Interview with Tommy (replacements, solo, gnr etc)

[Pele]

3 hours ago, rumandraisin said:

I think, lyrics aside and vocals it's a fucking cool song. Going from the early versions with the toms high and heavy in the mix and the chunky bass, I can imagine them round the console in the mixing room thinking... This is somethibg pretty rad. Those old comments about Zep mixed by Beck. I can see it. Then 8 years of layering and tinkering before removing all the bass. Shame. 

I can imagine energy and enthusiasm might have been pretty high initially but it quickly fell of a cliff.

It says A LOT that Josh Freese chose to leave in 2000 because he didn't think it was going anywhere. 

Finck left in 2002, seemingly sick of working on instrumentals.

Buckethead left in 2004 with his manager citing 'inability to complete an album'.

Brain left in 2006, and I presume learnt that submitting his demos to Axl basically meant they were dead songs.  

All of these people left BEFORE the album was forced out of his hands, suggesting there was little to no optimism of this being an actual 'band' that releases albums.  One by one, they realized they were wasting their career unless they were happy touring GNR greatest hits.

I think after the productive writing in the late 90s, he got himself into shape and his creativity was sparked a little 05-06, and he knew he had to knuckle down and finish the album.  He did vocals for Shacklers, Better and Scraped (and whatever else he may have recorded in that period) and they eventually got something released to close out the chapter.

On 12/28/2021 at 4:07 PM, themadcaplaughs said:

Also, as others have pointed out, Tommy remains a no-bullshit kind of guy, and he has specifically stated there is a definite "back half" of Chinese Democracy that was ready to be released. 

He said a lot of things.

His narrative mainly was they worked on a lot of other songs, some were finished and others needed vocals adding.

We know this to be true.

[rumandraisin]

19 hours ago, Pele said:

I can imagine energy and enthusiasm might have been pretty high initially but it quickly fell of a cliff.

It says A LOT that Josh Freese chose to leave in 2000 because he didn't think it was going anywhere. 

Finck left in 2002, seemingly sick of working on instrumentals.

Buckethead left in 2004 with his manager citing 'inability to complete an album'.

Brain left in 2006, and I presume learnt that submitting his demos to Axl basically meant they were dead songs.  

All of these people left BEFORE the album was forced out of his hands, suggesting there was little to no optimism of this being an actual 'band' that releases albums.  One by one, they realized they were wasting their career unless they were happy touring GNR greatest hits.

I think after the productive writing in the late 90s, he got himself into shape and his creativity was sparked a little 05-06, and he knew he had to knuckle down and finish the album.  He did vocals for Shacklers, Better and Scraped (and whatever else he may have recorded in that period) and they eventually got something released to close out the chapter.

He said a lot of things.

His narrative mainly was they worked on a lot of other songs, some were finished and others needed vocals adding.

We know this to be true.

Calm down haha

[themadcaplaughs]

On 12/29/2021 at 11:39 AM, Pele said:

I can imagine energy and enthusiasm might have been pretty high initially but it quickly fell of a cliff.

It says A LOT that Josh Freese chose to leave in 2000 because he didn't think it was going anywhere. 

Finck left in 2002, seemingly sick of working on instrumentals.

Buckethead left in 2004 with his manager citing 'inability to complete an album'.

Brain left in 2006, and I presume learnt that submitting his demos to Axl basically meant they were dead songs.  

All of these people left BEFORE the album was forced out of his hands, suggesting there was little to no optimism of this being an actual 'band' that releases albums.  One by one, they realized they were wasting their career unless they were happy touring GNR greatest hits.

I think after the productive writing in the late 90s, he got himself into shape and his creativity was sparked a little 05-06, and he knew he had to knuckle down and finish the album.  He did vocals for Shacklers, Better and Scraped (and whatever else he may have recorded in that period) and they eventually got something released to close out the chapter.

He said a lot of things.

His narrative mainly was they worked on a lot of other songs, some were finished and others needed vocals adding.

We know this to be true.

You know....this is all new and insightful material from you Pele. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. 

The point of my post was not to go down this rabbit hole; just to say that despite what some people said, I never got a sense of "embarrassment" from Tommy about Guns N' Roses. On his website, he still lists Chinese Democracy among his discography. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by themadcaplaughs

[rumandraisin]

15 hours ago, themadcaplaughs said:

You know....this is all new and insightful material from you Pele. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. 

The point of my post was not to go down this rabbit hole; just to say that despite what some people said, I never got a sense of "embarrassment" from Tommy about Guns N' Roses. On his website, he still lists Chinese Democracy among his discography. 

Subscribe to Pele's monthly newsletter. The 1999 Chronicles, this month with a pull out feature on what songs have (in his opinion, of course) vocals!

[TeeJay410]

I will die on Riad hill. I don’t understand the hate.

[ShadowOfTheWave]

18 minutes ago, TeeJay410 said:

I will die on Riad hill. I don’t understand the hate.

I find the "All My Salvation" part repetitive and annoying. Like an Iron Maiden chorus or something.

[merryfnchristmas]

I like me some Tommy. I got to see the reunited Replacements towards the end of their run (killer), and was recently listening to some 2015 live recordings that made me think they set the gold standard for reunions.

The shows were exciting, unpredictable and generous. They played at least 60 songs over a two year period including obscurities (Buck Hill!) and new stuff.

It all flamed out once the band realised it couldn't work together in a meaningful way. I bet it was a night & day experience for Tommy S when compared to the 2014 Guns Ashba/dancers/Monster energy drink nadir. 

 

 

[Mendez]

On 1/1/2022 at 6:33 PM, ShadowOfTheWave said:

I find the "All My Salvation" part repetitive and annoying. Like an Iron Maiden chorus or something.

weird, i think that is the only reedemable part with regards to the vocals

[Sleep]

Freese left because his contract was up and A Perfect Circle had their first album in the can and were ready to go. He along with Howerdel had Axl's blessing. On top of that, Freese is a busy guy. Spending a lot of time on one thing isn't really his style. Given how large his discography is, I'm surprised he can remember anything about his time in GN'R.

[themadcaplaughs]

BTW, I am attending Tommy's solo show in Athens, Georgia at the end of the month. I paid the extra money for the pre-show drink with Tommy specifically so I can ask him about @Pele's claims. You're welcome MyGNR! 

Edited January 5, 2022 by themadcaplaughs

[Dean]

21 minutes ago, themadcaplaughs said:

BTW, I am attending Tommy's solo show in Athens, Georgia at the end of the month. I paid the extra money for the pre-show drink with Tommy specifically so I can ask him about @Pele's claims. You're welcome MyGNR! 

Grill him about the release date for his new Cowboys in the Campfire album!!! 

May be worthwhile asking if he was ever in the studio again with Guns post Chinese, though he may not be willing to give much away. Be sure to have a blast at the show when the time comes!

[Seb91]

17 hours ago, merryfnchristmas said:

I like me some Tommy. I got to see the reunited Replacements towards the end of their run (killer), and was recently listening to some 2015 live recordings that made me think they set the gold standard for reunions.

The shows were exciting, unpredictable and generous. They played at least 60 songs over a two year period including obscurities (Buck Hill!) and new stuff.

It all flamed out once the band realised it couldn't work together in a meaningful way. I bet it was a night & day experience for Tommy S when compared to the 2014 Guns Ashba/dancers/Monster energy drink nadir. 

 

 

 

Agree the Replacements reunion was incredible. Managed to get to one of the Roundhouse shows in London and it was phenomenal. Never thought they'd actually play the UK as nobody's really heard of them over here so was overjoyed when it was announced. Really pleased I got to see Paul live, as like Axl back in the 90s/2000s, he goes through large stretches of inactivity. It's a shame they never put new material out. I wonder if any of the songs on the 2017 Bash & Pop were ideas for a new 'Mats album.  

 

54 minutes ago, themadcaplaughs said:

BTW, I am attending Tommy's solo show in Athens, Georgia at the end of the month. I paid the extra money for the pre-show drink with Tommy specifically so I can ask him about @Pele's claims. You're welcome MyGNR! 

 

Extremely jealous! Hope he makes a trip over to the UK at some point. 

[themadcaplaughs]

In all seriousness, I know Guns N' Roses questions would likely be a no-go. I do want to see if he will autograph my red hand copy Chinese Democracy. 

[Mendez]

14 hours ago, Dean said:

Grill him about the release date for his new Cowboys in the Campfire album!!! 

May be worthwhile asking if he was ever in the studio again with Guns post Chinese, though he may not be willing to give much away. Be sure to have a blast at the show when the time comes!

He might say he was in the studio, but only because the whole band (minus keyboards)recorded the pink panther theme for BBF to release

[themadcaplaughs]

I saw him in Chattanooga years ago, before Chinese Democracy came out, and asked him about it. He gave a very "stock" answer, but laughed and said no fan had ever asked him about Guns N' Roses at one of his own shows. 

[themadcaplaughs]

Saw Tommy before the show last night. He got dinner with a few fans who paid a little extra money for a pre-show meet and greet. Super down-to-earth, funny, and kind. Obviously, the other folks were interested in The Replacements and Bash & Pop, but he said he has no issue talking GN'R stuff. I got him to sign my red hand copy of Chinese Democracy (will upload later for proof). A few major points below: 

 

-Said he has not been the most communicative during the pandemic, but still talks now and again to Frank, Richard, and Del. Said he has not talked to Axl since he left the band, but doesn't see this as a sign of any ill feelings. Axl always keeps to himself for the most part. 

-Said Guns N' Roses gig was fantastic and he enjoyed every second of it. Said he ultimately left due to his family situation meaning he could no longer commit to huge blocks of time on the road, but has no doubts Axl would have kept him in the band in some capacity. Said "when Axl has your back, he fucking has your back." Said Axl gets misunderstood and that Paul Westerberg was a much bigger pain in the ass than Axl. 

-Said he thought it was amazing Axl fronted AC/DC.

-Is aware of the storage locker leaks, and has apparently talked to Rick Dunsford about some of them. Said he has no beef with the fans hearing the songs, but does feel a little bummed that fans heard unfinished sketches of the songs. 

-Said he was glad to hear "Absurd" and "Hard Skool" hit the public, and thought it was cool that Slash and Duff added parts. He did (jokingly) say it would be a little weird if they re-recorded "Going Down", with Duff on vocals, but emphasized he did not think that would happen and that he was joking. Said he considers "Going Down" an "ok" song.

-Was not aware of the Appetite for Democracy release (was genuinely surprised there was an official release of Guns N' Roses playing "Motivation"). 

- And....drum roll please.... @Pele Said Axl recorded vocals every year he was in the band. 

Edited January 25, 2022 by themadcaplaughs

[Sweersa]

On 1/5/2022 at 10:55 AM, themadcaplaughs said:

BTW, I am attending Tommy's solo show in Athens, Georgia at the end of the month. I paid the extra money for the pre-show drink with Tommy specifically so I can ask him about @Pele's claims. You're welcome MyGNR! 

Thanks!

Edited January 25, 2022 by Sweersa

[SoulMonster]

27 minutes ago, themadcaplaughs said:

- And....drum roll please.... @Pele Said Axl recorded vocals every year he was in the band. 

"Tommy lies like all the others! Because [insert nonsensical reason]". 

[CubanSkies Dummy]

Yes, he "fix" some vocals out there like "Chinese Democracy" in 2002 and "Street Of Dreams" in 2007.

He always was fixing the 90% of the vocals that came from 1999. So, @Pele and @TOMMYSXLGUN are both right!

[Sweersa]

3 hours ago, CubanSkies Dummy said:

Yes, he "fix" some vocals out there like "Chinese Democracy" in 2002 and "Street Of Dreams" in 2007.

He always was fixing the 90% of the vocals that came from 1999. So, @Pele and @TOMMYSXLGUN are both right!

All post-'99 vocals are touch-ups or scratch vocal concepts.

[Coma16]

8 hours ago, themadcaplaughs said:

Saw Tommy before the show last night. He got dinner with a few fans who paid a little extra money for a pre-show meet and greet. Super down-to-earth, funny, and kind. Obviously, the other folks were interested in The Replacements and Bash & Pop, but he said he has no issue talking GN'R stuff. I got him to sign my red hand copy of Chinese Democracy (will upload later for proof). A few major points below: 

 

-Said he has not been the most communicative during the pandemic, but still talks now and again to Frank, Richard, and Del. Said he has not talked to Axl since he left the band, but doesn't see this as a sign of any ill feelings. Axl always keeps to himself for the most part. 

-Said Guns N' Roses gig was fantastic and he enjoyed every second of it. Said he ultimately left due to his family situation meaning he could no longer commit to huge blocks of time on the road, but has no doubts Axl would have kept him in the band in some capacity. Said "when Axl has your back, he fucking has your back." Said Axl gets misunderstood and that Paul Westerberg was a much bigger pain in the ass than Axl. 

-Said he thought it was amazing Axl fronted AC/DC.

-Is aware of the storage locker leaks, and has apparently talked to Rick Dunsford about some of them. Said he has no beef with the fans hearing the songs, but does feel a little bummed that fans heard unfinished sketches of the songs. 

-Said he was glad to hear "Absurd" and "Hard Skool" hit the public, and thought it was cool that Slash and Duff added parts. He did (jokingly) say it would be a little weird if they re-recorded "Going Down", with Duff on vocals, but emphasized he did not think that would happen and that he was joking. Said he considers "Going Down" an "ok" song.

-Was not aware of the Appetite for Democracy release (was genuinely surprised there was an official release of Guns N' Roses playing "Motivation"). 

- And....drum roll please.... @Pele Said Axl recorded vocals every year he was in the band. 

Didn't he record an interview for A4D? Hard to believe he wasn't aware of a chart topping release... he did drink a lot though back then right?