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Was DJ hired primarily to bring in a younger fanbase?


alfierose

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If so, has he succeeded?

Just pondering this after reading an m.sl forum post where a poster said that they found the paradisecity site offputting because it was full of young girls posting millions of pictures. DJ seems to be the member with the most young fans so I wonder if his hiring was a strategic move and not just about his playing or writing abilities.

What are the demographics like at live shows? Do they reflect this or is it still very mixed? The cost of tickets might be prohibitive for some but by hooking them young it might ensure audience numbers for future years.

I haven't been to a show myself, I would like to and I nearly went to the Manchester 2012 gig but I find large groups of people claustrophobic. I'm banking on becoming a multi millionaire and hiring Axl to do a show on my patio!

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I think he was selected for several reasons, including his look, vibe, communication skills, and his following, definitely. However, I think he was primarily picked to write some foundational riffs for the songwriting process. Although... at this point... he seems to be the only one involved in the songwriting process for GnR.

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I dislike the goth tinge too. He just reminds me of someone who shops at the mall-rat store Hot Topic. Of course, Hot Topic does have the demographics you were talking about. But as far as the band, all he has to do is write some decent rock licks which can be built upon for songs. Yeah I agree though, I dunno if that's going to happen either. The eternity tour seems to be the reality, and has been for the last 11 years.

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Regardless he seems to have a lot of young fans though. Not sure where he picked them up? Maybe via twitter and the ashbaswag thing.

I dislike the goth tinge too. He just reminds me of someone who shops at the mall-rat store Hot Topic. Of course, Hot Topic does have the demographics you were talking about. But as far as the band, all he has to do is write some decent rock licks which can be built upon for songs. Yeah I agree though, I dunno if that's going to happen either. The eternity tour seems to be the reality, and has been for the last 11 years.

Not heard of Hot Topic before, I don't think we have a UK equivalent I can think of.

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I don't see how that could have possibly been the objective, DJ is in his 40's, he plays with Nikki Sixx and Motley Crue, younger music fans couldn't care less. Unless they're 12 year olds going through their "i just started listening to rock music" phase

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Not heard of Hot Topic before, I don't think we have a UK equivalent I can think of.

That's probably a good thing. It commercialized punk and gothic style for profit. In particular, the guy who owns the Misfits now (Jerry Only) used Hot Topic to sell boatloads of Misfits paraphernalia and help turn the Misfits into the "Halloween emo goth wannabe punk dress up band" it has become.

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I don't see how that could have possibly been the objective, DJ is in his 40's, he plays with Nikki Sixx and Motley Crue, younger music fans couldn't care less. Unless they're 12 year olds going through their "i just started listening to rock music" phase

Depends on how young you want to go for the demographic. Younger kids today hate today's music in my experience. They all seem to like the "older" bands.

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He sure tries to be "cool with the kids" with his behaviour. Nobody over the age of 15 would be all that impressed with his posing and bragging about drinking jager etc. I can't believe he is in his forties with the image he tries so hard to create.

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Guest bellastar2355

He sure tries to be "cool with the kids" with his behaviour. Nobody over the age of 15 would be all that impressed with his posing and bragging about drinking jager etc. I can't believe he is in his forties with the image he tries so hard to create.

I'm sorry but I have to agree. Just like that story about him getting into a fight with Axl and beating that drunk guy. The Fuck

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I'd say it's more likely that Dj was hired to improve upon existing Chinese "left-overs"- both as a guitarist and as a potential co-producer with Axl. Truly "new" material authored by Dj was probably viewed as something that may or may not happen. Just guessing though. Hope I'm wrong- as I'd personally love to hear what a true Axl/Dj collaboration might sound like...

Meanwhile I think the "sex appeal" thing was probably just seen as "icing on the cake" but not the driving force. IMHO he probably helps the band make more inroads with the Bon Jovi "soccer mom"/young wife demographic though than teenagers. FWIW my wife and a few of her friends (all in their early 30's and Bon Jovi fans, etc.) all left the two most recent Orlando shows with major "crushes" on Dj. It didn't really bother me as I certainly remembered all my girlfriends in high school having crushes on Axl, Slash, Duff and Gilby (in particular! lol!). The whole thing's been kind of a nostalgia trip in that regard. ;)

Edited by AXL_N_DIZZY
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I think he was hired so they could tour. But he seems like the perfect guy to make a 00s album with Axl. As Slash was perfect for 80s and Bucket for 90s. Axl will tske in the influences of 00s mix it with his 70s outlaw style and make a kickass record that will coms out in 2020.

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There's obviously a record in the Axl/Dj dynamic, it's another option. Better than a poke in the eye with a shitty shit.

I sure hope so- though part of me worries that Axl and Dj working on an album at this point is a bit like Hitler and Speer tinkering with their Germania models as Soviet artillery rumbles in the background.

Very unclear to me who's going to pick up the tab for more recording (particularly for anything beyond just embellishing the Chinese "left-overs") at this point...

Hope I'm very wrong though...

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