Where does this period of inactivity from the band rank among other periods in the past?

[GoForJMark]

On 3/18/2021 at 8:12 AM, F*ck Fear said:

For me, this period is the 'unless there's a new record, I don't give a fuck" period.

It was never like that in the past.

Damn straight. Even if they decided to do an online show at this point, without new music or any indication of it. I wouldn't care much anymore. Maybe I'll look at clips or bootlegs a few weeks after, but that's about it.

If only Axl has Slash's thirst to always be in a studio.

[Sweersa]

2009-2015

No CD2 by that lineup

Edited March 19, 2021 by Sweersa

[SoulMonster]

On 3/17/2021 at 11:17 PM, GNRfanJen said:

So I'm a bit of a younger fan of the band. I wasn't even alive when they were in their prime so I missed all the good stuff. I got into Guns in 2012 (a simply terrific time for the band, I know ), but didn't start lurking the forums until late 2015/early 2016.

Obviously we all know there have been several periods of inactivity (on a public level at least), from this band in the past (ie Wilderness Years, the time after 01/02 and before 06/07) etc. So for those who have been around, how does this pandemic-era of inactivity from the band rank among the others? Is it as bad or as difficult to deal with? Or was it worse before? I'm not looking to turn this into a bitchfest, but I'm just curious to hear how tolerance levels compare now in 2021 versus other times in the past. 

Edit: Inactivity of course meaning not just the lack of touring (which every act was affected by), but overall presence to the masses etc. 

You ask how bad this period of inactivity is and that's a purely subjective question. It really depends on how emotionally attached you are towards the band at the moment. If you have passed on, it doesn't really matter; while if you just became a fan and is pretty ecstatic about the band, this might feel like a terrible period.

Trying to be objective though, I think what sets this period apart from previous inactive periods, is of course that we have a pandemic going right now. And yes, that doesn't mean a band can't be active in terms of releasing music or doing streamed concerts, etc, but at least it provides a reason for why a band might decide to stay low and wait it out. This is in contrast to previous down periods. where it just seemed to be internal things that prevented the band from being active. 

A question one might ask is also what is an inactive period? Right now, nothing seems to happen (at least from the outside), so this looks like a proper down period, whereas while I was getting frustrated with the lack of release of the UYIs in the early 90s, the band was actually working on those records and as such weren't really inactive. Still, I felt that wait was terrible whereas now I have more patience and doesn't care to the same extent. It goes back to where you are in the life cycle of a fan, and where you are in life in general. So the period leading up to the release of UYIs, after the touring in 1988 (and a few shows in 1989) seemed like an eternity to me and I couldn't believe why the band was taking so long (amidst rumours of the band falling apart), yet they were actually working on the records in their typical dysfunctional way. Then we have the period after the touring in the 90s. Again, this wasn't really an inactive period, it just was too little and too slow. They released Sympathy for the Devil and obviously did some work on new music. Then came a period where the lineup disintegrated and nothing much happened, really, until 2000. That's a very long down period that objectively must have been harder than what we have currently. The band was falling apart, Axl had gone total hermit, Slash's attention was elsewhere, no new music came out. Then the years from 2000 to 2008 were filled with stretches of activity and stretches of inactivity. This was a hard period even if the band did some touring and new music was leaked. Post-CD it's been mostly touring with some inactive years inbetween. I feel with all that touring, I can't blame them from taking a year off now and then. I guess I have become desensitized. But again, right now, it doesn't matter that much. We know they have music and that the intention was to release in connection with new touring. Touring has been put on hold and so has releasing. I feel pretty confident this will pick up again after the pandemic, as will rest of life. No worries.

Edited March 19, 2021 by SoulMonster
typos

[allwaystired]

4 hours ago, SoulMonster said:

You ask how bad this period of inactivity is and that's a purely subjective question. It really depends on how emotionally attached you are towards the band at the moment. If you have passed on, it doesn't really matter; while if you just became a fan and is pretty ecstatic about the band, this might feel like a terrible period.

Trying to be objective though, I think what sets this period apart from previous inactive periods, is of course that we have a pandemic going right now. And yes, that doesn't mean a band can't be active in terms of releasing music or doing streamed concerts, etc, but at least it provides a reason for why a band might decide to stay low and wait it out. This is in contrast to previous down periods. where it just seemed to be internal things that prevented the band from being active. 

A question one might ask is also what is an inactive period? Right now, nothing seems to happen (at least from the outside), so this looks like a proper down period, whereas while I was getting frustrated with the lack of release of the UYIs in the early 90s, the band was actually working on those records and as such weren't really inactive. Still, I felt that wait was terrible whereas now I have more patience and doesn't care to the same extent. It goes back to where you are in the life cycle of a fan, and where you are in life in general. So the period leading up to the release of UYIs, after the touring in 1988 (and a few shows in 1989) seemed like an eternity to me and I couldn't believe why the band was taking so long (amidst rumours of the band falling apart), yet they were actually working on the records in their typical dysfunctional way. Then we have the period after the touring in the 90s. Again, this wasn't really an inactive period, it just was too little and too slow. They released Sympathy for the Devil and obviously did some work on new music. Then came a period where the lineup disintegrated and nothing much happened, really, until 2000. That's a very long down period that objectively must have been harder than what we have currently. The band was falling apart, Axl had gone total hermit, Slash's attention was elsewhere, no new music came out. Then the years from 2000 to 2008 were filled with stretches of activity and stretches of inactivity. This was a hard period even if the band did some touring and new music was leaked. Post-CD it's been mostly touring with some inactive years inbetween. I feel with all that touring, I can't blame them from taking a year off now and then. I guess I have become desensitized. But again, right now, it doesn't matter that much. We know they have music and that the intention was to release in connection with new touring. Touring has been put on hold and so has releasing. I feel pretty confident this will pick up again after the pandemic, as will rest of life. No worries.

Do we know they have music and that their intention was to release in connection with new touring? 

I'd say that's a very big 'hope' rather than know. Bar a few non-commital 'can we move on to the next question please' answers in interviews there's not much suggestion. Somewhere along the line it moved to 'at the demo stage' back to 'looking at ideas' type comments with Slash too, more recently. 

There's definitely a view that when touring starts again this new material is coming.......and people are really going to be pissed off when it doesn't. 

Where does the 'waiting to tour to release' line even come from? Is it just the Fernando 'not the right time to release' comment? If that's the case, people have made 1+1=5 and really run with it. 

 

[SoulMonster]

45 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

Do we know they have music and that their intention was to release in connection with new touring? 

I'd say that's a very big 'hope' rather than know. Bar a few non-commital 'can we move on to the next question please' answers in interviews there's not much suggestion. Somewhere along the line it moved to 'at the demo stage' back to 'looking at ideas' type comments with Slash too, more recently. 

There's definitely a view that when touring starts again this new material is coming.......and people are really going to be pissed off when it doesn't. 

Where does the 'waiting to tour to release' line even come from? Is it just the Fernando 'not the right time to release' comment? If that's the case, people have made 1+1=5 and really run with it. 

We know Guns N' Roses has unreleased music, the locker leaks are proof of that, and we know Slash has been working on new music with the band. So I think it is pretty well confirmed that the band has new music. That it was supposed to be released in conjunction with the touring is only inferred from statements from Fernando, I suppose, as well as from the rehearsing of Hardschool. Generally speaking, I doubt the band would work on new music without the intention to release it. 

Personally, I believe the band intends to release as they start touring, but whether that intention will come to fruition, is something else entirely, and from experience we know that they rarely deliver on schedule - so don't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen

[19AT5]

10 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

Generally speaking, I doubt the band would work on new music without the intention to release it. 

Huullllllllo village leaks!?

[allwaystired]

22 minutes ago, SoulMonster said:

We know Guns N' Roses has unreleased music, the locker leaks are proof of that, and we know Slash has been working on new music with the band. So I think it is pretty well confirmed that the band has new music. That it was supposed to be released in conjunction with the touring is only inferred from statements from Fernando, I suppose, as well as from the rehearsing of Hardschool. Generally speaking, I doubt the band would work on new music without the intention to release it. 

Personally, I believe the band intends to release as they start touring, but whether that intention will come to fruition, is something else entirely, and from experience we know that they rarely deliver on schedule - so don't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen

Yeah, we know they have that old stuff unreleased, but new music, ready to go? I won't be convinced until.i hear some of it, personally! 

Oh, I won't be dissapointed in the slightest myself- I fully expect touring to pick up exactly where it left off, with nothing new. But I think a fairly large contingent really do expect a new album to be on it's way as soon as touring starts. The backlash will be pretty heavy if it isn't. But that's up to the band. It's still easily avoidable. 

[SoulMonster]

9 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

Yeah, we know they have that old stuff unreleased, but new music, ready to go? I won't be convinced until.i hear some of it, personally! 

Good question again. 

Personally I believe that a lot of the locker material has been advanced and were in a state to be released around 2010. It fits with the fact that some of it was almost ready for release in 2001 and from Bumble and others talking about working on the music.

Then we know Slash worked on new music but then stopped and focused on other projects. My hunch is that he worked on songs the band already had; but there is also a possibility things broke down and the result was just unfinished music.

And then we have Fernando repeatedly alluding to new music and releases. I simply don't think he would do that if the band didn't have something ready.

So to me the most plausible explanation is that Slash (and possibly Duff) worked on songs that were more-or-less ready to be released, and that they now have an album to drop. Then there's the caveat that Axl will be sitting for five years endlessly mixing and tweaking the songs before he is finally convinced or forced to release

Have a great weekend, btw!

Edited March 19, 2021 by SoulMonster

[WAR41]

For me personally there was no worse feeling about the status of the band than after the aborted 2002 tour through 2005.  There was dead silence.  After feeling like Chinese Democracy was so close I seriously doubted it's release and if we'd see Axl live ever again.  I need to point out this was before I had a family and responsibilities so I had a lot more emotion to invest in them back then.   Now I honestly care very little.  I think as usual they've blown another opportunity to release something during this pandemic, but I've got way too much going on to care.  

[allwaystired]

1 hour ago, SoulMonster said:

Good question again. 

Personally I believe that a lot of the locker material has been advanced and were in a state to be released around 2010. It fits with the fact that some of it was almost ready for release in 2001 and from Bumble and others talking about working on the music.

Then we know Slash worked on new music but then stopped and focused on other projects. My hunch is that he worked on songs the band already had; but there is also a possibility things broke down and the result was just unfinished music.

And then we have Fernando repeatedly alluding to new music and releases. I simply don't think he would do that if the band didn't have something ready.

So to me the most plausible explanation is that Slash (and possibly Duff) worked on songs that were more-or-less ready to be released, and that they now have an album to drop. Then there's the caveat that Axl will be sitting for five years endlessly mixing and tweaking the songs before he is finally convinced or forced to release

Have a great weekend, btw!

I think that's probably what will happen, yeah. The Axl endlessly mixing and tweaking bit especially! 

Have a great weekend too! 

 

[axlvai]

This is a paradise.

 

Compared with the 1997-2008 era.

Edited March 19, 2021 by axlvai

[gavgnr]

This is the worst period for me. Only the locker leaks have made it slightly more bearable. The worst part is watching the band become a bunch of money grabbers with shitty and tacky merch coupled with a high end box set and pinball machine. Time went by......

[El Guapo]

5 minutes ago, gavgnr said:

This is the worst period for me. Only the locker leaks have made it slightly more bearable. The worst part is watching the band become a bunch of money grabbers with shitty and tacky merch coupled with a high end box set and pinball machine. Time went by......

It's just so much sadder with Slash and Duff involved

[MCollins]

I think it ranks right up there with some of their best periods of inactivity. Very impressive in my opinion. 

[JAxlMorrison]

2002-2006 was the hardest.