Nick83

1 hour ago, gnr5 said:

UYI tour was not profitable all they way, it was supposed to end after the Metallica summer stadium tour. They had to add the South American leg and everything in '93 to start making a profit. 

We don't know that for sure.   I bet it was profitable.  I bet they all made a fortune from that tour, eventually.   

The accounting for a tour like that is a big mess that usually gets straightened out later.

They were probably claiming losses for tax purposes etc.   

Plus you don't want to exactly announce to EVERYONE that works for you (or could work you), that you're making a fortune.   

I bet Axl's networth outside of the GNR name, and GNR brand etc, is probably north of $150,000,000.

Old GNR:

They did nearly 200 UYI shows.  

They sold 140+ million albums (those numbers have existed forever.  Are they accurate?  No idea).

They sold a lot of merchandise etc.

In 1993, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think he left GNR with $20,000,000-$50,000,000 in cash and assets.   

If he invested his money or parked his funds in savings accounts getting a 5% rate of return......then that interest income was probably covering his expenses.

He collected heavy royalties etc forever. No idea what this number could be.

More importantly, let's say Axl's nu GNR played like 250+ shows.  A lot of those shows were huge festivals and big pay day gigs.  Even the small shows were probably contracted for minimum pay of like $400,000 (promoters make their money on selling booze, food, parking etc).  Let's say he averaged $200,000 a show in earnings and merchandise etc, after expenses. 

That's $50,000,000 from nuGNR touring. It's likely he brought home more than that.  He could have doubled that.

It is impossible to estimate his worth. We don't know what he earned, what his expenses have been, how he invested or not, what he purchased and sold with increased or decreased value etc etc etc.   

Axl's got money though.  And he's always had money.  All these guys have had big money since the GNR days.   (Enough money that no one could pressure any of them to reform GNR at any point in time).

It isn't that he CAN'T sing like he used too.   He is CHOOSING to sing like he is singing now.  So the question is why?

I think it is a combination of factors, but he's most likely just trying to preserve his voice.   

If he goes full raspy all the time, he won't be able to sing clean at all, and he will also lose range at the top.   

I think Axl has a lot of written and recorded material where he's using his beauty clean tenor voice (think of Madagascar and The Blues performed at Rio 2001).    He's probably trying to keep his voice flexible for new material that will feature clean/high vocals.  

The good thing is that he is singing like this by choice, and not because his voice is broken.  

It is a tough situation.  Do you pigeon hole yourself into having one voice? (Old raspy Axl).  Or do you keep your options open?

I'd love to hear full on rasp, but I also know that I love the super high notes (like Twat and IRS etc).   If he sings raspy, he is going to lose the ability to pull off those stunning high vocals.   

We don't want a Robert Plant situation, where he's lost his rasp and range because he pushed both of those characteristics at the same time, too far, and BOOM: left with ZERO.

Oh yeah.  A new kid moved into my neighborhood when I was a kid and introduced me to it.

Awesome game.  But they killed it through expansion.   Was a classic that should have never progressed past the 5th edition.

Wtf? He's dead?  Someone tell me what happened.

Ron was working with Scott Wieland? Wow. That's shows Axl's maturity and patience. Unless Ron did this in secret.......

Either way, for Ron to have worked with Scott, even if Scott did come back out later and apologize/redeem himself by saying Slash etc was probably the cause of the problems and not Axl etc, there's no way Axl would have completely forgiven Scott and been cool with Ron doing this.

Axl could pull off whatever look he wanted if his performances were still great. That's a fact. He doesn't have to depend on any specific look. I actually think all of Axl's are pretty cool. I've enjoyed the fat Elvis pimp stage. I'm sure we'll see him reinvent himself a few more times.

Literally every picture of him these days is creepy. Not even just bad. Flat out fucking creepy.

Because he doesn't smile in pics very often. When he smiles everything changes.

Show any picture of Axl from 80 ~ 90 in some Hairloss forum Axl started having MPB (Male Pattern Baldness) still in the 90s (hairline thin and high, change hair texture ...)

that picture of 1994 HOF bought what I'm saying

Here clearly shows the miniaturized hair on the hairline

No. That's his natural hairline, and that's not miniaturization. That's just his hair quality in that location etc. We've already established that Axl doesn't have a typically defined hairline etc. Lots of people have the peach fuzz or smaller hairs along the borders of their hair etc. It's fairly common.

Also, if Axl started having hairline issues back then, he would have been a cue ball by the late 90's.

You are correct. Axl does not have one of the typical mail hairlines or patterns etc.

What is interesting is that often, a strong hairline, also recedes strongly. Meaning that, irrelevant of the speed of the recession etc, these strong hairlines become even more pronounced. Perhaps there is a link between a strong hair line and its susceptibility to DHT caused male pattern baldness. And by this I mean, the connection between the two says nothing about likelihood of recession or speed of recession, but that a strong hairline is linked always with a classic male pattern balding situation over time etc. I'm not sure I'm making myself clear at the moment. I guess my suggestion would be that perhaps Axl's hairline may be more resistant to DHT caused male pattern balding/hairline recession etc, only because of its untypical nature.

I think we may have always assumed Axl would be losing his hair/going bald because of a few things:

Someone said he was obsessed with hairloss and shampooed his hair even during concerts.

We heard a tabloid junk story in the media speculating about Axl's hair in the 90's.

And some other celebs have made comments, like Courtney Love etc.

And additionally, Axl always had, according to the general public's perception, light and wispy hair that somehow would be more likely to fall out, even when there was no actual basis for this assumption.

Axl also reinforced this himself, by overdoing his hair at rock in rio and then getting corn rows etc. What may have been purely innocent stylistic moves by Axl, were interpreted as some sort of coverup for hair loss etc.

We really don't know the state of Axl's hair. I think that Axl was seeking to reinvent himself and wouldn't be caught dead coming back with his classic hair style from the Illusion's etc. And we can see he doesn't look good with a middle parted hair style, and short hair is too anti rock and roll etc. So really, what other choices did Axl have in terms of reinventing the hair part of his style?

And then poor Axl gets slammed for it etc. But Axl isn't the type to conform to the pressures or expectations of others. He certainly could have shut everyone up by coming back with the classic hairstyle, but that would just show that he lost that battle and caved in to what others wanted. Also, Axl being a smart dude and long time celebrity would know damn well that there would still he doubters and stories spouting the same hair loss madness, despite his efforts to try and convince them otherwise.

So it was a lose lose situation. Axl knows people will speculate about his hair always etc.

But going back to the topic: his hairline appears to have always been consistently the same. And despite Axl being photogenic, in photos, his appearance various significantly, to the point of almost looking like a different person, or multiple different people. And it's been like for his whole life, or at least what I can see from the photos we have publicly.

This whole thing is funny because a lot of people were convinced there had to have been hairloss, hair transplants, coverup efforts, and all kinds of Axl hair conspiracies etc, when the fact may be that the dude never did a damn thing to his hair and what we see is what it is naturally.

Awesome pictures. I've never seen a lot of these. Fantastic contributions here.

I must also say that Axl has the ability to look extremely different in photos. It's as if he's got a hundred different possible looks etc.

And that's why judging photos of Axl is very unreliable. The dude can look completely different.

But the hairline debatebis becoming more and more clear. It does appear like he's always had sort of a different/strange/not so defined hairline and that it is likely it has remained the same basically. Of course a good transplant doctor can replicate hairlines, but as I said before, if Axl had an aggressive hair loss issue, there'd be no way in hell he'd have the hair he does now etc.

There are 3 options I see. Bringing Buckethead back and bringing that plan/dream/original fire and intention back to life. That would be awesome.

Second option is bringing this Orianthi chick. It would have a huge effect.

Third option is a reunion.

But continuing the band as is.................I don't even want to hear an album from this lineup. And touring......is boring. The shows are fantastic and I love them but it's not exciting for me outside a live venue anymore. Axl doesn't even sing the songs that I want. If he sang the CD rarities he attempted earlier and added a few rarities from the old catalogue, I'd be very interested. But this constant AFD and basic Illusion songs..... It's old.

Unless Axl has serious plans to release any music (which i seriously doubt at this point) he should just wrap this band up.

This isnt because of the fact he may or may not have hired a female guitarist but seriously what is the point (Cash in on nostaligia tours aside).

It was bold/crazy to carry on this band and after actually releasing Chinese Democracy I was fully behind it. This band should end and try to keep some dignity, if any is left in the name Gun N' Roses.

Carrying on with yet another guitarist, regardless of who that is, is just too much.

I agree about wrapping up the band if it just continues as a nostalgia act. Maybe take a 10 year break from touring at least.

But adding another guitarist that brings real chemistry and shock value would bring new life to this band, even if new music is released or not.

This would actually be perfect. I don't know for the long term, but as a short term boost to both of their careers, it would be great.

There's no better or bigger band for her to join. She'd get a huge boost from joining GNR.

And her being a member would get big press and interest a lot of people.

On her own, she's on the decline. She came out and got huge recognition for the Michael Jackson movie. I thought she was special and would go on to be a big name. But since then, she's never been able to live up to that superstar potential etc. On her own, it won't happen.

But with GNR.........that would be huge for her. And the band.

It's weird. I think the presence of each, in the other's lives etc, would have a huge exponentially magnifying effect that neither can or have on their own, individually. GNR doesn't need her........they're fine on their own. But, adding her would have huge effects (effects she hasn't had on others in her own career either). And she doesn't need GNR, but I can't think of a better band/situation for her to be in etc.

I don't know her writing abilities etc, but she's hot and can play. If she could write and there was chemistry there, and she was motivated, it could be the refreshment that Axl needs and would motivate him. I could see releasing an album with her. One album at least. One freshly written album. Save the CD era stuff for later and record and release a fresh and modern album with her now. This would actually make it worth it to release an album. Because it would be very relevant just because of her involvement. The press would go wild over it and it would attract a lot of new audience. No doubt. You could sell this album.

But I think it is a great temporary boost. But not a long term thing. But it is very edgy and would shake things up. I'd go for it if I were Axl......but only if the chemistry was there. It's almost perfect.

There's some good info in this thread. I think Axl was using a lot of conditioner back in the 80's and 90's and blow drying etc. Basically his hair appeared as smooth, thin, and wispy as possible but that was sort of artificial.

Stop using conditioners and blow drying and you're going to have thicker looking hair.

I think Axl could have had work done, but what puzzles me is that regardless of attempts to make the hair thin in appearance, Axl still doesn't have thick hair. Therefore, if Axl was aggressively balding, there'd be about zero chance that hair work could be visually successful.

Any idea how many hairs would have to be successfully transplanted to just prevent the appearance of balding? It is a lot. And usually the hair is then kept short because it is easier to strategically handle it to make the most coverage appear etc.

So I think hair transplants in Axl would be very difficult to do or have be successful etc.

But his hair line is challenging because there are times it looks the exact same as always or with a slight progression. And then there are some photos where his hairline looks like it was transplanted. And I am starting to think that these transplant appearance photos may just be the result of hair styling and not evidence of transplant work. Looks as if he uses hair spray or gels or perhaps other thickeners to make a naturally progressing hairline show no progression etc.

If you look in those 2009 concerts photos etc, Axl is running around with a flowing shiny bouncing head of hair. That look specifically can't be duplicated with a transplant or any other appearance methods or tricks. That is Axl's real hair. And it looks extremely healthy, with no sign of hair loss.

Therefore, I think Axl has had some natural progression of the hairline at most, and some photos appear to show the use of sprays and gels to bolster the natural hairline, even though those are unlikely needed. Axl.is a perfectionist after all.

There is one photo of Axl wearing funky glasses and it shows his hairline and to me it looks like there was transplant work. But then, other photos invalid that.

Long story short, Axl does have a relatively thick and healthy set of hair, and will likely maintain that for the rest of his life. And there will likely be progression, but nothing devastating.

And also, cornrows for all those years etc: you attach those to thin or hair predisposed to balding, and you'll lose that hair in no time. There's no way that those cornrows could have been used as a coverup for a balding Axl. Not only would it not work, but they would have destroyed his hair, and we would have known it by now. Therefore, this was simply a style move and not some sort of balding conspiracy coverup move.

Additionally, at Rock in Rio 2001, his hair does look artificially dark and thick, and it was no doubt dyed and thickened with sprays and gels etc. Why did he do this? Doubt it was a coverup for hair loss but more than likely another case of Axl's over the top perfectionism.

That passport photo is very interesting. What years are on there? Would be very interesting to know. That's a good photo to use for this analysis.

I think one big issue is that everyone assumed Axl was naturally skinny etc. Axl was always well aware of the need to stay thin and in good shape, so, I don't think this was ever an easy this for Axl, and it's only gotten harder. l think that what we ofteen see are minor weight fluctuations causing major differences etc.

Besides the up and down weight changes, I guarantee Axl did chemicals peels and botox etc. Everyone else does, and they are so easy to do and basically risk free in terms of being temporary, light changes etc, so why not? These things make even the most flawless looking people look better.

And as far as surgery goes, he might have had some......and if he did....his surgeon did an amazing job.

Axl had a vision of bringing some sort of futurized rock and industrial hybrid style and then the record company thought it was too distant from classic GNR and would go over people's heads, so they made him shelve it, and over time the music/vision got diluted.

Just listen to Oh My God. That was where he wanted to go, and I thought it was brilliant. But others hated it. I remember it being one of those songs that I had to listen to like 30 times in a row. It was amazing. But people I showed it too didn't like it.

When they released that song they were testing the waters and the reaction wasn't good. So they went back to the drawing board.

Axl should have followed his original vision. Instead he let others weaken his confidence and made him indecisive and in the end he diluted everything. It's a damn shame.

No doubt Axl had a trilogy planned full of big guns coming etc. But after the Azoff screw job, that all changed. He came out swinging in 2009, ready to tour his ass off and rebuild his reputation (not so late, reliable, super longs shows, and bringing his A game voice), probably to get back on track and or more actually, forge his way back to his original track. Axl coming out touring in 2009 was a big FUCK YOU to those at the label and in the industry who were trying to force him into a reunion etc.

Don't think for a second that this wasn't the situation. CD release got botched. He didn't appear for a year. And then came back swinging.

But he lost motivation. Fink quit, lawsuits, no support, likely organizational cash problems, and I think he lost the fire entirely. Or maybe he didn't lose the fire so much as had a radical change in thinking about his reality and what he actually wanted or needed.

I think the dude was sort of happy and content for awhile. But with Axl, that can only be temporary. I expect him to get the fire back again. But there will have to be a lot of adversity or a big event that fires him up.

It's just a stall tactic. Dizzy knows there won't be a new album, so what else can he say?

It doesn't matter how great the music is either. There is no money to be made in albums. There's more risk to releasing an album than to not release anything.

Guaranteed: only new album we hear from GNR will be from a reunited GNR.

There are two other things to consider.

See, there are two different kinds of singers (or people's voices).

The first is the one with a specific, natural, unique set of characteristics. The other is the one who trained themselves to use their voice a certain way.

Axl falls into the first group. A good example is that YouTube clip where he talks about Slash and getting the girls after Slash passed out. Listen to his voice during that clip.

Long story short, Axl has a natural voice that he built ON TOP OF.

The foundation is and always be there. But the added on parts....are subject to change, and that depends on many factors such as training, health, lifestyle, etc.

Another important thing is that Axl has never lost range. In fact, he fucking increased it. Find me a high range singer who hasn't lost range.

So it sort of works like this: if a singer keeps their range, their voice is fine and they can do whatever they want.

It is when a singer loses range that we can say "their voice has changed permanently" or that they're missing something or that there should be a concern about whether that singer can ever regain their original voice we've all come to love.

When Axl loses RANGE, that is when we know, shit has changed, and not likely ever returning to what we love.

As long as he has range, his voice is good.

Axl's voice use is totally related to his mental state as well. When he is feeling competitive or angry or emotional in some way, the voice is expressed differently. His voice is really a window into his soul.

We're hearing a happier and more content Axl lately.

I get it. This is the creative way to get the guys talking and force a reunion.

Marc is either sacrificing himself to accomplish a reunion or he is desperate for cash.

Ibuprofen actually works very well. I hate to say it though, because then it supports those who believe in more conservative prescribing practices.

I hate it when someone with legitimate pain is given ibuprofen instead of a stronger narcotic painkiller. In Europe for example, opiate based painkillers aren't really prescribed, and that is barbaric.

The posts in this thread are pretty insensitive. This is the dude's family member and there is nothing wrong with wanting to keep that family member around in some way, especially when it is possible.

Don't talk bad about a man's dog. That's crossing the line.

If the dude saw this thread, I can imagine it would bring up a lot of emotions.

He most likely pulled the appeal because with the open book, he's bleeding money through his attorneys. Plus, it was pretty hopeless.

Activision is a billion dollar corporation. You really think they settled with little Axl Rose because he was appealing a ruling? Really?

Yeah, sure. And Activision allows the Court to rule, and now has a precedent set allowing many other unhappy artists to sue the shit out of them etc?

Look, you don't file a fucking appeal in a big case like this if you are going to lose. End of story.

When you file an appeal, you let the appellate court decide. There's nothing to lose here that I can see. You don't dismiss the fucking appeal. Are you an attorney?

Dude got paid in exchange for voluntarily dismissing his own appeal. End of story.

And to the other clown that said his lawyers would have advised him not to go forward, but crazy Axl proceeded anyway. Doesn't work like that. You think attorneys will put themselves at risk for this sort of malpractice? No. Welcome to the real world.

An appeal was filed. The work was done, the money paid. All that was left was an appellate decision. You don't back out at that point. If the appellate court remands the case back to the trial court, and there were risks or cost concerns about proceeding forward, that's when you dismiss your case. End of story