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Why do so many people find Axl so fascinating?


DurhamGirl

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  • 2 months later...

Because he is the packagest deal in the history of package deals. 

Normally, and this includes also like Slash or Duff, people have you'd say one, straightforward vibe. Their traits are on some level, but just one of the opposites. Like, masculine or feminine. You can pick them and put them in the box ant it will be just fine and working. Many people love having things in their boxes. You know one and you know all in the box.

Then you have this Axl Rose kind of people. He's androgynous. Until this day he posses both masculine and feminine charm, which can be very upsetting, because it triggers an attraction which it basically shouldn't. He's both tough and vulnerable. Open and pushing forward and shy. Wildly destructive (at least in the past) and timid. He resists definition. He's honest about who he is, no bullshit, no white lies, no playing it nice (rather stay silent now). He used to be the child screaming that the emperor is naked. He digs and uses intense feelings people oftentimes are not comfortable with in a world they settled for. 

I don't think he ever was able to guess the middle, neither keep it or walk it, like it's usual in adults. He rather balances opposites and in a powerhouse like him, it's all firecrackers. The thing is he now I guess voluntarily manages to do mood switches, and people perceive that changes, he can still be unpredictable at times, but mostly, as far as I know, he has it under control now. He's one of those people who you feel under your skin, like it or not. 

Some people like it and find it mesmerizing and actually relieving, that they are not the only ones seeing things certain way, and it upsets a lot of people. Axl would always create controversy by his plain personality, I just think he used to aggravate this natural trait to send a message, that something is not like it's said, something is wrong. And that there are things you can ultimately change. 

So basically Axl cannot be put in any box and what he intensely radiates is that we all are a package made of everything who we are, what's inside us, and what we went trough in life, both positive and negative traits and experiences. Deal with that, narrow minded people. 

Okay, end of the trying to define undefinable. 

Edited by Alja
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I think about what Sebastian Bach said one time. He told Axl he should do one of those reality shows on VH1 ala Bret Michaels. Axl told him he'd pay them to stay the fuck away from him. There's not many guys at his level that shun the spotlight and press like he does. There's still a bit of mystery to him even though we have access to celebrities more than we ever have. I know he has a Twitter, but he still manages to maintain his aura. Axl's one of those figures that even other celebrities get flushed over.

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Sebastian Bach: Axl is the most controversial lightning rod of a human being I've ever encountered in my life. He's so big that it's hard to fathom. I've walked down the street with him, and he literally stops traffic. No humans can speak, the way that they normally speak, to Axl Rose. I watch people — smart, successful people — stand in front of him and try to figure out what he wants them to say so he'll like them. People think they know who he is, but they really don't. He's a very sensitive guy, and a lot of times, I wish people would just shut the fuck up about him. [Broward-Palm Beach New Times, July 17, 2008]

Sebastian Bach: I've watched millions of people that were in a room with the man [Axl], and they don't say what they think — they try to figure out what he wants them to say to make him like them and then they'll say that. I've seen people get so flipped out, but when he's in the room with them, he can't get a straight answer out of them. He's not like a human, he's like a demigod walking around. [93.3 WMMR Philadelphia, November 2, 2007]

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3 hours ago, Towelie said:

Fascinating? He's got to be one of the most dull rockstars on the planet. Talented but unproductive.

since when do you have to be productive in order to be fascinating? a lot of productive and talented rockstars are boring as hell. what he did manage to produce seems to be enough for a lot of people to perceive him as a very interesting musician cause it's not only the music, it's the man responsible for it.

 

Edited by Rovim
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I think it's partly because he's an enigma. Same happens with musicians who die young. The obsession around Kurt Cobain is still insane. His fan base tries to decipher every detail about his life. From the movies he liked, to the books he read, to the type of drugs he used and when he did them, to even more trivial stuff. People go to apartments where he lived for merely a few months just to take pictures.

Axl isn't dead, but he left the spotlight for so many years and he still rarely does interviews, so he isn't a very approachable guy that is easy to figure out, therefore he remains somewhat of an enigma. And for some reason some people are drawn to that. 

Edited by EvanG
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5 minutes ago, EvanG said:

I think it's partly because he's an enigma. Same happens with musicians who die young. The obsession around Kurt Cobain is still insane. His fan base tries to decipher every detail about his life. From the movies he liked, to the books he read, to the type of drugs he used and when he did them, to even more trivial stuff. People go to apartments where he lived for merely a few months just to take pictures.

Axl isn't dead, but he left the spotlight for so many years and he still rarely does interviews, so he isn't a very approachable guy that is easy to figure out, therefore he remains somewhat of an enigma. And for some reason some people are drawn to that. 

I think some of it is probably the mystery to some fans but maybe not for every fan cause if Axl never left the spotlight I imagine I'd still find him very interesting as a fan. He just has a lot of personality traits that work and clash together sometimes and make him who he is and so fascinating imo.  coupled with the music he created it makes the whole thing unique. He is (or at least was) the perfect hard rock frontman.

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1 minute ago, Rovim said:

I think some of it is probably the mystery to some fans but maybe not for every fan cause if Axl never left the spotlight I imagine I'd still find him very interesting as a fan. He just has a lot of personality traits that work and clash together sometimes and make him who he is and so fascinating imo.  coupled with the music he created it makes the whole thing unique. He is (or at least was) the perfect hard rock frontman.

I agree, I think it's only part of it. If he was an open book like Dave Grohl, who seems to be very approachable, then I think there would be less fascination but still (some) people would be fascinated.

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I think it's a combo of how much of a lunatic he was in the 80s and early 90s and then that he just went completely silent from the mid 90s to present. He also wrote some huge songs that have lasted and remain on the radio regularly. But it is hard to explain, but there's artists that recorded a scrappy demo and then never recorded again! that have considerable followings, so people being interested in Axl sounds fairly reasonable. 

I think there's also an element of seeing similarities in his personality? idolising? 

7 hours ago, Towelie said:

Fascinating? He's got to be one of the most dull rockstars on the planet. Talented but unproductive.

Nah. His release record is shoddy and his performances may be weak, but end of the he day if he sits down for interview are you skipping it? don't think so. You and everyone else here want to hear him speak no matter how done you think you are with him and GNR. Like Alfie said he has IT😄 

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4 hours ago, EvanG said:

I agree, I think it's only part of it. If he was an open book like Dave Grohl, who seems to be very approachable, then I think there would be less fascination but still (some) people would be fascinated.

What's interesting is that he can be very friendly and approachable when he wants. Not to the level of Dave Grohl, but through most of the Chi-Dem period, people who worked with him seemed to have an impression that he was this anger machine which changed when they met him. Even with fans, there's a surprising amount of candid photos he's taken with them. 

I think on the flipside he can shut down and be irritable, sometimes without warning; most likely part of being bipolar. To answer Evan G, it really seemed like Axl did die young in a way back then. There's even articles comparing his disappearance to Kurt, Biggie, and Tupac dying. Also think people look as Axl as one of the last true rockstars. They remember 80s/90s Axl. When Axl became a recluse, the definition of a rock star changed. The look of most guys became way more normal. Rockstars kind of took a backseat to popstars and hip-hop artists. Axl kind of represents a time that people look back fondly for.

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1 hour ago, Tom2112 said:

Nah. His release record is shoddy and his performances may be weak, but end of the he day if he sits down for interview are you skipping it? don't think so. You and everyone else here want to hear him speak no matter how done you think you are with him and GNR. Like Alfie said he has IT😄 

Meh. 

I only care about him for the music. Couldn't care less what he says in interviews. And as he is boring musically (as in unproductive) my interest in him as a person has nosedived.

What's fascinating about him now? The fact that he does nothing but phone in subpar performances on nostalgia cashgrab tours?

I'll admit that the guy had a bit of mystique leading up to the release of Chinese, but there's really nothing interesting about him any more.  

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6 hours ago, EvanG said:

I agree, I think it's only part of it. If he was an open book like Dave Grohl, who seems to be very approachable, then I think there would be less fascination but still (some) people would be fascinated.

 

1 hour ago, mystery said:

What's interesting is that he can be very friendly and approachable when he wants. Not to the level of Dave Grohl, but through most of the Chi-Dem period, people who worked with him seemed to have an impression that he was this anger machine which changed when they met him. Even with fans, there's a surprising amount of candid photos he's taken with them. 

Basic difference between Dave and Axl is that David is basically your next door guy personality, while Axl is unique. Read any description and sooner or later it will be mentioned. Sooner or later will be mentioned his unusual and very high intelligence. One reason I think he doesn't speak anymore is that he communicates slightly differently. Read some of his old soulsearching interviews. He speaks in pictures and distant connections and it sounds weird. Trust me, it's also how my head works and basically it needs people being adjusted to it if I want to tell something complex. There's also massive gap between persona he created and the man he actually is. People wanted angry young man who apart from being racist homophobe kills small dogs and thinks that kids dying in the crowd is cool. Axl turned from excited, everything sharing to seldom giving interviews after Donington... and eventually abandoned explaining himself later on. 

I think it puzzles people because when you are famous, they had read and heard anything and everything about you. Now imagine meeting someone who you expect to be a started firecracker and is actually easy going. Some go easy with it, while others will project and search for what they expected first. 

Relying on my people instinct, he's actually "reading people for beginners", at least onstage and... in one sentence describing his unique intelligence you will find "harshly honest guy". People tell you to be unique. They tell you to be honest. But they actually tolerate just some limit for this and then the ask you to switch to normal like it was possible. They want watered down and sugarcoated "honesty" and limited uniqueness. It's eventually socially crippling, you feel like others being initially told what to do in life, what's proper and what's too much, and you are there like a dropped off Martian. Mix with experience of harsh bullying and you have a person who is very cautious outside the tight circle and easy to startle and be overly (aggressively) defensive. Other Axl's remarkable skill is mirroring. It makes him outstanding performer. He is up to childlike shy and magnanimous if he feels good with people, but can be harsh while not.

This breed is rare, but Axl is not the only of the species. Yet his personal history also adds a lot of fuel into it. 

Note: Bipolar mood swings last for weeks to months. Mood swings in hours to minutes do not appear in bipolar, unless there is some other included.  Irritability can origin in hypersensitivity and what looks as a hissy of a spoiled brat, is meltdown (reference: Mick Wall about rising his autistic child. Not exclusively in autistics, but high probability of seeing it in an autistic). Also, bipolar usually worsens with age, others, like ADHD, borderline personality or PTSD can be managed and get better with time (general information).

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3 hours ago, mystery said:

What's interesting is that he can be very friendly and approachable when he wants. Not to the level of Dave Grohl, but through most of the Chi-Dem period, people who worked with him seemed to have an impression that he was this anger machine which changed when they met him. Even with fans, there's a surprising amount of candid photos he's taken with them. 

Oh yeah, I'm sure he's a nice guy when you happen to cross paths with him, but I meant for the public he's kind of an enigma, because he doesn't seem to go out a lot (at least you don't see him attend parties or going to concerts often) nor does he do a lot of interviews or TV appearances, and that all adds to him being somewhat mysterious.

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2 hours ago, Towelie said:

Meh. 

I only care about him for the music. Couldn't care less what he says in interviews. And as he is boring musically (as in unproductive) my interest in him as a person has nosedived.

What's fascinating about him now? The fact that he does nothing but phone in subpar performances on nostalgia cashgrab tours?

I'll admit that the guy had a bit of mystique leading up to the release of Chinese, but there's really nothing interesting about him any more.  

I hear what you're saying but I also don't believe a bit of it when you say you don't care what he'd have to say in an interview. What's not fascinating about him? I can separate his shoddy recent years and lack of music from an obviously interesting character.

If he discussed 94-04 are you saying you wouldn't watch/read that interview? If he discussed how Slash and him mended their relationship or what the original cause was. If he talked about anything about the musical direction of the next album? I mean there's so many things that listing them seems ridiculous. If you're an active member of mygnr you REALLY care about all of that stuff. I'm sure you also wouldn't read his autobiography if he had one😄 even the people who just peruse the anything goes and jungle subsections can't say they aren't interested in this stuff. 

A new album will eventually come out and then, even you will be glued to Axls every move. 

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during his peak in the classic era he was not only the best fucking singer to walk the earth but he was also the best frontman -

together with his bad ass attitude he is an enigma a man that cannot return to that phase in any way shape or form but the world has seen tiny snippets of it and still remembers him from those days 

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  • 3 months later...

I know I am months behind...:lol:

The first thing that crossed my mind was that he was unique. Someone who truly stands out and there was no one else like him. 

He took risks with his performances, fashion choices and opinionated speaches (rants).

I like what @Aljasaid about him being many things at once and hard to pinpoint.

I feel the pinnacle of people's fascination with Axl is long gone, though. I am still a fan and highly aprreciate his past contributions as artist and looking forward if he chooses to share more. He seems more human nowadays, which I believe is a good thing for someones health and well being.

 

 

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