Blabbermouth: Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal Says Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy' Album Is A 'Masterpiece'

[F*ck Fear]

I love that Slash and Duff are back and that Guns sound more like how Guns originally sounded. However, I love Chinese Democracy and agree with Ron.

The guy is a class act, and was super cool with the fans. I met him in Toronto and it kind of reminded me of when I met Dimebag Darrell. I say this because you could feel how genuine the guy was. Very cool with his fans.

[Chunder Monkey]

Ron is actually a very kind and talented person. 

I think people who felt a 'passive-agressive' vibe towards the end of his tenure might have picked up on the incredible personal hardships he was going through around that time. He was involved in a serious car accident that left him with (temporary) changes to his personality and constant agonising pain. As part of his treatment for a time he used a significant amount of pain killers. Additionally, around that time he was diagnosed with (and has now fought off) cancer. That's a hell of a lot of stressors for any human being. 

Then add in that the scheduling was at times rather inconsiderate of his health issues, that he has been bullied when entering the band, that he gets the least guitar solos - can't be easy giving up solos to guys like Robin and DJ if you have his skills, that he'd already been in the band for 8 years and been through at least 3 tour cycles for Chinese Democracy and was now looking at having to wait until the other 1999 material (which STILL isn't out) was eventually finished and released and toured before he'd get a chance to write with the band. Meanwhile every second fan was hostile because he wasn't Slash or Bucket. 

I think a person could wake up one morning, realise Axl has spent 20 years with the same songs, and then realise that he has another album ready in the cue to spend the next 20 years on, and then realise that you'll be 80 before you get to anything actually new you could make with him. That's me talking not him. But he wouldn't be the first person to exit the band because of shear waste of potential and talent caused by the mismanagement.

I'm sure he loved his time in GNR, and he loved the fans, but you factor the situation he was put in - together with his health issues that would have destroyed many people - and you can forgive the guy for coming off a little frustrated in the last few interviews before he left. 

[RussTCB]

It's always hilarious to me when people cannot imagine someone having a different opinion than them. 

[gnfnrs1972]

Ron's masterpiece was Art of Anarchy with Scott Stapp. But I like every single version of GNR. I think Ron wanted to be a true member of Guns but couldn't because of .....you know, bat shit crazy control freaks.

[ludurigan]

10 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Bumblefoot loved the band, and really enjoyed playing the music for the fans. DJ loved the fame that playing in GNR allowed him, he used it solely as a platform to raise his profile, he was not backstage saying "can we play some new songs, can we release a new song at the start of each leg". 

Now I'm not saying that Bumblefoot was in GNR out of the goodness of his heart, but I think you can see what I'm getting at.

i am pretty sure that the primary motivating factor for each and every member of axl solo band to accept being in that band was the exposure -- and thus the possibility of raising their profile in UNTHINKABLE ways

then of course there was the money and the chance to travel the world and do all those things they would never be able to do on their own bands

[Sosso]

1 hour ago, ludurigan said:

i am pretty sure that the primary motivating factor for each and every member of axl solo band to accept being in that band was the exposure -- and thus the possibility of raising their profile in UNTHINKABLE ways

then of course there was the money and the chance to travel the world and do all those things they would never be able to do on their own bands

Can you tell me something about that solo band? I'm just aware of the history from Guns N' Roses between 1985 and 2017

[AlterL]

5 hours ago, gnfnrs1972 said:

Ron's masterpiece was Art of Anarchy with Scott Stapp. But I like every single version of GNR. I think Ron wanted to be a true member of Guns but couldn't because of .....you know, bat shit crazy control freaks.

Little Brother Is Watching. That record as a whole is one of my personal favorites ever and shows just how good that motherfucker truly is.

[Tom2112]

3 hours ago, ludurigan said:

i am pretty sure that the primary motivating factor for each and every member of axl solo band to accept being in that band was the exposure -- and thus the possibility of raising their profile in UNTHINKABLE ways

then of course there was the money and the chance to travel the world and do all those things they would never be able to do on their own bands

I kinda touched on what you said, but yes, of course! Money and exposure played a large role in his decision... But I'm not going discount everything he's ever said about joining guns, he turned it down and they chased him. He didn't think it was a good fit after his first jam and said no, and it wasn't until 2006 that he decided to roll the dice with them. Before joining he was content doing what he was doing (essentially what he's doing today)

As far as the solo band quip, as Pantera would say "walk on home boy"😂👊

[gnfnrs1972]

4 hours ago, AlterL said:

Little Brother Is Watching. That record as a whole is one of my personal favorites ever and shows just how good that motherfucker truly is.

I agree, that album was good to. Art of Anarchy is my favorite genre though. Hard rock pop.

[trqster]

Axl is a musical artist genius so obviously CD is a baby of his own making and stands out rightly as a musical masterpiece imo. That doesn't mean that CD as a whole is what Gn'R music should sound like, far from it actually...

[ludurigan]

6 hours ago, Sosso said:

Can you tell me something about that solo band? I'm just aware of the history from Guns N' Roses between 1985 and 2017

oh, i dont know much about the solo band other than my favorite singer decided he was "guns n roses" and he hired some yes men to play with him as "guns n roses" and he decided to use a brand-new-never-tried-before clean voice that was never used in GNR and he started writing very sad and uninspiring lyrics (who had nothing to do with the great GNR lyrics) and all of these things made his solo album, his solo songs and his solo shows barely listenable/watchable.

i wont tell you anything about GNR cause you said you know it all -- and i believe you!

[ludurigan]

4 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

I kinda touched on what you said, but yes, of course! Money and exposure played a large role in his decision... But I'm not going discount everything he's ever said about joining guns, he turned it down and they chased him. He didn't think it was a good fit after his first jam and said no, and it wasn't until 2006 that he decided to roll the dice with them. Before joining he was content doing what he was doing (essentially what he's doing today)

As far as the solo band quip, as Pantera would say "walk on home boy"😂👊

i had no idea about any of this but maybe it that makes my point even stronger

if he joined a band that he didn't think he was a good fit for and that he jammed with and didnt feel right...

then it kinda means that it wasnt for the music (or for the fun of playing with those guys) that he joined, right?

[AxlRoseCDII]

I find it ridiculous how many of you have a grudge against Bumble for being part of Axl’s “solo band” when he contributed so much more than any of the other members did during the NuGNR tenure. I’m not talking on the album, but I’m talking:

• Convincing Axl to bring back Don’t Cry, Estranged, Civil War 

• Constantly interacting with fans on twitter and emphasizing with us for the lack of new material and promotions saying he would change it if it was up to him

• Staying in that mess of a band from 11-14 because he did not want to leave Guns without a 3rd guitarist so the fans, yes US, not a bunch of casuals, could have a band without being on hiatus for a bit

• Wrote new material by himself CONSTANTLY for Guns which either was used on his future solo album or performed live so we had something new to listen to  

• Did frequent livestreams and live shows where he taught his audience how to play Guns songs and gave us information regarding the band

Bumblefoot was arguably one of the most passionate members of Guns N’ Roses- more than Axl even at the end. His drama surrounding him in regards to his passive tweets comes from his previously mentioned surgeries and his clear frustration with how nothing got done with this band. Ron simply wanted to make the band kick ass and release new music, and brought back legendary songs to the set list, yet everyone constantly shits on him just as much as they do Tobias. Give me a break.

*breath* well that was good to finally get out

[Robert39]

I Don't have a grudge against Bumble !! But everthing that happend between 98 and 9-3-2015 under the GN'R name !!

[Tom-Ass]

Bumblefoot lol

[double talkin jive mfkr]

bumblefuck 

bumblefuck 

[rocknroll41]

Yeah I used to get irritated by Bumble's complaints but in hindsight I actually sympathize with the guy. He had to go through a lot.

i think leaving the band was the best thing for him to do, and on the flipside of that, I think Slash and Duff coming back afterwards was the best thing for the band. 

Edited January 15, 2018 by rocknroll41

[Ratam]

21 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Never got that vibe from Bumblefoot, I've talked with him a good few times and he was always super nice and the exact opposite of what you're describing. 

There were a couple of months during his tenure that he was not pleased with the band and how things were being run and he vented online, that wasn't the best choice. Having said that, it was honest and in my opinion everything he said was fair, like, when you're in a band you should release music, the management should inform you about upcoming plans, and when you've been in sever car crash and need time to recuperate you shouldn't be forced into a position of having to go on the road in spite of your health and well-being.

 

Spot on👍

[Draguns]

I do think that the time has come for all of the people in "Nu GNR" to stop talking about it and move forward with their lives.  It's been 3.5 years already. Since the demise of "Nu GNR", GNR has move forward by getting back Slash and Duff along with having a very successful tour.  It's just time for them to move on. 

[Graeme]

15 minutes ago, Draguns said:

I do think that the time has come for all of the people in "Nu GNR" to stop talking about it and move forward with their lives.  It's been 3.5 years already. Since the demise of "Nu GNR", GNR has move forward by getting back Slash and Duff along with having a very successful tour.  It's just time for them to move on. 

So, if they're in an interview and someone asks them about their time in Guns N' Roses, you want them to say "Some guy called Draguns thinks I should never talk about that period of my life again, so I won't be answering your question."?

[Draguns]

1 minute ago, Graeme said:

So, if they're in an interview and someone asks them about their time in Guns N' Roses, you want them to say "Some guy called Draguns thinks I should never talk about that period of my life again, so I won't be answering your question."?

Easy answer to this is just to say that I've moved on from GNR and doing such and such thing. That's all. Bumblefoot left GNR 3.5 years ago. CD was 10 years ago.  It's time to move on.

How many times have we seen members from the "Nu GNR" era keep talking about CD or promoting themselves as part of GNR? There's got to be a point where enough is enough. 

[estrangedtwat]

Did Gilby get that memo?  Cause he was in the band for about 2 and a half years and he's still talking about it 25 years later.

[Draguns]

4 minutes ago, estrangedtwat said:

Did Gilby get that memo?  Cause he was in the band for about 2 and a half years and he's still talking about it 25 years later.

At least Gilby didn't use an old GNR picture  and made people think that he's back in the band like some other guitarist did. 

[Tom2112]

6 hours ago, ludurigan said:

i had no idea about any of this but maybe it that makes my point even stronger

if he joined a band that he didn't think he was a good fit for and that he jammed with and didnt feel right...

then it kinda means that it wasnt for the music (or for the fun of playing with those guys) that he joined, right?

That's an interesting interpretation of what I said😅 

He didn't think it fit him as far as he was happy doing his own his own thing, and he figured joining gnr would essentially put the brakes on everything he was doing, this was while he was just getting some good traction on his own... I do enjoy how everyone says, bumble was some nobody guitar player😂 he wasn't exactly front cover of blabbermouth, but he was famous enough to tour around the world and to be discovered by Axl, so he was obviously a name enough before he joined guns... After he joined his name value obviously raised considerably.

Bumble joined for the same reasons as Brain, Richard, Gilby or Tommy or any member that joined gnr after the classic line up started to break away 1. Doing it on your own is tiring, and when a big break comes your way sometimes you just have to go with it. 2. GNR are a huge band and after hearing all the stories it would be interesting to play with Axl and co 3. Exposure for solo projects would be increased.

We can twist and turn the story, but from everything I've read and seen first hand I believe that he enjoyed a good few years of his tenure and only began to be unhappy after it was clear his involvement was just going to be of a touring capacity, and the aforementioned pressuring to tour while his spine was severely injured. He enjoyed playing a lot of the music, loved to meet and talk to fans and was generally the most pleasant member to encounter or contact. 

[Tom2112]

1 hour ago, Draguns said:

I do think that the time has come for all of the people in "Nu GNR" to stop talking about it and move forward with their lives.  It's been 3.5 years already. Since the demise of "Nu GNR", GNR has move forward by getting back Slash and Duff along with having a very successful tour.  It's just time for them to move on. 

He doesn't bring gnr up, in fact I've seen him try his best to steer the conversation  away from gnr on several different occasions... But it just so happens that gnr is usually all interviewers want to talk about, just because they might get a juicy headline. 

He's a nice guy, so when he's asked a question he will respond, he isn't going to say "I'm not going to discuss this" 

Finally, that was the guts of a decade if his career, he can and should discuss that as much as he wants. I don't see anyone giving out about Gilby discussing his 3 years in gnr. Truth is, if bumble lifted the lid on all the juicy stories he knows your opinion on him discussing his time in gnr would change with a click of the fingers.