Slash comments on talking with Axl again - "It was probably way over due. It's very cool."

[Ana_1991]

This was a day before the slash interview

" James Young, owner of the cherry bar, said"i heard the most amazing rumor this week, from a very well informed heavy hitter in the australian music industry, giving me the name of the headline act from soundwave next year, we know that a mystery band has come in and saved the festival and now owns it, so they now have a big say in it. Well I have heard 'fantasized' on wednesday, night, steven adler, duff mckagen, slash and axl rose, the refamation of the original 1987 appetite for destruction , guns n roses lineup, can you believe it? its incredible, ive had sleepless nights .." starting in melbourne next year in January

Listen to the

Triple M's Hot Breakfast with Eddie McGuire - 21st August 2015 51.00 mark

Soundwave festival is in January so we will see

[Caught_in_a_Coma]

This was a day before the slash interview

" James Young, owner of the cherry bar, said"i heard the most amazing rumor this week, from a very well informed heavy hitter in the australian music industry, giving me the name of the headline act from soundwave next year, we know that a mystery band has come in and saved the festival and now owns it, so they now have a big say in it. Well I have heard 'fantasized' on wednesday, night, steven adler, duff mckagen, slash and axl rose, the refamation of the original 1987 appetite for destruction , guns n roses lineup, can you believe it? its incredible, ive had sleepless nights .." starting in melbourne next year in January

Listen to the

Triple M's Hot Breakfast with Eddie McGuire - 21st August 2015 51.00 mark

Where's Izzy?

[BKinNYC]

Well, the VMA's are next weekend....

[Dan H.]

At face value this is really cool news. I can't say I figured this was coming because Axl is just so mysterious and unpredictable that it could have gone either way. I'm sure anyone else would have made amends after all these years, but you just never know with a dude like Axl.

Seems like pretty convenient timing, with DJ gone, BBF clearly and presumably gone, and Tommy off enjoying his revival of fame in The Replacements, it seems that the band needs two new guitarists and a bassist. We know Duff is on board, as he was willing to fill in with the band for several shows on tour, Izzy has made recent appearances with Axl and has expressed interest in a reunion, and Slash has always held that he would be open to a reunion, but Axl had refused to make amends with him.

Well, now we have amends. I suppose we don't know the length or context of the conversations, it must have been mostly a personal man-to-man chat to get around the awkwardness of the last two decades, but I imagine that if they had some drinks, got past the apologies and amends, and reminisced on the good old days, the possibility of a reunion could have been tossed around.

I wonder if it would fall apart before it began though, ya know? Axl is still Axl, and though he has mellowed out quite a bit he still shows up a little late to shows, still is unproductive and indecisive, and still doesn't seem to even want to put in an effort with his own band and his own music. Slash, Duff, and Izzy seem to be happy doing what they're doing and have less reason to put up with a diva than before, especially after Slash and Duff just dealt with Weiland.

So I think the only way a reunion could work is if it was a tour, maybe a small tour like The Grateful Dead, three shows in LA, three shows in Chicago, and three shows in New York. Or maybe they'll do a run at the festival gauntlet next summer like Rage Against the Machine and hit up Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, Reading/Leads and Glastonbury.

That would give them the best opportunity to play to huge amounts of fans from all different points in the USA, and two or three opportunities to play massive crowds in the UK/Eastern Europe(playing to crowds of 100,000 plus with almost no chance of selling out the festival).

Maybe they do RiR or Lolla Brazil too, to get in those South American fans that they love.

Don't see Slash Duff and Izzy waiting around for almost two decades to cut an album, so I doubt we'd see new material from the original band, and I doubt they would all mesh well creatively anymore. Maybe we could hope for an EP, with an official recording of Crash Diet, maybe a cover of Fall to Pieces with Axl on vocals, and two new songs written while preparing to tour.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Dan H.

[Rovim]

I doubt they would all mesh well creatively anymore.

Musical chemistry at that level is a powerful thing. Judging by their output since old Guns has died, their musical interests remain largely the same.

I think they have the potential to cook something up that won't stink.

[Dan H.]

I doubt they would all mesh well creatively anymore.

Musical chemistry at that level is a powerful thing. Judging by their output since old Guns has died, their musical interests remain largely the same.

I think they have the potential to cook something up that won't stink.

You think so? It doesn't seem to me that their musical interests are in tune. Axl is attempting to do some kind of bizarre post-90s industrial/grunge/rock with what I'm assuming is an intention of being "artsy". Slash has been on a nu-metal post grunge thing with Myles, and Izzy has released a few Americana blues/rock/folk records.

Granted when Guns started Slash was into 60s and 70s rock, Axl was into prog rock and epic large production rock music like Elton, Queen, and ELO. Izzy was into music in general but seemed to want a lo-fi framework with rock and blues, and Duff was a punk rock/grunge roots dude from Seattle.

Granted they all had common ground on artists they enjoyed and the direction of their music, but that was back when they were friends and weren't particularly successful which probably made it easier to compromise and blend their own quirks.

By the way I'm not suggesting that GNR is some kind of genius basterd baby made up of a large variety of music, it was all rock and it was all guitar driven in a pretty standard way like CCR, Aerosmith, The Stones, etc. But they did have their quirks.

I can't see Slash or Izzy wanting to pursue material similar to CD, and I can't see Axl relinquishing his little "masterpieces" to play 21st century safe rock and roll.

Clearly I'm sitting here just speculating all of this, but I just can't picture these guys coming to a consensus on a new album, and having it be satisfying with all the big egos in the room.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Dan H.

[Dr. Who]

Well strong emotions have driven Axl's best songs...
Imagine what a powerful catharsis it must've been to talk to Slash again after 19 years.
The memories of first friendship and shared poverty induced comradery...Of making it big together...Of fights and the bitter breakup and the years gone by and regret...
Axl compared losing Slash to a divorce and of crying 'burning hot tears of anger' over losing Slash...Marc Canter has said not talking to Slash has been a huge emotional burden on Axl for years...Imagine what sort of catharsis that must've been for him...And what might come from that sort of powerful release.

[luciusfunk]

It would be a nice touch if the guys did maybe three songs from the sideprojects. Kind of a mutual acknowledgement of each others efforts.

One song from CD (Street of Dreams)

One song from Contraband (Slither/You Got No Right)

One song from Duff/Izzy solo stuff

All a bit far fetched at this stage though. I'd settle for just seeing Slash and Axl together in public these days, maybe present an award together or something, that would be nice.

I'd like to hear Axl on Fall to Pieces, myself.

[Rovim]

I doubt they would all mesh well creatively anymore.

Musical chemistry at that level is a powerful thing. Judging by their output since old Guns has died, their musical interests remain largely the same.

I think they have the potential to cook something up that won't stink.

You think so?

I really do. At least on an artistic level. Wasn't talking about their ability to get along.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Rovim

[Dan H.]

I doubt they would all mesh well creatively anymore.

Musical chemistry at that level is a powerful thing. Judging by their output since old Guns has died, their musical interests remain largely the same.

I think they have the potential to cook something up that won't stink.

You think so?

I really do. At least on an artistic level. Didn't talk about their ability to get along.

Well I really hope so. If they go into the studio and conspire to make something fresh and interesting together I'd be overjoyed.

[Dan H.]

Well strong emotions have driven Axl's best songs...

Imagine what a powerful catharsis it must've been to talk to Slash again after 19 years.

The memories of first friendship and shared poverty induced comradery...Of making it big together...Of fights and the bitter breakup and the years gone by and regret...

Axl compared losing Slash to a divorce and of crying 'burning hot tears of anger' over losing Slash...Marc Canter has said not talking to Slash has been a huge emotional burden on Axl for years...Imagine what sort of catharsis that must've been for him...And what might come from that sort of powerful release.

Yeah but that's basically what Saints of Los Angeles was, just a "remember the good ole days when we were immature poor drug addicts" album. And that's disingenuous to who they are now and where they're at and where culture has moved on to.

Maybe if they went with themes like that but handled it less like a celebration of the old days and more like a look back on how GN'R consumed their lives and spat them out in all of these bizarre and unexpected places, that could be cool.

I'd love to see a 21st century GNR Reunion album with a lot of self awareness, and a musical direction that may suit them more in today's climate.

If they maybe managed to get Danger mouse and Patrick Carney to produce and went with a funky and fuzzy blues rock sound with some experimental structure peppered in(I'd be fine with having Pitman along as a consultant or something) I think it could be really cool and really well received.

Course that won't happen because none of them are remotely self aware and none of them have released anything particularly interesting since Illusions, but I can dream.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Dan H.

[LA_0013]

An album produced by Mike Clink with songs only 80% as good as those on Appetite, would still be in the top 3 rock albums of the past 20 years

[Naupis]

I think if God forbid they got together again it would start with some live shows and that's all, but if they were feeling it they would pound out a record quickly.

People lose sight of the fact Axl once put out 3 full studio albums and an E.P with Slash/Duff/Izzy within a 4-5 year span. If the material is right and he's feeling motivated he isn't forever relegated to his current existence of unending doubt and feelings of inferiority the material isn't worthy of GNR.

Slash is absolutely capable of putting out a viscous sounding GNR album guitar wise. Listening to some of his rifts on his solo albums they sound like they were cut straight out of GNR stuff. Something like Wicked Stone with Axl's contribution would be absolutely worthy of carrying the GNR banner.

I don't worry a GNR reunion album would end up like some other reunion albums that have disappointed or sounded dated because Slash is still playing killer guitar, and as long as there is some killer guitar no GNR album would be a let down. God forbid Axl got motivated for one last run and they might really still be able to capture something special.

[rocknroll41]

I think the best kind of reunion record would be a Lies-type of thing. A handful of live recordings (maybe actually live this time if Axl's voice can handle it) backed with a handful of new studio songs recorded acousticly.

I think it'd be cool if the live portion consisted of familiar hits, and the acoustic portion is where they'd place the new stuff. I feel at this point, with their age and collective musical evolutions, an acoustic format would be the best outlet for new material

[OTHAFA]

The best we could hope for is a reunion tour, but I'll take it. I don't think we're ever getting an album of new Axl Rose material again.

[Nosaj Thing]

Great news if true. I would take it with a grain of salt, though. We don't know what Slash meant by what he said. I would definitely wait for another interview where he confirms he has talked to Axl.

Also, Axl and Slash talking does not mean they are in good terms now. It probably means they will be in good terms as time goes by. These guys have not talked in almost 20 years, they have a lot to catch up. There are a lot of "misunderstandings, she said/he said" things to discuss and solve. I mean, Slash is currently busy with his solo band and Axl - presumably - is working on something regarding his own project. Do people really think that only one talk will somehow transform in an instant reunion? No fucking way. If a "reunion" is a possibility (and I bet there are zero chances of that ever happening), it would happen in years.

At this point, all I care about is Axl being able to mend fences with the best lead guitarist Guns N' Roses has ever had. And Slash being able to mend fences with the best frontman he has ever worked with.

If they sat together in a restaurant for a few hours, discussed their own shit, and shook hands in the end, I, as a Guns N' Roses fan, am happy. So, crossing my fingers they really talked to each other.

[Roky]

2017 might be a great year.

[Dr. Who]

Question for fans:

Even if GN'R were not to reunite on a permanent basis, would you support:

-A one-off performance, akin to what Zeppelin did at the 02?
-A short, one-off reunion tour (lasting less than a year)

-HD Releases on DVD/Blu Ray of Use Your Illusion and Appetite Tour Concerts

-"Deluxe" Releases of Appetite - Spaghetti with new "bonus" material (live tracks, different takes of various songs, etc)?

If Axl and Slash never produced another new song together again, but their renewed friendship allowed for the above, would you be satisfied?

[G-Money]

Another thing to note is that Steven Adler was doing several interviews a week this year, answering the same GNR question countless times. Suddenly, Adler's news is nothing but highlights of his band's tour. If Steven Adler is keeping quiet about his thoughts on GNR, it kind of makes you wonder what exactly it is that he's keeping quiet.

I think the most likely reunion at this point is a half-and-half band:

Axl + Slash + Duff + Richard + Frank + Dizzy

But for the first time ever, I've got a sincere feeling that they're going to get back together, at least for a little while.

Edited August 24, 2015 by G-Money

[Nosaj Thing]

If, Axl and Slash are talking again and they get to be in good terms with each other, I would die in peace if they released the unseen UYI footage. Hell, I would buy all the gigs, from 1991 to 1993. No matter what the cost.

[James Bond]

They should do a KISSology-style release. Two volumes - the best of 1985-1990 and then 1991-1994. Full concerts, concert clips, interviews, award show footage, and whatever else you can think of.

[ShadowOfTheWave]

I love how Slash can say nothing about speaking with Axl, and in fact wasn't even asked about speaking with Axl, and yet somehow it's 100% confirmed that they are "talking".

[Dr. Who]

Team Brazil and the people on their payroll (Jarmo especially) will do their best to kill any friendship between Axl and Slash. Beta hates Slash as does Jarmo. These people have Axl's ear and will twist anything Slash says and do whatever they can do ruin any improved relationship. Mama Yoko ain't gonna allow her boy to fly, she'll just let him sing.

[TheDemocracyRose]

I hope Axl will release CD2 and other stuff to a farewell to NU-GNR. Then start a reunion tour and make an album in 2016/17. Realistic?

Edited August 24, 2015 by TheDemocracyRose

[Słash]

Im still having doubts about this interview. Things have gotten better between the two, but there was no mention about both of them actually talking.

It would be great if they actually talked, but I doubt that happened.