shotdowninflames Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Just wondernig how Axl's musical tastes have evolved over the past 20 years. And if he still enjoys all the bands he liked in his 20's (Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, etc...) I know during the Use Your Illusion era he got more into Elton John, Todd Rundgren, Janis Joplin and tunes like "Since I Don't Have You." More of a fan of the piano driven power ballad. And then when GnR was working on their next album, Slash started playing "Snakepit" type material Axl told him "I'm not into that type of music anymore." By that point Axl was said to be heavily influenced by Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the whole alternative movement.Then after Slash, Duff & Matt left the fold Axl became a huge fan of industrial music and techno. He even hired Nine Inch Nails lead guitarist Robin Finck. By the new millennium Axl was creating music that he and others compared to Queen, Beck, Pink Floyd and "Estranged" off UYI. A few years ago he co-wrote a hard rock song called "Better" with Finck. Showing his tastes may have returned to rock n roll. Juding by GnR's set list Axl either really enjoys singing songs from Appetite For Destruction or feels he has to in order to please his audience. His other selections (Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Patience, etc...) show his continued fondness for power ballads. Of course, Axl hangs out with Skid Row's Sebastian Bach and Kid Rock so he's still got an affection for rock. And on Eddie Trunk he requested a Motorhead song. Hard to know now if Axl is sick of techno and programming or epic songs featuring a string section. The jazz improv and cover of "I Feel Good" at recent shows deepens the mystery. Is Axl still the same person who tore the roof off the Ritz in 1988 and delivered inspired punk covers on "The Spaghetti Incident?" Hard to tell but his musical tastes are never boring or predictable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
November_rain Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 I don´t know him so this is just what I think. From what I´ve read throughout these years I think Axl´s musical tastes are very wise and he´s not stuck in only one style, I think he likes a little bit of everything but he has his preferences. I don´t know, this is just what I think and I don´t have any idea about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack99 Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Is Axl still the same person who tore the roof off the Ritz in 1988 and delivered inspired punk covers on "The Spaghetti Incident?" Hard to tell but his musical tastes are never boring or predictable.I agree. Axl will always be a rocker and Im sure he still enjoys good ol' rock n' roll but he's also open for new music and other genres. I think this quote still applies... Basically, I'm listening to everything that's out there as far as music goes. That was a big difference between myself and Slash and Duff, is that I didn't hate everything new that came out. I really liked the Seattle movement. I like White Zombie. I like Nine Inch Nails, and I like hip-hop. I don't hate everything. -Axl Rose '99About the tour setlists... As someone said. that album hasn't been released yet so this isnt really the "Chinese Democracy Tour" so that could be the reason they're playing mostly old Gnr material. Well, and obviously becuase the the fans want to hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Flower Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Basically, I'm listening to everything that's out there as far as music goes. That was a big difference between myself and Slash and Duff, is that I didn't hate everything new that came out. I really liked the Seattle movement. I like White Zombie. I like Nine Inch Nails, and I like hip-hop. I don't hate everything. -Axl Rose '99Wow, that's really deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Sugar Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 He probably still likes Zeppelin and all those others, but in things I've read about him, he's started to get into Nu metal and the kinda stuff like Nine Inch Nails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misch Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 I think he must love pure hard-rock, because they are actually playing only afd - songs on tour, although everybody says that the illusions are Axls albums and they are not as hard as afd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotdowninflames Posted June 2, 2006 Author Share Posted June 2, 2006 (edited) Basically, I'm listening to everything that's out there as far as music goes. That was a big difference between myself and Slash and Duff, is that I didn't hate everything new that came out. I really liked the Seattle movement. I like White Zombie. I like Nine Inch Nails, and I like hip-hop. I don't hate everything. -Axl Rose '99That's an interesting quote. Slash & Duff are pretty much die hard rockers. They don't deviate too much from that format. Axl's voice is definitely suited to kick ass rock n roll. But I think even if the beginning of GnR he liked penning grand ballads like "Sweet Child O Mine" and "November Rain." That's where his songwiting talent has always been. Singing melodies and writing lyrics about relationships. The techno/industrial trend kind of died out earlier in this decade. I wonder if Axl got burnt out on techno too. If so Robin' and Chris Pittman's days might be numbered. Actually Robin is more than just a "Nine Inch Nails" guitarist. He's got a lot of musical influences and is a very versatile player. Edited June 2, 2006 by shotdowninflames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marina Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 after playin cbgbs in this interview he mentioned likes Bannanarama, bessie smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lithium Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Shaquille O'Neal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranma_br Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 This is a very inteligent topic ... in my point of view ...Axl's musical taste is what makes GNR be so special as it is ... thats why this guy can write such diferent songs that always surprise us ... THIS is a true GIFT in musical scenary ... Freddie Mercury ( one of my favorite frontmans also ) used to have this ... you can see how QUEEN music changes over the yearsI'm also a songwriter and a singer ... and i try to do the same ... LIFE IS the search for new experiences and whenver you stop in one musical style , musicaly you are dead - but not everyone can see and be able to listen to new things and understand new expressions - Maybe as Slash can't ( but he also is a gifted guy in a diferent way) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axls_Disillusion Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 The jazz improv and cover of "I Feel Good" at recent shows deepens the mystery.yea that was a first. I think Axl's musical tastes just grow and mature as he grows older, just like most people. The older I get, the more I appreciate songs like Brakedown and Estranged which I didn't get into so much as a teenager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Flower Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 That's an interesting quote. Slash & Duff are pretty much die hard rockers. They don't deviate too much from that format.Duff listens to everything from Prince to the Refused. Slash is a Radiohead fan that's played with a wide range of different artists.I do believe Axl when he says he liked all those different music trends that happened throughout the 90's. But I also think he was probably too keen to jump on these fads at the expense of his own band and the sound they had created for themselves - his desire to drastically change GnR's style (ie My World and eventually Oh My God) was probably a major reason why the band broke up.I think Zack Wylde summed it up well:"Axl Rose is sitting in a studio for 13 fucking years and he'll never come out with an album. He doesn't know what he wants. "This sounds like Nine Inch Nails. oh, that's out. What's next? Green Day. Okay. Now that's out. What's in?"And it makes sense when you look through the huge list of artists Axl's worked with since 1996. A lot of talent, but all so different from one another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssiscool Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 some of the new songs show that he likes a variety of music look at Madagascar nothing like AFD material Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildrose Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Slash & Duff are pretty much die hard rockers.Slash performs with mj... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskerTornado Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Didn't you guys listen to the Eddie Trunk show?Axl was talking about liking WASP, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, KISS, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hallucination Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 That's an interesting quote. Slash & Duff are pretty much die hard rockers. They don't deviate too much from that format.Duff listens to everything from Prince to the Refused. Slash is a Radiohead fan that's played with a wide range of different artists.I do believe Axl when he says he liked all those different music trends that happened throughout the 90's. But I also think he was probably too keen to jump on these fads at the expense of his own band and the sound they had created for themselves - his desire to drastically change GnR's style (ie My World and eventually Oh My God) was probably a major reason why the band broke up.I think Zack Wylde summed it up well:"Axl Rose is sitting in a studio for 13 fucking years and he'll never come out with an album. He doesn't know what he wants. "This sounds like Nine Inch Nails. oh, that's out. What's next? Green Day. Okay. Now that's out. What's in?"And it makes sense when you look through the huge list of artists Axl's worked with since 1996. A lot of talent, but all so different from one another.Bang on! Axl was following trends. Things that didn't last. NIN are good but the music is not timeless. The "Seattle Movement" was alright but Guns N' Roses could never be that type of band. Hip Hop? Sure it was on the cusp of becomeing huge but that's not Gn'R. Axl seeemd to want to change with the times and be something Gn'R wasn't. Not many bands can adapt with the times while remaining true to themselves. It's a hard thing to do and even less bands pull it off while remaining commercially successful. I could probably count them on 1 hand. Axl biggest mistake in my opinion was likely trying to make something of the moment and not something lasting. I could be wrong but I don't think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiLLy"The Kid" Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 taste???...did you listen to Better LIVE?...crap! that song is for a sunday mornin 7am when kids stand up to entertain them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraMav Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 NIN are good but the music is not timeless...Maybe not for you, but I find many NIN songs to be quite "timeless". Maybe 'cause I didn't get into Trent's music with "The Downward Spiral" so I never viewed NIN as a "90s trend". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*ParadiseCityGirl* Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Well, he did pick Ace of Spades-Motorhead as a first request on the Trunk interview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenovahVII Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Another interesting thing on the Eddie Trunks interview was how many times he mentioned Rap. He wanted NWA to open, 2 live crew was also mentioned along with him talking about hip hop clubs. Also in 02 didn't he mentioned Master P? The guy likes everything and that can help the sound of the album but it may also be the reason why it has taken so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury_hmr Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Well, he did pick Ace of Spades-Motorhead as a first request on the Trunk interview Would you have said the same if he picked a Michael Bolton song? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisjonas Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Remember he wanted NWA to open for them instead of Skid Row?Diversity in anything is always great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelica Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Remember he wanted NWA to open for them instead of Skid Row?That would've been so godamn cool...Back in 1999, he said he'd been very into Fiona Apple's first two records. I think he has much better and more diverse taste than some people assume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Manson Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 The thing I laugh at most is that after all this change with musical directions he wanted to go through, he seems to have gone back to a more modern UYI style, which the old band was/is capable of and most probably wouldve wanted to play...I cant remember who said it here but I remember the quote they said. they joked about what Slash wouldve said when he heard the new Guns material...something to the effect of... "he got rid of us for this? we couldve played this..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixtus Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 listen to the last sentence in "look at your game girl"....and one pout pourrie from yesterdays show... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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