GnR Chris

This forum would have exploded if Duff said Axl liked it, or wrote a line for it or whatever. 

1 hour ago, Gordon Comstock said:

 

I'm guessing Myles will be on one song, but one song on an album isn't too bad... hopefully he's just on a bonus track (assuming there will be bonus tracks like the first Slash & Friends album).

I'm late to the party. Is the next Slash album another solo project and unrelated to the Conspirators?

“Perhaps” video was cool. “The General” video ain’t it. Could have used some actual 2D animation with an actual story depicting the dark subject matter. It could have elevated the song. 

5 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

I think you got it wrong. Creative Works was working on a more conventional video using the Unreal Engine when the band decided to instead go for a mix of AI, hand drawn graphics, live footage and motion graphics, either because it would be less expensive or as an artistic choice. Or did I get it wrong?

Sounds like you may be correct, actually. CW was doing it via Unreal and then band management went the route of AI. Regardless, my point stands. It’s all band management’s idea, thus they’re to blame. LOL

OK, it’s out. So now if we complain, are we still whiners or was it justified? ‘Cause AI is the laziest fucking thing you can do. And GNR as artists themselves, they really should be embarrassed to employ someone to generate this rather than pay an actual artist to animate a cool concept. The arts are dying, and it’s ‘cause of shit like this.

It’s been 1/24. WTF. 

I freely admit I was being negative without seeing the finished video, but I wouldn’t call it whiny. I just really don’t like the way they promote something seemingly low-effort as “special.” Are they tone deaf to the hardcore fan base? 

Ultimately, “The General” was indeed released as a B side, so it’s dope it’s actually even getting a video. And it’s cool GNR is doing something in an “off” year. Hopefully this means we don’t have to wait for another tour to get a new song. 

7 hours ago, SoulMonster said:

"Jumping the shark" is exactly what the Illusion videos did. They might have started out with some good ideas from Language of Fear and had some overarching vision that would at some point be resolved, but they ended up as nothing but a hot mess with very high production value. Not even the band members have any idea what those videos were all about. If Axl thought they made sense then that is indicative of Axl's mind at the time. Kids liked those videos because they were high-end production shots of their heroes that gave them an incredibly amount of showcasing on MTV ("I am a fan of the biggest band in the world, that validates me liking their music, yay, rawk on!") and they seemed on some level to have a meaning and you could speculate and endlessly discuss what the fuck the date on Axl's gravestone was about or why he jumped off the ship or why he wandered through the snow and so on.  And grown-ups keep liking those videos for the nostalgia and because it is hard to rid oneself of ingrained affection acquired in adolescence when one has less critical sense.

I also dislike the videos for what they represent: Axl exerting his will upon the band, which would ultimately be the demise of the UYI lineup and make Slash leave in disgust, and because they showcase what a nutcase he was back then, and still he got away with it. Kudos to him, I guess.

To me, what is best with Guns N' Roses is the music. So I want music videos to showcase the music. And there is really no better way than to do that through live footage. Also because GN'R is a great live band. Alternatively, do an artistic music video that is really great from an artistic perspective. Like, give an actual great video artist free reins to make a video, based off of or unrelated to the song. A symbioses of great art. When typing this, the music wideo to RHCP's Otherside came to mind. The Use Your Illusion trilogy is not any of this. It was Axl's decision that the songs should be a vehicle for him to try to tell some story about his life and future, but it was nothing but a steaming hot mess. 

And that's my opinion. 

Serious question. Were you old enough to live through that era? While I can agree with you to an extent on “Estranged” dolphins being a jump-the-shark moment, the “November Rain” video HELPED make that song one of the band’s biggest hits ever. It was all over MTV all throughout 1992 and continued getting consistent airplay even through 1995 even though people today will claim grunge supposedly “killed” GNR.

17 hours ago, Blackstar said:

The fact that the video has been made with AI is indeed off-putting,. But other than that, yeah, many of the comments are as exaggerated and over-dramatic as usual, considering it's only a teaser they're reacting to.

And I'm not even sure I get what the overly negative reaction has been about (besides the AI). That they don't make music videos that are on par with the trilogy videos? That they don't spend enough money on it? And the problem with the kid's changing hat is the concept itself or that it's poorly made?

Look, man. I hate to compare them to The Stones, but that one new Stones video where there’s a chick on a car rockin’ out. It’s a simple video. Simple concept. Nothing special. The song is just OK. A little paint-by-numbers. But that video blows away some lame AF artificial intelligence video that appears to be on the horizon. It’s unnecessary. If they want to be lazy about it, just give us the live shots, paste lyrics on top of it, and call it a day. 

Slash just happened to share The Knack’s “My Sharona” music video on his Instagram. How cool would it have been if this band went into a studio and just recorded a video like that? Just something that makes them look like more than a touring act. 

Yes, I’m happy they’re releasing stuff. But that doesn’t mean we have to praise everything. It’s especially annoying when they hype it up acting like there’s gonna be a surprise. A cool surprise would be dropping a “Monsters” music video, same concept as I just mentioned. Imagine if they made a video where they walk into a small, sleazy club, hit the stage, and we see them performing “Monsters” to a crowd of a hundred people?

From everything I read about the Chinese era, I don’t think the label wanted Axl to fail, but I do think they wanted to get a reunion out of him, and delaying the release may have been part of it (in hopes Slash would return first and record on it). At least at some point.  

On 1/9/2024 at 5:31 PM, Blackstar said:

Two earlier interviews with Dave talking about Axl/GN'R (for those who haven't watched/read them):

https://www.a-4-d.com/t5240-2020-10-18-12-09-2020-d-podcast-interviews-with-david-abbruzzese

https://www.a-4-d.com/t8033-2023-02-06-2020-d-podcast-interview-with-david-abbruzzese

 

 

Good reads. Never saw those before. Saying GNR don’t have stage presence is QUITE the take though. 

On 1/8/2024 at 9:34 PM, bmus1 said:

Monsters sounds super unfinished after listening really closely. Drum machines, synthetic vocals, and sloppy guitar galore.

It sounds finished. 

Nice seeing Shooter with Duff on Kimmel. I hope this means when and if Duff tours, Shooter and his band will be there too. 

12 hours ago, gavgnr said:

What was the general reaction to the track?

They all thought it was cool. It was just a small group of folks, and everybody happens to like GNR already. Not like us nerds, but enough where this crowd is receptive of not just old Guns but Chinese too, cause I always play it.

The reason I decided to play “Monsters” is because one of my friends was telling another friend that GNR would be higher on his list of favorite bands if not for their small catalog relative to his top two (Metallica, Machine Head). So I brought up unreleased songs and I was like, “They’re sitting on a great tune right now and just won’t goddamn release it.”

Another friend who was there loves Black Sabbath/Ozzy, and he was into the verses. Agreed with me they’re Ozzy-esque. No joke, I made everyone shut the fuck up right before the bridge (“attention everyone, may I have your attention”), and I did an air guitar motion when Slash does the little lick, then I turned it up even higher while Axl went into demon mode. One of my friends was super into it, lowkey headbanging. 

We were all under the influence of the devil’s juice and other party favors too. Once “Monsters” ended, the playlist reverted right back to techno. 

This group of friends in general has an eclectic mix of music and likes most genres (except for the Metallica, Machine Head guy, who’s purely metal and ‘90s hip hop).

43 minutes ago, Gordon Comstock said:

For those who didn't want to order the CD from Japan, it's on amazon now. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMZBGN7D/

Thank you! I do love to waste money. I just ordered. 🙌🏻 

1 hour ago, WhazUp said:

Yeah unlike Monsters where it has a ton of guitar parts such as the leads and even the repating lick during the chorus that sounds Slash-ified, The General seems just like the only real guitar-centric parts are what you stated - the wah bits from Slash and the outro solo.

Outside of a different mix bringing certain elements up or down, beyond a few of those guitar licks and the outro solo being different, I can't imagine the nuGNR version being much different at all

Yeah, but that outro solo is pure gas. Axl’s vocals are so high that it gets buried a little bit. But it’s some really nice work from Slash.

1 hour ago, jekylhyde said:

The General being louder than Perhaps is really jarring when listening the CD.

Amazing incompetence once again.

It’s jarring when listening on Spotify too. My algorithm usually plays “Perhaps” right after I play “The General.”

I love the long shows. I also understand why other people might not. But most of the crowd is sitting down. What the hell else do you have to do that night besides watch and listen to a kick ass rock and roll band?

At the Chicago show this year, it was, like, a 117 degree heat index, and they DID NOT cut their set. They played long and hard into the night. I got there when doors opened and stood around for hours before they even came on. So my only complaint would be they shouldn't open doors that early. lol

On 12/16/2023 at 1:44 PM, Uncle Bob said:

Wichita Lineman? Black Hole Sun? The Seeker? Walk All Over You? Back In Black? Live And Let Die? KOHD? neverending extended versions of KOHD and RQ?

I know for the last shows it wast just Wichita and oldies like Live and Let Die or KOHD, but for many shows for this whole NITL run, there has been way too many covers and unnecessary boring extended songs.

I wish that time spent for all that stuff would have been dedicated to perform other of their actual songs (or more new songs) or maybe just to rest themselves as even Duff admitted it can be hurtful

Duff does a song so Axl can have a break. You can't take out "LALD" and "KOHD." Those are two of their most well-known songs and always get great crowd reactions. You're pretty much proving his point with those two examples. 

I'll grant you the other covers you named, yet initially "Black Hole Sun" was getting big crowd reactions. And I love "The Seeker," personally.