Guns N' Roses Turn Down Melania Trump Documentary

Guns N’ Roses logo (Instagram @gunsnroses)

JAKARTA - The producer of the documentary film "Melania", Marc Beckman, revealed that there were obstacles in compiling a music playlist for his latest project.

A number of musicians, including the giant rock band Guns N' Roses, flatly refused to have their work used in a film that tells the story of the life of the First Lady of the United States.

This rejection came into the spotlight because it revealed an internal split in the body of Guns N' Roses related to political attitudes. In an exclusive interview with Variety,

Beckman explained that the licensing of the song of the band that sang "Sweet Child o' Mine" failed due to the lack of a unanimous agreement among its members.

"I'll say it officially if you want to know. There's music we're trying to get, but unfortunately, there's a political element to it. For example, the Guns N' Roses personnel are politically divided," Beckman said in a recent interview with Variety.

He added, in fact, there was one person who gave the green light, but the other members closed the door.

Considering the music licensing rules that require the approval of all copyright holders, Beckman's desire to include a Guns N' Roses song also failed.

"There were beautiful songs we wanted to use, and one of them said, 'Just take it. Please.' However, the others basically said, 'It's impossible.' We need everyone's approval. So, Guns N' Roses is definitely a disappointment for us," he continued.

Guns N' Roses' hard stance, especially from Axl Rose, is not a new secret. For the past decade, the vocalist has often launched harsh criticism of Donald Trump through social media.

In 2018, he even accused Trump's campaign team of using a legal loophole to play their songs at unauthorized rallies.

In addition to Guns N' Roses, the late Prince through his heirs also gave a similar rejection. The lawyer who manages Prince's wealth confirmed that the legend would never be willing to have his work associated with Donald Trump.

Beckman had argued that the film focused on Melania, not her husband, but Prince's side remained silent.

Jamaican singer Grace Jones also joined the list of musicians who refused. Although Beckman claimed the film was not political, Jones was said to still not be able to get past the "political barrier".

In fact, the documentary film directed by Brett Ratner has set a record as the most expensive documentary after being bought by Amazon for 40 million US dollars.

Despite the many rejections, Melania's film soundtrack is still filled with big names such as Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and Elvis Presley.

Beckman also claimed to have received the blessing of Mick Jagger for the use of certain works, although representatives of The Rolling Stones stated that the rights to the song were technically owned by the ABKCO company.