article suggest that Axl should go country

[axlr23]

Metal Monday: Should Axl go country?

Axl Rose, once Lord and Savior of the Sunset Strip, has been beaten down and discarded by heavy metal (not to mention Tommy Hilfiger).

If the Guns N' Roses front man doesn't want to fade into obscurity (more so), he needs to find another creative outlet. Luckily, country is the Ellis Island of the music industry, taking in the "wretched refuse" of pop's "teeming shore." Want proof?

* Kid Rock is now BFFs with Hank Williams, Jr.

* Staind's Aaron Lewis was nominated for a 2011 CMT Award for his song Country Boy.

* Robert Plant teamed with bluegrass darling Alison Krauss and won an armful of the Grammys that eluded him during his Led Zeppelin heyday.

* Jon Bon Jovi has always considered himself a Jersey-born cowboy.

* And Bret Michaels ... well, Bret wears a 10-gallon hat to hide his male-pattern baldness.

If Axl would stop being such a reclusive a-hole, he could easily transition into a honky tonk sensation. The guy was born in rural Indiana to a teenage mother and an alcoholic father who ditched the family and was later murdered. That's an entire country album right there.

In the beginning of the Welcome to the Jungle video, when Axl steps off a bus in the big city, he's wearing a flannel shirt and a trucker cap. Within seconds he goes from a hay-chewin' farm boy to a leather-clad demon rocker. If he'd press rewind, he'd revitalize his career.

First of all, he should change his name back to Bill Bailey or go by William Rose – there's something honest and folksy about those monikers.

Should Axl Rose give up rock for country?

CAPTION

By Steve McEnroe, AP

Next step: makeover. Mr. Rose needs to ditch the cornrows and unleash that lovely, strawberry-blonde mane … or go the Willie Nelson route and sport pigtails. When it comes to clothing, Axl's wardrobe can best be described as "tragic." From kilts and baggy football jerseys to translucent Spandex shorts, his onstage garb is more moronic than bada--. He'd look better in a T-shirt, faded jeans and one of his beloved bandanas. After sprouting a five o'clock shadow and strapping on cowboy boots, he'll be ready to headline at the Grand Ole Opry.

Which brings us to the next step in Axl's comeback: the music.

Rather than write new material (he doesn't have another 15 years to pen a Chinese Democracy follow-up), he can "countrify" some Guns n' Roses songs. Carrie Underwood regularly sings Sweet Child o' Mine in concert (cringe) and Nightrain is a bona fide trailer park anthem; all it needs is a steel guitar and a fiddle solo. Charlie Daniels would tear it up on that track like a white-trash Slash.

When it comes to performing live, Axl could learn a lot from Kenny Chesney.

Kenny sings stupid drinking songs to an audience that likes to get stupid drunk. It's all about aesthetics. Kenny embraces the kind of boozy, beach bum lifestyle that advocates quaffing tequila for breakfast.

Axl sings about early-morning binges, too, but his brand of alcoholism is dark and sinister. And whereas Kenny volleys beach balls back and forth with his fans, Axl jumps off stage and tries to kill them. That doesn't help ticket sales, dude.

Rose alienated a lot of people over the years by inciting riots, releasing crappy albums and generally being a racist, misogynistic jerk, but his fans (myself included) are loyal. Unfortunately, even diehard Axl apologists would probably shun him for going country. I can't blame them. For most of my life, I hated the whole genre.

When I was a kid, I liked Dolly Parton because she had comically over-sized boobs and her own amusement park, but I never considered her a singer. The only "real" exposure I had to country music during my formative years came from Jon Brennan, the redneck doofus on Season 2 of The Real World. Back in 1993, when the show first aired, I was a high school freshman with a bad perm, horrible acne and braces, yet I still knew I was cooler than Jon. His Garth Brooks-ian twang did not persuade me – or any other self-respecting MTV viewer – to flip to The Nashville Network.

It wasn't until I moved below the Mason-Dixon Line that I started to give country a chance. Outlaw crooners like Johnny Cash, Johnny PayCheck and Waylon Jennings all seemed to rock harder than the so-called rock stars on the Billboard charts.

Through them, I developed an appreciation for Southern drawls and autoharps, but Appetite for Destruction still holds a permanent place in my CD player. It's my "desert island" album. I'll never tire of hearing My Michelle, Mr. Brownstone or Rocket Queen, a song in which Axl deftly uses a stripper's orgasm as a percussion instrument.

I think he could recapture that same passion if he went back to his rural roots.

Maybe Paradise City isn't about Los Angeles after all – maybe it's about Nashville.

[axl_on_drums]

Stop posting shit articles

[watchman]

That's actually a pretty awesome article.

I could see Axl doing an album like Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection or Jerry Cantrell's Boggy Depot someday.

However, unless Axl is at peace with his "rural roots" I don't see that happening.

[w6a6x6l6]

epic

[wasted]

Isn't used to love her country.

[Sprite]

Isn't used to love her country.

I wouldn't say that. But a number of Guns songs have a southern rock style edge to them, which is what country music inspired.

[axlr23]

Stop posting shit articles

Why is it a shit article?

[Kill Devil Hill]

Isn't used to love her country.

I wouldn't say that. But a number of Guns songs have a southern rock style edge to them, which is what country music inspired.

Yeah, a lot of UYI songs struck me as country when I first heard them.

I love country music! Axl in country'd be awesome. He'd probably sell more CDs, too (country fans actually BUY CDs).

[rockerman]

Metal Monday: Should Axl go country?

Axl Rose, once Lord and Savior of the Sunset Strip, has been beaten down and discarded by heavy metal (not to mention Tommy Hilfiger).

If the Guns N' Roses front man doesn't want to fade into obscurity (more so), he needs to find another creative outlet. Luckily, country is the Ellis Island of the music industry, taking in the "wretched refuse" of pop's "teeming shore." Want proof?

* Kid Rock is now BFFs with Hank Williams, Jr.

* Staind's Aaron Lewis was nominated for a 2011 CMT Award for his song Country Boy.

* Robert Plant teamed with bluegrass darling Alison Krauss and won an armful of the Grammys that eluded him during his Led Zeppelin heyday.

* Jon Bon Jovi has always considered himself a Jersey-born cowboy.

* And Bret Michaels ... well, Bret wears a 10-gallon hat to hide his male-pattern baldness.

If Axl would stop being such a reclusive a-hole, he could easily transition into a honky tonk sensation. The guy was born in rural Indiana to a teenage mother and an alcoholic father who ditched the family and was later murdered. That's an entire country album right there.

In the beginning of the Welcome to the Jungle video, when Axl steps off a bus in the big city, he's wearing a flannel shirt and a trucker cap. Within seconds he goes from a hay-chewin' farm boy to a leather-clad demon rocker. If he'd press rewind, he'd revitalize his career.

First of all, he should change his name back to Bill Bailey or go by William Rose – there's something honest and folksy about those monikers.

Should Axl Rose give up rock for country?

CAPTION

By Steve McEnroe, AP

Next step: makeover. Mr. Rose needs to ditch the cornrows and unleash that lovely, strawberry-blonde mane … or go the Willie Nelson route and sport pigtails. When it comes to clothing, Axl's wardrobe can best be described as "tragic." From kilts and baggy football jerseys to translucent Spandex shorts, his onstage garb is more moronic than bada--. He'd look better in a T-shirt, faded jeans and one of his beloved bandanas. After sprouting a five o'clock shadow and strapping on cowboy boots, he'll be ready to headline at the Grand Ole Opry.

Which brings us to the next step in Axl's comeback: the music.

Rather than write new material (he doesn't have another 15 years to pen a Chinese Democracy follow-up), he can "countrify" some Guns n' Roses songs. Carrie Underwood regularly sings Sweet Child o' Mine in concert (cringe) and Nightrain is a bona fide trailer park anthem; all it needs is a steel guitar and a fiddle solo. Charlie Daniels would tear it up on that track like a white-trash Slash.

When it comes to performing live, Axl could learn a lot from Kenny Chesney.

Kenny sings stupid drinking songs to an audience that likes to get stupid drunk. It's all about aesthetics. Kenny embraces the kind of boozy, beach bum lifestyle that advocates quaffing tequila for breakfast.

Axl sings about early-morning binges, too, but his brand of alcoholism is dark and sinister. And whereas Kenny volleys beach balls back and forth with his fans, Axl jumps off stage and tries to kill them. That doesn't help ticket sales, dude.

Rose alienated a lot of people over the years by inciting riots, releasing crappy albums and generally being a racist, misogynistic jerk, but his fans (myself included) are loyal. Unfortunately, even diehard Axl apologists would probably shun him for going country. I can't blame them. For most of my life, I hated the whole genre.

When I was a kid, I liked Dolly Parton because she had comically over-sized boobs and her own amusement park, but I never considered her a singer. The only "real" exposure I had to country music during my formative years came from Jon Brennan, the redneck doofus on Season 2 of The Real World. Back in 1993, when the show first aired, I was a high school freshman with a bad perm, horrible acne and braces, yet I still knew I was cooler than Jon. His Garth Brooks-ian twang did not persuade me – or any other self-respecting MTV viewer – to flip to The Nashville Network.

It wasn't until I moved below the Mason-Dixon Line that I started to give country a chance. Outlaw crooners like Johnny Cash, Johnny PayCheck and Waylon Jennings all seemed to rock harder than the so-called rock stars on the Billboard charts.

Through them, I developed an appreciation for Southern drawls and autoharps, but Appetite for Destruction still holds a permanent place in my CD player. It's my "desert island" album. I'll never tire of hearing My Michelle, Mr. Brownstone or Rocket Queen, a song in which Axl deftly uses a stripper's orgasm as a percussion instrument.

I think he could recapture that same passion if he went back to his rural roots.

Maybe Paradise City isn't about Los Angeles after all – maybe it's about Nashville.

Fuck yeah...beats all those fuckers who think Axl should rap or do some hip hop

[dalsh327]

There's a lot of country artists that are GNR fans. There's metal musicians from the 80s who relocated to Music Row to make a living as producers and session musicians. No doubt Keith Urban and Brad Paisley can show up to a GNR gig and play some of the songs with no problem, because they all cut their teeth in bars playing the songs. Garth Brooks and Axl share the same rock influences, but made their living put on completely different shows.

Def Leppard Crossroads with Taylor Swift happened because her manager is Rick Allen's brother, but they had an interesting discussion about how you can take a hard rock song, add a fiddle and a slide guitar to it, and sell it off as a country song. Mutt Lange gave up producing rock bands because he knew that country was going to be a huge market.

Lafayette's rural?

[wasted]

Isn't used to love her country.

I wouldn't say that. But a number of Guns songs have a southern rock style edge to them, which is what country music inspired.

I always thought Used to Love Her was like Dead Flowers by the Stones which was like Gram Parsons, maybe even written by him?

doesn't Wille Nelson do You were Always on my Mind, first time I heard it Pet Shop Boys were singing it. It didn't sound country.

[ITW 2012]

Isn't used to love her country.

It's Rolling Stones style country.

Axl does have a nice cowboy hat. I wouldn't mind if he released some country influenced material.

[Chris 55]

Next step: makeover. Mr. Rose needs to ditch the cornrows and unleash that lovely, strawberry-blonde mane … or go the Willie Nelson route and sport pigtails.

...wat?

[saber_]

Axl kicked hilfiger's ass.

Another article from a desperate writer who no one really cares about, but then write a story about Axl Rose and all of a sudden the clicks start coming. And then, the writer goes back to the nothingness from whence he came.

[Matt13]

That article was awesome! Some of you need to lighten up... it was obviously in good fun. On top of that, what the writer proposes actually really makes sense! Reminded me of this vision:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuXYhZxNTqA

Cowboy boots and all!

[wasted]

Isn't used to love her country.

It's Rolling Stones style country.

Axl does have a nice cowboy hat. I wouldn't mind if he released some country influenced material.

like Ween's 20 Golden Greats? Powder Blue would be an awesome cover.

To me Patience is country, it's like Wild Horses.

GNR in Country Shocker!!!!

If Dolly Parton sang You're Crazy that would be country.

[Brodie]

GN'R Lies is what I call a "southwestern rock" album.

It's got a twinge of country to it. I always wanted a full album of that concept.

I'd love to see more of that from Axl.

Stripped down; band cohesion; let the songs stand on their own without all the bells and whistles and bullshit.

Same reason why "Sorry" and "This I Love" are the best songs on Chinese.

[Gagarin]

^Sha.

And a cover of "On The Road Again".

[sturginho]

but aren't songs like "Dust N' Bones" country?

[salx]

Axl should should cover the rolling stone's Far Away Eyes. Axl once said this was the best country song he's ever heard.

Edited October 14, 2011 by salx

[tomc102968]

charlie daniels on nighttrain thou that be bad ass

[Kill Devil Hill]

Breakdown anyone?

[Ghostie]

I will always hear T.W.A.T. as a country tune. Would Axl ever sing it as one, I don't know, but hopefully a drawl laden country crooner will cover it someday.

[MB.]

Next step: makeover. Mr. Rose needs to ditch the cornrows and unleash that lovely, strawberry-blonde mane … or go the Willie Nelson route and sport pigtails.

...wat?

Yeah, that's the first I noticed as well

[AmyL]

I refuse too even read that story. Sorry.