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Axl's Letter To The RRHOF


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2 hours ago, Wagszilla said:

Q: Do you think he can play guitar?

A: I prefer listening to others in general, especially those who both push their talents and infuse them with a level of energy that I've seldom heard in his efforts over the years. I'm not taking anything away from the man that are his to claim for his past efforts; it's just that for whatever reason for me, whether the approach, style or basic hands-on technique is there, the passion and true dedication to the art of guitar in his chosen area other than being, in my opinion, a whore for the limelight has generally seemed absent or lacking with most efforts for a long time. To me, it's sad. I don't get it. Where does it go? Is it a choice? Sometimes it's there on covers; I think Clive [Davis, legendary record executive] fell for that.

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=168

lmao this interview. I'm sure Axl is embarrassed by many things he said on there now

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28 minutes ago, StrangerInThisTown said:

lmao this interview. I'm sure Axl is embarrassed by many things he said on there now

 

In reading the interview linked from HTGTH.com, I can somewhat understand why AXL largely hasn't granted nor wanted to do any press interviews since he, SLASH and DUFF reunited for this current tour. And also, in part, due to STEVEN's limited involvement. Because he trashed them quite harshly. Everyone remembers the "cancer" comment, but I don't recall the detailed comments and criticism regarding SLASH's career progression as a guitarist or the mocking of the drum and percussion work on AFD and UYI. I'm sure he doesn't want to have to re-live or respond to the questions he'd surely receive.

As others have stated, that was then -- this is now. AXL obviously doesn't feel entirely the same way today or he wouldn't be working with SLASH or involving STEVEN in any way whatsoever. That said, it does make a bit more sense why STEVEN has only guested for a couple of songs and a couple of gigs and why he (and Matt Sorum) were never seriously considered for full-time work on the tour..

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4 hours ago, Wagszilla said:

Q: Do you think he can play guitar?

A: I prefer listening to others in general, especially those who both push their talents and infuse them with a level of energy that I've seldom heard in his efforts over the years. I'm not taking anything away from the man that are his to claim for his past efforts; it's just that for whatever reason for me, whether the approach, style or basic hands-on technique is there, the passion and true dedication to the art of guitar in his chosen area other than being, in my opinion, a whore for the limelight has generally seemed absent or lacking with most efforts for a long time. To me, it's sad. I don't get it. Where does it go? Is it a choice? Sometimes it's there on covers; I think Clive [Davis, legendary record executive] fell for that.

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=168

It's funny because in that interview Axl says that Slash's quote about the first VR sessions being the best Guns album ever and Axl blows it off saying he's promoting old Guns - Axl was definitely using this letter to promote NuGnR :lol:

Edited by Crazyman
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My favorite bit from that Del James interview is this:

 

Quote

 

It'd be highly doubtful for us to have more than one of the alumni up with us at any given time. I suppose Duff could play guitar on something somewhere, but there's zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn't be pretty. He wrote that whole bit about not having his guitar in Vegas, I'd assume, to save face. I was told by both the Hard Rock and different Guns industry people who had come out to be supportive of the new band and were a bit surprised to see him there, especially guitar in hand, but just assumed it was a surprise for the show and we were in on the arrangement.

Steven [Adler] brings assorted ambulance-chasing attorneys and the nightmare of his mother. One gig, or even a couple songs, could mean years of behind-the-scenes legal aftermath.

 

 

 

 

It is so funny to read after Slash and Duff are back in the band full time and Adler has played a couple of songs in multiple gigs now :P

It is also interesting to read this after the China Exchange interview where Axl said a reunion was always possible it just didn't seem like the timing was right - it certainly doesn't sound like that was the case judging by Axl's own words!  I am glad that Duff talked some sense into Axl and helped facilitate this reunion either way and I am glad that the Axl/Slash rift is far behind us.  There seems to be positive vibes all around right now and it is awesome to see everyone personally and musically meshing together again so well :)

Edited by WhazUp
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5 hours ago, Asdiz said:

this line made me vomit a little:

with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba. 

Not trying to be a dick but what's the point of this thread? I mean, like, what are you trying to prove?

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5 hours ago, Wagszilla said:

Equally interesting are Axl's comments saying Slash couldn't play anymore. 

In lieu of these comments, you could interpret this whole tour as a sham, the death knell of GN'R's collective artistic integrity or could look at it as Axl being hurt by a former friend and now happily mending a broken professional and personal relationship for the betterment of himself and the band as a whole. 

Axl was pretty consistent with that opinion of slash though, even to this day. He said in the China exchange that the last time he tried working with slash that slash have him the "I don't really wanna try" attitude. Drugs, drinking, lots of abusing slash was doing which made it hard for Axl to want to work with. Then slash returns to GNR in 2016, and was not only willing to work hard re learning some of the songs but even worked hard learning the 6 Chinese democracy songs GNR plays. Axl said it like "I forgot this attitude and drive was in slash and that's what I signed up for in the first place". 

Seems fair to me..

Edited by Billsfan
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36 minutes ago, WhazUp said:

My favorite bit from that Del James interview is this:

 

Quote

 

It'd be highly doubtful for us to have more than one of the alumni up with us at any given time. I suppose Duff could play guitar on something somewhere, but there's zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn't be pretty. He wrote that whole bit about not having his guitar in Vegas, I'd assume, to save face. I was told by both the Hard Rock and different Guns industry people who had come out to be supportive of the new band and were a bit surprised to see him there, especially guitar in hand, but just assumed it was a surprise for the show and we were in on the arrangement.

Steven [Adler] brings assorted ambulance-chasing attorneys and the nightmare of his mother. One gig, or even a couple songs, could mean years of behind-the-scenes legal aftermath.

 

 

 

 

It is so funny to read after Slash and Duff are back in the band full time and Adler has played a couple of songs in multiple gigs now :P

It is also interesting to read this after the China Exchange interview where Axl said a reunion was always possible it just didn't seem like the timing was right - it certainly doesn't sound like that was the case judging by Axl's own words!  I am glad that Duff talked some sense into Axl and helped facilitate this reunion either way and I am glad that the Axl/Slash rift is far behind us.  There seems to be positive vibes all around right now and it is awesome to see everyone personally and musically meshing together again so well :)

Right after the part you quoted, there's an ambivalent answer:

Wouldn't you make more money [with the reunion]?

If the music was there, meaning new music, I can't say for sure right now -- and there have been market surveys, and various promoters have put together different projections and analysis that in areas where there could be more, it's not enough to sell your soul and live in hell the rest of your life for, that's definitely certain. But that's the catch, right, the music? If I believed in that as a reality which, no offense meant to anyone, I haven't seen anything in all these years to convince me or we'd be doing this interview under different circumstances of some sort, to say the least.

It's not some place I want to be or have any interest in being. If I believed in it in regard to the music, not in direction so much but in how it feels and to what degree, then maybe it'd be another story. I'm in no way trying to be offensive to anyone here, and I'm allowed to have my own feelings in regard to what inspires me, not someone else. Other than a one-off or something, I don't really do songs because someone else likes them.

Although sometimes the way Axl talks makes it very difficult to understand what he means, I think that here he didn't exclude the possibility of a reunion some time in the future, if Slash "inspired" him again (and right after that, he called Slash a cancer :unsure:). Who knows, maybe Axl liked SMKC and changed his mind about Slash's "soulless" playing :P

Edited by Blackstar
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1 hour ago, Billsfan said:

Not trying to be a dick but what's the point of this thread? I mean, like, what are you trying to prove?

to have a little fun.  some are enjoying it, if you aren't there are other threads to read.  maybe if it were you it'd be different.  maybe you wouldn't post it for this reason or that.  peace, whatever.  i love our board now.  we're there for each other when the going gets rough.  i love the posters and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart i can.  

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7 hours ago, Wagszilla said:

Q: Do you think he can play guitar?

A: I prefer listening to others in general, especially those who both push their talents and infuse them with a level of energy that I've seldom heard in his efforts over the years. I'm not taking anything away from the man that are his to claim for his past efforts; it's just that for whatever reason for me, whether the approach, style or basic hands-on technique is there, the passion and true dedication to the art of guitar in his chosen area other than being, in my opinion, a whore for the limelight has generally seemed absent or lacking with most efforts for a long time. To me, it's sad. I don't get it. Where does it go? Is it a choice? Sometimes it's there on covers; I think Clive [Davis, legendary record executive] fell for that.

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=168

Jesus. That is just cringe worthy. And why does Axl always speak in circles? He sounds like a lawyer.

If Slash is a limelight whore, then Axl is a cash whore since he toured AFD/UYI for the last 15 years with his Chinese Democracy I-V tours so that he could milk that old guns catalogue for every last penny. It must have been maddening for Izzy, Duff, and Slash to work with this guy.

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3 hours ago, Crazyman said:

It's funny because in that interview Axl says that Slash's quote about the first VR sessions being the best Guns album ever and Axl blows it off saying he's promoting old Guns - Axl was definitely using this letter to promote NuGnR :lol:

The whole interview is crazy. The only part that actually rings true where Axl is probably telling the truth is the rivalry between Izzy and Slash. I think there's definitely some band politics behind why Izzy's signature riffing is largely absent on UYI -- Slash has said some pretty stupid shit about Izzy and his guitar playing in the past.

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4 hours ago, Blackstar said:

Right after the part you quoted, there's an ambivalent answer:

Wouldn't you make more money [with the reunion]?

If the music was there, meaning new music, I can't say for sure right now -- and there have been market surveys, and various promoters have put together different projections and analysis that in areas where there could be more, it's not enough to sell your soul and live in hell the rest of your life for, that's definitely certain. But that's the catch, right, the music? If I believed in that as a reality which, no offense meant to anyone, I haven't seen anything in all these years to convince me or we'd be doing this interview under different circumstances of some sort, to say the least.

It's not some place I want to be or have any interest in being. If I believed in it in regard to the music, not in direction so much but in how it feels and to what degree, then maybe it'd be another story. I'm in no way trying to be offensive to anyone here, and I'm allowed to have my own feelings in regard to what inspires me, not someone else. Other than a one-off or something, I don't really do songs because someone else likes them.

Although sometimes the way Axl talks makes it very difficult to understand what he means, I think that here he didn't exclude the possibility of a reunion some time in the future, if Slash "inspired" him again (and right after that, he called Slash a cancer :unsure:). Who knows, maybe Axl liked SMKC and changed his mind about Slash's "soulless" playing :P

Great thread and thanks for pulling this up. It does suggest, taken on its own, that even without Slash publicly apologising for lying about stuff, that Axl would still have considered doing something with him if he e.g. put out some music that inspired Axl.

Maybe the last solo albums and shows inspired him?

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3 hours ago, RONIN said:

This is rich coming from Axl considering his legendary work ethic. Going to the studio sometimes once a year or less during the Chinese Democracy era and missing innumerable rehearsals, sound checks, etc. "Working hard" in his mind means tinkering on pro tools and adding endless layers upon layers of synth, guitars, effects,etc. Slash has put out how many albums since 1995? How can anyone say that he doesn't have a great work ethic? The guy works tirelessly unlike the red head who wouldn't even allow them to play festivals in '95 when the band was falling apart despite Slash begging him to do it. Duff quit out of boredom since Axl was never showing up to the rehearsals. That whole Slash bit from his interview was pretty condescending.

What I "think" he means is that Slash probably didn't want to "push" himself by playing whatever stupid trendy music Axl was into at the moment (grunge/techno industrial and/or whatever other shit was popular in the mid 90's) and Slash didn't care at all about pro-tools and digitally raping the music they were trying to create. Axl on the other hand was much more interested in turning their raw demos into a soulless travesty on his computer. Therefore, Slash is lazy in Axl's mind. Makes perfect sense really.

Out of Likes. Thought the same things, thanks for writing that down :) Agree with you on everything.

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Axl has simply such a twisted mind that it's useless to analyse his thoughts..here he said that there is no room for a reunion, then this not in this lifetime Quote...and then in 2016 at the China Expo he said that he always considered a reunion...Axl is a great musician and he seems cool when he is giving interviews, but when you revisit his statements it often makes no sense...dude is living in his own world. 

 

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McCartney snubbed the Rock Hall because he had issues going on with Yoko and possibly George at the time and said he didn't want to do a phony reunion.

Rod Stewart laughed about Axl not going and he turned out to be a no show himself.

It was cool that GNR and RHCPs were inducted at the same time because they all grew up together but there's so many more bands out of LA that deserve to be inducted. Axl could have also named a bunch of his favorite bands that haven't been inducted as a reason not to go.

Steve Miller showed up and aired his grievances about it, which made him come off as cranky, but he said some of the same things (where does the money go). KISS bitched but took the award anyway.

Edited by dalsh327
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12 hours ago, Asdiz said:

to have a little fun.  some are enjoying it, if you aren't there are other threads to read.  maybe if it were you it'd be different.  maybe you wouldn't post it for this reason or that.  peace, whatever.  i love our board now.  we're there for each other when the going gets rough.  i love the posters and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart i can.  

Yeah ok relax there Axl :lol:

Just wasn't sure if you were trying to prove Axl as some sort of hypocrit or liar when, shit happens and people change over time. I just could give a shit what he said back then because situations change and people change... 

10 hours ago, RONIN said:

This is rich coming from Axl considering his legendary work ethic. Going to the studio sometimes once a year or less during the Chinese Democracy era and missing innumerable rehearsals, sound checks, etc. "Working hard" in his mind means tinkering on pro tools and adding endless layers upon layers of synth, guitars, effects,etc. Slash has put out how many albums since 1995? How can anyone say that he doesn't have a great work ethic? The guy works tirelessly unlike the red head who wouldn't even allow them to play festivals in '95 when the band was falling apart despite Slash begging him to do it. Duff quit out of boredom since Axl was never showing up to the rehearsals. That whole Slash bit from his interview was pretty condescending.

What I "think" he means is that Slash probably didn't want to "push" himself by playing whatever stupid trendy music Axl was into at the moment (grunge/techno industrial and/or whatever other shit was popular in the mid 90's) and Slash didn't care at all about pro-tools and digitally raping the music they were trying to create. Axl on the other hand was much more interested in turning their raw demos into a soulless travesty on his computer. Therefore, Slash is lazy in Axl's mind. Makes perfect sense really.

Rich to you but it's probably how Axl sees things. Some can whine about oh my god and what Axl was pushing for but guess what? Had they stuck with JUST straight down right rock n roll, we wouldn't have gotten use your illusion. Bands change over time and GNR did it fine. Shame slash was lazy 

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