Axl Rose - The Extended Interview (Aussie)

[evergreen_layne]

Oh my god he's crazy

[brian0612]

Off all the interviews this was the best one since the chats in the forums. I really liked to hear Axl's side.

The only thing i found unfunny and crazy was the multiple choice parts. That was totally out there lol

Wish he would come back and chat again. I'm most interested in the future, working songs, etc. than rehashing Slash shit.

[axlsalinger]

Good interview, always nice to hear from Uncle Axl. I thought the interviewer actually asked pretty good questions.

People say they should ask more "hard-hitting" questions or detailed questions about new material, but guess what. When they ask a question like that, they get a one-sentence answer of "definitely maybe".

[MishoGunsNRoses]

The Dark Knight Rises. RLY??????

[gavgnr]

Would have been nice to get a bit more insight around new music other than the "definite maybe" comment.

It's a great interview though but wish Axl could've said a bit more about future plans

[Apollo]

I wish the interviewers would ask better questions. Or have a well-versed, knowledgeable fan interview him. Jesus Christ, how many times does he need to be asked about Slash, lateness, etc?

Someone needs to press him on the Chinese Democracy vault songs, which ones might be released, does he intend to record with the new band, etc. Enough of these bullshit questions like "did you watch the HoF show?" What a waste of an opportunity.

Still, good to read an interview. Always interesting.

I actually agree with you.

It seems these interviews are never conducted by real fans of the band, or by people with knowledge of what is currently going on.

Slash hasn't been in the band for more than 15 years. Shows have been starting pretty much on time for the last few years. Not issues that need to be covered when there are about 50 other questions that GnR fans would love to hear answers to.

It is great anytime he decides to share his thoughts with the fans. But it would be way cooler to be able to ask him some really relevant questions. Questions about GnR's deal with their label? Status of a new album? Is the label holding it up or does he just not feel the time is right to release new music? Band's confusion with future plans? His thoughts on why he is stockpiling a library of music? Does he wear Ashba Swag? Will the next album have old CD songs or be new songs by the current band? Would he ever be open to taking the stage with the old band - not for a reunion or album, but just for something fun or to relive old memories? Would he ever consider singing on a Duff or Izzy album? Does he really like Sebastian? Does he consider Volcano a bigger fan than everybody else? What was the thought process behind the baseball cards series? What happened to the videos from CD? How come he didn't do promotion for CD? Did he and Ashba really double-team some drunk guy? How does he feel he is moving past the "old" band by playing all their hits on tour and not releasing music created by the current band? Can you talk about the classic rumored songs we've all heard about - general, thyme, soulmonster, etc. Did you really orginally intend to make this a trilogy? Any chance of ever doing an acoustic album? Any chance of him writing a book? Any chance of a box set of old material? Any chance of a documentary of the current band or the making of CD or releasing the old Illusions backstage footage? What really happened with Robin and Bucket? What would you say to Slash if you ran into him like you did with Duff - just a random encounter at a hotel or grocery store or bar....."hello, hows it going" and politely move on, or a nice small conversation, or just completely ignore him? You take a lot of criticism for the 14 years, 14 million dollars and four producers thing with CD - how would you address that? Favorite songs to sing live? Favorite countries to play. What are some of the craziest experiences you've had since becoming famous?

That is just off the top of my head. That interview would provide this forum with 20 topics and weeks of chatter.

[sweetness]

Alright, I love Axl as much as the next GNR fan, but how in the fuck can anybody take this guy seriously?

Look man, it might not be obvious to you, but it's pretty clear that the man has his own way of thinking , behavior and probably, issues to deal with - it is so obvious that his brain really works differently and for many on the outside, it probably looks like he is crazy or not worth taking seriously. But, that's just not true - the more I see of Axl, the more certain I am that he is different in a way that probably accounts for his creativity and talent as well as out of the norm behavior. He may be bipolar or he may have ADHD - either or both of those would account for the inability to stick to schedules/mood swings/insane amounts of creatiity/verbosity etc. Of course, this is just speculation. Whether or not this hypothesis is true however, it is both tragic and appalling to see that Axl's 'fans' just don't appreciate that he IS different and that much of his behavior is not intentional or designed to upset them or anyone else - its just the way he is.

Oh it's painfully obvious.

I just don't see it as simply "being different", I see a paranoid man who can't accept responsibility for anything, we've known that about Axl for years though.

None of it has anything to do with his creativity, its the way he carries himself which is the unfortunate product of his early life before GNR, dealing with the spotlight and being in one of the worlds most popular bands, and eventually being surrounded by yes men. All that said there's still no excuse for being as paranoid and apparently out of touch with reality as he is.

This is just how I see it, I haven't walked a mile in the mans shoes, but he really believes everyone was out to get him and its pretty sad

[Carne_asaDA]

Interviewers primary goal is to ask questions that the readers of the publication that they work for wants to know. You people seem to forget, MOST people want the original band back together. Die hard-forum Axl-swingers and those forum dwellers represent 1% of GnR fans.

[gnrseb]

I actually think his questions were very good.

The answers were not quite satisfying though..

[jman2000]

Hmmm.... well he said that it's not the Appetite for Democracy tour and he'd "let us know". I hope it's something good.

I'm surprised he read Slash's autobiography.

Holy rant.... about being on stage late.

....and another rant after that

[RidzGnr]

definite is the word! better then soon?

[Carne_asaDA]

I like how he talks about DJ liking the hamburgers and the crew eating the chicken. As if he's not sneaking burgers AND pollo back to the dressing room and taking a few "for the road" after the show.

[jimb0]

Axl is Fucking Cray. But that's why so many love him. Definite Maybe.

Did you guys hear how Slash was trying to bring on a mental break down of Axl by having him play shows with the band? What an asshole.

And I loved how he said, yeah people bring things to my attention in regard to the internet and social media lol.

God that guy's gotta live the fucking life.

[Carne_asaDA]

Let's take before and after pictures of everyone in the band and in the crew. Who's eating the burgers and chicken?

[WhazUp]

I don't like to whine and I always appreciate when the man has something to say but it kinda frustrates me that the best he can come up with regarding new music is "a definite maybe" while he has no problem going into these long rants and explanations about what did or did not happen in 91, Slash, the late starts and all that stuff.

I mean : where is the ambition ? Where is the fierceness ?

I agree with everything you said here Edited March 6, 2013 by WhazUp

[Carne_asaDA]

Axl gives Slash a lot of credit for being some sort of mind controlling genius. We're talking about a ditzy southern Californian guitar player who was in his 20's, a drug addict and a drunk.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Carne_asaDA

[Jordan Rose]

Wow. As much as the questions sucked, that's the kinda Axl interview we've been missing since Rolling Stone 2001 (and early 90s before that). Was really nice to spend some quality time with that dude. As much as some people are calling him crazy, it's the awesome, in depth interviews that got me hooked in the first place as much as the music. I love the guy and totally relate to the seemingly convoluted way he thinks.

It's funny that sometimes he chooses to say nothing e.g. the last Trunk interview and here he randomly decides to address lateness in the most ridiculously comprehensive way he can.

It's still really annoying though that there are so many of us that have literally hundreds of questions about everything that's happened post-1996 but any professional interview he's gonna get is gonna ask boring rehashed old shit and not e.g. What the fuck was up with RTB re-recording everything; are you gonna leave Bucket/Robin/Brain's stuff intact; what's with the changing up the singing styles every tour; why the crap aren't Twat and Prostitute in the set every night?

I hope he does proper long interviews a lot more.

[tr420]

Some questions do not need to be asked. Yea he wears Ashba Swag.

[realpoti]

What a bunch of bollocks. Every artist in the fucking world can get to play in time, why he can't ? Why is everything so difficult with him ?

[Guest Gunns]

One of the better interviews from the last few years, Australia represent

[the sorcerer]

yes, he´s telling you always, what´s NOT going on. it´s kind of depressing.

What a bunch of bollocks. Every artist in the fucking world can get to play in time, why he can't ? Why is everything so difficult with him ?

[Guest Gunns]

would you rather Axl set a 'tentative release date' again, Ala March 6th 2007?

I'm content with 'definite maybe' for 2013 , but the question is, what do the band members think hearing that. After all, that is practically 100% chance of mostly old new gnr material, with a small chance of some if not no, current gnr songs.

[Jordan Rose]

What a bunch of bollocks. Every artist in the fucking world can get to play in time, why he can't ? Why is everything so difficult with him ?

Several people, I think including Niven, have suggested that major stage fright is part of it, and it's not something he's gonna be open about.

On top of that he's been very open about his childhood trauma and various mental problems. Stick all that together and you've got a guy who can't cope with going on stage until he's mentally ready and to be fair, like he says, he's been a shit-tonne better in the last 3 years than any time before.

So every other artists gets on stage on time. But Axl frankly has more issues than just about any other artist, simple as.

I got over the late thing long ago. If you wanna be down the front then, sure, it's a knackering wait. But if, like most people, you've got seats or are cool standing in the GA wherever then it's actually kinda cool, i've found. Go for a meal have a few drinks, have half a night out and get well oiled, maybe see Baz if you're arsed or just rock up at about 10 with some more bevvies and you ain't got long to wait.

[aranrod]

CA: The books do cover you being late on stage, with your former bandmates being unsure what the delay was. Any hints?

AR: Ok this is a multiple choice answer.

Answer #1: Do we really have to go there?

Answer #2: No comment

Or...

Answer #3: In answering I would like to say that I have no intention or desire to take "shots" at either the old band or anyone from any of our lineups. That said, to answer some questions factually and honestly it may appear that way to some. Unfortunately, in my opinion, that's just the nature of the beast.

I could choose to say nothing or no comment but I feel 1.) These particular questions in this interview don't exactly deserve that response and 2.) I have a right to have my side, perspective and what I not only believe, but know to be the truth regarding several issues with old Guns and our time together out there.

The Illusions' lineups comments that I've read in media or Slash's book were, in my opinion, predominantly public gamesmanship, strategy and politics on their part. Pretending to be unaware or innocent to the public has been a common deceptive tactic often used in regard to what was happening with the band and our relationship with each other. As I've said before, I shouldn't have been on tour when we started in '91.

That had a lot to do with Alan Niven, our then manager, and Slash. In my opinion Alan wanted money and Slash wanted the touring to get the better of me given my circumstances at the time. My safety and well-being were not their concern.

After the first few months things got a little better and primarily for not wanting the crew to be injured for not having enough rest but the damage, especially with media, had been done. Those who wanted to throw stones have had ammo they've used for years whether it's real, hyped, a non-issue, reasons beyond our control, justifiable reasons such as injuries or technical difficulties or just life, doesn't seem, and hasn't seemed, to make a difference. (And all of these issues have been addressed previously elsewhere.)

Another issue has been that each time I have agreed to a tour, I've also had agreements on our show times and start times. Often in dealing with former managers and agents, these weren't reality. It's not something said or explained, it's a show day thing they do for their own reasons which we'll get into a bit similarly with your next question.

And often tours or dates are booked without my having formally given my consent or having authorized them. That's pretty much how this business works.

All of that said I'm not a "punctual" type of person, never have been. I apologize to anyone I've inconvenienced or put out in any way. And for those who've felt they've lost money with any cancellations in the past perhaps you'll find some comfort in that I'm sure I've lost tens of thousands, if not millions, more - especially in the long run. In general I usually don't really go by or live my life by a clock and outside of touring I don't really ask anyone else to. It's not out of lack of respect for anyone or intentional.

I can say I haven't been late because I was watching a sporting event or something equally as ridiculous. The reasons have all been in one way or another show-related or having to do with those involved with the show in some fashion. It's just my reality and I try and work on it. It's been getting better with our tours, especially over the last three years.

In the last three years we've done three Asian runs including Taiwan, Jakarta and a hugely successful record breaking, sold out India run, three European runs including four sold out nights at London's 02 Arena, five shows in Russia, headlined several sold-out festivals such as Reading and Leeds, Rock In Rio, two record breaking, sold out South American tours, an Australian tour (this will be our 2nd), a sold out tour in Central America, a Canadian tour, a sold out US arena tour, a sold out US club tour (that included The Ritz/Webster Hall in NY, The Electric Company in Philadelphia, The Fillmore in Detroit and The Palladium in Los Angeles), New Year's and a sold out month residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, the Middle East, Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit, NY Fashion week gigs w/Varvatos, The Rose Bar and the Hiro Ballroom and a few one off club and private party shows such as at L'Arc in Paris, The Zep in Tokyo and recently for Tommy Hilfiger at LA's The Soho House.

In a concerted effort to make things up to our fans, friends and associates we've gone back to various cities where things have in the past gotten... ahem... "complicated" such as Vancouver, Montreal, Atlanta (twice), Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Dublin and had extremely successful shows without incident.

We've been fortunate to be able to play everything from the smallest clubs to giant stadiums and huge outdoor audiences for a total of 185 shows in 48 countries, in 147 cities with approximately over 500 hours of stage time with an average full show time around three plus hours, performed for over 2,000,000 fans with our current lineup of DJ Ashba, Ron Bumblefoot Thal and Richard Fortus on guitars, Tommy Stinson on bass, Frank Ferrer on Drums and Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman on keyboards, worked with over 200 bands and artists from Motorhead to Black Label Society, shared bills with Elton John, Aerosmith, Rhianna, Queens Of The Stone Age and Metallica with minimal promotion, minimal to zero label support, minimal nonsense and often with serious management challenges.

And in our defense addressing the nonsense, the relatively small majority of which percentage wise being in general what we feel are at least somewhat reasonable or justifiable such as technical difficulties, crowd control issues, health or injuries, managerial/agent nonsense or simply beyond our control and often as the case may be more hype than reality which again (and definitely not taken for granted) with all things considered, eventually has seemed to work out fairly well.

CA: Do you get informed if there are venues or cities with strict curfews?

AR: More multiple choice!

Answer #1: We still goin' there?

Answer #2: No comment

Answer #3: Sometimes

Or...

Answer#4: This is another one that's a bit of a long answer and kind of a continuation of the last question (and I'm not aware of this being an issue currently) but, in my opinion, the question opens up a lot of issues. I feel it's an important subject I don't want to be vague or appear too cavalier.

It depends, generally no. If I get told in advance rather than the show day it's extremely rare, and always has been. I agree to shows under various agreed upon conditions. Those conditions often change as if they never existed or are changed by others without notice or warning prior to show day or show time. There's not a lot you can do on show day about that and being forced into what you feel is an uncomfortable situation. A situation you hadn't agreed to nor would have approved in advance, sucks. It makes something that was supposed to be fun into something else.

Unfortunately it happens a lot (though it has been getting a bit better) and there is generally a lot of finger pointing. Getting to the bottom of things takes longer than it's worth and you still have a show to do. It could be anyone's fault. None of that really matters publicly as it'll ultimately end up at my door whether we had a successful show or not. It's what happens and you try to avoid it (the lack of communication, show day surprises) as much as possible. When you're not getting the facts it could be because of one of any number of reasons or any number of people from all sides. Often it's simple misunderstandings and unintentional human error.

With curfews and transportation etc law enforcement in the various countries and cities at the venues usually have their orders dictated by city councils and city ordinances. Public transportation has their schedules and the times they stop service and they all have their budgets and various regulations.

Getting new information on show day usually means getting it close to, if not right before, going on stage. The reason can vary: no one knowing about the curfew or public transportation issue in advance, new rules, new laws, new schedules, people not knowing I wasn't informed or negligence. In some cases people don't want to inform me for fear if I'd known about the restrictions I may not have agreed (when booking the tour, not on show day) to do the show... and someone somewhere felt it was in our, or whoever's, best interest for us to do that particular show.

I don't have any issues with a venue wanting things to be done in a way they know, that makes sense and works for them, it's their venue. I get that workers, traffic and transportation, law enforcement for a large audience and overtime for a large venue are real issues. There are real safety concerns, expenses and public transportation for a significant number of fans is important to take into consideration. That said, I ask about transportation etc. but 1.) I don't personally know the various cities public transportation timetables (though we have been better at getting some of that info in advance) and 2.) It still doesn't mean I'll get real info until show day and 3.) Unfortunately often when we are in that type of situation and there's suddenly a previously unknown curfew or a public transportation issue we're already short on time which is extremely frustrating.

If I find out on show day, or even right before a show, and I feel we need to play longer to appease the audience, we begin negotiating with the promoters, building managers, law enforcement etc. with my involvement through either my stage assistants, tour manager or manager. This negotiation continues during the course of the show often all the way through to the last couple songs. Before a show there's a lot of stress and tension for everyone involved. Venues and officials may not know what to expect so there is a bit of hardball and wanting to see how things go. Usually as long as the crowd is happy and things are going well, people aren't too out of control or bored off their ass and we're doing our job, it's worked out fairly well for all sides.

Alright, I love Axl as much as the next GNR fan, but how in the fuck can anybody take this guy seriously?

No, this part of the interview means nothing.

[nightrain86]

I thought the definite maybe answer was good enough, considering he could of just said "We haven't really talked about it" which you just know is something he would of said 2 or 3 years ago.