New Josh Freese interview: talks about GNR, Buckethead, CD

[F*ck Fear]

To me, it was Guns N' Roses before Slash & Duff were in the band and it was when they left.

Just like it is now.

[GNRfanMILO]

2 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Yeah he does, NITL is the proof. Was Slash or Duff playing stadiums before gnr? Axl wasn't either outside of the odd big show in SA.

Slash on his own plays to 2-5000 people Axl on his own was averaging 10000 minimum... and that was without any label presence or a good manager. Slash has a brilliant label and manager. And don't go on about the bowling alley tour...

Together they are bigger, but split apart Axl was the best on his own in my opinion. I know you don't think any opinion other than yours counts but you're wrong on that too.

But Axl was using the GNR name to sell tickets, though. So I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. I don’t know how much tickets would Axl’ve sold touring only as “Axl Rose” compared to Slash.

And I say that being a huge nuGNR fan. I consider Guns N’ Roses everything from 1985 to 2020.

Edited September 3, 2020 by GNRfanMILO

[Tom2112]

51 minutes ago, PatrickS77 said:

But with Deep Purple it happened organically. A member left, a member came. You never had the case where only 1 member was left (Dizzy doesn't count as he never contributed anything to what used to be GNR) and all the other members in the band have never played with any of the original guys. We're not talking about the odd member change. We're talking about a singer hijacking the name and exchanging every member. So that's the difference.

They left the fawking band... they left the band!! how did we become the bad guys? *Slams door*

[DTJ80]

1 minute ago, Tom2112 said:

They left the fawking band... they left the band!! how did we become the bad guys? *Slams door*

MetallicA reference..🤔

[Tom2112]

58 minutes ago, GNRfanMILO said:

But Axl was using the GNR name to sell tickets, though. So I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. I don’t know how much tickets would Axl’ve sold touring only as “Axl Rose” compared to Slash.

And I say that being a huge nuGNR fan. I consider Guns N’ Roses everything from 1985 to 2020.

I think Axl on his own is easily an Arena act. As much as I consider everything from 86 onwards as GNR, from 99-2014 the tickets sold were on the back on Axls pulling power, not the other members of the band. The voice sells tickets, adding a very popular hatted man into the mix and you are back in stadiums! Slash as a personality is more popular, but his ticket selling power is not as good as Axl. Unfortunately we'll never get to see Axl out as a solo artist to test his name value in the market! but I'd guess most promoters would happily book him in the o2, 3arena, forum, MSG. Think the hardcore GNR nuts alone would sell half or more of those places.

3 minutes ago, DTJ80 said:

MetallicA reference..🤔

Yep😄

[DTJ80]

9 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

I think Axl on his own is easily an Arena act. As much as I consider everything from 86 onwards as GNR, from 99-2014 the tickets sold were on the back on Axls pulling power, not the other members of the band. The voice sells tickets, adding a very popular hatted man into the mix and you are back in stadiums! Slash as a personality is more popular, but his ticket selling power is not as good as Axl. Unfortunately we'll never get to see Axl out as a solo artist to test his name value in the market! but I'd guess most promoters would happily book him in the o2, 3arena, forum, MSG. Think the hardcore GNR nuts alone would sell half or more of those places.

Yep😄

I keep meaning to watch SKOM again - not seen it in years 👍

[Tom2112]

16 minutes ago, DTJ80 said:

I keep meaning to watch SKOM again - not seen it in years 👍

Annual event! Laugh, cry, drink some beer. One of my all time favourite movies! everybody should watch it at least once whether they like metallica or heavy music!

[Twinaleblood]

12 hours ago, SoulMonster said:

I recently talked to Krys Baratto 

Oh! Anything else you can share? That "shadow company" thing always fascinated me a lot

[Blackstar]

34 minutes ago, Twinaleblood said:

Oh! Anything else you can share? That "shadow company" thing always fascinated me a lot

It's all here:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t5018-19-december-1994-october-1996-axl-and-slash-fights-slash-quits#20209

Personally I wouldn't call it "shadow company", in the sense that it wasn't anything secretive or "mysterious" and it was not a version of the band or a "lineup". These guys were there to lay down tracks on demos while Duff and Matt were busy with the Neurotic Outsiders and they worked with GnR until 1997.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Blackstar

[Sydney Fan]

2 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Annual event! Laugh, cry, drink some beer. One of my all time favourite movies! everybody should watch it at least once whether they like metallica or heavy music!

After watching it i can understand why newstead left. But thats another topic.

Was a good movie but still prefer " a year and a half in the life of". The movie showed how supportive QPrime are to the band.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Sydney Fan

[Sydney Fan]

3 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

I think Axl on his own is easily an Arena act. As much as I consider everything from 86 onwards as GNR, from 99-2014 the tickets sold were on the back on Axls pulling power, not the other members of the band. The voice sells tickets, adding a very popular hatted man into the mix and you are back in stadiums! Slash as a personality is more popular, but his ticket selling power is not as good as Axl. Unfortunately we'll never get to see Axl out as a solo artist to test his name value in the market! but I'd guess most promoters would happily book him in the o2, 3arena, forum, MSG. Think the hardcore GNR nuts alone would sell half or more of those places.

Yep😄

I actually think, if axl had done a solo project released CD as was in 2000, i personally think the critics would have been kind and from the leaks last year, theres 3 radio singles alone on that album, and i feel would have gotten alot of airplay. If Axl had done press, avoided the questions on the old lineup and focused on the new "band" as it was i think it may have been successful. But the other question is, woukd those muscians who played on CD toured, and were able to do effectively a 2 year tour?.

If CD was successful, then release CD2 between 04 and 06, which would have been great competing against VR.

I guess we"ll never know.

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by Sydney Fan

[PatrickS77]

14 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Together they are bigger, but split apart Axl was the best on his own in my opinion. I know you don't think any opinion other than yours counts but you're wrong on that too.

Oh. The irony. He was playing exclusively GNR Songs (I should rephrase, the GNR songs the fans wanted to hear plus some new songs he tried to pass off as GNR songs), something Duff and Slash never did. So, no. He does not. He's playing stadiums when he's with Duff and Slash. He doesn't when he's on his own. So, once again. No he does not.

Edited September 4, 2020 by PatrickS77

[PatrickS77]

10 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

They left the fawking band... they left the band!! how did we become the bad guys? *Slams door*

Yeah. They left or were driven away by an impossible to work with control Freak (just like Newsted was), claiming to be the boss of his former collegues. They wouldn't have left, had he behaved differently.

Edited September 4, 2020 by PatrickS77

[PatrickS77]

20 hours ago, ToonGuns said:

Only the drummer is left from the MK1, MK3 and MK4 lineups.

Edit: I actually love all line ups of Deep Purple and GnR. But if anything there was more consistency with GnR than Deep Purple (I think most people would take a consistent singer as opposed to a consistent drummer). The key difference though is Deep Purple have a very very extensive discography.

You might rethink the consistancy part:

 

[PatrickS77]

20 hours ago, ToonGuns said:

Only the drummer is left from the MK1, MK3 and MK4 lineups.

Edit: I actually love all line ups of Deep Purple and GnR. But if anything there was more consistency with GnR than Deep Purple (I think most people would take a consistent singer as opposed to a consistent drummer). The key difference though is Deep Purple have a very very extensive discography.

You  might wanna rethink that consistancy part:

04/1968 – 06/1969	Mk I	Rod Evans	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Nick Simper	Ian Paice
06/1969 – 06/1973	Mk II	Ian Gillan	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
10/1973 – 04/1975	Mk III	David Coverdale	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Glenn Hughes	Ian Paice
06/1975 – 07/1976	Mk IV	David Coverdale	Tommy Bolin	Jon Lord	Glenn Hughes	Ian Paice
04/1984 – 04/1989	Mk II	Ian Gillan	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
12/1989 – 04/1992	Mk V	Joe Lynn Turner	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
04/1992 – 11/1993	Mk II	Ian Gillan	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
12/1993 – 07/1994	Mk VI	Ian Gillan	Joe Satriani	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
11/1994 – 02/2002	Mk VII	Ian Gillan	Steve Morse	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
Since 03/2002	Mk VIII	Ian Gillan	Steve Morse	Don Airey	Roger Glover	Ian Paice

They have more consistancy (and significant members in the band) than GNR ever had. The only line up where you could argue is not Deep Purple is Mk IV. All the others have pretty much the members that make up and are expected to be in Deep Purple. And unlike GNR they kept releasing abums, which makes it all the more acceptable.

[Sydney Fan]

38 minutes ago, PatrickS77 said:

Oh. The irony. He was playing exclusively GNR Songs (I should rephrase, the GNR songs the fans wanted to hear plus some new songs he tried to pass off as GNR songs), something Duff and Slash never did. So, no. He does not. He's playing stadiums when he's with Duff and Slash. He doesn't when he's on his own. So, once again. No he does not.

GNR may have been doing arenas in 06 but by 14 were struggling with that and on the vegas residency merry go round. If it wasnt for vegas, they would have been close to being a theatre band. Interesting how the new players were wanting to bring back the classic songs , estranged being one of them rather than anything more off CD.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Sydney Fan

[jamillos]

23 hours ago, ToonGuns said:

Only the drummer is left from the MK1, MK3 and MK4 lineups.

Edit: I actually love all line ups of Deep Purple and GnR. But if anything there was more consistency with GnR than Deep Purple (I think most people would take a consistent singer as opposed to a consistent drummer). The key difference though is Deep Purple have a very very extensive discography.

Nope. And there always was a minimum of the same 3 members on their records. Also, all their most famous, determining albums - like Fireball or In Rock - contained the identical key members (Gillan, Blackmore, Glover, Lord, Paice). Not a good example. 

[CAFC Nick]

Josh Freese is the man. Really wish he had stuck around but a guy that driven/accomplished deserves better than what GNR became.

[ToonGuns]

2 hours ago, jamillos said:

Nope. And there always was a minimum of the same 3 members on their records. Also, all their most famous, determining albums - like Fireball or In Rock - contained the identical key members (Gillan, Blackmore, Glover, Lord, Paice). Not a good example. 

Same 3 members on all their records??? Which 3? I'm not sure you are familiar with Deep Purple's lineups then. Only Ian Paice has performed across all their lineups.

At one point there was practically more members of Deep Purple in Whitesnake and Rainbow than there was in Deep Purple!

And the Deep Purple example wasn't raised by me... however it is true that the MK2 line up released a few albums (although you could argue this is no different than the UYI line up releasing UYI I, II and SI. It isn't a fair comparison to compare volume of discography of bands in the 60's versus bands in the 90's, as in the 60's releasing 1-2 albums per year was the norm).

[ToonGuns]

5 hours ago, PatrickS77 said:

You  might wanna rethink that consistancy part:

04/1968 – 06/1969	Mk I	Rod Evans	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Nick Simper	Ian Paice
06/1969 – 06/1973	Mk II	Ian Gillan	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
10/1973 – 04/1975	Mk III	David Coverdale	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Glenn Hughes	Ian Paice
06/1975 – 07/1976	Mk IV	David Coverdale	Tommy Bolin	Jon Lord	Glenn Hughes	Ian Paice
04/1984 – 04/1989	Mk II	Ian Gillan	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
12/1989 – 04/1992	Mk V	Joe Lynn Turner	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
04/1992 – 11/1993	Mk II	Ian Gillan	Ritchie Blackmore	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
12/1993 – 07/1994	Mk VI	Ian Gillan	Joe Satriani	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
11/1994 – 02/2002	Mk VII	Ian Gillan	Steve Morse	Jon Lord	Roger Glover	Ian Paice
Since 03/2002	Mk VIII	Ian Gillan	Steve Morse	Don Airey	Roger Glover	Ian Paice

They have more consistancy (and significant members in the band) than GNR ever had. The only line up where you could argue is not Deep Purple is Mk IV. All the others have pretty much the members that make up and are expected to be in Deep Purple. And unlike GNR they kept releasing abums, which makes it all the more acceptable.

I wasn't referring to consistency in general, but making the point that I think most people, joe punter, would prefer a consistent singer in a band (Axl) as opposed to a consistent drummer (Paice), those two people being the only two constants in both bands lineups.

Some Deep Purple fans argue anything after MK1 is not "Deep Purple", some consider MK2 the classic, some love MK8 (which only has 3/5 of MK2, and 1/5 of MK1). Each to their own. I for one like all line ups of both Deep Purple and Guns (maybe less so Joe Lynn Turner and Ashba, although I enjoyed the 2014 gig with Ashba).

[Tom2112]

5 hours ago, PatrickS77 said:

Oh. The irony. He was playing exclusively GNR Songs (I should rephrase, the GNR songs the fans wanted to hear plus some new songs he tried to pass off as GNR songs), something Duff and Slash never did. So, no. He does not. He's playing stadiums when he's with Duff and Slash. He doesn't when he's on his own. So, once again. No he does not.

If they were upset about it they had all the ammo they needed to at least go to court and get their share of the name back... maybe, just maybe they told a story that wasn't 100% accurate to the press? I know, it doesn't fit your narrative of Axl being this genius shyster... but it's very possible, even if you won't say so. Does Axl tell the whole and true story of getting the name signed over? Who knows? But I have no reason to believe that Slash and Duff do either! 

As for making the band quit, well I can't dispute that... he was a pain in the ass by all accounts back then! I can see them all just saying fuck this and quitting... but they were not smart about it. 

I honestly don't care if you think CD is GNR or not though, to me it is! End of the day I enjoy it, and I like it based on the quality of the music not because of name.

[ToonGuns]

5 hours ago, PatrickS77 said:

You might rethink the consistancy part:

 

And just to add... Deep Purple are a band who have had 4 different singers and 4 lead guitarists. So there is an argument either way.

[Tom2112]

5 hours ago, Sydney Fan said:

GNR may have been doing arenas in 06 but by 14 were struggling with that and on the vegas residency merry go round. If it wasnt for vegas, they would have been close to being a theatre band. Interesting how the new players were wanting to bring back the classic songs , estranged being one of them rather than anything more off CD.

Up to 2012 they were still playing arenas with reasonable pulling power, there was a drop-off after that year and into 2014 though. Mismanagement and a lack of new music killed them alongside Axl acting the bollix with late starts.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Tom2112

[Tom2112]

13 minutes ago, ToonGuns said:

And just to add... Deep Purple are a band who have had 4 different singers and 4 lead guitarists. So there is an argument either way.

Ah man, this is rock you're never going to crack!

I'm happy to talk with reasonable fans who might concede a point here and there, but when someone just says 'everything you say is wrong' there's no reason to try with them! 

End of the day, GNR are now back together... this subject should be buried deep down in a place no GNR fan can every find it again. 

Edited September 4, 2020 by Tom2112

[ToonGuns]

26 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

Ah man, this is rock you're never going to crack!

I'm happy to talk with reasonable fans who might concede a point here and there, but when someone just says 'everything you say is wrong' there's no reason to try with them! 

End of the day, GNR are now back together... this subject should be buried deep down in a place no GNR fan can every find it again. 

I hope I'm not coming across as "everything anyone says is wrong"?! Just a bit of friendly debate. But I agree. Nobody is right here. There's only shades of opinion. The only facts are:

Deep Purple rock.

Guns N Roses rock.