Jump to content

Slash: Axl's letter refusing the HOF induction set a fire that made us play


Original GNR

Recommended Posts

http://host.madison.com/entertainment/music/for-slash-everything-s-coming-up-guns-n-roses/article_e0d3d6e9-9ced-5b87-871a-d75da4b66086.html

Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash must feel as though he’s living in a time warp these days.

On one hand, he’s about to hit the road with a new touring band headed by Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy in support of his forthcoming solo album, “Apocalyptic Love.” On the other, Guns’ landmark album “Appetite for Destruction” turns 25 later this year, and the influential crew was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the band even performed at the April ceremony minus a couple key cogs: the media shy Izzy Stradlin and pugnacious frontman Axl Rose, who has publicly feuded with his former mates for years.

In a recent phone interview, Slash, who visits the Orpheum Theatre for a concert on Wednesday, May 16, opened up about reuniting with Guns, having the drug talk with his kids and how he thinks he’d fare against his avatar in “Guitar Hero.”

How did it feel getting up onstage recently with most of the Guns N’ Roses guys at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions?

It was a really nice event all around, and it was a special moment for all the guys that showed up. It was a nightmare going into it, but when it actually happened it was like, “This is pretty cool.”

At what point did your attitude change? Was it when you all finally got onstage together?

Going up there you feel very much part of something that is bigger than…all the stories, drugs, the fights and this and that and the other. There was a body of a music that had a significant impact. When you think about where we come from, which is really like sort of the back alleys of Hollywood and being just scourges of the neighborhood…it was like, “Wow. It was a pretty big thing we ended up doing.”

What was your initial reaction after reading Axl Rose’s open letter to the Rock Hall (in which the frontman refused induction)?

The funny thing is we never would have played had he never written it. I think at one point he alluded he was at least going to go, and so we hadn’t really prepared to play at all. We were just going to show up as almost an obligatory thing — more for the fans than anything. But that letter set a fire that was like, “Okay, (bleep) it. We’re going to go play.” So it really almost didn’t happen. And if it hadn’t been for that special letter it wouldn’t have.

In a 1988 interview Axl described you by saying you were quiet, but then you pick up a guitar “and your heart and soul seem to pour out.” Has it always been easier for you to communicate with a guitar in your hands?

I would say that is my main source of communication (laughs). I find I’m more direct and heartfelt with a guitar. It definitely doesn’t come verbally. That’s actually a chore for me.

That seems to contrast with the whole rock and roll lifestyle. Was it hard for you to adapt?

You have a lot of different chemical influences to help you out of your shell, and I’m sure that helped me along with it. But for the most part I think what you do as a musician onstage is completely different from the personality offstage.

The song “Not for Me” (off “Apocalyptic Love”) sounds like it could have been written in response to those wildest years in Guns.

It’s an interesting take on those subjects of drugs and booze, because usually we’re promoting (that lifestyle). It’s a song about the morning after when you sort of decide you’re tired of the whole thing. It’s something everybody feels at one time or another.

What was that wake-up call for you (the guitarist has been sober since 2006)?

I’ve had many wake-up calls (laughs). You take it so far and then you have that feeling the next day when you look at the waste you left behind the night before and you start thinking, “God, I’m done with this.” But it’s really hard to get off that train. For me, it really took a long time to get to that point where I finally said, “I’m done.”

When the time comes, how will you handle the drug talk with your two children?

We’ve had one already because I have a 9-year-old who hangs out at the skate park, so he’s seen a few things over there. He’s got a great attitude, so it wasn’t an extensive talk. I didn’t need to try and influence his thinking because he was already there.

Have you ever faced off against digital Slash in “Guitar Hero III?”

No, I haven’t. I’ve seen it, though. They have these stand-up “Guitar Heroes” in arcades and I’ve walked into those a couple times and seen kids playing with my avatar. It’s very unsettling (laughs).

Do you think you could take him?

As soon I knew I was in the game I stopped playing it. But when I was playing “Guitar Hero II” I was pretty damned good, so maybe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 156
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

This is the point I have stated repeatedly before; Axl just made it easier for them to perform that night by releasing that letter (in fact it seems that it spurred them on further to play). If he had turned up or if he had even simply not issued that letter, there probably would not have been no performance. Loving how reactionary the GnR world is...

:shrugs:

Edited by KiraMPD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the point I have stated repeatedly before; Axl just made it easier for them to perform that night by releasing that letter (in fact it seems that it spurred them on further to play). If he had turned up or if he had even simply not issued that letter, there probably would not have been no performance. Loving how reactionary the GnR world is...

:shrugs:

"Reactionary" is the polite term.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://host.madison.com/entertainment/music/for-slash-everything-s-coming-up-guns-n-roses/article_e0d3d6e9-9ced-5b87-871a-d75da4b66086.html

Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash must feel as though he’s living in a time warp these days.

On one hand, he’s about to hit the road with a new touring band headed by Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy in support of his forthcoming solo album, “Apocalyptic Love.” On the other, Guns’ landmark album “Appetite for Destruction” turns 25 later this year, and the influential crew was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the band even performed at the April ceremony minus a couple key cogs: the media shy Izzy Stradlin and pugnacious frontman Axl Rose, who has publicly feuded with his former mates for years.

In a recent phone interview, Slash, who visits the Orpheum Theatre for a concert on Wednesday, May 16, opened up about reuniting with Guns, having the drug talk with his kids and how he thinks he’d fare against his avatar in “Guitar Hero.”

How did it feel getting up onstage recently with most of the Guns N’ Roses guys at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions?

It was a really nice event all around, and it was a special moment for all the guys that showed up. It was a nightmare going into it, but when it actually happened it was like, “This is pretty cool.”

At what point did your attitude change? Was it when you all finally got onstage together?

Going up there you feel very much part of something that is bigger than…all the stories, drugs, the fights and this and that and the other. There was a body of a music that had a significant impact. When you think about where we come from, which is really like sort of the back alleys of Hollywood and being just scourges of the neighborhood…it was like, “Wow. It was a pretty big thing we ended up doing.”

What was your initial reaction after reading Axl Rose’s open letter to the Rock Hall (in which the frontman refused induction)?

The funny thing is we never would have played had he never written it. I think at one point he alluded he was at least going to go, and so we hadn’t really prepared to play at all. We were just going to show up as almost an obligatory thing — more for the fans than anything. But that letter set a fire that was like, “Okay, (bleep) it. We’re going to go play.” So it really almost didn’t happen. And if it hadn’t been for that special letter it wouldn’t have.

In a 1988 interview Axl described you by saying you were quiet, but then you pick up a guitar “and your heart and soul seem to pour out.” Has it always been easier for you to communicate with a guitar in your hands?

I would say that is my main source of communication (laughs). I find I’m more direct and heartfelt with a guitar. It definitely doesn’t come verbally. That’s actually a chore for me.

That seems to contrast with the whole rock and roll lifestyle. Was it hard for you to adapt?

You have a lot of different chemical influences to help you out of your shell, and I’m sure that helped me along with it. But for the most part I think what you do as a musician onstage is completely different from the personality offstage.

The song “Not for Me” (off “Apocalyptic Love”) sounds like it could have been written in response to those wildest years in Guns.

It’s an interesting take on those subjects of drugs and booze, because usually we’re promoting (that lifestyle). It’s a song about the morning after when you sort of decide you’re tired of the whole thing. It’s something everybody feels at one time or another.

What was that wake-up call for you (the guitarist has been sober since 2006)?

I’ve had many wake-up calls (laughs). You take it so far and then you have that feeling the next day when you look at the waste you left behind the night before and you start thinking, “God, I’m done with this.” But it’s really hard to get off that train. For me, it really took a long time to get to that point where I finally said, “I’m done.”

When the time comes, how will you handle the drug talk with your two children?

We’ve had one already because I have a 9-year-old who hangs out at the skate park, so he’s seen a few things over there. He’s got a great attitude, so it wasn’t an extensive talk. I didn’t need to try and influence his thinking because he was already there.

Have you ever faced off against digital Slash in “Guitar Hero III?”

No, I haven’t. I’ve seen it, though. They have these stand-up “Guitar Heroes” in arcades and I’ve walked into those a couple times and seen kids playing with my avatar. It’s very unsettling (laughs).

Do you think you could take him?

As soon I knew I was in the game I stopped playing it. But when I was playing “Guitar Hero II” I was pretty damned good, so maybe.

I respect Axl's decision not to attend because any man has the right not to do something they do not want to. But he made it a lot easier for the alumni to continue as the hero and Axl to continue as the heal. In the end its a shame they couldnt put their differences aside for one night. I was hoping (more than a performance) that they simply put aside the hate especially on Axl's side. Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

Agreed.. Axl has been pathetic for a long time though.. It amazes how cool I used to think he was.

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

Agreed.. Axl has been pathetic for a long time though.. It amazes how cool I used to think he was.

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.

Please elaborate,I'm sure you possess intricate knowledge to come to this monumentous pronouncement :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I respect Axl's decision not to attend because any man has the right not to do something they do not want to. But he made it a lot easier for the alumni to continue as the hero and Axl to continue as the heal. In the end its a shame they couldnt put their differences aside for one night. I was hoping (more than a performance) that they simply put aside the hate especially on Axl's side. Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

I agree with you a little there. I too respect his decision but I was still disappointed by it. By no means was I expecting a "reunion" or even a "reconciliation" but I felt that Axl almost owed it to himself to attend, ya know? He managed to achieve a lot in his life since the music he helped create still resonates today and he should be able to accept the accolade without all the bad stuff overshadowing it. It would have been a good career/public image move too. But... I understand somewhat why he made that decision in the end (I believe it factored more than just his hate for one man though most of the problems seem to stem from that).

I think it was an unwise move not to attend in the way he did since attending might have improved some people's opinions of him a little. But in the end we get the same old story; the majority hating on Axl while appraising the Alumni as heroes while Izzy is god knows where (probably laughing at the whole situation). The world keeps on spinnin... :shrugs:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IMHO it was not the fact that he did not show which caused the shitstorm it was the way he went about it. Waiting until the last minute to decline and then writing what came off as a bitter letter to announce he was not going.

Sure he would have still caught shit for not attending but if he had done it a month or two earlier and just made a quiet announcement he was not going it would have blown over by the time of the event.

But then again he did get publicity out of it and as the saying goes there is not such thing as bad publicity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://host.madison.com/entertainment/music/for-slash-everything-s-coming-up-guns-n-roses/article_e0d3d6e9-9ced-5b87-871a-d75da4b66086.html

Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash must feel as though he’s living in a time warp these days.

On one hand, he’s about to hit the road with a new touring band headed by Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy in support of his forthcoming solo album, “Apocalyptic Love.” On the other, Guns’ landmark album “Appetite for Destruction” turns 25 later this year, and the influential crew was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the band even performed at the April ceremony minus a couple key cogs: the media shy Izzy Stradlin and pugnacious frontman Axl Rose, who has publicly feuded with his former mates for years.

In a recent phone interview, Slash, who visits the Orpheum Theatre for a concert on Wednesday, May 16, opened up about reuniting with Guns, having the drug talk with his kids and how he thinks he’d fare against his avatar in “Guitar Hero.”

How did it feel getting up onstage recently with most of the Guns N’ Roses guys at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions?

It was a really nice event all around, and it was a special moment for all the guys that showed up. It was a nightmare going into it, but when it actually happened it was like, “This is pretty cool.”

At what point did your attitude change? Was it when you all finally got onstage together?

Going up there you feel very much part of something that is bigger than…all the stories, drugs, the fights and this and that and the other. There was a body of a music that had a significant impact. When you think about where we come from, which is really like sort of the back alleys of Hollywood and being just scourges of the neighborhood…it was like, “Wow. It was a pretty big thing we ended up doing.”

What was your initial reaction after reading Axl Rose’s open letter to the Rock Hall (in which the frontman refused induction)?

The funny thing is we never would have played had he never written it. I think at one point he alluded he was at least going to go, and so we hadn’t really prepared to play at all. We were just going to show up as almost an obligatory thing — more for the fans than anything. But that letter set a fire that was like, “Okay, (bleep) it. We’re going to go play.” So it really almost didn’t happen. And if it hadn’t been for that special letter it wouldn’t have.

In a 1988 interview Axl described you by saying you were quiet, but then you pick up a guitar “and your heart and soul seem to pour out.” Has it always been easier for you to communicate with a guitar in your hands?

I would say that is my main source of communication (laughs). I find I’m more direct and heartfelt with a guitar. It definitely doesn’t come verbally. That’s actually a chore for me.

That seems to contrast with the whole rock and roll lifestyle. Was it hard for you to adapt?

You have a lot of different chemical influences to help you out of your shell, and I’m sure that helped me along with it. But for the most part I think what you do as a musician onstage is completely different from the personality offstage.

The song “Not for Me” (off “Apocalyptic Love”) sounds like it could have been written in response to those wildest years in Guns.

It’s an interesting take on those subjects of drugs and booze, because usually we’re promoting (that lifestyle). It’s a song about the morning after when you sort of decide you’re tired of the whole thing. It’s something everybody feels at one time or another.

What was that wake-up call for you (the guitarist has been sober since 2006)?

I’ve had many wake-up calls (laughs). You take it so far and then you have that feeling the next day when you look at the waste you left behind the night before and you start thinking, “God, I’m done with this.” But it’s really hard to get off that train. For me, it really took a long time to get to that point where I finally said, “I’m done.”

When the time comes, how will you handle the drug talk with your two children?

We’ve had one already because I have a 9-year-old who hangs out at the skate park, so he’s seen a few things over there. He’s got a great attitude, so it wasn’t an extensive talk. I didn’t need to try and influence his thinking because he was already there.

Have you ever faced off against digital Slash in “Guitar Hero III?”

No, I haven’t. I’ve seen it, though. They have these stand-up “Guitar Heroes” in arcades and I’ve walked into those a couple times and seen kids playing with my avatar. It’s very unsettling (laughs).

Do you think you could take him?

As soon I knew I was in the game I stopped playing it. But when I was playing “Guitar Hero II” I was pretty damned good, so maybe.

I respect Axl's decision not to attend because any man has the right not to do something they do not want to. But he made it a lot easier for the alumni to continue as the hero and Axl to continue as the heal. In the end its a shame they couldnt put their differences aside for one night. I was hoping (more than a performance) that they simply put aside the hate especially on Axl's side. Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

So,compromising your values in order to fufill some magazine mogul's private,meaningless,overblown awards show is paramount in your world?

Take into consideration whom the quote originated from that sparked this overly-discussed,needless topic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's like Axl is their dad.

Well if Axl was going to turn up there was no point them planning a performance unless they had contact with him, which was never going to happen. Once they found out he wasn't turning up there was no one else to consult but themselves regarding a performance, so they naturally thought fuck it let's just perform. When they were unsure if Axl was going to attend there wasn't any way they could have planned a performance without him if he was actually in attendance...

Well, there you go. All of the reunionists should be happy and thanking Axl, as he is the catalyst for the life-changing quasi-reunion performance that happened at the RRHOF.

Not really. Slash, Duff, Steven, Matt (and even Izzy in the past) have got up and played on stage together many times in the past without any drama or planning. They could and would do it again tomorrow if they wanted to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.
Agreed.. Axl has been pathetic for a long time though.. It amazes how cool I used to think he was.
Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.
Please elaborate,I'm sure you possess intricate knowledge to come to this monumentous pronouncement :rolleyes:

Nahh, just the basic observation skills people normally have. It's my own conclusion. I prefer thinking this way rather than just going for the other possible explanation, that is Axl being a complete asshole who doesn't give a shit about anyone in any level, and that thinks of himself as a superior person. I prefer my Axl insane... no need to feel offended :rofl-lol:

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.
No one is. :xmassrudolph:

True that. :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Slash had the rights to GNR and everyone went separate ways yet Slash hired myles, a guitarist, drummer and bassist and made blues rock calling it Guns N' Roses would there be as many complaints? Hell maybe he keeps Duff and Sorum, would it seem 'more' GNR than it is with Axl Rose at the helm driving the ship with his demented yet unique visions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.

No one is. :xmassrudolph:

Exactly everyone has a different set of eccentricities,which undoubtedly strike others as "crazy". So easy to slap that label on others,while gazing into a mirror and seeing nothing amiss. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.

No one is. :xmassrudolph:

Exactly everyone has a different set of eccentricities,which undoubtedly strike others as "crazy". So easy to slap that label on others,while gazing into a mirror and seeing nothing amiss. ;)

The thing is... psycho analyzing Axl on the forum would be very interesting indeed and a part of me really wanted to take part in the whole "Axl is Bi-Polar" debate we had going on a few days ago but at the same time I refuse to take part it. I think there is a point where we should remember that we are talking about a real human being here and a line in the sand should be drawn... :shrugs:

If Slash had the rights to GNR and everyone went separate ways yet Slash hired myles, a guitarist, drummer and bassist and made blues rock calling it Guns N' Roses would there be as many complaints? Hell maybe he keeps Duff and Sorum, would it seem 'more' GNR than it is with Axl Rose at the helm driving the ship with his demented yet unique visions?

To some it would it seems. Every time a reunion hype comes up (with people hating on Axl for not reuniting) I often find myself wondering, "do we really care that much about a name?". Do some (most actually) of us just not like the fact that the name is with Axl and would rather it be with Slash, Duff, etc? If people really dislike Axl so much why not just jump ship and enjoy what Slash is doing right now without constantly associating back to GnR?

Bah! I digress...

Anyway, I think the main thing that erks people about the "rights to GnR" situation is that controversy behind how is was obtained (added to Axl's constant "asshole-ish" behavior). I think most just see him as the enemy, like a bully that took away their favorite toy... while viewing Slash n' co as the underdogs that were forced out of the band by mean-old Axl.

Edited by KiraMPD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://host.madison.com/entertainment/music/for-slash-everything-s-coming-up-guns-n-roses/article_e0d3d6e9-9ced-5b87-871a-d75da4b66086.html

Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash must feel as though he’s living in a time warp these days.

On one hand, he’s about to hit the road with a new touring band headed by Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy in support of his forthcoming solo album, “Apocalyptic Love.” On the other, Guns’ landmark album “Appetite for Destruction” turns 25 later this year, and the influential crew was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the band even performed at the April ceremony minus a couple key cogs: the media shy Izzy Stradlin and pugnacious frontman Axl Rose, who has publicly feuded with his former mates for years.

In a recent phone interview, Slash, who visits the Orpheum Theatre for a concert on Wednesday, May 16, opened up about reuniting with Guns, having the drug talk with his kids and how he thinks he’d fare against his avatar in “Guitar Hero.”

How did it feel getting up onstage recently with most of the Guns N’ Roses guys at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions?

It was a really nice event all around, and it was a special moment for all the guys that showed up. It was a nightmare going into it, but when it actually happened it was like, “This is pretty cool.”

At what point did your attitude change? Was it when you all finally got onstage together?

Going up there you feel very much part of something that is bigger than…all the stories, drugs, the fights and this and that and the other. There was a body of a music that had a significant impact. When you think about where we come from, which is really like sort of the back alleys of Hollywood and being just scourges of the neighborhood…it was like, “Wow. It was a pretty big thing we ended up doing.”

What was your initial reaction after reading Axl Rose’s open letter to the Rock Hall (in which the frontman refused induction)?

The funny thing is we never would have played had he never written it. I think at one point he alluded he was at least going to go, and so we hadn’t really prepared to play at all. We were just going to show up as almost an obligatory thing — more for the fans than anything. But that letter set a fire that was like, “Okay, (bleep) it. We’re going to go play.” So it really almost didn’t happen. And if it hadn’t been for that special letter it wouldn’t have.

In a 1988 interview Axl described you by saying you were quiet, but then you pick up a guitar “and your heart and soul seem to pour out.” Has it always been easier for you to communicate with a guitar in your hands?

I would say that is my main source of communication (laughs). I find I’m more direct and heartfelt with a guitar. It definitely doesn’t come verbally. That’s actually a chore for me.

That seems to contrast with the whole rock and roll lifestyle. Was it hard for you to adapt?

You have a lot of different chemical influences to help you out of your shell, and I’m sure that helped me along with it. But for the most part I think what you do as a musician onstage is completely different from the personality offstage.

The song “Not for Me” (off “Apocalyptic Love”) sounds like it could have been written in response to those wildest years in Guns.

It’s an interesting take on those subjects of drugs and booze, because usually we’re promoting (that lifestyle). It’s a song about the morning after when you sort of decide you’re tired of the whole thing. It’s something everybody feels at one time or another.

What was that wake-up call for you (the guitarist has been sober since 2006)?

I’ve had many wake-up calls (laughs). You take it so far and then you have that feeling the next day when you look at the waste you left behind the night before and you start thinking, “God, I’m done with this.” But it’s really hard to get off that train. For me, it really took a long time to get to that point where I finally said, “I’m done.”

When the time comes, how will you handle the drug talk with your two children?

We’ve had one already because I have a 9-year-old who hangs out at the skate park, so he’s seen a few things over there. He’s got a great attitude, so it wasn’t an extensive talk. I didn’t need to try and influence his thinking because he was already there.

Have you ever faced off against digital Slash in “Guitar Hero III?”

No, I haven’t. I’ve seen it, though. They have these stand-up “Guitar Heroes” in arcades and I’ve walked into those a couple times and seen kids playing with my avatar. It’s very unsettling (laughs).

Do you think you could take him?

As soon I knew I was in the game I stopped playing it. But when I was playing “Guitar Hero II” I was pretty damned good, so maybe.

I respect Axl's decision not to attend because any man has the right not to do something they do not want to. But he made it a lot easier for the alumni to continue as the hero and Axl to continue as the heal. In the end its a shame they couldnt put their differences aside for one night. I was hoping (more than a performance) that they simply put aside the hate especially on Axl's side. Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

So,compromising your values in order to fufill some magazine mogul's private,meaningless,overblown awards show is paramount in your world?

Take into consideration whom the quote originated from that sparked this overly-discussed,needless topic.

Im not even sure where you're coming from with your response. How is hoping 2 people can put aside their differences compromising one's values? I said I respected Axl's decision, which I do but that doesnt mean the general public or media does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.

No one is. :xmassrudolph:

Exactly everyone has a different set of eccentricities,which undoubtedly strike others as "crazy". So easy to slap that label on others,while gazing into a mirror and seeing nothing amiss. ;)

It's nice your sticking up for your little buddy there. But there are ex-managers, ex-band members, ex-girlfriends, employees, friends, celebrities, psychiatrists and such that have most definetly spent more time dealing with lill' old Axl than you have. And from what I've generally read/heard, they can't all be wrong. OR IS EVERYBODY ALL OUT TO GET HIM!?!?!?!? YES, BECAUSE IT'S AXL THE SAINT, LITERALLY JESUS ON STAGE! Seriously, stop wiggling your tongue, his @$$ is in his mansion far away from caring about you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.

No one is. :xmassrudolph:

Exactly everyone has a different set of eccentricities,which undoubtedly strike others as "crazy". So easy to slap that label on others,while gazing into a mirror and seeing nothing amiss. ;)

The thing is... psycho analyzing Axl on the forum would be very interesting indeed and a part of me really wanted to take part in the whole "Axl is Bi-Polar" debate we had going on a few days ago but at the same time I refuse to take part it. I think there is a point where we should remember that we are talking about a real human being here and a line in the sand should be drawn... :shrugs:

If Slash had the rights to GNR and everyone went separate ways yet Slash hired myles, a guitarist, drummer and bassist and made blues rock calling it Guns N' Roses would there be as many complaints? Hell maybe he keeps Duff and Sorum, would it seem 'more' GNR than it is with Axl Rose at the helm driving the ship with his demented yet unique visions?

To some it would it seems. Every time a reunion hype comes up (with people hating on Axl for not reuniting) I often find myself wondering, "do we really care that much about a name?". Do some (most actually) of us just not like the fact that the name is with Axl and would rather it be with Slash, Duff, etc? If people really dislike Axl so much why not just jump ship and enjoy what Slash is doing right now without constantly associating back to GnR?

Bah! I digress...

Anyway, I think the main thing that erks people about the "rights to GnR" situation is that controversy behind how is was obtained (added to Axl's constant "asshole-ish" behavior). I think most just see him as the enemy, like a bully that took away their favorite toy... while viewing Slash n' co as the underdogs that were forced out of the band by mean-old Axl.

Honestly I disagree a bit with you...Had any one member kept the name going as Axl has the fallout would be the same. Problem is Axl has blown several opportunities to shine (not referring to the RnRHOF). Take RIR recently the guy blew the opportunity, doesnt matter what happened afterwards he blew it on the biggest stage with a full blow proshot sound board show. IMO as long as Axl had at least one member of the alumni and released music somewhat regularly people would have a much better attitude towards him. slash said it best in a recent interview, they always knew if something got Axl's creative juices flowing he would create something great but the problem was getting him going. Probably still somewhat the case

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://host.madison.com/entertainment/music/for-slash-everything-s-coming-up-guns-n-roses/article_e0d3d6e9-9ced-5b87-871a-d75da4b66086.html

Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash must feel as though he’s living in a time warp these days.

On one hand, he’s about to hit the road with a new touring band headed by Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy in support of his forthcoming solo album, “Apocalyptic Love.” On the other, Guns’ landmark album “Appetite for Destruction” turns 25 later this year, and the influential crew was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the band even performed at the April ceremony minus a couple key cogs: the media shy Izzy Stradlin and pugnacious frontman Axl Rose, who has publicly feuded with his former mates for years.

In a recent phone interview, Slash, who visits the Orpheum Theatre for a concert on Wednesday, May 16, opened up about reuniting with Guns, having the drug talk with his kids and how he thinks he’d fare against his avatar in “Guitar Hero.”

How did it feel getting up onstage recently with most of the Guns N’ Roses guys at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions?

It was a really nice event all around, and it was a special moment for all the guys that showed up. It was a nightmare going into it, but when it actually happened it was like, “This is pretty cool.”

At what point did your attitude change? Was it when you all finally got onstage together?

Going up there you feel very much part of something that is bigger than…all the stories, drugs, the fights and this and that and the other. There was a body of a music that had a significant impact. When you think about where we come from, which is really like sort of the back alleys of Hollywood and being just scourges of the neighborhood…it was like, “Wow. It was a pretty big thing we ended up doing.”

What was your initial reaction after reading Axl Rose’s open letter to the Rock Hall (in which the frontman refused induction)?

The funny thing is we never would have played had he never written it. I think at one point he alluded he was at least going to go, and so we hadn’t really prepared to play at all. We were just going to show up as almost an obligatory thing — more for the fans than anything. But that letter set a fire that was like, “Okay, (bleep) it. We’re going to go play.” So it really almost didn’t happen. And if it hadn’t been for that special letter it wouldn’t have.

In a 1988 interview Axl described you by saying you were quiet, but then you pick up a guitar “and your heart and soul seem to pour out.” Has it always been easier for you to communicate with a guitar in your hands?

I would say that is my main source of communication (laughs). I find I’m more direct and heartfelt with a guitar. It definitely doesn’t come verbally. That’s actually a chore for me.

That seems to contrast with the whole rock and roll lifestyle. Was it hard for you to adapt?

You have a lot of different chemical influences to help you out of your shell, and I’m sure that helped me along with it. But for the most part I think what you do as a musician onstage is completely different from the personality offstage.

The song “Not for Me” (off “Apocalyptic Love”) sounds like it could have been written in response to those wildest years in Guns.

It’s an interesting take on those subjects of drugs and booze, because usually we’re promoting (that lifestyle). It’s a song about the morning after when you sort of decide you’re tired of the whole thing. It’s something everybody feels at one time or another.

What was that wake-up call for you (the guitarist has been sober since 2006)?

I’ve had many wake-up calls (laughs). You take it so far and then you have that feeling the next day when you look at the waste you left behind the night before and you start thinking, “God, I’m done with this.” But it’s really hard to get off that train. For me, it really took a long time to get to that point where I finally said, “I’m done.”

When the time comes, how will you handle the drug talk with your two children?

We’ve had one already because I have a 9-year-old who hangs out at the skate park, so he’s seen a few things over there. He’s got a great attitude, so it wasn’t an extensive talk. I didn’t need to try and influence his thinking because he was already there.

Have you ever faced off against digital Slash in “Guitar Hero III?”

No, I haven’t. I’ve seen it, though. They have these stand-up “Guitar Heroes” in arcades and I’ve walked into those a couple times and seen kids playing with my avatar. It’s very unsettling (laughs).

Do you think you could take him?

As soon I knew I was in the game I stopped playing it. But when I was playing “Guitar Hero II” I was pretty damned good, so maybe.

I respect Axl's decision not to attend because any man has the right not to do something they do not want to. But he made it a lot easier for the alumni to continue as the hero and Axl to continue as the heal. In the end its a shame they couldnt put their differences aside for one night. I was hoping (more than a performance) that they simply put aside the hate especially on Axl's side. Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

So,compromising your values in order to fufill some magazine mogul's private,meaningless,overblown awards show is paramount in your world?

Take into consideration whom the quote originated from that sparked this overly-discussed,needless topic.

Im not even sure where you're coming from with your response. How is hoping 2 people can put aside their differences compromising one's values? I said I respected Axl's decision, which I do but that doesnt mean the general public or media does.

I have a bit of a problem that you would rank entertainment value above standing on one's convictions.It's jann wenner's handpicked

Favorites,the public doesn't vote,

I can think of a virtual plethoria of bands that deserve to be there but aren't,so I don't know what criteria needs to be met.

I've visited twice.

Award shows aren't always what they are cracked up to be,remember when Jethro Tull beat out Metallica for "best metal band?" :lol:

And SCOM got a moonman for best new "metal" song? Both were a bit off imo.

For whatever reasons people are still shoveling shit,and making comments about the RRHOF 2012, its over,and you can't see the future by looking in your rear view window.

It isn't GNR news,I'm not interested in what slash has to say anymore.

Edited by sailaway
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its really somewhat pathetic to still have this total hate for one man.

Agreed.. Axl has been pathetic for a long time though.. It amazes how cool I used to think he was.

Axl's got serious mental issues. Dude's not 100% sane.

Why? Because he doesn't fulfill your expectation? What Slash wrote was not sane. It's called passive aggression

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...