Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Hire a pro to break bad news, experts advise
 
In the 11 years since Guns N' Roses last released an album, fans have often wondered what Axl Rose, the group's reclusive lead singer, has been doing. Apparently, attending how-to workshops for publicists has not been on the agenda.
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Last week, Rose issued an emotional news release through the Business Wire to explain the recent departure of the new Guns N' Roses guitarist, Buckethead, and the group's subsequent cancellation of its May 30 appearance at the Rock in Rio concert in Lisbon.
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"During his tenure with the band," Rose said in the statement, "Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behavior and commitment - despite being under contract - creating uncertainty and confusion and making it virtually impossible to move forward with recording, rehearsals and live plans with confidence.
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"Regardless of anyone's opinions of me and what I may or may not deserve," the release added, "clearly the fans, individuals in this band, management, crew and our support group do not deserve this type of treatment."
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Rose's approach was not embraced by his newfound colleagues. Public relations professionals usually advise clients to distance themselves from bad news by letting a representative or corporate entity break the information, said Bob Merlis, who worked in publicity at Warner Brothers Records for almost 30 years, and whose firm M.f.h handles media contacts for the singer John Mellencamp and others.
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Lois Najarian, a publicist with Dan Klores Communications whose clients include Prince, called the dirty laundry in Rose's release "a cringe factor."
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"The criticism that Axl gets when he does bold stuff is that he's showing some sort of instability or lack of reason," Najarian said. Still, she said some fans appreciate Rose's candor.
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Few doubt that Rose follows a quirky muse. He has spent more than a decade working on his group's next record, alienating his bandmates in the process. The group's 2002 tour was nixed after Rose did not show up for concerts in Vancouver and Philadelphia.
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Buckethead himself is no stranger to eccentricity. Born Brian Carroll, Buckethead never appears in public without a wig, a mannequin mask and a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head.
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The New York Times Hire a pro to break bad news, experts advise
 
In the 11 years since Guns N' Roses last released an album, fans have often wondered what Axl Rose, the group's reclusive lead singer, has been doing. Apparently, attending how-to workshops for publicists has not been on the agenda.
.
Last week, Rose issued an emotional news release through the Business Wire to explain the recent departure of the new Guns N' Roses guitarist, Buckethead, and the group's subsequent cancellation of its May 30 appearance at the Rock in Rio concert in Lisbon.
.
"During his tenure with the band," Rose said in the statement, "Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behavior and commitment - despite being under contract - creating uncertainty and confusion and making it virtually impossible to move forward with recording, rehearsals and live plans with confidence.
.
"Regardless of anyone's opinions of me and what I may or may not deserve," the release added, "clearly the fans, individuals in this band, management, crew and our support group do not deserve this type of treatment."
.
Rose's approach was not embraced by his newfound colleagues. Public relations professionals usually advise clients to distance themselves from bad news by letting a representative or corporate entity break the information, said Bob Merlis, who worked in publicity at Warner Brothers Records for almost 30 years, and whose firm M.f.h handles media contacts for the singer John Mellencamp and others.
.
Lois Najarian, a publicist with Dan Klores Communications whose clients include Prince, called the dirty laundry in Rose's release "a cringe factor."
.
"The criticism that Axl gets when he does bold stuff is that he's showing some sort of instability or lack of reason," Najarian said. Still, she said some fans appreciate Rose's candor.
.
Few doubt that Rose follows a quirky muse. He has spent more than a decade working on his group's next record, alienating his bandmates in the process. The group's 2002 tour was nixed after Rose did not show up for concerts in Vancouver and Philadelphia.
.
Buckethead himself is no stranger to eccentricity. Born Brian Carroll, Buckethead never appears in public without a wig, a mannequin mask and a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head.
.
The New York Times

Interesting read.

I think, however, that Axl handled it the right way.  I think Bucket leaving was very personal for him, and I think he needed to handle the matter, personally.  Also, I think this was Axl's way of taking some of the blame.  He didn't WANT to be distanced from the "bad news".

Are we certain Axl actually wrote the press release?  

Like he cares

If Axl doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks, why bother releasing any statement at all?

If he doesn't care what anyone thinks, why is he in his eighth decade of production on Chinese Democracy?

Why did he stomp off the stage in Detroit mid-set like a child when the telepromptor messed up?

Why does he cry like a girl about the old meany-pants in the press in "Get in the Ring"

Someone who genuinely doesn't give a shit what people think don't bother lashing out and aren't as defensive or sensitive as Axl obviously is.

I know a lot of you here like to envision him as some hard-assed motherfucker who does what he wants and doesn't give a flying fuck what anyone thinks about it,

but I see a different reality.

He strikes me as a neurotic, anxiety-ridden mess whose tender feelings get hurt any time he hears anything that clashes with his own interpretations. Frankly, he sounds like a spoiled baby.

the majority of casual fans know that Axl is exactly what he described Bucket as being.

for example, probably sounded a bit more like, "Bucket fucked us by bolting," in Axl's version.

Ahhhh, yes. Axl cares what the fans think. I suppose that's why he physically and verbally attacks them in the middle of shows.

That's probably the same reason that, just 18 months ago, he didn't bother showing up to half his tour. He cares so much for our support that he ... didn't ever explain or apologize.

Regarding the ludricous amount of time he's spent on the album, the only possible motive for keeping it bottled up for so long when, by his own admission, it was all but complete two years ago, is that he's afraid of what people might say about it.

That's not being a bad-assed motherfucker. That's being a little boy with a trembling lower lip and a limp wrist.

So Detroit was because of the band, not the telepromptor?

Even if that was true,

what difference does it make?

No one in the audience of about 65 cared that something minor went wrong -- everyone was having a good time.

Shit happens all the time at live shows. It's part of the fun. You don't run away. You laugh about it and play on.

You're clearly not informed about the facts behind his gripes in "Get in the Ring."

I won't address your retort

other than to say that he was squealing like a pig about people who had hurt his tender feelings

not about actual errors of fact. Don't be offended, you're just misinformed.

Anyway, I'm not going to fill this thread with point-by-point arguments with you,

so go ahead and blast back with whatever incoherent babble comes next.

If it makes you feel better, go ahead and start a thousand threads with "gnrgoblue blows little boys," and I will shrug my shoulders and not give a shit.

Axl, take note.