jack99 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Interesting read... Bored in the U.S.A.Axl Rose's refusal to release a new record is a powerful work of art all its own.Hardly anyone believes in Axl Rose anymore, but I do. The paranoid Guns N' Roses frontman—who's burned through $13 million and well over a full decade tweaking his quagmire of a comeback album, Chinese Democracy—does whatever he pleases, even if that means doing nothing at all. In the late '80s, Rose's wedding of classic-rock fantasy and urban realism produced the Sunset Strip's definitive perversion of the American Dream, Appetite for Destruction. Onstage, his hypnotic snake dance seduced legions of landlocked Middle American prisoners. I fell for Axl too. My Indian parents had left Bombay for Los Angeles in 1967 (long before Rose would arrive from Indiana), but his stories of urban survival seemed to echo their own cautionary tales. If Axl taunted Iranians on the admittedly repellent "One in a Million," maybe it was because he felt like a foreigner too. But not long after 1991's messy Appetite follow-up double album Use Your Illusion I and II, GNR imploded, and Rose retired to his Malibu estate, trailed by a trickle of "What Happened to Axl?" articles that questioned his sanity. An endless stream of New Year's Eve shows (often in Vegas) and quickly, disastrously canceled comeback tours has plagued loyal fans ever since. At 2002's MTV Video Music Awards, Rose seemed out of tune, out of breath, and out of time, resplendent in an oversize sports jersey and cornrows. Chinese Democracy, meanwhile, remains a legendary nonentity, the modern age's all-purpose synonym for "broken record." Well, get ready to protect your ears, because it's Axl-shooting season again. GNR is playing four sold-out shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom starting Friday night, before kicking off a European tour later this month. There's even chatter that Chinese Democracy will finally see release this fall. In January, Rose told Rolling Stone that fans would hear new music this year, and indeed, four demos have already leaked: "I.R.S.," "Catcher in the Rye," "There Was a Time," and the best of the bunch, "Better." While the songs could use an infusion of lyrical depth and tighter arrangements, they're proof that Axl's pop instincts are intact. Of course, anyone expecting Chinese Democracy to resurrect classic shit-kicking GNR will be disappointed. This is an Axl Rose solo album, and it showcases Rose's contributions to the old band: anger, melodrama, melody. If the danceable grunge of "Better" is any indication of Axl's intentions, this will merely be an enjoyable pop album—GNR without the grit. The bigger problem, however, is that Axl's genre splicing can often feel forced and choppy.But before you write off Rose for all these optimistic announcements and subsequent, crushing delays, let me say this: Rock 'n' roll isn't about productivity. It's about doing whatever you want, whenever you want. Otherwise, it ceases to be a form of rebellion. Axl's idiosyncratic career confronts us with a kind of paradox: If being a rebel is your job, why work when you don't want to? Consider the derided Use Your Illusion records. The accepted wisdom is they scatter three or four solid gems among reams of tossed-off studio jams and overproduced pop-metal. But Appetite and Illusion are two halves of a deeply American story. If Bruce Springsteen embodies the stoic working-class hero (happily serenading his wife as the factory closes), Axl plays the Boss's dysfunctional son, an angry runaway who refuses to work at all. Long overdue and wildly overbudget, the Illusions rejected the rock business as well, alienat- ing critics, fans, and even, ultimately, Axl's bandmates with an indictment of the very rags-to-riches dream that'd fascinated him on Appetite. It's as if Axl suddenly realized that his "Paradise City" was "Right Next Door to Hell," that fame was only a facade concealing heartbreak, emptiness, and disappointment. The vicious bite of the one-minute industrial set-closer "My World" reveals that at the very moment we sought to enter Axl's world, he basically wanted to throw us out. The Illusions hated us, so we hated them too. Still, unlike Springsteen and Kurt Cobain (who both pretended to be anti-commercial), Rose has always strived to be as crassly commercial as possible while still pissing everyone off, showing up late to concerts and instigating riots when he arrives, assuming he shows up for "work" at all. "They don't like it when I let them know they don't own me," Axl told Rolling Stone in 1992. Chinese Democracy's maddeningly epic delay is the most "punk" gesture in the decade it's lasted. So who cares if he breaks our hearts again? Axl Rose is still a rerun worth watching. Whether rock deity, psychological case study, or reality show–worthy disaster, he nonetheless gives his audience what it craves most: authenticity.Source: http://villagevoice.com/music/0619,shah,73131,22.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbone947 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 good read jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.b Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Ehh, tis alright i suppose, i have read better ones tho, intresting all the same, thanx... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Drama Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snead hearn Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 AUTHEN-FUCKING-TICITY. Nail on the fucking head.One word sums up why I'm still with this band 18 years later.See you there on the 17th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ohdistortedsmile1789 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 An intelligent take on things for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsguy Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Great read jack... i agreegunsguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marihoochie Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 thanks for the read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEANAXL21 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 cool thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eschman Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Thanks for the read. I didn't hate the Illusions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ohdistortedsmile1789 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Thanks for the read. I didn't hate the Illusions.Me neither, but I understood his meaning, it was a very good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datdude133d Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 awesome article, the exact reason i love the crazy fella Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laval Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 So who cares if he breaks our hearts again? Axl Rose is still a rerun worth watching. Whether rock deity,psychological case study, or reality show–worthy disaster, he nonetheless gives his audience what it cravesmost: authenticity.....That's the part i liked...Authenticity is not a nice-to-have..... it's a leadership imperativeL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeppelin Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 So who cares if he breaks our hearts again? Axl Rose is still a rerun worth watching. Whether rock deity,psychological case study, or reality show–worthy disaster, he nonetheless gives his audience what it cravesmost: authenticity.....That's the part i liked...Authenticity is not a nice-to-have..... it's a leadership imperativeL.Well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskerTornado Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I don't like the slam on the UYI albums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabbra_Cadabra Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Axl has always been about himself and no one else, which is probably why i still remain intrigued with him. No matter how many times he has ever shit on anyone or any fan, millions still remain loyal to him. Axl Rose IS Rock N' Roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marina Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Axl has always been about himself and no one else, which is probably why i still remain intrigued with him. No matter how many times he has ever shit on anyone or any fan, millions still remain loyal to him. Axl Rose IS Rock N' Roll.aren't we over-doing this a little? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_l Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I really like the angle on Axl's rebellic side in this.. also like the conclusional text about his comercialism. Very true I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artfromtex Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Rose told Rolling Stone that fans would hear new music this year, and indeed, four demos have already leaked: "I.R.S.," "Catcher in the Rye," "There Was a Time," and the best of the bunch, "Better." While the songs could use an infusion of lyrical depth and tighter arrangements, they're proof that Axl's pop instincts are intact. loved the article. i really think he summed Axl up accurately. however, i didn't like the "tossing aside" of the UYI albums. he made them sound like they sucked. i mean, yes there was filler, but more often than not the songs were strong. what's his point about the lyrics to the new songs? i think they're fantastic lyrics. that's one of the most luring parts of the new stuff, to me at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zint Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 great article,agreed wholeheartedlyAs hard as it might be for some people to see...it doesn't get much more punk rock than Axl....and I respect him for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stranger Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Can't say I liked this article.Although he did gave an interesting point of view about Axl Rose, it seemed that in the entire article, this person was just trying to sound too intellectual, like his intelligence was above ours, the readers...One of the parts I didn't agree with was his take on the demos. He could've picked on anything... like the guitars, the drums - the actual music - but he decided to pick on the lack of lyrical depth?! That's probably the best thing on those songs: the lyrics, and the message and emotions they possess while Axl is singing them.But the absolute worse part was his take on the Illusion albums... pop-metal?!... 4 good songs?!Anyway, it's just his opinion. And one I happen, for the most part, to disagree with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Niveen Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Stranger,How could you agree with someone who's saying that CD is Axl's solo record ? B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstar_legend Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Stranger,How could you agree with someone who's saying that CD is Axl's solo record ? B)But it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longpig Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I disagree with the illusion part as well... he was speaking like the records were a disaster or a failure, not multi-million selling, only albums to be number 1 and 2 in the charts in the US and the UK simultaneously etc...He raised some good points though.LP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Niveen Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Even Axl would agree concerning the UYI albums... Take a look at the 2002 setlist... It looks like some people here want to be more Catholic than the Pope... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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