Slash says a little more about how they ended up with the NITL lineup (+reunion with Axl)

[Blackstar]

11 minutes ago, WhazUp said:

I am curious as to if there is anything that they like haven't brought up or still disagree with each other on?  Knowing how Axl was with Izzy that one time Izzy mentioned in an interview, where Axl was like "well back in 1989 you said this thing" and all that, I am sure Axl had a tooon of things to vent about or need closure from lol

Well, Axl said in China Exchange that he talked to Slash about his book. I guess he vented a lot about that, lol.

 

[RONIN]

So going by this interview:

1. Izzy and Steven were most likely asked to participate in the first run of shows (Troubador, Coachella, Vegas) for the entirety of the gigs. 

2. Once Izzy walked away from the table they ostensibly pulled the original offer for Steven and gave him a few cameo spots as a token gesture. The original rumor was that Izzy was upset with Steven for signing on to guest - perhaps angling their non-participation as a negotiating tactic. This recent revelation adds some plausibility to the rumor.

3. Either soon afterwards or somewhere along the way during NITL, the decision was made to upgrade Fortus/Frank from touring members to permanent status (going by Duff's recent interview). Either to appease Axl or after taking a liking to Fortus, Sluff probably passed on Gilby and DJ Ashba as potential Izzy replacements.

But it doesn't really add up - if we're to take Slash at his word, they only looked at Axl's hired guns after Izzy walked. Meaning they offered to reinstate Izzy into the band permanently. Does anyone really believe that Axl would do that given his loyalty to his nu-guns band mates? Pittman was going to be part of the reunion for christ sake. If I was a betting man, I think even if Izzy had signed on, he'd have only been offered the first 5 shows before the stadium tour was announced. I think the stadium tour was always going to feature Frank and Fortus - they're the only logical choices given the band dynamics.

Edited October 16, 2018 by RONIN

[Blackstar]

2 minutes ago, RONIN said:

1. Izzy and Steven were most likely asked to participate in the first run of shows (Troubador, Coachella, Vegas) for the entirety of the gigs. 

I don't think Steven was invited for the entirety of the gigs. Even Steven himself said that he was to play a big part of the set, but still he was supposed to share duties with Frank.

[killuridols]

11 minutes ago, RONIN said:

But it doesn't really add up - if we're to take Slash at his word, they only looked at Axl's hired guns after Izzy walked. Meaning they offered to reinstate Izzy into the band permanently. Does anyone really believe that Axl would do that given his loyalty to his nu-guns band mates?

According to themselves, the tour was not planned  to be this lengthy in the beginning. Actually, they said all the talks were about a one-time show for Coachella.

So probably Axl thought that an AFD5 reunion would satisfy the industry/fans and he would be able to move on with his nuGuns after that..... but as more shows were offered they had to negotiate a more stable lineup.... and maybe that's when Izzy pulled out or asked for more money and that's when negotiations didn't work, so they went for the hybrid version.

[RONIN]

10 hours ago, appetite4illusions said:

I think it’s because it went like this...

They never saw her. Out of sight, out of mind. She was savvy enough to make Axl come to her. She wouldn’t chase him on tour, she knew she could get him to do whatever she suggested.

What if, in the nineties, she was advising Axl to take control of his band, because she believed the people in it were self destructive and would eventually destroy the brand. It would explain Axl’s behavior in shunning them after Illusions and would explain his callow business tactics.

Then, once the band was truly depleted, what if Sharon changed her judgment of Slash from that of a potential threat to a living hex. If, at that point, she advised Axl that Slash was a force of negativity that existed to mock and debase him, it would calcify into a dogmatic and obsessive truth for him. 

I realize I’m conncenting a lot of dots that aren’t necessarily there, but I’ve thought a lot about this and I believe Sharon was in the best position to create a lot of trauma for her own interest. For lots of people - it would benefit them to have Slash back in the band because the business entity of Guns could get rolling and make guaranteed money. When you think of who stood the most to gain of keeping him out and keeping Axl  vulnerable, she is right up there.

Also, the media is interested in the kitsch factor of a psychic pulling a rock stars strings, but nobody really knows what she told him because it all went on behind closed doors. Duff and Slash may never have known they had a witch doctor dividing their band - because they’re not hearing any of this...especially once they were gone and Sharon starts calling Slash a Devil. How would he know that was going on?

I think back to some interviews I’ve heard and my feelings on Sharon are reinforced by the things people have said. Alan Niven ranted about her vehemently, like he was aware of the damage she had done. Doug Goldstein was talking to Mitch Lafron and he said it was “not very unfortunate,” that she died.

I think Slash is basically referring to Doug Goldstein when he talks "outside forces" that created issues between him and Axl. Slash and Duff have been quite outspoken about their loathing for Goldstein. 

The yoda thing is interesting to consider - I'd be inclined to agree with you that she probably started to really get into Axl's head during the mid-90's when his life was falling apart. I wouldn't be surprised if she (along with Del and the hangers-on) slowly picked away at whatever issues he was having with Slash. 

There's also this alleged story:

"CURTAIN CALL FOR THE OLD GUNS '96"

September 16th, 1996.

Phoenix, AZ.

It had been a series of tribulations for the 'most dangerous band in the world', now washed out, out of fad, with the same problems as ever. Slash's drinking was an issue, which escalated whenever he was kept off the road. Axl had kept him off the road for the past year. The Snakepit album had been a source of contention between the two. Axl wanted have his pick of the litter to pick the songs apart and rebuild them. Slash said, no. He'd wanted the album done, so he'd recorded it with his own band. No more waiting on Axl. They'd been taken to record a Stones cover soon after. Slash delivered a bluesy solo, which Axl thought took too many liberties on Richards. Axl sang the same words as Jagger, one might say. Paul Huge did some overdubbing, there. Slash was furious, and Axl was probably aware of it.

The next year had been worse. Slash had toured with Snakepit for the first part of the year, before Axl told Geffen he'd be ready to work on the next album whenever Slash is. Axl passed out his letter of resignation from Guns and began a year-long legal tug of war with Slash. Into the summer, Duff and Matt had taken off with the supergroup, Neurotic Outsiders, and had everything going their way by Halloween. They had a record deal by playing weekly in Johnny Depp's bar. Guns was in absolute disarray, with Slash and Axl at odds and Duff and Matt with a good thing going.

Axl had spun his webs by creating a shadow group of musicians, who would pretty much Minecraft Axl an album, developing and recording musical ideas in a painstaking fashion. Earlier in the summer, Axl had summoned up Slash to finally share his vision of the band. It would be centered around them; Axl had in his mind an idea of a blues-rock-based album. That must've been a first for Slash in a while: his Snakepit album was rejected by Axl and Duff, because they saw it as overly-familiar ground. Musically cultured, they were wondering how they should adjust to the times. Axl'd wanted to do a solo album with Trent Reznor. Slash just wanted to play.

Last month, after what seemed like forever, Axl and Slash got into an agreement as to how to proceed with Guns. There was a contract, a trial period. Everyone was on Axl. There were rehearsals. Paul Huge played rhythm. Axl showed up late. Slash opted to get drunk in a strip bar next door while waiting for him. On most nights, he waited for hours. Axl provided with the songs, or at least, drafts of songs, melodies and structures by his shadow group. It was, to a degree, about filling the blanks. Axl wanted to hear the proper interpretation, the secret recipe of a Guns song.

Duff and Matt had dates happening with Neurotic Outsiders, as their band mate Steve Jones was available from the concurrent Sex Pistols reunion tour. They'd only be at it for September, but Axl wanted them to be around. The other week, they'd had a four-day break between Toronto and Detroit region. They had flown to LA for some more Guns rehearsals. Now, the tour had continued for a few days and landed them in the Electric Ballroom, a large venue with even a curtain to cover the stage. Slash might've seen the irony of a curtain call when he was prowling about there, cigarette in hand.

What was he even doing there? Playing one show with the mates, lending them a hand, having fun. On a Monday night in Phoenix. Why not have the same fun the coming Wednesday, when Neurotic would play at The Whiskey in LA? Why bother traveling to the desert to meet up with your friends? Before the next band meeting in LA. Or in Phoenix. Of all the places in the world where Axl could've been that day, a two-hour drive up north is a possibility.

The story of Yoda is perhaps best recalled by Peter Bradshaw.

Quote

 

Axl shouted at security personnel at Sky Harbor International Airport in February 1998 after a screener asked to search his hand luggage... He spent a couple of hours behind bars... Lost in the minor hoopla over the arrest was the matter of what, exactly, Axl was doing at the Phoenix airport. Was Axl coming back from a place where he often goes - Sedona, the New Age bastion in the red-rock canyons 115 miles north of Phoenix, where he sees one of the most important people in his world, a psychic known derisively in the GN'R camp as Yoda?

Though nobody knows precisely how he got involved, people who know him say Axl started visiting Sedona in the early nineties, sometimes travelling with Beta, his housekeeper, or Earl, his bodyguard. Many believers in past lives, channelling, UFOs and the predictive power of crystals pass through Sedona. The town is so tuned in, vibewise that certain canyons are understood to be vortexes for masculine energy and others for feminine forces. In the produce aisles of Sedona supermarkets, shoppers dangle crystals over the pints of strawberries.

... Yoda's real name is Sharon Maynard. A rather plain Asian woman of middle age, Maynard stands about five feet five and has a medium build and dark, curly hair. Since 1978 she has run a not-for-profit business in Sedona called Arcos Cielos Corp., which loosely translated from the Spanish means "sky arcs." The company, with assets of $241,602 in 1998, lists itself as an "educational" enterprise. Aricos Cielos operates out of Maynard's rural home in Sedona, which she shares with her husband, Elliott, a gently gray-haired man. "Dr. Elliott and Sharon Maynard" are both thanked in the Use Your Illusion liner notes.

Sharon Maynards keeps a low profile in town. "She is way under, low-key," says a local business man with ties to the psychic community. None of the New Age booksellers or silversmiths I talked to knew her, and she wasn't listed in the phone book or with the Center for the New Age, where a tick three-ring binder full of psychics and past-life therapists is available for perusal - and many of those listed are available for immediate consultation in booths upstairs. This is not surprising. Much of the more high-end psychic work in Sedona is done b quiet figures like Yoda who work out of private homes.

While it is customary for tour employees to submit a photograph for a laminated pass, with Axl other things seemed to come into play. Doug Goldstein is said to gather photos at the singer's instruction for psychic assessment. In Sedona, some think, Yoda would examine these photos. What does so-and-so want out of Axl? Does this person have his best interests in mind? What kind of energy do they emit?

Submitting a photo to Axl for evaluation by Yoda, some say, coincided with employment in the GN'R world. Band members, crew members, record-company executives - everybody did it. The procedure still goes on. Recalls one current employee, "I sent my picture in. Everybody gets a photo made for a pass. People made jokes about auras being read. What's this for? Nobody really knew. But I don't know anybody who got canned for anything other than not doing a good job." On occasion, according to a music-industry figure Axl recently worked with, Yoda even requests photographs of the sons and daughters of people in Axl's world.

 

   

Axl taking Slash to Phoenix is not all that far-fetched. Tom Zutaut, an A&R Man on all Guns' studio albums, accompanied Axl to Sedona in July, 2001. According to him, Axl felt the trip necessary as he felt they were "surrounded by negative energy". There was more than enough of that in the 1996 lineup. Paul Huge and Slash never really hashed out their working relationship, which had been enforced by Axl since the Sympathy for the Devil sessions almost two years ago. "Paul will play on the song, Paul will write songs, Paul will rehearse with the band..." Paul must've looked good on a photo that day.

Later that month, Slash admitted to have lapsed into a suicidal depression over his position in Guns. He quit the next morning, with a month-long resignation period. Axl had made up his mind, Paul Huge wasn't going anywhere. Axl might've thought his old buddy would made a wonderful replacement for Izzy, to have that Lafayette songwriting mojo back in Guns. He might've entertained the notion of dismissing Paul to appease Slash - but if Paul read well in Yoda's mind, he would benefit Axl's album, right?

It all went sour. The Guns rehearsals were stopped, dead on. Slash and Axl were at odds again. The album was, again, in disarray. Slash joined Neurotic Outsiders on stage that night, and the three that would be Velvet Revolver had their last night out as Guns.

There's no telling whether Axl was there that night.

http://www.gnrevolution.com/viewtopic.php?id=13213

[Blackstar]

This fits to what Slash said:

John Corabi was recently interviewed on the Appetite for Distortion podcast, and he was asked about Dizzy Reed and Richard Fortus leaving The Dead Daisies for the Guns N’ Roses Not In This Lifetime tour. He also said that at a time when Izzy Stradlin was rumored to be part of the lineup, [Richard] was unsure if he’d be back with GNR with Izzy’s possible return. Alternative Nation transcribed Corabi’s comments.

“I think that there were rumblings obviously about it prior to them telling us, but they couldn’t really tell us because they didn’t know totally whether, was Izzy going to come back? I think Dizzy was pretty much, because he was with GNR way back in the day, so I think Dizzy was kind of guaranteed a slot, but Richard wasn’t sure if Izzy was going to come back or not. It was never really discussed, and then they finally just said, ‘Hey, we got the phone call, and GNR is doing this huge thing with Duff and Slash, and we’re going back.’

https://www.alternativenation.net/richard-fortus-reaction-izzy-stradlin-rumored-guns-n-roses-reunion-revealed/

So I think it was basically about Izzy/the second guitar slot.

Frank would would have a role either way, Dizzy would be there anyway, and Axl would certainly want a second keyboardist (so Pitman too).

[D.Z.I.]

3 hours ago, killuridols said:

How can anyone ask for X amount of money from someone else and just get it, just like that, because she wanted to?

Stephanie was not his wife and Erin was divorced already.

They both had proof, otherwise, the case would have been dismissed. There were witnesses and there were police reports from the times Axl beated up Erin. There were probably other proofs like hospital bills, photographs, audios.... just because they are not public it doesn't mean they don't exist.

If Axl had been so convinced about his innocence he wouldn't have paid one single buck.

Hey, I’m not defending Axl or saying he didn’t do it. That was never my point.

My point was that not one of the things you mentioned (or all of them piled together) constitutes solid proof of anything. And that one of the arguments you used could be easily flipped the other way around.

For proof and circumstances to be valid, they must leave no room for doubt, and this is not the case.

That’s all. 

[killuridols]

5 minutes ago, D.Z.I. said:

For proof and circumstances to be valid, they must leave no room for doubt, and this is not the case.

Why Don't 'Good Men' Believe Women?

Mods asked not to continue with this discussion so please don't reply anymore about it.

[Fourteenbeers]

[DTV88]

11 hours ago, RONIN said:

So going by this interview:

1. Izzy and Steven were most likely asked to participate in the first run of shows (Troubador, Coachella, Vegas) for the entirety of the gigs. 

2. Once Izzy walked away from the table they ostensibly pulled the original offer for Steven and gave him a few cameo spots as a token gesture. The original rumor was that Izzy was upset with Steven for signing on to guest - perhaps angling their non-participation as a negotiating tactic. This recent revelation adds some plausibility to the rumor.

3. Either soon afterwards or somewhere along the way during NITL, the decision was made to upgrade Fortus/Frank from touring members to permanent status (going by Duff's recent interview). Either to appease Axl or after taking a liking to Fortus, Sluff probably passed on Gilby and DJ Ashba as potential Izzy replacements.

But it doesn't really add up - if we're to take Slash at his word, they only looked at Axl's hired guns after Izzy walked. Meaning they offered to reinstate Izzy into the band permanently. Does anyone really believe that Axl would do that given his loyalty to his nu-guns band mates? Pittman was going to be part of the reunion for christ sake. If I was a betting man, I think even if Izzy had signed on, he'd have only been offered the first 5 shows before the stadium tour was announced. I think the stadium tour was always going to feature Frank and Fortus - they're the only logical choices given the band dynamics.

I know I will probably get flamed for this, but I will not reveal the source due to a request for privacy : 

Gilby was, in fact, offered a role but turned it down due to both the money and, more importantly, the long set lists.

[Sydney Fan]

27 minutes ago, DTV88 said:

I know I will probably get flamed for this, but I will not reveal the source due to a request for privacy : 

Gilby was, in fact, offered a role but turned it down due to both the money and, more importantly, the long set lists.

you wont get flamed from me. I thought he well officially turned it down due to coinciding with his solo release?

[TeeJay410]

22 hours ago, killuridols said:

even Stephanie Seymour (didn't Axl say that she would put down his songwriting?).

 

 

IDK if my spouse handed me a piece of paper with the lyrics for Shotgun Blues on it, I would have a hard time finding something nice to say. "You nailed the spelling!"

[DTV88]

20 minutes ago, Sydney Fan said:

you wont get flamed from me. I thought he well officially turned it down due to coinciding with his solo release?

That could be part of it. I'm only relaying what I was told by someone I trust.

[GNRfanMILO]

57 minutes ago, DTV88 said:

I know I will probably get flamed for this, but I will not reveal the source due to a request for privacy : 

Gilby was, in fact, offered a role but turned it down due to both the money and, more importantly, the long set lists.

I think it’s common knowledge that Gilby was offered a spot at some point. Because he talked about it somewhere. I think Matt was asked to join too.

EDIT: Gilby was asked to join as a guest but it didn’t work out. I knew I was right http://theseeker.ca/interview-guns-n-roses-gilby-clarke/27231/

Maybe they wanted to do a super lineup with Steven and Izzy playing the AFD songs, Matt and Gilby playing the UYI songs and Richard and Frank playing the CD songs? It doesn’t make any sense, but what also doesn’t make sense is believing that Izzy or Steven were going to play CD songs...

But I’m 99% sure that everyone was asked to join the reunion at one point or another. I think each of them adressed it at least once since 2016/04/01.

Edited October 17, 2018 by GNRfanMILO

[DTV88]

As I said, the money they offered was not enough

[RussTCB]

2 hours ago, DTV88 said:

I know I will probably get flamed for this, but I will not reveal the source due to a request for privacy : 

Gilby was, in fact, offered a role but turned it down due to both the money and, more importantly, the long set lists.

Wait. What? Why would he have a problem with the long sets? 

[Ralphelmo]

2 hours ago, DTV88 said:

I know I will probably get flamed for this, but I will not reveal the source due to a request for privacy : 

Gilby was, in fact, offered a role but turned it down due to both the money and, more importantly, the long set lists.

I find it hard to believe in.

[Sydney Fan]

I struggle to understand why axl would involve all the past players into the band. Considering matt was fired and gilby pretty much left, i dont think axl has had a burning desire to play with them over the years, and i wouldnt see them all sitting around together  backstage having cups of tea and talking about old times. Axl would be as far away especially with matt as much as possible. I don't think its all about burying hatchets and moving on, would like to know what was axls agenda with this.

[G-Money]

On 10/16/2018 at 7:34 AM, Gibson_Guy87 said:

Confirmed. Oh My God in the setlist for this upcoming leg 

Beat me to it LOL

[RONIN]

Matt wasn't asked to be part of the reunion - he said so himself on twitter.

Gilby was asked and turned it down due to scheduling issues (hard to believe but okay). Either he was considered as an Izzy replacement or for guest appearances ( which would have been bizarre - that's like asking Paul Tobias or Teddy Zig Zag to guest - why bother?).  

 

[History2010]

 

2 hours ago, RONIN said:

Gilby was asked and turned it down due to scheduling issues (hard to believe but okay).

He said that he had scheduled gigs that he couldn't cancel 

[Ralphelmo]

2 hours ago, RONIN said:

or Teddy Zig Zag to guest - why bother?).  

 

You kidding? I'd kill to see Bad Obsession! 

[Drewdown]

On 10/16/2018 at 10:48 AM, D.. said:

Do you agree that defending yourself against someone violent (Stephanie) isn't being violent? It's not the same as assaulting. I hope we can agree on that, at leat.

Secondly, I wasn't there, there's no evidence, so I can't judge properly what went on. Neither can any of you. So it's a bit of a pointless debate.

Nonetheless, if you want my opinion: yes, I believe Stephanie is a liar. I have absolutely 0 faith in women who marry men because of their money. I'm sorry to be this blunt but the millionaire (I can't even remember his name) she married... There is no way in hell she fell in love with him. He has nothing going for him except his bank account. She fell for the money. I've seen enough about how some women behave to be 100% sure.

As for Erin, I'm pretty sure she will change her story someday. She doesn't strike me as a bad person. Not like Stephanie anyway. She had Erin back her up to make some cash and counter Axl's accusations and keep the jewelry. That's how low she is. Erin must not be proud about it. Why wait several years to go public about it? We see this kind of bullshit happening over and over with the BS #metoo movement, with false claims and easy money grabs (not saying all of it are lies, but some are).

Finally, had Axl admitted he assaulted Erin, or Stephanie, or both of them, I would quit listening to his music. I'm absolutely not supporting women beaters, even if it's "in the past". Women beaters should be put in jail and make a lot of us men look like shit. I despise those assholes. But, unless I'm proven wrong, Axl isn't one of them.

 

As for Meegan, I'm not sure why she is even mentioned, she didn't date Axl (unless I'm missing something). So her word is worth zero.

I don't want to continue this and beat that dead horse but there is some major truth to this post. Stephanie Seymour married Peter Brant who just happened to be my dad's roommate in college at The University of Colorado. Hearing my dad recall stories of his times spent with Brant paint him in the absolute worst light possible. He was the typical trust funder x1,000. The day they moved into the dorms, my dad was paired with Brant and another guy who remains a dear friend and basically an uncle to me. Upon meeting in their dorm, Brant declared that the dorms were inadequate and went and immediately rented a giant house in Boulder for the three of them. The first week of school, Brant took my dad and roommate to Vegas with a blank check he had stolen from his father. Granted, those are some fun times as a freshman in college in the 60's but it just gets worse from there. From what I have heard, Brant is about as big a womanizer as this world has ever seen. The fact that he had money, allowed him to behave like this. I cannot share more of the stories I have heard but Brant makes Axl sound like Mother Theresa. I am not excusing Axl from what I do or don't know about his time with Stephanie but she was no doubt the definition of a gold digger. Her marriage to Brant was purely for the money and it seems that she has turned many a black eye after marrying him because she was drying her tears with hundred dollar bills. My dad and his friend moved out of the house middle of their second semester because they both agreed they could not be around such a bad person. My dad says he lost count of the number of girls that left the house in tears from either physical or verbal abuse after coming home with Brant from the bars, etc. That's my .02 cents and I hope I am not offending anyone but Seymour sounds like her morals and priorities are in line with some of the worst people on the planet...

[TeeJay410]

1 hour ago, History2010 said:

 

He said that he had scheduled gigs that he couldn't cancel 

Yeah I mean he made a commitment to be at those open mic nights, how else could they justify those $10 covers?

[D..]

2 hours ago, Drewdown said:

I don't want to continue this and beat that dead horse but there is some major truth to this post. Stephanie Seymour married Peter Brant who just happened to be my dad's roommate in college at The University of Colorado. Hearing my dad recall stories of his times spent with Brant paint him in the absolute worst light possible. He was the typical trust funder x1,000. The day they moved into the dorms, my dad was paired with Brant and another guy who remains a dear friend and basically an uncle to me. Upon meeting in their dorm, Brant declared that the dorms were inadequate and went and immediately rented a giant house in Boulder for the three of them. The first week of school, Brant took my dad and roommate to Vegas with a blank check he had stolen from his father. Granted, those are some fun times as a freshman in college in the 60's but it just gets worse from there. From what I have heard, Brant is about as big a womanizer as this world has ever seen. The fact that he had money, allowed him to behave like this. I cannot share more of the stories I have heard but Brant makes Axl sound like Mother Theresa. I am not excusing Axl from what I do or don't know about his time with Stephanie but she was no doubt the definition of a gold digger. Her marriage to Brant was purely for the money and it seems that she has turned many a black eye after marrying him because she was drying her tears with hundred dollar bills. My dad and his friend moved out of the house middle of their second semester because they both agreed they could not be around such a bad person. My dad says he lost count of the number of girls that left the house in tears from either physical or verbal abuse after coming home with Brant from the bars, etc. That's my .02 cents and I hope I am not offending anyone but Seymour sounds like her morals and priorities are in line with some of the worst people on the planet...

Thank you for sharing this with us man, it pretty much confirms what I had in mind ; ) Kind of a sad world we live in, but hopefully, there are still good people out there.