Slash says a little more about how they ended up with the NITL lineup (+reunion with Axl)

[Blackstar]

I already posted part of this in the Talk is Jericho interview thread in the Slash section

but I thought it should be in main D&N too, since it gives bits of information about the reunion (If, however the mods feel that this thread is redundant, they can merge it with the other one or whatever).

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Slash implied in this interview that they tried to get the original band together (Izzy at least, I guess) but, since it didn't work out, the NuGnR guys were the obvious solution:

Jericho mentioned that it would have been weird to fire all of the Chinese Democracy era GNR members.

Slash said, "That's sort of a bigger subject considering all the different things that went on during that period of trying to figure all that out. But all things considered, when certain things that we were sort of trying to get sorted out didn't work out, Axl's band, that he had been working with literally for 15 years, and so I felt really comfortable with Richard, and Frank was great. So it didn't take rocket science to keep all that together. And just the other stuff that we were trying to do didn't work out. I'm not gonna get into all that though… Even [in] the '90s, we didn't have the original lineup. So it wasn't something that we were, like, going 'Oh my God' about."

https://www.alternativenation.net/slash-what-didnt-work-out-guns-n-roses-reunion/

On working with the NITL lineup and Richard in particular:

Slash: "The GUNS N' ROSES lineup that we've been doing this last couple of years with… It's sort of amazing, because of GUNS N' ROSES' history, but suddenly, it's this really, really well-oiled machine that's super functional," he said. "So the one thing you don't have to worry about is… It's like I walk into a room with me and the band and [we are about] to get to work, everybody is fucking ready to go. So that's a blessing, because when it's disorganized or not everybody is together, it makes it impossible to do this much work. So I don't have that issue to deal with, which is cool. And they don't have to deal with it with me either. [Laughs]"

Slash: "Richard's great. I don't know all of the guys that played guitar with GUNS prior to my coming back — I hadn't met any of them. Richard was the first one… he was there at [the first] rehearsal, and we hit it off automatically. He's one of those guys who's an amazing technician — he's very knowledgable about guitar techniques and all kinds of shit guitar. He's rooted in the same kind of rock guitar and same kind of influences that I am, so we spoke the same language. So, all in all, working with Richard was really a sort of boon for me, because I was doing my thing, and he was doing, on his side, covering it all and also sort of pushing me as a guitar player at the same time. So it's definitely one of those beneficial relationships that we established really early…. It's almost like it was… What's the best way to put it? It's sort of a 'meant to be' kind of thing, because if it would have been somebody else, it might not have worked. But it just happened to work perfectly from the moment I walked in."

On what was discussed between him and Axl:

Slash: "There was definitely some new ground to cover as to some of the catalysts who were causing… And a lot of it was not really between he and I — it had to do with outside parties that were part of the entourage, so to speak — and that explained a lot. But then there was different things between he and I that we needed to talk about because of how we handled those outside influences. So it was just good that we finally did talk, because, shit, man — it was 20 fucking years that we did not say one word to each other… You're talking about two of the stubbornest people you could ever come across."

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/slash-on-current-guns-n-roses-lineup-its-this-really-really-well-oiled-machine-thats-super-functional/

 

Edited October 16, 2018 by Blackstar

[RJ88]

Outside parties? We know Perla is one of them...who else? Likely Beta?

[Blackstar]

1 minute ago, RJ88 said:

Outside parties? We know Perla is one of them...who else? Likely Beta?

I think he's clearly referring to the 90s, so probably Doug Goldstein. Perla wasn't around then. Beta was, but she wasn't involved in the band's affairs then.

[Faxl Rows]

"he's very knowledgable about guitar techniques and all kinds of shit guitar" had to read that twice 

[SoulMonster]

Definitely Goldstein. Could he also be talking about Yoda? 

[appetite4illusions]

3 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

I

Slash: "There was definitely some new ground to cover as to some of the catalysts who were causing… And a lot of it was not really between he and I — it had to do with outside parties that were part of the entourage, so to speak — and that explained a lot," the guitarist said. "But then there was different things between he and I that we needed to talk about because of how we handled those outside influences. So it was just good that we finally did talk, because, shit, man — it was 20 fucking years that we did not say one word to each other… You're talking about two of the stubbornest people you could ever come across."

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/slash-on-current-guns-n-roses-lineup-its-this-really-really-well-oiled-machine-thats-super-functional/

 

I don't have anything to base it off of - just a gut feeling, really - but I think Sharon and Elliot Maynard were much more destructive to Axl's psyche than anyone has imagined.

Marc Canter has let on at various points that Axl saw Slash as a "Devil" or a some sort of spiritual monster; someone whose influence in his life was soul crushing and purely destructive.

What if Sharon was feeding him this sheep dip? It's the kind of meta-psychosis that he would really feed into - not just a bad guy, but a blight on his soul - and who would he have more faith in if his spiritual counsel was telling him this person was literally a hex on him. 

Like I said, I have no evidence she advised him that Slash was his anti-christ, but judging from some of the extreme things that were said about how Axl felt about Slash, it wouldn't surprise me if Sharon had talked him into. It would be so easy to suggest this and boom - he needs her influence to get the devils out. Keep the paychecks coming, so to speak, I mean, Slash was always going to be around, so Axl would always need her witchcraft.

[rocknroll41]

3 minutes ago, appetite4illusions said:

I don't have anything to base it off of - just a gut feeling, really - but I think Sharon and Elliot Maynard were much more destructive to Axl's psyche than anyone has imagined.

Marc Canter has let on at various points that Axl saw Slash as a "Devil" or a some sort of spiritual monster; someone whose influence in his life was soul crushing and purely destructive.

What if Sharon was feeding him this sheep dip? It's the kind of meta-psychosis that he would really feed into - not just a bad guy, but a blight on his soul - and who would he have more faith in if his spiritual counsel was telling him this person was literally a hex on him. 

Like I said, I have no evidence she advised him that Slash was his anti-christ, but judging from some of the extreme things that were said about how Axl felt about Slash, it wouldn't surprise me if Sharon had talked him into. It would be so easy to suggest this and boom - he needs her influence to get the devils out. Keep the paychecks coming, so to speak, I mean, Slash was always going to be around, so Axl would always need her witchcraft.

Yeah that's how psychics scam you into their bullshit. They need to give you something to linger on to so that you "always come back to find out more."

[Blackstar]

2 hours ago, SoulMonster said:

Definitely Goldstein. Could he also be talking about Yoda? 

Yeah, maybe, although I don't know if Slash had ever had any direct interaction with the Maynards.

Maybe also people from Slash's then entourage. Axl had claimed that Slash was influenced by his then wife, Renee, and his security guard, Ron. Slash also had his own manager in the mid-90s, Tom Maher, who, curiously enough was an associate in Doug Goldstein's managing company (Maher though has said that he tried to keep Axl and Slash together).

Edited October 16, 2018 by Blackstar

[appetite4illusions]

To me, the line in that paragraph that really seems to support the Yoda connection is this "...outside parties that were part of the entourage, so to speak..."

Doug wasn't so much an outside party, he was an inside man. He definitely had a negative influence but was he the catalyst for the controversy?

"Part of the entourage, so to speak."  So, not in Guns, but on the fringe of Guns. Seems to me there was nobody more powerful on the fringe of Guns than the psychic who literally had veto power of every person on tour and in Axl's life.

[ZoSoRose]

He didn't mention Axls jokes

[Gibson87]

48 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

So it wasn't something that we were, like, going 'Oh my God' about.

Confirmed. Oh My God in the setlist for this upcoming leg 

Edited October 16, 2018 by Gibson_Guy87

[Blackstar]

46 minutes ago, appetite4illusions said:

To me, the line in that paragraph that really seems to support the Yoda connection is this "...outside parties that were part of the entourage, so to speak..."

Doug wasn't so much an outside party, he was an inside man. He definitely had a negative influence but was he the catalyst for the controversy?

"Part of the entourage, so to speak."  So, not in Guns, but on the fringe of Guns. Seems to me there was nobody more powerful on the fringe of Guns than the psychic who literally had veto power of every person on tour and in Axl's life.

Yeah, good point about the "outside parties... so to speak" bit.

I feel, though, that although Yoda did have influence on Axl, her role has been exaggerated in the media and among fans. Slash and Duff never mentioned her either in their books or on any other occasion (Duff mentioned only Suzy London briefly in his book without naming her) and I wonder whether it was because they didn't consider her role crucial enough or because they thought of it as Axl's personal issue that didn't have anything to do with the band.

 

Edited October 16, 2018 by Blackstar

[guitarpatch]

52 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

Definitely Goldstein. Could he also be talking about Yoda? 

Seeing as though they weren’t in the most stable mental state when they hit big and it got worse as the years progressed, it prob became much easier for those in power to manipulate individuals and generate scenarios that either they thought it benefited the band or possibly themselves/industry connections to help further their own career. 

It could have went as far as pitting members against each other to facilitate their agendas by the end. Whether they ultimately had good intentions for everyone overall or not. The amount of trust an artist relies on in those situations is staggering at times.  

[killuridols]

It's definitely people on Axl's entourage because Slash never had any entourage.... neither the rest of the guys. Maybe Perla, at some point, did become negative with her comments on Axl's weight and Axl's failure but in the early 90s, Axl surrounded himself with leeches and charlatans.

That Yoda woman was extremely negative for him, also Goldstein and even Stephanie Seymour (didn't Axl say that she would put down his songwriting?).

I wouldn't rule out TB from all this... Maybe they had the best intentions but they surely pushed Axl in directions opposite to Slash, probably thinking that would help Axl....

[appetite4illusions]

I think it’s because it went like this...

They never saw her. Out of sight, out of mind. She was savvy enough to make Axl come to her. She wouldn’t chase him on tour, she knew she could get him to do whatever she suggested.

What if, in the nineties, she was advising Axl to take control of his band, because she believed the people in it were self destructive and would eventually destroy the brand. It would explain Axl’s behavior in shunning them after Illusions and would explain his callow business tactics.

Then, once the band was truly depleted, what if Sharon changed her judgment of Slash from that of a potential threat to a living hex. If, at that point, she advised Axl that Slash was a force of negativity that existed to mock and debase him, it would calcify into a dogmatic and obsessive truth for him. 

I realize I’m conncenting a lot of dots that aren’t necessarily there, but I’ve thought a lot about this and I believe Sharon was in the best position to create a lot of trauma for her own interest. For lots of people - it would benefit them to have Slash back in the band because the business entity of Guns could get rolling and make guaranteed money. When you think of who stood the most to gain of keeping him out and keeping Axl  vulnerable, she is right up there.

Also, the media is interested in the kitsch factor of a psychic pulling a rock stars strings, but nobody really knows what she told him because it all went on behind closed doors. Duff and Slash may never have known they had a witch doctor dividing their band - because they’re not hearing any of this...especially once they were gone and Sharon starts calling Slash a Devil. How would he know that was going on?

I think back to some interviews I’ve heard and my feelings on Sharon are reinforced by the things people have said. Alan Niven ranted about her vehemently, like he was aware of the damage she had done. Doug Goldstein was talking to Mitch Lafron and he said it was “not very unfortunate,” that she died.

[appetite4illusions]

This interesting little bit can be found in Slash's autobiography:

"If I had knew then what I know now, had I been more experienced and more self-protective and more suspicious of the players involved - and I'm not even talking about Axl so much as the people he hired to guide him through this - it might have been handled differently. He hired people who had nothing but making money off of him in mind." (Pg 396)

[gnfnrs1972]

It seems some fans feed off the drama in this band.

[Blackstar]

1 hour ago, appetite4illusions said:

I think back to some interviews I’ve heard and my feelings on Sharon are reinforced by the things people have said. Alan Niven ranted about her vehemently, like he was aware of the damage she had done. Doug Goldstein was talking to Mitch Lafron and he said it was “not very unfortunate,” that she died.

From that embarrassing letter Doug sent to Axl in 2009 it looks like he [Doug] tried to use Yoda to manipulate Axl more than the other way around. I think that's how it worked: People around Axl knew Axl believed in that stuff and tried to use it (and Yoda etc.) to their own advantage.

As for Niven, he did his own weird occult shit as a "response" to Yoda.

1 hour ago, appetite4illusions said:

What if, in the nineties, she was advising Axl to take control of his band, because she believed the people in it were self destructive and would eventually destroy the brand. It would explain Axl’s behavior in shunning them after Illusions and would explain his callow business tactics.

In my opinion, Axl's wanting to take control was mainly due to pre-existing psychological issues.

It also had a more "rational" basis:

They say that every successful band needs a dictator in the line-up, just to kick people’s backsides occasionally and keep things in motion. Was that one of the roles Axl saw himself fulfilling in Guns N' Roses - the dictator of the band?        

‘Listen, after working with Jagger it was like, don't ever call me a dictator again, man.’ (...) ‘You can go and work for the Stones and you’ll learn the hard way...’

'I didn’t really hang out with [Jagger].’ (...) ‘That guy walks off stage and goes and does paperwork. He says,’  “‘Excuse me, I’ve got to do paperwork..."'

Checking the gate receipts?

‘Everything! Every fuckin’ thing. That guy is involved in every little aspect, you know, from what the background singers are getting paid to how much we’re paying for this part of the PA. He is on top of all of it. It’s him and his lawyer, OK? And a couple of guys that he hangs with you know, part of the entourage. But basically, it’s all him... (*)

(...)

 ‘Ron Wood made this thing go back together and worked on putting it back together, right? OK, but Mick makes it happen. With the looseness that those guys have and the amount of people around them you need somebody being the general, you know? And he does it. He has to do it. ’Cos the frontman... you don’t plan on that job. You don’t want that job. You don’t want to be that guy to the guys in your band that you hang with and you look up to. But somebody’s got to do it. And the guitar player can’t do it because he is not the guy who... he can go back, hang his hair down in his face and stand back by the amps and gel into his guitar part. (...) The frontman has to be communicating with eye-contact and hand movements and moving around in the crowd, and directing his energy to that entire audience. [Interview with Mick Wall, 1990]

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(*) Although all that business stuff Axl says was handled by Mick Jagger, in GnR it was actually handled mostly by Slash in the UYI era.

Edited October 16, 2018 by Blackstar

[Legendador]

2 hours ago, RJ88 said:

Outside parties? We know Perla is one of them...who else? Likely Beta?

Not Beta, because she is a positive influence on Axl and so on.

Perla was around during the 90's, but as a groupie.

But surely: Tom Zutaut, Doug Goldstein, Marc Canter (Axl had a major falling out with him regarding the "Reckless Road" book), Alan Niven, Izzy Stradlin, Matt Sorum, Paul Tobias, Merc Mercuriadis, Scot Weilland, Vicky Hamilton and of course Perla.

This just to name a feel.

[SoulMonster]

Also, by putting the blame on others and not themselves, it probable strengthens a still weak friendship and trust. 

[Dean]

I still think it's unbelievably cool that these two fella's patched up their differences. They were nobodies together and went through all the shit that came their way, making timeless music and becoming incredibly rich. It's a brotherhood. There is still time to make some great fucking new music too. The future isn't as bleak as some like to point out.

GNFNR

God bless Duff McKagan

Edited October 16, 2018 by Dean

[3rd Wheel]

Quote

when certain things that we were sort of trying to get sorted out didn't work out ... And just the other stuff that we were trying to do didn't work out. I'm not gonna get into all that though… Even [in] the '90s, we didn't have the original lineup. So it wasn't something that we were, like, going 'Oh my God' about.

This might not be the actual first time but for me it's the first time I've ever seen a quote from Slash, Axl, or Duff where they basically say, "Yeah, we tried to get the AFD lineup back together and would've probably kicked Frank and/or Fortus to the curb to make it happen, but it didn't happen so here we are."

[Propaganda]

The whole reunion thing was a blessing for that 2016 year tour alone.

After that you would think that reuniting with your "creative twin souls" would make you wanna push yourself to the limit and come up with a new album to celebrate the reunion. it's not that bad we got the AFD boxset. It's much better than getting a live show dvd like we did a couple of years ago, but you would think that they would be ecstatic to record new songs, as they're living their dream, and they care so much about the art.

Instead what this reunion did was to kill 15 years of GNR music, where probably more than half of it, it will never see the light of the day, and also kill the small chances that we had to ever read that Axl's autobiography that he was writing, because right now, you wouldn't wanna ruin the new friendship with Slash over a book.

Hey, it's not like what we've heard of Jackie Chan or The General have the goods to be big singles or hits anyways, so we gotta see it as it is right now, and right now... It will be fun one time/year, once they come to your town!

Edited October 16, 2018 by Propaganda

[guitarpatch]

49 minutes ago, 3rd Wheel said:

This might not be the actual first time but for me it's the first time I've ever seen a quote from Slash, Axl, or Duff where they basically say, "Yeah, we tried to get the AFD lineup back together and would've probably kicked Frank and/or Fortus to the curb to make it happen, but it didn't happen so here we are."

You also have to remember at first there were only contracted to get together for those few shows in Vegas/Coachella. They very well could have revamped the lineup later or gone back to their own projects afterwards. Especially if the prospect of working with Izzy/Steven long term after going through the process was thought to be too much handle. Nothing was guaranteed 

[D..]

2 hours ago, gnfnrs1972 said:

It seems some fans feed off the drama in this band.

A lot of people feed off the drama, in general. Whatever it is. And no matter the amount of evidence or lack of evidence, some people think they know stuff they didn't see with their own eyes. If something comes up, if some BS drama rises somewhere, some people will feed off this bullshit. And the more you justify yourself, the more drama you create, the more bullshit is going on in your life.

Axl must have grasped that concept long ago, hence why he isn't talking like he used to. He basically says nothing now, to end all of this bullshit. So people feeding off the drama keep talking about old stuff, because they have nothing else to talk about. It's very sad.

I wish I had understood that sooner myself. The less is known about you, the less you have to justify yourself about your life, the better.

Not long ago, I was told by someone how Axl is supposedly violent with women because of the lawsuits with you know who. It's crazy how something from 20+ years ago still follows him.

I can't imagine what Axl would've gone through if this happened now. It must have been extremely hard on him back then, but in this day and age, it would be even worse. Personally, I never believed any of the bullshit accusing him of being a woman beater. Now, if there was hard evidence stating otherwise and I'd seen it for myself, I would've stopped listening to his music. But as far as this BS story, it was word against word. And I'd rather believe someone like Axl who has proven his integrity over the years, over a woman who married an ugly millionaire clearly because she was interested in money.

Most stories stating how Axl is a bad person are like that: no evidence, gossips they read or heard somewhere, using events where Axl jumped in the crowd or beat a paparazzi fuckhead, making him look like a "mad man"...basically biased people who convinced themselves he is the bad guy for no reason (except maybe jealousy). They don't even know their subject and consider all the good he has done. Even on this forum, I read some people bashing Axl for no reason. I don't understand what the fuck they are doing here. When I'm convinced someone is an asshole, I just forget about him and move on.