Slash's infamous Malibu visit in 2005 - what do you think happened?

[Babooshka]

Are there really people here who are stupid enough to believe that Slash bared his soul and spilled his guts to BETA?!

Where is the common sense. Slash is going to spill all this personal stuff to a stranger? Someone who hates him so much, she couldn't even sit through him playing guitar at a bar mitzvah. Yes, he's going to tell this woman his inner thoughts and she's also a reliable witness.

What he's supposed to have said sounds like something someone would make-up. Like when kids make shit up, to get a sibling in trouble. It doesn't sound like Slash, the wording, the phrasing. None of it rings true. Why would Slash be talking to Axl about Scott or VR if they haven't spoken in a decade? This would only make sense if they'd had previous conversations. If he were trying to ingratiate himself, why not go back to the original issues that broke the band up? Working with Paul Huge, going electronic, the naming rights etc. Instead he's suddenly trashing Scott and VR. How very convenient for anyone wanting to cause problems for the band.

To me, this is the most intriguing non-musical event in the history of GN'R. It encapsulates so much about all the extra-musical drama and probably divides parts of the fan base neatly into a pro-Axl and pro-Slash faction, regardless of how much I dislike such biases. Basically, one of the is lying. Either Axl is a lying cunt or Slash is a lying weasel. They can't both be heroes.

They could both be lying.

And Slash did retaliate in his own way. The whole point of him writing the book was partly in response to what happened. At the time he said it was the moment he was truly done with Axl. To me he seemed more hurt and upset than angry. But generally, Slash is the type who avoids confrontation, so he's not going to do much.

[Słash]

Man we don't even know these guys personally and here we are talking about the shit they did 10 years ago at 5 am.

[SoulMonster]

Are there really people here who are stupid enough to believe that Slash bared his soul and spilled his guts to BETA?!

Where is the common sense. Slash is going to spill all this personal stuff to a stranger? Someone who hates him so much, she couldn't even sit through him playing guitar at a bar mitzvah.

You've got the chronology all wrong. Back in 2005 Beta was Axl's PA (I believe) and this was long before she expressed animosity towards Slash (wasn't it?), and certainly long time before Marc's child's bar mitzvah.

Besides, he was perhaps drunk, and perhaps really wanted Axl to hear what he had to say. What would it matter to him if it was said to Beta and not to Axl? Anything he said to Axl would anyway be shared with Beta. For all practical purposes they are the same person.

[DieselDaisy]

How the heck is he supposed to claim otherwise when his powers of recollection can only bring forth the handing over of the note?

Oh my. I never said he should "claim otherwise", just not make any statements to the effect that ALL he did was deliver that note. If he is embarrased about having a blackout, and feared that admitting not remembering what actually happened would lend credence to the argument that he actually badmouthed his bandmates, then he should just shut up about and not say ANYTHING.

Personally, in the highly hypothetic scenario where it was me waking up to a press release claiming I said something awfully stupid while drunk, then I wouldn't deny making those statements alltogether unless I was 100 % sure I never could have said them even when absolutely blottoed, but rather distance myself from the content to make everyone understand that those things is not something I actually mean (unless I actually meant them). I am sure Slash has a publicist who could help him with this. It is really not hard.

Well Slash does not have you iron Scandinavian constitution now, does he?

I basically think it is futile to analyse the recollective abilities and truthfulness of a guy drunk at 5 am in the morning!! Is it possible that he did say something (pejorative of VR)? Certainly. He was drunk! Just look at Mel Gibson! Is Beta a credible witness? Certainly not; she despises Slash and sees her position of power as being antithetical to the resumption of the Axl-Slash relationship. Will we ever know the complete truth? Probably not. Should we care really? Probably no also.

[SoulMonster]

And Slash did retaliate in his own way. The whole point of him writing the book was partly in response to what happened. At the time he said it was the moment he was truly done with Axl. To me he seemed more hurt and upset than angry. But generally, Slash is the type who avoids confrontation, so he's not going to do much.

The funny thing is that even in the book he doesn't make a point of never having said what the press release claims he said (!). In his own biography, his lasting words for eternity, he doesn't take the chance to point out what a fucking cunt Axl was for claiming those things. He doesn't spend one sentence in that whole book to state for the record that he didn't say it.

Instead, here is what he actually bothers to say on the matter:

- That he hasn't spoken to Axl personally (again, that is irrelevant since the claim is that he spoke to Beta)

- That he was drunk (perhaps implying that anything he DID say was when drunk and as such shouldn't be taken seriously?)

- That he went up to the house and handed a note to "[Axl's] assistant".

- That the effect of the press release was "unsettling to [him]" and that he "can barely even talk about it stil". But he never says that this is because it is a LIE, instead it was hard on him because it made the situation with VR worse (!).

- That he said to his band mates that the press release wasn't true but that they didn't believe him.

- That he got anrgy with Scott for slamming Axl.

Again, he doesn't really take the opportunity to defend himself against the claims in the press release. He doesn't even point out what a fucking cntish thing it was of Axl IF indeed Slash never said what he said. Instead he just talks about how much he was hurt by the results of the press release and how he almost left the band as a result.

[Babooshka]

He said the press release wasn't true. That is him defending himself. I don't know what more you want. He's not Axl. He's not going to make a big massive display and write a rambling open letter to Rolling Stone.

I don't know why you've resurrected this issue.

[axlinkafayette]

At least lost the ORIGINAL article about it, your version leaves out the actual quotes

[-W.A.R-]

i busted out laughing at "proven to be the strongest" that sounds like total make believe...what man would say that?

i don't think its out of the realm of possibly that Slash being in a drunk state would say those things about Scott/Matt/Duff thought

but who knows/who cares

[TeeJay410]

Where did slash say he left VR for a while?

[ludurigan]

One of the most controversial incidents in the history of GN'R is what went down when a drunken Slash made a visit to Axl's house back in 2005. On one side we have Axl's version where Slash badmouthed his band mates in Velvet Revolver to Beta, alledgedly to get back in GN'R. On the other side we have Slash's version where he went there to hand over a note regarding the ongoing court case they were having, and Axl (or Beta) made up lies about him dissing his bandmates.

But who do people here trust? What do you think actually happened?

It seems remarkably wicked for Axl to make up lies about what Slash said in an attempt at character assasination and sever his ties with VR, but it is beyond Axl (or Beta) to do it to hurt Slash? It also sounds rather weak of Slash to turn up at the house and in a drunken attempt at distancing himself from VR, say lots of bad stuff about them. So who's story do you believe, or is neither true?

For those who don't rememver this story, this is what we know:

- In October 2005 Axl made a visit at night/early morning to Axl's house. Confirmed by both.

- In March 2006 the visit is made known publicly in a press release by Axl.

- In the press release, Axl claims Slash came to his house to say Axl had "won" and "proven to be the strongest" among them in their long feud. Additionally, Slash alledgedly badmouthed Matt, Scott and Duff. Slash has never admitted this. He first was very ambiguous about even visiting, then, later on, he admitted to having visited but never to have said anything negative about his bandmates.

- Slash claims he was drunk and that Perla was driving. Axl claims he didn't appear intoxicated.

- Slash claims he handed a note to Beta pertaining to the ongoing court case. Axl has not commented on that part.

- After Axl's press release Slash stated he would respond with an announcement, that never really came. Instead, Slash sort of left Velvet Revolver for a while, before returning to the band. Confirmed and talked about in Slash's book.

- Slash has still not explicitly called Axl out for lying about the incident, despite the seriousness of Axl's claims.

i couldnt care less about this. who cares what slash said and who cares that axl decided that it was a cool thing to let the entire planet know what slash said.

all this sounds pretty childish and a bit low to me, and kinda boring

all i care at this point is when axl, izzy, duff, slash and steven will do new music again

[Hell House]

LOL at the people who are actually believing Axl and his Nanny in this case, seriously haven't you seen what Axl has been saying and doing since the past so many years.

I'll be the first to admit I am far from sure in what I think about this. But doesn't it strike you as odd that even Slash's buddies in VR believed Axl rather than Slash? That Slash basically left VR after Axl's press release? And that Slash never really spoke out against the vile accusations if they were false? What did he gain from not protesting? What did he gain from trying to conceal that he had visited Axl, if all he really did was just to try to fix the court case? In short, Slash acted like as if the accusations were true and that he had been called out when he attempted to distance himself from VR while ingratiating himself with Axl again. Not an awfully strong argument, I agree, but enough to tip the scales in Axl's favor, in my humble opinion.

Who said Slash left VR or VR was over after this? The fact is that Slash is still working with Duff and Matt, they are still friends, after this even Scott came out and said things regarding Axl.

You would seriously believe Beta? We all know she is totally against Slash and she made up shit and told to Axl. Like Slash would say that he has lost the War against Axl and blah blah? lol.

There was no need of Slash to come out and say things against Axl after the press release. After this whole "friendship" thing, None of them have come out and spoken regarding this and none of them have denied which is very weird.

Slash says that after the press release his relationship with the rest of the band soured a lot, and that he took his gear and left for home to let things blow over. That's what I meant with "basically left the band". The whole band took a time out, not sure whether Slash would come back, and probably whether they would want him back, or if he was -- as media reported -- heading back to GN'R.

Yes, as I have stated before, I am inclined to believe Beta over Slash on this, for the reasons mentioned. I know of no other example of betae making up such vile accusations against Slash which would make it plausibel in this case either.

You are right, there was no NEED to come out and protest against the vile accusations, but there were numerous GOOD reasons for him to do so, including: repairing the relationship with the rest of the band which was really bad from before and becamse a lot worse after the press release, especially the relationship with Scott who actually did speak out against Axl and probably expected Slash to support him, and fixing his own public image which took a real hit as a result of his silence on the matter where Axl's press release was allowed to stand uncontested. No need, right, but enough good reasons, in my opinion. If you were a public figure and someone released a press release full of slander and awful accusations against you, wouldn't you protest and speak out against it? All Slash did was state he would make an announcement, but it never happened, try to dismiss him having talked to Axl (as if THAT was the crux of the matter) or even visiting Axl's house (something he would admit he did later), and then, much later, claim he just went there to fix the court case...and besides he was drunk. To this day he has never, as far as I know, actually explicitly said the press release was wrong on what he said about VR.

Regarding your last sentence, Slash denied he said those things in his autobiography.

[SoulMonster]

He said the press release wasn't true. That is him defending himself. I don't know what more you want. He's not Axl. He's not going to make a big massive display and write a rambling open letter to Rolling Stone.

I don't know why you've resurrected this issue.

According to the book, released in 2007, he said it to his bandmates, yes. Not a particularly strong public rejection of the press release?

I resurrect the issue because I have never really discussed it before and was curious as to what you guys think of it and who you believe are telling the truth. And as a topic of discussion it seems to work fairly well.

At least lost the ORIGINAL article about it, your version leaves out the actual quotes

What original article? I am paraphrasing from Slash's biography. If you have a more relevant artcile please come with it

Where did slash say he left VR for a while?

He never said that, as far as I know. What I have been trying to say is that he "basically left VR", as in took his gear and left the band for a while. As far as I know, he was never officially out of the band, although that is what the media was saying. According to his book he just stayed low for a while. If I am playing devil's advocate here, I would say the ongoign conflict in VR coupled with Axl's press release pushed him out and that he actually tried to get back in GN'æR - when that failed he opted to get good with VR and came back to explain and apologize. But that is me playing devil's advocate.

[SoulMonster]

i busted out laughing at "proven to be the strongest" that sounds like total make believe...what man would say that?

I agree, that is the most unbelievable part of the story. It is something an 8-year old might say. So who is the 8-year old, Axl or Slash?

[star]

Guess only a few know the facts of that visit, us not included among the few. One absolute fact is, Slash made the visit. My guess is, he simply wanted a face to face chat without all the middle-men BS in the way. For one reason or another, Axl wasn't interested, or Axl's house-maid wasn't interested (or was under instruction). Hey-ho, all water under the bridge.

[HubbaBubba]

I think we can be reasonably sure that Axl's statement is made up of things Beta *wished* slash had said that night. The whole of Axl's side of events came through her, and neither of them ever claimed that he and slash met face to face.

Given how she pays her bills, would you take beta at her word?

[SoulMonster]

I think we can be reasonably sure that Axl's statement is made up of things Beta *wished* slash had said that night. The whole of Axl's side of events came through her, and neither of them ever claimed that he and slash met face to face.

Given how she pays her bills, would you take beta at her word?

Maybe not if Slash had protested wildly against the accusations and maybe even taken it to court. Tugging his tail behind his legs and hiding, is not the reaction I would expect from someone who is innocent.

I find it harder to believe that people would make up lies about anyone else and take the drastic step of publishing them in a press release knowing that they sound implausible and no one will believe them if they are contested, than to believe a drunken rocker would say bad things about his bandmates.

[Strange Broue]

Why is this relevant anymore?

Slash may badmouthed

Beta was lied to Axl on to some extent

end of story

[SoulMonster]

Why is this relevant anymore?

Slash may badmouthed

Beta was lied to Axl on to some extent

end of story

So you are saying you believe Slash did badmouth his colleagues in VR but that Beta exaggerated what he said to Axl? Why do you believe this scenario?

[Strange Broue]

Why is this relevant anymore?

Slash may badmouthed

Beta was lied to Axl on to some extent

end of story

So you are saying you believe Slash did badmouth his colleagues in VR but that Beta exaggerated what he said to Axl? Why do you believe this scenario?

Because that is the most likely scenario if we cut out the actual bullshit that was said

Note Scott's rant

"Get in the ring. Go to the gym, motherfucker, or if you prefer, get a new wig, motherfucker. I think I'll resist the urge to 'stoop' to your level. Oh shit, here it comes, you fat, botox-faced, wig-wearin' fuck! O.K., I feel better now.

"Don’t think for a second we don't know where those words came from. Your unoriginal, uncreative little mind — the same mind that had to rely on its bandmates to write melodies and lyrics. Who's the fraud now, bitch?

"Damn, I couldn't imagine people writing for me. How many albums have you put out, man, and how long did it take the current configuration of this so-called 'band' to make this album? How long? And without the only guys that validated the name.

"How dare you! Shame on you! How dare you call our bass player 'spineless?' We toured our album over a year and a half. How many shows have you played over the last ten years? Oh, that's right — you bailed out on your long-awaited comeback tour, leaving your remaining fans feeling, shall we say, a trifle miffed?! I won't even list what I've accomplished because I don't need to. What we're talking about here is a frightened little man who once thought he was king, but unfortunately this king without his court is nothing but a memory of the asshole he once was."

and i don't think iT's relevant anymore since they are buried the hatchet

[SoulMonster]

History is always interesting. As far as Scott taking Slash's side, that was sort of expected, wasn't it? Yet it is telling what happened behind the scenes between Slash and the rest of VR.

Edited December 16, 2015 by SoulMonster

[Strange Broue]

History is always interesting. As far as Scott taking Slash's side, that was sort of expected, wasn't it? Yet it is telling what happened behind the scenes between Slash and the rest of VR.

an album happened in 2007 and they disbanded in 2008 because Scott can't keep his shit together as always.... What a glorious history....

His rant is laughable and sad in retrospective, imho

and true

lol

Edited December 16, 2015 by Strange Broue

[Rovim]

History is always interesting. As far as Scott taking Slash's side, that was sort of expected, wasn't it? Yet it is telling what happened behind the scenes between Slash and the rest of VR.

And Scott took all the negative things he said about Axl back, and showed respect towards him.

[SoulMonster]

A rather divisive discussion, with 16 of us believing Slash's version and 16 believing Axl's.

[Rovim]

A rather divisive discussion, with 16 of us believing Slash's version and 16 believing Axl's.

Some are just brutally misguided.

[stella]

Or, here's an idea: neither of them are lying and both are repeating the incident as they remember it. Drunk people aren't particularly known for their perfect recall of events. Many folks DO run their mouths and say stuff they don't mean when they're intoxicated (I am sure we have all run into a drunk person who declares their undying love or hatred for everyone around them, for instance). Being highly emotional about a situation tends to distort what's said and what's remembered, as well (ex, crime scenes where five different witnesses have five different descriptions of what happened). And then there's Beta who could have easily distorted things as well. Not to mention that this apparently occurred in the middle of the night.

So Slash shows up in the dead of night, he's three sheets to the wind and he babbles something he may or may not have meant because the situation is emotionally charged. Beta hears whatever she hears and repeats it to Axl, for whom the situation is also emotionally charged, and it gets distorted more. And instead of just saying "go home, you're drunk, Slash" and writing it off, it blows up into a press release. Meanwhile everyone has their own version of what they think was said and they believe that 100%.

Edited December 16, 2015 by stella