Best manager?

[Snowmass]

Marc- who has been Guns' best manager? (From the hey day GnR days to now). By best I mean honest, looking out for the band, straight up manager etc.....

[recklessroad]

I think they all had something good to offer.

Vicky was the best at booking gigs for the band and was able to get funding to promote with (which she did a great job of doing, she worked 24/7) and let the band stay at her place when they had no where else to stay at the time. Also even though she only was their manager from Jan to April of 1986, she did get them a ton of gigs in 1985 but only as a promoter. However I still think the band was going to get signed by Geffen with or without her because Tom Zutaut had already heard about the band and was already sniffing around just before Vicky was the manager.

Alan was exactly what the band needed to get the band organized at the time they were geting ready to record AFD. I think the band could have fell apart witout him. He didn't take any shit from anyone and helped the band get things done which were not getting done before he got there. He also got the band the gigs in the UK to start a small fire there. Also heard Alan talk about how he got the band more money for the UYI records then the contract said from david Geffen by thretting not to turn in any new music. However I also heard that Alan gave Geffen the lies record for free meaning that it didn't count as a real record. I think if he only had GNR and not Great White, he probably would have had a better chance to stay around longer. GNR was a 24/7 thing back then and while Alan had to also spend a lot of time with the other band, Doug was more on top of the GNR things.

in 1988 Doug did the most to keep the band running and he was only the tour manager at that time. He was sharp as a pin and on top of the game and was a 24/7 guy and would take a bullet for anyone of the guys . At some point down the road things started to fall apart with the Axl/Slash thing and Doug stayed on Axl side. I also think he thought he had no choice to to side with Axl.

Merk was only there for a few years and was probably hoping to get a reuion going. I got stiffed for $850.00 in helping Axl get merk a gift of the Led Zeppelin object statue from the Presence record. I'm sure Axl is not aware of the outcome of that. Axl would never ask someone to pick up something for him and then not pay them for it. If anything Axl has class and would give you extra for doing him the favor.

Irving Azoff I think was only there in hopes that he could pull off a reunion. CD did come out on his watch although I think it was more because of the Dr Pepper offer.

While Merk and Irving were the managers, All the shots were coming from Beta anyway so there is no point in paying someone 15 or 20% to have a title of manager when its all run by her in the end. Also Del always has Axl's back and knows what it take to have the band on the road and helps out in the decision making when needed. I think Beta doesn't always tell Axl what is going on. She probabley thinks she is protecting him because she knows that somethings could make Axl very upset and therefore doen't want to tell him about them.

My book is a good example of that. I told Beta in Dec of 2006 that I finally found a publisher to get my book out and she didn't tell Axl about it. 4 or 5 months later I wrote an email to Beta regarding the book and Axl ended up reading it first and was sooooooooooo upset to hear that news. What I thought was Beta's email was really Axl's. When Beta called me to tell me that Axl was so upset with me, I was in shock that he didn't already know that it was coming out. It realy hurt me to know that Axl was so upset. I was then told if the book comes out befre CD, I would lose a friend. How fucked up is that to end a very close friendship because of bad communication? I thought it would boil over at some point but the problem is Beta thinks that I talk shit about Axl and that I only do what I do to be famous.

She doesn't understand when you create something special and work very hard to put it together and are very proud of it, you what to get it out there for people to also enjoy. How is that any different then the band puting together the AFD songs and know that they are special and then want to go out and play gigs so that people can hear and see their work. Put out a record and then promote it so that people can find out about it.

in 2008 the band didn't do much of anything to promote CD. No video and no interviews so I don't think they understand why I keep promoting the book. When you have a passion for something you want to do what it takes to get it out there to the people that want to know out it and use the tools of todays world to help promote it. I will never stop promoting my work. The project that became Reckless Road, I started in 1981 with documenting Slash and knowing it was special. I don't think they can understand that this stuff was a big part of my life and how much I was involved with all of it.

II

Edited June 2, 2015 by recklessroad

[Amir]

Thanks for the extensive reply Marc. While I think everyone agrees that Azoff was just in it hoping for a reunion, what makes you say the same about Merck? I don't know much about the guy but looking at his open letters from the time he seems to have believed in Chinese Democracy.

[Amir]

Wouldn't Merck have to go through Beta though to get Slash to come to the show? I can't see that happening on her watch. Weird that Merck thought he could pull it off, guess that's why he was kicked out.

[Strange Broue]

It would be hilarious if the security told Perla to fuck off or Axl jumping at her from the stage

man, i would really like to see that

[recklessroad]

Thanks for the extensive reply Marc. While I think everyone agrees that Azoff was just in it hoping for a reunion, what makes you say the same about Merck? I don't know much about the guy but looking at his open letters from the time he seems to have believed in Chinese Democracy.

Yes I think Merk did believe in CD because it was great but I think he would have still liked to have seen Slash involved even if it were just on the 3 songs that Axl would have liked Slash to play on. Also if Slash were involved in any turing, the numbers would be much bigger. I talked to Merk backstage in 2006 when Perla was in the crowd tring to video the gig. He told me that if Slash wanted to see the gig, all he had to do was ask. I don't know why he would think that Slash wanted to see the gig. That was all Perla I think she was tring to do some kind of reality show at the time and thought she would go to a New GNR gig and show what it looks like?

[Padme]

I didn´t know that Beta was already the unofficial manager back in 2006. Sorry but I think it was disrespectfull from her and Axl´s part. I´m not a fan of neither Merk nor Azoff but for them was an odd and bizarre situation. I don´t blame them for wanting a reunion. Besides the economic benefit there is also something called common sense. At the time the band was already a revolving door and CD was too much of a headache and not worthy of all the trouble.

I don´t think Doug Goldstein was a good manager. The guy didn´t take Axl´s side. He was always taking his own side by being an Axl´s yes man. He was there when Izzy left and did nothing. He was there when Slash and Duff were falling apart and he did nothing except take the name GN´R away from them.