STL Today's "Letter To Axl Rose" + My Response

[MarlaHooch]

I don't see a thread on this yet.

 

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/a-letter-to-axl-rose-from-a-survivor-of-the/article_4a920128-0a02-5861-b93c-f1e883bf2337.html

 

 

Here's my response, for what it's worth:

 

Wow, this is one of the stupidest things I've ever read.

I like how the article lists all sorts of things that free-willed adults chose to do in reaction to Axl ending the show after 90 MINUTES as if the actions of free-willed adults are all Axl's fault.

Was Axl in the right that night? I can't say that he was. Does that give thousands of free-willed adults the right to act violently and vandalize property, under the cover of "Axl made us do it"? Um, wtf sort of implication is that!?

Can I also point out that, any time white people riot, it's someone else's fault for setting them off, but any time a few Black Lives Matter protestors out of millions do something that's out of line, the whole movement consists of "thug criminals", to have the media narrative tell it.

This is pathetic.

Anyhoo, I can't wait for the show next week! I'm flying out from California to see it. You can stay home and admire yourself in the mirror for how fabulous your journalism career has been while the rest of us enjoy one of the best rock concerts on the planet.

Edited July 23, 2017 by MarlaHooch
(Fixed URL link at top of post)

[Original]

I didn't think the article was that bad.  Cool pics of Axl....I remember that time. MTV News was all over it.   Kurt Loder et al

[MarlaHooch]

44 minutes ago, Original said:

I didn't think the article was that bad.  Cool pics of Axl....I remember that time. MTV News was all over it.   Kurt Loder et al

 

I dunno, I just re-read, and the implications I take away from it are:

 

- The riot and resulting consequences were 100% Axl's fault and 0% the fault of the thousands of free-willed adults who chose to be reckless, violent, and destructive.

 

- All Axl has done since July of 1991 is Chinese Democracy (ok then?) while the writer has built a successful journalism career.

 

Anytime the press writes about the riots stemming from Axl's behavior, I'm by no means saying he's innocent, but it's always about him and never about the, you know, rioters. That + the ignorant potshots and gratuitous blowjob the author gives himself = I just think it's pathetic.

[Bertrice]

4 hours ago, MarlaHooch said:

 

 

- The riot and resulting consequences were 100% Axl's fault and 0% the fault of the thousands of free-willed adults who chose to be reckless, violent, and destructive.

 

 

 

I just tweeted the writer using this same point. 

People were climbing up the lighting trying to sever cables and tearing down the video screen.

its one thing to be pissed and throw something but these rednecks went off. 

Izzys amp at a bus stop? really?

[ludurigan]

10 hours ago, MarlaHooch said:

 

- All Axl has done since July of 1991 is Chinese Democracy (ok then?) while the writer has built a successful journalism career.

 

so, please enlight me... "musically speaking", what else has axl rose done since 1991 other than his solo album?

[Tadsy]

For a dude that's had a career in journalism for the last 26 years, he comes across as a self righteous try hard. 

Regardless of who's "side" you're on, it's not very well written at all. 

It it just sounds really petty, and amateurish. 

[IncitingChaos]

The show being stopped was Axl's fault, the riot was the fans fault. 

-correct line of action, issue refunds for the fans, they shouldn't have to wait until Axl feels ready to return. 

-wrong line of action, tear the ampetheatre to shreds. It's just as stupid as when you had riots in cities with unjust police brutality...yes what happened was wrong but don't tear down your city for it. 

anyways it's surprising to me that we have to use a butterfly effect to find someone to blame. We can blame Axl for what he did and we can blame the fans for what they did. Both had a choice and both screwed up. 

[Ace Nova]

Although Axl holds some responsibility for the riot, I think the vast majority of the fault lies with the fans...and the over reaction by the city of St.Louis to quickly hold Guns N' Roses 100% accountable for (in what in reality was) a bunch of drunken people from the St.Louis area taking advantage of a bad situation and using it as an excuse to riot and destroy things that were not theirs.

For starters, the band played for 90 minutes, plus there was an opening act.  Average ticket price was about $30 back then....so for anyone to claim they didn't get their money's worth out of the show, gtfo, you drunkards... (I say this tongue-in-cheek, as I'm sure most people from St.Louis would agree with me by this point....that yeah, the riot & the damage done was mostly their fault).

Philly fans (who have among the toughest and rowdiest reputation out of all fans in the country) didn't do anywhere near as much damage or acted anywhere nearly as irresponsibly in 2002 when the band did not even show up....ZERO MINUTES FROM THE BAND, ZERO SONGS....and all they did was throw a few chairs and beer cups....and apparently wrecked a sound board....but anyway, the Philly situation was a much worse kick to the face to fans... and they didn't do anywhere near as much damage.  So yes, imo, the St.Louis riot was overwhelmingly the fault of the fans.....it didn't have to be nearly as bad as it was.

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by Kasanova King