I discovered them at 11/12, that was 1999. Live Era was my first album, found bootleg CDs of Rock In Rio, I knew nothing of the band but liked the sound they made.
Nine inch nails and lots of heavy stuff was part of my musical youth years, 2001 was a great year musically for what I enjoyed sound wise, Nu-Metal and Pop Punk was in the UK Mainstream Charts.
2002 I went to Leeds and saw…a freak show that looked nothing like Guns N’ Roses, they looked cool and unique, I recognised Robin Finck as the guy who was guitar in Nine Inch Nails and I was very impressed because, well, I’d never seen them live. I knew it wasn’t the ORIGINAL band , my dad constantly told me so because he’d seen them 1991 and 1992, he told me the band wasn’t a band but I thought they were decent enough.
I kept hearing about Chinese Democracy. Through limewire and other dodgy places I heard live songs, through new GnR dot com and Chinese democracy dot com. There was so much to talk about but things never happened.
Then as an 18 year old college student I saved my student bonus (government giving us money to attend college!) and wages to go to loads of concerts, and I even managed to go to Rock Am Ring 2006, what an absolute highlight. That was the peak. Chinese Democracy came and went, number two in the UK charts, behind the Killers. I bought both. Good albums.
2010 Reading Festival was an embarrassment, a shitshow. That was the end for me. I only hang around for anything exciting, the reunion, leaks, anything that piqued the interest. I just kind of look around here. New album? Maybe. But it’s not NuGnr which was dangerous and adventurous.