Nelson twins recount rise, betrayal and debt in memoir

The Nelson twins, Gunnar and Matthew, heirs to a Hollywood television dynasty, burst onto the music scene in 1990 with their debut single Can’t Live Without Your Love & Affection. They quickly drew large arenas and signed with Geffen Records, a move that helped them rack up substantial success in the early years. But their memoir What Happened to Your Hair? reveals a devastating twist: a $1 million equity line had been opened in their names without their consent, leaving the brothers blindsided by debt as they rode the wave of stardom. The book details a period when the hair-metal moment on the Sunset Strip collided with a harsh reality of the business side of fame. The brothers say they weren’t just broke—they were f---ing broke, a line Gunnar Nelson cites to describe the extent of their financial unraveling amid a rapidly changing music landscape.

The twins, who grew up with deep Hollywood ties, wrote and produced much of their material themselves and say Geffen was both an opportunity and a pressure cooker. They were part of a roster that included Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Whitesnake and Cher, and the label’s clout helped propel Nelson to national and international audiences. Yet the cost of that ascent was steep. Gunnar recalled that the group didn’t receive tour funding in the way a more established act might; instead, the Nutan of the era required the band to front much of the expense for touring, videos and presentation. They spoke of a 40‑person entourage, the logistics of moving buses and gear, and the reality that the money from their record was largely consumed by those upfront costs. The debut album, After the Rain, released on June 26, 1990, helped fuel their momentum, even as the band faced financial pressure from the business side of the operation.

According to the memoir, the turning point came when the brothers learned that a $1 million equity line had been opened in their names months earlier to cover tour expenses, and that their manager had conspired with their business manager to disguise the shortfall. The revelation was that the line had been secured with everything the Nelsons owned as collateral, a startling discovery for two young artists who believed they were building toward a long-term financial future. Gunnar wrote that the situation was accompanied by a brutal sense of betrayal: It was all a lie. Everything we’d been told to placate us every time we’d demanded to see the books when we were out on the road…. The truth was, we weren’t just broke… We were f------ broke. The bank demanded repayment, and the dream of home ownership for their family receded into the distance as debt mounted.

The financial squeeze was compounded by a seismic shift in the music industry. The advent of grunge and the explosive popularity of Nirvana marked a paradigm shift that some described as the single largest change in the industry since punk and disco. Gunnar recalled that Nirvana’s rise helped usher in a new era that left many 1980s acts behind. By 1993, Geffen Records dropped Nelson, sending the brothers toward a different path. Undeterred, they formed Stone Canyon Records and took control of their music and finances, a move that allowed them to rebuild their careers on their own terms. The transformation was not immediate, but it gave them an opportunity to reclaim ownership of their work and establish a new footing in the business.

As the memoir recounts, Geffen reportedly offered a loan—half a million dollars—to help repay mounting bills, but it came with strings: repay on demand, with interest, and without the same protections that might accompany an advance against future earnings. The result was a long shadow over the brothers’ finances for decades, even as they continued to perform and to pursue new projects under their own terms. Gunnar noted that the loan followed them long after the tour ended, shaping how they approached money and business decisions for years to come.

The Nelsons’ experience illustrates the perils of rapid fame in an industry in which artists often rely on others to navigate contracts, advances and touring expenses. The twins point to a broader truth about the music business: creative success does not always translate into immediate financial security. In the long arc of their career, they built a model of independence, founding Stone Canyon Records to regain control of their catalog and their livelihoods. While their first wave of mainstream fame may have faded, they continue to perform and to tell their story, including in their memoir, which seeks to set the record straight about a family legacy intertwined with music and television history.

The brothers acknowledge the paradoxes of their path: they came from a storied family lineage that included Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Ricky Nelson, Tracy Nelson and actor Mark Harmon, yet they have resisted being labeled simply as nepo babies. As Gunnar put it, they were kids who were drawn to music and captured by an industry that could be as alluring as it was unforgiving. The memoir What Happened to Your Hair? offers a candid account of the rise, the missteps, and the hard lessons learned along the way. The Nelsons say they remain grateful for the opportunities they had and for the chance to shape their own destiny by regaining control of their music and their careers. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the business side of fame while underscoring the resilience of artists who persevere beyond a painful chapter.