Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose hated each other so much they couldn't even bare to be in the same room together, a new book claims.

Music business impresario Danny Goldberg, who was previously vice-president of Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records, speaks about the pair in his new book 'Bumping Into Geniuses' which hits the shelves this September.

Goldberg says that when Rose requested to meet the Nirvana frontman after a show, Cobain slipped away. He writes: "Rose had the kind of macho rock persona that Kurt detested."

The loathing apparently also spread to their partners Courtney Love and Stephanie Seymour. After a war of words between the two, Rose allegedly told Cobain: "Shut your bitch up or I'll knock her to the pavement."

The writer, who says he witnessed these events first hand, said that Nirvana even turned down the chance to join the lucrative Metallica / Guns N Roses joint tour due to his loathing for Rose.

(by Scott Colothan)