New Axl Interview

[Kill Devil Hill]

He probably misses that excitement just like we all miss that first hot girl we dated in high school. But it doesn't mean he has to divorce his current wife and go back and revisit that love from 20 years ago. It would NOT be the same with her in 2011 as it was in 1988 when they were teenagers.

They were in their mid to late 20's in 1988...

Yes. This is a discussion board. I am allowed to have a different opinion than you and kill thrill are.......right? It's a bit of a contradiction on your part to complain about my post while also saying its a discussion board for people to openly post their opinions. Or is it only open for discussion for those that agree with you?????

Kill Devil Hill. I don't get why you always seem to get my name mixed up with a U2 song. You should give the song "Kill Devil Hill" a spin some time. It's not the best Tyranny of Souls song (that, in my opinion, would be Navigate the Seas of the Sun), but it's still really cool.

Anyway, nobody said you can't discuss the topic. But you're not discussing the topic. You're bitching about people who want to discuss the topic. That's not the same thing. Maybe if someone went and made a thread saying, "Man, don't you hate people who discuss things you don't care about?" then you'd actually be discussing the topic, but that's not what this topic is about.

[gnrfan2007]

Axl is so fucking confusing lol.... When you try to decipher what he says it makes no sense.. So his new drummers work hard but Stinson doesn't? Who knows... Personally I would love to see Axl, Slash and Duff.. That would be pretty bad ass. It is as close to seeing the classic lineup as I have ever seen anyway because I never saw them until the UYI's tour.. It just fucking blows my mind that now Izzy is the one that he wouldn't want onboard. That makes NO sense to me at all. I have had dreams of seeing Axl, Slash, Duff and IZZY play together someday. I would rather see Axl, Slash and Izzy than Axl, Slash and Duff... Axl is so perplexing lol... I never really expected Steven to be part of it. I wish he was but it ain't happening.

I am really getting the feeling that Axl and Slash are quietly mending their friendship behind closed doors.

Axl

Slash

Duff

Ashba

Frank

Dizzy

That would work for me...

Where are you getting this feeling from?

Nothing Axl has ever said or done has suggested that he is even close to forgiving Slash for the crap that he has done to him.

And from this article, we read:

The enthusiasm he feels for this [current] band is evident on his face, which lights up when talking about working with former Replacements bassist Stinson, guitarists Fortus, DJ Ashba, and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and the rest of the '11 Roses.

It's a far contrast to his demeanor when Slash's name comes up.

Then go re-read the next part where Axl calls Slash a late addition hired gun to the band. From Day 1, Slash was always trying to steal GnR from Axl and get Axl to join his band. See below.

[gnrfan2007]

Its like, Axl has been a LOT more diplomatic in 2011.

I like this "new" axl.

Time heals everything.

I don't want a reunion per se, I want them to be in good terms.

You mean, in 2011, Axl has been giving us more detailed explanations as to why Slash is a CANCER.

Just from this LA Times interview, it is still evident Axl has not forgiven Slash, and thinks very lowly of Slash's creative contribution to the band.

Here's the quote again:

The enthusiasm he feels for this band is evident on his face, which lights up when talking about working with former Replacements bassist Stinson, guitarists Fortus, DJ Ashba, and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and the rest of the '11 Roses.

It's a far contrast to his demeanor when Slash's name comes up. Despite requests from Rose's publicist that he not be asked questions about the former GNR guitarist, Rose himself mentions his ex-bandmate's name minutes into the conversation and locks onto the subject.

Slash was a late arrival into the Guns N' Roses fold, Rose loves reminding people, and apart from a few key riffs, says Rose, the guitarist was much less involved in the songs than Rose and Stradlin.

"It was really a fight with me and Slash," says Rose of the forces that took down the band. "Izzy was doing the same thing, but the fight with me and Slash started the day I met him. He came in, popped my tape out and put his in and wanted me in his band. And I didn't want to join his band. We've had that war since Day 1."

So, I'm not sure DIPLOMATIC is the right word here.

[Kill Devil Hill]

Axl is so fucking confusing lol.... When you try to decipher what he says it makes no sense.. So his new drummers work hard but Stinson doesn't? Who knows... Personally I would love to see Axl, Slash and Duff.. That would be pretty bad ass. It is as close to seeing the classic lineup as I have ever seen anyway because I never saw them until the UYI's tour.. It just fucking blows my mind that now Izzy is the one that he wouldn't want onboard. That makes NO sense to me at all. I have had dreams of seeing Axl, Slash, Duff and IZZY play together someday. I would rather see Axl, Slash and Izzy than Axl, Slash and Duff... Axl is so perplexing lol... I never really expected Steven to be part of it. I wish he was but it ain't happening.

I am really getting the feeling that Axl and Slash are quietly mending their friendship behind closed doors.

Axl

Slash

Duff

Ashba

Frank

Dizzy

That would work for me...

Where are you getting this feeling from?

Nothing Axl has ever said or done has suggested that he is even close to forgiving Slash for the crap that he has done to him.

And from this article, we read:

The enthusiasm he feels for this [current] band is evident on his face, which lights up when talking about working with former Replacements bassist Stinson, guitarists Fortus, DJ Ashba, and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and the rest of the '11 Roses.

It's a far contrast to his demeanor when Slash's name comes up.

Then go re-read the next part where Axl calls Slash a late addition hired gun to the band. From Day 1, Slash was always trying to steal GnR from Axl and get Axl to join his band. See below.

lolwut.

I interpreted that quote as more friendly back-and-forth. Like when Steve Harris was trying to take center stage, so Bruce Dickinson would hit him with his mike stand. No hard feelings, just good, clean ego-battling.

I hate to bring up Iron Maiden because I always feel like Powerage will correct me about something I incorrectly posted haha.

Hey gnrfan2007, what would happen if Axl and Slash DID reconcile? How would you feel?

[Georgy Zhukov]

A part of me would die if Axl and Slash made up. Not going to line. You can kiss all the Chinese Democracy songs goodbye. You think Slash can do Shackler's Revenge? I don't thinks so.

That all would be over Beta's dead body.

[Cosmo]

A part of me would die if Axl and Slash made up. Not going to line. You can kiss all the Chinese Democracy songs goodbye. You think Slash can do Shackler's Revenge? I don't thinks so.

That all would be over Beta's dead body.

Two months ago if you asked me about a reunion, I'd go "Impossible but hell yeah!!!" Now I'm "mehh...IDK...I think...No thanks". Not hearing CD, ITW or SOD live again is too much to lose. Plus, It'd be about the money. No fun on stage, just business. I don't want that. I think there's more to it than money on Axl's side and that relieves me a lot.

[gnrfan2007]

So here's my prediction for the 2012 touring lineup after the HOF, from reading that interview...

Axl

Slash

Duff

Richard

Frank

Dizzy

Pitman

Where da heck did you get that prediction from? Your prediction didn't even make it to 2012! LMAO

Edited December 22, 2011 by gnrfan2007

[HowlinWolf]

He was talking about the band played on the Illusion records. He also says Izzy wasn't a part of those records.

Come again?????

[axlsalinger]

Did you have a job when you were young, maybe delivering papers or something? Can I then refer to you as a paperboy for the rest of your life, regardless of what job you currently do? I can see that you have no interest in evaluating and discussing this as an adult, unless you're mentally retarded, because clearly anybody can understand that your "example" is idiotic, unless a member of the cleaning staff had managed the vice-president's affairs for well over a decade. Not to mention the fact that being a VP at Coca-Cola is probably more difficult than managing a rock band.

Also, I guess you are admitting that you could not manage a rock band even with twenty years of on-the-job training. I am sorry for you, maybe you really should stick to delivering papers. I am pretty sure I'd be able to do it, especially when you consider that I would have lawyers to handle legal stuff, tour directors to handle tour stuff, assistants, roadies, yada yada yada.

Or maybe you're just sexist, and don't think she can handle it because she's a woman, based on your ridiculous belitting comment about dusting.

Define "managing the affairs of". What exactly did she DO? If she was so great at "managing Axl's affairs", why the need for the never-ending revolving door of executives? Why did we wait 13+ years for an album and string of stop-start tours? Is it your contention that if Axl had put his housekeeper in charge sooner he would be riding a wave of popularity based on his 21st century output?

How do you know she's had on the job training? Just being around Axl doesn't give her any clue about how to be an effective manager just by osmosis. The music industry, especially at the Axl Rose level, is actually really complicated. It's great to support your client's vision, but there's about a zillion times more to it then that.

If you're so sure you could do it, then do it. I'll be waiting for your updates.

Don't forget the point I was making, that in this example I would have had somewhere between 13 and 20 years of experience working closely with a band. If I was paying attention and fully involved in what was going on during that whole time, then yeah I think I'd be able to do it.

To be clear, I am not suggesting that this is the greatest idea ever, or guaranteed to work. Going back to a couple of points I made earlier, I don't know Beta, I have no idea how smart she is, if she has any business acumen, how closely she was working with the band and previous managers, how much she has learned, etc. You make a fair point that we don't know exactly what she has done. Somebody else provided a good comment, that mixing business and family does not always go as planned. As for on the job training though, I am pretty sure she was involved in a lot of GNR-related stuff since the late 90's. Certainly what we know from MSL's drive supports this, she seemed to be involved in a lot of GNR business dealings previously, Axl has hinted at this as well.

Does Doc McGhee have some sort of PhD in Rock Band Management or something? Brian Epstein was a guy who had taken some acting classes and was working in a record store. His next job was managing The Beatles. It's not like becoming a doctor, which requires years of training, and if you screw up people die. Please tell me what kind of course or experience a person absolutely 100% has to have in order to manage a rock band. You can't, because such a thing does not exist.

All I am saying is that it is quite possible she knows a lot about this stuff by now, and could do a fine job. To keep harping on the fact that she was a "housekeeper" in 1992 or whenever is just an insult based on a complete lack of perspective. Again, if you worked at McDonalds for a while in 1992, then spent the last 20 years learning a whole lot about a particular business and get a promotion, can we say you earned it or dismiss you as a guy who flips burgers?

McGhee's at least an educated man and no one can doubt his track record of success. Frankly, mentioning Beta's name in the same sentence as his is an insult to him. As for Epstein, at least he was running two music stores at the time. The leap from music retail to management is large, but at least somewhat related. Jumping from making sure the house is clean to managing a band as large and complicated as the Axl Rose Show, less so. At any rate, I'm sure we can agree that managing a barely out of puberty Beatles (still playing the Cavern) in 1961 is very different than managing Axl Rose in 2011.

I'm still not sure as to how referring to her as a housekeeper is an insult. It's fact. That was her career, not a summer job or a kid working at McDonald's or however you're trying to red herring it. She wasn't thinking "the fast track to my dream of being the manager of a giant rock act is by making sure Stephanie Seymour's house is clean", that was her chosen profession. She'd done nothing else in the time frame between her housekeeping duties, being the weird mother figure to Axl and managing the band.

Again, I'm not saying she's not a nice lady. I'm not saying anything against her as a person. But business wise, hiring management from the former domestic staff shouldn't fill anyone with confidence. If this was KISS and we heard that they had decided to replace Doc with Paul Stanley's housekeeper, would you still be defending the idea?

If you really think you can do it, then try it. I'm serious and not being pejorative in any way. I'll give you some suggestions as to books to read so you're not flying totally blind. Go find a cool club act around your town and give it a shot. I think it would be a cool social experiment

Ok. A long reasonably thought out post, that still ignores the central point of the previous one. I am not saying I could go and manage GNR tomorrow. I am saying if I was in the office and working with band members, managers and industry personnel for TWENTY YEARS I could do it, because I am a smart guy who would have learned as much as I could along the way.

The kiss point is interesting. Yes, it is strange, but your example makes it sound like paul stanley walked up to the janitor one day and said, "Hey. That's a damn clean floor. How'd you like to manage Kiss?" What if someone who worked for kiss in 1992 started managing paul's affairs or was at least in some way heavily involved with the band for many years. Maybe they did a great job, maybe the band trusted this person and had been stabbed in the back by several managers. What if this person was competent and understood the business, it is impossible to do the job cause they didn't manage the Pretty Reckless for a couple of years first? Which is better experience for someone to have to manage kiss, having worked very closely with kiss for 20 years or managing pretty reckless for 2?

And yes, these "she's just a housekeeper" comments are insulting. Don't give me this bullshit about it being "her career". People do all kinds of jobs when they need to make money. Maybe you didn't mean it that way, but a lot of these posts are basically saying she is a "dumb woman" who should go back to sweeping the floor and let the men take care of business.

If i'm hiring someone, i care about what they've been doing the last few years and how competent they are. What job they had in 1992 is Completely Fucking Irrelevant.

[wasted]

I really hate Hawaii.

[KBear]

Because, really, you can get guys from the "Illusion" thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It's nothing against Izzy and it's nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I'm working with right now, they work really hard and it's hard work. I've toured with the other guys and I've also seen what they've done since, and I just know the difficulties.

I don't have an excitement to work with people that joined in the "Illusion" time. There's behind the scenes that was really, really difficult there with different ones.

This part intrigued me...

hey axl, you fired steven before the illusions.

Isn't he saying that if he were going to do a reunion (which he is not), that it would be the Illusion band, not the Appetite band? I am pretty sure that is what he meant, ie. you can't count on Izzy full-time and he wouldn't want Steven in the band over Matt.

i think he's saying slash and duff are more important to guns n roses than even he is.

No. Axl is just saying the only people who would do a reunion is Slash and Duff.

If people wanted the CLASSIC LINEUP from AFD to do a reunion tour, it would never work.

Izzy doesn't do touring. Steven is unreliable and has too many issues.

Even if you could get Izzy and Steven on board, then what material will you tour on? You really only have AFD material and a few songs from Lies.

So basically, the only possible REUNION TOUR would be one that amounted to just another 1992-1993 UYI tour.

So really, the REUNION TOUR is pointless and would fail miserably.

Which is what Axl was saying about these ex-managers. Once they get their commission cut, they will just cut and run and will not give a damn when the tour falls flat on its face.

No. He's saying that a "reunion" would be a "REUNION" only if Slash and Duff are there, those two members --according to him-- are the only ones people who want a reunion care about.

So Izzy doesn't matter?

The point Axl is making is this: is it really going to be a reunion a tour with just Axl, Slash, and Duff?

Izzy will not tour. Steven would want to tour, but realistically, Steven is not talented and sane enough to play at their level. Even on the AFD songs, Axl will not want to sing with him as the drummer.

And with Steven, you only can have AFD songs.

So then, do you bring back Matt and Gilby?

So what you basically end up with is just another 1992-1993 UYI tour. And what would be the point of that?

Then add the fact that Axl doesn't like Slash and Matt ... now what?

So not only is a reunion tour pointless, it can never work!

I'm not sure I'd want that either, and I'm a pretty hardcore reunionist (who somehow still appreciates the new band by buying their music and going to see them live, 5x now). But I'd take it, because it's old GN'R and they were the best.

But it doesn't have to be a UYI tour rehash, and I don't think these guys would settle for that. I think they would mine the vaults and bring us some unreleased material. And going by the past collaborations, there's no reason to think the music would suck.

People act like they know how a reunion would go down, but they don't. None of us do. The band might discover after all this time that they actually understand each other; they are far removed now from the shit that went down and now they've got something to work towards (making GN'R the biggest band in the world again). It could galvanize them. Point is, we don't know. I doubt most of us thought we'd see Duff playing with Axl in 2011, and I doubt most of us thought Axl would actually contemplate how a reunion would go down.

As for Izzy - he's in if he wants it. If not then what can you do? Gilby or Ashba would be alright to me. I'm not a huge Fortus fan. But I think Izzy would sign on.

As for Steve - to me it should be Matt, but Steve should get to play on a couple of songs each show. Don't know how you could turn the guy away 100%. That would be fucking cold and a real asshole move at this stage and it might just destroy him once and for all.

I think it is silly to discuss daily about reunion plans for a band that stopped playing together over 15 years ago, when all key members are in other bands. Axl, Slash and Duff would be dicks if they dropped their current band members to go play with somebody else. How rude that would be.

Don't kid yourself, Kushner (VR) and the guys in GN'R have always known in the back of their minds that a reunion was possible. They have to know this. Much smaller scale here, but I just found out today that Big Wreck has reunited. Does that make Ian Thornley a dick because he left his old band? Not at all, it's business and it's creative and when a guy decides he wants to work with a certain group he is free to do so. Just like anyone else in America is free to leave what they are doing to do something else.

Edited December 22, 2011 by KBear

[shotgunblues1978]

Second part

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/12/axl-rose-talks-playing-los-angeles-rock-hall-reunion.html

Pop & Hiss

The L.A. Times music blog

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Axl Rose talks playing the Forum, Hall of Fame gig, reunion

December 21, 2011 | 10:38 am

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Gun N' Roses frontman Axl Rose

Early Saturday morning in Seattle, Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose sat down for a long, freewheeling interview after his band's three-hour concert Friday night at Key Arena. You can read a story about the exchange here, but left on the cutting-room floor was an hour-and-a-half of fascinating conversation in which a sharp, well-spoken Rose tackled many topics that fans have been discussing for years.

Over the course of the interview, which took place from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. in his dimly lit dressing room, Rose talked about the past, present, and future without pulling any punches. (So much so that we edited out some of the more potentially libelous business-industry accusations Rose leveled.)

Pop & Hiss will have a few more excerpts of the conversation in the days to come. Check back.

Los Angeles Times: Can you talk about the L.A. show at the Forum on Wednesday night?

Axl Rose: Well, LA will be interesting. I’m looking forward to it. We had a great time in ’06. We did three nights at the Gibson. But this year was very weird because the industry was trying to force us into a smaller show — just one, and then make it two. But the real thing about it is that the sound’s not that good at the Palladium — and why are we going down, when we can draw more? So we’re doing the Forum, but it really wasn’t done right. We had to fight for that. [Rose goes into a long tirade about specific industry executives.]

This whole tour is part of — it’s not like there’s a lot of money going to Live Nation or anything, but it’s part of how we worked out the settlement [with former manager and Live Nation exec Irving Azoff]. And I could have gone on to court, but that was going to block other things, so Live Nation's not getting paid, we’re not getting paid, but we’re putting it out of the way, so we did this tour. Then we get on the tour and find out that everything that was supposed to be done wasn’t done, and managers and agents are selling a show that was supposed to go on at 8 o’clock. They knew I was never going to do that.

And this lack of promotion is one reason I’m here? [Laughter]

Yeah, well, the show’s already what it is, so it’s not really about that. The show’s already basically sold, so ...

And you were talking about adding a second show?

Well, we were talking about it, but I got different numbers at different times from different people, and some of those came from our latest former manager, and they were ..., so we basically decided that we’re going to wait until later to do it right and deal with L.A., because I want to deal with L.A. There’s places I want to play. I want to play some of the clubs, some of the nightclubs, different places for fun, and I want to play different venues like we’ve done in New York.

And I know we can do it in L.A., but what happens is people are really good at saying what you want to hear. So you go, yes, yes, yes, yes, and then they do something completely different. "That’s awesome. That’s a great idea!" And then they do everything they can to block it and make sure it doesn’t happen. That really happens. To me, they can’t ... do anything and they don’t want to do anything unless they feel that they’re getting away with a scam. They can’t feel they’re doing something that’s legitimate, and feel that kind of pride, they have to feel like, I got it, I ... them over, da da da. And that’s their victory.

All these managers, they know one thing. They know that they can at least ... sell a reunion tour and get their commission. It’s just a phone call. It’s a half a day’s ... work, or however long they want to keep the bidding war going. They get their commission and they don’t care if it falls on its face.

Because, really, you can get guys from the "Illusion" thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It’s nothing against Izzy and it’s nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I’m working with right now, they work really hard and it’s hard work. I’ve toured with the other guys and I’ve also seen what they’ve done since, and I just know the difficulties.

I don’t have an excitement to work with people that joined in the "Illusion" time. There’s behind the scenes that was really, really difficult there with different ones. So it’s not really even a full reunion. And these guys have been here a long time, whether the public knows it or not because we haven’t done the media like that. Tommy’s been on 14 years, Richard’s going on 11. That’s as long as Duff was in the band. Chris has been in going on 11, Dizzy’s on since "Illusion," Frank’s going on six, and so’s Bumble. These guys have been here. And DJ’s going on three.

Plus, we can have our differences, and everybody in the band can be like, ‘I don’t understand that guy’ and point at one of us, you know? But at the same time, we get along. I don’t have to tell these guys what to do onstage. I can suggest something at times, but that’s very little.

Axl Rose

But it’s also that you’re clearly the boss in this band — it’s your band. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that wouldn’t necessarily be the case with the original lineup.

With live, it’s not really any different, because there was never really a fight about leading it live, because for whatever reason they were fine with whatever song I was going to do next, singing.

Congrats on the rock hall of fame.

Yeah, that’s a trip.

It’s a trip that it’s 25 years.

Yeah, it’s a trip that it’s 25 years, that I’m here and alive.

Congratulations on that too. Can you talk about how you found out?

[Rolling Stone co-founder publisher and rock hall co-founder] Jann Wenner was excited about it 11 years ago. So I was pretty sure he wanted it, because he was very excited in — when did I do the Elton John thing, was that '93 or '94? He was excited then. And he’s always been a fan, and at the same time Rolling Stone has done some of the worst damage ever.

I’ve got mixed emotions about what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame actually really is, but at the same time, there’s a lot of people — the fans — that it just means something to them, and they’re happy. It’s like you won the Heisman or something. I have people of all ages — in Indiana, I hadn’t been there in 18 years, and you’ve got elderly TSA guys, a hundred pounds overweight, come up and they’re happy. So I don’t want to take that away from them.

I think about it in terms of ... when Michael Moore got up at the Academy Awards and said whatever about George Bush. People don’t want that associated with their awards shows, even if you have a big audience. In one way it might be right, but it usually backfires on whoever does it. So I really don’t want to spoil it for everybody else — and take the beating. [Laughs]

It is kind of a mixed blessing.

It’s a lot of people making money. Why do they get to decide? But it’s the same with Grammys or Academy Awards, who wins.

ALSO:

Axl Rose's appetite is for today's Gun N' Roses

Video mash-up maker Andy Rehfeldt is quite the YouTube cut-up

Paul McCartney to release album of covers, two new songs

— Randall Roberts

Photos: Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose performing at Key Arena in Seattle on Friday, Dec.17, 2011. Credit: Kevin P. Casey / For The Times.

[Gagarin]

Well, I think she does own/run a restaurant now (or is an investor in one) - she had done that (restaraunt) before nannying, too. And she's been pretty involved with the behind the scenes business backed of Axl Rose / Guns N' Roses (the production, the business of the music business of GNR). This is what I'm gleaning from public records -lawsuits, Manta indexes, and interviews.

I'm pretty sure she's been a personal assistant for about 15+ years. Housekeeper isn't an apt description. Personal assistants are a sight to see, if you've ever known someone who has one.

Not exactly "Doc experience", but she's had more experience with Axl than anyone else, that much is true.

[gnrfan2007]

Because, really, you can get guys from the "Illusion" thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It's nothing against Izzy and it's nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I'm working with right now, they work really hard and it's hard work. I've toured with the other guys and I've also seen what they've done since, and I just know the difficulties.

I don't have an excitement to work with people that joined in the "Illusion" time. There's behind the scenes that was really, really difficult there with different ones.

This part intrigued me...

hey axl, you fired steven before the illusions.

Isn't he saying that if he were going to do a reunion (which he is not), that it would be the Illusion band, not the Appetite band? I am pretty sure that is what he meant, ie. you can't count on Izzy full-time and he wouldn't want Steven in the band over Matt.

i think he's saying slash and duff are more important to guns n roses than even he is.

No. Axl is just saying the only people who would do a reunion is Slash and Duff.

If people wanted the CLASSIC LINEUP from AFD to do a reunion tour, it would never work.

Izzy doesn't do touring. Steven is unreliable and has too many issues.

Even if you could get Izzy and Steven on board, then what material will you tour on? You really only have AFD material and a few songs from Lies.

So basically, the only possible REUNION TOUR would be one that amounted to just another 1992-1993 UYI tour.

So really, the REUNION TOUR is pointless and would fail miserably.

Which is what Axl was saying about these ex-managers. Once they get their commission cut, they will just cut and run and will not give a damn when the tour falls flat on its face.

No. He's saying that a "reunion" would be a "REUNION" only if Slash and Duff are there, those two members --according to him-- are the only ones people who want a reunion care about.

So Izzy doesn't matter?

The point Axl is making is this: is it really going to be a reunion a tour with just Axl, Slash, and Duff?

Izzy will not tour. Steven would want to tour, but realistically, Steven is not talented and sane enough to play at their level. Even on the AFD songs, Axl will not want to sing with him as the drummer.

And with Steven, you only can have AFD songs.

So then, do you bring back Matt and Gilby?

So what you basically end up with is just another 1992-1993 UYI tour. And what would be the point of that?

Then add the fact that Axl doesn't like Slash and Matt ... now what?

So not only is a reunion tour pointless, it can never work!

I'm not sure I'd want that either, and I'm a pretty hardcore reunionist (who somehow still appreciates the new band by buying their music and going to see them live, 5x now). But I'd take it, because it's old GN'R and they were the best.

But it doesn't have to be a UYI tour rehash, and I don't think these guys would settle for that. I think they would mine the vaults and bring us some unreleased material. And going by the past collaborations, there's no reason to think the music would suck.

People act like they know how a reunion would go down, but they don't. None of us do. The band might discover after all this time that they actually understand each other; they are far removed now from the shit that went down and now they've got something to work towards (making GN'R the biggest band in the world again). It could galvanize them. Point is, we don't know. I doubt most of us thought we'd see Duff playing with Axl in 2011, and I doubt most of us thought Axl would actually contemplate how a reunion would go down.

As for Izzy - he's in if he wants it. If not then what can you do? Gilby or Ashba would be alright to me. I'm not a huge Fortus fan. But I think Izzy would sign on.

As for Steve - to me it should be Matt, but Steve should get to play on a couple of songs each show. Don't know how you could turn the guy away 100%. That would be fucking cold and a real asshole move at this stage and it might just destroy him once and for all.

I think it is silly to discuss daily about reunion plans for a band that stopped playing together over 15 years ago, when all key members are in other bands. Axl, Slash and Duff would be dicks if they dropped their current band members to go play with somebody else. How rude that would be.

Don't kid yourself, Kushner (VR) and the guys in GN'R have always known in the back of their minds that a reunion was possible. They have to know this. Much smaller scale here, but I just found out today that Big Wreck has reunited. Does that make Ian Thornley a dick because he left his old band? Not at all, it's business and it's creative and when a guy decides he wants to work with a certain group he is free to do so. Just like anyone else in America is free to leave what they are doing to do something else.

Dude, you're the one speculating on how a reunion tour is possible and how it would go down.

I am merely pointing out to you what Axl said in the interview:

1. What's the point of a reunion tour if it is just going to be basically the UYI lineup and they just re-hash the 1992-1993 UYI tour?

2. Not only that, putting on reunion tour is not going to be a simple walk in the park. Axl knows how difficult it will be. And just like the 1992-1993 UYI tour, it will all fall back on Axl's shoulder to manage the tour again.

So is it really a REUNION tour if its the UYI lineup?

Or are you really going to bring Steven along to play just the AFD songs?

What about Izzy? Izzy hates touring. And how much of the materials form the UYI records can Izzy actually play to a high level? Remember, Slash re-recorded all of Izzy's parts for the UYI records. So, is Izzy really going to sit down and re-learn all the UYI songs like how they sound on the UYI records?

Unless GnR wants to be the next Motley Crue, not only is the tour next to impossible to pull off, it's fawking pointless!

Especially, when the only person from the UYI lineup that Axl cares to work with is just Dizzy! And he hates two guys from the UYI lineup with a passion, and thinks another guy is "spineless" and questions his motives for the hotel incident.

And if you want new music, Axl already has a band that can create the kind of music he wants to sing to.

That is why Slash and Duff QUIT GnR in the first place! CREATIVE DIFFERENCES! Slash wanted Axl to sing exactly to his Snakepit crap, and Axl wanted Slash and Duff to be more progressive and innovative.

So to think that suddenly NOW, Axl would want to sing to the crap that Slash and Duff comes up with, is just crazy!

So in nutshell, all this talk about a reunion tour, just doesn't make much sense when you really delve into the specifics of pulling off such a tour SUCCESSFULLY!

If the best you can do for a so-called REUNION tour is the UYI lineup, then Axl is better off to just stick with what is working awesome for him right now!

All a reunion tour would do is degrade GnR's legacy and destroy all of the artistic integrity and respect GnR has gotten with the success of the CD album and recent tours post-2006.

Not only that, you will not get any new music.

Edited December 22, 2011 by gnrfan2007

[hudsonsaul]

COolest thing from that was that Axl hints at possibly doing a few smaller club shows in LA. That would be the coolest thing this line up as done imo.

[Nintari]

Looks like we definitely will be hearing new music in the very near future.

Now THAT is an early X-Mas present! :xmasschef:

I want a new record as much as anybody but come on man. Haven't we learned our lesson by now? lol

All a reunion tour would do is degrade GnR's legacy and destroy all of the artistic integrity and respect GnR has gotten with the success of the CD album and recent tours post-2006.

What legacy,artistic integrity and respect? The only people who feel that way about the new band are people like you and me. Lets be honest here, if Axl reunited, put out an original album and toured with the old band? THEN he'd get those things you say he has now. Most of the world's giving him the finger over keeping the name and replacing the members and the ONLY way they'll forgive the guy is if he reunites.

Sad but true.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Nintari

[Chris 55]

All a reunion tour would do is degrade GnR's legacy and destroy all of the artistic integrity and respect GnR has gotten with the success of the CD album and recent tours post-2006.

What success? You can't buy it in stores in the US. The retailer who got the rights to sell it cut their losses on it. It may have sold approx 3 million (mainly based off the name and not the music) but it's nowhere near a success. I love the album but it just got swallowed when it came out.

[Damn_Smooth]

All a reunion tour would do is degrade GnR's legacy and destroy all of the artistic integrity and respect GnR has gotten with the success of the CD album and recent tours post-2006.

What success? You can't buy it in stores in the US. The retailer who got the rights to sell it cut their losses on it. It may have sold approx 3 million (mainly based off the name and not the music) but it's nowhere near a success. I love the album but it just got swallowed when it came out.

I know that you're one of the SDCs, but names don't sell 3 million copies of a record that was readily available for free on the internet. That's ignorance at its finest.

[droezle]

This whole tour is part of — it’s not like there’s a lot of money going to Live Nation or anything, but it’s part of how we worked out the settlement [with former manager and Live Nation exec Irving Azoff]. And I could have gone on to court, but that was going to block other things, so Live Nation's not getting paid, we’re not getting paid, but we’re putting it out of the way, so we did this tour. Then we get on the tour and find out that everything that was supposed to be done wasn’t done, and managers and agents are selling a show that was supposed to go on at 8 o’clock. They knew I was never going to do that.

What other things? This makes me curious about what's going to happen in the (near?) future.

[Estranged Reality]

This whole tour is part of — it’s not like there’s a lot of money going to Live Nation or anything, but it’s part of how we worked out the settlement [with former manager and Live Nation exec Irving Azoff]. And I could have gone on to court, but that was going to block other things, so Live Nation's not getting paid, we’re not getting paid, but we’re putting it out of the way, so we did this tour. Then we get on the tour and find out that everything that was supposed to be done wasn’t done, and managers and agents are selling a show that was supposed to go on at 8 o’clock. They knew I was never going to do that.

What other things? This makes me curious about what's going to happen in the (near?) future.

don't get your hopes up. no offense to axl but he always talks like this and implies things are in the works, but they rarely materialize. he expressed similar vague-but-optimistic sentiments when he did that rolling stone interview back in 1999. he always seems to be on the cusp of activity/creativity but held back by behind-the-scenes mishaps.

[gnrfan2007]

What legacy,artistic integrity and respect? The only people who feel that way about the new band are people like you and me. Lets be honest here, if Axl reunited, put out an original album and toured with the old band? THEN he'd get those things you say he has now. Most of the world's giving him the finger over keeping the name and replacing the members and the ONLY way they'll forgive the guy is if he reunites.

Sad but true.

1. Axl did not REPLACE - ie. FIRE - any of the old guys.

Slash and Duff both left on their own accord.

Go re-read the LA times interview. Slash from Day 1 wanted Axl to join his band, when it was in fact Axl who invited and hired Slash to join his band. Slash wanted his Snakepit songs - as-is, unmodified - to be the next GnR album, and Axl refused. So Slash left.

Steven was a heroine addict, and his substance abuse was affecting the sound and recording on the UYI records. And don't forget, it was Slash and Duff who replaced Steven with Matt Sorum. Now that Steven is sober, he understands why he was fired. Steven has said, that at the time, the person who hurt him the most, the one who he blamed the most for his firing, was Slash. In regards to Axl, Steven says: he’s been so generous and loving to me.

See http://love-it-loud.com/news/steven-adler-discusses-being-fired-from-guns-n-roses/

Izzy left on his accord for various reasons. The three biggest reasons we know are: 1) he doesn't like touring and the big spotlight, and 2) he didn't like the change in sound due to Matt's drumming, and 3) Slash and him, never really got along from a creative music point of view from the start. Slash was like Joe Perry with heavy distortion, and Izzy was more like Bob Dylan and Keith Richards. Izzy never wanted Slash to join the band. He stormed out during Slash's audition and was pissed at Axl for inviting Slash to join the band.

As Axl stated, it was a battle to get Slash and Izzy to work together on the UYI records. And here's a quote from Slash himself:

During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect!"

See http://heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=13

One of the reasons why Axl can not forgive Slash and calls him a CANCER is because Slash has spread lies to make people like you believe it was Axl who fired everybody! When it fact, it has always been Axl who tried to get everyone to work as a band.

Now go listen to "Sorry" from CD.

2. OLD-GnR was never respected as ARTISTS or MUSICIANS.

Nobody with any musical talent or understanding of pop culture history gives a crap about the OLD band!

They may have sold a lot of records with AFD and UYI, but selling records and artistic respect are two different things.

Justin Bieber, Britany Spears, and Lady Gaga sell a lot of records. But do people respect them artistically?

That is why when the alternative era hit, OLD-GnR got thrown out to the trash gutter, and a lot people bashed GnR, from the media, to musicians, and to the general public.

Kurt Cobain pukes when hears GnR music. Eddie Vedder can't relate to GnR's music. RHCP couldn't figure out how GnR became successful. Trent Reznor pokes fun at GnR fans. Even Moby was reluctant to give CD a listen!

And if you knew people who grew up in the 1990's, you will know that being a GnR fan post-1992 was so UN-COOL!

It took a lot of convincing on Axl's part to even get the CD lineup assembled, because nobody with any artistic integrity wanted to be associated with the GnR brand in the late-1990s.

When you study pop culture and music, nobody even mentions OLD-GnR. They may say something about heavy metal and hair bands from the '80s, but then they jump right into the subject of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and the alternative era of NEW ROCK and NEW MUSIC that began in 1991.

No music historian or critics ever lists OLD-GnR in their top 100 most influential musicians of all time!

On NEW ROCK radio stations, OLD-GnR songs never make any top 100 countdowns. But songs by the RHCP and Beastie Boys do, and they are even older than OLD-GnR!

At best, some people refer to OLD-GnR as a "transitional band" from the old classical rock sound to the hard rock sound of the alternative/grunge era. Being known as a transitional band, is not something to be proud of.

So where you get this idea that OLD-GnR is actually respected artistically is beyond me.

People who don't like GnR today, don't like them because they still associate the GnR *brand* with the 1987-1992 brand.

That is the challenge that the NEW-GnR faces. They have to overcome that bias and negative-stereotype people associate with the old BRAND of GnR. And it will only change once GnR releases music videos and does more mainstream live shows and interview in the USA market.

So to claim that if Axl suddenly has a change of heart and invites Slash and Duff back into the band, GnR would magically have more success than what they are having now, is not only FACT-less but absurd!

Having Slash and Duff back in the band would be the quickest path to IRRELEVANCY and DEATH for GnR.

With the masterpiece that is CD, not only is GnR close to being the biggest band in the world again, they are doing it so with more ARTISTIC INTEGRITY and RESPECT from other musicians from all genres of NEW MUSIC.

Edited December 22, 2011 by gnrfan2007

[gnrfan2007]

All a reunion tour would do is degrade GnR's legacy and destroy all of the artistic integrity and respect GnR has gotten with the success of the CD album and recent tours post-2006.

What success? You can't buy it in stores in the US. The retailer who got the rights to sell it cut their losses on it. It may have sold approx 3 million (mainly based off the name and not the music) but it's nowhere near a success. I love the album but it just got swallowed when it came out.

In today's DOWNLOAD ERA, any musician who is able to sell atleast 2 million records is a superstar.

CD has sold 2.6 million units worldwide as of February 2009, according to Universal Music. See http://www.billboard.com/specials/axl-speaks/interview.shtml

According to a poster on here who knows somebody from Universal, that figure is now closer to 5M+ by the end of this year 2011. But nobody has any direct links to any websites to support this claim as of yet. But if you find it difficult to believe that GnR could sell an addition 2M+ more albums since 2009, then you are just a Slashole.

Anybody who is a fan of GnR should know by 2001 at the latest, that Slash and Duff are no longer in the band.

Those OLD fans who refuse to buy CD have been replaced by NEWER [younger] fans.

And these record sales don't even include those who download songs from iTunes.

So not only is your claim that only 3M records of CD have been sold inaccurate, your assertion that [new] GnR has failed is just plain IGNORANCE!

And the scary thing is, GnR hasn't even fully tapped the USA market! Just imagine how many CD records can be sold once GnR does a more traditional promotion of the record! So CD has barely scraped the surface of its full potential.

Edited December 22, 2011 by gnrfan2007

[WhazUp]

All a reunion tour would do is degrade GnR's legacy and destroy all of the artistic integrity and respect GnR has gotten with the success of the CD album and recent tours post-2006.

What success? You can't buy it in stores in the US. The retailer who got the rights to sell it cut their losses on it. It may have sold approx 3 million (mainly based off the name and not the music) but it's nowhere near a success. I love the album but it just got swallowed when it came out.

In today's DOWNLOAD ERA, any musician how is able to sell atleast 2 million records is a superstar.

CD has sold 2.6 million units worldwide as of February 2009, according to Universal Music. See http://www.billboard.com/specials/axl-speaks/interview.shtml

According to a poster on here who knows somebody from Universal, that figure is now closer to 5M+ by the end of this year 2011. But nobody has any direct links to any websites to support this claim as of yet. But if you find it difficult to believe that GnR could sell an addition 2M+ more albums since 2009, then you are just a Slashole.

Anybody who is a fan of GnR should know by 2001 at the latest, that Slash and Duff are no longer in the band.

Those OLD fans who refuse to buy CD have been replaced by NEWER [younger] fans.

And these record sales don't even include those who download songs from iTunes.

So not only is your claim that only 3M records of CD have been sold inaccurate, your assertion that [new] GnR has failed is just plain IGNORANCE!

And the scary thing is, GnR hasn't even fully tapped the USA market! Just imagine how many CD records can be sold once GnR does a more traditional promotion of the record! So CD has barely scraped the surface of its full potential.

Lol I disagree with the majority of this but its all good

[dude69]

What legacy,artistic integrity and respect? The only people who feel that way about the new band are people like you and me. Lets be honest here, if Axl reunited, put out an original album and toured with the old band? THEN he'd get those things you say he has now. Most of the world's giving him the finger over keeping the name and replacing the members and the ONLY way they'll forgive the guy is if he reunites.

Sad but true.

1. Axl did not REPLACE - ie. FIRE - any of the old guys.

Slash and Duff both left on their own accord.

Go re-read the LA times interview. Slash from Day 1 wanted Axl to join his band, when it was in fact Axl who invited and hired Slash to join his band. Slash wanted his Snakepit songs - as-is, unmodified - to be the next GnR album, and Axl refused. So Slash left.

Steven was a heroine addict, and his substance abuse was affecting the sound and recording on the UYI records. And don't forget, it was Slash and Duff who replaced Steven with Matt Sorum. Now that Steven is sober, he understands why he was fired. Steven has said, that at the time, the person who hurt him the most, the one who he blamed the most for his firing, was Slash. In regards to Axl, Steven says: he’s been so generous and loving to me.

See http://love-it-loud.com/news/steven-adler-discusses-being-fired-from-guns-n-roses/

Izzy left on his accord for various reasons. The three biggest reasons we know are: 1) he doesn't like touring and the big spotlight, and 2) he didn't like the change in sound due to Matt's drumming, and 3) Slash and him, never really got along from a creative music point of view from the start. Slash was like Joe Perry with heavy distortion, and Izzy was more like Bob Dylan and Keith Richards. Izzy never wanted Slash to join the band. He stormed out during Slash's audition and was pissed at Axl for inviting Slash to join the band.

As Axl stated, it was a battle to get Slash and Izzy to work together on the UYI records. And here's a quote from Slash himself:

During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect!"

See http://heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=13

One of the reasons why Axl can not forgive Slash and calls him a CANCER is because Slash has spread lies to make people like you believe it was Axl who fired everybody! When it fact, it has always been Axl who tried to get everyone to work as a band.

Now go listen to "Sorry" from CD.

2. OLD-GnR was never respected as ARTISTS or MUSICIANS.

Nobody with any musical talent or understanding of pop culture history gives a crap about the OLD band!

They may have sold a lot of records with AFD and UYI, but selling records and artistic respect are two different things.

Justin Bieber, Britany Spears, and Lady Gaga sell a lot of records. But do people respect them artistically?

That is why when the alternative era hit, OLD-GnR got thrown out to the trash gutter, and a lot people bashed GnR, from the media, to musicians, and to the general public.

Kurt Cobain pukes when hears GnR music. Eddie Vedder can't relate to GnR's music. RHCP couldn't figure out how GnR became successful. Trent Reznor pokes fun at GnR fans. Even Moby was reluctant to give CD a listen!

And if you knew people who grew up in the 1990's, you will know that being a GnR fan post-1992 was so UN-COOL!

It took a lot of convincing on Axl's part to even get the CD lineup assembled, because nobody with any artistic integrity wanted to be associated with the GnR brand in the late-1990s.

When you study pop culture and music, nobody even mentions OLD-GnR. They may say something about heavy metal and hair bands from the '80s, but then they jump right into the subject of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and the alternative era of NEW ROCK and NEW MUSIC that began in 1991.

No music historian or critics ever lists OLD-GnR in their top 100 most influential musicians of all time!

On NEW ROCK radio stations, OLD-GnR songs never make any top 100 countdowns. But songs by the RHCP and Beastie Boys do, and they are even older than OLD-GnR!

At best, some people refer to OLD-GnR as a "transitional band" from the old classical rock sound to the hard rock sound of the alternative/grunge era. Being known as a transitional band, is not something to be proud of.

So where you get this idea that OLD-GnR is actually respected artistically is beyond me.

People who don't like GnR today, don't like them because they still associate the GnR *brand* with the 1987-1992 brand.

That is the challenge that the NEW-GnR faces. They have to overcome that bias and negative-stereotype people associate with the old BRAND of GnR. And it will only change once GnR releases music videos and does more mainstream live shows and interview in the USA market.

So to claim that if Axl suddenly has a change of heart and invites Slash and Duff back into the band, GnR would magically have more success than what they are having now, is not only FACT-less but absurd!

Having Slash and Duff back in the band would be the quickest path to IRRELEVANCY and DEATH for GnR.

With the masterpiece that is CD, not only is GnR close to being the biggest band in the world again, they are doing it so with more ARTISTIC INTEGRITY and RESPECT from other musicians from all genres of NEW MUSIC.

GNRFan2007:

YOU COULDN'T BE MORE FUCKING WRONG.

I enjoy new GNR quite a bit, but to say they are considered cooler, are better thought of by critics and that they would sell more than a re-united old GNR is true only in an alternate universe created in your own mind.

I was in high school when Appetite came out. This was in an era when kids who listened to Ratt, Poison, Motley Crue, etc. sat on one side of the cafeteria and the "smart" kids sat on the other side and listened to U2. When GNR came out, they transcended these cliques. They were just bad ass and extremely cool. They were absolutely huge and nobody mocked them.

The same is true with Lies and the anticipation for the Illusions was enormous.

When the Illusions came out, it was an event. I was in College and went with about 20 guys to a record store and waited in line with about 250 people for a midnight sale the Tuesday it came out. This was true all over the country. If you want validation, here is a clip of one of those midnight sales in a small town: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QCLOaTiGKM

GNR sold out huge stadiums. They were massive. After about 3 years of consecutive MTV airplay and touring, there was definitely a need for a break from GNR from the general public. By no means though did GNR shift from cool to uncool...they still got plenty of airplay on classic rock and "new rock" stations everywhere.

While Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. were all very "cool," they didn't displace GNR. Bands like Skid Row became extinct, but GNR was still absolutely enormous; just dormant.

As for your assertion that they weren't respected by critics, you are high. They were very respected then and now. The album reviews of the Illusions were great and Appetite was highly regarded. Did the Rolling Stones pick a lot of bands to go on stage with them and sing after one album? In 1989, the Stones brought them on stage to sign Salt of the Earth, which is something the Rolling Stones didn't do for any band of that era. They were basically crowning them as the Stones of their generation. Maybe you don't think the opinion of the Rolling Stones means anything.

In 1990 Appetite was voted the 27th best album on the top 100 list of the 80's by Rolling Stone Magazine (I though that was a little low).

Rolling Stone voted Appetite 62 on the top 500 albums of all time. I'm sure you will dismiss Rolling Stone Magazine as irrelevant, despite being the most respected rock magazine out there.

Rolling Stone readers recently voted Appetite the #2 album of the 80's.

To sum up and dismiss your ridiculous fictional point that "new GNR is more criitically acclaimed," the reviews on Rolling Stone of the Appetite and the Illusions are 5 stars.

Chinese Democracy got three.

Universally Appetite and the Illusions were were critically rated much better than Chinese Democracy.

Without a doubt the albums sold worlds better than Chinese Democracy. Without a doubt the 1987-1993 version of GNR sold out 60,000 seat stadiums.....today's version plays in 10,000 seat venues and can't sell them out.

"New Rock" radio stations still play old GNR...I haven't heard anything from Chinese Democracy on the radio since October, 2008.

Everyone then thought GNR was cool....if I bring GNR up to people today, they consider it a fucking joke.

Sorry, Old GNR was HUGE from a sales perspective, critically, airplay and any way you want to cut it. I don't know anyone other than me who owns Chinese Democracy or even knows a song on it....I also don't know many people besides hardcore fans who want to see new GNR. If Slash were back though, I guarantee they could open the fucking Super Bowl.

Your post wins dumbest of the year.

[Guest]

What legacy,artistic integrity and respect? The only people who feel that way about the new band are people like you and me. Lets be honest here, if Axl reunited, put out an original album and toured with the old band? THEN he'd get those things you say he has now. Most of the world's giving him the finger over keeping the name and replacing the members and the ONLY way they'll forgive the guy is if he reunites.

Sad but true.

1. Axl did not REPLACE - ie. FIRE - any of the old guys.

Slash and Duff both left on their own accord.

Go re-read the LA times interview. Slash from Day 1 wanted Axl to join his band, when it was in fact Axl who invited and hired Slash to join his band. Slash wanted his Snakepit songs - as-is, unmodified - to be the next GnR album, and Axl refused. So Slash left.

Steven was a heroine addict, and his substance abuse was affecting the sound and recording on the UYI records. And don't forget, it was Slash and Duff who replaced Steven with Matt Sorum. Now that Steven is sober, he understands why he was fired. Steven has said, that at the time, the person who hurt him the most, the one who he blamed the most for his firing, was Slash. In regards to Axl, Steven says: he's been so generous and loving to me.

See http://love-it-loud....m-guns-n-roses/

Izzy left on his accord for various reasons. The three biggest reasons we know are: 1) he doesn't like touring and the big spotlight, and 2) he didn't like the change in sound due to Matt's drumming, and 3) Slash and him, never really got along from a creative music point of view from the start. Slash was like Joe Perry with heavy distortion, and Izzy was more like Bob Dylan and Keith Richards. Izzy never wanted Slash to join the band. He stormed out during Slash's audition and was pissed at Axl for inviting Slash to join the band.

As Axl stated, it was a battle to get Slash and Izzy to work together on the UYI records. And here's a quote from Slash himself:

During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect!"

See http://heretodaygone...hp?articleid=13

One of the reasons why Axl can not forgive Slash and calls him a CANCER is because Slash has spread lies to make people like you believe it was Axl who fired everybody! When it fact, it has always been Axl who tried to get everyone to work as a band.

Now go listen to "Sorry" from CD.

2. OLD-GnR was never respected as ARTISTS or MUSICIANS.

Nobody with any musical talent or understanding of pop culture history gives a crap about the OLD band!

They may have sold a lot of records with AFD and UYI, but selling records and artistic respect are two different things.

Justin Bieber, Britany Spears, and Lady Gaga sell a lot of records. But do people respect them artistically?

That is why when the alternative era hit, OLD-GnR got thrown out to the trash gutter, and a lot people bashed GnR, from the media, to musicians, and to the general public.

Kurt Cobain pukes when hears GnR music. Eddie Vedder can't relate to GnR's music. RHCP couldn't figure out how GnR became successful. Trent Reznor pokes fun at GnR fans. Even Moby was reluctant to give CD a listen!

And if you knew people who grew up in the 1990's, you will know that being a GnR fan post-1992 was so UN-COOL!

It took a lot of convincing on Axl's part to even get the CD lineup assembled, because nobody with any artistic integrity wanted to be associated with the GnR brand in the late-1990s.

When you study pop culture and music, nobody even mentions OLD-GnR. They may say something about heavy metal and hair bands from the '80s, but then they jump right into the subject of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and the alternative era of NEW ROCK and NEW MUSIC that began in 1991.

No music historian or critics ever lists OLD-GnR in their top 100 most influential musicians of all time!

On NEW ROCK radio stations, OLD-GnR songs never make any top 100 countdowns. But songs by the RHCP and Beastie Boys do, and they are even older than OLD-GnR!

At best, some people refer to OLD-GnR as a "transitional band" from the old classical rock sound to the hard rock sound of the alternative/grunge era. Being known as a transitional band, is not something to be proud of.

So where you get this idea that OLD-GnR is actually respected artistically is beyond me.

People who don't like GnR today, don't like them because they still associate the GnR *brand* with the 1987-1992 brand.

That is the challenge that the NEW-GnR faces. They have to overcome that bias and negative-stereotype people associate with the old BRAND of GnR. And it will only change once GnR releases music videos and does more mainstream live shows and interview in the USA market.

So to claim that if Axl suddenly has a change of heart and invites Slash and Duff back into the band, GnR would magically have more success than what they are having now, is not only FACT-less but absurd!

Having Slash and Duff back in the band would be the quickest path to IRRELEVANCY and DEATH for GnR.

With the masterpiece that is CD, not only is GnR close to being the biggest band in the world again, they are doing it so with more ARTISTIC INTEGRITY and RESPECT from other musicians from all genres of NEW MUSIC.

Beautiful

I agreed with he started saying, but when he started about nobody respecting GNR musically and how if Duff and Slash came back GNR would be irrelevant, I realised how much shit he was talking.

This band just got inducted into the RnRHOF. So nobody respects them yeah? Who gives a shit if a few bands over time have taken a pop at GNR. That's nothing new for any band; you'll find a bad word said about any band if you look hard enough. You'll find a whole ton of bands that will cite GNR as an influence on them though.