Interview New interview w/Dizzy Reed [Sight of Sound]

[T-Minus]

It is quite preposterous to state that the Guns n Roses name does not have MASSIVE value. Axl knew it then and lives off of it now.

There are a substantial amount of people who attend a Guns N' Roses concert to listen to the hits that the original band recorded, without having any knowledge of who is or is not in the band. The fact that the band promote TV adverts containing the old material exclusively to promote shows with messages such as "see the legendary Guns N' Roses..." whilst playing a backdrop of Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child, Paradise City etc etc does not help to give an "uneducated" and unaware section of the paying public, an idea as to who is in the band or what material they have released other than the hits, probably does not help matters.

It is YOUR opinion, NGOG, that Axl with the GnR name would outsell any of the others performing exclusively under it. I tend to agree but it is not a fact, it is merely a suspicion. The name has massive value. If VR were formed as GnR, they would have sold a hell of a lot more albums and tickets based solely off of the name.

As was outlined before, Axl has overhauled this band many times and the name has kept the interest not the musicians in the band. You could argue that this is the case because Axl is more important and a bigger draw and that he is the sole reason for the interest but to ignore the impact that the GnR name has on things is slightly naive, (IN MY OPINION).

[Bono]

*IF* Rock and Roll Hall of Fame agreed with the new lineup perfomance, *MAYBE* it could happened a reunion perfomance also.

Exactly. At the end of the day, Axl just wanted the new band to be treated with respect. Had the organizers made a slight compromise, and allowed modern GNR to perform, they would have made Axl more amenable to doing something with the old band.

Life is all about reaching a middle ground.

the new band didn't and doesn't deserve even an ounce of recognition when it comes to the RRHOF. They had absolutely NOTHING to do with why GnR was inducted. Having them there and performing would've been a complete and utter joke. It's asinine to think they should've been there performing. Just a pipe dream of delusional people.

[Bono]

Perhaps some of the old guys see the new band as an affront to their legacy? I know if i were Slash and saw Ashba playing my stuff under the Guns n Roses banner, i would be outraged.

And that is what I described as arguing from a position of principle. If you're trying to organize a historic event, what is the more pragmatic approach:

A. Ensuring the most important figure won't attend by declining to heed his wishes. Thus killing about 90% of the intrigue that surrounds the event.

B. Compromise with said person, maximize the Hall of Fame audience, and open a whole range of possibilities.

I can see where you are coming from but i politely disagree with the statement that the majority should compromise with the minority. Axl showed himself to be a bitter man who cannot let go...

It's not about compromising with minorities; it's about ensuring the presence of somebody that is extremely important to the relevance of the ceremony.

the ceremony went on without him. he wasn't the be all end all and in the end he lost once again. Made himself look like an asshole, fans booed him, other original members came off looking golden once again. No fucking way should any of the original members pander to Axl Rose. The new band didn't deserve to be anywhere near that ceremony. Period. And don't talk about years in the band. Tommy's longevity in Guns N' Roses mean fuck all to the legendary status of Guns N' Roses. Its 100% completely irrelevant.

[T-Minus]

Totally agree.