What happened to Steven Adler?

[MillionsOfSpiders]

Just now, janrichmond said:

by working with Axl 

That's the only way I can think of too 

[soon]

Many are aware, but I feel it bares mentioning that in early NU Guns era the replacement members were getting paid like $100 000 a month.  And Izzy gets low balled because he sold his shares.  

[DieselDaisy]

This is what this band is reduced to, discussions about selling shares, percentages of money and partnerships and such like. I do not care about any of that bollocks personally.

[annabanana]

3 hours ago, Derick said:

Sorry but..Even IF he asked equal split only for the NITLT tour that´s,IMO, still makes this Mondano´s point valid. After Izzy´s departure they kept working hard, very hard! They continued the Illusions tour, they make those clips that helped to perpetuate the Guns N´Roses name , launched VHS live from Tokyo, those Making Of videos..I mean I´m pretty sure that the big money from this current tour came from the hard work from that era (and another big money part came from the fact that Axl and Slash are playing together after more then 20 fkn years!). So I ask, why it should be equally splited? This is not only about the songs! To make money they need to work a lot! They traveled all around the world, they did many things besides the songs to make this band able to bring money to them.

No, the tour is making money because slash is back. If it's because of the other things you mentioned then it should have also made the axl circus act super successful. Slash is back and playing with axl again that's really it. And before uyi came out, before izzy left they were already established. 

If there was anyone who kept the band alive post split admittedly it was only axl everyone went their own way. Duff and slash tried to make a name for their selves in different ways. Axl is the only one who tried to keep the band alive to the point of unintentionally tarnishing the band name. So this argument that 3 of them worked hard to keep the band alive all these years doesn't really jive with what happened coz only axl did, the other 2 were just collecting their checks while trying to grow their own brand.

[soon]

19 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

This is what this band is reduced to, discussions about selling shares, percentages of money and partnerships and such like. I do not care about any of that bollocks personally.

Yep, what our band has been reduced to since the first time a member sold shares.  Or rather since the first time they fought over percentages like Axl demanding some of Stevens. All pre-UYI.

But GNR are incredible enough to have so much else that is amazing and compelling about them that theres still lots of good stuff to enjoy despite that.

[DieselDaisy]

6 minutes ago, soon said:

Yep, what our band has been reduced to since the first time a member sold shares.  Or rather since the first time they fought over percentages like Axl demanding some of Stevens. All pre-UYI.

But GNR are incredible enough to have so much else that is amazing and compelling about them that theres still lots of good stuff to enjoy despite that.

Yes but they released albums in those days and seemed a proper functioning band who did interviews and stuff. All we are left with now is a corporate juggernaut. If people want to argue that Izzy ''should not be included because he was not in the partnership'' go ahead; that type of argument does not interest me in the slightest. It does not cut it with me as you can easily cut out that side of things on the basis of friendship (Izzy and Duff) or simply the desire to have a genuine reunion involving the Appetite line-up and not something half-arsed. There are ways you can do it, like given everyone equal percentages at the beginning.

[Derick]

37 minutes ago, annabanana said:

No, the tour is making money because slash is back. If it's because of the other things you mentioned then it should have also made the axl circus act super successful. Slash is back and playing with axl again that's really it. And before uyi came out, before izzy left they were already established. 

If there was anyone who kept the band alive post split admittedly it was only axl everyone went their own way. Duff and slash tried to make a name for their selves in different ways. Axl is the only one who tried to keep the band alive to the point of unintentionally tarnishing the band name. So this argument that 3 of them worked hard to keep the band alive all these years doesn't really jive with what happened coz only axl did, the other 2 were just collecting their checks while trying to grow their own brand.

I think you didn't  understand me. I mean, in the space between Izzy's departure until Slash's departure the band worked a lot, they did not surrender! And in that time they completed the tour, they released iconic videos in an era where MTV was still a good way to keep the band on the charts. November Rain, Do not Cry and Estranged videos still echo when it comes to Guns N 'Roses. Both Slash and Duff fulfilled all the commitments and were present at all times that made this band succeed. As I said before, much of that fortune they are making on this tour is the result of the work they did during the Illusions era, they were already successful before that tour, but what they did during the Illusions era made them even bigger. And yes, Slash returning to share the stage with Axl is the headline of this tour. That's why I don't think it's fair that "equal split" thing.

[RONIN]

Izzy Stradlin' should get 100% of the split because he is Izzy Stradlin'

[soon]

27 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

Yes but they released albums in those days and seemed a proper functioning band who did interviews and stuff. All we are left with now is a corporate juggernaut. If people want to argue that Izzy ''should not be included because he was not in the partnership'' go ahead; that type of argument does not interest me in the slightest. It does not cut it with me as you can easily cut out that side of things on the basis of friendship (Izzy and Duff) or simply the desire to have a genuine reunion involving the Appetite line-up and not something half-arsed. There are ways you can do it, like given everyone equal percentages at the beginning.

I would like nothing more than for Izzy to be there.  And for the AFD5 to have never screwed this band up so bad.  I wish there were albums and interviews now.

Edited September 15, 2017 by soon

[annabanana]

6 minutes ago, Derick said:

I think you didn't  understand me. I mean, in the space between Izzy's departure until Slash's departure the band worked a lot, they did not surrender! And in that time they completed the tour, they released iconic videos in an era where MTV was still a good way to keep the band on the charts. November Rain, Do not Cry and Estranged videos still echo when it comes to Guns N 'Roses. Both Slash and Duff fulfilled all the commitments and were present at all times that made this band succeed. As I said before, much of that fortune they are making on this tour is the result of the work they did during the Illusions era, they were already successful before that tour, but what they did during the Illusions era made them even bigger. And yes, Slash returning to share the stage with Axl is the headline of this tour. That's why I don't think it's fair that "equal split" thing.

Then it should've worked too with axls band coz he was still carrying the name. They were also playing those songs. Why would those things have an impact now and not during the time of axls version of gnr? Slash is back that's why people are there. That's my perspective and I respect yours. Thanks for being nice and polite despite our different opinions. I guess let's just agree to disagree

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure that after Stevens sacking the remaining members agreed that if someone leaves they have to sell their share. 

[Hollywood Gunner]

as much as i love the guy and the work hes done, NITL might not have made it this far if popcorn was the only drummer involved

[Derick]

1 hour ago, annabanana said:

Then it should've worked too with axls band coz he was still carrying the name. They were also playing those songs. Why would those things have an impact now and not during the time of axls version of gnr? Slash is back that's why people are there. That's my perspective and I respect yours. Thanks for being nice and polite despite our different opinions. I guess let's just agree to disagree

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure that after Stevens sacking the remaining members agreed that if someone leaves they have to sell their share. 

I have the feeling that at the end we're talking the same thing..take a look what I said at the first time that I quoted you.."This is not only about the songs"

 

Anyway..I have no idea about that agreement between them..But makes senses to me..If you don't wanna be part of something anymore and your partners decide to keep the machine running why would you'll keep the same % $$$...The royalties exists for this cases, IMO..

[RONIN]

Some relevant Marc Canter quotes from the interview I posted in the main forum:

LRI:  They of course made the universe laugh by firing Steven for drugs and I was just wondering what your opinion was on what he brought to the band or how the band  changed after he left.  Did he have a certain style that was hard to replace or replicate?

Marc:  He did.  He had something special and also, this is important, Duff and Izzy were also drummers and they could sort of see things from that drummer’s perspective and really expand on it or in some cases even sit down and play a different part which Steven could then pick up and work from.  That’s not to say Steven didn’t write his own stuff because he absolutely did but on a few occasions I did see those guys thinking from that beat perspective.  Also, in an Alan Niven interview he said something that really made sense which was that Steven wasn’t really fired for the drugs but more for the fact that the Illusions stuff was so much different and he wasn’t really getting it.  It was so 360 from the swing, groove stuff on Appetite and it required less rock and roll and more technical drumming which was more suited to a drummer like Matt Sorum.  If you listen to a song like “Locomotive” it sort of makes sense what Niven was saying.  It’s almost got this unreal, machine type feel to it.  Of course some of those songs like “Don’t Cry” were older and he could have easily performed those but on many of those songs the groove had just changed and the songwriting was totally a different beast.

LRI:  Let me be more blunt.  How fucked up was Steven that he became the whipping boy and was called out for it?

Marc:  Well, he was fucked up, no doubt about it and he would even tell you that but on the same token some of the other guys were totally fucked up at the same time.  The biggest difference, and again, this is important, the biggest difference is that if you are a guitarist or a bassist or whatever you can sort of get away with being a little fucked up where as with a drummer it is usually readily apparent.  Steven also went a little father with his addiction than they did and it was a little harder to keep timing with the songs and that’s a fact.  But again, their writing was just was different than it was in 85 as well.  I’m a big Led Zep fan and if you look at the five year gap between the material on the debut and the material on Physical Graffiti it is massive.  That’s how bands are.

LRI:  I enjoy the Illusion albums, hell I like the solo stuff and everything including Chinese Democracy but to met it was never the same after Izzy and Steven were gone.

Marc:  It was a totally different band when Steven and Izzy were out.  I mean, I understand one one hand, like any band, you are supposed to change and grow rather than just keep releasing the same album over and over.  On the other hand it changed the way the band operated in this case. 

LRI:  You’re speaking of Slash and Axl but what about Izzy?  Is he the wild card in all of this because he’s been appearing on occasion with Axl onstage in the last ten years or so in certain situations?

Marc:  Izzy is kind of flakey.  He’s kind of paranoid and flakey.  He continues to make his music and put it out on iTunes and he may show up and play an occasional gig but you can’t really depend on him because he might say he’s gonna be there and then not show up.  He quit the band for probably 20 different reasons but he was also paranoid about the lawsuits pouring in over the St. Louis riots and he was so paranoid that he would lose everything he had that he just detached and was out of the band and left that attachment.  He just jumped ship but it was also because of the drugs and alcohol that Slash and Duff were doing while they were sitting around waiting for Axl to go onstage.

They would just sit and drink and do drugs all night and Izzy could only take so much of being around that after he was sober for a few years.  That was just way too much of a temptation for him.  Then there were the overtime fees for the union crews and everything, they were playing gigs and making 200 grand but they were finding out they lost all that money to paying the crews and the concession people for them standing around waiting for Axl.  They were also having to pay civic ordinance fees and fines and basically paying through the nose when they should have been cleaning up as far as the money went.  Izzy wanted no part of that, they were in a band and not making any money but yet there were thousands and thousands of paying customers out there every night.   When you’re not going on until midnight or whatever it starts to get pretty costly.  The whole deal with the “Don’t Cry” video costing a million dollars, he wanted no part of that which is why there’s that famous sign in the video saying “Where’s Izzy?”.  He even called me right before they were gonna do that and asked me to find copies of all of my old videos to try and get the band to look at all of them and piece together a video out of the various live clips of them performing it.  He really wanted to avoid spending a million bucks on the video.  Izzy is not that self indulgent, he’s kind of solely about the music.  He’s very loose and homey and natural,  he wanted to be in Velvet Revolver as the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist and just load up a van and tour.  The rest of the guys wanted to take it to another level of seriousness as a band but Izzy is very casual.  He does not like drama or problems or complicated issues.  If the problems between Axl and Slash were handled Izzy would be right there but he does not like confrontation or drama.

LRI:  We are all still stupidly hoping that there will be a reunion someday but Axl’s letter sort of clarified that situation sadly.  I realize you’ve had a falling out with him for the short term but what’s your take on Axl based on what you’ve seen in 2012?

 I mean, honestly I don’t think Axl trusts Izzy or Steven to have their shit together or be on time but I think he knows that Slash and Duff are a solid commodity.  I know Steven is too because I’ve seen his band and I know what he’s capable of.  

LRI:  I know this means a great deal to you.  What specifically do you want from them as a fan and follower of the band, aside from your personal friendships?

Marc:  I just want them to talk.  I want them to talk because I think that if they were just able to talk they would see that their problems are not so hard to solve or understand.  Their biggest problems are actually simple so that’s what makes it so hard to believe. Duff is a stand up guy, and Axl trusts him, if there is any hope it is in Duff bridging the gap.

http://www.mygnrforum.com/topic/219134-amazing-marc-canter-interview-2012-reunion-predictions-izzy-steven-insight/

 

[gunners fan]

22 hours ago, Hollywood Gunner said:

as much as i love the guy and the work hes done, NITL might not have made it this far if popcorn was the only drummer involved

This....is exactly true...

Once he started making cash...he would have relapsed.....

[DieselDaisy]

I do not think that is necessarily true, a sudden influx of money pushing Adler forth into drug abuse. He already has enough cash from his Appetite royalties to buy drugs.

[Modano09]

1 hour ago, DieselDaisy said:

I do not think that is necessarily true, a sudden influx of money pushing Adler forth into drug abuse. He already has enough cash from his Appetite royalties to buy drugs.

Maybe not the money but the life style. Being on the road, being relevant again, etc. The guy always came off like he just wanted 1988 to last forever.

[DieselDaisy]

25 minutes ago, Modano09 said:

Maybe not the money but the life style. Being on the road, being relevant again, etc. The guy always came off like he just wanted 1988 to last forever.

I wouldn't care to speculate on hypothetical histories.

[RONIN]

26 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

I wouldn't care to speculate on hypothetical histories.

They just outgrew Steven. Even Izzy. He was the odd man out even in the old days. 

I doubt any of the guys could hold a conversation with him. That's not a slight against Steven. It is what it is.

[shotsfired cro]

1 hour ago, RONIN said:

They just outgrew Steven. Even Izzy. He was the odd man out even in the old days. 

I doubt any of the guys could hold a conversation with him. That's not a slight against Steven. It is what it is.

Agree about Stevie, but if they outgrew Izzy - what the hell are Mel, Fartus and Frank doing on stage!?!?

[DieselDaisy]

1 hour ago, RONIN said:

They just outgrew Steven. Even Izzy. He was the odd man out even in the old days. 

I doubt any of the guys could hold a conversation with him. That's not a slight against Steven. It is what it is.

Meaning Adler was an unrepentant hair rocker?

[Fourteenbeers]

7 hours ago, shotsfired cro said:

Agree about Stevie, but if they outgrew Izzy - what the hell are Mel, Fartus and Frank doing on stage!?!?

I think RONIN meant that even Izzy outgrew Steven...

 

Edited September 17, 2017 by Fourteenbeers

[Hollywood Gunner]

14 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

I do not think that is necessarily true, a sudden influx of money pushing Adler forth into drug abuse. He already has enough cash from his Appetite royalties to buy drugs.

hypothetical or not, it isnt just the drug issues... lets say they let frank go when ashba and bumble left... steve blows his back out and no one else is ready to go cuz their all commited to other bands... this tour is dead in the water... right now if franks blows his back out, steven is there in a heartbeat, no matter what he says in interviews 

[vloors]

5 hours ago, Hollywood Gunner said:

hypothetical or not, it isnt just the drug issues... lets say they let frank go when ashba and bumble left... steve blows his back out and no one else is ready to go cuz their all commited to other bands... this tour is dead in the water... right now if franks blows his back out, steven is there in a heartbeat, no matter what he says in interviews 

Pass me a baseball bat so I can smash Franks back.

Not certain they would even replace Frank if he got injured with steven. Could be brain or matt for all we know.

[DieselDaisy]

18 hours ago, Hollywood Gunner said:

hypothetical or not, it isnt just the drug issues... lets say they let frank go when ashba and bumble left... steve blows his back out and no one else is ready to go cuz their all commited to other bands... this tour is dead in the water... right now if franks blows his back out, steven is there in a heartbeat, no matter what he says in interviews 

There are many candidates for the drum stool, Sorum most predominantly as well as Brain, Brent Fitz, etc.

[Hollywood Gunner]

4 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

There are many candidates for the drum stool, Sorum most predominantly as well as Brain, Brent Fitz, etc.

yeah but i still think steve would be the only one willing to drop everything else hes committed to, to show up at short notice