Live Like a Suicide

Did ANYBODY like Dj Ashba? I can see a point of Axl hiring all these other musicians (well, maybe not Pitman), but Ashba is a sloppy guitar player, poor songwriter and his whole appearence just "screamed" poseur. Really, what quality did he possess? Is he a really nice guy? Did Axl hire him because he wanted Ashba as a friend? Any theories?

The remix of 'Better' featuring him was pretty good.

Edited to make more sense.

No not really, I mean to each their own, but IMO no. The original, CD Better is the better version (pardon my pun). The Ashba and BBF versions were fun for a minute because they were "new music", but I never listen to them anymore. I never really liked Finck, tbh, but his version IS the best version.

To be fair, i never said that Ashba's version was better. Just that it was 'pretty good'.

Like you said though, it's all personal opinion. I like them all for different reasons.

Did ANYBODY like Dj Ashba? I can see a point of Axl hiring all these other musicians (well, maybe not Pitman), but Ashba is a sloppy guitar player, poor songwriter and his whole appearence just "screamed" poseur. Really, what quality did he possess? Is he a really nice guy? Did Axl hire him because he wanted Ashba as a friend? Any theories?

The remix of 'Better' featuring him was pretty good.

Edited to make more sense.

I think they have gotten better with age, so i don't see why they can't do well with this upcoming 'regrouping'. That said, times have changed, and so too has the music industry and tastes. I think it would take a lot of work and effort for Guns N' Roses if they want to compete with contemporary artists. They can do it, but they have to play their cards right.

There will be no press conference and no interviews according to Eddie Trunk (twitter). He said "GNR aren't doing any press".

That's ridiculous.

They should have had their shit together and they should be out there doing conferences, interviews and other stuff to drum up interest. Sure, i can understand wanting Slash and Axl to make their first public appearance on stage, but no press or PR stuff for the band is odd considering this is some of the biggest news in recent music/rock history.

If they don't do any press prior to Coachella, they sure as hell should do it afterwards following into any planned tours.

I can see him being out If it's about the money. I mean, why pay an extra keyboardist/synth member? Maybe he just got his pink ticket in the mail. Or maybe the final lineup isn't/wasn't finalized and he got the boot to make way for a full reunion. I can't see him being that dumb to tweet about being told to shut up unless there was a shake up. Or that's just his way of telling fans to stop asking him about GNR topics since he can't talk about it.

What people don't get is that with a band/brand it is all about having one message that is clear and on topic. From here on out management will probably screen social media postings before they are posted to remain on topic and message with out the message getting scrambled.

Yeah. They should have been doing that from the start though.

So the management finally cracks down on loose lips and Pitman chucks a wobbly. He shouldn't have been talking about this shit anyway, let alone whinging about being told to shut up. The management should have ensured that band members remained quiet beforehand though. They can't do anything right, lol.

Yeah, we talked about it in other thread. He likes Axl's vocals but if it comes to the record he's just polite.

He never directly said he liked Chinese Democracy, but he said it's a good record with some good material. I think the fact that he said such things shows that he at least likes some of what's on the album.

I doubt Slash likes CD. Usually musicians don't like something they wouldn't record.

Coming straight from the horse's mouth:

"I already listened to it," Slash revealed during a recent interview. "At first I thought that I would never listen to it until it's released, but someone handed it to me and I was in my car and I was like 'Okay, let's give it a try.'

"So I listened to it: It's a really good record. It's very different from what the original Guns N' Roses sounded like, but it's a great statement by Axl. Now you understand where he was heading all this time. It's a record that the original Guns N' Roses could never possibly make. And at the same time it just shows you how brilliant Axl is. So it was a relief for me to actually hear it."

http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/slash-calls-guns-n-roses-chinese-democracy-a-great-statement-172820

Here's a video of him talking about Chinese Democracy:

I just think it's unfortunate Slash and Duff have made concessions solely to appease Axl instead of looking to appease most of their fans.

Yeah, it would be better if they never reunited and that would make all the fans happier. Please, stay on the path of at least some minimum amount of sense and reason...

Before Slash's comments in July, the possibility of a reunion was slim to none. Since this band has a long history of fucking things up, I don't know why people are surprised that others are expressing some level of disappointment.

I don't share the same sentiments of some who think sense and reason somehow equate to Slash and Duff on stage with Pitman playing songs they had nothing to do with, especially when you take into consideration they have more than enough iconic material of their own. If Axl wants to tour after this with more hired help no one has heard of just so he can play 3 or 4 of his CD songs then so be it. Just as I would expect Slash would want to go back on tour with Myles and play his solo stuff. As much as I love the song, I wouldn't want to hear Anastasia at this gig or any others they may do, so why would I care about hearing Better. There's a time and a place to play anything they've done on their own, I don't see a reunion as being either of them. CD represents a period of heartache, lawsuits, negativity and animosity between the old members, as well as years of arguing between nu fans vs old fans.

This rejoining should be a celebration of the work they accomplished when they were together, playing the songs they wrote and recorded that propelled them from nothingness to one of the biggest legendary bands in the world. CD had zero to do with any of that, there's no reason it should be represented at this type of show.

I think a big part of this will depend on whether Slash and Duff consider CD to be GNR material or not.

Who knows... Duff has played CD material. Slash seems cool enough to play CD material. He comes across like he just wants to play and have fun instead of being stuck up about all the anal details some fans seem to be obsessed with.

It's quite interesting and depressing how GNR fans –in general, not talking specifically about you– are among the most cunty and bitchy fans out there... complaining for the sake of complaining...

No news? Complaints

Cryptic messages? Complaints

Clear messages? Complaints

New live shows? Complaints

Slash and Duff are back in the band? Complaints

Dizzy, Pitman, Fortus and Ferrer in the band? Complaints

Axl moves on stage? Complaints

Uncertainty about the material that is gonna be played live? Complaints

A part of me wishes it was just the endless sea of internet cupcakes, but I haven't seen this behaviour in other bands' messageboards/forums (NIN, My Bloody Valentine, The Cure, etc).

Let's just see how things unfold.

I think it's a safe bet that Guns N' Roses will continue to play some CD songs, given that Duff and Slash both like CD and most fans like a couple of the songs or tolerate them at least.

Regarding fans being arseholes, i think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Guns N' Roses and Team Brazil are shit when it comes to interacting with the band's fanbase or keeping them up to date on things. If you treat your fans inadequately, they're going to return the favour. Most who have followed Guns over the last 16 years have had to put up with Team Brazil's bullshit and incompetency. I think things would improve if Guns N' Roses actually got competent management and PR teams which would do their jobs properly and work in tandem with one another. With Team Brazil, things are always complicated and the PR is shit. Short of posting bullshit things like Tattoos and pictures of people's children, they don't really do much to interact with the fanbase, let alone properly inform them on news and up to date happenings.

Some people will always be arseholes, but a lot of it could be rectified if Guns N' Roses properly engaged the fans.

I've never been a member of Nightrain, but it sounds like it could be an online Q&A with the three???

Finally, a fucking press release. It should have went out yesterday with the social media updates. It should have had more information on the lineup too, rather than confirming what is already public knowledge. God knows how they have Coachella lined up but not their own fucking band. Jesus Christ.

GN'R's management has handled the announcement very poorly.

We have known if Coachella for a couple weeks. When is the real info coming?

This roll out has been a fucking joke. A shared Coachella pic? Give me a fucking break. Should have hired Gibbo27 to make a badass trailer announcing the reunion. Would be much better than this horse shit.

Apparently there is meant to be more info coming today, but yeah, they've really screwed the announcement.

If i were in charge, i would have sent press kits out to the media, scheduled some interviews/conferences, released a clear guide on what is happening (band lineup, general info etc) and put out a track or two and some band photos. This reunion would have been in the works for a while, so they should have had their shit sorted. I guess i shouldn't have expected anything more though.

Also my friend just told me that apparently Howard Stern this morning said that Jimmy was supposed to have the first "official" performance of the reunited Guns n' Roses and was told by Kimmel (whom Stern is good friends with) to keep quiet and not say anything. So there's some legitimate truth to what I was told about a performance. Can anyone confirm this quote from Stern this morning? Something still tells me we will see them perform this week regardless of the "not appearing" messages I've been receiving all day.

If the sorum thing is true, that would explain the last minute trip from Frank.

Or just they maybe change the channel? ABC for NBC?

Maybe, but I thought Billy Joel was Fallon's guest tonight? Would be awesome if they showed up.

I believe Frank is on his way to LA? Today we will get another announcement from Fernando, tomorrow is another story.

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I really wish this band was managed buy an actual management agency.

If only.

The promotion campaign prior to this was good, but god damn have they dropped the ball with the whole announcement thing.

Eh, I thought this would be bigger news. It isn't even trending on Twitter.

I think it's because a lot of it had already been reported on. People already knew about the reunion before it was even confirmed, and that took a lot of the anticipation and excitement away.

I think news will pick up again when more details are announced though (like the lineup, tour dates etc).

heres the clip

He actually does sound a bit frustrated at that. Well, here's hoping Axl makes a surprise appearance, but i'm not holding my breath.

Thanks for sharing.

Slash and Duff are back and idiots here complain. Unbelievable

Slash and Duff aren\t even back in GnR. They've simply pandered to Axl. It's a fucking joke who's gonna be involved in this. Two capable legit GnR drummers and their going with Frank. Izzy and Gilby and even Richard are available and nope we're going with a guy who's NEVER been in any version of GnR. Pitman is involved and for fucking what? Soak it in sheep. soak it in. This is a joke.

The simple truth is we don't know who the lineup will consist of. There's no point raging about it when there's no confirmation.

"Axl Rose was supposed to be here tomorrow, but he won't be, for reasons known only to Axl Rose. Or maybe he will be here, and he's just trying to surprise us?" he was laughing the whole time.

Doesn't sound like Jimmy is super amused by all this, huh?

I don't know, like I said, he was laughing, and he didn't sound mad about it.

Sounds like axl may be making a surprise appearance with the boys.. Kimmel seemed to be laughing about it so I'm assuming he knows something.. Hopefully?

I'm still watching tomorrow.

He has to. I imagine anyone would be super pissed if they had lined up Axl around the time of reunion speculation, only to have it fall through. It's hardly a laughing matter for people in the entertainment business where ratings are important.

Well, one thing i can say is that i hope this all results in some new material getting released in the near future.

http://eddietrunk.com/its-official-guns-n-roses-to-headline-coachella-festival-axl-roses-jimmy-kimmel-appearance-may-be-canceled/

It’s official! Guns N’ Roses have been announced as one of the headliners of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which features the same three-day lineup playing two consecutive weekends, April 15th-17th and April 22nd-24th, at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, Calif.

The band will headline the Saturday date both weekends (April 16th & 23rd), but as of yet there has been no confirmation as to who will be part of the lineup when they take the stage. Speculation has been that Axl Rose and Slash will be part of the lineup, and there have been hints that bassist Duff McKagan will be joining in, but the status of other classic lineup members has not been as clear cut. Adding fuel to the speculation, both Slash and Duff have added images of the classic Guns N’ Roses logo with a Coachella backdrop to their respective Facebook pages.

In addition to Guns N’ Roses, the music weekend will feature such rock related acts as Volbeat, Rancid, The Arcs, The Damned, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, Deafheaven and more. The opening night of each weekend will feature a reunion of LCD Soundsystem, while the closing night will be finished out by club favorite Calvin Harris. To see the full lineup, visit the Coachella website or check out the bill posted below. Remaining tickets for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will go on sale this Wednesday (January 6th) at 11AM PT.

In other Guns N’ Roses news, Axl Rose’s rumored appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night is now in doubt. Rose was listed on the Kimmel website earlier Monday, but now no longer appears in the billing. The fan-operated myGNRforum.com inquired about the change and was told that the singer would not be appearing on the late night talk show.

[Dana’s note 1/5/2016: I am currently watching “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and Mr. Kimmel just confirmed that Axl Rose did cancel his appearance that was scheduled for tomorrow night.]

Whaaat. God damn it. I was hanging all week to watch Axl on Kimmel.

The Guns N' Roses website now greets visitors with that teaser which was playing in theaters.

http://www.gunsnroses.com/

This just in, Frank is confirmed:

Who is this Salina person? I don't get it, all the important members are staying completely mute while these freeriders are all over the Internet about this. One would think that the likes of Frank and Dave would have the most respect for thing seeing as it is not really their surprise to share

I agree.

For all the great ways the promoting has been handled, they seemed to have dropped the ball with keeping a muzzle on involved parties and the flow of information. Sure, some members aren't speaking, but the campaign has been ultimately undermined by members of the band talking on social media. Perhaps it will be a blessing in disguise though, as most people have been led to believe we are getting a proper reunion. At least this will temper people's expectations.

Lol at Kushner in GNR

I would take Gilby over Kushner on my wishlist anyday...

That Ash Hudson report: Axl's latest tweet is similar, so it's possible that the whole thing got shit canned. They will perform somewhere else?

Realistically, if Guns N' Roses were playing at Coachella, they wouldn't be able to say until it is officially announced. Axl's tweet was poking fun at all the rumours about the reunion and Slash's statement is saying the obvious - that nothing has been confirmed yet.

On the topic of Chinese songs, i don't see why they shouldn't or wouldn't be played. Slash and Duff both liked Chinese Democracy, and Duff played some of the songs in 2014. If Richard, Pitman and Frank are still in the band, it only makes sense that some Chinese songs will be included in future set-lists.

If this lineup of Axl, Slash, Duff, Dizzy, Richard, Frank, Pitman and Kushner turns out to be true, i imagine there will be some heavy disappointment among a lot of fans and casuals. It's going to be hard for Guns N' Roses to spin this after so many media outlets have jumped the gun and called this a reunion.

I respectfully disagree. To 95% of the 'casual music listening public' GNR = Axl / Slash.. they probably don't even know the names Duff, Izzy, Steven, etc... and I sometimes wonder if even Dizzy Reed's mother knows the name Dizzy Reed

Lol.

I understand where you are coming from with regards to the casual public, but i think there will be a considerable amount of GN'R fans who will be disappointed if the lineup isn't a full 'reunion'. Of course, it doesn't help that the media jumped the gun and reported on rumours without waiting for official confirmation. Regardless, i couldn't care either way. I was happy with the original band and i was happy with nuGN'R. I think this hybrid lineup is an exciting prospect. We will be getting the best of everything if this lineup is true.

If this lineup of Axl, Slash, Duff, Dizzy, Richard, Frank, Pitman and Kushner turns out to be true, i imagine there will be some heavy disappointment among a lot of fans and casuals. It's going to be hard for Guns N' Roses to spin this after so many media outlets have jumped the gun and called this a reunion.