Tour Lithographs and show specific artwork

[mattathias]

6 minutes ago, estrangedtwat said:

I posted my Top Ten (so far) over on gnfnr a little while ago.

Now that we're on the verge of another leg, I'd love to hear personal top tens (so far) from my fellow Litho maniacs!

Especially you maninjapan, since you probably have more of these in person (or at least will when all is said and done) than the rest of us!

Not in any real particular order. Inface the Kiwi and Aussie ones should be a lot higher. Here's my favs. I have at least 3 of them!

10. Wellington NZ. The second I saw it I bought it. Reminds me of a legendary NZ movie called Once Were Warriors about gangs, family and Maori culture. 
9. Italian Cannibal Holocaust. Again it's local and esoteric with a reference to a crazy, bizarre horror movie. Would could be better?
8. Yokohama. In the words of amaninjapan it's a real sleeper. It's been on the wall now for a while and just grows on you. The subtle details are fantastic.
7. one night Haamellina (?) looks scary as hell and is uniquely Finnish. You may also be able to tell by the frenetc sketching that the Finns consume the most coffee on earth.
6. Melbourne Ned Kelly. Because it's local and the guy nailed it. Ned Kelly is Australia's Billy the Kid Outlaw hero. I don't care that the rest of the world doesn't get it. It's not the point
5. Dali clocks. Buhler managed to capture so many of Dali's techniques like painting on the rough side of the canvas here. He shows a real insight and WTF is there not to like about Dali? I'm a Picasso guy myself but hey.
4. New Orleans poster. I swear that Skull is Bo Diddley. Just Sayin'. And Big Bad Bo was the man
3. Kobe Samurai warrior. Just the whole shebang about this poster. Very small gig, it was snowing just a perfect storm - no pun intended.
2. Perth Bunyip. Bloody Aussie as but it's beyond the kitsch, it's just a fantastic design.
1. SF Dirty Harry. I shat my pants the first time I saw it, it's just brilliant. 

[amaninjapan]

7 minutes ago, mattathias said:

Not in any real particular order. Inface the Kiwi and Aussie ones should be a lot higher. Here's my favs. I have at least 3 of them!

10. Wellington NZ. The second I saw it I bought it. Reminds me of a legendary NZ movie called Once Were Warriors about gangs, family and Maori culture. 
9. Italian Cannibal Holocaust. Again it's local and esoteric with a reference to a crazy, bizarre horror movie. Would could be better?
8. Yokohama. In the words of amaninjapan it's a real sleeper. It's been on the wall now for a while and just grows on you. The subtle details are fantastic.
7. one night Haamellina (?) looks scary as hell and is uniquely Finnish. You may also be able to tell by the frenetc sketching that the Finns consume the most coffee on earth.
6. Melbourne Ned Kelly. Because it's local and the guy nailed it. Ned Kelly is Australia's Billy the Kid Outlaw hero. I don't care that the rest of the world doesn't get it. It's not the point
5. Dali clocks. Buhler managed to capture so many of Dali's techniques like painting on the rough side of the canvas here. He shows a real insight and WTF is there not to like about Dali? I'm a Picasso guy myself but hey.
4. New Orleans poster. I swear that Skull is Bo Diddley. Just Sayin'. And Big Bad Bo was the man
3. Kobe Samurai warrior. Just the whole shebang about this poster. Very small gig, it was snowing just a perfect storm - no pun intended.
2. Perth Bunyip. Bloody Aussie as but it's beyond the kitsch, it's just a fantastic design.
1. SF Dirty Harry. I shat my pants the first time I saw it, it's just brilliant. 

One day when I get lazy, I'm going to fuck around with the colors on Perth Bunyip and come up with something that appeals to me more. I love everything about it except the color.

Yokohama is definitely underrated. I think it's the most underrated Japanese litho as much as Melbourne Tiger is the most underrated Australian litho. One night in Hameenlinna is really close but I feel like there should have been even just ONE more subtle element added in. Not sure what but it just seems SLIGHTLY too simple. It's definitely a nice design though.

Another one I want to mention - Copenhagen. I was really disappointed that they went with something so obvious as the mermaid but it is really one of the great European designs. The lighting effect is really beautiful.

[mattathias]

1 minute ago, amaninjapan said:

One day when I get lazy, I'm going to fuck around with the colors on Perth Bunyip and come up with something that appeals to me more. I love everything about it except the color.

Yokohama is definitely underrated. I think it's the most underrated Japanese litho as much as Melbourne Tiger is the most underrated Australian litho. One night in Hameenlinna is really close but I feel like there should have been even just ONE more subtle element added in. Not sure what but it just seems SLIGHTLY too simple. It's definitely a nice design though.

Another one I want to mention - Copenhagen. I was really disappointed that they went with something so obvious as the mermaid but it is really one of the great European designs. The lighting effect is really beautiful.

Bahahahahaha we've had this conversation, but I persist IT'S A TASMANIAN TIGER!!! It's not the Scottish Buckingham Palace, or the LA Chrysler Building. Sure the Tassie Tiger may have existed on the mainland, but the general conceit was a Yank that knew stuff all about Melbourne Googling a few poster ideas.  That would've been an awesome poster if they played Hobart.  Anyhow rant over!

[amaninjapan]

Just now, mattathias said:

Bahahahahaha we've had this conversation, but I persist IT'S A TASMANIAN TIGER!!! It's not the Scottish Buckingham Palace, or the LA Chrysler Building. Sure the Tassie Tiger may have existed on the mainland, but the general conceit was a Yank that knew stuff all about Melbourne Googling a few poster ideas.  That would've been an awesome poster if they played Hobart.  Anyhow rant over!

I know and YOU know it's a Tasmanian Tiger skull... but I'm just going by the naming convention we seem to have established for concerts with multiple lithos [Concert City Name] + [Brief Description]

Perth Spider
Perth Bunyip
Adelaide Shark
Adelaide Redhead
Melbourne Ned Kelly

sorry but Melbourne Tasmanian Tiger is just too fucking long!

[mattathias]

actually yeah the Adelaide Bogan/redhead is definitely in my favs. Just captured the quirkiness of Adelaide beautifully. 

[amaninjapan]

1 minute ago, mattathias said:

actually yeah the Adelaide Bogan/redhead is definitely in my favs. Just captured the quirkiness of Adelaide beautifully. 

I am obsessed with finding out what the fuck the inspiration was for that. Because that one was just fucking WEIRD.

[mattathias]

Just now, amaninjapan said:

I am obsessed with finding out what the fuck the inspiration was for that. Because that one was just fucking WEIRD.

See a movie called Bad Boy Bubby. It could only ever be made in Adelaide. They're a strange bunch. They speak funny too not like the rest of us. Very posh.

[Nalbi]

Never 100% sure about the order but my Top 10 would be something like this:

10  09  08  07 

06  05  04  03 

02  1A  1B 

Edited July 25, 2017 by Nalbi

[uzi your illusion]

For whatever it's worth, here's the response I got from Warpig when I asked him about the unnumbered lithos.

"Not reproductions. The lithographs are unnumbered. They we're giving to me before they we're numbered by the merch person and before each show. Bid with confidence. Good luck"

 

Estranged, will you post your top 10 over here as well?

 

Narrowing down my top 10 will be tough but I'll give it a whirl. I LOVE getting everyone's take on this. It's fun to see the one's that some people really admire and other's think are at the bottom of the pile. I'm not trying to track down every litho, I only go after the ones I really like and would want to display on my wall. So it's no coincidence that most of my top 10 are ones I already have.

10. Pittsburgh Molten Steel GNR Logo (This one looks SOOOOO much cooler in person and on the wall then it does in pictures. The hot steel looks amazing up close, especially when it's cooling and flaking off the logo)

9. Bangkok Demon Buddha  (I don't own this one, so I'm only commenting from pictures I've seen. I've heard it's smaller and on poor quality paper. So I'm aright admiring it from afar. But if it was the same size and on the same card stock as the others I would put this right next to Kobe.)

8. Tokyo 'Zilla (I'm a sucker for Godzilla and monster related stuff, the yellow really pops and I like the jet fighter flying by. King Of All Rock Bands indeed!)

7. Osaka (Same as Tokyo where I love the monster theme. I don't own this one but I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one. I don't need it signed by the band though so the ebay ones aren't for me.)

6. New York Electric GNR Logo (I was at this show so part of me wonders if I rate it so high because of that. But I gotta tell you with 7 of these lithos framed on my wall, this is the one I find myself stopping to look at more then the others. The gold foil lettering, the raised sparks flying off, and the cool green and blue lightning striking the logo really do it for me.)

5. Las Vegas Night 2 Grim Reaper (This was the first of the lithos where I saw it and had to have it. The other ones before this were cool, but this one really grabbed me. I know it's a high print run (1,000) but the grim reaper opening up his robe to reveal Sin City is a striking design. I really like the dark red coming off of the skull as well, it's a great contrast with the black.)

4. New Orleans Glow In The Dark Skull (In the light of day it's a perfectly fine litho, lot's of interesting touches that you don't notice the first time around. But when the night comes around this litho comes alive and gets pretty wild. Very similar to the city of New Orleans actually. If you hold up a flashlight right to the glass and then turn off all the lights that gives you the maximum glow in the dark effect)

3.San Fran Dirty Harry (The skull superimposed over Clint's face is pretty sweet. The gun coming forward and actually jutting out of the border of the litho gives it a cool element of depth. It's the great orange and blue swirls in the background that really put this into my top 3.)

2. Kobe (I've stared at this one a lot through my computer screen, so much so that I'm actually worried that if I did end up tracking one down one day it might not be able to live up to the hype I've built into my own mind. My favorite part is the bullets along the bottom of the headpiece.)

1. Cincinnati (Took me around 9 months to finally track one down but once I finally got it here I couldn't believe how beautiful it is. There are really awesome blues and red on either side of the astronaut that aren't totally visible from just looking at pictures. The GNR logo patch with the floating gun and roses are the perfect touches to take this litho to the top of my list. Doesn't hurt that I have Axl's signature on the bottom left corner of it either!)

[xBrownstonex]

1 hour ago, Nalbi said:

Never 100% sure about the order but my Top 10 would be something like this:

10  09  08  07 

06  05  04  03 

02  1A  1B 

where did you get these small versions of the pics?

[Nalbi]

1 minute ago, xBrownstonex said:

where did you get these small versions of the pics?

Made them based on @estrangedtwat's thread, quickly fixed NoLa and Glendale as they were taken with a camera and not really clean.
Can do more when I have some spare time if you guys need any.

[xBrownstonex]

Okay. This is like Sophie's choice, but i'll try:

10 9   8   

7  6   5 

4  3  2   

1 

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by xBrownstonex

[estrangedtwat]

Seeing a lot of overlap on my favorites as well as some real surprises.

Imola 2 AND Adelaide Skull Bogan?  Those are universally reviled...Mattahias you're a wild man!

Here's my list cut and paste from my original thread:

Honorable Mention:  Lisbon (Arian Buhler)

 

 

This one had so much potential.  It combines two things I love: GNR and the artwork of Alphonse Mucha.  But he drew the skull of the woman in profile and I think it just looks ugly as hell.  It looks like the barrel of the gun is coming out her nose.  I get that they want skulls in all of these but I just feel like it could have looked better if the skull wasn't so gross looking.  Very disappointing.

 

OK....on to the Top Ten!

 

Number 10:  New Orleans (artist unknown)

 

 

This one has a gimmick in that it glows in the dark, but I also really like the artwork.  It definitely has that "voodoo" vibe associated with New Orleans, and I think it looks good in black and white.

 

Number Nine:  Detroit (Arian Buhler)

 

 

I like this one for a few reasons.  The muscle car ties it to Detroit, I like the unique take on the bullet logo by showing it from a different perspective, and I like the overall cartoony-ness of the design.

 

Number Eight:  Nashville (artist unknown)

 

 

This one is pretty simple and straightforward, and sometimes that's best.  I just like how direct it is.  Just a cartoon skull on a suited body and the band's name in big letters.  Simple but effective.

 

Number Seven: Orlando (Arian Buhler)

 

 

A lot of people think this one is boring but I really like the subtlety of it.  It's a very unique way to make the skull, and I like how the logo on the branch is in its own plane.  Nice colors too.  This isn't a flashy design, but I think it's one of the best.

 

Number Six:  Yokohama (Arian Buhler)

 

 

At first this design didn't jump out at me, but the more I look at it, I think it's a classic.  It's very clean.  There's only the smallest hint that it's related to Japan (the traditional fan and the cherry blossoms) but the skulls and revolvers have great lines and colors.  The composition is striking and not overly busy.  And of course, the classic logo is dominant in the image.  I think this one is a really great throwback to "metal" looking imagery from the 80s and 90s.  It could also be repurposed for t-shirts, album covers, and other merch cause it's not overly specific to a theme or city. 

 

Number Five:  Perth (Arian Buhler)

 

 

I like this one simply cause it looks like an old comic book cover.  (Which in itself reminds me of that old Def Leppard t-shirt that looked like a comic book.)  I don't know what a Bunyip is but apparently it's an Australian thing?  I love the lines and colors here, as well as the comic book-y text and the AFD skulls on the side as if they're the cast of the comic book.

 

Number Four:  London (Arian Buhler)

 

 

I think this one is gorgeous for it's starkness.  Black and white linework accentuated by a vivid red outline.  There's a Jack the Ripper theme to tie it to London, but also has a bit of a "vampire" feel with all the deep reds evoking blood imagery. (Not to mention Slash's top hat and guitar.)   I think this would stand out really nicely in a collection because of the contrast.  What a gorgeous poster.

 

Number Three:  Tokyo (Arian Buhler)

 

 

This one is fantastic because it evokes monster movie posters of the 50s, as well as tying it in to Tokyo with a Godzilla theme.  Also, the lettering is very comic book-y.  Has qualities of rock posters, movies posters, and comic books.  It's big and bold and also fun.  Note the "distressed" creases worked in to give it an authentic vintage feel.

 

Number Two:  Kobe (Arian Buhler)

 

 

This image is pure badass.  Awesome intricate drawing of a samurai wearing a wicked demon mask, but smoking a cigarette with bullets lining his helmet.  Simple but detailed, great composition and color, and unmistakably tied in to the country of Japan.

 

Number One:  Cincinnati (Arian Buhler)

 

 

The perfect rock poster.  An instant classic.  Buhler apparently chose the astronaut theme cause so many astronauts came from Ohio.  This image invokes loneliness, doom, tragedy.  I love everything about it...the weightlessness of the astronaut and the pistol and the flowers.  The detailed linework.  The masterful use of color.  The big, bold, clean GNR type across the top.  It tells a little story, it's unforgettable, and it just screams rock and roll.   I absolutely love this poster.  I wish I could own one but it's way too fucking expensive now.  What a masterpiece!!

 

Since I wrote that, Paris happened and that is definitely a Top Ten for me.  I guess I'd bump Detroit out and put Paris in at number 3 or 4.  Also, Hannover is really really nice too.  I love Buhler man.

I know it's more than ten.  I cheated.  Maybe I should have made just a top ten Buhler lithos.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by estrangedtwat

[amaninjapan]

I think there's a lot of certain things I look for in a litho and the 'perfect' litho would have them all. So far, no litho has them all although some are pretty close.

For me they are:

1) (Probably) Buhler. I mean, there are a few exceptions but there's a good chance if I could design my perfect litho, I'd probably want Arian Buhler designing it. (Good example: Kobe, Cincinnati) (Example litho that fails this: Foxboro)
2) Has to use the classis "Guns N' Roses" font, preferably very prominently like in Paris/Madrid/Kobe (Good example: Kobe, Cincinnati, Madrid, Wellington Maori) (Example lithos that fail this: Bangkok Demon, Imola, San Francisco)
3) Has to intelligently incorporate skulls, guns, roses, and/or bullet logo into the design (Good example: Madrid, Kobe, Cincinnati) (Example litho that fails this: Adelaide Shark just plants the bullet logo at the bottom like an afterthought)
4) Has to have great colors (Good example: Hannover, Osaka, Cincinnati) (Example lithos that fail this: Perth Bunyip, Melbourne Tiger (beautiful but probably would've been better with a lighter shade of grey to increase contrast)
5) Has to be 'standard' size (Good example: Most of them) (Example lithos that fail this: Paris, Bangkok Demon, Wellington Maori)
6) Has to have a significant and not cliched connection to the city (Good example: Kobe, Gdansk) (Example lithos that fail this: Osaka, Cincinnati, Paris, Copenhagen)
7) Has to be relatively rare (Good example: Kobe, Paris) (Example lithos that fail this: Las Vegas, Tokyo Zilla)
8) Has to be thoughtfully handnumbered (Good example: Kobe, Werchter, Cincinnati, Copenhagen - metallic paint pen) (Example lithos that fail this: Foxboro unnumbered, Bangkok Demon unnumbered, many other lithos just numbered with pencil or pen)

and I don't necessarily think it's a deal breaker but I think it would be nice if there was SOMETHING unique about the print itself. I think New Jersey with the sparkles and metallic paint is awesome but the design is trash. Perth Spider metallic red is nice but the design is trash. Glow in the dark is a nice idea but really don't like the idea of using it haphazardly, plus both Paris and New Orleans are printed on inferior paper. I don't know whether it's a limitation of the GitD printing process or something but it would've been a lot more awesome on high quality card stock.

That's my dream litho checklist for now. Essentially, if Kobe had had glow in the dark eyes and metallic gold foil for the shiny bits of the helmet, it would've been perfect
 

[uzi your illusion]

Amaninjapan,

 

Ever get your extra copy of Slane that your were hunting down?

[amaninjapan]

1 minute ago, uzi your illusion said:

Amaninjapan,

 

Ever get your extra copy of Slane that your were hunting down?

nope, still hunting

[Magnus Cavalerra]

Clear pics of the Bunyip from Buhler

 

[uzi your illusion]

I saw on Arian's instagram page that he says he hides his signature in all of his lihtos, has anyone tried to find them? Like a GNR inspired Where's Waldo lol.

[SantosLHalper]

I'm going to the STL show on Thursday.  How difficult is it to get a Litho?  How early should I get there to guarantee I get one?

[xBrownstonex]

14 minutes ago, SantosLHalper said:

I'm going to the STL show on Thursday.  How difficult is it to get a Litho?  How early should I get there to guarantee I get one?

1pm

[Nalbi]

44 minutes ago, SantosLHalper said:

I'm going to the STL show on Thursday.  How difficult is it to get a Litho?  How early should I get there to guarantee I get one?

Hard to tell as we still have no idea how many will be printed but yeah, I'd say no later than 1 to be safe. And if they decide to print 80, best of luck mate.

I really wonder who will be in charge and what they'll come up with.

Edited July 25, 2017 by Nalbi

[uzi your illusion]

I'm betting on numbers more in line with the 2016 North American tour. Anywhere from 250 - 400 , but I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[xBrownstonex]

1 hour ago, uzi your illusion said:

I saw on Arian's instagram page that he says he hides his signature in all of his lihtos, has anyone tried to find them? Like a GNR inspired Where's Waldo lol.

Found it on Hannover. Not on the others yet

 

[The Holographic Universe]

9 hours ago, estrangedtwat said:

I posted my Top Ten (so far) over on gnfnr a little while ago.

Now that we're on the verge of another leg, I'd love to hear personal top tens (so far) from my fellow Litho maniacs!

Especially you maninjapan, since you probably have more of these in person (or at least will when all is said and done) than the rest of us!

1. Kobe

2. Yokahama

3. Two Dragons Tokyo

4. Washington DC

5. Copehagen

6. Gdansk

7. Finland

8. Dubai

9. London 1

10. Zurich

worst litho

Dallas, Detroit and Auckland. 

[The Holographic Universe]

9 hours ago, amaninjapan said:

I am obsessed with finding out what the fuck the inspiration was for that. Because that one was just fucking WEIRD.

That's an unsolved mystery.