Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro felt too “left-of-center” to join Guns N’ Roses

Back in the ’90s, Dave Navarro almost added Guns N’ Roses to his list of bands. However, he didn’t feel joining the “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers would be a stylistic fit.

The Jane’s Addiction rocker was invited to audition for GN’R in place of departed guitarist Izzy Stradlin, but he tells Guitar Player magazine, “I don’t think that would have been the right call at the time.”

“I’ve played with Slash a million times since then,” Navarro says. “I love playing with Slash. But I think I’m a little more left-of-center than they were.”

Navarro notes that GN’R is “pretty much a straight-up, in-your-face rock band, which I f****** love,” but he prefers to “get down on my knees, turn delay knobs and make a bunch of noise like Kraftwerk or some s***.”

“That does not work for Guns N’ Roses,” Navarro says.

While GN’R didn’t work out, Navarro did end up replacing a guitarist in another big-name band when he stepped in for John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“That was a very difficult role to step into,” Navarro shares. “They were so set on what they were. It really was another trial by fire. All of a sudden, I had to work within another context that had completely different influences, and these were musicians that I’d never worked with in my life.”

Navarro is currently on tour with Jane’s Addiction, marking his return to the band after being sidelined from the road for two years due to long COVID. The outing marks the first to feature the classic Jane’s lineup — Navarro, frontman Perry Farrell, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery — in 14 years.