Has you opinion on DJ Ashba changed since '09?

[Georgy Zhukov]

I think Sixx AM is horrendous, always said i would personally boot his ass out of the band if he tried putting any of that in Guns. That can be his money maker.

I'm really fond of Sixx:A.M.

Rec me some good songs from that bro

They're all really pop/emo oriented but in terms of that genre, I gotta say they're the best IMO. I recommend This Is Gonna Hurt, Deadlihood, Live Forever, Lies of The Beautiful People and Pray For Me. Then there's also the most famous song, Life Is Beautiful, but that even more pop/emo than usual ... It's not the type of band GnR fans usually enjoy but, maybe you all could give it a try

I could see chicks digging Sixx AM

[Apollo]

A lot of bitter people on this forum. Hatred for a got because he had fun while playing live. He would be much cooler if he just stood there and didn't engage the crowd. And he wears a hat and smokes......what a douche. Good thing no other guitar players do that.

And how dare he post on Facebook. Tho, I suppose if I hated a guy, I wouldn't hang out on his Facebook, but that's just me.

[ThinkAboutYou]

I'm kind of in the same boat as everyone who doesn't like Sixx Am. Praying that DJ can write GNR music that doesn't sound anything like Sixx Am.(generic radio music). If his got talent like Buckethead Robin or Bumble I will be happy.

Edited December 24, 2011 by ThinkAboutYou

[RandallFlagg]

He has the talent and can clearly play Guns material and put his stamp on things, Axl wouldn't bring him in to make a Sixx Am inspired record, I can see some catchyness appearing with him but hopefully done the right way.

[Powerage5]

Absolutely. I really didn't care for him after hearing the recordings from the '09 shows, and even after seeing him live last year I didn't really care for him. I didn't dislike him, but I didn't feel like he quite fit in. Now, he's great for the band. It's obvious that he really found his place in the band since 2 years ago. He's still my least favorite of the 3 guitarist, but I think he's great for GN'R now.

[LesPaul_Player_91]

He has the talent and can clearly play Guns material and put his stamp on things, Axl wouldn't bring him in to make a Sixx Am inspired record, I can see some catchyness appearing with him but hopefully done the right way.

I think this is possilbly one of the reasons he was brought in - one of the criticisms of Chinese was that it didn't have a catchy, hit song and I'm pretty sure, given the success of his previous work with Crue and Sixx: AM he could write a hit song for GN'R. However, I hope if that's the case that we don't lose the progressive vibe that CD had.

[Todo Poderoso Timão]

When DJ joined the band, the majority of the GnR fan base rejected or neglected him replacing Robin Finck. Now it seems as he's won over a lot of fans, including me. How has your opinion on DJ changed over these years and why so?

He is a great guitar player - which is nothing more than anyone could expect after auditions for a guitarist.

Lacks a little bit of originality, though, especially when you're a wannabe of exactly who you're replacing.

Robin/Bucket made me forget about Slash and a reunion.

Ashba made me remind of Slash and a reunion.

[Apollo]

A lot of bitter people on this forum. Hatred for a got because he had fun while playing live. He would be much cooler if he just stood there and didn't engage the crowd. And he wears a hat and smokes......what a douche. Good thing no other guitar players do that.

And how dare he post on Facebook. Tho, I suppose if I hated a guy, I wouldn't hang out on his Facebook, but that's just me.

Stop being so damn defensive in every thread. If you like the guy, cool say so. You always just complain about other peoples' opinions.

Sort of like you are doing right here?

I have to laugh at the sixx am generic radio rock comments. What the heck was VR!!!! Fall to Pieces was as cliched paint by numbers as they come.

[Guest ben9785]

No.

I still don't like him.

His guitaring is cheesy run-of-the-mill stuff, his sound is generic and I hate his stage antics, hand-behind-the-ear pose, the stupid cigarette and all that. The guy is almost 40 and it's 2011 for fucks sake. DJ is basically a PARODY of anything I like about rock music.

He could gain some resepect if he'd just stop trying so hard and playing it safe all the time, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen any time soon.

Say what you want about Robin Finck but at least he was himself and had his OWN thing going no matter if you liked it or not, at least he was original and brought something NEW to the table.

This a million times. I hated DJ when he joined, and I still hate him. There's nothing remotely interesting or cool about his persona, he's just another rock n roll cartoon character going through the motions, and his guitar playing is painfully mediocre.

Yeah, I also agree with this completely. Unfortunately I haven't appreciated anything he has bought to GNR and from his musical resume I don't think his songwriting will do much for me either. I hate his onstage mannerisms, his 'rock and roll' attitude posting stupid photos of himself on facebook trashing a potplant like a drunk girl at her prom who thinks she rocks so hard. Flicking his cigarette down after posing for a solo, dressing like a 14 year old emo. etc

Robin absolutely bought his own character to the band, his own style, and his songwriting really bought a new dimension to the GNR catalogue. As much as I want to hear unreleased GNR music that Finck may have wrote/contributed to, I would rather not hear if it Cashba is going to re-record his own parts.

Overall, like watchman said, he should just stop trying so hard and work on his guitar playing, especially the songs off "Chinese Democracy". He might "nail" Slash's parts but he's a slash-lite and they are a dime a dozen who were influenced by Slash - Probably far more suitable guitarists out there who could fit into GNR, who don't look like they stepped out of "My Chemical Romance - on broadway".

lol, couldn't have said it better myself. The amount of people on here who think he's actually a good guitar player really disappoints me, I guess not all GNR fans love GNR for the same reasons. DJ seems to embody everything the original GNR mocked and criticized, and I find it disgusting. I've said it before and I'll say it again; can't wait till he gets shitcanned/quits/dies/whatever, as soon as he isn't in Guns N' Roses anymore my confidence in this band will skyrocket

Right. He is 'sufficient' in guitar skills but there's a difference between that and what you bring into a 'established' band like Guns N' Roses. Finck bought his own character into everything he played and outside of shows would mostly just disappear off the radar back into his own life. Never sought direct acceptance from GNR fans. He just did what he had to do, and unfortunately, regrettably, it wasn't working out for him so he kept his integrity and went back to his low key life.

[SlashFinck666]

nope still dont like him never liked him from day one cant bear to watch the band ever since he joined.why the hell he gets most of the solos is beyond me he is by far the worst GnR guitar player of all time

[Nosaj Thing]

I will judge DJ purely on his music when we get to hear anything he writes

Look up Sixx AM, apparently that's the kind of music badass jaeger drinkin rock n rollers write these days

Sixx AM sucks but I think Ashba is more capable than that, don't know why though.

[Rem]

nope. always thought he was a brilliant guitarist. Axl has the knack.

[sweetness]

I have to laugh at the sixx am generic radio rock comments. What the heck was VR!!!! Fall to Pieces was as cliched paint by numbers as they come.

Do you listen to and enjoy Sixx AM?

[Apollo]

Well something had to be said to you, literally all your posts are about other peoples' opinions and how you think theyre wrong.

Actually they aren't. You just notice the ones that do, because I usually disagree with you. Aren't most of your posts negative about the new band?

[Danker]

I met DJ at a small club in Denver back in 2001 when he was in a band called Beautiful Creatures. I got tickets because outside the venue people were saying they were Cali rock band in the style of Guns N Roses so I was like "Hell yea! I should check this show out!" ---

--- My girlfriend instantly had a crush on him and he had more of a fem look to him back then. I remember I liked that (at that point in his career) he played Ernie Ball Music Man guitars because I was thinking about getting one at the time. So after the show he was hanging by the bar talking to the singer and I came up to him and said "I love your Ernie Balls!!! ---" DJ and the singer exchanged a "WTF" look and then he said "Thanks man." -- It wasn't until after I left the venue that I realized what I had said and how it must have come across.

[Young_Gun]

I think he is a champ. Brings a friendly element to GnR, like Bumble did, but on a bigger scale. When he brought that little girl on stage a few weeks back I was very impressed. Also his charisma on stage is something. He gets the crowd involved, which could not be said for Bucket or Robin. I LOVE the 2002 lineup much more for their technicality, but they were bare bones on the fan front really... Sure he whores out his brand a lot, but he does alot of good for GnR which more than makes up for it. I personally think he is a valuable asset to Guns and has done a great deal for their exposure through his interviews and updates on Facebook.

[Danker]

A lot of bitter people on this forum. Hatred for a got because he had fun while playing live. He would be much cooler if he just stood there and didn't engage the crowd. And he wears a hat and smokes......what a douche. Good thing no other guitar players do that.

And how dare he post on Facebook. Tho, I suppose if I hated a guy, I wouldn't hang out on his Facebook, but that's just me.

Stop being so damn defensive in every thread. If you like the guy, cool say so. You always just complain about other peoples' opinions.

Sort of like you are doing right here?

I have to laugh at the sixx am generic radio rock comments. What the heck was VR!!!! Fall to Pieces was as cliched paint by numbers as they come.

haha...musically "Fall To Pieces" is "Yesterdays" but even slower. Way to evolve Slash.

That being said I did like Contraband, but "Fall to Pieces" was not a finer moment on the album.

PS: that DJ Ashba online store is lame as fuck.

Edited December 25, 2011 by Danker

[Georgy Zhukov]

I think Axl will make DJ's musical ideas better. The man has a great ear for music. I think together they can make a very relevant but good, possibly great rock song.

Edited December 25, 2011 by BirdCatcher

[Danker]

I think Axl will make DJ's musical ideas better. The man has a great ear for music. I think together they can make a very relevant but good, possibly great rock song.

Point me in the direction of something that shows Ashba's songwriting or technical chops?? I have yet to be convinced he is all that great.

Bumblefoot and Buckethead both had solo projects that spoke volumes. Richard Fortus and Finck have proven to be amazing talents within GNR ...... but where's the proof that Ashba is any good besides covering Slash and Finck's slower solos on this tour?

Edited December 25, 2011 by Danker

[Georgy Zhukov]

I think Axl will make DJ's musical ideas better. The man has a great ear for music. I think together they can make a very relevant but good, possibly great rock song.

Point me in the direction of something that shows Ashba's songwriting or technical chops?? I have yet to be convinced he is all that great.

Bumblefoot and Buckethead both had solo projects that spoke volumes. Richard Fortus and Finck have proven to be amazing talents within GNR ...... but where's the proof that Ashba is any good besides covering Slash and Finck's slower solos on this tour?

Didn't say he was a good songwriter, for all I know he wasn't the only one who wrote for Sixx AM. Nikki had just as much fault.

I am just saying with Axl's gift for music, he can turn a shitty song into a good song. I will say that I enjoyed his Ballad of Death and Mi Amour. If that's not good enough I don't know what is.

[WhazUp]

^^^ DJ is in this band. They aren't mindblowingly amazing but its decent, especially the acoustic part in the intro (as far as I know DJ wasn't the only songwriter for this group anyway). I bet DJ will write some cool stuff Axl and the rest of the band for the new record

[Danker]

^^^ DJ is in this band. They aren't mindblowingly amazing but its decent, especially the acoustic part in the intro (as far as I know DJ wasn't the only songwriter for this group anyway). I bet DJ will write some cool stuff Axl and the rest of the band for the new record

yeah. i posted a page back about when i met him at a beautiful creatures show when i was in high school... i had a humorous incident with the man.

PS: in response to that intro acoustic part....I've written better guitar parts with my dick. :-)

PS2: doesn't it sound like something that would have been on the "Rock Star" soundtrack? ha

Edited December 25, 2011 by Danker

[Guest ben9785]

I think Axl will make DJ's musical ideas better. The man has a great ear for music. I think together they can make a very relevant but good, possibly great rock song.

Point me in the direction of something that shows Ashba's songwriting or technical chops?? I have yet to be convinced he is all that great.

Bumblefoot and Buckethead both had solo projects that spoke volumes. Richard Fortus and Finck have proven to be amazing talents within GNR ...... but where's the proof that Ashba is any good besides covering Slash and Finck's slower solos on this tour?

He's proficient at guitar, but like I said before, there are countless guitarists out there that can 'cover' Slash and Finck's slower solos (good point you made there). It's about something who can bring something new, a new character into a established band. Not something 'familiar' or cliched with his posturing and mannerisms which is rock and roll bedroom mirror pose 101.

I'm sorry but those solo pieces Ashba wrote are nothing special. They are listenable. But.. well this Finck solo I've linked below.. It's not technically perfect, but it just has so much feeling and emotion in it, and he bought that into songs like "This I Love". That's only the beginning. Axl has spoken of his work on things like "Soul Monster", and it is just going to be a crying shame to never hear any of that.

Anyway.. Robin's solo..

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

Edited December 25, 2011 by ben9785

[ITW 2012]

I like The Ballad of Death. It reminds me of early Ozzy Osbourne. I don't really know much of DJ's stuff, but I get the feeling he has that Slash like ability to come up with the perfect solo to compliment Axl's piano ballads.

[Georgy Zhukov]

I like The Ballad of Death. It reminds me of early Ozzy Osbourne. I don't really know much of DJ's stuff, but I get the feeling he has that Slash like ability to come up with the perfect solo to compliment Axl's piano ballads.

I can totally see that. I though Robin Finck was good at that for This I Love.