The Rocklopedia Fakebandica now has a podcast.
Listen now!
Mayne Mann
Hard-living rock star from the short story "Without You," written by journalist Del James, who was also a road manager for real band Guns 'N' Roses. The character, inspired by real GnR singer Axl Rose, subsequently inspired the band's epic music video for their 1992 song "November Rain."
Mann comes unglued after his ex-girlfriend’s suicide.
Most of the plot is told in the form of flashbacks. Mayne Mann, aged 28, is a top-selling rock musician. But the suicide of his girlfriend Elizabeth has left him depressive and questioning the meaning behind everything.
Although Elizabeth had been the love of Mayne’s life, his frequent infidelity had brought about the end of their relationship. The last straw was when after Mayne’s final concert with his previous band, Elizabeth had walked in on a threesome between him and two groupies. In the aftermath, during one of their last dates, Elizabeth had told him, “I can’t live with you and I can’t live without you.” Her words had inspired him to write the ballad Without You, which portrays his view on their breakup and has become a top hit. When his new band went on tour and performed in Elizabeth’s hometown L.A., he had sent her backstage passes. When she did not show up, Mayne had been determined not to repeat his past mistake, had skipped the after party and gone straight to her home. As Mayne was on his way up to her apartment, Elizabeth had shot herself in the head, with Without You playing on an endless loop in the background. In a rush, Mayne had taken the revolver from her dead hand and tried to shoot himself, but there had been no more bullets left.
Life in the fast lane has taken his toll on Mayne: he has hearing issues, is a heavy drinker and drug consumer and, presumably as a result of his girlfriend’s suicide, on various kinds of medication. He avoids things that bring back memories of Elizabeth, such as the mansion in which they had spent most of their time, or radio stations that might play Without You.
The story begins as Mayne, after a night of heavy drinking and drug consumption, awakes from a recurring nightmare in which he relives Elizabeth’s suicide. Still hung over from the previous night, he starts the day with a beer and eventually spends the whole morning with alcohol, drugs and memories of Elizabeth. In a fit of rage he begins to smash the furniture in his apartment and even most of his collection of vintage guitars, suddenly seeing them as the gateway to his fame and his misery. He briefly considers shooting himself but then changes his mind and starts to play, first on his favorite and last remaining guitar, then on the piano. In the meantime, a burning cigarette which has fallen off the edge of a table has set the apartment on fire. Yet Mayne ignores it and continues to play until he dies in the flames.
--from Wikipedia
