Ten of the album's eleven songs were recorded on December 21 and 28, 2001, and January 12, 2002 at Goldentone Studios in Gainesville by Rob McGregor.

[2] "8 Full Hours of Sleep" came from an earlier recording session on July 23, 2001 on which Jordan Kleeman played the Moog synthesizer.

consisted of Grace, Fridkin, drummer Warren Oakes, and guitarist James Bowman, and the band re-recorded these five songs with full electric instrumentation.

Several guest singers provided backing vocals for "We Laugh at Danger (And Break All the Rules)" including Sam Jones, Todd "Bitchin'", Ryan and Patrick Quinney, Adam Volk, Rose O'Hara, and Jordan Kleeman.

was written by Laura Jane Grace, Cassidy Rist, and Rob Augman for a band that never happened, but was a really good idea.

Grace stated the album name was a "kill your idols" proclamation: "Guns N' Roses were my favorite band when I was a kid.

Is Reinventing Axl Rose four and a half out of five stars, calling it "an impressive debut that manages to combine fist-in-the-air singalong choruses, lagered-up rhythms, and urgent drumbeats with the underground, raw intensity these punks are known for live" and "a true classic that brings listeners right into the dirty basements and dive bars that birthed the band — and serves as the foundation to where they would head next.