Story by Greg Evans, Deadline | Doug Goldstein, the former longtime manager of Guns N’ Roses, who saw the hard rock group through the heights of commercial success and chaotic periods of rock ‘n’ roll excess, has died. He was 65.
His death was announced by Brandon Weissler, host of the Guns N’ Roses-focused podcast Appetite for Distortion. Weissler had worked with Goldstein some years back on the manager’s since-abandoned memoir.
“Many of you know that a few years ago, Doug and I were working on his autobiography together,” Weissler writes on Faceback. “Once others tried to get their hands on the project, it didn’t end well. At the time, I felt betrayed. I was wrong. What I used to think was a waste of time writing a book that never happened, I now cherish the hours of conversation with Doug.
“Doug was ALWAYS kind and supportive of me,” Weissler continues. “He made me feel good about myself, ALWAYS. I took a rejection from a publisher too hard, and it wasn’t Doug’s fault. We did reconcile, but our friendship was never sadly the same.”
Goldstein’s relationship with the band featuring singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash began around the time the group was promoting its debut album, 1987’s Appetite for Destruction. Goldstein first worked as tour manager and, later, as co-manager with Alan Niven. In an account of the era, the magazine and website Ultimate Classic Rock writes: “Goldstein’s job was, by all accounts, a thankless one. He entered the GN’R orbit while the band was hard at work promoting Appetite for Destruction – first as a tour manager, and later as co-manager alongside Niven. Prior to Guns N’ Roses, he’d worked security for the likes of Van Halen, Heart, Black Sabbath and other acts, according to Mick Wall’s 2016 Guns N’ Roses biography Last of the Giants.
“Immediately,” the magazine’s account continues, “Goldstein was tasked not only with keeping Guns N’ Roses functioning on the road, but keeping the band members alive. Associates of the band credited him with being social and amenable – a so-called ‘good cop’ to Niven’s hard-nosed, business-oriented ‘bad cop.’ But Goldstein could drop the hammer when needed. In Last of the Giants, he recalled an early anecdote involving Slash that helped him curb the band’s own appetite for destruction, at least partially.”
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Goldstein is survived by two sons, Jake and Eli. Information on other survivors was not immediately available.
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Read more of Mr. Goldstein’s bio here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/doug-goldstein-dead-longtime-guns-n-roses-manager-through-glory-years-was-65/
Photo: Doug Goldstein with Dominick DeCarlos from Doninick’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10163126600706048&set=pcb.10163126621361048
