Get in the Ring. Never Played Live...

[Jane M.]

"That means you Izzy Stradlin for leaving the band in '91. Fuck you,  punk!"

"Stephanie Seymour, Erin Everly for suing my ass."

"Marc Canter, what you pissed off 'cause I didn't care about your stupid book? Suck my fucking dick!"

"All those bitches at mygnrforum for starting controversy by calling Slash's & Duff's solo careers shit. Antagonize me motherfuckers and I'll kick your bitchy little ass!!!!!!"

[Babooshka]

It could be a good sing-along song for the crowd. Surprised they never played it, or that people have problem with the rant. It was fitting for that time imo.

But they should probably cut it out because the references are dated anyway.

[EvanG]

It was originally a Duff song called ''Why do you look at me when you hate me''... I like the first three minutes, it has a nice rhythm to it, but then when the ranting starts it gets embarrassing... too bad. 

[Blackstar]

4 hours ago, Babooshka said:

It could be a good sing-along song for the crowd. Surprised they never played it, or that people have problem with the rant. It was fitting for that time imo.

But they should probably cut it out because the references are dated anyway.

They never played it because they would have been ridiculed had they kept on challenging Bob Guccione Jr. to "get in the ring" without them having any intention to do it. The reference to specific journalists and magazines was a mistake (in 2011 Axl stated that it was Tom Zutaut's idea). At least they could have done a version without the names for the album and a full version for, say, a b-side of a limited single edition.

At the end of this rant Axl admits that it was "a bit of a hit under the belt":

 

1 hour ago, EvanG said:

It was originally a Duff song called ''Why do you look at me when you hate me''... I like the first three minutes, it has a nice rhythm to it, but then when the ranting starts it gets embarrassing... too bad. 

The funny thing is that Axl's first mention of GITR, while it was still in the making, was in a 1990 interview with Mick Wall:

K : How different has it been writing these new songs compared to the way you wrote songs for Appetite for destruction?

A : One reason things have been so hard, in a way, is this. The first album was basically written with Axl comin’ up with maybe one line, and maybe a melody for that line, or how I’m gonna say it or yell it or whatever. And the band would build a song around it. This time round...Izzy’s brought in eight songs at least, OK? Slash has brought in an album, I’ve brought in an album. And Duff’s brought in one song - Duff said it all in one song- it’s called ‘Why do you look at me when you hate me?’ and it’s just bad-assed.

Another part of that same interview (about the feud with Vince Neil) was allegedly the reason that Mick Wall's name ended up being in the song.

Btw, I just found out that Mick Wall recently apologized for his Axl biog book, admitting it was biased, and withdrew it from the market:

http://mickwall.com/2016/04/getting-out-of-the-ring/

 

Edited July 31, 2016 by Blackstar

[MillionsOfSpiders]

@Blackstar Thank you for the Mick Wall info. I read what he wrote on his blog, interesting he's sorry he ever wrote it because it was written in a disgruntled and mean spirited way. Sad really.

[annablue]

The best part for the crowd would then be "This goes out to all the Guns n' Roses fans that have stuck with us through all the fucking shit"

[sanity_lost]

9 hours ago, MillionsOfSpiders said:

@Blackstar Thank you for the Mick Wall info. I read what he wrote on his blog, interesting he's sorry he ever wrote it because it was written in a disgruntled and mean spirited way. Sad really.

I agree. I read the book and I think even the most brain dead person could tell it was completely biased and pushing a rather derisive angle. But taking it off the market? That is pretty upstanding of him. I don't know that there that many people who would do that.

[DanielCT]

I like the song, and remember being in the audience when the crowd noises were recorded way back when, but the song wasn't played live of course.

[Gibbo]

Wierd thing is I runs a Australia Gnr fb group and people swear it was played after Pc 

[wasted]

Sorry is kind of the more subtle Get in the Ring. 

[StrangerInThisTown]

38 minutes ago, Gibbo said:

Wierd thing is I runs a Australia Gnr fb group and people swear it was played after Pc 

 

[megaguns1982]

I've had the instrumental version (without the crowd chanting) as my ringtone for about 12 years

[EvanG]

edit.

Edited March 6, 2017 by EvanG

[dcon]

I always liked it and would like it live.  I wish they would have a proper recorded version minus rant, and then they could just improvise a current topic rant whenever played (if they must have the rant).

[James Bond]

Excellent song musically, but I echo what many others have said - the lyrics bring it down. Horribly dated and juvenile. I like the general sentiment of it (it's like a spiritual successor to Out Ta Get Me) but that name dropping section is silly.

[ZoSoRose]

6 minutes ago, James Bond said:

Excellent song musically, but I echo what many others have said - the lyrics bring it down. Horribly dated and juvenile. I like the general sentiment of it (it's like a spiritual successor to Out Ta Get Me) but that name dropping section is silly.

QFT

[Eric Cantona]

9 hours ago, wasted said:

Sorry is kind of the more subtle Get in the Ring. 

It even has the ''kick your ass'' line!

[Tom-Ass]

4 hours ago, dcon said:

I always liked it and would like it live.  I wish they would have a proper recorded version minus rant, and then they could just improvise a current topic rant whenever played (if they must have the rant).

Doesn't even need the rant

[Sprite]

Get In the ring or as I like to call it the double helix. This song structurally seems to have everything we love and hate about the band. It has the workings of a great punk song. If it were recorded in An appetite way,it's probably one of the better songs on the album. 

Yet at the same time it has what bugs so many on here about those albums. Call it over production, too much reverb, crowd noise, not enough rythym. Childish ranting/lyrics.

But you know what? What else could it fucking be? All that stuff is what made the band legendary. That has become their mark on the industry. 

You could look at it alternatively and say the production,ranting, all of it, made UYI what it was. Those albums are 25 years old. I don't know about you,but in my state the DMV considers that a classic. At some point you've got to let bygones be bygones you know? The 90s were a wacky time. You got the album man. It was physical. It wasn't Bieber said the n word on video and in between 2nd and 3rd period you youtube it on break. This was you went and drove after school. Maybe on the weekend if you had friends. You Cashed your paycheck and got paper money. Handed paper to man, drove home with this awkward disc. Open the fucking book. Cause that's really what good records were. Then put it on and hear Axl doing that. In 1991. Put it in the context of the time and audience and writers lifestyle (Hollywood must be crazy) and you begin to appreciate the song for what it is. 

Its using the big picture view to judge it instead. Like if a clerk at a store pissed you off today, in the long run, on the death bed, who cares. But today you can't let it go. You still think something could change by you thinking about it. Well that's the problem with so many here. Nothing is going to change and  many judge this thing as if this is something fixable or like their is time to go back.

Guns are like a beautiful disease

[Apollo]

On 7/29/2016 at 4:08 PM, Shaolin Punk said:

Hey Gunners,

 

I just thought i'd put it out there that I reckon Get in the Ring would absolutely KILL in a live context, yeah it's a bit of a 'Jokey' or tongue in cheek... bad damn I reckon that song would RIP live!!

Who's with me? That classic bluesy, slutty intro and the sheer sneer and tenacity of all its punk glory. the name-calling section would be interesting to see what they fire out

I reckon it would literally blow the roof off any venue and the faces off any crowd.

Damn.

(I won't do a vote etc, but i don't often see it discussed much.)

Loathe it or think it would shred?

Edit: Sorry if this has already been discussed in detail, I'm just a shady lurker on here mostly

Lyrically the song is an embarrassment to the GnR catalog. Like people have said - the rant and name calling thing just makes them look ridiculous. 

And after backing down to Vince's challenge to fight, Axl probably shouldn't have been calling anybody out. 

Edited March 7, 2017 by Apollo

[Tom-Ass]

I always liked the lyrics

[Fitha_whiskey]

What could be more punk than this song, really? 

"Why do you look at me when you hate me?" has never been more relevant either.

[wasted]

7 hours ago, Sprite said:

Get In the ring or as I like to call it the double helix. This song structurally seems to have everything we love and hate about the band. It has the workings of a great punk song. If it were recorded in An appetite way,it's probably one of the better songs on the album. 

Yet at the same time it has what bugs so many on here about those albums. Call it over production, too much reverb, crowd noise, not enough rythym. Childish ranting/lyrics.

But you know what? What else could it fucking be? All that stuff is what made the band legendary. That has become their mark on the industry. 

You could look at it alternatively and say the production,ranting, all of it, made UYI what it was. Those albums are 25 years old. I don't know about you,but in my state the DMV considers that a classic. At some point you've got to let bygones be bygones you know? The 90s were a wacky time. You got the album man. It was physical. It wasn't Bieber said the n word on video and in between 2nd and 3rd period you youtube it on break. This was you went and drove after school. Maybe on the weekend if you had friends. You Cashed your paycheck and got paper money. Handed paper to man, drove home with this awkward disc. Open the fucking book. Cause that's really what good records were. Then put it on and hear Axl doing that. In 1991. Put it in the context of the time and audience and writers lifestyle (Hollywood must be crazy) and you begin to appreciate the song for what it is. 

Its using the big picture view to judge it instead. Like if a clerk at a store pissed you off today, in the long run, on the death bed, who cares. But today you can't let it go. You still think something could change by you thinking about it. Well that's the problem with so many here. Nothing is going to change and  many judge this thing as if this is something fixable or like their is time to go back.

Guns are like a beautiful disease

UYI were like AFD and Lies exploded and expanded. AFD is so good because you can't see the mechanics, it's like an organism pulsing out in stereo. With UYI you can see the parts. You hear Get in the Ring is a Duff song that Slash added a lick and solos too, Axl sang it and was inspired to jump in and rant on it. Already you can see the names on it: Duff, Slash, Axl. UYI brought the personalties of the band out, Axl has Nov Rain, Duff has So Fine, Slash has Coma, Izzy has 14 Years. It allowed us to know the band better, AFD was like a bad ass looking snakeskin suitcase, UYI they dumped the contents of the case out on the hotel bed for everyone to see. 

11 hours ago, AslatIE said:

It even has the ''kick your ass'' line!

Like I said on Get in the Ring that I would.