The band’’ longest-serving drummer opens up about Axl Rose, his exit and why there’s “no animosity”
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NEED TO KNOW
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Frank Ferrer says Axl Rose is misunderstood and describes him as generous, funny, and supportive of his bandmates
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Ferrer spent 19 years with Guns N’ Roses, becoming the band’s longest-serving drummer after joining as a temporary replacement in 2006
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Since leaving the band in 2025, Ferrer has joined two new bands and says there’s no animosity with Rose
Frank Ferrer is setting the record straight about one of rock’s most legendary frontmen.
In his first interview since departing Guns N’ Roses after a record-setting 19 years, the drummer, 60, is pushing back on Axl Rose‘s long-standing public tough-guy reputation.
When asked what the world misunderstands most about the singer, 64, Ferrer didn’t hesitate. “That he’s a mean guy. I think the world thinks that he’s a scary, mean guy. And he’s the complete opposite,” Ferrer told Rolling Stone in a July 11 interview.
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He continued, “[Rose] doesn’t suffer fools, so that might piss people off. But he’s generous and super funny and worried about us all the time. 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.”
Ferrer joined Guns N’ Roses in 2006 as a temporary replacement for drummer Brian “Brain” Mantia while Mantia took time off following the birth of his child. What was expected to be a two-week stint turned into a 19-year run, making Ferrer the longest-serving drummer in the band’s history. He played on Chinese Democracy and remained behind the kit after Slash and Duff McKagan returned to the band in 2016.
Looking back on his earliest days with Guns N’ Roses, Ferrer said Rose immediately made him feel welcome.
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“Him being really super nice and friendly,” Ferrer recalled of their first interactions. “I think he saw it too that this is a big deal. ‘Hey, this guy’s jumping on kinda raw,’ and I’m sure he felt, ‘This better work.’ And when I got up onstage, he was like, ‘Great job.’”
Ferrer also praised Rose’s work ethic, saying the frontman thrived under the pressure of leading Guns N’ Roses through multiple eras.
“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 explained. “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.’”
Credit: Ollie Millington/Getty
In March 2025, Guns N’ Roses announced Ferrer’s departure after nearly two decades with the band, naming Isaac Carpenter as his replacement. Despite the lineup change, Ferrer said there was no bad blood.
“Everything comes to an end. Everything just comes to an end,” he said. “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 and now I’m doing other stuff. It’s really that simple.”
Asked if there was any drama surrounding his exit, Ferrer replied, “Nothing dramatic.” While he admitted he occasionally misses life with Guns N’ Roses, he said he’s thankful for the experience.
“Sometimes I miss it and sometimes I don’t, just like with anything in life,” Ferrer said. “Just because I’m not playing with them anymore doesn’t mean that I don’t have all those people in my life.”
As for whether he’ll cross paths with Rose again, Ferrer isn’t ruling anything out.
“I’m sure that one day Axl and I will hook up, hang out and maybe play together, maybe not. I don’t know,” he said. “There’s no animosity. None.”
Since leaving Guns N’ Roses, Ferrer has kept busy with two new bands, the Slax and One Night Only, while continuing to perform alongside fellow rock veterans across Europe.
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