My random GNR Blog

[JAxlMorrison]

Just something I wrote while I was trying to get free from writer's block....read if interested, mods move if inappropriate...

GUNS N ROSES

They have been a favorite of mine since a friend of mine played me “Mr. Brownstone” in 1988 or 1989. I was of course, 7-8 years old. And they said “motherfucker” in that song, so of course that meant they were the coolest thing going. I never got into the cursing for the sake of cursing gangsta rap really. But when Axl said “MOTHERFUCKER”, man there was really some venom behind it. That was off of the “Appetite For Destruction” album, one of the best selling albums of all time, and worldy regarded as an utter classic. I remember utterly devouring that album, and, weak cuts aside (“Out Ta Get Me” and “Anything Goes”….which I still enjoy) I listened to it on repeat for weeks. What especially stood out to me was the song “Rocket Queen”, lyrics by Axl about a girl he had known and dated who had fallen apart after choosing a rougher path in life. In the beginning of the song, he is bragadocious, and seems uncaring, and then the final verse puts it all into place. I’m not gonna post it all here. If you’re reading this, you might know the song. If you don’t, go Youtube it, or, of course, pay for it legally on Itunes or something. Just utterly brilliant writing, alternately bad ass and tender. That song alone made me a fan for life. Another cut, “Nightrain” is still an awesome party song. I know everyone knows the popular ones, the radio killers, “Jungle”, “Child”, and “Paradise”, but to me, that album was all about “Nightrain” and “Rocket Queen.”

As I grew older, the “Use Your Illusion” albums were constantly delayed, then finally released with the backing of a video they made for the “Terminator 2″ soundtrack, “You Could Be Mine.” Hmmm, the biggest band in the world hooks up with the biggest movie franchise in the world at that time, and they use a bad ass song to do it? The thing was on MTV nonstop. As was Axl’s many tantrums, riots, and arrests, and being the young rebel that I was, there was nothing cooler to me than a guy who just did whatever the fuck he wanted, damn the consequences, the fines, the police. Time kept going on, and hits/radio fixtures such as “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain” were released….a little weak for what was such a bad ass band, but, still had some of the GNR coolness….even if the videos were a little strange and sometimes, awkward. Even back then I grew tired of the repetitive shirtless Slash guitar solos…and I utterly hate them today. I hate the copycats, and I hate Slash at the Superbowl and in cartoons embarassing his legacy. But that’s a post for another day.

Stand outs on the Illusions albums for me were “Don’t Damn Me”, “Estranged”, and “Locomotive.” The first two were, again, specifically written by Axl, and I started to see who my favorite in the band was, not just attitude wise, but artistically. He wrote what I thought I felt, and all my songwriting for years after was attempted to be written in an Axl esqure style. I also particularly enjoyed Izzy’s cuts, “Dust N Bones” and “14 Years” but not until years later.

So this is why, when I heard GNR was working on a new album in 1996, then Slash was fired, then Gilby (who cares), then Matt, then Duff quit, it didn’t bother me like it did other people, or like it continues to bother them today. I knew Axl was the band, the driving creative force behind the leaps the band took creatively on “Illusions”, with a little help from Izzy. I knew that Slash just wanted to play cock rock and had no interest in improving himself or the band. Yes, at 13-15 years old, I knew all of this, lol. I never purchased a “Snakepit” album, and I bet you didn’t either. Nobody did. Axl was the face, and the personality of the band. But times change, and the true greats adapt. Fast forward to the new millenium, as I, and the rest of the world were about to find out, that Axl was totally clueless as to what people wanted to see and hear. And vastly unprepared.

Guns N Roses “returned” as a band in late 1999 with a live CD that said, supposedly, goodbye to the old band and material, and with one song on a soundtrack for, this time, a bad Arnold movie, called “End Of Days.” The song, entitled, “Oh My God”, likely had people saying just that. “Oh my god, what the fuck is this?” Now, I, of course, liked it, and had faith in Axl’s vision to update the band’s sound, but I literally heard it on the radio once or twice, and then it dropped from sight. (I will listen to it right now just for the hell of it.) They also performed 2 or 3 times in Las Vegas from 2000 to 2001, even debuting some more new material, some weak, some strong. “The Blues” was a standout to me back then. “Rhiad” and “Silk Worms”?….not so much. But the Rock In Rio III performance sounded good to me at the time. Axl looked good, albeit a little bigger, supposedly due to a kickboxing workout regimen, but at least he still sounded good (I thought) and at least he still had his hair (still up for debate.) I remember especially liking “Madagascar” the first time I heard it, and appreciating the fact that “Rocket Queen” and “Think About You” were in the set.

However…upon further review, Axl’s voice sounded like hell. He had taken anywhere from 4-7 years off supposedly, due to constantly dealing with lawsuits…from cities, from ex girlfriends, from a junkie ex drummer…from everybody! He clearly hadn’t kept his voice strong, and the band looked like a freakshow! I don’t care how technically proficient Buckethead is/was. He gave me the creeps, and people definitely looked at him, and derided the band as a joke from the door. Robin Finck? I was a Robin Finck guy eventually. I know he was the brains behind “Better” from the “Chinese Democracy” album, and I saw him play the shit out of the solo from “There Was A Time” in May 2006, and the guy looked like a star then. In 2001-2002 however, he looked like a freak, like a leftover from Nine Inch Nails….which he was. People didn’t think his look fit in with GNR either, but as long as the guys had the chops, I thought they might be alright.

They restarted and then….stopped. They disappeared until the Summer of 2002, and played some shows in England and in the Orient. I remember that night they returned in August 2002 as clear as day. Michael Jackson accepted an award that didn’t exist, and all the new pop shit angered and confused me…I had expected art and music to find a new depth after 9-11 and found out I was brutally, horribly wrong. And look at it today? As pointless and without merit as it has ever been. Try watching the VMAs this year without doubting humanity…I dare you.

But this year, it was their year! It was their night! I remember saying to friends that they were touring, and wouldn’t it be wild if they played a surprise set! Then Jimmy Fallon started dropping hints left and right, and next thing I knew, Axl Fuckin Rose was closing the show, and he sounded amazing! They played a new song that only I knew about! And he said “Round One!” indicating that GNR was reclaiming their throne!

Ugh. I watched the replay and stll blindly enjoyed the performance. Ignored Axl’s terrible hair, weight gain, and complete lack of wind. He looked old. He looked scared. And he had irreperably damaged his and the band’s legacy with one of the worst performances ever seen on live television, and worst of all, by the very audience he needed to accept the band. Some people (alot) never gave them a chance again. This is all they remember, and it’s unfortunate. I have read that his ear monitor wasn’t working, so he couldn’t hear himself, hence the weak voice. But no one else knew that. All they saw was an old man, inexplicably dressed like a wigger, surrounded by freaks, and sounding like shit. The comeback was over at 11 PM Eastern, August 29th, 2002.

I’ve looked back through the blog, and am surprised to see how negative it comes across, being that I love Axl and the band so much. But, it’s tough to be a fan. It still is in 2011! But I’ll get to all of that. Right now, I gotta get through the rest of the debacle that was 2002.

So, I was totally oblivious to how bad the performance was, and what it meant. People told me, oh he looked like shit, he sounded like shit, and what was up with his hair?! I ignored it all, and waited for the first North American GNR tour in 9 years to start. After all, the tour would set everything right, and this new material was starting to sound better and better! As long as he got the album out soon, everything would be hunky dory.

Ugh. Axl said after the VMAs that indeed we would see the new album! Except….”soon isn’t the word!” It sure wasn’t. But as long as I got to see them live, it wouldn’t be a wasted year, and soon enough they had a show announced for Philadelphia that sold so well, a second show was immediately announced! I was elated and vindicated! Axl was gonna take Philly by storm and climb back to the top! Granted, the tour started with a no show and a riot, but I almost figured that was planned to drum up publicity. There was no way he would fuck up in Philly, where people were so hungry for this band, that a show selling out in seconds neccesitated a second show just two days later.

December 6th, 2002. I had three friends going with me, and I had another friend going on the 8th to the second show. It was going to be the greatest weekend of my young life! I was freshly 21! I remember being so excited, that even though we parked next to a group of girls tailgating, I barely stayed. I had to get inside the show! I spent $140 on a ridiculous Axl Rose hockey jersey that I eventually (thank God) felt too stupid to wear in public. Especially cause all they had left were mediums, and the thing was a little snug, lol.

Luckily I missed the disaster that CKY was sure to have been. When people go to see Guns N Roses, that’s all they want to see. Went I got to my seat in the very top nosebleeds (didn’t matter, I was on the floor for Sunday’s show!”, Mixmaster Mike was “performing” for some ungodly reason, and people just weren’t digging it. I went to get a couple of 9 dollar beers out of boredom, and as I was being served, they cut off alcohol service. I started to realize something wasn’t right, as Mixmaster Mike’s performance kept stretching and stretching, Then, once he left the stage, the equipment started getting covered or broken down, and the boos got louder and louder. Chants of “Asshole” filled the air, and two of my friends were ready to bail, cause it was clearly riot time. But I KNEW Axl would show. There was no way he would do this to my city! He was always late! Why was everyone freaking out!

A few more moments passed, and the riot was almost in full swing. People were screaming, and objects were flying, including ceiling tiles thrown by my friend directly next to me (I was in the last row, lol.) I also noticed someone on the floor hit directly in the head with a beer….and noticed that my friend had also chucked my aforementioned 9 dollar beverage. I also may have been under the influence of a popular euphoric substance, so the no show was, of course, a direct slap in the face to me! I listened on the way home as Philly radio stations slandered and insulted my hero, and proclaimed they would never play GNR again, and especially that new album unless Axl apologized. This was of course, a ridiculous idea. The Sunday show I was going to, as well as the rest of the tour, were cancelled, and GNR was dead, again, in December 2002.

Or were they? Next time, I will cover the 4 years of inactivity, Buckethead’s departure, the triumphant return shows in NYC, Axl’s ability to still make headlines, and finally, the release of something no one ever thought they would see, “Chinese Democracy.” I can’t wait to type out my thoughts on this album, track by track, much for everyone’s boredom, and for my complete fascination. And then, in 2011, with rumors of a US tour, finally, I will try to answer the question….why? And where can Axl and the hired guns possibly go from here?