Fortus disagrees with Nuno Bettencourt over Slash's guitar skills - Nuno responds

[Outofgascar]

Neither Richard Fortus nor Brian Johnson are Replacements.

Tommy Stinson is.

 

[Bluefish18]

Nuno somehow just dug a deeper hole for himself.  He comes across as an absolute arrogant prick in all this.  Not sure why he has that ego; he's a poor mans Warren DiMartini.  Extreme were always a pretentious band, and quite frankly not very good.  i recently saw Gary Cherone fronting the Joe Perry Project, and he was equally cringy.

[thunderram]

On 7/23/2023 at 3:08 AM, Lio said:

Fortus was nothing but respectful and Nuno has to blow it up going out of his way saying he hasn't heard Fortus play one note. Sad figure.

 

100% that Fortus was respectful.

FWIW, I'm responding to this before navigating through the entire thread, so perhaps others have already made the same comments I'm about to. If so, my apology.

First, before anybody reaches for the argument that Fortus is merely defending a band mate and may not totally believe what he said -- keep in mind that Fortus could have stayed silent and not publicly commented at all. Nobody would even know if he had read Nuno's comments in the first place. The fact that Fortus felt compelled to respond tells me he believes everything he said in defense of SLASH. We all know Fortus is a helluva guitar player. And he has played with and seen SLASH on regular basis for at least 7 years now. So there is no denying that he has 1st hand knowledge of SLASH capabilities and weaknesses.

Secondly, as I HUGE Nuno Bettencourt fan, I don't for one second believe that he hasn't ever heard Richard Fortus play a single note. IMO, that's just a sophomoric, dismissive low blow. While I get that Richard Fortus doesn't own a recognizable name among the mainstream and doesn't have a single writing credit wrt GN'R material (as far as I can tell), Nuno didn't need to go there. Even if it were somehow true, he still didn't need to go there.

But, alas, knowing how well educated Nuno is on music and guitar contemporaries, I find that statement to be very unbelievable. As if he hasn't heard or seen GN'R play a single moment over the past 21 years? I'm not buying it.

[colonizedmind]

Well this ended unexpectedly....waiting for that beer photo in after the Boston gig! Extreme to support Guns someday...things move on fast!

[thunderram]

On 7/23/2023 at 10:43 AM, rumtonger said:

Well, I guess Nuno doesn't really think before he says something - that was the case in the early 90s when he call the tapping "silly stuff" and later EVH gave him a lesson as Nuno says himself "But the second I go into the tapping part, Eddie turns around and stops me. He goes, ‘Hey, hey, none of that silly stuff.’ That scared the shit out of me." Well, I guess his ego is a little bit too much, but maybe it should be - he's been praised by Eddie, Brian May, Paul Gilbert just to name a few iconic names. All that said, it doesn't change the fact that he has acted like a complete moron. Props to 4tus !

 

TBF to Nuno on that comment, he didn't actually mean that "tapping" as a technique was silly. Hell, Nuno is essentially a guitarist from the EVH tree. He's always utilized tapping in his music.

He just felt, at the time, that Eddie was so know for tapping that it seemed silly for anyone else to use it. Even himself. Context matters.

[thunderram]

On 7/23/2023 at 11:05 AM, matt1313 said:

Call me ignorant... but the only thing that I even know about this Bettencourt guy is that his last name sounds familiar.  If someone asked me who 'Nuno Bettencourt' is on the street, I'd have no idea.

 

For those under 25-30 years of age, not being familiar with Nuno Bettencourt is certainly understandable. However, a vast majority of avid guitar players (specifically RnR players) will almost assuredly know who he is regardless of age. He's in an elite group of well known, highly respected guitarists over the past 40 years. His style spans many different genres of music (funk, classical, metal, rock, etc,).

[thunderram]

On 7/23/2023 at 12:18 PM, DanteStraviosky said:

 

THIS.

In my 31 years of being alive never heard this guy playing one note more than in that one hit wonder song "more than words"

 

 

As I stated above, at your age it's understandable not being overly familiar with Nuno's work. Unless you consider yourself an avid musician or historian of music. Then, there's really no excuse.

That said, to label Extreme as a "one hit wonder" is incorrect. Nothing personal towards you, but you're not educated enough on the topic enough to know any better.

[El Guapo]

31 minutes ago, thunderram said:

 

100% that Fortus was respectful.

FWIW, I'm responding to this before navigating through the entire thread, so perhaps others have already made the same comments I'm about to. If so, my apology.

First, before anybody reaches for the argument that Fortus is merely defending a band mate and may not totally believe what he said -- keep in mind that Fortus could have stayed silent and not publicly commented at all. Nobody would even know if he had read Nuno's comments in the first place. The fact that Fortus felt compelled to respond tells me he believes everything he said in defense of SLASH. We all know Fortus is a helluva guitar player. And he has played with and seen SLASH on regular basis for at least 7 years now. So there is no denying that he has 1st hand knowledge of SLASH capabilities and weaknesses.

Secondly, as I HUGE Nuno Bettencourt fan, I don't for one second believe that he hasn't ever heard Richard Fortus play a single note. IMO, that's just a sophomoric, dismissive low blow. While I get that Richard Fortus doesn't own a recognizable name among the mainstream and doesn't have a single writing credit wrt GN'R material (as far as I can tell), Nuno didn't need to go there. Even if it were somehow true, he still didn't need to go there.

But, alas, knowing how well educated Nuno is on music and guitar contemporaries, I find that statement to be very unbelievable. As if he hasn't heard or seen GN'R play a single moment over the past 21 years? I'm not buying it.

He didn't adress the "never heard you play" bullshit at all in his little video, Nuno has shown his true colors and it's getting worse with every new episode. It's hilarious actually.

[thunderram]

On 7/23/2023 at 1:21 PM, Beto 22 said:

Slash is one good example. And the lead singer of his bandonce said that.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

LMFAO at all of you hypocrites calling out any musician for wanting to create music while endlessly bitching, whining and complaining about the lack of new music from GN'R.

It also reeks of ignorance not knowing how SLASH works. It's been well-chronicled that SLASH keeps himself extremely busy to avoid falling back into the world of alcohol and drugs. He gets stir crazy quickly. Most of all, he lives for playing the guitar on the daily basis.

Those are the reasons why he'll play with pretty much anybody. And also the reasons he's created 8 albums this millennium, along with countless other collaborations.

It's not a coincidence that most of SLASH's contributions to other artists music began in the wake of the inactivity that began circa 1994 and on. Had GN'R continued to create music at a normal pace, he likely wouldn't have had the time or need to "whore out for money", as you guys put it.

The guy just needs to stay busy. It's as simple as that. And he's been on record admitting that for the better part of 30 years.

[thunderram]

On 7/23/2023 at 2:40 PM, vloors said:

You failed right there being 31 years old so probably have no idea. Extreme were huge in the early 90s selling more than 10 million records. Being on the freddy mercury tribute. Had lots of radio play with other songs like Hole Hearted, get the funk out and yes more than words. 

Nuno is a highly regarded technical guitar player and alot of players consider him up there amongst EVH capabilities. More people know Nuno then who richard is (barely anyone even at the gnr shows).

 

^^THIS.

Kinda poetic and ironic that some are displaying the same level of ignorance and arrogance that Nuno did with his first couple responses. Shooting their mouth off over things they really have no clue about.

[thunderram]

On 7/23/2023 at 5:56 PM, ChristmasFnatic said:

“If he wanted to”? Does that mean Slash plays lazily or not his best sometimes?

One could certainly interpret it that way, as you have.

I think it's more of an acknowledgement that while many artists tend to live within their preferred genre, they are more than capable of doing other things if it interested them.

It's like assuming that, say, Eddie Van Halen couldn't play the guitar like Chet Atkins simply because he chose not to. Or that Stevie Ray Vaughan couldn't have played on an Metallica album simply because he publicly stuck to blues and rock and roll.

Circling back to SLASH, many have incorrectly assumed in the past that he can't perform other techniques widely considered to be more difficult than the techniques he prefers. For example, he has publicly disassociated from "tapping" as he considers it to be an "Eddie" thing. That doesn't mean he is unable to do it.

Eric Clapton is widely considered among the greatest guitarists, but we don't ever hear him trying to pull off techniques used by the likes of Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and John Petrucci. But that doesn't mean he isn't capable. It's just not to his liking.

Same applies to SLASH, who clearly has a preferred style and sound that he loves. More power to him, and Clapton.

But we have heard SLASH deviate from time to time, such as "Obsession Confession" which most I've played it for never guessed was SLASH.

[thunderram]

On 7/24/2023 at 3:22 PM, El Guapo said:

Rihanna is good at what she does, might not be your style but it's good music.

 

That's subjective, like everything. I happen to know people that enjoy that style of music (I certainly do not) that believe Rihanna's music is trash. Who is right, them or you?

I've heard some of it and would argue that it's not good music. But then again, millions of people like it. But then again the world is filled with well over 7 Billion people, most of whom could care less about it. Same goes for GN'R and every other music artist.

I think the more accurate statement is that millions of people believe it's good music while millions of others don't.

[thunderram]

On 7/27/2023 at 3:45 AM, Billy Cundy said:

Haha comparing Brian who wrote and sang on one of the highest selling, and greatest, rock albums of all time to Richard Fortus, a jobbing sideman who is only the fourth best guitarist on the one GNR album he played on from 2008.

 

 

Agreed, it is a terrible comparison. However, it is also fair to point out that Brian Johnson, at that moment in time, was completely unknown and hadn't been able to forge a big career on his own. Instead, he joined a band that had already built up a huge brand w/o him and with a legend in Bon Scott. Also, much of what became Back in Black was largely developed by Angus and Malcolm and even Mutt Lange. While Johnson's vocals and lyrics were also instrumental in its success, let's not pretend that it would have ever happened w/o the stage already being set well before he landed that gig.

[-W.A.R-]

Nuno should have let it go or cleared the air without attacking Fortus. That response really has him looking like an asshat.

[PatrickS77]

2 hours ago, colonizedmind said:

Well this ended unexpectedly....waiting for that beer photo in after the Boston gig! Extreme to support Guns someday...things move on fast!

Well, Fortus liked my comment, that maybe he will invite him to a Guns show to see him play. So somehow I hope that happens.

[axlvai]

On 7/26/2023 at 10:30 PM, HollyWoodRose84 said:

Well, I mean….he’s not lying. 

Like Slash too???? Not lying. 

"telling the truth" is bullshit  when you telling something to annoy/incommode some person for free.

 

[6lake sa66ath]

/thread 

 

[Gunner Gilby]

21 hours ago, 6lake sa66ath said:

/thread 

 

Hilarious photo. Nuno looks like a stoned skateboarder or something.

[rocknroll41]

Fortus: “Who the fuck are you?”

Nuno: “Who the fuck are YOU?”

Slash: “Who the fuck are both of you?”

[Steff_66]

https://blabbermouth.net/news/nuno-bettencourt-on-richard-fortus-i-owe-him-an-apology?fbclid=IwAR3fr08eeqiIQ9fuBySEL0uBwJRthi2kbUIn3a3cNufS8JBEgba-KlY2Y6U

[Stay.Of.Execution]

10 minutes ago, Steff_66 said:

https://blabbermouth.net/news/nuno-bettencourt-on-richard-fortus-i-owe-him-an-apology?fbclid=IwAR3fr08eeqiIQ9fuBySEL0uBwJRthi2kbUIn3a3cNufS8JBEgba-KlY2Y6U

is he still on that? nobody cares, bro

[DeNfr]

 

Fortus just answered on Instagram that he "prefers to drink his beer alone and play the Get The Funk Out solo at the same time."

[MaskingApathy]

7 hours ago, DeNfr said:

 

Fortus just answered on Instagram that he "prefers to drink his beer alone and play the Get The Funk Out solo at the same time."

Can you post it here?

[DeNfr]

53 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

Can you post it here?

it was a joke 

[Rovim]

18 hours ago, Steff_66 said:

https://blabbermouth.net/news/nuno-bettencourt-on-richard-fortus-i-owe-him-an-apology?fbclid=IwAR3fr08eeqiIQ9fuBySEL0uBwJRthi2kbUIn3a3cNufS8JBEgba-KlY2Y6U

more damage control by the silly ego maniac. The fact that it's still going and he keeps bringing it up only makes me feel that his self importance is stronger than ever.

my guess is that he doesn't give a shit about drinking a beer with Fortus. He just wants everyone to think he has class, which he doesn't imo. I really dislike his personality from what I can tell watching interviews with him and in social media he kinda became a joke after his online interactions with Fortus.