why did robin leave?

[wasted]

The problem for these guitarists is they are in other peoples bands and maybe that's how they like it. If Finck could start a band called Robin and sell out stadiums..we want it all to be this nice situation but it's probably not.

Often times the singer or frontman writes the songs. Like Blur Albarn writes all the songs and guitarist is always frustrated that his distortion guitar isn't the main thing of the band. It's an

Important aspect but it's the nursery rhymes that make the band.

[funny_fish]

I've never really wondered why he left, I've always wondered why he did not leave sooner.

I've met Robin several times since 2008, never asked him, and never will. From most accounts I've read of people who do ask (note: yes, I said most... and no, I don't intend to spread any rumours since I can't confirm that the couple stories I've read where he did give partial answers are 100% true), he tends to dodge questions related to his departure or give non-answers. I don't know if he'll ever change his mind and decide to speak on the subject, but if he does it's something he'd likely do on his own terms and not at the request of GN'R fans. I don't really see it happening.

Edited June 23, 2012 by funny_fish

[Apollo]

Weird how the typical worshippers stay out of topics like this.

people who focus on facts, you label as "worshipers."

almost nobody on this board knows why robin left. so maybe the "worshipers" are staying out of this thread because they are not fond of making things up? which is all anybody here could do other than a select few, who wouldn't open their mouths anyway.

So you, Ali and the worship crew have no response to the list of reasons that robin said? Somebody posted a list of Robin quotes. A couple of people passed on stories they heard from people they trust.

I don't think you guys are staying away because you don't want to make things up....more likely because you can't defend Axl from the things thay Robin actually said. Half of the crew would rather cut off a finger than acknowledge Axl being at fault for something.

[finck6]

contrary to what msl says, i think there's lots of stories out there that can explain why robin left. i told one. now that mygnr is back, there's actually a forum where people who do have stories could tell them. i want to encourage that. obviously, i'm not hoping for an authoritative account as if it were from robin himself. but i know what our mutual friend said about his situation. i know that some people who were connected to bucket's group were able to share some stories they heard. i want to encourage that. i live in la and work in the entertainment field and have plenty of friends who do too. it's a small town, despite being a big city. it's not hard to meet people who've worked with gnr or have some bizarre connection you wouldn't expect. i think 10 years ago there was more of a desire to protect axl by keeping people from sharing stories about what all went on, or band gossip. but now that chinese democracy plopped out and has become a distant memory, i think maybe there's a chance we'll start hearing more stories about its making.

I hope so dude. And yes ChinDem did definitely "plop".

I tolerated Bucket leaving because I was so interested in what Robin was working on and couldn't wait to hear it. He crossed my radar on the NIN DVD about the Downward Spiral tour I believe. When I heard Axl was working with him I was excited.

Still wanna hear that "Stevie Ray Vaughan type solo"......

chidem plopped cause it wasn't properly promoted. if robin was around....chidem would debut #1 on the album charts. the EPIC TIL music vid would b HUGE

[sweetness]

I don't get why people still wonder why people leave GnR when the answer is so obvious.

[finck6]

I don't get why people still wonder why people leave GnR when the answer is so obvious.

robin finck leaving gnr. the reason. or reasons. isn't obvious. not 2 me

[funny_fish]

I don't get why people still wonder why people leave GnR when the answer is so obvious.

robin finck leaving gnr. the reason. or reasons. isn't obvious. not 2 me

Andy Andy Andy... I'll put this in terms you might understand: Robin left because the "EPIC TIL solo" was not EPIC enough to keep him in GN'R.

[sweetness]

I don't get why people still wonder why people leave GnR when the answer is so obvious.

robin finck leaving gnr. the reason. or reasons. isn't obvious. not 2 me

seemingly endless album delays, never being able to speak openly about the band, tour after tour of mostly cover songs, late starts every night, the chance to play with a more functioning band that's headed in a clear direction

come on...

[snooze72]

seemingly endless album delays, never being able to speak openly about the band, tour after tour of mostly cover songs, late starts every night, the chance to play with a more functioning band that's headed in a clear direction

come on...

The delays were wearing, Robin is an extremely creative guy, logically likes to see the fruits of his labors. Robin wouldn't want to speak openly -- at all. Late starts and failed plans bother everybody. Robin was playing NIN/Reznor covers, he had more input in GNR.

[finck6]

I don't get why people still wonder why people leave GnR when the answer is so obvious.

robin finck leaving gnr. the reason. or reasons. isn't obvious. not 2 me

seemingly endless album delays, never being able to speak openly about the band, tour after tour of mostly cover songs, late starts every night, the chance to play with a more functioning band that's headed in a clear direction

come on...

how come dj ashba is able to speak openly about guns n roses? if dj can, robin can too. there is lots of tours of slash songs cause axl wasn't ready to release robin's work to the general music buying public. guns n roses would have functioned in a clearer direction if the 2002 tour wasn't canceled

[funny_fish]

I don't get why people still wonder why people leave GnR when the answer is so obvious.

robin finck leaving gnr. the reason. or reasons. isn't obvious. not 2 me

seemingly endless album delays, never being able to speak openly about the band, tour after tour of mostly cover songs, late starts every night, the chance to play with a more functioning band that's headed in a clear direction

come on...

how come dj ashba is able to speak openly about guns n roses? if dj can, robin can too. there is lots of tours of slash songs cause axl wasn't ready to release robin's work to the general music buying public. guns n roses would have functioned in a clearer direction if the 2002 tour wasn't canceled

You have no idea what you are talking about ever.

[finck6]

I don't get why people still wonder why people leave GnR when the answer is so obvious.

robin finck leaving gnr. the reason. or reasons. isn't obvious. not 2 me

seemingly endless album delays, never being able to speak openly about the band, tour after tour of mostly cover songs, late starts every night, the chance to play with a more functioning band that's headed in a clear direction

come on...

how come dj ashba is able to speak openly about guns n roses? if dj can, robin can too. there is lots of tours of slash songs cause axl wasn't ready to release robin's work to the general music buying public. guns n roses would have functioned in a clearer direction if the 2002 tour wasn't canceled

You have no idea what you are talking about ever.

set me straight if i don't know what's up

[Estranged Reality]

i've said it before, i'll say it again: that '02 band had something really special, really unique. you could hear it when they played the older material - buckethead basically re-writing slash's solos. i mean obviously if you're billing yourself as GN'R then that may be a problem, and i totally understand the hate they got from fans, BUT if you can ignore the label, as an artistic force they were awesome. wasn't keen on finck at the time but he had a unique sound that i miss. when you play chinese democracy you can tell which solos are his, and which are bucket's.

i like the band now and i'll always follow them as long as axl is involved (as i suspect many of you would), but frankly i haven't been excited about them as a 'band' in the way i was back then, because they struck a careful balance between nostalgia (playing old songs) and being their own unique entity (having an original sound, reinventing the old songs and making stuff like 'the blues' sound so amazing).

i really woulda liked to have heard a few albums from that group...

[finck6]

i've said it before, i'll say it again: that '02 band had something really special, really unique. you could hear it when they played the older material - buckethead basically re-writing slash's solos. i mean obviously if you're billing yourself as GN'R then that may be a problem, and i totally understand the hate they got from fans, BUT if you can ignore the label, as an artistic force they were awesome. wasn't keen on finck at the time but he had a unique sound that i miss. when you play chinese democracy you can tell which solos are his, and which are bucket's.

i like the band now and i'll always follow them as long as axl is involved (as i suspect many of you would), but frankly i haven't been excited about them as a 'band' in the way i was back then, because they struck a careful balance between nostalgia (playing old songs) and being their own unique entity (having an original sound, reinventing the old songs and making stuff like 'the blues' sound so amazing).

i really woulda liked to have heard a few albums from that group...

i agree, estranged reality. the 02 lineup. the original chinese democracy band. axl rose. robin finck. buckethead. tommy stinson. richard fortus. dizzy reed. chris pittman. and brain. is magic

[snooze72]

how come dj ashba is able to speak openly about guns n roses?

DJ is still in the honeymoon phase and he hasn't said anything of substance. No question that talking is discouraged and Axl has fired people for it. (And then there's the contracts). But its also that there's no point, everything said changes and then it comes back to bite them. Nobody is dyin' to talk.

i've said it before, i'll say it again: that '02 band had something really special, really unique. you could hear it when they played the older material - buckethead basically re-writing slash's solos. i mean obviously if you're billing yourself as GN'R then that may be a problem, and i totally understand the hate they got from fans, BUT if you can ignore the label, as an artistic force they were awesome. wasn't keen on finck at the time but he had a unique sound that i miss. when you play chinese democracy you can tell which solos are his, and which are bucket's.

i like the band now and i'll always follow them as long as axl is involved (as i suspect many of you would), but frankly i haven't been excited about them as a 'band' in the way i was back then, because they struck a careful balance between nostalgia (playing old songs) and being their own unique entity (having an original sound, reinventing the old songs and making stuff like 'the blues' sound so amazing).

i really woulda liked to have heard a few albums from that group...

Agreed as well.

[finck6]

is dj ashba putting himself in danger of being fired talking about guns n roses business?

[Estranged Reality]

is dj ashba putting himself in danger of being fired talking about guns n roses business?

I don't think it's a coincidence that he is the one talking the most, and is also the one hanging out behind-the-scenes with Axl the most. He probably feels more confident and has a better relationship with Axl right now than some of the other fellas.

I always got the vibe that Tommy and Axl clicked well together back in '06, but it's been a while since I felt that chemistry on stage. Seems like a weird thing to say, but they used to interact a lot more and sort of exchange knowing glances at each other/laugh about stuff and now I see that more with DJ...

[finck6]

is dj ashba putting himself in danger of being fired talking about guns n roses business?

I don't think it's a coincidence that he is the one talking the most, and is also the one hanging out behind-the-scenes with Axl the most. He probably feels more confident and has a better relationship with Axl right now than some of the other fellas.

I always got the vibe that Tommy and Axl clicked well together back in '06, but it's been a while since I felt that chemistry on stage. Seems like a weird thing to say, but they used to interact a lot more and sort of exchange knowing glances at each other/laugh about stuff and now I see that more with DJ...

maybe dj should talk less. especially since there's a tour going on

well. when robin was around.....robin and tommy clicked. robin and axl clicked. robin, tommy, and axl clicked together too. but with dj ashba it doesn't click today with them like it did when robin was clicking with them.

[evergreen_layne]

contrary to what msl says, i think there's lots of stories out there that can explain why robin left. i told one. now that mygnr is back, there's actually a forum where people who do have stories could tell them. i want to encourage that. obviously, i'm not hoping for an authoritative account as if it were from robin himself. but i know what our mutual friend said about his situation. i know that some people who were connected to bucket's group were able to share some stories they heard. i want to encourage that. i live in la and work in the entertainment field and have plenty of friends who do too. it's a small town, despite being a big city. it's not hard to meet people who've worked with gnr or have some bizarre connection you wouldn't expect. i think 10 years ago there was more of a desire to protect axl by keeping people from sharing stories about what all went on, or band gossip. but now that chinese democracy plopped out and has become a distant memory, i think maybe there's a chance we'll start hearing more stories about its making.

I hope so dude. And yes ChinDem did definitely "plop".

I tolerated Bucket leaving because I was so interested in what Robin was working on and couldn't wait to hear it. He crossed my radar on the NIN DVD about the Downward Spiral tour I believe. When I heard Axl was working with him I was excited.

Still wanna hear that "Stevie Ray Vaughan type solo"......

On 6/6/09, I had the amazing opportunity to attend a Nine Innch Nails meet & greet and soundcheck in Holmdel, NJ. The four members of NIN were sitting at a table and we each had an opportunity to chat with them as they signed whatever we brought. Robin was very laid back and soft spoken. He thaked the fans for coming to the fundraiser but was much quieter than then other guys. He was wearing the same Gucci sunglasses as my wife (which he didn't seem too amused when she pointed it out) and he was talking with the bass player sitting next to him. Here is what I heard...

-He recently knitted his wife (Bianca) a blanket for their anniversary (Trent heard this and said "how did I not know that you knit?")

-I told him that my brother almost got his red boot off at GNR MSG in December '06 when he was crowd surfing. He giggled a bit and said "oh yeah?". I asked if he brought the boots for this tour and he said "no they are in the attic".

-I told him how very much I love the song Better and how it is the sounds of my two favorite bands coming together. At this point, the douche bag dressed like a vampire next to me says "how much of an asshole is Axl Rose?". Robin replied "not at all - he is a brilliant artist and a good soul"

-When I got tonTrent, one of the fifty things I asked was "what was the deal with all of the Axl signings on NIN.com?". He goes "who?". Everyone laughed. I then asked about opening for GN'R in '91 and he said it was a nice gesture, but he didn't use his best judgment by opting to do it. He said he didn't see Axl at all before the shows except once in the hall and Axl was surrounded by 7 people at all times so Trent never thanked him personally (but he did send him a note). He did say that Sebastian Bach and Duff McKagan were cool.

I know it isn't much, but thought I'd share.

Sorry for the double post also.

thats a nice thing he said about Axl thanks for sharing.

[Jordan Rose]

So you, Ali and the worship crew have no response to the list of reasons that robin said? Somebody posted a list of Robin quotes. A couple of people passed on stories they heard from people they trust.

I don't think you guys are staying away because you don't want to make things up....more likely because you can't defend Axl from the things thay Robin actually said. Half of the crew would rather cut off a finger than acknowledge Axl being at fault for something.

Why would I have a response to things Robin said over ten years ago that were discussed ad naseum at the time?

I've stated repeatedly that I feel there are a million valid reasons to criticize Axl and I simply choose to correct or counter the few reasons that are untrue or invalid.

I have no interest in defending anything other than the truth. It is you that chooses to paint me as blindly defending Axl Rose when nothing could be further from the truth. This is simply the latest example of your lame propaganda.

You choose to defend setlists and lack of new material as if the situation were as normal as e.g. the band having released the as yet unheard album in 2008 with promotion and the clear intention of touring it for 4 years. You use this argument that it's all perfectly appreciable because they've toured it for the same amount of time as Illusions, are playing the new album in new markets etc when even Axl himself stated he planned/hoped to have album 2 out as soon as 2009 (would make sense since half the new songs had already been toured a lot).

Not meaning to drag this cool thread off topic into setlist/new album debate, just pointing out that for a smart dude you use some monkey logic.

[wasted]

I actually never thought of them as a band back in the day. The album was just awesome and they were fucked and there' was tons of controversy around them. I mean they broke up after the first record basically.

[DeadSlash]

if anyone's got any interesting behind-the-scenes stories of robin's role in the band and his eventual decision(s) to leave, share 'em here! the buckethead leaving thread was one of the best ones we've seen here in years. i want more!

here's the only story i have about robin... we have a mutual friend, and she says he's one of the nicest, sweetest, most humble dudes in the world. just a total sweetheart to the core. so naturally, axl's behavior could often rub him the wrong way. she told me a story about one time axl slipped on stage or had problems with his ear monitor. he raged backstage and blamed it on one of the crew guys. he took the dude's laptop and smashed it on the ground. robin (and possibly others in the band) threatened to quit if didn't replace the guy's computer, which he did. and robin stayed for a while longer.

i'd like to hear more behind-the-scenes about robin's time in gnr. now that chinese democracy has come and gone, i hope people are more willing to talk about the making of that album, and what was going on with the band members.

It's pretty awesome that you have a niche in trolling, and you have it down to a science.

Trolling in 4 easy steps with HisRoyalSweetness:

Step 1. Post a seemingly innocuous thread title like "Share your heart warming stories about..."

Step 2. Show everyone how awesome you are and tell them about your mutual friends with band members or the time you partied with Axl and he spilled his guts to you.

Step 3. Now that everyone's guard is down spring the cupcake trap on them and SHIT on Axl. Mission Trollcomplished!

Step 4. Tie it all together with a sentence that links back to the headline.

cupcake sandwich complete.

Let me give you an example, kinda break it down. In this scenario you will replace Axl as the target. Watch what I do here and be amazed ...

Thread title: Does anyone have any cool behind the scene stories about Axl?

Thread content: I was hanging out with Ozzy at a club in NY a couple days after seeing GnR live and I saw Axl and DJ there. I said "Great show the other night guys, I can't believe you played 2 1/2 hours!" Axl was really chill about it and brought me into the VIP section. I told Ozzy I would meet up with him at the studio later and sat with Axl and DJ. They could not have been cooler. Axl was telling me how upsetting it was that some people simply could not let it go that the original line-up was done. He said it was really sad and incredible that it was pushing 2 decades since they put out music but some people hung on and trolled forums instead of getting on with their lives. We were still talking when HisRoyalSweetness came running up to the velvet rope separating the VIP's from the rest of the club. He was yelling "Please look at me! Pay attention to me!" and the bouncers started dragging him away(at least it looked like a him). Axl didn't acknowledge him. About 20 min later HisRoyalSweetness was back, stark naked with a bulls eye drawn on his ass with lipstick, running around the club begging people to look at him. "Someone, anyone, look at me!" He got tossed again, kicking and screaming the whole time. He was yelling at everyone who looked in the direction of the commotion "Please be my friend." ( when the night was over I saw HisRoyalSweetness crying in the parking lot when I left "You're a fucking loser." I said and he responded "I know, but you just looked at me and I feel relevant!" I just shook my head.) I finished my drink with Axl and he paid for Dj's drink and mine, he was really chill!

Anyway, that's my story about Axl, Does anyone else have any cool stories about him they can share? I'd like some insight on the recent leg of the tour.

Follow up post content: My friends (or myself on a different computer) post that they don't see the hidden agenda and anyone who posts to the contrary is "sensitive"

See what I did thar? See how I ninja'd that insult of you in there? I bet nobody could have guessed I had an agenda in that post. NOTE - I exaggerate your techniques to highlight them, so you don't have to post "I never said exactly that I was friends with Robin."

Just step up your fucking game if you're going to cupcake this hard and this fast. It's not so much that you are trolling that compels me to point it out, it's how fucking obvious you are.

Here are some tips:

1. Use more then a paragraph to sneak in your Axl barbs. It's not really ninja if it's 80% of the post, even when you mistitle the post. Someone can label dog shit as crumb cake, but you know it's not fucking crumb cake. You dig?

2. When you want to reset the same topic, but under a new thread name, wait more then a day. For example when you Posted "Do you think Axl plays CD as a fuck you to his fans?" You followed it up the next day with Your "Del James" post where you expertly snuck in "Axl told me he resents his fans." I will give you some credit that you didn't say "Axl told me he plays CD as a fuck you to the fans." but still. A wet t-shirt is a shirt, but we can still see those titties. People can't connect the dots if they are on top of each other. You dig

[finck6]

I actually never thought of them as a band back in the day. The album was just awesome and they were fucked and there' was tons of controversy around them. I mean they broke up after the first record basically.

robin, bucket, and brain mysteriously broke up after the first chinese democracy record with axl rose

[HisRoyalSweetness]

deadslash.. yeah, i like to have a laugh at how fucked up gnr is. in case you're completely unaware, that's how the world outside of freaky obsessive forumland is. working in the entertainment field and hearing the behind the scenes stories of how fucked up axl is helped shape my opinion just as much as the one album of crappy music he's been able to create over the last generation. sorry if that upsets you. but your war is with the reality outside of the forum, not with the increasing number of fans and moderators and former band members who are willing to acknowledge it.

[Damn_Smooth]

deadslash.. yeah, i like to have a laugh at how fucked up gnr is. in case you're completely unaware, that's how the world outside of freaky obsessive forumland is. working in the entertainment field and hearing the behind the scenes stories of how fucked up axl is helped shape my opinion just as much as the one album of crappy music he's been able to create over the last generation. sorry if that upsets you. but your war is with the reality outside of the forum, not with the increasing number of fans and moderators and former band members who are willing to acknowledge it.

Actually, you're wrong about that. Most people have the common sense not to bother with things that they don't like. You acting like a representative of a group of people that really doesn't care is weirder than anything else going on in the forum.

Edited June 23, 2012 by Damn_Smooth