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Axl Rose: The Rolling Stone Interview (old)


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This is an interview from '91 or '92 iirc.

Some excerpts below:

 

What do you think people are thinking about you these days?
I know it's a love-hate thing. There are people that are big fans and people that really hate me.

Do you get a sense that public opinion of you has changed?
A majority of what's in the press is negative. But I think that we're also gaining more fans, people of all different ages that really like what we're doing. There's a really good vibe in the crowd, a warm vibe.

What about St. Louis? After the riot, Rolling Stone got letters from people saying that they were fed up with your attitude and that you don't care about your fans anymore.
And that's why the riot happened? Is that what they're saying?

No. But I think the riot was a turning point in terms of public opinion of you.
Well, I think that the way the media covered it made me look completely responsible for it. I don't think I was the last straw. I think that the people who decided to start throwing stuff were the last straw. We have a big problem with the people that were at that concert. We gave them a ninety-minute show. We gave them what we were contracted to do, and we gave it good. They wanted more, and they felt that they could just have it, regardless of what happened to us or how we felt about it. When we say, "Fuck St. Louis," we're talking about the people that tore up the place. They know who they are – we're not talking about anybody else. Whether I jumped off the stage for a camera or not, that's not a good enough reason to tear the place down. It was announced that we would come back onstage, and they were more into the riot than even the band playing.

One thing that has people exasperated is the late show times. Why do you go on so late?
I pretty much follow my own internal clock, and I perform better later at night. Nothing seems to work out for me until later at night. And it is our show. I don't want to make people sit around and wait – it drives me nuts. That hour-and-a-half or two-hour time period that I'm late going onstage is living hell, because I'm wishing there was any way on earth I could get out of where I am and knowing I'm not going to be able to make it. I'm late to everything. I've always wanted to have it written in my will that when I die, the coffin shows up a half-hour late and says on the side, like in gold, Sorry I'm late.

What goes on before you take the stage? What actually makes you late?
The chiropractor we work with on the road tapes my ankles professionally. I kept twisting my ankles during shows, and it still happens now and then. I have weak ankles, always have. I used to run cross-country, and that was one of the things that got in the way of that. So I work with a chiropractor. I work with a massage therapist, because I put a lot of stress in my lower back, and with what I do onstage, there's a lot of rebuilding that has to be done. There's operatic voice exercises. And I started therapy in February [1991] and, Jesus, I'm right in the middle of stuff. I mean, if a heavy emotional issue surfaces and you've got a show in four hours, you have to figure out how to get that sorted out really quick before you get onstage so that you're not in the middle of "Jungle" and have a breakdown. The pressure of having to do the show when whatever else is going on in my life is hard to get past. We did a show in Finland where I just couldn't understand why I was doing what I was doing. I sat down while I was singing "Civil War," and I was kind of looking at my lips while I was singing and looking at the microphone and looking at the roadies, and everything just shut off. Well, that doesn't make for a very good show. We're out there to win at what we do. And if that means going on two hours late and doing a good show, I'm gonna do it. I take what I do very seriously.

Let's say a fan stopped you on the street and said: "Listen, I bought all your records, but I'm sick of your bullshit. I come to a show and you're two hours late, and I have to work the next day. You don't give a fuck about me."
If I didn't give a fuck about them, I'd come out and do a shitty show. I'd come out and tell 'em to fuck off. I'd sit down, sing the songs off-key and just not care. But I do care, and I also care too much about myself to do that. It's confusing to me that people go, "Well, I have to work in the morning." If you were getting laid, you wouldn't be so worried about what time it was. I know it's complicated, but so is getting onstage. And I'm sorry. I try to make it up by coming out and doing a good show and explaining as much as I can about what was going on in my head and why we weren't there.

I've talked to people who liked the band better when it was stripped down. You've added the horn section and the backup singers and a second keyboard player – the shows are becoming a lot more professional and polished.
But I don't think it's losing any of its energy. There's a lot more energy now. I think that before, people were seeing the potential.

There are purists who prefer the raw vibe that bands like the Sex Pistols had and that Guns n' Roses had in the early days.
Yeah, well, there are people who like a girl that had the same haircut she had ten years ago, too. I understand that. I understand that a lot. But it's like, we're evolving, and it's us. I read a quote where David Bowie was saying that Pink Floyd was Syd Barrett to him. I'm like "Yeah, but to deny anything that Pink Floyd's done after that?" Certain elements of our music and our performance and our attitude are still there, but we're not the same people we were then. Maybe it would've been best for the purists if we'd died or broken up. Then they'd get to keep it the way they liked it.

We haven't talked about Izzy. Why did he leave the band?
To get a clear answer, you'd have to ask Izzy. My personal belief is that Izzy never really wanted something this big. There were responsibilities that Izzy didn't want to deal with. He didn't want to work at the standards that Slash and I set for ourselves.

Can you give me some examples?
He didn't want to do videos.

Did he say why?
He just wasn't into it. Getting Izzy to work on his own songs on this record was like pulling teeth. When Izzy had 'em on a four-track, they were done. I mean, I like tapes like that, but we'd just get destroyed if we came out with a garage tape. People want a high-quality album. And it was really hard to get Izzy to do that, even on his own material. Izzy's songs were on the record because I wanted them on the record, not because Izzy gave a shit either way. If people think I don't respect Izzy or acknowledge his talent, they're sadly mistaken. He was my friend. I haven't always been right. Sometimes I've been massively wrong, and Izzy's been the one to help steer me back to the things that were right. But I know that I wanted to get as big as we possibly could from Day One, and that wasn't Izzy's intention at all. I think he's ready to do like an X-Pensive Winos [Keith Richards's band] thing. So maybe the world'll get another really cool band. I know that I'll be trying to get an advance tape, just like everybody else.

Can you really fault someone for getting out of something if he didn't feel it was right for him?
No, not at all. But I can fault someone, in the same way someone can fault me, for being an asshole about the way he went about it. A comic book says how Izzy comes to me and says, "You know, I just don't feel I'm up to this," and I go, "Yeah, and you're scared, too, aw, shit." Well, that ain't the way it went down.

How did it go down?
We were filming "Don't Cry," and he had to be there. Instead, he sent a really short, cold letter and didn't show up. We got this letter saying, "This changes, this changes, and maybe I'll tour in January." And they were ridiculous demands that weren't going to be met. I talked to Izzy for four and a half hours on the phone. At some points, I was crying, and I was begging. I was doing everything I could to keep him in the band. There were stipulations, though. If he was going to do like the old Izzy did, he wasn't going to make as much money. It was like "You're not giving an equal share." Slash and I were having to do too much work to keep the attention and the energy up in the crowd. You're onstage going, "This is really hard, and I'm into it and I'm doing it, but that guy just gets to stand there."

But there's a certain charisma to that. It was just one more thing to get off on about Guns n' Roses. There were five distinct personalities on the stage.
That's okay. But when the guy's getting up at six thirty in the morning and riding bicycles and motorcycles and buying toy airplanes, and he's donating all this energy to something else, and it's taking 100 percent of our energy to do what we're doing on the stage, we were getting ripped off. I'm hoping Izzy's new album rocks. But at the same time, it'll be like "Why couldn't he do that with us?" He wouldn't do anything.

So you're angry with him because he didn't want to be what you wanted him to be?
No. That's not it. I'm angry with him because he left in a very shitty way, and he tries to act like everything's cool. He put his trust in people that I consider my enemies. People like [former G n' R manager] Alan Niven, who I think is his manager now. I don't need Alan Niven knowing jack shit about Guns n' Roses. Everybody has a lot of good and bad, and with Alan, I just got sick of his fucking combo platter. It's like "If you're involved with these people, we can't talk to you."

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/axl-rose-on-privacy-public-opinion-and-his-war-with-the-media-20120206

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23 minutes ago, AlexC said:

First read it a couple years ago. Although it is just another example of how Axl almost never accepts responsibility for anything. Ever. Like not even accepting that his overreaction to a minor issue in St. Louis was not only partly responsible but absolutely fucking massively detrimental in what occurred next.

He comes across as so delusional in this interview. I really hope he's not like this anymore. His answers really make him sound clueless but trying to act intelligent.

Maybe you are right about not accepting responsibility for things, but St Louis wasn't a minor issue. It wasn't just a fan who had a camera as the media likes to portray it.

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28 minutes ago, MADDOGJONES said:

Maybe you are right about not accepting responsibility for things, but St Louis wasn't a minor issue. It wasn't just a fan who had a camera as the media likes to portray it.

Right so what was it? In what world excuses him of diving off the stage and punching someone in the face?

Axl was noticeably pissed off throughout that entire show and seemed to be looking for a fight. Don't be a crazy conspiracy theorist and blame "the media" for his obvious douchery.

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33 minutes ago, MADDOGJONES said:

Maybe you are right about not accepting responsibility for things, but St Louis wasn't a minor issue. It wasn't just a fan who had a camera as the media likes to portray it.

 

3 minutes ago, AlexC said:

Right so what was it? In what world excuses him of diving off the stage and punching someone in the face?

Axl was noticeably pissed off throughout that entire show and seemed to be looking for a fight. Don't be a crazy conspiracy theorist and blame "the media" for his obvious douchery.

:popcorn:

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1 minute ago, AlexC said:

Right so what was it? In what world excuses him of diving off the stage and punching someone in the face?

Axl was noticeably pissed off throughout that entire show and seemed to be looking for a fight. Don't be a crazy conspiracy theorist and blame "the media" for his obvious douchery.

What is it with people not accepting new info simply because they didn’t know it beforehand? I’m not attacking you, so I’m not sure why you’re being defensive.

The media painted this incident incorrectly and it clearly worked well, as it’s stuck for 25 years. “Axl attacked a poor fan who was just taking pictures”. That’s horse shit, the situation wasn’t as simple as that. The guy "Stump" was a member of a biker gang and he was interrupting the show all night, passing notes to Axl and fighting with fans. Axl repeatedly asked security to help but they did nothing as they were affiliated with said biker gang. It's not a conspiracy theory because you don't know something. if you still have the same opinion of Axl's behavior after looking into the incident more, fine, no problem, that's cool.

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1 minute ago, maynard said:

It's funny how all the other singers seem to be immune to pressure, emotional breakdowns, pain, etc. cause all of them just go on stage in time just fine.

They aren't all assembled in the singers factory on a conveyor belt, they are different people, ya know?

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1 minute ago, MADDOGJONES said:

They aren't all assembled in the singers factory on a conveyor belt, they are different people, ya know?

Yep. Still amazing how they are immune to all this stuff except Axl. Sounds more like laziness to me.

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3 minutes ago, MADDOGJONES said:

What is it with people not accepting new info simply because they didn’t know it beforehand? I’m not attacking you, so I’m not sure why you’re being defensive.

The media painted this incident incorrectly and it clearly worked well, as it’s stuck for 25 years. “Axl attacked a poor fan who was just taking pictures”. That’s horse shit, the situation wasn’t as simple as that. The guy "Stump" was a member of a biker gang and he was interrupting the show all night, passing notes to Axl and fighting with fans. Axl repeatedly asked security to help but they did nothing as they were affiliated with said biker gang. It's not a conspiracy theory because you don't know something. if you still have the same opinion of Axl's behavior after looking into the incident more, fine, no problem, that's cool.

I'm well aware of the whole knife thing. I didn't even mention anything about a camera. But you really think the way Axl handled it was acceptable? This has nothing to do with the media's coverage of the incident. Axl has even said on camera about the fact that they have "someone on tape with a knife." But come on, you think him leaving the stage abruptly after assaulting someone knowing full well the consequences of doing so is the media's fault? By doing that he's putting everyone in that crowd in even more danger.

Completely inexcusable and placing blame elsewhere is unnecessary.

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3 minutes ago, estranged_85 said:

i guess all the "other singers" don't have mental illness. I also guess a comment like that are from someone who never experienced mental illness and a top of that being a front man in the biggest (at the time) band in the world.

Yeah but a lot of singers all suffer from depression and addiction and have miserable lives off-stage but still manage to be on time. It's amazing how all of them are immune to this stuff and only Axl needed two hours to get on stage.

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3 minutes ago, AlexC said:

I'm well aware of the whole knife thing. I didn't even mention anything about a camera. But you really think the way Axl handled it was acceptable? This has nothing to do with the media's coverage of the incident. Axl has even said on camera about the fact that they have "someone on tape with a knife." But come on, you think him leaving the stage abruptly after assaulting someone knowing full well the consequences of doing so is the media's fault? By doing that he's putting everyone in that crowd in even more danger.

Completely inexcusable and placing blame elsewhere is unnecessary.

i agree on Axl's behavior being unnecessary.. but as anyone know he's pretty impulsive. He should've handle the thing better. AND the press shouldn't print lies or exaggerate..

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I feel like we've had 20 years to really lose all the clarity that is in that interview. 

I guess there are other singers with similar issues they just don't get that big. If you are great then people will wait and even get into it. If no one went to show after Axl was late...but that never happened. 

Edited by wasted
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6 minutes ago, estranged_85 said:

i guess all the "other singers" don't have mental illness. I also guess a comment like that are from someone who never experienced mental illness and a top of that being a front man in the biggest (at the time) band in the world.

"Sounds more like laziness to me. " sorry but that's one stupid comment. I wonder how many people with mental illness have heard that.. "you're just lazy" etc :facepalm:

 

Why is there such a need to excuse every single thing he does? It's like you have to defend even his most atrocious behaviour.

Ridiculous.

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2 minutes ago, estranged_85 said:

i agree on Axl's behavior being unnecessary.. but as anyone know he's pretty impulsive. He should've handle the thing better. AND the press shouldn't print lies or exaggerate..

How can you exaggerate actual footage of him diving off stage, hitting someone and storming offstage? What was it, CGI?

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1 minute ago, maynard said:

Yeah but a lot of singers all suffer from depression and addiction and have miserable lives off-stage but still manage to be on time. It's amazing how all of them are immune to this stuff and only Axl needed two hours to get on stage.

yes, but like @MADDOGJONES said. people are different.

2 people who are bipolar don't have to act or feel the exact same way. or 2 people with Asperger don't have to have the same exact difficulties  just like a group of people who have anxiety disorders don't feel or act the same.

i don't think it's okay to be late to a show but i can somewhat understand him.

2 minutes ago, AlexC said:

How can you exaggerate actual footage of him diving off stage, hitting someone and storming offstage? What was it, CGI?

i think you misunderstood me there.. i meant in general.

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6 minutes ago, AlexC said:

Why is there such a need to excuse every single thing he does? It's like you have to defend even his most atrocious behaviour.

Ridiculous.

oh sometimes i wish this site would be in Swedish.. so hard to explain on a different language :P .. I don't have a "need" or anything else to excuse everything he does or have done. I just have a different opinion? and maybe a little bit of understanding of his bad behavior and mental issues that he's battled with.

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9 minutes ago, AlexC said:

I'm well aware of the whole knife thing. I didn't even mention anything about a camera. But you really think the way Axl handled it was acceptable? This has nothing to do with the media's coverage of the incident. Axl has even said on camera about the fact that they have "someone on tape with a knife." But come on, you think him leaving the stage abruptly after assaulting someone knowing full well the consequences of doing so is the media's fault? By doing that he's putting everyone in that crowd in even more danger.

Completely inexcusable and placing blame elsewhere is unnecessary.

The people who chose to riot put everyone in danger, they made a choice to tear that place down.

Could Axl have handled it better? Most probably, but he shouldn't be responsible for the actions of others. They did what they did because they wanted to. The band announced they were coming back on but people wanted to riot. I'm not defending everything the man does, but he certainly gets the blame for a lot of things that aren't as clear cut as what gets reported. Would you agree with that or not? Perhaps he earned that kind of treatment but it doesn't make it any less true. He's the bad guy, he's to blame for all and a lot of times when we find out the other side we go, oh, it makes a bit more sense now. You can see his point of view, even if you still don't agree with his actions.

I'm not excusing his part in it but I can certainly understand why he lost his cool. A man who is able to write, sing and perform like Axl isn't not going to have a deficit in his life to compensate for those gifts and there are many examples of that. It's clearly a package deal, he isn't faking anything.

MDJ

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One thing that strikes me about this interview is how little Axl seems to care about the tide of public opinion turning against him, particularly fan opinion. He doesn't sound disturbed or concerned about it at all going by that interview. And yet he was surprised years later when these fans would eventually fail to show up for the 2002 shows and fail to support Chinese Democracy when it was finally released. 

It doesn't matter how big or untouchable the artist is, you have to do fan service man or that stuff catches up with you eventually. Axl took his fans for granted and it absolutely affected his later projects. 

Re: The Izzy stuff -- I think as the leader/CEO of the band, he should have fought harder not to lose one of the most valuable components of his business/brand. Bringing in Dave Navarro or Gilby Clarke as an employee to replace Izzy only diluted the value of GnR and its legitimacy in the eyes of the fans/critics. You don't mess with a winning formula. I'm not convinced this weakened band could have stood the onslaught from the grunge/alternative movement even if they had stayed together. Not unless they had made some major changes to their sound/vision.

I thought RS did a great interview with him though. A number of direct questions without any fluff -- it would be impossible to get that kind of interview from Axl today since he only does interviews with puff pieces or his lackeys like Del James.

Edited by RONIN
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1 hour ago, estranged_85 said:

i guess all the "other singers" don't have mental illness. I also guess a comment like that are from someone who never experienced mental illness and a top of that being a front man in the biggest (at the time) band in the world.

"Sounds more like laziness to me. " sorry but that's one stupid comment. I wonder how many people with mental illness have heard that.. "you're just lazy" etc :facepalm:

 

In the "Is Axl a Poser" thread, someone brought up a great anecdote about Kurt Cobain vomiting blood before a show but still going out there to do the gig. There's our very own Slash, throwing up behind amps and going out there to play or OD'ing and getting right back on the road a few days later. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Much more brilliant, tortured artists than Axl have fulfilled their commitments to the fans by showing up to perform. 

It's always been the same issue -- talented artist with too much money and power who feels the rules no longer apply to him. That's rockstar behavior 101. I don't fault him for it...I know a lot of the grunge era bands and indie acts rejected that kind of behavior, but a lot of rockstars behave like divas. But...fans will desert you once they reach the breaking point. It seems like that's what was happening to Guns post-UYI. Even in 1993, they had less attendance to their shows compared to 1992 after all the negative press about Axl's behavior on tour.

Edited by RONIN
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49 minutes ago, MADDOGJONES said:

The people who chose to riot put everyone in danger, they made a choice to tear that place down.

Aren't you eliminating cause & effect in that argument? I 100% agree with you about the press vilifying Axl in many situations but with the St. Louis incident Axl was a huge part of the problem... No matter what the asshole in the crowd was doing, Axl's reaction is what took everything to the next level. Axl could of stopped the show, made sure the asshole was dealt with, and then continued on with the show. Instead he made the decision to jump off the stage, attack the guy, throw down his microphone and end the show. Which is when the audience decided to riot. I'm not saying it's ok that they rioted, but if Axl had handled things more professionally that riot wouldn't of happened.

39 minutes ago, RONIN said:

One thing that strikes me about this interview is how little Axl seems to care about the tide of public opinion turning against him, particularly fan opinion.

Don't you think a lot of that is Axl trying to put on a tough guy front? Wanting people to think he doesn't give a shit about anything? If he didn't care what the fans thought his outbursts over the years wouldn't have happened so often. If anything I think he probably cares too much. I think he takes every criticism to heart and that's why he has such a hard time with things. Remember when TB flipped out over Axl finding out about the forums? Why would they be trying to filter his exposure if he doesn't care about his fans opinions? They wouldn't.

30 minutes ago, RONIN said:

Much more brilliant, tortured artists than Axl have fulfilled their commitments to the fans by showing up to perform. 

Can't believe I'm defending Axl so much but I don't think it's as black & white as this. Depending on what issues are going on with Axl mentally he might actually be incapable of performing on certain days. But on the other hand, he has enough help and money to get treatment so that excuse only goes so far.

Edited by Kris_1989
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