April 1993 cable TV news report on the lawsuit between Guns N' Roses and their former drummer Steven Adler, who claimed his share of the group's finances amounted to five to ten million dollars, including court footage of Adler pleading his case and of Slash testifying about why Adler was fired. The BetaGems channel also has "Traci Lords & GN'R 9-7-88 accept Best New Artist Award," "Axl Rose Gets Punked...," "Guns N' Roses 9-7-88 TV award show performance," "Slash's Snakepit 4-14-95 late night TV performance," "Iggy Pop with Guns N' Roses duo & Steve Stevens 3-5-95 Vegas," "Seal and Billy Idol with Guns N' Roses duo 3-5-95 Vegas," "Slash 3-15-95 late night TV performance," "Slash & Boz Scaggs 9-2-95 TV performance," "Bo Diddley & BB King with Guns N' Roses trio & Steve Stevens 3-5-95 Vegas," and "Guns N' Roses Paris rehearsals 6-5-92."
BetaGems are culled from an archive of over 1000 beta video tapes recorded from 1983 into the 1990s. Most feature live music performances broadcast on television in San Diego CA, though there are also rarely seen commercials, comedy clips, and other material that doesn't seem to be anywhere else on Youtube or online. Most of the tapes were recorded on a Sony SL-HFT7 Super Beta Theater Hi-Fi Stereo - the same model was refurbished and is being used for these digital transfers and uploads.
In rare occasions where a BetaGems clip does appear elsewhere, we're only uploading if our own beta master is better quality or contains material not seen previously. Much footage comes from public television and public access broadcasts that the taper, who worked for a local cable TV production company in the 1980s, monitored nightly for several years. Some of the programming is strictly regional, mostly from the San Diego area.
