NEW Steven Adler interview with Mitch Lafon

[Swedish]

31 minutes ago, WhenYou'reTalkinToYourself said:

But the truth is that none of us knows what really happened and all we can do is just guessing.

I won't take any side in this (same goes with the case of Izzy and the loot).

This!

[tsinindy]

2 minutes ago, ZoSoRose said:

Id like to also say, I am still a fan of Axl. I am still a fan of Duff and Slash. I am still a fan of GNR.

I am just disappointed that Izzy and Steven werent treated as well as they should have been. I recognize we only have their side (a vague account) of their story, but I believe they werent given the opportunity to really be there full time. They could have even been included with Frank and Fortus if they had to be there. This isnt a tight unit of 5 guys against the world, its a giant touring machine designed for as many people as possible to hear the big songs and say "I saw GNR!" To an extent, thats what we wanted when we all clamored for a reunion. Almost all giant bands or reunions function like this now so a few extra backing musicians like Fortus and Frank wouldnt have mattered or made it too cluttered imo (just look at The Stones).

I think it boils down to Axl not really liking Steven and them not wanting to pay him and Izzy as much as they deserved. 

I love GNR still, and will see them when they come to my area, but I honestly think Im done driving and flying hours to see them. I am more than content with the 3 reunion shows I saw. Unless they treat Steven and Izzy fair or make new music, why should I travel to see the same show over and over again?

 

 

This is ecactly how I feel, thanks for summing it up nicely Otis

and to add, not sure I'm willing to spend $300 a ticket to see them in this carnation again even if they did come to my town.

Edited February 17, 2017 by tsinindy

[WhenYou'reTalkinToYourself]

22 minutes ago, AlexC said:

So when it's Steven it's an opinion but when it's Axl it's a fact?

In this instance, I would even go as far as to say that Steven and Izzy are more reliable sources than Axl, Slash and Duff because they have nothing to lose, they've already been shunned so why bother to lie? Axl, Slash and Duff have to keep up appearances and not turn fans against them, so why would their side of the story offer verification of any kind whatsoever? There's no way they're gonna come out and say "actually yeah, his back healed just fine but we just didn't want him in the band anyway."

No, it's not a fact whatever Axl says. And I didn't say that Steven lies or that the one is more reliable than the other.

What I said is that we've heard only the one side of the story.

I wasn't referring to Adler when I said that opinions are not facts. I was referring to our (the fans) opinions, which sometimes are presented as facts.

Edited February 17, 2017 by WhenYou'reTalkinToYourself

[ZoSoRose]

3 minutes ago, tsinindy said:

This is ecactly how I feel, thanks for summing it up nicely Otis

and to add, not sure I'm willing to spend $300 a ticket to see them in this carnation again even if they did come to my town.

Lol! 

I probably wont fork up for pit tickets again. 2 reunion stadium shows Ive seen in the pit and 2 NuGNR gigs I was GA. 4/6 GA GNR shows aint bad haha. I dont mind being in tbe seats from now on unless prices drop next tour

[Italian girl]

I see that many of you are pissed off with axl slash and duff.. please make space for us and sell  your tkts  

[scooby845]

20 minutes ago, tsinindy said:

1 - he gives the impression this is what he was rehearsing with them and was planning on playing with them (AFD songs, lies songs and a few illusions songs, specifically civil war)

2 - not clear, he hung up on Duff bc he was pissed.

3 - I didn't take this as Axl being mad at Steven, more....surprised.  

4 - correct, he thought he was being offered all and when he found out he could choose one he said no.

5 - not discussed but doesn't seem so, as it seems they broke off contact for awhile when he hung up on Duff, then they called him to guest.  But, again this isn't clear.   My personal take is he was planning on guesting every show and then Duff told him that wasn't going to happen, they didn't ask for awhile then someone reached out and offered him a few shows.

6 - seems to me he loves Guns and those guys and being a part of all that he helped create.  Otherwise he doesn't wanna perforn unless he can make money from it.

7 - wasn't really discussed, sounds like he was compensated in some way though.

8 - he claims it wasn't bc of his drug use, but bc Axl wanted control of everything.

9 - sounds like he will guest again as long as Izzy is involved no matter the number of songs or shows.

I've actually listened to this three times now and while I still feel Steven is getting screwed to some degree, I also feel this is clearly his version of things and there is some degree of pontification occurring (as is natural in situations like this).

Another scenario where the truth will probably remain forever elusive.

 

Thanks for the insights..you cleared a lot of things  up... still it remains somewhat inconclusive...

After all is said, given that Steven 'would play for free', they could have switched him and Frank, as he said there is no problem with that... So the injury was just an excuse not to include him...

[ZoSoRose]

Just now, Italian girl said:

I see that many of you are pissed off with axl slash and duff.. please make space for us and sell  your tkts  

Don't worry, there have been PLENTY of seats available for face value for nearly every show this tour

[Italian girl]

PLENTY

 

[Magnus Cavalerra]

"What the fuck is he doing here.."

Damn, that kinda hilarious and sad at the same time.

[tsinindy]

3 minutes ago, Italian girl said:

I see that many of you are pissed off with axl slash and duff.. please make space for us and sell  your tkts  

Sure, be glad to sell you my two pit tix for St Louis (and for you, face value

[MillionsOfSpiders]

@ZoSoRose and @tsinindy I agree with you guys entirely. 

I am still a fan of all of them and I haven't seen them yet, so when I do I'm sure I will have my closure as a fan in the same way you guys have. It's nothing negative at all and I am still hugely looking forward to th the shows  

Thanks for summing up how I feel too. 

[Darkenchantress]

I was gonna sell mine but I think I'm going anyway with my Izzy shirt and hoping to piss off as many die hard fans of the Holy Trinity as I can. 

[ZoSoRose]

2 minutes ago, tsinindy said:

Sure, be glad to sell you my two pit tix for St Louis (and for you, face value

Good luck selling them, man. I had to sell a floor ticket to Detroit cause I upgraded to pit. Show ended up being sold out and I STILL took an 80 dollar hit.

Just now, MillionsOfSpiders said:

@ZoSoRose and @tsinindy I agree with you guys entirely. 

I am still a fan of all of them and I haven't seen them yet, so when I do I'm sure I will have my closure as a fan in the same way you guys have. It's nothing negative at all and I am still hugely looking forward to th the shows  

Thanks for summing up how I feel too. 

You should, the shows are incredible for a GNR fan. They'd be better with Izzy and Steve, but what can you do? They are the best live band I have ever seen and it is not even comparable to NuGNR imo (as much as I loved those shows, too).

[Italian girl]

6 minutes ago, tsinindy said:

Sure, be glad to sell you my two pit tix for St Louis (and for you, face value

thanks sir 

4 minutes ago, Darkenchantress said:

I was gonna sell mine but I think I'm going anyway with my Izzy shirt and hoping to piss off as many die hard fans of the Holy Trinity as I can. 

have fun

4 minutes ago, ZoSoRose said:

Good luck selling them, man. I had to sell a floor ticket to Detroit cause I upgraded to pit. Show ended up being sold out and I STILL took an 80 dollar hit.

I'm so sorry

Edited February 17, 2017 by Italian girl

[ZoSoRose]

Just now, Italian girl said:

thanks sit

have fun

I'm so sorry

Its cool! I was glad to sell it for what I did and I got to see the show from the rail. Ended up getting pit for the Chicago show I saw for free thanks to the kindness of others so it all worked out

[Darkenchantress]

1 minute ago, Italian girl said:

have fun

 

I will 

[RONIN]

This fucking band. Jesus christ.  They can never do anything right.

Unlike some, I don't think there were any real plans to reform the classic band and this interview with Steven only lends more credence to it. They were going to basically bring in Izzy and Steven as guests and pay them chump change as lip service to the fans just to avoid bad press. Izzy, as per what he's said, felt disrespected and passed. Steven took the bait and did a few dates -- then realized exactly what Izzy was talking about. What a disrespectful bullshit deal he was given by Axl and co -- and so he respectfully bows out after Argentina. Good for Steven. I'm not even an Adler fan but it's clear that he actually cares about the fans more than any of these guys.

Some things to note:

1. Slash and Duff have zero credibility. Their double talkin' jive lends more credence to what Axl has been saying all these years. Axl, a proven liar, actually has more integrity than these two clowns. I've been really harsh in my assessment of Axl in the past but I respect him more now. Atleast we know where we stand with Axl. He is and will always be a complete ass. The biggest douche in rock along with Fred Durst. The thing is, he is what he is and he has the guts to own it. The other two are just sellouts. They go where the wind blows. Slash plays the PR game really well and Duff is a company man - he'll basically keep the status quo going for as long as it suits him. They are businessmen like Axl now. Corporate rockers, the lot of them. Kurt Cobain was right on the money about GnR after all.

2. It's crystal clear that this tour is a cash grab. I can't see new music from this group any more -- they are a legacy act now. What I think will happen is that Duff and Slash will cut and paste some new riffs on top of Axl's songs in the vault and they will drip release this stuff until the end of time to wring every last dollar from fans. Or they will recycle old riffs from the 90's. We will get music, that's the good news. Will it be new? No. But that's okay because this band doesn't exist as a functional, organic entity anymore. That became really apparent to me after seeing how they cut Izzy out. Looks like there wasn't even much interest in trying to work things out with him -- why else would they throw him some chump change to tour? Like they couldn't give Del James' stipend and Melissa's salary to Izzy for a few shows and pay him what he was worth? That was too much to ask?

If you like seeing random people like Fortus and Ferrer up there playing where Izzy and Steven should be (and want to be, according to them), more power to you. Enjoy. As a fan, I saw GnR last year and that was good enough for me as a bucket list type of thing. I really have no interest in seeing this version of the band any more. Maybe if these guys can stop being so greedy and throw the fans a bone by bringing Izzy and Steven back, it might be worth it. There isn't much time left for them to do this either -- these guys are not getting any younger. From the way Izzy and Steve signed off, it sounds to me like they're done with GnR.

Edited February 17, 2017 by RONIN

[Tom-Ass]

44 minutes ago, ZoSoRose said:

I love GNR still, and will see them when they come to my area, but I honestly think Im done driving and flying hours to see them. I am more than content with the 3 reunion shows I saw. Unless they treat Steven and Izzy fair or make new music, why should I travel to see the same show over and over again?

 

 

Same.. I regret going to Vegas... If I knew there would be more non originals on stage than originals I wouldn't have ever booked that trip. I would have been just as happy seeing my hometown show which was better anyway.. If it wasn't this hybrid thing I would have been traveling all over the country to see them.  My Uncle had a Cinci ticket for me and I didn't go. The people they have plugged in where Izzy and Steven should be can't even play the songs.. I want to rip Fortus's whammy bar right off his guitar during Don't Cry.. Nver mind the blue haired freak..

As great as the reunion has been, so much has not been great, Could be so much better.. Axl/Slash and Duff could care less if we don't travel to see them. They are still packing Stadiums... I just always admired Slash and Duff for their integrity.. That is all flying out the window now...

[AlexC]

4 minutes ago, RONIN said:

This fucking band. Jesus christ.  They can never do anything right.

Unlike some, I don't think there were any real plans to reform the classic band and this interview with Steven only lends more credence to it. They were going to basically bring in Izzy and Steven as guests and pay them chump change as lip service to the fans just to avoid bad press. Izzy, as per what he's said, felt disrespected and passed. Steven took the bait and did a few dates -- then realized exactly what Izzy was talking about. What a disrespectful bullshit deal he was given by Axl and co -- and so he respectfully bows out after Argentina. Good for Steven. I'm not even an Adler fan but it's clear that he actually cares about the fans more than any of these guys.

Some things to note:

1. Slash and Duff have zero credibility. Their double talkin' jive lends more credence to what Axl has been saying all these years. Axl, a proven liar, actually has more integrity than these two clowns. I've been really harsh in my assessment of Axl in the past but I respect him more now. Atleast we know where we stand with Axl. He is and will always be a complete ass. The biggest douche in rock along with Fred Durst. The thing is, he is what he is and he has the guts to own out. The other two are double talkers with zero credibility. Slash plays the PR game really well and Duff is a company man - he'll basically keep the status quo going for as long as it suits him. They are businessmen like Axl now. Corporate rockers, the lot of them. Kurt Cobain was right on the money about GnR after all.

2. It's crystal clear that this tour is a cash grab. I can't see new music from this group any more -- they are a legacy act now. What I think will happen is that Duff and Slash will cut and paste some new riffs on top of Axl's songs in the vault and they will drip release this stuff until the end of time to wring every last dollar from fans. Or they will recycle old riffs from the 90's. We will get music, that's the good news. Will it be new? No. But that's okay because this band doesn't exist as a functional, organic entity anymore. That became really apparent to me after seeing how they cut Izzy out. Looks like there wasn't even much interest in trying to work things out with him -- why else would they throw him some chump change to tour? Like they couldn't give Del James' stipend and Melissa's salary to Izzy for a few shows and pay him what he was worth? That was too much to ask?

If you like seeing random people like Fortus and Ferrer up there playing where Izzy and Steven should be (and want to be, according to them), more power to you. Enjoy. As a fan, I saw GnR last year and that was good enough for me as a bucket list type of thing. I really have no interest in seeing this version of the band any more. Maybe if these guys can stop being so greedy and throw the fans a bone by bringing Izzy and Steven back, it might be worth it. There isn't much time left for them to do this either -- these guys are not getting any younger. From the way Izzy and Steve signed off, it sounds to me like they're done with GnR.

I agree with the first paragraph, the "some things to note" part are unnoteworthy. Well, in my opinion anyway.

Edited February 17, 2017 by AlexC

[ZoSoRose]

1 minute ago, Tom-Ass said:

Same.. I regret going to Vegas... If I knew there would be more non originals on stage than originals I wouldn't have ever booked that trip. I would have been just as happy seeing my hometown show which was better anyway.. If it wasn't this hybrid thing I would have been traveling all over the country to see them.  My Uncle had a Cinci ticket for me and I didn't go. The people they have plugged in where Izzy and Steven should be can't even play the songs.. I want to rip Fortus's whammy bar right off his guitar during Don't Cry.. Nver mind the blue haired freak..

As great as the reunion has been, so much has not been great, Could be so much better.. Axl/Slash and Duff could care less if we don't travel to see them. They are still packing Stadiums... I just always admired Slash and Duff for their integrity.. That is all flying out the window now...

Musically, I am pretty happy with the reunion. I agree that the stadium NA tour was better than Vegas but that was expected for me. Going to Vegas was more about seeing Axl and Slash and a "real" GNR on stage for the first time. I thought the show was amazing, even though the stadium gigs I saw were better musically. I don't regret going because the trip and excitement was unparalleled. It was my first time to Vegas, I went with some really close friends, and it was like a GNR convention. Met so many amazing people. There will NEVER be a collection of us like that anywhere again. All of the meetups and speculation and partying/exploring the strip was fucking cool for me. The show was great for me, too. I feel very lucky I saw the USA stadium leg twice, though. That is the best GNR tour since 1993 imo.

But yeah, back to the band right now. I think they play the songs just fine. I actually really liked Frank's playing on the stadium run (I know I'll be blasted for that) and I have always really liked Richard. It doesn't matter how good they are, though, because they aren't Izzy and Steven. I'd rather have the original gang up there and fuck up more, than a musically perfect hybrid band. Why wouldn't I? It should be about seeing the most authentic version of the band we all love. I keep saying it, too, there was no reason Frank and Richard couldn't be included with Steven and Richard. Tons of giant bands have an army of backup musicians. I'd rather have a mean, lean 6 man band but I'd have been fine with Frank and Richard as background musicians. This tour isn't about hearing a "raw and gritty" band, anyways, it is to say "I saw Guns N' Roses". Its a nostalgia tour. I'm fine with that.

Ah well!

[Gold top 78]

IMO this tour is all about Axl and Slash rebuilding a friendship and making it GNR again while making a shit load of money. At this point last year there were probably doubts in the back of thier minds wether the reunion would happen so would diving straight into a AFD line up be the best way to repair a 20 year fued ? Slash said he'd only do a reunion for the right reasons well what if doing it with this line up allows him to build a friendship with Axl which could lead to a full reunion next year ? All we can do is speculate and hearing Steven say him and Izzy are up for is a sore one to take and I reckon they should've just done it. Once the contracts end around October this year ( rumoured ) then I hope Richard and Frank step aside. But till then I'm still happy to have what we've got. 

[RONIN]

5 minutes ago, AlexC said:

I agree with the first paragraph, the "some things to note" part are unnoteworthy. Well, in my opinion anyway.

I agree with you -- these are pretty obvious things and unnoteworthy. I'm saying it because some people here seem to think there was some honest effort to do a proper reunion and that poor Duff and Slash are basically employees that were forced to follow whatever Axl wants. This interview makes it very clear that isn't really the case. Trying to discredit Steven and Izzy and paint them as unreliable or whatever other excuse people are coming up with doesn't really hold water. Those two were never really an option to begin with. Axl, Duff and Slash were cashing out and wanted all the spoils for themselves. And they were right -- NITL was a huge success without Izzy and Steven.

[KURT19]

This "reunion" isn't about the music.  This "reunion" isn't about the legacy of the band.  This "reunion" isn't about us either.

It's about the MONEY.  M O N E Y  for Axl, Slash and Duff.  M O N E Y for the promoters and the leeches.

Steven and Izzy may not be the smartest businessmen in Rock N' Roll, but they are currently filled with righteous honor and integrity.  

In my humble opinion, Steven and Izzy are the only true Rock N' Rollers left in the bunch.

[Eddie Money]

15 hours ago, Tourettes2400 said:

Me too! I wish I could have just have seen them in their prime when they were all together with no bullshit. It is obvious they do not want him in the band....at all lol. At least I got to see him in Nashville with the band for his 2nd show on the tour. It just does not look like all 5 of them will ever get on the same page. It is kind of sad but like he said, it is what it is. 

That was my greatest memory.

[Lies They Tell]

Dunno why some people are so angry at Axl and co. I mean after this interview, it seems like they were MUCH more respectful to Adler and Izzy than at least I originally though. Adler was originally supposed to play all Appetite and Lies songs and most of the UYI stuff. I guess that goes for Izzy too. In other words, it seems like they were supposed to be the main band members and Frank and Fortus would have been supportive members. I kinda understand that they want to keep Frank and Fortus there just in case. After all Izzy quit the band in the middle of a tour and Steven doesn't seem like the most reliable guy either. 

But to me it seems like the band wanted to try if they could work it all out with Izzy and Steven. They wanted to keep the other members there just in case, but they wanted Izzy and Steven to be there, so they could see how it goes. But that wasn't good enough for Izzy. Who knows, maybe Izzy and Steven would have ended up as the permanent and only members, if they would have agreed and they would have earned Axl's, Duff's and Slash's trust. Well Steven of course wanted to do it originally, but then he hurt his back and so plans changed.

But all in all, it seems like they wanted to try if this could work with Izzy and Steven. They wanted to move forward gradually, but for Izzy it was all or nothing. Which is of course understandable too. Like in almost every conflict situation, there's two understandable points of view here too. It's a shame, if they can't make it work out.