My Interview with Arlett Vereecke (Former GNR Publicist 87-92)

[killuridols]

Just now, Izzymacbeth said:

Not really. The band are HUGE worldwide, were known in the UK before the US and its about HER success, not theirs. 

I think in this interview she said that no one knew GN'R when they first arrived to the UK

[Izzymacbeth]

2 minutes ago, killuridols said:

I think in this interview she said that no one knew GN'R when they first arrived to the UK

Yeah she did but they established a following there before any outside LA which was the WHOLE IDEA. 

[Lio]

1 hour ago, StrangerInThisTown said:

 Perhaps because they don't want to make any promises before they deliver.

Beside the fact that it's not her place to do big announcements or revelations, this! I think she also said as much, that there were a lot of possibilities, but things can always change. We should know the band well enough by now that that is true. So many things have had to be canceled, or we had to wait years for them to finally become real. Luckily, they realize that now and don't make announcements they have to cancel afterwards, upsetting and disappointing all fans.

Whatever happens, happens. I'm used to that by now and I can always hope for nice things, but never count on them. As far as this band goes, since Slash and Duff are back, everything extra is just a bonus for me.

[killuridols]

3 minutes ago, Izzymacbeth said:

Yeah she did but they established a following there before any outside LA which was the WHOLE IDEA. 

Uhuh. And?

[Izzymacbeth]

Just now, killuridols said:

Uhuh. And?

My point is they were going for global domination from day one. Well at least 3 of them. Arlette's book can be in her language because it would sell there and is about HER. Its a WORLDWIDE brand, this is the WORLDWIDE web and not everything has to be in English. 

[killuridols]

Just now, Izzymacbeth said:

My point is they were going for global domination from day one. Well at least 3 of them. Arlette's book can be in her language because it would sell there and is about HER. Its a WORLDWIDE brand, this is the WORLDWIDE web and not everything has to be in English. 

Grrr...

Quote

 

I dont know what the book is about, to be honest, but I assumed it would be about her life as a publicist for big bands and artists of Hollywood...

So I assumed her target audience would be in America rather than Belgium or dutch speaking countries... wouldnt ya think?

That's odd.

 

Nothing to object.

[RONIN]

14 hours ago, double talkin jive mfkr said:

agreed 

adler was to me more surprising that he showed up in the mix rather than the classier sorum and izzy whom don't run their mouth off at all in that arrogant manner

Not sure that's the case - Arlett doesn't seem to think too highly of Sorum. Matt's arrogance and ego is up there with Axl and Slash. 

[RONIN]

So to summarize facts we learned/confirmed from Arlett's interview:

1. Matt Sorum is a major diva/douche and he had a falling out with Slash and Duff in VR which is why he's not part of the reunion. Which would explain why he doesn't follow Duff and Slash on twitter, but follows Gilby and Izzy.

2. Alan Niven was a great manager. Everyone regrets Axl firing him for yes-man Doug Goldstein who was a terrible manager. Duh. Can't believe this was a controversial opinion here during the Chinese Democracy days. 

3. Steven's out because of his back injury according to Arlett (I guess this is the company line). Contradicted by Steven in multiple interviews. I don't lay the blame at Axl's feet, I think this was a band decision that Duff and Slash were on board with. They don't want Steven in the band. Period.

4. Izzy Stradlin' - Seems to me like he's out of the fold but the relationship is cordial - but she doesn't want to say anything because the reason he's out is over money which looks bad for PR because it makes the partners look greedy. 

5. No comment on how/why they reunited. I'll help Arlett out: M-O-N-E-Y.

6. Axl fired Arlett for a yes-man which ended up being a big mistake in retrospect according to Slash. 

7. Velvet Revolver had an incompetent manager and were falling apart by album #2. 

8. Slash was suicidal during the end of GnR and put a gun to his head. 

9. Slash thinks him and Duff play the Chinese stuff better than the nu band - not sure if serious...

That was a great interview. Only thing lacking would be more insight into the dark years when the band was falling apart and the chinese democracy years. But she wasn't really involved with the band then.

Edited December 13, 2017 by RONIN

[Blackstar]

@RONIN I dont't think Arlett said that Alan Niven was a great manager; she didn't like him and did get along with him. Just Doug Goldstein was worse.

[Tom2112]

14 hours ago, AXL_N_DIZZY said:

Yep. That’s the crux of it IMHO. We get to attend shows and go wild for 15 minutes whenever Adler’s there. Maybe a watch a few videos later. These guys have to have a much more involved relationship with him over months upon months- and are no doubt asking themselves “What’s the point?” when the tickets are already sold. Until that dynamic changes (i.e. they start needing Steven and/or Izzy to sell out venues)- if ever- Ferrer it will be IMHO.

That day that they need Steven or Izzy to sell out is not going to happen. That doesn't diminish Izzy and Stevens contribution to the overall of Gnr, it just demonstrates how the general public feel about gnr and what they want to see. And what's clear is that there are two simple on that stage who have 95% of the attention, and sell 100% of the tickets.

Steven may be fine to do shows, or he isn't and he managed a 2hr show and somehow was ok after it. End of the day, if gnr wanted him back he would've been on the drums, instead they decided to roll with Frank, like it or lump it!

[RONIN]

4 hours ago, Blackstar said:

@RONIN I dont't think Arlett said that Alan Niven was a great manager; she didn't like him and did get along with him. Just Doug Goldstein was worse.

She didn't outright say it but the implication to me was that Alan was a competent manager and that Slash would regret the day he let Axl hire Doug Goldstein. But you're right, there was no direct endorsement of Alan from her.  My impression of Arlett and Alan from what she said about him was that they had a falling out because Alan took it hard that she didn't want to get involved with Great White or whatever crappy band he was representing at the time. Then they patched up and helped GnR rule the world. I didn't get any indication that Arlett and Alan had issues after they had agreed to work together or that she didn't respect him and his work. Her not liking him seems past tense - but I could be wrong.

 I always thought Alan, despite some of his oddities, served GnR well as a manager. His track record all the way up to re-negotiating their contract with Geffen is pretty impressive. Him and Arlett were a savvy team - and no wonder GnR were on top when they were running things. Slash thanking Alan Niven at the R&R HOF and Izzy being friends with him to this day speaks volumes imho.

[Blackstar]

8 hours ago, RONIN said:

She didn't outright say it but the implication to me was that Alan was a competent manager and that Slash would regret the day he let Axl hire Doug Goldstein. But you're right, there was no direct endorsement of Alan from her.  My impression of Arlett and Alan from what she said about him was that they had a falling out because Alan took it hard that she didn't want to get involved with Great White or whatever crappy band he was representing at the time. Then they patched up and helped GnR rule the world. I didn't get any indication that Arlett and Alan had issues after they had agreed to work together or that she didn't respect him and his work. Her not liking him seems past tense - but I could be wrong.

 I always thought Alan, despite some of his oddities, served GnR well as a manager. His track record all the way up to re-negotiating their contract with Geffen is pretty impressive. Him and Arlett were a savvy team - and no wonder GnR were on top when they were running things. Slash thanking Alan Niven at the R&R HOF and Izzy being friends with him to this day speaks volumes imho.

Arlett said that Bryn Bridenthal (Geffen's publicist)* was friends with Alan Niven and implied she didn't get along with her because of that. I didn't get the impression that Arlett and Niven had patched up, they just worked together because they had to.

The thing with Alan Niven wasn't just that he wouldn't take shit from Axl or that he wanted to be equally fair to all the members of the band, which would be a good thing. It was that he disliked Axl deeply from the very beginning. It's obvious not only from the way he has talked about him back then and later and some fucked up things he did, but even from some trivial facts. For example, that bit from Arlett about Niven hating dogs reminded me of a story Axl has told many times as an example of the outrageous things written about him, the one about him killing his dogs; Niven bragged on Mitch Lafon that he was the one who had spread that rumour to the British press as a way to promote the band; maybe some people find it funny, but I think it's a literally sick way of promotion. Apart from his voice and some of his lyrics maybe, Niven didn't like anything about Axl as a musician and as a person. I guess that's many other people's opinion as well; Axl wasn't easy to like. The guy was the manager though. There are cases when people can have a functional professional relationship without liking each other necessarily, but it's not the case with Axl. Niven showed Axl his dislike and fed his insecurities. And Doug Goldstein took advantage of that and worked his way to become manager.

* Btw, Bryn Bridenthal was involved with the band till the early CD era. She could give a good insight on that era and the breakup period if she was willing to talk (I believe she's retired now).

--------------

And they had written Bryn a postcard (not just signed it):

https://garyrocks.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/guns-n-roses-vs-poison-welcome-to-their-jungle/

Edited December 13, 2017 by Blackstar

[killuridols]

27 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Niven bragged on Mitch Lafon that he was the one who had spread that rumour in the British press as a way to promote the band; maybe some people find it funny, but I think it's a literally sick way of promotion.

Now it would be an scandal but in the 80's, this shit was common and laughed at. Pretty similar to the rumours (or is it true?) of Ozzy rippin' off a bat's head

You know how Metal or rock bands had to be seen all the oppossite to pop acts, and so they have to pose as such, even if they weren't real bad people.

[Blackstar]

17 minutes ago, killuridols said:

Now it would be an scandal but in the 80's, this shit was common and laughed at. Pretty similar to the rumours (or is it true?) of Ozzy rippin' off a bat's head

You know how Metal or rock bands had to be seen all the oppossite to pop acts, and so they have to pose as such, even if they weren't real bad people.

Yeah, that was the case indeed with metal which was the prominent rock genre in 80s and I guess Niven was targeting that audience (the fact that he had picked Axl as the band's "dog killer" is indicative though imo). That kind of "promotion", however, could have the opposite effect on an existent rock audience that wasn't into these things. I know I wouldn't have liked it if had read about it back then.

Edited December 13, 2017 by Blackstar

[Bailey96]

I agree that axl probably doesn’t want Steven in the band and that the back injury story is just a cover up, but then why ask him at all. Why let him play more than one show? If you want throw him a bone, then you did it by just one show. I thought after the Nashville show, he would be a tour regular guest appearance after that. There is certain things in this band that don’t add up. 

[killuridols]

49 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Yeah, that was the case indeed with metal which was the prominent rock genre in 80s and I guess Niven was targeting that audience (the fact that he had picked Axl as the band's "dog killer" is indicative though imo). That kind of "promotion", however, could have the opposite effect on an existent rock audience that wasn't into these things. I know I wouldn't have liked it if had read about it back then.

That's probably because his reputation was that of a violent guy. By that time we didn't know of wife beating accussations but he had already been arrested many times for getting involved in fights, so probably Niven thought that kind of thing fitted Axl's character.

Yes, that kind of promotion was awful but you are saying this because you are a woman. I never knew of the dog incident back then and I'm sure I wouldn't have liked it. I didn't like bands like AC/DC or Ozzy back then, basically because of the things they were related to (devil worshipping, dark obscure shit) but I reckon I found them ugly because I was just a 12 years old snowflake.

I'm aware that older fans and more especifically, older male fans, loved that kind of shit and were into that so I dont think they would have found it odd or any different than what other bands of the moment were rumoured to be doing as well.

[RONIN]

8 hours ago, Blackstar said:

Arlett said that Bryn Bridenthal (Geffen's publicist)* was friends with Alan Niven and implied she didn't get along with her because of that. I didn't get the impression that Arlett and Niven had patched up, they just worked together because they had to.

The thing with Alan Niven wasn't just that he wouldn't take shit from Axl or that he wanted to be equally fair to all the members of the band, which would be a good thing. It was that he disliked Axl deeply from the very beginning. It's obvious not only from the way he has talked about him back then and later and some fucked up things he did, but even from some trivial facts. For example, that bit from Arlett about Niven hating dogs reminded me of a story Axl has told many times as an example of the outrageous things written about him, the one about him killing his dogs; Niven bragged on Mitch Lafon that he was the one who had spread that rumour to the British press as a way to promote the band; maybe some people find it funny, but I think it's a literally sick way of promotion. Apart from his voice and some of his lyrics maybe, Niven didn't like anything about Axl as a musician and as a person. I guess that's many other people's opinion as well; Axl wasn't easy to like. The guy was the manager though. There are cases when people can have a functional professional relationship without liking each other necessarily, but it's not the case with Axl. Niven showed Axl his dislike and fed his insecurities. And Doug Goldstein took advantage of that and worked his way to become manager.

* Btw, Bryn Bridenthal was involved with the band till the early CD era. She could give a good insight on that era and the breakup period if she was willing to talk (I believe she's retired now).

--------------

And they had written Bryn a postcard (not just signed it):

https://garyrocks.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/guns-n-roses-vs-poison-welcome-to-their-jungle/

Interesting theory on Alan and Axl. I don't necessarily disagree with your thoughts here. Assuming your theory is correct, in your opinion, should the band have continued to keep Alan Niven on as a manager of the band? 

Even if Alan Niven truly detested Axl - that's imho just one facet to his complex relationship w/ Axl. He wasn't going to appease Axl's whims and let Axl run the show - that's really the core subtext behind the feud imho. Axl wanted control of the band and wanted to run it his way and Alan saw Axl as just 1/5 of GnR. It always seemed like a power struggle between those two and the contract renegotiation w/ Geffen gave Axl all the leverage he needed to dump Alan.

I didn't catch that bit about Arlett and Brynn possibly not liking each other but I suppose in a way that makes sense. A shame though. I always thought Brynn was an integral part of GnR's success during the glory days.  I remember vaguely an anecdote she shared about Axl during the chinese democracy days about how he thought Courtney Love had "bad vibes" and was disturbed by her recording near the Chinese Democracy sessions - Brynn seemed to suggest that Axl had some bizarre ability to sense things about people. Vibe sniffing? 

Edit: Found the anecdote:

"Courtney Love and Axl spent so much time thinking about each other. Years later, when Axl was starting work on the album that would become Chinese Democracy, Jim Barber was A&R'ing the project. And Axl at one point told me that Jim came to the studio and Axl felt Courtney Love energy coming off of him and made Jim leave. He couldn't work with that energy in the room.

What I found later, and Axl didn't know then either, is that Barber had taken up with Courtney. They kept it a secret from me and the company. So for Axl to feel Courtney Love energy coming off Jim Barber's forehead, not knowing that they had a relationship, was sort of like, Whoooo! It was just amazing.

Axl would do those kinds of things all the time. This is going to sound ridiculous, but it's true: He's a very spiritual person. Jim's work on the album ended shortly after the Courtney energy came off his forehead. Because Axl thought that Courtney was evil and that her evilness would impact on his record." - Bryn Bridenthal

Edited December 13, 2017 by RONIN

[MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle]

13 minutes ago, RONIN said:

I didn't catch that bit about Arlett and Brynn possibly not liking each other but I suppose in a way that makes sense. A shame though. I always thought Brynn was an integral part of GnR's success during the glory days.  I remember vaguely an anecdote she shared about Axl during the chinese democracy days about how he thought Courtney Love had "bad vibes" and was disturbed by her recording near the Chinese Democracy sessions - Brynn seemed to suggest that Axl had some bizarre ability to sense things about people. Vibe sniffing? 

Incidentally, Brain also had a thing about 'vibes' and especially room vibes.  He didn't like their studio at the time, because Kenny G had recently recorded there and he was convinced Kenny G vibes would be bad for the creative process (I actually LOLd when I read that).  It was Brain's idea to move them all upstairs to what used to a Masonic Temple and he liked it because it was cold and spooky, and that's where they stayed for about 7 years.  

I mean, you put a guy like that with a guy like Axl, and a guy like Buckethead, and throw in Tommy Stinson, put them all in a spooky recording studio...you got a pretty high weirdness factor.

[The Holographic Universe]

18 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

That day that they need Steven or Izzy to sell out is not going to happen. That doesn't diminish Izzy and Stevens contribution to the overall of Gnr, it just demonstrates how the general public feel about gnr and what they want to see. And what's clear is that there are two simple on that stage who have 95% of the attention, and sell 100% of the tickets.

Steven may be fine to do shows, or he isn't and he managed a 2hr show and somehow was ok after it. End of the day, if gnr wanted him back he would've been on the drums, instead they decided to roll with Frank, like it or lump it!

Axl, Slash, and Duff have never required Izzy or Steven to sell out venues of any size. The UYI tour is proof of that. Izzy doesn’t appear to have a strong desire to be involved on a daily basis.

[RONIN]

22 minutes ago, MyPrettyTiedUpMichelle said:

Incidentally, Brain also had a thing about 'vibes' and especially room vibes.  He didn't like their studio at the time, because Kenny G had recently recorded there and he was convinced Kenny G vibes would be bad for the creative process (I actually LOLd when I read that).  It was Brain's idea to move them all upstairs to what used to a Masonic Temple and he liked it because it was cold and spooky, and that's where they stayed for about 7 years.  

I mean, you put a guy like that with a guy like Axl, and a guy like Buckethead, and throw in Tommy Stinson, put them all in a spooky recording studio...you got a pretty high weirdness factor.

Yeah - a perfect place to record that album I must say. Would have loved some Kenny G sax layered into a few of those Chinese Dem songs though. lol

"When I was recording Riad, I couldn't quite get the correct sound for it. I was struggling with it for months. There was a missing layer that was needed to complete it. Then I found out Kenny G had recorded in our studio recently and in that moment it clicked for me. We needed Kenny G's vibe for the album. I went in and recorded Riad over a few hours in the same studio space Kenny did his album and I could feel Kenny's aura inspiring me to levels I hadn't reached since Appetite. Kenny even lent a great sax solo for the song's climax which is now my favorite thing on the album. I can't wait until people hear it. " - W. Axl Rose

[KiraMPD]

I agree with @Blackstar's theory on the "feud" between Alan and Axl. I'd just like to add one thing that Alan did that I found particularly fucked up; he tried to hand Axl lyrics for their new song when Axl was struggling to come up with some. Most people here would be okay with that I guess but I find the idea of the band's manager writing material for the band to be repulsive. How is that any different from all the manufactured pop songs? Ugh... 

Edited December 15, 2017 by KiraMPD

[Tori72]

1 minute ago, KiraMPD said:

I agree with @Blackstar's theory on the "feud" between Alan and Axl. I'd just like to add one thing that Alan did that I found particularly fuck up; he tried to hand Axl lyrics for their new song when Axl was struggling to come up with some. Most people here would be okay with that I guess but I find the idea of the band's manager writing material for the band to be repulsive. How is that any different from all the manufactured pop songs? Ugh... 

Agree. I read that, too. Axl said that in some interview. It just interferes with everything GnR stands for and also shows a great deal of overestimation and vanity that went on with Alan.

Also agree on @Blackstar theory about Alan and Axl. Alan also wanted to kick Axl out of the band... What more do you need to know.

[RONIN]

2 minutes ago, The Holographic Universe said:

Axl, Slash, and Duff have never required Izzy or Steven to sell out venues of any size. The UYI tour is proof of that. Izzy doesn’t appear to have a strong desire to be involved on a daily basis.

We don't know that. It's one of several theories being kicked around. He may have wanted to only do the one-off shows in the Troubador and Vegas. He may have wanted to guest like Adler on a number of dates.

Or he may have wanted to rejoin full-time and do it right. My money is on this theory because the loot comment would make more sense in that context. Also - looking at it from Axl/Slash/Duff's perspective, if they don't have to cut in another co-founder into the spoils, it's more money for them. The tour only needs Axl and Slash. Duff would be 86'd in an instant if he wasn't a partner. 

These guys are greedy and don't have an iota of loyalty or gratitude. They've shown it time and again. At least Adler and Izzy have some integrity in that Adler does it for the love of the music and reliving his glory days while Izzy would do it because it's fun. The loot thing imho is more about respect since he's a co-founder who wrote a good portion of the back catalog. That's why he asked for a bunch of money to play with Nu Guns - pay me what I'm worth since you're out there cashing in on songs I wrote years ago. I don't believe Izzy is motivated by money given his history of shying away from fortune and fame. Slash? Yes. Duff post VR? Yes. 

[RONIN]

21 minutes ago, KiraMPD said:

I agree with @Blackstar's theory on the "feud" between Alan and Axl. I'd just like to add one thing that Alan did that I found particularly fuck up; he tried to hand Axl lyrics for their new song when Axl was struggling to come up with some. Most people here would be okay with that I guess but I find the idea of the band's manager writing material for the band to be repulsive. How is that any different from all the manufactured pop songs? Ugh... 

Thanks for sharing that. Yeah - I remember chuckling when I read that. There's some innuendo from Slash iirc that suggested Niven sort of secretly wanted to be a rockstar/musician and fancied himself as a sort of sixth member of the band. That intrusiveness seemed to be tolerated by the band since they found it oddly endearing (aside from Axl). On the flip side, there was a limit to the intrusiveness of a manager - it was extremely annoying for Slash (and co) when Doug Goldstein would tag along on band vacations/events and try to partake in their perks. Axl seemed to tolerate it. I guess everyone has limits but I could understand Axl's negative reaction to Niven's suggestions. As you said - the idea of it is a bit repulsive. I don't recall what Izzy's take on the situation was...will have to dig through the archives a bit...

17 minutes ago, Tori72 said:

Agree. I read that, too. Axl said that in some interview. It just interferes with everything GnR stands for and also shows a great deal of overestimation and vanity that went on with Alan.

Also agree on @Blackstar theory about Alan and Axl. Alan also wanted to kick Axl out of the band... What more do you need to know.

Because he would never show up and was late - he was jeopardizing the band's reputation and creating a dangerous environment at gigs. Slash has mentioned in his book that Izzy and him seriously talked about it a few times. It seems like Izzy and Alan were both equally fed up with Axl's behavior early on.

Edited December 13, 2017 by RONIN

[RONIN]

Since we're talking about Axl and Alan, I thought this might be relevant:

Classic Rock

“Axl got rid of me to wrestle control of GN’R!” claims former GN’R manager Alan Niven in a Classic Rock exclusive.

Guns N’ Roses’ former manager has claimed that Axl Rose had him fired in what he believes was an attempt by Rose to take control of the band name.

In a web posting on December 11, 2008, Axl claimed that he sought ownership of the band’s name as protection because their then manager, Alan Niven, “was always trying to convince someone they should fire me”.

He added: “As I had stopped speaking with him he sensed his days were numbered and was bending any ear he could along with attempting to sell our renegotiation [with record company Geffen] out for a personal pay day”.

In his first full length magazine interview printed in the next issue of Classic Rock, Alan Niven refutes Rose’s allegations and gives new insights into life behind the scenes with GN’R.

Of Axl’s claim that Niven tried to personally benefit from the Geffen renegtiation, the manager claims that, rather than being fuelled by greed he “paid millions to get Axl out of my life”.

Niven claims that he had “a 17% commission in perpetuity [ie that] anything released, mastered or negotiated during the term of my contract was commissionable forever… Axl fired me in ’91. Now that means that the sales of Appetite, Lies and Use Your Illusions were all commissionable. Forever. To get Axl out of my life I sold those rights back to the band for $3.5 million. I did not want to deal with him again. Now that’s a decent chunk of change, but Geffen had only paid royalties on about five million albums total at that time. Imagine how much I had still coming. [Appetite For Destruction alone has sold 30 million copies.] The settlement I took is not nearly anywhere close to what I was due and had earned.”

In fact, Niven claims that Axl waited until the manager had renegotiated the deal before firing him.

“As regards his remark about me getting a payday from Geffen from renegotiations – let’s get some more facts straight. I have a right to defend myself against this guy. “Firstly, both the managers of Aerosmith and Whitesnake tried to get renegotiations on existing contracts around this time and failed. I think I am the only person to leverage a re-negotiation out of David Geffen on an existing contract… Their royalty rates were increased by 30%. There were other refinements. Better advances, etc. But since when I was fired I sold my rights back to the band I did not benefit from this re-negotiation.”

“Furthermore, I had their merch deal redone, and their sub-publishing deal redone. They were due. …I also got the first major headline tour in place. Then I was fired. Nice.”

“As for his claim I was trying to get him fired because he wasn’t talking to me, that is an absurd invention. He didn’t talk to me after the incident in Phoenix in ’88 when his failure to show caused a riot. He didn’t talk to me when I refused to cancel the Aerosmith tour. I was banned from that tour for a month. Many was the time Axl would send me to Coventry.”

While Axl claims he sought rights to the name to protect his position in the band from Niven, the former manager suggests that he was fired so that Axl could wrestle control of GN’R: “What I find interesting is that after I was fired, by his own admission, Axl took the band name as part of the Geffen renegotiation. I believe he got rid of me to do that, amongst other things. I think that he always intended to take total control. And he knew I would not stand for such a move. I could be wrong, but I rather think there you have it.

“Axl always had a problem that I made it clear that I represented the interests of all five members of the band, not just and exclusively his.”

Of the new GN’R, Niven comments: “Y’know, everyone has the right to make the music they want to with whomever they wish. But just be up ’n’ up about it. All this ‘last man’ standing stuff from Axl is horseshit. He wore us all out. Drove us all off. And for a personality like Axl, solo work only makes sense. If he wants to be Elton Rose then more power to him. Go for it. Pull it off. He has the talent to do that. But don’t pretend that one person alone represents the idea of Guns N’ Roses. That band, in my opinion, played its last show on April 7, 1990. Farm Aid, Indianapolis.”

And then there's this:

"The perception I have of what Axl's doing at the moment is that he's basically making a solo album but retaining the GN'R name so that he can get at the major contractual advance that's waiting at Geffen for a new Guns N' Roses-titled record. I can't give you the exact figure but I will tell you it's in the multi-million-dollar range. This renegotiation was effected just before I was fired." (Alan Niven, Icon Magazine, 10/97)

"GN'R began work on a new album of original material, drawing from a Geffen advance thought to be around $10 million - Madonna kind of money." (Rolling Stone, 05/11/00)

Edited December 13, 2017 by RONIN