Is Axl in the midst of another 'kicked dog' phase?

[CoolRanchDressing]

When Moby briefly attempted to work with Axl in the throwes of Chinese Democracy, he found a man who was riddled with self doubt and paralyzed with insecurities. He described Axl as being like a 'kicked dog,' still reeling over the various people who'd abandoned him.

Do you think Axl is in the midst of another kicked dog phase now? I would imagine that the wholesale rejection of CD by everyone from the label to the fans to the musicians who played on it would have hurt just as much. Possibly even more since It seems like he'd pinned all his hopes for redemption on that album.

Could that explain his inability or unwillingness to make new music? And his deteriorating physical and professional condition? Could it explain his wallowing complacancy as the autumn of his career sets in?

Edited September 19, 2013 by CoolRanchDressing

[volcano62]

Beaten dog....get it right

[SunnyDRE]

No.

To be honest I think Axl is just enjoying his life. What is he in his 50's..no doubt he has realized that he can't take it with him.

Maybe is he out there looking for a Ms. Rose and just basically enjoying the fruits his labor.

Sucks for the fans, but I'm not mad at him.

Edited September 19, 2013 by SunnyDRE

[Intercourse]

Maybe he realises that Team Brazil are not the ones to take him back to the top.

They have told him they will exit his life if he gets another manager.

So what choices has he?

New management, new career, new album via a possible reunion (if managed correctly not impossible) or kick ass effort with the current lineup, try to claw back to where the likes on Bon Jovi are i.e. big grass roots following, releasing albums to limited interest and acclaim, playing stadiums.

BUT being totally alone

OR

hanging with TB, his adopted family, dialling in tours and enjoying the finer things in life.

When you are 51, delicate and a little agrophobic and terrified of failure and ridicule ...which one would you take?

[RussTCB]

When Moby briefly attempted to work with Axl in the throwes of Chinese Democracy, he found a man who was riddled with self doubt and paralyzed with insecurities. He described Axl as being like a 'kicked dog,' still reeling over the various people who'd abandoned him.

Do you think Axl is in the midst of another kicked dog phase now? I would imagine that the wholesale rejection of CD by everyone from the label to the fans to the musicians who played on it would have hurt just as much. Possibly even more since It seems like he'd pinned all his hopes for redemption on that album.

Could that explain his inability or unwillingness to make new music? And his deteriorating physical and professional condition? Could it explain his wallowing complacancy as the autumn of his career sets in?

I've wondered about this too. As others are saying, we really don't know what he's thinking but I think your theory might have some merit.

[Bobbo]

No.

To be honest I think Axl is just enjoying his life. What is he in his 50's..no doubt he has realized that he can't take it with him.

Maybe is he out there looking for a Ms. Rose and just basically enjoying the fruits his labor.

Sucks for the fans, but I'm not mad at him.

I don't believe for a second he's happy with the way things turned out. Instead of escalating the name with cd, he diminished it with the overall public rejection of it. An album he put his all into just got thrown back at him and was treated like anything but seriously.

He still seems so spiteful and angry in interviews, still pointing the finger at every Tom, Dick, and Harry for his troubles.

It just seems like he's going through the motions for a quick easy buck without having to face his worst nightmare of admitting failure. Which is by reuniting.

[username]

When Moby briefly attempted to work with Axl in the throwes of Chinese Democracy, he found a man who was riddled with self doubt and paralyzed with insecurities. He described Axl as being like a 'kicked dog,' still reeling over the various people who'd abandoned him.

Do you think Axl is in the midst of another kicked dog phase now? I would imagine that the wholesale rejection of CD by everyone from the label to the fans to the musicians who played on it would have hurt just as much. Possibly even more since It seems like he'd pinned all his hopes for redemption on that album.

Could that explain his inability or unwillingness to make new music? And his deteriorating physical and professional condition? Could it explain his wallowing complacancy as the autumn of his career sets in?

I've wondered about this too. As others are saying, we really don't know what he's thinking but I think your theory might have some merit.

Agreed. I've been thinking roughly the same for a while too.

[netcat]

Maybe he had his "beaten dog" phase in 2009. Then in 2010 he seemed to be in a kick-ass mood.

And now he's just stuck and it looks like “fuck it, in the end you always lose” phase

[wasted]

I just think the label are scared to release CD II in case it does well and buries a reunion forever. Not that those guys could hold it together to tour. Imagine a stadium of reunion frenzy fans waiting 3 hours for Axl to show up? Slash and Duff would be alcoholics by the 3rd show.

[Angelica]

I just think the label are scared to release CD II in case it does well and buries a reunion forever.

:lol: Best line if the year!

[Mastodonny]

Neutered dog phase

[magisme]

Old dog can't learn new tricks phase.

[username]

I just think the label are scared to release CD II in case it does well and buries a reunion forever. Not that those guys could hold it together to tour. Imagine a stadium of reunion frenzy fans waiting 3 hours for Axl to show up? Slash and Duff would be alcoholics by the 3rd show.

Nobody can realistically hope for a reunion after the HOF thing. I doubt any record label could be that daft. My guess is that even IF Axl handed them an album they'd a. expect it to bomb and b. fear they can't get Axl to promote it like a normal person.

[CoolRanchDressing]

As bad as it may have been then, at least axl could cling to the foolish hope that CD could save him. But what does he have now? He's got to know that it will literally never get any better than yesterday

Edited September 19, 2013 by CoolRanchDressing

[axlsalinger]

There are lots of bands who had their heyday years ago. Axl's actions suggest he doesn't want to be the most famous rock star on the planet anymore, anyways. So I don't understand why he can't just release new music once in a while and enjoy being Axl Rose.

There is potential merit to this theory, though. In the sense that he appears to have realized that a reunion is the only way to get back to the top of the mountain, if that is something he still wants to do.

[BangoSkank]

What makes anyone think this stuff? Remember the long gap post-2002, pre-2006? Seemed to be the end, but he came back with the new lineup to very solid performances and released the album two years later.

I admit I want more activity, but it's hard to diagnose what his outlook on life is if no one has actually seen or spoken to him.

[wfuckinga]

I think it's time for Dexter to make a visit to MyGNR

[Izzy_Stradlin_XX]

I think that Axl's having the same issues Jimmy Page was having a few years back like 2006 or something like that, before the O2 show.

He promised new music and tours and he did tour and made special guest appearences but never released new music.

You've gotta understand that maybe Axl just doesn't feel like doing new music, what's goin on in his head is something like "I got a great thing going,

I tour and people go to the shows, why would I spend money on some album nobody but hardcore fans would buy?".

So he's just laying low, not doing much, because really that's what guy's at 51 feel like doing - jack shit.

We got all the records, I'm not particularly interested in a new record on the same line as Chinese Democracy, but I wouldn't say no and I'd go

to the store buy when it would be put on the shelves, but with all the promises that Axl has been making for the last 4-5 years I can only

assume that he isn't interested in doing new music because he knows the impact will be even smaller than Chinese Democracy, and I'm fine with it.

I don't really understand why people shit bricks when Axl says "new album in 3 months tops" and he doesn't deliver... He's just old and doesn't care about

doing that anymore, same with Jimmy Page, promising us a new album since 2007/8, a solo album, unrelated to Zeppelin, and he doesn't put it out.

tl;dr - Musicians get old, and when they're lazy by nature or just don't give a shit, they won't spend money doing something non-profitable, even though I don't

believe that would be the issue here. When Axl feels like it, he'll do another tour, not another album, because really, what's the point?

Edited September 20, 2013 by Izzy_Stradlin_XX

[SunnyDRE]

I think it's time for Dexter to make a visit to MyGNR

If you were Dexter, after browsing the Attitude Section for a few minutes, would you want to?

[dalsh327]

[wasted]

my guess is it's not what is going on with Axl right now, it's what is the next evolution from CD that matters. or will it be like CD part deux lyrically. If CD was Goodbye maybe CD II is Good Riddance.

[axlsalinger]

You've gotta understand that maybe Axl just doesn't feel like doing new music, what's goin on in his head is something like "I got a great thing going,

I tour and people go to the shows, why would I spend money on some album nobody but hardcore fans would buy?".

So he's just laying low, not doing much, because really that's what guy's at 51 feel like doing - jack shit.

The reason why people are so goddamn frustrated these days, is that Axl himself told us that one of the reasons Chinese Democracy took so long, was that they recorded the second record at the same time. And if Sebastian is to be believed, the third one as well. Plus he's had a stable, kick-ass band since 2006 that could or should be able to come up with a few songs. So in theory it shouldn't cost that much money (or really, any money if he just served up some Chinese leftovers).

Maybe he's telling us in his own special way that they're just not any good. I still think it's insane and implausible for the record company to refuse to release a new GNR album out of spite ... which tells me that he is probably asking for an amount of money for both himself and promotion, that the label is just not willing or able to spend.

Was it really worth sitting around for five fucking years to try and prove a point to people who don't care? Settle for a percentage based on sales, and promote it like a motherfucker - everybody wins.

[classicguns4life]

There are lots of bands who had their heyday years ago. Axl's actions suggest he doesn't want to be the most famous rock star on the planet anymore, anyways. So I don't understand why he can't just release new music once in a while and enjoy being Axl Rose.

There is potential merit to this theory, though. In the sense that he appears to have realized that a reunion is the only way to get back to the top of the mountain, if that is something he still wants to do.

I don't disagree with that. But if thats the case, why does he continue to play arenas and tour the same old places? Ok, while I don't agree with it, I can understand why he'd keep the GNR name. He believes its his. But he doesn't need to play arenas just playing the classics if he doesn't want to be the most famous rock star in the world. Play clubs, play Chinese Democracy in full. Play other crap that you just want to play as opposed to pandering to the masses. I totally agree I don't see why he doesn't just enjoy himself. He has enough money to do whatever he pleases, so he doesn't need to tour these arenas. And its the fact that he shoves his arena nostalgia shows down our throats that get us pissed. I'm sorry to say Axl, but do what Slash does and just fucking enjoy yourself. Why else do you think Slash couldn't give a shit about a GNR reunion. He's loving life. Even if you don't reunite, which we'd all love, I don't just see why you can't be happy. We'd be fine with that too.

[wasted]

but it's possible the reception of CD or certain songs wasn't strong enough and that reduced what they have. It's Chi dem, Better, SOD, Madagascar, TIL, Catcher maybe Sorry which really go down with most GNR fans more than Shackler's, Scraped, ITW. In other words the more classic rock sounding ones, rather than the more forward looking stuff.

So does the label look at the next record of material fully of Silkworms, Scraped, maybe more electronica stuff, maybe even more aggressive. Maybe it doesn't have the appeal they want.

Edited September 20, 2013 by wasted

[classicguns4life]

So does the label look at the next record of material fully of Silkworms, Scraped, maybe more electronica stuff, maybe even more aggressive. Maybe it doesn't have the appeal they want.

As has been said many many times, if Axl wanted to release something, he could do it in a second. Either he's afraid, he doesn't have enough to release, or he just plain doesn't care. But he's at a point in his life and we're at a point in society where you don't need labels to release new stuff. Also as has been said for years, if he really wanted to he could play the fucking stuff live.