Axl Rose not attending HOF

[Turn_It_Up]

In almost any relationship, both parties make mistakes, so I'm sure both were far from perfect. But the reason Axl holds so much bitterness toward Slash is easy to read from his few interviews over the last couple of years. He sees Slash as the guy who came into HIS band, became every bit his equal, every bit as popular with the fans and remains even more so today. From his interviews, Axl clearly sees Slash as the main culprit behind his bad press and reputation and is bitter that Slash won the battle of public opinion. Despite his fallouts with so many other managers, musicians and other industry folks, in his mind it all goes back to Slash poisoning the world against him.

Bucket and Finck had employee level relationships with him. Totally different deal. Even someone like Izzy who was such a huge part of GNR, wasn't Axl's equal in the eyes of the general public and was a different situation when he left. Axl will never want anyone in his band getting as big as Slash got, it's why the band operates the way it has ever since...

Edited April 12, 2012 by Turn_It_Up

[tomfriend]

And just for the hell of it,all those attending and accepting their induction,should wear Where's Axl signs!

If they want to imply they were too stupid to comprehend his letter, I guess they could.

[GNR123GNR456]

You don't always get what you want in life, things just happen. Axl seemingly thought for a while about this statement he made today, posting the positives and negatives and putting them in the light. Sure, all the fall will be put on Axl, and his "damned if I don't, damned if I do" quote is completely true. If Axl showed up and didn't play, he would have been bashed. If didn't show up with no reason, people would be pissed off at Axl.

Now, he writes a long thought-out letter to the fans explaining why he won't attend and people are still pissed?

Yes, I am disappointed. But it's not the end of the world. If you thought there was going to be a reunion of the old line-up, then I feel sorry for you. There's nothing worse then getting your hopes up for something that had no chance of happening in the first place.

Edited April 12, 2012 by GNR123GNR456

[Chloe]

All this Axl bashing is making me feel uneasy.

[Nicc]

umm how could you NOT, the "you'll get over it part" that wasn't hard to comprehend, my saying was the outrage isn't all that surprising but for other reasons though

"Obvious you didn't read it.

I thought for sure the Rock Hall's plan to force GNR to reunite was gonna work!"

That's what it was, why don't some "smart" people get it? Try forcing Axl to do something, and it won't end well, let the things come whenever naturally and it may happen to our chagrin.

Edited April 12, 2012 by Nicc

[Shnicky]

Axl will never want anyone in his band getting as big as Slash got, it's why the band operates the way it has ever since...

You know this is very true. This is obviously why Axl chose the new band members. It's obvious this is how Axl wants it so he can never be close to overshadowed again.

Edited April 12, 2012 by Shnicky

[SweetRose]

Axl's not innocent but all you said is completely true. Get ready to be called an Axl ass kisser.

Just like an apple should be called an apple and an orange an orange..

Or a bitter, childish asshole a bitter childish asshole.

A8R

and one bad apple spoiled the whole damn bunch!

[Naupis]

I looked at the comment section on the TMZ link to his letter, and out of 113 I am pretty sure all of them were terribly negative towards him.

Common theme seems to be people losing what little if any respect they had for him.

Seems most people think that a 50 year old man should be able to stomach a night getting inducted into the HoF in his profession. Shocking.

[youngunner]

http://youtu.be/A5BwZQhGyiw

has a big time rock band ever been managed by family members with 0 managing experience?

Edited April 12, 2012 by youngunner

[Damn_Smooth]

Wonder if Axl will absolutely hate current GnR one day? My bet is yep.

That's only a matter of time.

Seeing as how he doesn't hate any of the former CD members, I'm pretty sure that you 2 don't have a single clue about what you're talking about.

Enlighten me about how you know that Slash is completely innocent and Axl is the devil though, that's always good for a laugh.

Nowhere did I say that. But let's face it Axl has had problems with almost everyone that was ever close to him, who weren't dependent on him for a job. Are all these people at fault? Truth be told, I'm more of an Axl fan than Slash fan. But Slash is a cool guy and well loved in the industry. That speaks for itself I think.

Who hasn't he made up with other than Slash? Out of everyone he's ever played with, Slash is the only one he absolutely refuses to play with. Obviously Slash did something worse to him than anyone else.

He's had quarrels with every band member (real not employees) at one point or another. He's fired countless managers. Separated from many people that were friends in the old days. Been in many public feuds. The common denominator here is Axl. I don't know why he hates Slash so much, but I suspect that it has to do with the fact that Slash was successful without him, and Slash has a lot of celebrity support, I think that burns his ass.

Unless you're subjecting Slash's success to opinion, he was only successful for one album with Duff, Matt and Weiland to back him up. The rest of his stuff wasn't any sort of amazing success story.

I really don't think that Axl is jealous at all. If he was, he should hate Duff too.

[downzy]

All the outrage over Axl's decision (and letter) is one of the funniest things I've seen on these boards in a while. All the holier than thou, hypocritical backlash is really a sight to behold. Let's see, where to begin:

Axl had four "realistic" options, with four virtually identical sets of consequences:

-Say nothing, don't show up. Consequence: "they" call Axl a bitter, childish asshole who doesn't even respect "the fans" enough to let them know he won't be attending or why; same old, same old, Axl never communicates, people would be more accepting of his actions/choices if he had the common courtesy to explain things once in a while. The same people would either completely ignore the fact that Izzy didn't show up without saying anything, or simply write it off as "Izzy being Izzy"

-Show up, don't perform. Consequence: "they" say that Axl is a bitter, childish asshole who couldn't set aside his "petty grudges" for 15 minutes to perform with the old band; only showed up because he couldn't stand to see the old band collect accolades that he believes belong to him

-Show up, perform. Consequence: "they" would not be placated. While "they" claim that all they're asking/hoping for is for Axl to set aside his "petty grudges" for 15 minutes to perform with the old band, the moment Axl did it, that wouldn't be enough. "They" haven't gotten the message that Axl has stated very clearly for many years on the times he has spoken publicly: that he doesn't want a reunion. "They" would use this one off event as evidence of how "amazing" a reunion would be. "They" would be even more vocal than "they" already are about how Axl should ditch the new band and do a full blown reunion. "They" would call Axl a bitter, childish asshole for not "giving the fans what they want" and doing a full blown reunion.

-Don't show up, explain why. Consequence: you guessed it. "They" are calling Axl a bitter, childish asshole who is ruining it for the fans. And by writing a letter, he's simply proving that he's a drama queen who needs to make it all about him, all the time; "they" are saying it would be more respectable if, like Izzy, he just didn't say anything at all and didn't show up (yes, these are the same people who constantly complain about his "lack of communication" with the fans).

Let's face it: there was nothing Axl could do to placate 95% of the people who are pissed off. "They" would be right back to bitching relentlessly about everything he did within a month or two, regardless of his decision, unless his decision was to disintegrate the new band and do a reunion. That's it. That's the only thing that would truly satisfy them and there's no way in hell that was going to happen.

Then let's get to the levels of hypocrisy displayed by 95% of the people who are irate that Axl isn't showing up. "They" like to say that Axl is childish, petty, etc. Yet "they're" reacting like a bunch of 14 year olds who just got dumped for the first time, calling Axl names, saying that "they'll" never support anything Axl does again and boycotting all future shows, selling their tickets, etc. Essentially acting like Axl personally came and took a dump on their living room floor because he won't show up at an event and hang out with people that he doesn't like or want to associate with, just so they can get 10 or 15 minutes of enjoyment.

"Why can't Axl just show up and play 2 or 3 songs with the original lineup"

Why can't "they" just get over it? I guess "they" don't realize the irony of spewing so much venom at someone for not doing what "they" want, and calling that person pathetic and childish, when "they" are absolutely livid and whining as though Axl has ruined their life/hopes/dreams by not showing up and putting on a forced performance for a few minutes at an awards show. Pretty laughable, actually. Needless to say it's been an entertaining day on the Guns boards.

Actually, Axl took none of these options you outline. He chose option number five: not show up, not perform, and withdraw his name from the entire ceremony and award. What was the point of withdrawing his name from the award? It was completely unnecessary. There's a distinct difference in what Izzy's doing by not showing up and Axl's effort to remove any association with former members, particularly Slash.

[SweetRose]

Yes, I am disappointed. But it's not the end of the world. If you thought there was going to be a reunion of the old line-up, then I feel sorry for you. There's nothing worse then getting your hopes up for something that had no chance of happening in the first place.

As I said on Facebook:to quote Axl....."I certainly don't intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision."....What the hell does he think it is that he is doing?DISAPPOINTING FANS!Kinda contradicted himself there in one statement.All I can say is if he wants the band that he has now to be inducted..........wait 25 yrs from when Chinese Democracy was released.See then if he can get HIS band inducted.It'll never happen.Just like no reunion,which I never have looked to happen in our lifetimes!

[Lirosee]

Wonder if Axl will absolutely hate current GnR one day? My bet is yep.

That's only a matter of time.

Seeing as how he doesn't hate any of the former CD members, I'm pretty sure that you 2 don't have a single clue about what you're talking about.

Enlighten me about how you know that Slash is completely innocent and Axl is the devil though, that's always good for a laugh.

Nowhere did I say that. But let's face it Axl has had problems with almost everyone that was ever close to him, who weren't dependent on him for a job. Are all these people at fault? Truth be told, I'm more of an Axl fan than Slash fan. But Slash is a cool guy and well loved in the industry. That speaks for itself I think.

Who hasn't he made up with other than Slash? Out of everyone he's ever played with, Slash is the only one he absolutely refuses to play with. Obviously Slash did something worse to him than anyone else.

He's had quarrels with every band member (real not employees) at one point or another. He's fired countless managers. Separated from many people that were friends in the old days. Been in many public feuds. The common denominator here is Axl. I don't know why he hates Slash so much, but I suspect that it has to do with the fact that Slash was successful without him, and Slash has a lot of celebrity support, I think that burns his ass.

Unless you're subjecting Slash's success to opinion, he was only successful for one album with Duff, Matt and Weiland to back him up. The rest of his stuff wasn't any sort of amazing success story.

I really don't think that Axl is jealous at all. If he was, he should hate Duff too.

Maybe it's all about love, the greater the love, the greater the anger, sadness and sense of betrayal.

[axl_on_drums]

Out of 15 mill likes on facebook the Axl letter post only has 800 likes, on average a post by GNR usually gets a couple of thousand..

Speaks volumes

[Turn_It_Up]

DLR cut through all VH's past issues and cattiness perfectly:

"We accused each other of betrayal and thievery and lies and treachery. And it was all true. We were all guilty. Dig up the past, and it's going to get all over everybody. And, man, do we have a past…"

Can't do it much better than that.

[Kira]

You don't always get what you want in life, things just happen. Axl seemingly thought for a while about this statement he made today, posting the positives and negatives and putting them in the light. Sure, all the fall will be put on Axl, and his "damned if I don't, damned if I do" quote is completely true. If Axl showed up and didn't play, he would have been bashed. If didn't show up with no reason, people would be pissed off at Axl.

Now, he writes a long thought-out letter to the fans explaining why he won't attend and people are still pissed?

Yes, I am disappointed. But it's not the end of the world. If you thought there was going to be a reunion of the old line-up, then I feel sorry for you. There's nothing worse then getting your hopes up for something that had no chance of happening in the first place.

I disagree. If he had showed up and not played, people still would have respected the fact that he made an effort to be in the same room with the band and just deal with it. He just loves shooting himself in the foot doesn't he?

[kronox20022002]

Axl still supports GN'R (cause the current lineup is GN'R, if you like it i'm happy for you, if you don't like it just remember the old lineup and your hair, i miss my hair too, this is a cool example to show some think tanks blowing minds and working in the people thoughts too) are the Deep Purple fans tearing their hair about the current Deep Purple lineup? the opinion of the fans?...when in the art history a Picasso fan had the right to led the artist's hand?, is it art or business?, why some people choose business?.....there's cool boxers with the Brian Jones, Mick Taylor and Bill Wyman faces printed in the back, hurry up Rolling Stones fans..to the shops ¡¡¡¡ fucking Jagger and Richards, they had the fault....yada yada yada

Axl i'm bald i need get a life and it's your fault ¡¡¡ maybe tons of people needs save some drama to some soap opera i guess

Edited April 12, 2012 by kronox20022002

[Damn_Smooth]

Maybe it's all about love, the greater the love, the greater the anger, sadness and sense of betrayal.

If it was about love, Axl would give Slash another chance.

[SweetRose]

Funny how when I was watching HBO the other day,that the pic they used to promote the show and GN'R's induction was one of ...You guessed it Axl And Slash on stage together.Is he gonna sue HBO now for that?

[sweetness]

http://youtu.be/A5BwZQhGyiw

has a big time rock band ever been managed by family members with 0 managing experience?

god that was awkward as hell

I love Axl because he's crazy, but he really is that crazy and its sad sometimes. There's nobody like Axl Rose.

[shotgunblues1978]

You don't always get what you want in life, things just happen. Axl seemingly thought for a while about this statement he made today, posting the positives and negatives and putting them in the light. Sure, all the fall will be put on Axl, and his "damned if I don't, damned if I do" quote is completely true. If Axl showed up and didn't play, he would have been bashed. If didn't show up with no reason, people would be pissed off at Axl.

Now, he writes a long thought-out letter to the fans explaining why he won't attend and people are still pissed?

Yes, I am disappointed. But it's not the end of the world. If you thought there was going to be a reunion of the old line-up, then I feel sorry for you. There's nothing worse then getting your hopes up for something that had no chance of happening in the first place.

I disagree. If he had showed up and not played, people still would have respected the fact that he made an effort to be in the same room with the band and just deal with it. He just loves shooting himself in the foot doesn't he?

Absolutely, 100% disagree. These are people who complain about everything. They complain about lack of communication and then, when he does communicate, they complain about what he says. The same people who are pissed that he's not showing up at all would be complaining if he showed up and didn't play. To say otherwise shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the mentality of those who are mad right now. These are the "reunion or bust" people who would never be satisfied by anything but a full on reunion. Oh, sure, they may claim otherwise, that all they want is for Axl to show up and play a couple songs with the original lineup, but at best that would placate them for a month or two, at worst they'd be even more vocal and obnoxious about the need for a reunion.

[Kira]

Wonder if Axl will absolutely hate current GnR one day? My bet is yep.

That's only a matter of time.

Seeing as how he doesn't hate any of the former CD members, I'm pretty sure that you 2 don't have a single clue about what you're talking about.

Enlighten me about how you know that Slash is completely innocent and Axl is the devil though, that's always good for a laugh.

Nowhere did I say that. But let's face it Axl has had problems with almost everyone that was ever close to him, who weren't dependent on him for a job. Are all these people at fault? Truth be told, I'm more of an Axl fan than Slash fan. But Slash is a cool guy and well loved in the industry. That speaks for itself I think.

Who hasn't he made up with other than Slash? Out of everyone he's ever played with, Slash is the only one he absolutely refuses to play with. Obviously Slash did something worse to him than anyone else.

He's had quarrels with every band member (real not employees) at one point or another. He's fired countless managers. Separated from many people that were friends in the old days. Been in many public feuds. The common denominator here is Axl. I don't know why he hates Slash so much, but I suspect that it has to do with the fact that Slash was successful without him, and Slash has a lot of celebrity support, I think that burns his ass.

Unless you're subjecting Slash's success to opinion, he was only successful for one album with Duff, Matt and Weiland to back him up. The rest of his stuff wasn't any sort of amazing success story.

I really don't think that Axl is jealous at all. If he was, he should hate Duff too.

Frankly, it's irrational. I think He's just projected onto Slash every thing that went wrong in his life. He needs someone to blame.

[The Real McCoy]

Axl doesn't sell his soul or sell out his beliefs and he gets ten tons of grief for it.

I applaud Axl for standing up for what he believes in. The man has my utmost respect.

[axl_on_drums]

Axl doesn't sell his soul or sell out his beliefs and he gets ten tons of grief for it.

I applaud Axl for standing up for what he believes in. The man has my utmost respect.

You have to wonder though.. are his beliefs a little..misguided

[Kira]

You don't always get what you want in life, things just happen. Axl seemingly thought for a while about this statement he made today, posting the positives and negatives and putting them in the light. Sure, all the fall will be put on Axl, and his "damned if I don't, damned if I do" quote is completely true. If Axl showed up and didn't play, he would have been bashed. If didn't show up with no reason, people would be pissed off at Axl.

Now, he writes a long thought-out letter to the fans explaining why he won't attend and people are still pissed?

Yes, I am disappointed. But it's not the end of the world. If you thought there was going to be a reunion of the old line-up, then I feel sorry for you. There's nothing worse then getting your hopes up for something that had no chance of happening in the first place.

I disagree. If he had showed up and not played, people still would have respected the fact that he made an effort to be in the same room with the band and just deal with it. He just loves shooting himself in the foot doesn't he?

Absolutely, 100% disagree. These are people who complain about everything. They complain about lack of communication and then, when he does communicate, they complain about what he says. The same people who are pissed that he's not showing up at all would be complaining if he showed up and didn't play. To say otherwise shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the mentality of those who are mad right now. These are the "reunion or bust" people who would never be satisfied by anything but a full on reunion. Oh, sure, they may claim otherwise, that all they want is for Axl to show up and play a couple songs with the original lineup, but at best that would placate them for a month or two, at worst they'd be even more vocal and obnoxious about the need for a reunion.

I don't think so. I never wanted a reunion, but I still know that what Axl is doing is wrong.