Why is Guns N’ Roses being sued by their former manager? Tensions resurface as Alan Niven's long-awaited memoir nears release

Alan Niven is taking on Guns N' Roses in court ahead of his long-awaited memoir release. The former manager claims the rock legends tried to block his book, promising a backstage pass into decades of wild rock ’n’ roll stories.

The memoir, Sound N' Fury, was initially set for release last July but was rescheduled for September. And now, the book's new debut schedule is in March next year on Amazon.

However, Alan Niven — a music industry veteran who also worked with Motley Crue and Great White — filed a lawsuit on Nov. 3 in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

In this filing, the former manager claims that Guns N’ Roses, specifically its frontman Axl Rose, has made threats against him and the ECW Press to block the release of his memoir. The legal documents say:

"...due to GNR's threats, Sound N' Fury languishes in a warehouse. In a letter written in May 2025, GNR invoked the confidentiality clause in its 1991 buyout Agreement with Niven (the 'Agreement') and has blocked publication of the book through repeated threats to Niven and contact with ECW."

One of the main issues in this lawsuit revolves around a confidentiality agreement from 1991 involving Guns N' Roses.

When Alan Niven planned to move forward with Sound N' Fury, the band referred to a confidentiality agreement in a letter they sent to him last May, which was part of the buyout agreement he signed upon leaving the band.

The former manager claims that the confidentiality agreement is unenforceable because not all members of the group signed it. Only band members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Izzy Stradlin signed the agreement, while Axl Rose allegedly did not.

Per Alan Niven's court filing, he complains that he and the band members have previously discussed parts of their history publicly without any issues. He further states that between 2015 to 2018, correspondence with someone from Guns N' Roses' camp occurred, in which he was encouraged to share his experiences. The documents continue:

"GNR's members have commented publicly on Niven; one member encouraged him to write the book; and he has been speaking about his time in GNR for over a decade. Sound N' Fury's publication has been delayed for months, even though it received a favorable review from the Los Angeles Times and has received many preorders."

Alan Niven is also seeking damages for interference in releasing his memoir through his publisher.

What is Alan Niven's Sound N' Fury about?

Alan Niven's memoir, Sound N' Fury, recounts his experiences managing Guns N' Roses from 1986 to 1991. The book features anecdotes about his encounters with notable artists such as The Rolling Stones, Clarence Clemons, Aerosmith, Elton John, and many others he met throughout his career.

According to his court filing:

"Sound N' Fury consists of anecdotes about [Niven's] career, including distributing the first Sex Pistols singles in the U.S., cooking a dinner for guitarist Robert Fripp, going to bat for a scruffy musician named Frank Feranna (later known as Nikki Sixx) and reinventing Great White twice. It also includes stories involving the members [of] GNR, while he represented the five individuals who made up the classic lineup of the band."

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Meanwhile, the book synopsis says:

"Alan Niven's stories are of clarity, born from chaos. Niven avoids the usual, self serving, customary, chronological story arc of rock n roll band books and provides insight and entertainment from the very first paragraphs of SOUND N’ FURY."

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