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Axl & DJ Ashba


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11 hours ago, Beto 22 said:

So it's bad for Fortus talks about GNR in interviews... A band he's been part of for 19 years... Because you think it's self promotion... But it's totally different Slash talkin' about GNR for 19 years he wasn't at GNR for self promotion...

Yeah right...

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

That's not what we were talking about but if you don't want to go back and see the previous conversation then that's your problem.

7 hours ago, Frankfurt93 said:

let's be honest, the level of importance in GNR 

 

1. slash

2. Izzy

3. Gilby (as Iz's imminent replacement)

 

Everyone else, just one of the double diggits in the revolving door band.  what importance or level of remembering does a replacement of a replacement of a replacement of a replacement have!?

Yes

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I never minded DJ in the band and thought he and Axl clicked.  It worked on stage.  Non hardcore Guns fans seemed to really like him.  I think he connected with people much better than bumblefoot or bucket head.   He also had a great work ethic and seems to be always putting something out.  I hoped that would spark new music, but that never happened.  I am really glad to see Slash and Duff back though.  I also thought that had a great chance to spawn new music but so far, still nothing.  I’m just about ready to give up. 

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On 2/6/2021 at 11:25 PM, PatrickS77 said:

He's still just a hired touring hand without any creative inputnor say whatsoever. Which after 19 years makes his existance even sadder. Other then concerts he got nothing really to show for and it could be over any day. Would be, if they weren't too cheap to pay Izzy what he wanted.

I'm sorry, but Gilby is not important either. He may be a sentimental favourite, but other than that he's on the same level as Fortus.

I was not talking individually, but about majority.   

Gilby played when the band ruled the world,  Not to mention Gilby waaaas way more charismatic than 4tus ever will be...

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4 hours ago, Frankfurt93 said:

I was not talking individually, but about majority.   

Gilby played when the band ruled the world,  Not to mention Gilby waaaas way more charismatic than 4tus ever will be...

While I like Gilby, for sentimental reasons, I wouldn't really say he's charismatic. Really, they could have put anyone in his position. Still prefer him over Fortus though.

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On 2/2/2021 at 3:41 PM, Ifdworld said:

i actually heard that version of DJ being asked to joing NITL from a close source, at the time i couldn't didn't want to believe it but i trusted the source as it had close contact with Axl. And sure enough DJ confirmed it soon after. From what i heard he had a contract sent and was gonna do it, but Naty said no and he treasures his marriage like any wise man should. But hey it is what it is. 

Who was that source?

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Ashba did a fine job and was the exact person Axl needed at that time. I don't care what anyone says. He played his part perfectly, had to learn so many parts from so many songs from all albums (with very different styles) in an extremely short time because Robin had left. I saw him 5 times live with Guns, he played perfectly and really impressed me, he's very talented. People remember the times he fd up, which also happened to Slash, but when it's Slash, he gets a pass because he's Slash, same old story.

He did have a great chemistry with Axl, and he must be the only guy from a former line-up who always had nice things to say about Axl. I don't recall him ever dissing Axl, unlike some other people (Pittman, Bumblefoot, Slash, Duff, Matt, Izzy, Steven...). He is a class act. 

Yeah I really have respect for this guy, along with Robin Finck, and Richard Fortus. When you have men like this who have a sense of respect, honor, do hard work without making dramas in a band if they have to leave or if it becomes too difficult or if you don't communicate everyday, it's extremely helpful. I totally understand Axl's pick.

Now, of course Slash plays & sounds better on his own tracks, no question. But it's not like DJ sucks. 

I think he got more s**** for his style & Tim Burton's character look rather than anything else really.

Also happened to play alongside Fortus & Bumblefoot who are insane guitar geniuses, doesn't compliment anyone who's not a guitar genius. But he does have great skills of his own.

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On 2/10/2021 at 3:50 PM, D.. said:

Ashba did a fine job and was the exact person Axl needed at that time. I don't care what anyone says. He played his part perfectly, had to learn so many parts from so many songs from all albums (with very different styles) in an extremely short time because Robin had left. I saw him 5 times live with Guns, he played perfectly and really impressed me, he's very talented. People remember the times he fd up, which also happened to Slash, but when it's Slash, he gets a pass because he's Slash, same old story.

He did have a great chemistry with Axl, and he must be the only guy from a former line-up who always had nice things to say about Axl. I don't recall him ever dissing Axl, unlike some other people (Pittman, Bumblefoot, Slash, Duff, Matt, Izzy, Steven...). He is a class act. 

Yeah I really have respect for this guy, along with Robin Finck, and Richard Fortus. When you have men like this who have a sense of respect, honor, do hard work without making dramas in a band if they have to leave or if it becomes too difficult or if you don't communicate everyday, it's extremely helpful. I totally understand Axl's pick.

Now, of course Slash plays & sounds better on his own tracks, no question. But it's not like DJ sucks. 

I think he got more s**** for his style & Tim Burton's character look rather than anything else really.

Also happened to play alongside Fortus & Bumblefoot who are insane guitar geniuses, doesn't compliment anyone who's not a guitar genius. But he does have great skills of his own.

Hi DJ and welcome to the forum. What have you been up to since 2014?

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I saw them in 2002 at Leeds & London. 
Was a thrill to see Axl again. 
 

Bucket & band sounded amazing. Wasn’t a big fan of Robins solo spots..but I liked him on stage.
 

2006 was a great tour but Bumble found his place and vibe much better by 2009. I saw Brain & Frank during 2006 and for me I much preferred Frank which I know will be controversial. 

I must be easily pleased as I’ve enjoyed all line ups. 

 

 

Edited by reayj2003
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On 2/9/2021 at 12:56 AM, PatrickS77 said:

While I like Gilby, for sentimental reasons, I wouldn't really say he's charismatic. Really, they could have put anyone in his position. Still prefer him over Fortus though.

As you like Gilby too, I will explain you very easily.

Back in the day, in about every country you had like 10 magazines coming out on daily basis with GNR members on the cover or GNR posters inside (I didn't even get to mentioning fanzines that you could buy at any airport in US, Europe, Australia...).  Being a MEGA fan, before every flight I popped in at a news stand and I clearly remember there were shelves full of different magazines and 10 had GNR as cover story.

Now, about weekly, Gilby was on the cover of at least one with GNR sign or his poster was inside along with others.  I remember tons of Gilby interviews with Gilby under GNR moniker.   Now that is a huge difference compared to podcast where they mention Fortus as a GNR guitar player.    That being said, everyone who just vagualy followed music knew every band member from every band by heart.

People slept in front of record stores to get records at midnight....People  stayed up globally to watch Rio '91, Paris '92....People made thir plans for the month around Paris gig, waited for weeks for Tokyo vids...

It is different times.  Not 1% of the people from the 90's know who Fortus is.  Probably not 50% don't even know Slash and Duff reunited with Axl.

I never saw a magazine with Fortus under GNR moniker, furthermore, nobody outside of Slash/Duff/Axl circle is allowed publicly to be labeled as 'GNR'.  Far less ppl listen to podcasts than that read the  magazines in the 90's.  Podcasts are at around cople of thousand at best.  I mean, with all due respect to Brando and his work, how many listeners does he have?  And I don't mean to be rude to Brando in any shape or form, just respect to all his work he did in all these years.

There are far more ppl today today who think Gilby still plays in the band than the ones who know there is some dude Fortus  Even the bow they take...First everyone, then just the 3.

Ppl today don't stay up to see Rio, Buenos Aires or whatever.  It is different times where ppl remember the ones from the past but the new stars are not created.

Aside from that, the charisma topic..Gilby and his cowbay hats, fit far better with Slash and Duff and their images than shirtless Fortus.  Fortus looks like he ran out of some EMO band.

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On 2/2/2021 at 8:27 AM, reayj2003 said:

Just watching some gigs from 2010-14 and it strikes me, as it did at the time, that there was a chemistry and ease between Axl & DJ onstage that I’d argue I don’t see between Slash and him.

 

I’m aware DJ wasn’t a huge hit with certain fans & hope this thread won’t become a let’s criticise DJ one. I’m just interested in what others think on this observation. There seemed to be a closeness. 

I thought Ashba was okay. He was a good guitar player but for the non-die hard fan there was a consensus that he was a cheap Slash replacement with the mini top hat. Probably preferred Robin Finck if I'm honest.

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On 2/5/2021 at 11:37 PM, IrishgunnerII said:

The 2012 show was much better and Axl sounded great because he couldn’t run around because I think he’d fallen and hurt his led in I think it was Moscow the show previous.

Axl fell over a step at the end of the Liverpool show a week after Russia. I laughed hard but felt bad. He had to be helped up. I remember he shared a photograph of his bruised leg during a hospital visit.

Correct me if I'm wrong; didn't Axl sound better during Dublin 2010 because he stood still and Dublin 2012 was better show overall because they played T.W.A.T?

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3 hours ago, ChineseDemocracy2004 said:

Axl fell over a step at the end of the Liverpool show a week after Russia. I laughed hard but felt bad. He had to be helped up. I remember he shared a photograph of his bruised leg during a hospital visit.

Correct me if I'm wrong; didn't Axl sound better during Dublin 2010 because he stood still and Dublin 2012 was better show overall because they played T.W.A.T?

Well the UK shows were after the Dublin show which came about(I’d have to check the T-shirt I have from that show to be definite) about after Moscow.  Yes, when axl eventually came back on stage he stood by the drum riser and didn’t really move. And he sounded fucking brilliant. 2012 he apologised for not moving around as much and after estranged the fans gave him a standing ovation from the stands. I remember turning around and seeing it. Yes, after my own initial reservation about history repeating itself it was a better show because there was less tension. 

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12 hours ago, ChineseDemocracy2004 said:

Axl fell over a step at the end of the Liverpool show a week after Russia. I laughed hard but felt bad. He had to be helped up. I remember he shared a photograph of his bruised leg during a hospital visit.

Correct me if I'm wrong; didn't Axl sound better during Dublin 2010 because he stood still and Dublin 2012 was better show overall because they played T.W.A.T?

Yes, he was walking backwards and fell as he left after the bows. He had to go to the hospital in Newcastle. There is a great picture of him on the quayside.
 

Edited by reayj2003
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DJ Ashba is nota bad guitarist, and actually seems to be a fairly successful songwriter (although I am not a fan of much of his material). He just wasn't a good fit the role of lead guitarist in Guns N' Roses image-wise or skill wise. I always said that had he been in a role more similar to Richard Fortus - mainly playing rhythm with a few big solos scattered throughout the set that played his his strengths as a guitarist- the die hard fans probably would have liked him a lot more. He just did not have the dexterity as a guitarist to handle all the different types of guitar styles the role entailed. To be fair, and as others pointed out, Robin struggled immensely with some Slash solos; particularly during 2001/2002 era of the band, but he also had the opportunity to play some of the material he worked on with the band, and absolutely owned some of the old solos. 

Authenticity also plays a role in these bands. I know a ton of people, over the years, disliked Robin and Buckthead, but no one doubted they were at least authentic players and artists brining their own persona to an existing band. DJ just seemed so hollow in trying to be the stereotypical "rock star:" the lame posing on stage, the tweeting about getting drunk and getting in fights. It all just felt contrived. Worst of all, DJ's antics came at the expense of the music. Robin got better and better as his time in the band progressed: to the point that many reviews of 2006/2007 shows mentioned him as a highlight. DJ just seemed to get worse and worse as time went on, and in direct correlation with his on-stage antics and showboating increasing. If you go back and watch the 2009/2010 shows, you can see DJ needs a lot of work, but can also see why he might have been a good fit for the band. By 2014, it seemed like his playing had just gotten lazy and unnecessarily showy (see that awful "Patience" solo which seems to miss the point of the song entirely). 

To be completely fair to DJ, I think he does seem like a nice guy, and by all accounts Axl hired him more for his songwriting than his skills as a guitarist, and I admit it will always be partially unfair to judge DJ without hearing any material he might have brought to the band. Even before Chinese Democracy came out in 2008, we had a good idea of Robin and Buckethead's musical contributions to the band through leaks and live shows, and their esteem has only risen as more and more people hear the Chinese Democracy songs. All we've had (to my knowledge) from DJ, other than his solo spots, is the remix he did of "Better", which I hated, but know many people dug. 

Edited by themadcaplaughs
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We’re all well aware of the split between AXL and SLASH and most the reasons why. But they have obviously patched things up.
 

They may not be as close as they once were, but to suggest AXL has a closeness with DJ freaking Ashba over a lifelong friend and current band mate that he’s known and made memories with for close to 40 years is just delusional.

I’m willing to bet AXL still is closer and more fond of IZZY than anyone else (sans team Beta) because of their history. 
 

The only reason it might appear AXL was close to the new guys was because he was fully in charge and didn’t have to listen to any input. There was nowhere near the same level of friction.

Even if SLASH and DUFF are taking a passive approach nowadays, they still founded the band with AXL and have deep history with AXL. 

The idea of this thread is wishful thinking and seeing what one wants to see. Unless AXL has specifically said something, it’s just nonsense.

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