Vincent Vega

Why can't he go back to making films like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and True Romance?

Last Crusade/Raiders > Temple > KOCS (it should technically be KotCS, but I enjoy calling it 'cocks,' phonetically).

Raiders is objectively the greatest of the series, it was a pretty innovative and fresh and genre-changing picture, working effectively as both an homage to old serials and a cinema landmark, buuuut...I also love the buddy dynamic of the third film, the emotional poignancy of the River Phoenix prologue (and how it links together with the character we've come to know by that point), the banter. Some people complain that it turned the series too goofy and comedic, but Temple did that too, it was just darker and pulpier.

Last Crusade also gets bonus nostalgia points since it was the one I loved as a kid. I was never allowed to watch Temple of Doom.

I actually liked Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Going to the midnight screening of that film was...unique. I'll never forget it. I remember posting about it here hours after I got home. You could almost feel the excitement, the love, deflating from the room. The audience - some dressed up in fedoras with whips - just turned against the movie as it progressed in a way I've never seen or felt before. It was one of the only times I felt the hostile fanboy online reaction was kind of deserved -- a lot of times fanboys just gripe about stuff the average person couldn't care less about, like whinging that Die Hard 4 wasn't rated R when it was a fine action film in its own right... but Indy 4 literally just was a bad movie; the alien thing that twists people's tits up didn't bother me in theory, it was just poorly done, along with most of the film; and I remember leaving the screening room afterward, everyone just looked so uncomfortable and awkward, like nobody wanted to be the first to acknowledge that it sucked, but I remember the kid walking in front of me dressed as Indy just hanging his head low and not saying a word, slumping his shoulders, retreating from the cinema in defeat. That image haunts me.

Last Crusade/Raiders > Temple > KOCS (it should technically be KotCS, but I enjoy calling it 'cocks,' phonetically).

Raiders is objectively the greatest of the series, it was a pretty innovative and fresh and genre-changing picture, working effectively as both an homage to old serials and a cinema landmark, buuuut...I also love the buddy dynamic of the third film, the emotional poignancy of the River Phoenix prologue (and how it links together with the character we've come to know by that point), the banter. Some people complain that it turned the series too goofy and comedic, but Temple did that too, it was just darker and pulpier.

Last Crusade also gets bonus nostalgia points since it was the one I loved as a kid. I was never allowed to watch Temple of Doom.

I actually liked Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Going to the midnight screening of that film was...unique. I'll never forget it. I remember posting about it here hours after I got home. You could almost feel the excitement, the love, deflating from the room. The audience - some dressed up in fedoras with whips - just turned against the movie as it progressed in a way I've never seen or felt before. It was one of the only times I felt the hostile fanboy online reaction was kind of deserved -- a lot of times fanboys just gripe about stuff the average person couldn't care less about, like whinging that Die Hard 4 wasn't rated R when it was a fine action film in its own right... but Indy 4 literally just was a bad movie; the alien thing that twists people's tits up didn't bother me in theory, it was just poorly done, along with most of the film; and I remember leaving the screening room afterward, everyone just looked so uncomfortable and awkward, like nobody wanted to be the first to acknowledge that it sucked, but I remember the kid walking in front of me dressed as Indy just hanging his head low and not saying a word, slumping his shoulders, retreating from the cinema in defeat. That image haunts me.

Try watching it again. You're acting like it was a colossal flop. It was the second or third highest grossing film of the year--if the word of mouth was that bad, it would've sunk, it wouldn't have made 700mil. And it's rated 78% on Rotten Tomatoes.

No one loves Temple. I am disappoint

It's my favorite actually.

TOD > Raiders > LC = KOTCS = Young Indy

How can anyone like the braids? They made him look like a joke. When he started wearing the braids is when "Axl is bald/has hair plugs" rumors started. When he had the braids, almost everyone on this forum wished he got rid of him. Now he's gotten rid of them and people pine for the braids.

I figure since other series like James Bond and Star Wars have their own thread, Indiana Jones deserved his own too. What is your favorite Indiana Jones film? How did you feel about Crystal Skull? Did any of you ever see the Young Indiana Jones television series which documented Indy's youth and early adventures?

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Set in 1936

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984) - Set in 1935

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - Set in 1938

The Adventures Young Indiana Jones (1992-1996) - Set from 1908 to 1920

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) - Set in 1957

vs.

For some reason I got caught up watching Elvis from Hawaii or some shit. And I remembered his 69 comeback performance only years before where he had returned and although a little older was just as bad ass and hip as when he left for the army. But now, I think this was in 74, only five years later he was bigger and not up to his usual standard. The way he blasted through jail house rock in hawaii was a joke, just like the way Axl's blasting through the hits.

I noticed a definite lack of passion, weight gain, and voice change in both. Although Elvis's voice change can be viewed as pleasant because it's deeper.

Both have resorted to wearing ridiculous over the top gawdy outfits, even if Axl's still rocking jeans.

Axl returned... pretty lean... although the voice was weak at first it got stronger as he carried on. The guy even sported a six pack at the second HOB New Years go around. And he was pretty damn close to it again in 2006... if you've seen the pic with his shirt open.

But after both returned, years later they just seemed to let themselves go. The weight gain, the half ass performances, the drinking...

So is Axl our Elvis?

Couple of things.....

Elvis was trim and in shape at the time of Aloha from Hawaii. He's tan, lean and had actually lost weight.

The reason he ran through the hits was because he felt they were "kid stuff" and honestly was sort of embarrassed by his early material. He felt that all those rock hits were kid stuff, at least for him, and he was more interested in his new material. That's kind of the opposite of Axl, who leans mainly on old material. Elvis ran through the hits and put his passion into his new material; Axl lingers in the hits and his "new material" is 5 years old. Even toward the end of Elvis' life, he was still putting out a record at least once per year. Axl hasn't done any in five.

Elvis' voice had already changed long before. Go compare Hound Dog to It's Now or Never. During the Army years his voice developed a sort of much deeper, operatic tone to it.

Elvis wore the jumpsuits, but in context, in 1973, so did pretty much every big rock star. In 1973, for instance, Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, and David Bowie all wore a type of jumpsuit. Look at Mick Jagger's from the 1972 American Tour; it's not far removed from the Elvis jumpsuit. They were hip in the early 1970s. They became a joke when Elvis kept wearing them until he died. In contrast, do you still many other rock lead singers dressing as Axl does or wearing a Hulk Hogan mustache? One guy was hip for his time, Axl isn't.

Axl is definitely not Elvis in 1973. Axl's not playing specials that are being televised by satellite getting rave reviews with MILLIONS of people watching. Elvis in 1973 could sing great, was in great shape, and for that time was stylish.

Elvis' decline was a rapid one--from 1974 to 1977. But '73 was his last great year...And he began to degrade only after his divorce with Priscilla was finalized late in 1973.

Axl is more comparable to Elvis in 1977: Both were overweight, going on tours that never ended, visiting the same cities and areas over and over every single year with no passion in it, going through the motions, both shadows of their former glory, both wearing what were now considered gaudy, over the top, unflattering outfits, circling the drain. That's where Axl is.

For me, the lack of any passion it seems on Axls part, the lack of communication about anything other than endless touring; the lack of even any vague talk about a new album--At least in 2004, we knew the title of Chinese Democracy and that it was definitely being worked on--the horrible vocals and just lack of any foreseeable future with this band releasing a new album, has been both depressing and a major turn off. It's truly a depressing thing to see what has become of "Guns N' Roses", the name. So much so that it turns me off from even the Classic Era...Because it's hard to watch say, a UYI tour show with that awesome band, knowing what a freakish, Spinal Tap-esque circus it'd become....

Best: Dog Day, Godfather I & II, Serpico, Panic in Needle Park, Scarecrow, Sea of Love, Glengarry Glen Ross, You Don't Know Jack

Worst: Revolution (seriously, find a clip on YouTube!), Scent of a Woman, Two Bits

HOO-HAH.

Coma

Estranged

Pretty Tied Up

The Garden

Right Next Door To Hell

Breakdown

Locomotive

Don't Damn Me

On sober reflection, I do realize that for one, I was wrong and I could see why ten threads a day or eight threads a day--half legit, half just to piss off Lenny--would alienate people, make them hate me, make them wish I was gone. I was given a limit, but ignored it due in part of my love of the forum, my enthusiam for sparking discussion here, and also certain people sort of cheering me on to do it, filling my head with grandiose but ultimately egotistical thoughts. Basically, people who I won't mention fed my ego, and that, along with a lot of other factors, including as I said, a love of the forum created this toxic brew which made me create so many threads, so often.

So I admit that the fault is mine, and mine alone.

I also admit that my conduct in the now removed thread, my response to this ban on threads, was both reactionary, juvenile, immature and unfair to the mods. HV and the others have done a lot of hard work with me, in that they've been there and kept me around when really it would've been easier just to ban me. I've been unfair to them and in my actions have shown a lack of respect--but I didn't mean to. But I will applaud them for their patience with me, their fairness and their willingness to be as understanding as possible--Under different people, such as Madison, I would've been long since banned.

So, I apologize to them for acting ungrateful for their kindness and patience, and I apologize to the forum for being such a cunt so often.

Like I said, the mods and Administration--HV especially--have been trying very hard to be accomodating to both me and the forum and I pissed on that, and I pissed off a lot of people here, and I apologize. I was wrong. And I was acting untouchable and acting like an egomaniac, and I paid the price for it. But I will say that, at least half of my threads, did have a good intention. But it was just too much. Even if it wasn't ME making the threads, ten threads a day or whatever would seem like flooding the forum to ANYONE.

And I am sorry if it seemed like I was purposely trying to "take over" the forum--I honestly wasn't. I was just trying to stir discussion about a largely dead/inactive band that I love on a forum that is LITERALLY like a second home to me--I kinda live for this place, to be honest. Been coming here since I was a preteen.

But once more, I apologize, and I ask for the forums, HV's, and the mod's forgiveness. I do love you all, otherwise I'd have quit here a long time ago. I accept that for now this is my punishment, a just punishment that was long coming, but I hope that in due time, when HV decides it's right, that I can get to make new threads, with something like Bacardi said--a 3 or 4 thread a day cap....That would be fair and cool. But until that time, I accept my punishment, and I apologize to HV, to the Mods, to Lenny, to Nate and anyone else I've offended/pissed off/alienated.

I also send a SPECIAL apology to Axl's Rocket Queen. I was totally out of order and unkind to her in the thread the other day.

Thanks again for all your patience and kindness. I'm sorry I'm a cunt.

Miser, why do you insist on making such shitty threads?

God, dizzy and Matt were suck dorks back then.

You know they're the replacements because they look like such fags next to the original four

Dizzy didn't replace anybody though.

Let's take a sampling of some of CD's lyrics:

Shackler's Revenge:

I was wondering because as hard as I want to remember I don't recall any other group picture since 1991....

Yes. The Axl-nutters seem to forget that some of us like hook-laden guitar riffs, raw production, bluesy solos and basic Rock N' Roll lyrics.

The Slash-nutters seem to forget that the rest of the world evolved past knuckle-dragging riffs and songs about fucking women in the ass round about 1994.

And moved on to self pitying self help book lyrics, hookless, riffless, totally not catchy crap?

How long do you think till BBF quits?

I honestly would be very surprised if he's here same time next year without new music.

He sounds incredibly frustrated here which has been the case every time I've seen him address questions about new GN'R songs.

He even says something like "see how the tone of my voice changes as we're talking about this."

He's very unhappy. And when he said they're doing some shows late in the year, he sounded like almost...depressed about it. Like, he was giving news that someone died. I mean, he sounds beyond frustrated. He sounds depressed and exasperated, now, where before he sounded angry and pissed off. Like, he's just getting increasingly tired of the situation as time's going on.

Now, I don't know Bumblefoot. I get the feeling though that he's not someone who could be held over by money. What I mean is, someone like Tommy would stay because the pay is good, and not give a shit. Dizzy would stay because, where else would he go? But I don't see Bumblefoot staying for another 7 year run just because the pay is good. But however, if he's still being treated for his back injury, he might need the extra money that being in GN'R gives you to get the proper treatments....

Maybe when his back is fully healed and when he no longer needs the medications/treatments to make it better, maybe that's when he'll leave, because he'll no longer NEED the extra cash putting up with Axl brings him....

It just seems like he's already sort of "over it". And the fact that he's been very vocal about his displeasure shows me he's not just some hanger on who is only in it for a quick buck.

People (I included) long for something, anything from nuGNR....However....

To play Devil's Advocate....Would anything Axl wrote at 51 even be that interesting? I mean go and compare the stuff the Stones wrote when they were 50 to the stuff they wrote at their height....Some people say Rock is a young man's game. What could a 51 year old Axl Rose say that'd be as appealing as what he had to say at 28, or something that'd be relatable to someone young?

I mean, he couldn't author a song like You Could Be Mine now without it sounding cheap, false or sleazy, given his age. He couldn't write a song like Don't Damn Me because he's past that point of relevance in his career where people hang on his every word. He couldn't write a song like Estranged, because that's from the perspective of a young guy whose had his heart broken...It wouldn't sound believable if written by a man who is half a century old.

Axl once said, in the late 80s or in 1990, how he loved Elton John's early stuff, but that he could never get into his more recent stuff as it was more mature, for older people. Wouldn't this be the case with a new Axl Rose song, really?

I mean....As it is, I'm 22....It feels weird as it is following a band that belongs more to my big sister's generation than my own....I don't know that something Axl would say at 50 would really be as interesting or "dangerous" as say something off the UYIs.

Here's one thing I'll never understand:

Axl and Izzy are on seemingly good terms nowadays. And at least in the old days, they were pretty much the Jagger-Richards in GN'R in terms of actual songwriting. If you look at the credits, most of Classic GN'R's songs were written by Izzy, Axl, or them as a combination. Some of their biggest hits.

With that said, now that Axl and Izzy have seemingly put their bad blood behind them, why hasn't Axl just called Izzy up, sat for a month with him and just collaborated on songs? Have Izzy lay a basis for a song and write some lyrics with him, and then have DJ or Bumblefoot or Fortus build off that foundation, add their own touch to it, as Slash and Duff did back in the day? Instead of Axl just trying to write from scratch with BBF or Ashba?

I mean that seems the obvious choice given their history and Izzy's songwriting importance in GN'R. As late as 1996, even though there was bad blood between him and Axl, he handed GN'R dozens of songs to use in the summer of '96....Why not have the same happen now? It's not like Izzy is doing anything major that is consuming his time (that we're aware of).

The day Desmond Child or Marti Fredrikksen get anywhere near a Guns N' Roses song is the day I say 'fuck this shit'.

What makes a "professional songwriter" any worse than someone like West Arkeen? I mean it wouldn't be the first time GN'R used non-band people to help them write songs...West co-wrote tons of GN'R songs, and then you had others like Dave Lank and Del James co-writing songs on the UYIs.

Technically, a band doesn't need a label. However, GN'R is still under contract right now and releasing an album independently would be a breach of contract.

Does anyone know what the contract stipulates? I mean, let's say the contract stipulates one final album from him--could a second Greatest Hits album fulfill the contract? Or would it HAVE to be a final album of new material?

I also wonder if the label could amend their contract with him, that he has to put out an album of new material by X date or else he/GN'R are dropped? Could they do that?

Being dropped might be a good thing for both parties, as neither Axl nor the label can seem to agree on anything, or at least so rumor indicates. Maybe we'd actually see material if he wasn't under any label obligations and didn't have to worry about them.

We know Axl was always one for keeping up with the times musically; In the mid 90s he wanted to do a Grunge record; In the late 90s he wanted to do an Industrial or Electronica style record.

What are some contemporary, popular genres he could experiment with if he so chose?

Much was made in the 90s of Axl's famed writer's block. According to pretty much everyone who worked with him from around 1994 to 1998, This I Love was the only song he wrote. According to people who worked with him in this period, while there were tons of instrumentals by both the Slash and post Slash iterations of the band done in this period, there were no lyrics or melodies; Axl reportedly complained of being unable to write due to all the lawsuits swirling around him, that all he'd end up writing about were lawyers.

He regained the spark around 1998 with Madagascar reportedly being among the first new songs written lyrically and seems to have had a burst of creativity from 1998 through 2000 or 2001, with Oh My God, TWAT, Catcher in the Rye, Street of Dreams, and IRS (if not more songs) having been written lyrically in this period.

Could it be that the reason we haven't seen even ONE single new song from Axl in half a decade is because he's suffering from writer's block again? That he's finding it hard to find something to say in song, and thus, hasn't really gotten anything done, because he simply can't find the magic?

If so, should he go the Aerosmith route and hire some professional songwriters to assist him? I mean Aerosmith's comeback album was Done With Mirrors, and that was the last album written by them alone...And it was kind of a flop. Then they hired songwriters and had their REAL comeback with Permanent Vacation and had a renaissance in popularity....

If Axl was to do the same thing, have professional songwriters work with him and the current band, we could get some A level, hit tracks, perhaps on par with Classic GN'R.

If Axl hiring professional songwriters could get us new music, would you be against it?

A question. I'm not at all familiar with the music industry so yeah:

But why in 2013 would Axl's GNR or any band for that matter need a record label and contracts binding them? I mean, couldn't a band of GN'R's stature just have their own label, use the profits from tours for promotion (buying commercial time, ads, etc to promote a new single/record), have management (if they had a real management team) work with film studios to attach a new single to a movie soundtrack, and drop songs on Itunes, make some kind of deal?

It'd just seem to be that in this modern digital music world, the record label is or should be a sort of outdated, antiquated middle man, that only stifles the artist's artistry with contracts and business demands...Perhaps I'm wrong? If so, correct me.

The reason I ask is, is because would there be anything legally or contractually (in theory) preventing Axl from just dropping a new record unannounced (both to the fans and label) on ITunes? Would there be anything legally preventing that?

What are your opinions of Plant's and Page's collaborations post Led Zeppelin--Mainly Walking Into Clarksdale?