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I'm not happy about the "happy ending" Axl never "owed" anyone.


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*Edit* I'm a bit happier now.

I don't want to piss anyone off but as someone who has been a hardcore supporter of Axl's dream and vision for the past nearly two decades since the old band broke up I feel bummed out and frankly betrayed right now. And no, that isn't hyperbole.

I wouldn't be surprised if we don't even get much of an explanation as to why he's doing this after everything he's said over the years. It would take literally hours to read through a list of all the quotes/statements/rants by Axl about why this would never happen unless Slash publicly apologized for all the lies and legal crap etc. Moreover, we've been told time and again that he's all about musical integrity and wanted to write and perform all this new stuff. He didn't even want to "jerk off" by just playing Appetite every night back in 1992.

In some ways, the biggest high for me was when Rio/Lisboa 2004 was announced and I put my fist through the ceiling after booking tickets to see Axl, Bucket, Robin and Brain and the whole New Guns dream was 100% alive with multiple albums on the horizon and future shows focusing on new music. This announcement makes me feel the complete opposite.

On a positive note, hopefully some compromises and agreements will have been reached with "the biz" and the returning members to allow Axl to release the vault material and hopefully Bucket and Robin's stuff will have been left well alone.

Duff convinced Axl to open up with YCBM a few years ago. Hopefully he and Slash will ignite some of his old fire and inspire the sets to be more fluid and adventurous. And, just maybe, we'll get an Axl with the kind of attitude he had in '06-'10 rather than '11-'14.

But honestly, unless he is prepared to give a pretty comprehensive explanation and tell us this is going to be more than a greatest hits thing then I can't get on board.

Of course, he doesn't "owe" us an explanation. But then he didn't owe anyone their own happy ending and all the people who have shat on him, Chinese and the Chinese line-up are all getting their happy ending.

Edited by Jordan Rose
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Well.....you've got hundreds and hundreds of shows you can go back and listen to between 2002-2014 which virtually the same setlist which should keep you satisfied while the rest of us are enjoying seeing the real band again.

(oh...and how was that awesome Lisboa show? Worked out well didn't it. Aren't you used to Axl betraying you by now?)

Edited by estrangedtwat
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It's not unreasonable to wonder why Axl seems to have done a reverse-ferret on his long-standing vision and NuGuns thing, but then people have been pointing out signs of burnout for ages. I'd love some kind of explanation as well, but as usual it's a case of if something surfaces, take it or leave it.

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I don't want to piss anyone off but as someone who has been a hardcore supporter of Axl's dream and vision for the past nearly two decades since the old band broke up I feel bummed out and frankly betrayed right now. And no, that isn't hyperbole.

I wouldn't be surprised if we don't even get much of an explanation as to why he's doing this after everything he's said over the years. It would take literally hours to read through a list of all the quotes/statements/rants by Axl about why this would never happen unless Slash publicly apologized for all the lies and legal crap etc. Moreover, we've been told time and again that he's all about musical integrity and wanted to write and perform all this new stuff. He didn't even want to "jerk off" by just playing Appetite every night back in 1992.

In some ways, the biggest high for me was when Rio/Lisboa 2004 was announced and I put my fist through the ceiling after booking tickets to see Axl, Bucket, Robin and Brain and the whole New Guns dream was 100% alive with multiple albums on the horizon and future shows focusing on new music. This announcement makes me feel the complete opposite.

On a positive note, hopefully some compromises and agreements will have been reached with "the biz" and the returning members to allow Axl to release the vault material and hopefully Bucket and Robin's stuff will have been left well alone.

Duff convinced Axl to open up with YCBM a few years ago. Hopefully he and Slash will ignite some of his old fire and inspire the sets to be more fluid and adventurous. And, just maybe, we'll get an Axl with the kind of attitude he had in '06-'10 rather than '11-'14.

But honestly, unless he is prepared to give a pretty comprehensive explanation and tell us this is going to be more than a greatest hits thing then I can't get on board.

Of course, he doesn't "owe" us an explanation. But then he didn't owe anyone their own happy ending and all the people who have shat on him, Chinese and the Chinese line-up are all getting their happy ending.

I feel sorry for you man, I'm sorry Axl crushed your dreams, but if its any consolation, he's made many many many more peoples dreams come true and made them happier with this announcement including myself and for that I am NOT sorry.

Please don't take any offense to this, but I think you're living in a dream world feeling like you're owed even though you said you understood he didn't owe you a happy ending, deep down you feel you are owed that and that's understandable, but put it this way, theres a reason why music never got done with ANY of the Chinese Democracy (NuGNR if you prefer) line ups, that reason is because you CANNOT buy chemistry between band members no matter how hard you try. Lets face it, Axl Rose with these virtuoso guitarists that only care about massaging their own ego with some of this crap they've put on records is really off putting to the rest of the band he's had, 3 guitarists in a band is like going on a date with a hot chick and her ex boy friend, theres going to be a pissing contest for sure and none of those 3 people are going to be happy, its the 3rd wheel syndrome and it isn't cohesive to writing a song or being inspired.

I'll bet more than a few times through the late 90s, 00s & 10s Axl probably said to himself on those long lonely nights in the studio "That Fucking Slash, why does he have to be such a dick, we could be making music and eating Taco Bell!" But since Axl is such a bullhead he was determined to make Lemonade out of the bitter lemons he had.

Axl didn't have to try to be good when the old band was with him and them as well, their souls just automatically created music together. The NuGNR could have released tons of music and I refuse to believe that Axl is that foolish to take so long to create a fuckin' record, he may have been a perfectionist, but he did record 5 records within 7 years and that's even with jacking off on the Illusions albums and creating his own synth symphony by hand. I don't think Axl ever felt the guys in NuGNR were a real band or a cohesive band hence why barely any music was released in 20 years.

They were all good musicians in NuGNR they just weren't a real band and they didn't gell with eachother, which is why I'm not quite following why you're so sad about the discombobulated music not being released.

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Well guess what: it was either a reunion or another lineup change, for a 53 year old Axl that has been playing AFD residencies with flying pianos and cabaret dancers... This is a MUCH better scenario if you ask me. Even if it's the EXACT same setlist they've been playing and Axl sounds like shit like he's been sounding, it's better than ANYTHING we've been having over tge last 5 years.

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Axl was into Nu-GNR only because he was forcing himself to be, as he had no other choice. Either quit completely or build something new and pretend he believes in it. He chose the second option (he even stated somewhere that he considered giving it up completely), also because he had no other option financially, and for a short while managed to convice himself that it was worht an effort.

But the truth is his heart was never in it and it soon began to show until it was a joke of a band, joke of performances and joke of everything. It had to fail. Axl never got over Slash, say what you will, this is the truth.

So it's great they're back together. If anything can bring that passion and desire to create and deliver back in him after all those years, it can only be this.

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Look the only happy endings Axl gets are clearly at Taco Bell.

I trust his reasoning. He will do it because he wants to do it. Otherwise he wouldn't do it. We can all criticize the decisions he has made in the past - sure. But I never ever have thought that he does something to kiss ass or to just do a quick+dirty money grab. He could have piled in massive amount of extra money in the 00's if it was because of that. And opinions can change, that does not mean selling out, in 2016 he is willing to work with Slash again and that is just fine, if he thinks it's fine - I think that it is more than fine.

There are only a few artists that I trust not to "sell out" Lemmy was one, AC/DC is one and yes - Axl is one.

Edited by Teroz
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I appreciate the decent replies and will respond properly in a few hours.

As far as oweing anyone anything goes, doesn't Slash deserve a public apology/explanation as to why he's been called a cancer best removed and forgotten and that he should have left Guns after Lies?

And that's coming from someone who has been on Team Axl since '96.

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It'll all end in tears, we all know that, but why not just enjoy it while it lasts, in whatever format that may be (I never saw NuGnR, just the original lineup, once with Steven and once with Matt)....I hope they come to the UK before they split though (hold it together long enough guys!) :heart:

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I appreciate the decent replies and will respond properly in a few hours.

As far as oweing anyone anything goes, doesn't Slash deserve a public apology/explanation as to why he's been called a cancer best removed and forgotten and that he should have left Guns after Lies?

And that's coming from someone who has been on Team Axl since '96.

I would imagine there have been some extensive conversations that have taken place behind closed doors. I don't believe we'll ever hear much beyond "we talked, worked through a lot of things, put the past behind us, and are really excited to be working together again."

I'd love to hear all of the details and how fences were mended but I don't think that will happen-which I completely understand. I would imagine a lot of it is private and I get that.

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It's their band, it's not your band. Whatever has been said in the past shouldn't matter, if it doesn't matter to them. If they want to be on stage together, for whatever reasons that might be, it's their decision. Sure, you can disagree with it but at the end of the day it's not your band. Don't go see them live if they should play near you, I'd say.

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I agree, I could imagine any other person but Axl agreeing to this based on what he said. He was great 2010 and most of 2011 and when I saw him in 2012 the crowd loved him and he was fantastic. However I think 2014 there were signs of tiredness and burnout as someone said here. He said in his last published interview that he's tired of being seen as the "outlaw" or something to that effect. Axl is a very sensitive and insecure guy, he wants approval and to be liked and he hates the way he's portrayed in the media even if he has caused some of it with his notorious late arrivals etc.. It's obvious by reuniting the old line-up that he wants to redeem himself in the public eye and he's always been tired of being blamed for the split.

I think it all caught up to him in last 2 years and he decided to make amends. He never got over Slash. I can only imagine the behind the scenes conversations with Slash! Maybe they finally went to therapy as Marc Canter suggested! Who knows what happened! I think it's too much of a coincidence that this happened after Slash divorced Perla!

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I don't want to piss anyone off but as someone who has been a hardcore supporter of Axl's dream and vision for the past nearly two decades since the old band broke up I feel bummed out and frankly betrayed right now. And no, that isn't hyperbole.

I wouldn't be surprised if we don't even get much of an explanation as to why he's doing this after everything he's said over the years. It would take literally hours to read through a list of all the quotes/statements/rants by Axl about why this would never happen unless Slash publicly apologized for all the lies and legal crap etc. Moreover, we've been told time and again that he's all about musical integrity and wanted to write and perform all this new stuff. He didn't even want to "jerk off" by just playing Appetite every night back in 1992.

In some ways, the biggest high for me was when Rio/Lisboa 2004 was announced and I put my fist through the ceiling after booking tickets to see Axl, Bucket, Robin and Brain and the whole New Guns dream was 100% alive with multiple albums on the horizon and future shows focusing on new music. This announcement makes me feel the complete opposite.

On a positive note, hopefully some compromises and agreements will have been reached with "the biz" and the returning members to allow Axl to release the vault material and hopefully Bucket and Robin's stuff will have been left well alone.

Duff convinced Axl to open up with YCBM a few years ago. Hopefully he and Slash will ignite some of his old fire and inspire the sets to be more fluid and adventurous. And, just maybe, we'll get an Axl with the kind of attitude he had in '06-'10 rather than '11-'14.

But honestly, unless he is prepared to give a pretty comprehensive explanation and tell us this is going to be more than a greatest hits thing then I can't get on board.

Of course, he doesn't "owe" us an explanation. But then he didn't owe anyone their own happy ending and all the people who have shat on him, Chinese and the Chinese line-up are all getting their happy ending.

Words simply can not express how little I care.

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I mean don't get me wrong-I enjoyed Axl's vision for GNR. I saw him live 5 times between 2002 and 2010 (Every time he came close enough to go) and I am still a very big fan of Chinese Democracy. I want anything and everything released from the vault and I suspect I'd enjoy most of it.

But this is pretty special in a way that's hard for me to describe.

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We still don't really know what this supposedly new teaming up will actually mean. Will it be a new formal lineup including some of the original lineup? Or will Slash and Duff just only play along with NuGuns as special guest? Axl could still be holding on to the idea of NuGuns. Reunion could be only Coachella. And then afterwards a continuation of NuGuns in some form. I’m very curious to learn more. Can’t wait for more announcements J.

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Is everyone going to start their own thread based on their love/hate for this decision? I'm no Mod but I don't see how one person's opinion is more valid than anyone else's and therefore thread worthy. Anyway,it is what it is. Go to the shows. Don't go to the shows. Axl,Slash and Duff will laugh all the way to the bank. I just hope we get some new tunes out of all this (preferably with Izzy)and that Adler gets to play live. After 29 years of being a fan you learn that you don't always get what you want but the ride sure is interesting.

Edited by Subtle Signs
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