Tommy Stinson On GN'R Reunion: I Had To Decline Taking A Few Tours - Axl Had To Make A Decision To Do Some Other Things

[chevelle]

7 minutes ago, WhazUp said:

I had the same attitude before the reunion, but really only because I never thought a reunion would actually happen between Axl and Slash lol.  I was just really looking forward to whatever would have been the follow up to CD and the band at the time being a real band and releasing music and just doing what they do.  It was frustrating because the band was ruining all of their potential chances at any sort of creative momentum moving forward

 

But honestly, this reunion kind of made me honest with myself and realize that the only reason why I was so into the CD era is because it was all we had.  Now, Slash is back, Axl is back to being awesome vocally, the band kicks ass, and there is more going on now that is awesome than the entire CD era combined - in my personal opinion of course.  So it sucks that nuGNR was built up for nothing but at least we have "the real thing" to enjoy now

2

 

I don't know how to feel, honestly. For me, I was just genuinely interested in that industrial/electronic sound Axl was gunning for in the late 90s/early 2000s, and hoped that the new band could carve their way out of the shade of the GNR name by at least a few inches. In a way, the reunion almost feels like the band/Axl accepting their status as a nostalgia act once and for all. As flawed as the CD era was, there was always at least that slim chance that something truly new for them could happen. But on the other hand, I can't help but feel happy that the band that first got me into music at 12 years old is (mostly) back together and kicking ass, and who knows, maybe they'll actually make really great new music together at some point. 

[ZoSoRose]

2 minutes ago, Graeme said:

See, I don't think that... Being completely honest with myself, I love and respect Slash for the songs he wrote and the work he did, with GN'R up until '94 but I thought that both he and Guns had moved on for the better. A lot of people in the community seemed really into Guns during the CD era, I used to meet people at concerts who'd travelled hundreds of miles to be there, this place was never short of discussion and up until all the Vegas shit started, there was so much potential... wasted. I just can't quite fathom that out of all those people, there's only @chevelle and I who feel the way we do. 

 

I loved and supported nugnr but I'd be lying if I said there was a time where I never wanted a reunion. I'll always cherish the shows I saw and memories on here from that era, but the reunion did overshadow it 100% for me. The wasted years and failed potential don't help, either

[chevelle]

4 minutes ago, Graeme said:

See, I don't think that... Being completely honest with myself, I love and respect Slash for the songs he wrote and the work he did, with GN'R up until '94 but I thought that both he and Guns had moved on for the better. A lot of people in the community seemed really into Guns during the CD era, I used to meet people at concerts who'd travelled hundreds of miles to be there, this place was never short of discussion and up until all the Vegas shit started, there was so much potential... wasted. I just can't quite fathom that out of all those people, there's only @chevelle and I who feel the way we do. 

 

 

Heh, I just spent way longer than I should have trying to put that sentiment into words and you did it way better. Like you said, it felt like everyone had moved on to different things, and Axl had a chance to move beyond that dirty rock and roll sound and do something new. A reunion at this point almost feels like admitting defeat and taking a step backwards, especially with how relatively little fanfare there was to Axl and Slash patching things up. 

[Billsfan]

5 minutes ago, Graeme said:

See, I don't think that... Being completely honest with myself, I love and respect Slash for the songs he wrote and the work he did, with GN'R up until '94 but I thought that both he and Guns had moved on for the better. A lot of people in the community seemed really into Guns during the CD era, I used to meet people at concerts who'd travelled hundreds of miles to be there, this place was never short of discussion and up until all the Vegas shit started, there was so much potential... wasted. I just can't quite fathom that out of all those people, there's only @chevelle and I who feel the way we do. 

 

I was into the nugnr era, but frankly that in itself Became a waste. And frankly, it just went nowhere. They wasted their own potential and it just became tough to support. So while I was into the new era like you, I was also beyond glad it ended. It went from serious potential to embarrassment. 

[Graeme]

1 minute ago, ZoSoRose said:

I loved and supported nugnr but I'd be lying if I said there was a time where I never wanted a reunion. I'll always cherish the shows I saw and memories on here from that era, but the reunion did overshadow it 100% for me. The wasted years and failed potential don't help, either

I got so into it that I went right over the loyalty threshold to the point where the reunion ruined GN'R for me.

[Graeme]

Now I've become exactly like one of those stubborn Old GN'R fans that I always hated during the CD era who hangs around trying to tell everyone else how they shouldn't be enjoying themselves .

[ZoSoRose]

3 minutes ago, Graeme said:

I got so into it that I went right over the loyalty threshold to the point where the reunion ruined GN'R for me.

But they're SO GOOD now. The shows are just on another level imo

[DieselDaisy]

I neither like nugnr nor the hybrid. I think they both stink. I suppose then I'm in the middle haha.

[Graeme]

35 minutes ago, Billsfan said:

I was into the nugnr era, but frankly that in itself Became a waste. And frankly, it just went nowhere. They wasted their own potential and it just became tough to support. So while I was into the new era like you, I was also beyond glad it ended. It went from serious potential to embarrassment. 

It's not really their fault though, it's more or less exclusively Axl's fault, he wasted the potential and caused the embarrassment (well, ok, maybe DJ helped on that front)... He ruined it and then took the easy route out.

@ZoSoRose, it's the principle of the thing. I'm too angry about Axl throwing my support for his wasted "vision" back in my face to give any support to the reunion, regardless of how good it sounds. (*Tin helmet on* I also think that Ron was a much more interesting live guitarist than Slash).

Edited October 4, 2016 by Graeme

[wondering where's izzy?]

For as exciting and mind blowing as this year has been, I have to say I miss the absolutely magical moments of getting the the IRS leak.  Then the Better and TWAT  and Catcher leaks. To be excited about new music... now it's like "and Slash is doing the Godfather... again." 

[Gackt]

On 9/30/2016 at 3:23 PM, maxpax said:

Best GnR Bassist ever. 

after Bucket 

 

[BorderlineCrazy]

12 minutes ago, wondering where's izzy? said:

For as exciting and mind blowing as this year has been, I have to say I miss the absolutely magical moments of getting the the IRS leak.  Then the Better and TWAT  and Catcher leaks. To be excited about new music... now it's like "and Slash is doing the Godfather... again." 

But that has NOTHING to do with Slash. You're talking about something that happened over a decade ago, so you must have been missing that when Bumblefoot, DJ and Tommy were in the band as well.

IMO, the difference is now there's more hope we'll get to hear Axl sing new songs than there was in the last 5 years.

5 minutes ago, Gackt said:

after Bucket 

 

Bucket is definitely the best thing that happened to Axl after GNR's breakup. Insane talent!

It actually surprises me there are people who miss Bumblefoot when Buckethead was in that """band""".

[AxlRoseCDII]

12 minutes ago, BorderlineCrazy said:

Bucket is definitely the best thing that happened to Axl after GNR's breakup. Insane talent!

It actually surprises me there are people who miss Bumblefoot when Buckethead was in that """band""".

Both were great guitarists! Buckethead is super technical and I quite often listen to his solo work, but I preferred Bumblefoot for GN'R because he was a little less technical (while being super talented still) and had a little more feeling. Both were beasts, though, and Buckethead helped to make CD one of my favorite albums of all time.

[Billsfan]

51 minutes ago, Graeme said:

It's not really their fault though, it's more or less exclusively Axl's fault, he wasted the potential and caused the embarrassment (well, ok, maybe DJ helped on that front)... He ruined it and then took the easy route out.

@ZoSoRose, it's the principle of the thing. I'm too angry about Axl throwing my support for his wasted "vision" back in my face to give any support to the reunion, regardless of how good it sounds. (*Tin helmet on* I also think that Ron was a much more interesting live guitarist than Slash).

Well whether it was the bands fault or not is just irrelevant now. Nugnr went nowhere and there was just no reason to continue it regardless of who's fault it was vs who's it wasn't 

[ZoSoRose]

1 hour ago, Graeme said:

It's not really their fault though, it's more or less exclusively Axl's fault, he wasted the potential and caused the embarrassment (well, ok, maybe DJ helped on that front)... He ruined it and then took the easy route out.

@ZoSoRose, it's the principle of the thing. I'm too angry about Axl throwing my support for his wasted "vision" back in my face to give any support to the reunion, regardless of how good it sounds. (*Tin helmet on* I also think that Ron was a much more interesting live guitarist than Slash).

I'm a huge Ron fan  Bucket and Finck were great too

But for me Slash will always be the GNR lead guitarist

[RONIN]

2 hours ago, Graeme said:

See, I don't think that... Being completely honest with myself, I love and respect Slash for the songs he wrote and the work he did, with GN'R up until '94 but I thought that both he and Guns had moved on for the better. A lot of people in the community seemed really into Guns during the CD era, I used to meet people at concerts who'd travelled hundreds of miles to be there, this place was never short of discussion and up until all the Vegas shit started, there was so much potential... wasted. I just can't quite fathom that out of all those people, there's only @chevelle and I who feel the way we do. 

 

I get where you're coming from, really, I do. Though I loved old guns, I was very much on board for new guns back in '02. Illusions were my favorite albums from the band and I loved "Oh My God". A continuation of Illusions combined with influence from Nine Inch Nails, Moby, etc was all very fascinating to me back then. I really bought into Axl being a consummate musician and artist while Slash was content on just rehashing his cock rock songs album after album. Buckethead added tremendous credibility to Axl's vision -- recruiting him into the band was a masterstroke from Axl. Possibly one of the few lead guitarists in the world with the skills and starpower to overcome losing Slash.

And then, Buckethead left and we had a 4 year hiatus. That killed nu-guns for me completely. It proved that Axl had no vision and that this entire thing was an ego trip for him to prove that he was the genius behind Guns and that Duff, Slash and Izzy rode on his coattails all these years. That was the jump the shark moment for me. That 4 year hiatus proved that the emperor truly has no clothes. Once Thal signed up, the band had become the "b" team -- no longer a roster of all-stars like original guns or the first iteration of new guns.

I have nothing against Ron Thal btw, he's a fantastic player and a very genuine guy -- he was just a bad fit for the band imho. Going from Buckethead to him felt like a huge downgrade for me. I actually feel bad for him because it's clear Ron Thal actually cared deeply about his role in the band and wanted to do right by the fans. His recent interviews about GnR made it seem like he was pretty disillusioned with the years he spent in the band. 

[RONIN]

2 hours ago, Graeme said:

It's not really their fault though, it's more or less exclusively Axl's fault, he wasted the potential and caused the embarrassment (well, ok, maybe DJ helped on that front)... He ruined it and then took the easy route out.

@ZoSoRose, it's the principle of the thing. I'm too angry about Axl throwing my support for his wasted "vision" back in my face to give any support to the reunion, regardless of how good it sounds. (*Tin helmet on* I also think that Ron was a much more interesting live guitarist than Slash).

Fair enough, Axl blew it but what could he do with new guns post-2010? The chief creative talents of nu-guns quit over a decade ago (Bucket and Finck) . Did you really want to see Axl release albums with DJ Ashba and Ron Thal? It's clear to me that Axl felt like he couldn't release a great album with the replacement team he had. Ron Thal is a great talent but new guns lost some of the best players in the business like Bucket, Freese and Brain -- the principle songwriter after Axl, Robin Finck, was also gone for good. That's a tough group of guys to replace.

Edited October 4, 2016 by RONIN

[NOVEMBER COMA]

Before I say this, know that Slash is the 1 & only GNR lead for me but.....didn't DJ co-write Saints Of Los Angeles for Motley Crue? Not a great album but worth a listen 

 

[Funky.Monkey]

From another interview with Tommy:

Tommy Stinson favors musical adventure to nostalgia

October 5, 2016

Q: People were confounded by your Guns 'N Roses time. But you were there nearly 20 years. It wasn't a dalliance.  

Tommy Stinson: No, and that whole thing was nothing but a positive experience for me. I have nothing bad to say about it. I put in 17 years, and maybe I overstayed my welcome there, too. But maybe that's just me. Either way, I'm still friends with those guys. I've seen two of the reunion shows. They've been great. They were always great to me.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/Tommy-Stinson-favors-musical-adventure-to-9747299.php

 

[ZoSoRose]

7 minutes ago, Funky.Monkey said:

From another interview with Tommy:

Tommy Stinson favors musical adventure to nostalgia

October 5, 2016

Q: People were confounded by your Guns 'N Roses time. But you were there nearly 20 years. It wasn't a dalliance.  

Tommy Stinson: No, and that whole thing was nothing but a positive experience for me. I have nothing bad to say about it. I put in 17 years, and maybe I overstayed my welcome there, too. But maybe that's just me. Either way, I'm still friends with those guys. I've seen two of the reunion shows. They've been great. They were always great to me.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/Tommy-Stinson-favors-musical-adventure-to-9747299.php

 

I love how some fools swear this hasn't been a reunion (wtf?!) when even former and current band members call it one

[Modano09]

Whatever happened between 2006 - 2008 killed new-GNR. The leaks appeared and were well received, Axl looked and sounded great, things actually seemed to be happening, and then, suddenly, nothing. The last 4 shows are cancelled to finish the album, the album doesn't appear, Robin re-joins NIN, and suddenly two years later Chinese Democracy is released with no promotion from Axl. From that point on he really just seemed to be phoning it in. Not necessarily the on-stage performances because he had a lot of great ones, but his career as a whole. Whatever killed the release in 2006 killed new-GNR.

[username]

3 minutes ago, Modano09 said:

Whatever happened between 2006 - 2008 killed new-GNR. The leaks appeared and were well received, Axl looked and sounded great, things actually seemed to be happening, and then, suddenly, nothing. The last 4 shows are cancelled to finish the album, the album doesn't appear, Robin re-joins NIN, and suddenly two years later Chinese Democracy is released with no promotion from Axl. From that point on he really just seemed to be phoning it in. Not necessarily the on-stage performances because he had a lot of great ones, but his career as a whole. Whatever killed the release in 2006 killed new-GNR.

In retrospect - no. 

What killed the new GnR was failing to release Chinese Democracy and move forward. CD not coming out in 2002 was essentially the death sentence. Buckethead leaving in 2004 was the final nail in the coffin (although personally I always hated him as a part of GnR). Everything after that was just pointless for the long term and mission impossible for commercial success, even though I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them live in 2006. There was a genuine mythical excitement about that. The Hammerstein Ballroom shows alone were absolutely buzzing with anticipation and energy. But looking back now, it was already too late despite all that. 

[RussTCB]

4 hours ago, username said:

In retrospect - no. 

What killed the new GnR was failing to release Chinese Democracy and move forward. CD not coming out in 2002 was essentially the death sentence. Buckethead leaving in 2004 was the final nail in the coffin (although personally I always hated him as a part of GnR). Everything after that was just pointless for the long term and mission impossible for commercial success, even though I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them live in 2006. There was a genuine mythical excitement about that. The Hammerstein Ballroom shows alone were absolutely buzzing with anticipation and energy. But looking back now, it was already too late despite all that. 

Personally, I think they still could've released the album in 2006 and been OK. 

Like you said, there was so much buzz from the start with the Hammerstein shows. Then they turned in great to excellent festival appearances I'm Europe. Then the US tour was very popular. 

On top of all of that, US radio stations were trying to play Better until they got the ignorant C&D from Universal. 

I think if they would have just released Better as a single, then the album by Christmas that year, the last 10 years could've been far different. 

[IncitingChaos]

CD seemed to struggle from not being a very fun album to listen to. A lot of the songs aren't uplifting, the sound is all over the place, and the vocals are not appealing to the listener. 

In some ways it was nice for a hardcore fan to listen to it and hear the many layers. And effort brought to the album, but for the casual listener it didn't do anything for them. It bothered myself and many that people didn't like the album just bc we were all hoping it would be this epic album however when the album doesn't live up to that hype it puts the fan on the losing side. 

The backstories and mystery of the album still makes it appealing for a big gnr fan, but you can't get away with an album like this if it's the first album after over a decade of work or it's the only album you end up releasing. 

Overall my feeling is the album would have  been received poorly in 2002, 2006, and 2008...now if those were the release years of each album in the trilogy we were hoping for then it's a different story, but as it stands CD is a punchline.

[DieselDaisy]

6 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

CD is a punchline.

...to a bad joke!