What does this mean?

[youngunner]

For me there hasn't been a way to make any type of reunion work regardless of money (either talk or legitimate) without jeopardizing what I feel is the well-being and best interests of nearly everyone I'm involved with in the GNR camp (including myself). People here have big investments of their lives in what we're doing. We've worked hard for what we have here now and continue to do so. I know what I went thru then. I know what I and all of us have gone thru since.

Other than the actual members of the band, who is he referring to ? And why are they in any shape, way or form taken into account in regards to re connecting with his old band.

[Jeez]

Isn't it obvious?

[AndreCC]

Tommy has invested years in this band, Dizzy, Fortus, Bumblefoot, Pittman...they worked for Axl for a lot of years... not to mention team Brazil and others.

[Tyler Drama]

He means he'd feel bad firing the current members in order to bring back the old ones.

[Rustycage]

Looks like a Team Brazil response more than an Axl response.

[AndreCC]

It's not Rusty!

Wouldn't it be bad if all the members of your band told you to fuck off, then you would be creating and putting effort in this new band and new project and you would finally made it and create a great band, and now all of a sudden the old members that left you years go wanted in... and you would have to fire the guys who stood with you through all the shit just to get the old guys in... as much as i prefer the old band and as much as i prefer the old members kind of music... it would certainly be unfair for this current band and even for Team Brazil...

[Rustycage]

It's not Rusty!

Wouldn't it be bad if all the members of your band told you to fuck off, then you would be creating and putting effort in this new band and new project and you would finally made it and create a great band, and now all of a sudden the old members that left you years go wanted in... and you would have to fire the guys who stood with you through all the shit just to get the old guys in... as much as i prefer the old band and as much as i prefer the old members kind of music... it would certainly be unfair for this current band and even for Team Brazil...

It's funny after all of these years, Axl is NOW being unselfish.

But they are there as employees. Most of them hardly act like friends of Axl on stage. Look at their reactions every time Axl fucks up. Especially, Tommy. He and Frank always give a chuckle and a head shake.

[James Bond]

Tommy has invested years in this band, Dizzy, Fortus, Bumblefoot, Pittman...they worked for Axl for a lot of years... not to mention team Brazil and others.

He means he'd feel bad firing the current members in order to bring back the old ones.

I think both of these together is what he means. All the guys who've been with him for years would get sidelined and/or fired if he reunited with the old band. In Axl's defense, I think that's a fair reason why he feels he can't ever reunite.

It'd be a mess like the aftermath of the KISS reunion.

[Facekicker]

Unfair?

Sorry but who is mooching off of who here?

Without the old bands catalogue to milk Axl would be touring one album and playing to much smaller audiences.

Team Brazil and all the other hangers on would be earning significantly less.

It is quite clear that the statement from Axl refers to Team Brazil and Team Brazil only. The current band members have stated in the past that they would not stand in the way of a reunion. They have careers outside of GNR.

Beta on the other hand, has elevated her position from a lowly nanny to manager of the band and her and her family have profited immensely from this. Axl even funded her children's college education.

Axl knows that there is no way in hell that the old guys would consent to a reunion under Beta's management. They money would be divided equally or at least along the lines of what it was back in the day. Team Brazil would have zero, except what Axl decides to cut them out of his own pocket.

Axl of course would only agree to a reunion whereby the old guys replace the new guys on a contract with Team Brazil and Axl deciding who gets paid what.

[SweetRose]

I would never be in a band to begin with if pay was never equal.

[saber_]

What does this mean?

It means not in this lifetime. *rimshot*

[Carne_asaDA]

He's talking about all of the yes men that he chooses to keep with him and on payroll. The Betas, the Dels, etc..etc. The band members could easily find jobs elsewhere. Especially Tommy, DJ, and Fortus. Axl knows that Slash and Duff will not agree to a reunion unless it goes back to the way it was where it was just the 5 of them that controlled everything equally. Axl wants to keep his pyramid scheme.

[Flayer]

It's not Rusty!

Wouldn't it be bad if all the members of your band told you to fuck off, then you would be creating and putting effort in this new band and new project and you would finally made it and create a great band, and now all of a sudden the old members that left you years go wanted in... and you would have to fire the guys who stood with you through all the shit just to get the old guys in... as much as i prefer the old band and as much as i prefer the old members kind of music... it would certainly be unfair for this current band and even for Team Brazil...

It's funny after all of these years, Axl is NOW being unselfish.

But they are there as employees. Most of them hardly act like friends of Axl on stage. Look at their reactions every time Axl fucks up. Especially, Tommy. He and Frank always give a chuckle and a head shake.

Do you have any friends, Rusty? You seem to be reading these cues differently than any other human being would.

[Rustycage]

No one rang your bell. Shhhhhh

[Bobbo]

It is quite clear that the statement from Axl refers to Team Brazil and Team Brazil only. The current band members have stated in the past that they would not stand in the way of a reunion. They have careers outside of GNR.

Baha. I do think it's (partly) Team Brazil. But I'm sure most of the nu guys wouldn't want Axl to ditch them either. Ashba is the only one with a stable back up plan, having Motley and Sixx AM to fall back on. The rest would be hard found to find stable work, and anything close to the financial comfort and exposure they get from playing with Axl under the GNR banner. Most of them would probably go back to playing bars with crowds of 50 people or so, with the occasional session gig here and there. I'm sure everybody but maybe Ashba would want to avoid a scenario of a reunion at all costs.

And at the end of the day, they're getting their wish. Sadly, imo, since all Axl does now, and all it seems that he's doing for the foreseeable future is nostalgic shows. Might as well have the people on stage that helped him make the nostalgia if that's all he plans on doing. But he'd never give Slash the "satisfaction" or however he perceives it in his warped little mind. He's too stubborn. As long as he gets to mooch off the GNR name, and make significant money to maintain his lifestyle off the back end of the of the old band's success, he'll keep being stubborn. Plus he gets a bigger piece of the money pie with the way things are run now.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Bobbo

[youngunner]

I clearly stated, other than the BAND MEMBERS, who is he talking about

[youngunner]

my point is that he is talking about Beta and company.

I wrote a topic about Team Brazil, Yes men and the label a few weeks ago. It was moved/removed.

Its ashame but the above is the main reason why we will never have or had a re union. There was no reason for Axl and Slash to eventually get in a room and talk it out over the yrs. But when people around you feed you with bs a chance was never created.

As someone mentioned earlier...if a re union were to ever happen the finances would pretty much be spread out equally. But even more than that...the power and access to Axl diminishes because hes back with his old family/friends.

Sad

Edited March 7, 2013 by youngunner

[Apollo]

What does the current band really have invested into GnR though, except for a paycheck?

GnR has put out one album. What are the writing credits on it? Besides Axl, look at this list:

CD - None

SR - None

Better - None

SOD - Stinson, REed

ITW - Pitman

TWAT - Reed

Catcher - None

Scraped - None

Rhiad - Stintson

Sorry - None

IRS - Reed

Madagascar - Pitman

TIL - None

Prostitute - None

Sure, it would be a crappy move for Axl to drop everybody and start a new band. But it isn't like this current group has invested much of their creative energy in creating music for GnR. None of these guys are GnR to the death. GnR isn't their heart and soul. And didn't all these guys come from other bands before they joined GnR (or solo careers)? It isn't like they were 18 year old kids who have played in GnR their entire lives.

With that said, I really hope Axl and Beta give this current band a chance to make their own mark on the GnR name.

And I hope these guys have enough musical integrity to eventually want to do that, rather than just being in the band to earn a paycheck.

[Axl_morris]

Basically, the old guys would benefit from it more than Axl would. Slash ect aren't headlining festivals and doing arenas every show. Axl is right now.

[username]

I can really see the logic. It's not about team Brazil, this is about loyalty to his current bandmembers. There's a lot of things I can (and will) accuse Axl of, but lack of loyalty to his band was never one of them.

Crosspost of what I said in the other thread:

AR: But Guns is my life, not someone else's. For me there hasn't been a way to make any type of reunion work regardless of money (either talk or legitimate) without jeopardizing what I feel is the well-being and best interests of nearly everyone I'm involved with in the GNR camp (including myself). People here have big investments of their lives in what we're doing. We've worked hard for what we have here now and continue to do so. I know what I went thru then. I know what I and all of us have gone thru since. People enjoyed the product and the entertainment our lives gave them back in the day, but they weren't the ones actually living those lives together. It's not somewhere I'd go back to or would want to go again. Life's too short.

I do very much understand this statement really! It'd probably hurt the current band and what they're doing a lot to be bulldozed by the demand for more "original gnr" tours, gigs, whatever. I very much understand why he wouldn't go for it. I think it would have been ok for a one-off (like R&R HOF), but anything other than that is suicide.

[alfierose]

I can really see the logic. It's not about team Brazil, this is about loyalty to his current bandmembers. There's a lot of things I can (and will) accuse Axl of, but lack of loyalty to his band was never one of them.

Crosspost of what I said in the other thread:

AR: But Guns is my life, not someone else's. For me there hasn't been a way to make any type of reunion work regardless of money (either talk or legitimate) without jeopardizing what I feel is the well-being and best interests of nearly everyone I'm involved with in the GNR camp (including myself). People here have big investments of their lives in what we're doing. We've worked hard for what we have here now and continue to do so. I know what I went thru then. I know what I and all of us have gone thru since. People enjoyed the product and the entertainment our lives gave them back in the day, but they weren't the ones actually living those lives together. It's not somewhere I'd go back to or would want to go again. Life's too short.

I do very much understand this statement really! It'd probably hurt the current band and what they're doing a lot to be bulldozed by the demand for more "original gnr" tours, gigs, whatever. I very much understand why he wouldn't go for it. I think it would have been ok for a one-off (like R&R HOF), but anything other than that is suicide.

I can totally get why he wouldn't want to leave the nuband to tour with the old. He has given the impression that he never enjoyed touring back then and it is only recently with this line up he is enjoying himself.

What he doesn't say but I suspect might be a big part of it is that however much the lure of a massive payday might appeal (checkout how much the recent Stone Roses reunion made for a comparison-Guns would be much bigger) he probably wants to deny the other old guns the riches more than he wants it for himself.