China Exchange: 60 Minutes with Axl Rose

[BOSSY78]

17 hours ago, darkknite63 said:

I found that weird too, but from what I gather he might have been trying to say was that he wants to release CD2 as it is with the old lineup, and he's worked with Slash and Duff on new material post CD lineup (maybe). maybe he was trying to dodge the question making stuff up on the spot.

I take it as likely he already recorded or worked on CD 2 with another form of GnR and therefore  would love to release that with them and release new music with Slash and Duff. I see no problem with it in fact I respect more he wants to release the album these guys stuck around years to make with him.

We have to understand that the breakup happened and it would be rude and disrespectful for him to just redo all their hard work with Slash and Duffs stuff instead. Those guys wanted to make music and deserve to have their contributions with him released.

I'd be just fine if he does it that way. I admire he s respect for them as bandmates. 

Whatever comes from it I'm happy. It seems he's eager to release new music

 Perhaps we will get a mixture. Like a hybrid album or a two part even with music from the classic and what was overall considered NUGUNS by many.

I know some will think it should not be like that but I wouldn't mind it. It gives respect to Slash and Duff amd the members like DJ who stuck around waiting faithfully 

My guess Axl has plenty in his vault to work with.

 

Edited June 9, 2016 by BOSSY78
added

[wasted]

2 hours ago, Apollo said:

I feel you. 

But Axl is a big boy who is well known for speaking his mind and not caring what people think. Did you see his rant on Madison? Called her a lesbian cunt, amongst other insults. Have you heard Get in the Ring?

Axl is well known for dishing it out. Hopefully he can take it as well. Some posters on here say he is the last true rock star and they admire his "don't give a f*ck" attitude. Tossing softball questions so we don't offend him......sort of negates those theories.

I'm more old school and don't think we need to coddle somebody because they are a celebrity. I don't care how many cats he has or what his favorite soda pop is.

But I do get your point. 

But what is the hard ball question? 

Why don't you release more songs? Axl seems to be saying in this interview it was the label blocking him. He wishes he had released more via self release. His version he had GNR forced on him, it became his personal albatross. Like damned if you do, damned if you don't. The label want "a GNR album". I can only imagine what chicken jams hit the cutting room floor. But still lyrically I wonder what fits GNR. CD was Axl's statement on GNR in a way, so either he selected tracks thematically or that's all he has to say? I think he's holding stuff back because it doesn't fit, won't work as GNR. He's pretty much shackled to GNR, the expectations. CD is immense, no matter what people say, there's only one arguement against it, you don't like that kind of thing. The songwriting, point of view, quality is there for 14 tracks. We might not like what he says, or how he sings falsetto, production. But It's a solid statement. Given the scrutiny and situation anything less would mean the end of "Axl Rose" - he would just be the talentless asshole who broke up GNR. But his talent has shone through to the point where people might listen to his pov more. 

But I'm not sure he's saying he wanted to self release a string of hard rock albums. It sounds like there's a lot of variety to the material that somehow doesn't fit industry norms. 

The other contraction is saying CD II is done and a remix album. But then Slash and Duff like what material he has and they will see whether they add parts or write new stuff. 

My guess is Axl wants Slash on his material, see the new work ethic Slash has in regards to GNR. Axl is just unwilling to get down on his knees and beg. But he wants it to happen because it's a way to give everyone the GNR album they want. The label and fans. 

To me the hardball questions just end in the same rabbit hole convolutions as a soft ball question. 

 

 

[ludurigan]

22 minutes ago, Mendez said:

I want to know:

What songs did Buckethead allegedly want back, and why were they denied (either by Axl, or his lawyers)?

 

Why did Robin Finck leave Guns N' Roses in 2009 (even though in an interview Axl said Robin was still up for touring in early 2008. Besides the obvious answer that the record took too long to come out.) In my opinion, Guns N' Roses was a creative outlet for Robin to at least write songs in (where as with NIN, Trent Reznor writes the base of everything and Robin plays on it and tours and isn't credited with writing anything)

 

Why does Buckethead now refuse to answer questions regarding Guns N' Roses and Axl in written interviews, and why does his guitar tech not allow fans to get Chinese Democracy (physical release) signed by him?

 

How was the decision to rerecord someone else's solo decided upon (referring to BBF's parts)? If Brian May's solo didn't work with the new version of Catcher (or Atlas Shrugged, which BBF said he also recorded a solo for), why couldn't they go back to Robin Finck's original solo (the one before Brian May rerecorded it).

 

Who decides that BBF's Shackler's solo is better than Buckethead's/ BBF's Catcher solo is better than Brian May's & Robin Fincks/BBF's solo is better than Robin Finck & Bucketheads dual solo\BBF's Scraped solo is better than whoever did the original one (likely Buckethead)?

 

 

Who's decision was it to scrap guitar parts (the Catcher riff that isn't present on the new version, Buckethead's split second overdub before Axl comes in after Bucket's solo on Better, I.R.S.'s guitar lick that was instead used as what sounds like a keyboard part)

 

Why weren't the volumes of guitars kept at a constant (I.R.S. , Riad, Better) 

 

Why was BBF's guitar so drastically higher in the mix? (every song he plays on)

 

Why lower Robin Finck in the rhythm mix on Street of Dreams (the riff he played live is there, just mostly in audible)

 

 

Why weren't rhythm guitars all at the same volume?

 

Why were most of Buckethead's parts cherry picked from multiple takes? (CD's end solo, TWAT's solo possibly, Buckethead's original Riad solo features multiple guitar tones (meaning possible multiple takes), Buckethead's Riad outro solo is completely copy and pasted, Shackler's riff is digitaly edited to create chord progression)

 

 

Did you (Axl) like the final album version of Chinese Democracy?

 

Did you (Axl) like the final production of Chinese Democracy?

 

Do you (Axl) like versions of the songs compared to the original ones (TWAT, I.R.S., CITR)

 

 

Why did you (Axl) decide to keep every rhythm guitar part in the final songs versus, just having two rhythm guitar tracks panned to either side?                                     (the demos for I.R.S. feature two identical guitar parts, then one original guitar part and one new rhythm guitar part, then the all 3 guitar parts mixed + a Buckethead's variation of the riff using a kill-switch, then on the album new overdubs, plus 4 guitars at the same time. On Riad, the demo had two guitars panned to either side, then on the album, it has 5 guitars panned at different levels. On CD's different demo's & snippets made for radio the Boston radio promo in 2002, two guitars panned to either side (all different with each different source). On Prostitute, the demo had 3 core guitar parts (with additional overdubs), while the album has 5 core guitar parts. On Catcher's demo, two guitars panned to either side, with one guitar lead/overdub. On the album 6 guitars on the part before the electronic breakdown ("you decide...") with 4 of the guitar parts being completely different from one another)

 

 

Why did Pitman add electronic bass parts to Tommy's bass riff on chorus of TWAT (same riff, only an octave lower), and why did he add his legendary sub-bass to Better in addition to Tommy's bass part (if you hear it with a subwoofer, the bass parts sometimes clash)?

 

 

If you hear TWAT & Better, Frank's rerecorded drum part for the chorus has substantially less low end (kick) compared to Brain's kick drum? (If you listen with a subwoofer, the bass isn't a constant. Brain kick has a nice thump, then Frank's part comes in and the thump is completely gone). With all the things being tweaked over the years, why wasn't there any care shown to the low end frequency spectrum?

 

Why was Catcher's piano redone? (the demo's piano sounds softer (warmer), while the album sounds too bright/twangy).

 

Do you (Axl) have the original individual Chinese Democracy master tracks still (Robin Finck/Buckethead/Brian May's original solos, scrapped guitar parts, Josh Freese's drum tracks, Brain's several rerecorded versions of Josh's and his own drum parts, Tommy's several rerecorded bass parts? If so, what do you do with them? When was the last time you listened to them.

 

Compared to the album version, why were the antiquiet demo's drums noticeably brighter? (Also, why were the drums digitally altered (example: Brain's snare drum on Better on the album has way more echo, than the original leak and the antiquiet leak)

you really know your CD stuff, impressive

[wasted]

18 hours ago, dgnr said:

If this is what happened and we had a delusional Axl wanting to keep DJ instead of Slash or along with Slash and DJ had the humility to step back, seriously I apologize to him for all the hate I had. This is the kind of shit you do when you're a real fan, so if true, props to him. 

About the other two, well I guess the paycheck is good, and let's say it's not entirely their fault...Axl can go to them and say 'thanks for your services, but this is a reunion, not your place', but I guess he chooses not to...

There's too many unknowns to give up on 15 years of CD. Steven may have been in. Izzy declined. The label are probably happy with Slash and we know the shows sold out, so you get what you pay for. It's not always within Axl's control. 

[Cruel Intentions]

Really cool to see Axl answering a whole variety of questions. The stuff he said about conversing with Slash for the first time in 19 years and how they're all getting along and collaborating on music were probably the most interesting tidbits. 

 

PS - I really hope they don't stop playing Coma now that he's out of his chair. The answer he gave regarding bringing Coma back to the setlist makes me worried that he only did it because he wanted to throw the fans a bone for him being in a chair the whole show and not being able to be more energetic on stage. 

[Cruel Intentions]

Also, I wouldn't read too much into him playing some of his own stuff for Duff and Slash to listen to as Axl's way of telling them "if we're going to do any new music, it has to be my way." It honestly may just be a starting point where they were shooting the shit and he decided to play some stuff to get the ball rolling. I'm sure Slash and Duff are both walking on eggshells and weren't even going to broach the subject of recording new music unless Axl brought it up, so the fact that he took the initiative is a good sign. 

 

And, yes, this interview basically confirmed what we've all been speculating for a while now: Axl's number one priority is AC/DC. The fact that he went back to his old vocal coach and went out of his way several times to bring up Angus' name in this interview makes it seem like he's putting all his efforts into the band right now. Then again, that'll probably change once the actual Guns tour starts this month. 

[The Archer]

16 minutes ago, Cruel Intentions said:

And, yes, this interview basically confirmed what we've all been speculating for a while now: Axl's number one priority is AC/DC. The fact that he went back to his old vocal coach and went out of his way several times to bring up Angus' name in this interview makes it seem like he's putting all his efforts into the band right now. Then again, that'll probably change once the actual Guns tour starts this month. 

First of all, not everyone's been speculating this. Some have indeed been saying that Axl's prioritizing AC/DC over GN'R, and that's not surprising considering there're a lot of  emotion invested in wanting the reunited lineup succeed. But, the only way in which could it could be validated that Axl priorities AC/DC over GN'R were if he were a full-time band member and then forced to choose between both bands for projects or tours or other band priorities. For now, he's only a guest vocalist. Everything else we indulge in is speculation.

As far as this interview is concerned, GN'R and Axl's influences still occupied the majority of airtime as well as questions. AC/DC came up of course, because he actually is in London to do an AC/DC show. He is working with them right now, on a daily basis. It's a no-brainer that his bandmates and performances on the tour that he is currently in, come up. Further, he made it very clear in this interview that his motivation to sing in AC/DC were from wanting to help the band. It was of course an opportunity for him too, but it as equally a great risk. If he fell flat trying to sing AC/DC he clearly would have had a lot of bad publicity to deal with. So, it's no wonder that he went back to a vocal coach that he trusted. There would have been some merit to saying that Axl took extra effort to sing better for AC/DC, while not trying to do so for GN'R if it was apparent that this is the first time that he used a vocal coach. But that's not the case. He's used vocal coaches before on GN'R tours too - with NuGuns. As some have already noted, it's clear that Axl has tried a different 'cleaner' approach with Gn'R that hasn't been very popular but that's not because he's out to sabotage his own singing. He's singing with rasp for AC/DC because his clean vocals just wouldn't cut it, at all.

As you did say though, the content of what Axl talks about is going to change once he's back on NITL. Don't be surprised if he still gets AC/DC questions though because AXL/DC is going to follow NITL in the US.

Edited June 9, 2016 by The Archer

[Cruel Intentions]

16 minutes ago, The Archer said:

First of all, not everyone's been speculating this. Some have indeed been saying that Axl's prioritizing AC/DC over GN'R, and that's not surprising considering there're a lot of  emotion invested in wanting the reunited lineup succeed. But, the only way in which could it could be validated that Axl priorities AC/DC over GN'R were if he were a full-time band member and then forced to choose between both bands for projects or tours or other band priorities. For now, he's only a guest vocalist. Everything else we indulge in is speculation.

As far as this interview is concerned, GN'R and Axl's influences still occupied the majority of airtime as well as questions. AC/DC came up of course, because he actually is in London to do an AC/DC show. He is working with them right now, on a daily basis. It's a no-brainer that his bandmates and performances on the tour that he is currently in, come up. Further, he made it very clear in this interview that his motivation to sing in AC/DC were from wanting to help the band. It was of course an opportunity for him too, but it as equally a great risk. If he fell flat trying to sing AC/DC he clearly would have had a lot of bad publicity to deal with. So, it's no wonder that he went back to a vocal coach that he trusted. There would have been some merit to saying that Axl took extra effort to sing better for AC/DC, while not trying to do so for GN'R if it was apparent that this is the first time that he used a vocal coach. But that's not the case. He's used vocal coaches before on GN'R tours too - with NuGuns. As some have already noted, it's clear that Axl has tried a different 'cleaner' approach with Gn'R that hasn't been very popular but that's not because he's out to sabotage his own singing. He's singing with rasp for AC/DC because his clean vocals just wouldn't cut it, at all.

As you did say though, the content of what Axl talks about is going to change once he's back on NITL. Don't be surprised if he still gets AC/DC questions though because AXL/DC is going to follow NITL in the US.

Axl has been doing this long enough that he should've been the first one to realize his vocal performances in recent years haven't been nearly up to par. So, knowing that, why wouldn't he have tried to improve his voice by working with another vocal coach two years ago? He just seems to have much more emotion and every on stage, too, that he hasn't shown in years. And the fact that he's already said he's willing to stay in AC/DC for as long as they'll have him proves that this isn't just a one-off for him. 

[The Archer]

Just now, Cruel Intentions said:

Axl has been doing this long enough that he should've been the first one to realize his vocal performances in recent years haven't been nearly up to par. So, knowing that, why wouldn't he have tried to improve his voice by working with another vocal coach two years ago? He just seems to have much more emotion and every on stage, too, that he hasn't shown in years. And the fact that he's already said he's willing to stay in AC/DC for as long as they'll have him proves that this isn't just a one-off for him. 

Those are valid points, but still don't indicate that he is prioritizing AC/DC over Gn'R. 

As for employing a vocal coach, we don't know that he didn't use a vocal coach during 2011-14 when he was performing sub-par. I don't know about 2010 when he last sounded great, but in 2006 when he was superb, he did use a vocal coach. As for emotion, that's subjective because while he has shown that he has a great rapport with the AC/DC crew, he is also quite restrained in many ways. But there's no doubt that it is emotional at some level for him. For all his sensitivity, and even sentimentality, Axl still comes across as a logical person to me, caveat being that the logic he operates with is his own and makes sense at least to him. I don't think he is out and about making band and album decisions based on emotion alone. Also, he certainly isn't trying to sabotage his own vocal performances with GN'R and his performance in the shows that we've had so far has been great.

[Bumblefeet]

3 hours ago, Apollo said:

Why would it be "their loss" if that's the kind of music they enjoy?

I happen to enjoy both rock n' roll/hard rock as well as orchestral music and happen to love it when both styles clash. Which is why I consider it a "loss" when someone automatically dismisses music based on there being an orchestral element. And I know with CD it's only one element amongst a sea of reasons to like/dislike, just my personal opinion.

[Lies They Tell]

1 hour ago, Mendez said:

Did you (Axl) like the final album version of Chinese Democracy?

 

Did you (Axl) like the final production of Chinese Democracy?

 

Do you (Axl) like versions of the songs compared to the original ones (TWAT, I.R.S., CITR)

He's already said that (with the exception of the booklet) Chinese Democracy is just the way he wanted it to be: "It's the right record and I couldn't ask for more. Could have been a more enjoyable journey, but it's there now. The art comes first."

So I guess it's safe to say that he likes final production and prefers the final versions over the demos.

 

[The Archer]

@Cruel Intentions it might interest you to see what the perspective is from the other side. 

From the AC/DC forum -

 

Sounds to me like G n R is his focus and priority.
Which makes total sense when you think how long he's kept the flame alive with a B-team of musicians.
Now he's got 2 original members back - if the band are ever going to do anything worthwhile ever again, its now.
What he says about working with Angus sounds polite and respectful but nothing more.

and also -

That's exactly how I heard it. Someone asked him about ACDC and he just gave a polite answer.
They didn't even need to ask him about slash and duff and he was talking about them and what they're doing. He knows he can work with slash, he's said so many times hes struggled without him. 
Maybe he just wants to do a song with Angus, that's how I took it.

[wasted]

4 hours ago, Apollo said:

Yea, but like I mentioned earlier, Slash himself said that in his book numerous times. Probably ten different times Slash said that he was sharing his view of an event and that Axl probably would describe it differently. 

Bit of a cop out, especially when you know it's damaging Axl's career. All's fair in Guns and War. 

[alfierose]

13 minutes ago, wasted said:

Bit of a cop out, especially when you know it's damaging Axl's career. All's fair in Guns and War. 

The book thing has been brought up for years now, If it's going to continue being mentioned as a main point of contention it would be useful to know what bits were considered untruthful and what Axl's version of those events are.

We might find out in about another 10 years if we're lucky. 

[wasted]

3 minutes ago, alfierose said:

The book thing has been brought up for years now, If it's going to continue being mentioned as a main point of contention it would be useful to know what bits were considered untruthful and what Axl's version of those events are.

We might find out in about another 10 years if we're lucky. 

I was flicking through it last night and I found quite a few. The first time I read it no. But one was quite funny. It's coming back...Dead Horse. Axl claims he wrote it about the band being Dead around UYI. Well, Slash says Axl wrote it before Slash joined the band. I see pianos and windows and rock n roll. 

[wasted]

1 hour ago, Lies They Tell said:

He's already said that (with the exception of the booklet) Chinese Democracy is just the way he wanted it to be: "It's the right record and I couldn't ask for more. Could have been a more enjoyable journey, but it's there now. The art comes first."

So I guess it's safe to say that he likes final production and prefers the final versions over the demos.

 

also Axl has said he sees a record as or should have the spirit of the band that made it. With that in mind, with Ron and Frank coming in maybe he wanted them on the record. And maybe there were bits he wasn't happy with. I think Ron improved Chi dem and his Shackler's solo was iconic. Ron played rythmn on every track on CD. He made CD more rock n roll, as hard as that is to believe. The final version is the best version. 

Edited June 9, 2016 by wasted
Rockstar

[Frey]

2 hours ago, ACP said:

Do any of you guys know who the woman is in on the right of the photo where Axl is outside China Exchange?  And is she the same woman in the group photo which looks like it was taken in a hotel?  Also, she was sitting next to a short older lady lady with tattoos up her arms who spoke with what sounded like a South American accent.  Would that be the lady called Beta? Cheers guys

That woman is Sasha Volkova (and yes that's her in both pictures). She's Axl's alleged girlfriend/friend with benefits/cat sitter/female escort for public appearances/beard. No one knows for sure.

Older woman with South American accent and tattoos? Yes, that's probably Axl's "mommy" Beta.

Other people in these pictures are Beta's son Fernando, Beta's daughter's husband (the two men behind Axl in the second picture). The woman Sasha's lying on in the first picture is Kat Benzova, GnRs tour photographer.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Frey

[ThermoNuclearWarrior]

2 hours ago, Cruel Intentions said:

Really cool to see Axl answering a whole variety of questions. The stuff he said about conversing with Slash for the first time in 19 years and how they're all getting along and collaborating on music were probably the most interesting tidbits. 

 

PS - I really hope they don't stop playing Coma now that he's out of his chair. The answer he gave regarding bringing Coma back to the setlist makes me worried that he only did it because he wanted to throw the fans a bone for him being in a chair the whole show and not being able to be more energetic on stage. 

In regards to Coma, he also did say how playing it would make Slash happy as well as the fans. So maybe they will keep doing it just for that reason, throwing Slash a bone. I could see doing it for Slash over us the fans a more likely reason it's kept in the setlist. Or maybe they will never play it again, who knows, we'll find out when the tour starts. 

[SerenityScorp]

On 8 Juni 2016 at 1:19 PM, Amir said:

He stayed in China for 3 months... Pretty interesting.

I believe He already told tht during the Eddie Trunk 2006 interview

[Blackstar]

2 hours ago, alfierose said:

The book thing has been brought up for years now, If it's going to continue being mentioned as a main point of contention it would be useful to know what bits were considered untruthful and what Axl's version of those events are.

We might find out in about another 10 years if we're lucky. 

From what he's said in interviews and in the 2008 chat, the main issues are the "blackmail" part in the brand name story (Axl denies it) and the musical direction of the new record (who rejected whose songs/ideas etc.)

 

Edited June 9, 2016 by Blackstar

[Kenan]

I really hope Axl doesn't write his own biography i.e. version of events, at least not in the near future. It would be very hard to write that book without rubbing Slash or Duff the wrong way..and we don't need that shit right now..

[Carlycosmos]

On 8/6/2016 at 10:25 AM, Gibbo 27 said:

break down what we actually learned here:

1. Axl has always been keen to work on a film soundtrack and may do so in the future, saying ‘I was more interested in that than staying in Guns N’ Roses’.
2. Axl does regular vocal exercises and has resumed work with a vocal coach he had stopped working with 20 years prior, since the Back In Black material is particularly demanding.
3. Axl has a varied music taste and particularly enjoys Frank Sinatra, but doesn’t see too much branching into genres such as jazz.
4. Axl apparently made a concious effort to make his voice ‘clearer’ for the Chinese Democracy album which he feels people did not respond to.
5. Axl is working on new music which has been received positively by Duff McKagan and Slash.
6. There no plans for a solo album.
7. Axl may release his own book.
8. Axl believes that Slash fabricated some details in his book and told him so over the phone when they patched things up in 2015.
9. Axl feels that he and Angus Young have good chemistry and is open to working on new music with him.
10. Slash’s new work ethic impressed Axl, as he and Duff learned the Chinese Democracy material without being prompted.
11. There are definite plans for a Guns N’ Roses tour in the UK
12. The current Guns N’ Roses arrangement is one that Axl hopes to keep ‘going for quite a while’
13. In retrospect, Axl believes he should have self-released more music rather than use a large record label.
14. Sir David Tang is a douchebag

great, thank you. Let's wait 'til we can watch it properly on youtube with better audio/video

Please @Dexter release that book soon! soon is the word

Edited June 9, 2016 by Carlycosmos

[Strange Broue]

2 hours ago, The Archer said:

@Cruel Intentions it might interest you to see what the perspective is from the other side. 

From the AC/DC forum -

 

Sounds to me like G n R is his focus and priority.
Which makes total sense when you think how long he's kept the flame alive with a B-team of musicians.
Now he's got 2 original members back - if the band are ever going to do anything worthwhile ever again, its now.
What he says about working with Angus sounds polite and respectful but nothing more.

and also -

That's exactly how I heard it. Someone asked him about ACDC and he just gave a polite answer.
They didn't even need to ask him about slash and duff and he was talking about them and what they're doing. He knows he can work with slash, he's said so many times hes struggled without him. 
Maybe he just wants to do a song with Angus, that's how I took it.

wow just wow

Complete opposite as to what is going on here

[RichardNixon]

Glad to see Axl is such a Sinatra  fan. He should do what Bob Dylan  did, a cover album of Sinatra  songs.

[SerenityScorp]

1 hour ago, Kenan said:

I really hope Axl doesn't write his own biography i.e. version of events, at least not in the near future. It would be very hard to write that book without rubbing Slash or Duff the wrong way..and we don't need that shit right now..

Will He Write an Autobiography?
“I think so, possibly yes. But it’s tough because I haven’t figured out a way to word things that doesn’t just look like I’m being negative to everybody else, or calling them a liar. Slash and I hadn’t talked in 19 years, and when we did talk, I was like, ‘You know, you wrote about a lot of stuff that didn’t happen, that just … is not real.'”

 

 

He's trying. 

Well, I need it.