Blackstar

I'm sure Axl would backtrack, because he was specifically referring to Jon Bon Jovi https://gnrmerch.com/collections/accessories/products/use-your-illusion-ii-puzzle

In a few of the videos I've seen it's not clear what Axl says there, because he sings that line in his thin falsetto voice and the backing vocals are turned up, so he's barely audible.

Yes. She goes with Axl to whatever events he goes. Beta doesn't anymore, at least not too often.

I guess Melissa wasn't comfortable singing that line. She doesn't do backing vocals on It's So Easy, so there isn't a problem with that.

Jokes aside, they have actually changed something in the lyrics (I'm surprised that no one has noticed/brought up yet). Melissa and Duff didn't sing "that bitch is just insane" but something else, probably "that girl is just insane". Axl sometimes said "bitch", but it wasn't too audible (in the videos, at least) because the backing vocals were turned up in the live mix.

Yes, nothing has been heard of a CD video. But there was a registration in the ISRC database, which means that a video for it was likely filmed.

I did this small research about the use of the phrase/word "hard school"/"hardschool" (in the US) when the song first leaked:

Niven has alluded to them (GN'R/management/label) not reaching out to him for stuff he may have and could be included in the box sets. So I reckon that they (Axl) just didn't want to ask him.

It's on the video itself where it's from.

This video is from a couple of months ago after the show in Biloxi.

Doesn't look like he was. But he generally doesn't accompany Axl so much (at least he hasn't in the last couple of years).

Yes, Steven said Axl kicked him in the ball. However, it wasn't only Axl who fired Steven and he probably was more hesitant about it than Slash was.

I think Axl has just read the story about Stevie Wonder and Jeff Beck jamming, and Jeff coming out with the drum part. And because of that story many people think that it's Jeff Beck on the track on the Stevie Wonder album (even wikipedia says it). But it's probably wrong and Stevie Wonder plays drums on it.

Mention of the live debut of The General on Duff's radio show. Susan said that their daughter Grace liked the song a lot.

We don't know.

As I have understood it from these and some other articles I've read, Stevie Wonder himself played the drums on the released track, but he had previously jammed it with Beck on drums and there's an unreleased demo of it. https://eu.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2023/01/13/stevie-wonder-reflects-on-the-late-jeff-beck-a-great-soul/69802076007/ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/jeff-beck-talks-eric-clapton-rivalry-and-what-motown-taught-him-628010/ I guess there may be a third version with Jeff Beck's band with Cozy Powell playing. Or maybe Cozy played on the unreleased Stevie Wonder/Jeff Beck demo?

From the statement they released to the press, where it was implied that they consider the accusations to be "categorically false" (without a specific mention of the sexual harassment stuff, but that part of the statement was seemingly about that), it does look that Axl will back Fernando. However, I think it's possible that Fernando will be quietly replaced (maybe by Vanessa) and moved to another job. If that happens there probably won't be a public announcement (if Axl does it, it won't be for the media) and we won't know until they tour again.

GN'R didn't exactly counter-sue though. There was an attempt from Kat's lawyer to sue first, but the lawsuit document was never filed so it's unknown if the original suit would have included the sexual harassment accusations. Then GN'R sued her and she followed with her own lawsuit that contains the accusations.

I had low expectations of The General and this version was a big part of the reason - I don't mean Evader's work of "reconstructing" the phone clip, which was amazing as such, but the actual "song" that came of it. But Monsters exceeded my expectations by far.

I wouldn't know why and how this kind of stuff can be used in a legal dispute. I suppose because they're part of the entourage. I'm also not sure if they unfollowed Kat now or a while back.

Their current photographer (Beta's nephew, I believe) still follows Kat.

They say that got the information from Universal "in confidence", so who knows.

I guess they had plan to play it after it was released, but I think it's unlikely that Axl didn't know about the leak and that it wasn't released when it was supposed to. Maybe he just decided to play it anyway since they won't be touring again for a while.

A user on GN'R Evo implying to be related to either the Italian news site or Universal Italy is claiming that The General will be released on streaming platforms on Dec. 1st, a week before the shipping of the 7''. Could be just a troll though.