My Interview with Arlett Vereecke (Former GNR Publicist 87-92)

[sidman69]

We recently interviewed Arlett Vereecke who was GNR's publicist from 87-92 and VR's publicist for the first record. Check out her interview below!

 

 

[Lio]

Really loved this one! Thanks!

[StrangerInThisTown]

Interesting Steven insight! Too bad she couldn't talk about all the insider stuff Slash told her

Edited December 10, 2017 by StrangerInThisTown

[sidman69]

Just now, StrangerInThisTown said:

Interesting Steven insight! Too bad she couldn't talk about all the insider stuff from Slash

she;s still friends with Slash so she couldn't talk about it. 

[Zoot]

@sidman69 is there a specific reason why you guys didn't ask any of the Izzy questions? You said on stream you were open to fan questions, then you avoided every single one of them about Izzy...

[sidman69]

15 minutes ago, Zoot said:

@sidman69 is there a specific reason why you guys didn't ask any of the Izzy questions? You said on stream you were open to fan questions, then you avoided every single one of them about Izzy...

she couldn't talk about izzy. It's not as easy as asking any question we want since we want the guests to feel comfortable . 

[StrangerInThisTown]

I do wonder about the Steven thing though. He did play a whole 3 hour set in Argentina, surely he wouldn't have done that if he was in danger to hurt his back again?

[sidman69]

13 minutes ago, StrangerInThisTown said:

I do wonder about the Steven thing though. He did play a whole 3 hour set in Argentina, surely he wouldn't have done that if he was in danger to hurt his back again?

agreed i was going to bring that up but i don't think she was going to say anything further. 

[Nice Boy]

This is a great interview, cheers sidman ! She has some classic stories and insights, from a unique perspective..

[GNRfanJen]

This was a great listen, thanks a lot @sidman69! She shared some great stories and insights. Very entertaining. Would have loved to hear more about Izzy but I get it, is what it is.

Her declining to say anything about future plans makes me believe she also might know something, since she's still close with Slash. "I'm not at liberty to speak on the topic" is the diplomatic answer, in other words it's "Something's cooking but I'm keeping it quiet for now." It could very well be nothing at all, I mean this is Guns N' Roses, but why can't she just say it's nothing? I feel like eventually all these people keeping quiet, all this skirting around, someone will let something slip just enough for us to figure it out and we'll finally know what's happening. 

...or I might just currently be in dreamland and need to be slapped silly for still believing 

[killuridols]

2 hours ago, StrangerInThisTown said:

I do wonder about the Steven thing though. He did play a whole 3 hour set in Argentina, surely he wouldn't have done that if he was in danger to hurt his back again?

But in a small place with a cover band for a one night thing 🙄 

 

[StrangerInThisTown]

19 minutes ago, killuridols said:

But in a small place with a cover band for a one night thing 🙄 

 

Yea, which makes it even more suspicious why he'd risk it for something like that. I don't think he's actually unable to play. Or maybe he can, just not for many shows in a row? Either way I think if this was true Adler would have told this in interviews. I think they screwed Steven over somehow, but I would love to be wrong of course. That no one really talks is a pain in the ass for us fans.

Edited December 11, 2017 by StrangerInThisTown

[killuridols]

2 minutes ago, StrangerInThisTown said:

Yea, which makes it even more suspicious why he'd risk it for something like that. I don't think he's actually unable to play. Or maybe he can, just not for many shows in a row? Either way I think if this was true Adler would have told this in interviews. I think they screwed Steven over somehow, but I would love to be wrong of course. That no one really talks is a pain in the ass for us fans.

It could be that he was not physically apt to play so many shows in a row but my main idea is that Axl dislikes him and doesnt want to work with him on any level.

And then there's the thing of Adler having to learn lots of songs, Chinese Democracy included! 

(He wouldn't have accepted to do that I guess)

[GNRfanJen]

3 minutes ago, killuridols said:

It could be that he was not physically apt to play so many shows in a row but my main idea is that Axl dislikes him and doesnt want to work with him on any level.

More than likely what it is at the end of the day. 

[StrangerInThisTown]

20 minutes ago, GNRfanJen said:

More than likely what it is at the end of the day. 

Sadly that's most likely it. Very sad because Steven is a really nice guy, who just runs his mouth a lot (kinda like Matt) and he would add so much more to the live shows (not to mention legitimacy to the lineup of "GNR").

And for the CD songs, he told Eddie Trunk in his 2017 interview that he learned the whole catalogue including CD incase he needed to play that so he was ready. Of course he would play that too if that meant he would be in Guns. He would even play Taylor Swift if that's what was needed.

Edited December 11, 2017 by StrangerInThisTown

[RONIN]

33 minutes ago, killuridols said:

It could be that he was not physically apt to play so many shows in a row but my main idea is that Axl dislikes him and doesnt want to work with him on any level.

And then there's the thing of Adler having to learn lots of songs, Chinese Democracy included! 

(He wouldn't have accepted to do that I guess)

 The fact that she doesn't elaborate on Steve and Izzy sort of tells the story. They more than likely screwed them over as everyone has suspected. The "insider" rumors right before the reunion started also indicated this.

Adler has mentioned that he's been rehearsing for 2 years including learning the Chinese Democracy songs prior to the reunion - he was ready to roll. They didn't want him in there basically.

Remember the Duff interview with Chris Jericho where he mentions that he doesn't think Izzy is the unsung hero of the band - even though he's been saying exactly that for years - all you have to do is connect the dots there. 

Greed and band politics prevented the AFD 5 reunion.

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by RONIN

[foreverguns]

any body knows what's the name of that book she mentioned?(the dutch one)

[axlinkafayette]

Fun interview, she stood out in the Behind the Music also.

[sidman69]

53 minutes ago, foreverguns said:

any body knows what's the name of that book she mentioned?(the dutch one)

It's called Rockstarlette 

26 minutes ago, axlinkafayette said:

Fun interview, she stood out in the Behind the Music also.

Thanks she's been my favourite interview so far 

[AncientEvil80]

Awesome stuff, thanks for arranging this. 

[annabanana]

6 hours ago, sidman69 said:

she couldn't talk about izzy. It's not as easy as asking any question we want since we want the guests to feel comfortable . 

She couldn't about izzy specifically? Did you ask why she can talk about Steven but not izzy?

[Lio]

I think she can't talk about Izzy or upcoming plans because there are many possibilities, but nothing's set in stone. That's why no one comes out to say it. Because if it doesn't go like they plan at a certain time, everyone will be pointing fingers at Axl again, as per usual I think there might be new music and Izzy might be involved in some point, but it could just as well fall flat. The gfact that she doesn't talk about Izzy, tells me there is still a wish to work with him at some point, in some capacity. Or that the door isn't entirely shut anyway.

She can talk about Steven because that is a done business imo. I'm still baffled at the posters thinking he'd be able to pull the NITL tour off. Has he ever in his life been able to pull a thing like that off? At a certain point she said Slash told someone (maybe her, don't remember) to check on Steven to see 'if he's coherent'. If that doesn't tell you enough, then I don't know. And LOL at Steven not wanting to play CD songs. He'd give anything to play with GNR. I thought that should be clear by now. I just read here that he played with a cover band. Why the hell wouldn't he play CD songs with Axl, Slash and Duff then?

But sure, believe that it was because Axl doesn't like Steven and because they wanted to screw Izzy over. I guess that's why they tried to include them in the first place and why Arlett says no one is more loyal than Axl.

No matter what anyone says, if it doesn't fit into the narrative, it just goes out the door.

[Blackstar]

Judging from what Steven himself had said in September 2015 (that Slash wasn't convinced he was sober and Duff didn't think he was cool and a great drummer) plus that Axl wouldn't take Steven as the main drummer, I think it's just that they didn't want to deal with Steven on a daily basis.

[Tori72]

Thanks for the interview. It was funny, entertaining and really insightful - at least to a point. At first I didn't know who Arlett was so I made a little fun of the "huge" announcement. I take it all back now! She's also a very interesting character and has more than a life full of stories to tell, I'm sure.

But to the "but". Izzy! Steven! Here we go again. Speculation. How I hate this. After the interview I got damn hopeful that the not-asked-questions on Izzy mean something good. Like he's joining the next tour leg or he's writing with them. Today I'm back to grey reality. Not only was Steven screwed over by them and apparently Izzy, too. But also this band is a political organization, doesn't talk straight, fusses about the truth like a bunch of politicians and I can't believe how much Axl ridicules himself with this 1988 Donnington interview on band politics, KISS and Iron Maiden.

In the chat someone said Izzy recently jammed with Duff. I shouldn't even pay attention to that, right? Right.

[killuridols]

7 hours ago, RONIN said:

Adler has mentioned that he's been rehearsing for 2 years including learning the Chinese Democracy songs prior to the reunion - he was ready to roll. They didn't want him in there basically.

Remember the Duff interview with Chris Jericho where he mentions that he doesn't think Izzy is the unsung hero of the band - even though he's been saying exactly that for years - all you have to do is connect the dots there. 

Greed and band politics prevented the AFD 5 reunion.

I dont know why but I remember Adler saying CD was crap or that it wasn't GN'R

In my opinion, all of this aligns with things Axl said many many years ago: that if there ever was a reunion he would only take Duff and Slash. Sorum was not welcomed anymore for being a source of contempt and that Adler had betrayed him that time they made up and he went out opening his mouth.

2 hours ago, Lio said:

But sure, believe that it was because Axl doesn't like Steven and because they wanted to screw Izzy over. I guess that's why they tried to include them in the first place and why Arlett says no one is more loyal than Axl.

So Axl LOVES Steven? You say so?

Please, you dont believe your own lies.

Axl doesnt like Steven. Never did. Not that he hates him but that's not the kind of "artist" Axl wants to be involved or associated with. He thinks less of Steven (even though he's not much better when it comes to work discipline) because Steven is stuck in the 80s.

How do you explain that Steven only appeared in a couple shows, played two songs and then he stopped for the rest of the tour? Ah, the back pain?

He could have continued playing two songs in every other show after that but it didn't happen. Steven himself said Axl was already pissed off at him during the Argentina shows.

About Izzy, I think its the same old story. Izzy asked for a lot of money and Axl believes he doesn't deserve it. Just like in 1991 Axl said Izzy was basically a lazy fuck who didn't want to make one single effort to help the GN'R big machine.

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by killuridols