Alan Niven, "I cannot digest is that he states that he is Guns N' Roses because on his own – he is not.”

[SunnyDRE]

Alan Niven: “I think it’s a matter of perception by the audience. You mentioned Thin Lizzy (Vivian Campbell is now in both Thin Lizzy and DEF LEPPARD), there’s a degree of acceptance in the audience that there’s a natural order of turnover. Vivian is a really cool guy and a great player and they’ll be accommodating to Vivian playing in Thin Lizzy. However, when you have a situation where quite obviously one individual has driven off the others, and furthermore, stated that he is ‘last man standing’ and that he alone represents the idea of Guns N' Roses and, by the way, Guns N' Roses doesn’t exist as far as I’m concerned. Guns N' Roses as far as I’m concerned played their last show on April 7th 1990 in Indianapolis which was the last show live show at Farm Aid that the original line-up played. That’s my personal and particular viewpoint. But in this instance, we have a situation where the first thing Axl did after he fired me was to have the rest of the band sign over the rights to the name to him exclusively.

I think we’re looking at coercion and unpleasantness and meanness of spirit that elicits a negative response when they see a ‘Guns N Roses’ banner over a crowd at Leeds which is exacerbated by a Slash look-a-like who is doing the same moves and wearing a top-hat. Where there is a guy who looks rather similar in haircut and body language to Izzy and plays a hollow body guitar and you look at the bass player and think ‘well, that’s the closest they could find to Duff. I think that’s a tremendous deceit on Axl’s part. I think it’s an incredible insult to the people who made Guns N' Roses what it was… to Izzy, to Steven, to Slash, to Duff and I think it’s very callous and arrogant. I think it’s foolish for Axl to do it and I think it’s foolish for an audience to accept it. Let me be clear, Axl has every right as an individual to perform whatever music he wishes with whomever he wishes. That is a right that is absolutely unquestioned, but what I cannot digest is that he states that he is Guns N' Roses because on his own – he is not.”

BraveWords.com: After the band fired you, you went ahead and worked with Izzy, Slash and eventually ‘the project’ (which would become Velvet Revolver).

Alan Niven: “Let me clarify that as far as ‘the project’ is concerned. I came into LA with my daughter and we had a dinner with Slash and Duff. Duff looked across the table and said ‘how about it Niv?’ I was very flattered to be asked, but it seemed to me that it wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t like the prospect of everybody, but Axl being involved. I thought that would raise an unfair bar and unreasonable expectations for everybody, so that was something I felt very very nervous about.”

BraveWords.com: Is that why, in the end, you think Velvet Revolver failed (because everybody expected it to be Guns N' Roses)?

Alan Niven: “I don’t think you can consider Velvet Revolver as a complete failure.”

BraveWords.com: But they did fail…

Alan Niven: “Yes, but they did have a number one and sold over a million copies and that’s respectable. That was better than Slash's Snakepit, for example. I think the weakness in Velvet Revolver was the material and writing. In that respect, I was really nervous about Scott Weiland too. I’m not sure what he’s got to contribute as a writer…”

BraveWords.com: Did that pick as a singer baffle you? You go from Axl Rose who’s a troubled singer to a guy with a reported heroin addiction who walked out on his band. Did it make any sense to you?

Alan Niven: “I thought it was an unfortunate compromise to make. I felt that there was an aspect of marketing behind the idea that could have worked, but you have to look at the individuals themselves and when one of them is turning up semi-coherent at rehearsal with a ‘minder’ it’s quite obvious that they are still using. That’s another reason why I was less than thrilled at the idea of Velvet Revolver.

The other thing was… that the heart of the soul of Guns N' Roses was Izzy and a lot of those songs work well because of his musical intelligence and his feel. He’s got a beautiful rock n’ roll sensibility about him that informed and influenced everybody’s writing and without Izzy being fully involved in Velvet Revolver I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. I’ll be blunt, I think Slash is one of the best guitar players that has ever lived. I love his soul. I love his note selection. I love the way he plays - but he’s not a great songwriter. Duff won’t appreciate me saying this, but on his own, Duff, is not a great songwriter - brilliant at bass parts and drum structure but not a great songwriter. You only have to look at his first solo album to note that. Guns N' Roses was an amazing collective and a chemistry that worked and any successful entity can be looked at with the analogy of the molecule. You can take out the smallest part of a molecule and that molecule will collapse and that’s Guns N' Roses.”

http://www.bravewords.com/news/146671

[realpoti]

cool

[SunnyDRE]

cool

very cool.

I thought it was interesting read. especially the stuff about vr.

[Graeme]

He doesn't call himself Guns N' Roses. The band is called Guns N' Roses...

[realpoti]

cool

very cool.

I thought it was interesting read. especially the stuff about vr.

story

[LightningBolt]

I get where he's coming from, obviously. I completely disagree with Steven being a must for Guns N' Roses, though. He was by far the least important of the original members, and other bands have fired "lesser" members for various reasons. Guns N' Roses certainly wasn't the first in that regard to Steven. I don't necessarily agree with everything he said in the first section, but I get it. I agree with a lot of what he said in the second part, though. He seems like a pretty fair guy.

[realpoti]

I get where he's coming from, obviously. I completely disagree with Steven being a must for Guns N' Roses, though. He was by far the least important of the original members, and other bands have fired "lesser" members for various reasons. Guns N' Roses certainly wasn't the first in that regard to Steven. I don't necessarily agree with everything he said in the first section, but I get it. I agree with a lot of what he said in the second part, though. He seems like a pretty fair guy.

This. Steven did a great job in AFD, but I don't miss him in UY. Matt Sorum did a pretty good job.

[JVesper]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

[Encore]

yea, nice read, T4P

[Cdlove]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

See Slash fans, Slash didnt do shit.

[ThinkAboutYou]

I'm just happy that all are performing (even though separately)

All are doing their own thing and kicking ass

I'm happier with Axl's version of new guns then having no guns

[JVesper]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

See Slash fans, Slash didnt do shit.

To be fair, no one else could have come up with those amazing solos of his.

[GNR123GNR456]

Hey look, SunnyDRE postes a negative article about todays Guns N' Roses, what else is new.

Just call it Guns N' Roses and move on with you life. No reason to wish and cry over a reunion that'll probably never happen.

[J Dog]

Thats cool how he quotes Axl saying he was the last man standing, but left out Axl saying he was not bragging or was not proud of it.

Edited September 20, 2010 by J Dog

[W 23 Axl III]

GNR WAS IZZY

Yes, Axl is the greatest front man of all time, but those songs...........were from IZZY. Without the songs....

IZZY was the pixie dust.....we can all write music......IZZY wrote classics.

[Cdlove]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

See Slash fans, Slash didnt do shit.

To be fair, no one else could have come up with those amazing solos of his.

Except for Buckethead or Bumblefoot or Guthrie Govan or any other guitarist that's more talented than he.

[W 23 Axl III]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

See Slash fans, Slash didnt do shit.

To be fair, no one else could have come up with those amazing solos of his.

Except for Buckethead or Bumblefoot or Guthrie Govan or any other guitarist that's more talented than he.

Negative. NO ONE would have come up with something better than the SCOM solo, or the NR solos, or the Estranged pieces, or Locomotive, or Coma.

BH is amazing, but we must give credit to Slash for writing to IZZY's songs.

[Encore]

Hey look, SunnyDRE postes a negative article about todays Guns N' Roses, what else is new.

he's just posting news to keep this forum alive,

[Cdlove]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

See Slash fans, Slash didnt do shit.

To be fair, no one else could have come up with those amazing solos of his.

Except for Buckethead or Bumblefoot or Guthrie Govan or any other guitarist that's more talented than he.

Negative. NO ONE would have come up with something better than the SCOM solo, or the NR solos, or the Estranged pieces, or Locomotive, or Coma.

BH is amazing, but we must give credit to Slash for writing to IZZY's songs.

Maybe to no one who actually knows music theory and knows how it works. Slash isnt a good musician nor guitarist. I hate to say it, he's fun, and he knows the basics, but GnR is better off without him.

[Graeme]

Also, I don't know what the fuck he's talking about Leeds and negative reaction? Crowd at Leeds was amazing

[Orsys]

Jeez Niven, bitter much?

GNR WAS IZZY

Yes, Axl is the greatest front man of all time, but those songs...........were from IZZY. Without the songs....

IZZY was the pixie dust.....we can all write music......IZZY wrote classics.

Well, he didn't come up with many memorable songs after he left Axl. So not sure if he was an island of talent.

Maybe Axl was Izzy's muse?

Edited September 20, 2010 by Orsys

[dario27]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

See Slash fans, Slash didnt do shit.

To be fair, no one else could have come up with those amazing solos of his.

Except for Buckethead or Bumblefoot or Guthrie Govan or any other guitarist that's more talented than he.

Negative. NO ONE would have come up with something better than the SCOM solo, or the NR solos, or the Estranged pieces, or Locomotive, or Coma.

BH is amazing, but we must give credit to Slash for writing to IZZY's songs.

Maybe to no one who actually knows music theory and knows how it works. Slash isnt a good musician nor guitarist. I hate to say it, he's fun, and he knows the basics, but GnR is better off without him.

lol, now i know you're full of BS........ keep posting, it makes for a laugh!!!

[gunsguy]

Hey look, SunnyDRE postes a negative article about todays Guns N' Roses, what else is new.

he's just posting news to keep this forum alive,

hmmmm right, do I know you? You seem very familiar to me...

[Andrew07]

GNR WAS IZZY

Yes, Axl is the greatest front man of all time, but those songs...........were from IZZY. Without the songs....

IZZY was the pixie dust.....we can all write music......IZZY wrote classics.

this is why the down by the ocean song interests me since izzy cowrote it and the new guys most likely worked on it from what axl said

[Cdlove]

At least he's got it right saying Slash couldn't pen a great song to save his life.

See Slash fans, Slash didnt do shit.

To be fair, no one else could have come up with those amazing solos of his.

Except for Buckethead or Bumblefoot or Guthrie Govan or any other guitarist that's more talented than he.

Negative. NO ONE would have come up with something better than the SCOM solo, or the NR solos, or the Estranged pieces, or Locomotive, or Coma.

BH is amazing, but we must give credit to Slash for writing to IZZY's songs.

Maybe to no one who actually knows music theory and knows how it works. Slash isnt a good musician nor guitarist. I hate to say it, he's fun, and he knows the basics, but GnR is better off without him.

lol, now i know you're full of BS........ keep posting, it makes for a laugh!!!

Truth is the truth hurts.....don't you agree?