Axl Rose: The Rolling Stone Interview (old)

[Frey]

12 hours ago, Oldest Goat said:

Having a so-called therapist follow you around everyday to talk about every little thing and doing regressive therapy is a fucking awful idea. That 'therapist' should be ashamed of themselves and lose their license.

As if any of Axl's so-called "therapists" even had any kind of license to speak of. None of these frauds had any training or education whatsovever in psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy, medicine, etc.

(No wait, one of them claimed to have a degree from the "University of Magic Tree Healing" or something equally ridiculous, iirc. No joke.)

They were nothing but bloodsuckers who took advantage of a rich, mentally ill person desperate for help to fill their own pockets.

 

11 hours ago, killuridols said:

Ok, then. STFU and go on with the show. Or get down from the horse and face the consequences.

 

Simply getting off the horse might not have been that easy or possible if he was contractually obligated to tour or even if he felt Slash dying would be on him if he didn't tour (as Axl claims).

 

8 hours ago, Blackstar said:

It wasn't "all of a sudden". These things were there from the beginning, they escalated as the band got successful and peaked during the UYI tour. There were occasions during the early and AFD days when Axl was late or made it in the last minute or didn't feel like doing a show and he was locked in his room etc.

This, exactly. Axl has been acting like... Axl... ever since he was a child basically. According to what Izzy, their school teachers and other people have to say about what Axl was like when he was younger, he's always been the same way. It's just that his behavior got exacerbated by increased pressure, fame, power, psychological and emotional issues, etc.

 

 

[killuridols]

1 hour ago, Frey said:

Simply getting off the horse might not have been that easy or possible if he was contractual obligated to tour or even if he felt Slash dying would be on him if he didn't tour (as Axl claims).

Thats what Im saying....

If he couldn't have it his way then either quit or STFU. Was he the first and last person in the world to be under contract that had trouble to fulfill what was agreed? 

99% chances he was not. Yet a lot of people put up with complications and move on. Instead of blaming the audience.

[AlexC]

11 hours ago, Blackstar said:

It wasn't "all of a sudden". These things were there from the beginning, they escalated as the band got successful and peaked during the UYI tour. There were occasions during the early and AFD days when Axl was late or made it in the last minute or didn't feel like doing a show and he was locked in his room etc.

And he always perceived himself as the "leader" of the band (although his band mates obviously didn't see it that way), as it's shown in this 1987 interview (around 8:16 min. mark of the first video and beginning of the second):

I've referenced this early interview a couple of times before in other threads, because I think it's very interesting and gives a good insight on how Axl was thinking before the band made it big. It's all here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWeAtm3Ry94&index=4&list=PL19E3C983E4AE777E

In the last part (part 6) he talks about musicians who changed their direction as they got old, and it's like he sees his own future.

 

Wow! Thank you so much I can't believe I've never heard these before. Really good interview.

Its awesome to hear his vision before it came true, like where he's talking about their plans to release Sweet Child as a single to hopefully boost their album up. They really were largely unknown here and to hear Axl speak honestly and to listen to how determined they were is so good.

I mean they were so unknown at this point the interviewer didn't even know who Slash is haha.

[ludurigan]

12 hours ago, Blackstar said:

It wasn't "all of a sudden". These things were there from the beginning, they escalated as the band got successful and peaked during the UYI tour. There were occasions during the early and AFD days when Axl was late or made it in the last minute or didn't feel like doing a show and he was locked in his room etc.

And he always perceived himself as the "leader" of the band (although his band mates obviously didn't see it that way), as it's shown in this 1987 interview (around 8:16 min. mark of the first video and beginning of the second):

I've referenced this early interview a couple of times before in other threads, because I think it's very interesting and gives a good insight on how Axl was thinking before the band made it big. It's all here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWeAtm3Ry94&index=4&list=PL19E3C983E4AE777E

In the last part (part 6) he talks about musicians who changed their direction as they got old, and it's like he sees his own future.

 

thats my point

by all accounts, including this interview, axl has always been the same

once he got to a certain point where he could literally shit on people, he started doing that on a daily basis

classy move

[Blackstar]

2 hours ago, ludurigan said:

thats my point

by all accounts, including this interview, axl has always been the same

once he got to a certain point where he could literally shit on people, he started doing that on a daily basis

classy move

You said that Axl somehow managed to be on time and "behave" during the early days because he "had to" in order to make it, and I pointed out that it wasn't the case because he was late during that period as well; not as often as in the UYI era, but there were quite a few occasions (documented in band members' books, interviews by them and other people) when he freaked out, missed shows etc. For example, in 1986 already, Axl was late for their first show opening for a big name (Alice Cooper) and their first chance to play in front of a bigger number of people than in the clubs, he wasn't allowed in the venue and the band played a few songs with Izzy and Duff singing; he didn't show up for one of the shows opening for Aerosmith (I think) and the band seriously thought of firing him; he attacked security guards, he got arrested during shows etc etc.

[RONIN]

I saw this comment on the GnR facebook feed right now:

I was a huge fan of Gnr when I was a teenager. When I had a chance to see Axl and these young guys who all posed as Gnr 4 years ago I went for it. Well, I don't know what to say. The band was ok but Axl.... There was a kind of tent on a stage where he was disappearing when he didn't need to sing. They had even somebody opening the tent when Axl was approaching (radiculous!!! ) He changed his outfits during this concert more often than Beyonce would. I mean wtf... Fair enough they played for 2 hrs and played all(I mean all!!!) the 'bigger' hits but were late over an hour. I started falling asleep( not joking) and went home before the end. As a big fan I would rather not have this memory... I hope it's better now with Slash and Duff back on the board.

 

Please Axl fans, don't kill me - just the messenger. All I can say is, I'm glad Axl made the necessary changes for the NITL tour. People have a ton of things competing for their attention these days. It isn't 1991 where there's no internet, cell phones, etc. People have options. You can't fuck with them and expect to get a good reaction. If you behave badly, the audience won't show up. He seems to understand that now - or more likely, the contracts he's signed with the tour promoter are strict and he will assume financial responsibility for any losses....either way, the problem seems to be solved and the cash is pouring in. 

Now if Axl can get off his ass and release an album or two to keep Interscope happy, more money will fall from the sky for him and he can make the mortgage payments for Dizzy and Del James.

[Słash]

The Therapist really worked hard on his ankles the night where he jumped like a flying squirrel 

[ludurigan]

5 hours ago, Blackstar said:

You said that Axl somehow managed to be on time and "behave" during the early days because he "had to" in order to make it, and I pointed out that it wasn't the case because he was late during that period as well; not as often as in the UYI era, but there were quite a few occasions (documented in band members' books, interviews by them and other people) when he freaked out, missed shows etc. For example, in 1986 already, Axl was late for their first show opening for a big name (Alice Cooper) and their first chance to play in front of a bigger number of people than in the clubs, he wasn't allowed in the venue and the band played a few songs with Izzy and Duff singing; he didn't show up for one of the shows opening for Aerosmith (I think) and the band seriously thought of firing him; he attacked security guards, he got arrested during shows etc etc.

you can count on the fingers of your hand how many times axl was late for a show during appetite tour. so much so that these occasions became famous

on uyi tour he was late in like a LOT of shows, it became the norm

its a completely different situation

===

also on 1987 and 1988 GNR had a manager that looked for the bands interest first and somehow helped to keep axl in line

then axl fired niven

and that doug fellow was nothing more than a yes-man ready to do everything that axl wanted him to -- and more if needed

we all know what happened on the next 20 years when axl took over the band and did as he pleased

[sanity_lost]

1 hour ago, ludurigan said:

you can count on the fingers of your hand how many times axl was late for a show during appetite tour. so much so that these occasions became famous

on uyi tour he was late in like a LOT of shows, it became the norm

its a completely different situation

===

also on 1987 and 1988 GNR had a manager that looked for the bands interest first and somehow helped to keep axl in line

then axl fired niven

and that doug fellow was nothing more than a yes-man ready to do everything that axl wanted him to -- and more if needed

we all know what happened on the next 20 years when axl took over the band and did as he pleased

What do you think would happen when you've got someone who can't handle the stress of being a nobody suddenly have 100x the stress of being in the spotlight as part of the biggest band of the world (whose band and life is falling apart behind the scenes)? They get 100x worse.

 

Is showing up hours late or skipping shows okay? My opinion is no. You should do what you say you are going to do. Is it understandable? Yes. I can understand it.

[ludurigan]

29 minutes ago, sanity_lost said:

What do you think would happen when you've got someone who can't handle the stress of being a nobody suddenly have 100x the stress of being in the spotlight as part of the biggest band of the world (whose band and life is falling apart behind the scenes)? They get 100x worse.

 

Is showing up hours late or skipping shows okay? My opinion is no. You should do what you say you are going to do. Is it understandable? Yes. I can understand it.

if getting late on shows was the only nonsense by axl rose, it would be totally understandable and acceptable

he did way worse and that includes taking over (and thus destroying) the best rock band ever

the good thing about it is that in the 20-plus years since axl toook over GNR he has released so many great albums and so much inspiring music that it totally justifies the nonsense of taking over GNR

he definetely proved his point

[double talkin jive mfkr]

based on what axl has said in this interview, he hasn't really remained loyal to old self in many ways 

 

instead GNR has turned into the most milked nostalgia act with him fronting it forever 

all that being said still maintain a following with loyal die hards goes to show what 10 years of solid work did for their lifetimes 

u dont want to take away everything from CD but fragmented writing with axl basically doing most of it is no cut for letting the band break up 

[killuridols]

15 hours ago, sanity_lost said:

What do you think would happen when you've got someone who can't handle the stress of being a nobody suddenly have 100x the stress of being in the spotlight as part of the biggest band of the world (whose band and life is falling apart behind the scenes)? They get 100x worse.

Is this an exaggeration from fans?

Biggest band in the world?

lol I think the Rolling Stones hold that up higher than GNR could ever be.

They were the hottest band of 1992. That's it.

[magnumpi]

On 3/22/2017 at 4:58 PM, bucketfoot said:

What mate? Who's blaming anyone? What I'm saying is people take a risk buying a ticket to see GN'R and always have done, knowing it could either be the best show they've ever seen or a complete disaster. Is it that hard to understand the point I'm making?

Lol

What a logical way for a band to functien

 

 

 

[MADDOGJONES]

34 minutes ago, magnumpi said:

Lol

What a logical way for a band to functien

 

 

 

You clearly miss the point of rock n roll if you think logic is an important ingredient in any of it. 

You should check out Coldplay, they seem to have everything you are looking for in a band. Your singer won't say any bad words, no one will be offended and you'll get to bed on time. 

Edited March 24, 2017 by MADDOGJONES

[bucketfoot]

18 minutes ago, MADDOGJONES said:

You clearly miss the point of rock n roll if you think logic is an important ingredient in any of it. 

You should check out Coldplay, they seem to have everything you are looking for in a band. Your singer won't say any bad words, no one will offended and you'll get to bed on time. 

Correct. Anyone who wants to be tucked up in bed by a reasonable time with a nice cup of hot chocolate shouldn't really be going to a GN'R gig. When did people decide thet wanted their rock n' roll so watered down? It's tragic.

Edited March 24, 2017 by bucketfoot

[double talkin jive mfkr]

44 minutes ago, bucketfoot said:

Correct. Anyone who wants to be tucked up in bed by a reasonable time with a nice cup of hot chocolate shouldn't really be going to a GN'R gig. When did people decide thet wanted their rock n' roll so watered down? It's tragic.

Buddy the NITL has produced barely any surprises other than adler popping up and the same setlist since its launch other than DTJM and COMA if that doesn't seem like watered down GNR then whatever

in fact the only interesting dynamic was when axl was in the chair 

Edited March 24, 2017 by double talkin jive mfkr

[bucketfoot]

15 minutes ago, double talkin jive mfkr said:

Buddy the NITL has produced barely any surprises other than adler popping up and the same setlist since its launch other than DTJM and COMA if that doesn't seem like watered down GNR then whatever

in fact the only interesting dynamic was when axl was in the chair 

I totally agree they need to mix the setlist up a bit now to be honest. Surely something like Perfect Crime, Bad Obsession, Pretty Tied Up or Dead Horse shouldn't be too much to ask?

[BorderlineCrazy]

Where does this non-sense that getting late is a cool rock n' roll thing come from?

As far as I know, Guns N' Roses didn't invent rock n' roll music and I've never seen bands like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith getting on stage three hours late. In fact, there's another rock n' roll band that comes to my mind that has hired Axl recently and as far as I know, they don't have a tradition of playing their shows 3 hours late either.

Whatever the reason was, it was one of the most disrespectful things a musician has done to his fans and there's no excuse for it (especially the stupid "oh, it's a rock n' roll show, man" bullshit). Just because there are stupid people (like me) who are willing to wait for Axl as long as it takes because we love him and really wanna see him live, that doesn't make it any more acceptable. I'm glad he finally seems to get it (whether is because of a contract or because he discovered common sense) and hopefully he will remain this way for the rest of his career.

[classicrawker]

4 minutes ago, BorderlineCrazy said:

Where does this non-sense that getting late is a cool rock n' roll thing come from?

As far as I know, Guns N' Roses didn't invent rock n' roll music and I've never seen bands like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith getting on stage three hours late. In fact, there's another rock n' roll band that comes to my mind that has hired Axl recently and as far as I know, they don't have a tradition of playing their shows 3 hours late either.

Whatever the reason was, it was one of the most disrespectful things a musician has done to his fans and there's no excuse for it (especially the stupid "oh, it's a rock n' roll show, man" bullshit). Just because there are stupid people (like me) who are willing to wait for Axl as long as it takes because we love him and really wanna see him live, that doesn't make it any more acceptable. I'm glad he finally seems to get it (whether is because of a contract or because he discovered common sense) and hopefully he will remain this way for the rest of his career.

I agree with everything you said here and always thought it was a passive aggressive thing with Axl being late................but I am a huge Stones fan and on the 1969 tour and early 70's tours the Stones were almost always late for their shows............As they matured the Stones shows started running like clockwork so maybe Axl has matured in his old age........ 

[BorderlineCrazy]

7 minutes ago, classicrawker said:

I agree with everything you said here and always thought it was a passive aggressive thing with Axl being late................but I am a huge Stones fan and on the 1969 tour and early 70's tours the Stones were almost always late for their shows............As they matured the Stones shows started running like clockwork so maybe Axl has matured in his old age........ 

Well, I'm glad they solved it a lot faster. Guess they stopped being a rock n' roll band for some people 

Btw, it doesn't really bother me if a band hits the stage later than it was expected, it can happen and it's fine for me. The thing is when every show starts 2-3 hours late, when that happens it means you don't give a shit about anyone because it wasn't just the fans, the rest of the band was there and had to wait until Axl felt like showing up, that's the ultimate disrespect.

[sanity_lost]

7 hours ago, killuridols said:

Is this an exaggeration from fans?

Biggest band in the world?

lol I think the Rolling Stones hold that up higher than GNR could ever be.

They were the hottest band of 1992. That's it.

Biggest/Hottest means the same thing to me. 

[killuridols]

39 minutes ago, sanity_lost said:

Biggest/Hottest means the same thing to me. 

Well, it's not.

Hottest refers to something that is popular for a relatively short time. Biggest is also popular but it stands passage of time.

[Blackstar]

To me "big" is not defined by time/duration. A band can be big for a short or a long period of time, and the biggest of all time/the decade/the era/the genre/the scene etc. By this, in 1992 GnR was the biggest rock band (along with Metallica probably) and Nirvana was the hottest.

Edited March 25, 2017 by Blackstar

[Ratam]

Agree blackstar

[sanity_lost]

1 hour ago, killuridols said:

Well, it's not.

Hottest refers to something that is popular for a relatively short time. Biggest is also popular but it stands passage of time.

So be it. If that is what it means to you then that is what it means to you. That is not what it means to me. I agree more with Blackstar. However, it is kind of silly to argue over the meaning slang. Language is living and has different meanings to different people depending on where they grow up, live, and the people they communicate with.

If it makes you happy replace biggest with hottest. It does not matter to me as that was not the point of my comment at all.