A genuinely awesome interview with Bumblefoot

[HubbaBubba]

I like Ron a lot - not so musically if I'm being honest - but he's clearly a genuinely nice guy. Just when I read some of his quotes I find them, kinda strange. If I were being unkind I'd say he thrives off the attention and almost comes across (to me at least) like 'pity me' - I may be wrong as I'm not privy to the inner world of GNR and my views are as a fan of the band.

Dunno it's like I can't put my finger on it but at a guess I maybe don't think he's a sincere as he would like us all to believe. Again, I know that sounds harsh but I just honestly think there are things you should ALWAYS be allowed to say privately but publicly? Put it this way if you were Tommy, Richard ex reading that interview you can't honestly tell me you'd be mighty pissed off!? I've read it 3 times now and it's just very very strange IMO.

A guy has put a bunch of questions together, and what Bumblefoot said is the outcome of those questions.

It's not that strange to be honest. Men always keep stuff to themselves, it is the way things work. Think of someone like Gary Speed, he was a man's man, but commited suicide despite seemingly having the perfect life

If Bumblefoot is able to find solace and output in an interview, then it is better for him personally. At least it is out of his system and he can move on.

We, as people, have to be selfish sometimes for our ourselves. And that is it really

Agree that the bottom line is bumble's health.

I'd question the idea that he's simply venting though. There are excellent people you can go see to do that in complete confidence. This is a public interview that he knows will be dissected by fans. And he's clearly an intelligent guy who's not new to any of this.

While some of what he reveals may be completely spontaneous, you couldn't reasonably believe that at least some of what he's revealing isn't considered, and some of that in turn is intended to make us see him & his position in gnr in a particular way.

The Gary Speed story is tragic - he was a gent. However, I think that story goes alot deeper than wikipedia and I don't feel I know enough of the truth to comment fairly.

I think Bumblefoot offered considered answers to the questions. But I do not believe that it was anything more than that. Men, typically, are controlling but not manipulative

As for the Gary Speed thing, that was just a reference to the generic studies about men and depression.

Fair enough. Definitely agree that bbf is better off talking about what's on his mind rather than bottling it up.

Regardless of how any of us typically find people, individuals (men or women) are perfectly capable of being manipulative. Whether bumble is or isn't here depends on your view, but as we said above he seems to have an awful lot of public meltdowns. Maybe some gnr fans are just too cynical. God knows why!

[themadcaplaughs]

Great interview. Wtf is it with Tommy (I'm guessing Tommy here) and bullying people? He made it clear he really didn't like Bucket ("[bucket] leaving was the best thing that's happened to this band"). I can't really picture Finck being a bully, according to themadcaplaughs he kept trying to be nice to Bucket even when the guy didn't like him. Fortus, too, doesn't come across as a bully. If I was to make a guess it'd be Tommy and Dizzy as the main culprits, throwing their seniority around.

That must have been someone else. I never said that. Only thing I've heard is that Robin and Buckethead hated each other, and it was a mutual feeling.

I like Ron a lot - not so musically if I'm being honest - but he's clearly a genuinely nice guy. Just when I read some of his quotes I find them, kinda strange. If I were being unkind I'd say he thrives off the attention and almost comes across (to me at least) like 'pity me' - I may be wrong as I'm not privy to the inner world of GNR and my views are as a fan of the band.

Dunno it's like I can't put my finger on it but at a guess I maybe don't think he's a sincere as he would like us all to believe. Again, I know that sounds harsh but I just honestly think there are things you should ALWAYS be allowed to say privately but publicly? Put it this way if you were Tommy, Richard ex reading that interview you can't honestly tell me you'd be mighty pissed off!? I've read it 3 times now and it's just very very strange IMO.

I have to agree with this 100%. Although he is, in the end, probably a nice guy and is very nice to fans, I always get a sense that Ron (like Bob Dylan for instance) enjoys making statements that he knows will cause a reaction or stir whether or not they are completely true.

He clearly has a strange sense of humor, and finds aspects of online interaction quite funny. I would not be surprised if he says this kind of things to stir the pot and sit back and laugh at how the Internet reacts. I cannot help but think Ron seems to be "benched" until he's needed for a tour or to play a very specific part on a record. We have Dizzy, Tommy. and to a degree Axl all saying new material is being worked on, yet DJ is steadfast nothing is happening. I would not be surprised if he's purposefully kept out of the loop.

[Mysteron]

So there you have it, very little empathy, but a lot of suspicion and paranoia.

Welcome to computer users in 2013

[HubbaBubba]

Absolutely not the case as far as I can see. Almost every post makes reference to bumble being a genuine guy. Suspicion, yes. Can't see where you see paranoia. Maybe you're a bit paranoid! Just kidding.

I'd much rather chat about gnr face-to-face with you guys, but we're all over the world. The web's the only option and using a computer thru necessity doesn't invalidate anyone's opinion.

[Mysteron]

Absolutely not the case as far as I can see. Almost every post makes reference to bumble being a genuine guy. Suspicion, yes. Can't see where you see paranoia. Maybe you're a bit paranoid! Just kidding.

I'd much rather chat about gnr face-to-face with you guys, but we're all over the world. The web's the only option and using a computer thru necessity doesn't invalidate anyone's opinion.

Paranoia is a distrust of others. You have specifically questioned BBF's motives for his responses..

They makes you paranoid. Fact, fact, bang.

Edited October 12, 2013 by Mysteron

[HubbaBubba]

Absolutely not the case as far as I can see. Almost every post makes reference to bumble being a genuine guy. Suspicion, yes. Can't see where you see paranoia. Maybe you're a bit paranoid! Just kidding.

I'd much rather chat about gnr face-to-face with you guys, but we're all over the world. The web's the only option and using a computer thru necessity doesn't invalidate anyone's opinion.

Paranoia is a distrust of others. You have specifically questioned BBF's motives for his responses..

They makes you paranoid. Fact, fact, bang.

Paranoia is an irrational distrust of others. Subsy and I have both given our rationalisations based on things as we see them.

Let's avoid the dictionary crap, too many good discussions get side-tracked with that crap. And maybe no booms either if possible - I'm sure you're very clever.

[Mysteron]

Absolutely not the case as far as I can see. Almost every post makes reference to bumble being a genuine guy. Suspicion, yes. Can't see where you see paranoia. Maybe you're a bit paranoid! Just kidding.

I'd much rather chat about gnr face-to-face with you guys, but we're all over the world. The web's the only option and using a computer thru necessity doesn't invalidate anyone's opinion.

Paranoia is a distrust of others. You have specifically questioned BBF's motives for his responses..

They makes you paranoid. Fact, fact, bang.

Paranoia is an irrational distrust of others. Subsy and I have both given our rationalisations based on things as we see them.

Let's avoid the dictionary crap, too many good discussions get side-tracked with that crap. And maybe no booms either if possible - I'm sure you're very clever.

Where did I refer to Subsy being paranoid? I was specifically referring to you. Anyway, it is not a big deal.

We run a charity for people who have been depressed and who have been messed around by the 'powers that be'. That is what I do now. I trained up as a nurse quite recently, and further trained to become an NLP practitioner too, which is quite cool. Previously, I did Physics and Astro at Leeds Uni, and went on to study accountancy in London, whilst doing my music stuff, hence the help with GN'R a while ago. So, I know my stuff, I hope so anyway hehe

Anyway, let's see empathy, and a proper read of the interview etc.. Suspicion is so 1980s

[HubbaBubba]

Absolutely not the case as far as I can see. Almost every post makes reference to bumble being a genuine guy. Suspicion, yes. Can't see where you see paranoia. Maybe you're a bit paranoid! Just kidding.

I'd much rather chat about gnr face-to-face with you guys, but we're all over the world. The web's the only option and using a computer thru necessity doesn't invalidate anyone's opinion.

Paranoia is a distrust of others. You have specifically questioned BBF's motives for his responses..

They makes you paranoid. Fact, fact, bang.

Paranoia is an irrational distrust of others. Subsy and I have both given our rationalisations based on things as we see them.

Let's avoid the dictionary crap, too many good discussions get side-tracked with that crap. And maybe no booms either if possible - I'm sure you're very clever.

Where did I refer to Subsy being paranoid? I was specifically referring to you. Anyway, it is not a big deal.

We run a charity for people who have been depressed and who have been messed around by the 'powers that be'. That is what I do now. I trained up as a nurse quite recently, and further trained to become an NLP practitioner too, which is quite cool. Previously, I did Physics and Astro at Leeds Uni, and went on to study accountancy in London, whilst doing my music stuff, hence the help with GN'R a while ago. So, I know my stuff, I hope so anyway hehe

Anyway, let's see empathy, and a proper read of the interview etc.. Suspicion is so 1980s

All good. Thanks for the resume. As a mental health professional you should be able to spot insecurity early.

[ThinkAboutYou]

I would prefer an honest guy like Ron then a complete fake

[Flayer]

Damn. Wasn't there a whole rumor thing a while back about Buckethead having gotten similarly mistreated by Tommy and a couple of the other guys?

[ThinkAboutYou]

Damn. Wasn't there a whole rumor thing a while back about Buckethead having gotten similarly mistreated by Tommy and a couple of the other guys?

Found it

But Bucket is really weird, it's not an act.

Actually, a lot of it is a very immersive act. I've met the guy a handful of times, and while he is certainly a little off-center, his act is simply that, an act.

More, please. This is the best stuff I've read in years. Can you elaborate on the A-Group / B-Group comment? I'm not sure I follow. Were GN'R divided during recording sessions? I've been cursing Tommy's name all night. I wish I knew why he and Del felt threatened by Buckethead, unless they were so staunchly supportive of Robin. Of course, Robin still belonged in the band and wouldn't be the same without him, as they are now.

Essentially, there were 3 (or possibly more) different little groups that each contributed to little parts of the sessions. I'll try to divide them up, but I'll be ignoring Duff and Matt Sorum who really did not contribute to what became Chinese Democracy.

A Group: The main "band" that people would think of. Dizzy Reed and Paul Tobias writing riffs and song ideas, with Tommy and Josh providing instrumentation and contributing to these ideas.

The other two "bands" were not really fully functioning musical units per se, but little splinter groups that contributed in various ways.

B Group probably would have been Josh Freese working with Billy Howerdel, who eventually brought in Chris Pittman to jam. Billy was brought in to help with engineering, but apparently Axl was (understandably) very impressed with Billy's guitar playing and had him work with making some riffs. As someone else pointed out, most of this stuff probably ended up becoming ideas that evolved into material for A Perfect Circle. At the end of everything, Billy ended up getting one credit on Chinese Democracy (digital editing on "There was a Time") and Chris became a full-fledged member of the band.

C Group would be Buckethead, who Axl was introduced to Axl by Josh. Josh left the band shortly thereafter and Buckthead brought in Brain to play. I'd assume that Brain also jammed with the "A' group a bit once Josh left, but he mainly jammed with Buckethead on the riffs he brought in, and also worked to re-record all of Josh's parts.

As for why Del and Tommy were angered by Buckethead, and this is pure speculation, but I think they felt that Buckethead, the first person in a long time that had really become close to Axl and changed his views on how the band should function, was a moneky wrench of sorts to the situation. Buckethead had just been in the band a year, and was looking like he'd inspired Axl and was moving the band as much as the other groups had with about 4 years worth of material. There was also the fact that Del, one of Axl's closest friends, saw Bucket as an invasion on his influence, and Tommy (the "general") was no longer the band member with the most sway in the proceedings. Bear in mind that the 1/1/2001 show was literally the first time that Tommy and Robin would have even met Buckethead, and he was in many ways the focal point of the show besides Axl. Furthermore, both were incredibly turned off by his whole act.

As for Robin, someone earlier mentioned Robin did not have a problem with Buckethead, but from what I've heard Robin hated Buckethead as much as Bucket hated Robin. Buckethead did not see why he was having to share lead guitar duties (something he was fully capable of by himself) with someone who abandoned the band and joined back at the last second. Robin saw Buckethead much as Slash saw Paul Tobias, Axl's boy who was given more glamour than he earned.

I'd like to know why there was hate between Bucket and Finck too. As much as Bucket seems to appreciate his fans I cannot see him walking away from someone just for mentioning GNR. Can you imagine someone going up to him and going "Your solo in There Was a Time" is epic and amazing and him just walking away? For me, Bucket seemed liek a new hope to the post-Slash band and everything that we saw as a public was just the beginning. And yes I am too bummed out that it never fleshed out the way that it should have. At least I got to see them live in 2002 and even then going to the show I didn't think it would happen.

Buckethead felt like he was used by the band as a scapegoat for RIR in 2004, and felt that it was duplicitous of Axl to claim Buckethead was using the band for his own selfish means, and then all of his material was used on the final product.

http://www.mygnrforum.com/index.php?/topic/188331-why-did-buckethead-leave/page-7

From another thread

Edited October 13, 2013 by ThinkAboutYou

[UK SUBS]

I like Ron a lot - not so musically if I'm being honest - but he's clearly a genuinely nice guy. Just when I read some of his quotes I find them, kinda strange. If I were being unkind I'd say he thrives off the attention and almost comes across (to me at least) like 'pity me' - I may be wrong as I'm not privy to the inner world of GNR and my views are as a fan of the band.

Dunno it's like I can't put my finger on it but at a guess I maybe don't think he's a sincere as he would like us all to believe. Again, I know that sounds harsh but I just honestly think there are things you should ALWAYS be allowed to say privately but publicly? Put it this way if you were Tommy, Richard ex reading that interview you can't honestly tell me you'd be mighty pissed off!? I've read it 3 times now and it's just very very strange IMO.

A guy has put a bunch of questions together, and what Bumblefoot said is the outcome to those questions.

It's not that strange to be honest. Men always keep stuff to themselves, it is the way things work. Think of someone like Gary Speed, he was a man's man, but commited suicide despite seemingly having the perfect life

If Bumblefoot is able to find solace and output in an interview, then it is better for him personally. At least it is out of his system and he can move on.

We, as people, have to be selfish sometimes for our ourselves. And that is it really

Oh please! Save me the dramatic reply.

Look, I've had depression so trust me I'm as sympathetic as anyone in regard to those sentiments. My comments were in regard to what BBF said about GNR! You know, we're a GNR forum?

Ps - welcome back mysteron

[wasted]

One of the reasons Buckethead left was because some guys in the band were being pricks to him.

I think Tommy and Del want GNR as a 5 piece more punk hard rock. If Ron leaves due to health, could that happen with them playing stripped down versions of Better and SOD live?

If Ron leaves would Pitman leave as that would signify a more hard rock record. Frank would leave then.

So the core members of Axl, Tommy, Dizzy, Dj, Fortus would be looking for a drummer. Tommy Lee steppin' casually.

Would Axl tolerate it though? Not sure if he could shoe-horn his lofty dreams into a punk outfit.

He has two bands in one. Tommy, Dizzy, Dj keep it punk rock, Ron, Fortus and Pitman are more prog rock. Thats what GNR is really, ballads played by punk rockers, and rockers played by prog rock band.

[SoulMonster]

Bumblefoot is very good with his fans, sometimes better with them than with his band.

[CoolRanchDressing]

I wonder who picked on him more, his band or the forum members?

[Bruno P.]

He's being honest. Other than Tommy, nobody in the band is like that. He just say things when he feels like saying them. That's who he is and I'm glad he doesn't fake a perfect life and the best relationship with everyone.

[Robert G Durant]

I was very sick and I was very angry and very resentful that I had to tour and kinda keep the band together when I needed to heal. Because they couldn't - wouldn't - do it without me, all of it.

I thought it was interesting that he said he's had to keep the band together.

[UK SUBS]

I was very sick and I was very angry and very resentful that I had to tour and kinda keep the band together when I needed to heal. Because they couldn't - wouldn't - do it without me, all of it.

I thought it was interesting that he said he's had to keep the band together.

You say interesting I say dramatic.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe: "without BBF, there would be no more Guns N Roses"!??

[CoolRanchDressing]

Maybe he means Axl would have had a meltdown and cancelled the shows and jeopardized gnrs future if bumble quit. We all know how fragile Axl is. When bucket and slash quit it really seemed to damage his ability to function.

Edited October 13, 2013 by CoolRanchDressing

[Bruno P.]

Ron said that he wouldnt tour, so the boys said they wouldnt tour without him. Tommy wouldnt, Richard wouldnt, etc. Tour would have been canceled, promoters would have sued Axl, etc. That's why he did the tour.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Bruno Poeys

[HubbaBubba]

Ron said that he wouldnt tour, so the boys said they wouldnt tour without him. Tommy wouldnt, Richard wouldnt, etc. Tour would have been canceled, promoters would have sued Axl, etc. That's why he did the tour.

The consensus seems to be he gave in to emotional blackmail. But the tour would also be pretty tricky if he was dead in a hotel room.

[wasted]

Ron is important, without him they have to get someone else which takes time. Or they drop certain songs. Fortus becomes lead?

[Estranged Reality]

Odd interview, speaking frankly.

[themadcaplaughs]

The more I think about this interview, the more I can see it's more of Bumblefoot playing more of his old tricks. He keeps the band together. LOL ok Ron. Axl won't even let the dude write a song for Guns N' Roses.

[magisme]

You were forced to tour?
- Well, it's not that I was forced. I had to make the decision of either keeping Guns N' Roses going or taking care of my body. And I have nerve damage in both arms, and I'm gonna be in pain for the rest of my life... But I kept Guns N' Roses alive. And that was the trade-off.

Drama. Fucking. Queen.

Everything this guy says is hyperbole.