feeling like, ‘Oh, man, I don’t know if I feel that great tonight,’ and then he comes out and starts singing and, I don’t know, turning into the Hulk out there. You’re like, ‘F— this. I better get to where he’s at.’ And everybody would push. He loves being up there. He loves giving a good show. And we had to rise to the occasion.”

Frank Ferrer Is Confident He'll 'Get Together' With Axl Rose Again

Asked if he was able to have a heart-to-heart with Rose prior to his departure from the band, Ferrer remarked that one wasn’t necessary. “I’m sure that him and I will get together again. I’m sure we’ll get together. I think it was just, things change. Nothing stays the same, that’s all.”

Content with his place in the band’s history, Ferrer expressed his appreciation for GNR’s passionate fans.

“I’m grateful for the love that the fan base has given me, how they accepted me and made me feel like I was part of the legacy,” he confessed. “A big thank you to the people that supported the band and that viewed me as a band member. I think that’s kinda cool.”