Here Today... Gone To Hell!

  Since the band became inactive almost 3 years ago, the strangest thing about GNR is how Axl has not hired a replacement for Buckethead. After Buckethead quit, alot of fans speculated about who was going to be his replacement. Here we are, over a year later, and the slot still hasn't been filled. Why? I know some of you say that they don't need someone else because Axl has Fortus and Finck. But if thats the case, why have Buckethead to begin with if Finck and Fortus(or Tobias) were good enough?                 It just doesn't make any sense anymore. I would bet any amount of money that the band hasn't even got together since Buckethead's departure. And that's pathetic. Let's say Axl gets a wild hair and decides to do a surprise appearance on SNL, can the band do the new material without filling the vacant slot? Or will we have to hear the millionth rendition of 'Jungle' or 'Paradise City'?              Everything that's happened since Buckethead's departure paints a very bleak picture of the band. No statements,no recording,no rehearsals. Nothing. When people used to ask me about the new album, I used to give different reasons why I thought it was coming soon. Now when someone asks me , I laugh. We're no closer to CD than we were in 2000. Sad but true.

Because they don't need a third guitar player until they tour?  ???

That is, if they decide to go with three guitar players then.



/jarmo

All Axl needs to do is sit down with Buckethead with a couple of beers, some KFC, slam some $$$ on the table, promise to provide a chicken coup backstage at every show and everything fine!

Jonx

buckethead doesnt drink alcohol.

and what about Herbie? I think Axl should talk to Herbie, since he's the spokeperson for Buckethead.  :hihi:

BTW why did Axl nix RIR4 if they didn't need a third guitarist? Communication breakdown...

Buckethead wasn't an important member. Let's roll with 2 guitarists.

I can't see BH going back to the musical confines of GNR. ?As much as I enjoyed his presence in the band, it was just never a good fit.

The whole outfit could be looked upon as a jumble. He actually did fit.

Why would there be any need for another guitarist? There are obviously no plans for Guns n' Roses to ever do anything again.

As far as I can see it, Rose has retired and the rest of the 'band' are saying they are still in Guns merely to promote their careers.

Anything is possible, but I disagree. What is Robin promoting?

This is a whole new theory. I disagree.

Yay! Welcome to the jumble. I agree.


Why, people shouldn't ask a naysayer about present GN'R.  :-\

He sure wasnt!!! Look how awesome they played at rir4 without him!  : ok:

oh ... wait ....  ;D

how do we know they don't have a replacement? how do we know they're even planning to get a replacement?

Well, as of a month ago I know that they don't have a replacement.  And yes, maybe there not going to get one.

Out of curiosity, what is your source?

Isn't BH against eating chickens and wants to free them?

BH is an amazing guitar player, but an oddball.

GNR can carry on without him.  Fortus is more than capable of filling his shoes.

Buckethead was by far the most talented gnr guitarist; his shoes will be tough to fill. Axl needs to find someone who can be iconic.

I read that once. But I also read that he wears the KFC bucket to piss the chickens off.

Needless to say it's not easy to understand Buckethead.

I think they should try and get him back, he was a vital element I feel. if  he wont come back, stay with Fortus and Finck. Will they be able to cope with BH's parts though? It really is all in the air as we don't really know the nature of his work on CD (im guessing alot of atmospheric/textural guitar work). IRS showed he'll bring some shred to the table, but realistically that solo doesnt have to be played that way, Finck (or Fortus) could just play a fast pentatonic break there.

Axls statement regarding BH's departure a year ago sounded like a reconciliation wouldnt be out of the question. I hope this eventuates, mostly I pray BHs parts stay on CD - he's the vital creative spark to offset Axl I reckon.

Let's do the math:

Buckethead left over a year ago. Stinson said recently that the album is being mixed. So that means no new guitar player re-did Buckethead's parts. So that would lead me to conclude (1) Buckethead's parts are staying on the album or (2) His parts were removed, and Finck and Fortus are the only players.

If (1) is true, hopefully BH will be back for a '05-'07 World Tour.

I hope he comes back too. I think Axl would let him aswell, If Izzy can leave and come back and play a few live shows even after Axl rants off and talks shit about him at various concerts, then Bucket could still come back.

I guess time will tell.

Jonx

I saw GnR at the leeds festival and BH was amasing, but i dont believe that GnR need him.
Robin is the key to future GnR success for me (other than Axl of course).
Almost all the other members have other projects except Finck and Pittman.I believe that they both have much bigger roles in GnR than we ever thought.

I understand BH frustrations but i only want people in GnR that are in it for the long haul.

Members of GnR should remember that the band will allways be bigger than one indevidual.
Just my opinion ;)

i don`t really understand why buckethead left. i think his management said he left because the no-activity in gnr, but it was right before the rir4 show. Axl said that he left because he only wanted to promote his solo stuff. i think axl is right and i heard (don`t ask me where, i think in the article of the times) that universal stopped paying the band members in february 2004, so i think buckethead saw no money and left.


I disagree, but i`m afraid.....

Got to disagree..

After seeing him live a few weeks back in comparison to what I've seen him during his days in GNR,
it was clear he was out of his element with GNR.  The body language was recognizably different, he just looked more comfortable in a less structured musical environment.

Point taken.

But just laying down your tracks in the studio is different from working it on stage.

This is how I see it...throughout GN'R's run at the top they always had just 2 guitarists.  2 is plenty, and I'd rather have just 2 than ever see Buckethead on stage with them ever again.

Maybe there is a new guitarist, and we just havent been told. What if its a surprise! Who knows maybe buckethead will come back, who knows.

I think Axl will get a third guitarist.  Fortus and Finck are more "feel" guitarist.  GNR needs someone to "shred" if Axl keeps Buckets parts.  To bad John 5 didn't join.  That guys a beast.

I believe Bucket left because he felt that his career was in limbo waiting for the album to get finished. He was working on c2b3 at the time and wanted to do an extended tour with them; in retrospect, i don't believe bucket could commit to an extended tour if there was a possibility that he could be recalled at any time. i also think he felt his work was done and i get the impression from axl's statement that bucket was needed to finish off some parts which bucket may have felt were finished.

allow me to disspell a myth for you , buckethead does eat chicken.  : ok:

The story , in bucketheads words goes something like this .. after watching the movie halloween 4 Buckethead decided that a guy in a mike myers mask would look cool playing guitar so he went to his local costume store but couldnt find the proper mask , he bought the one that looked the closest to it , the white kabuki mask. he's used it ever since. One night his dad brought hoime a buckethead of chicken for supper , after supper buckethead was playing guitar with his mask on and just happened to grab the empty chicken bucket and put it on his head like a hat. he looked in the mirror and said "thats a buckethead" and right there the name and characther was born.

As for him rejoining the band .. who knows? Tommy didnt help matters much but I think axl would like him back and maybe has taken steps to get him back .. I mean could it hurt axl to call buckethead and say "do whatever you want to do until we're ready ok? your parts are staying and we would really like you back when the ball starts rolling. Until then have fun and do your thang."

you know?

axl shouldnt let buckethead go too easily. Buckethead is such a talent and such a characther he could really help win over new fans for this new band.

i say leave buckethead and keep only fortus and finck.   i love buckethead, but he is not gn'r.  gn'r was never about shred guitar, so his parts just aren't needed in my opinion.  besides, you look at all the other members live, and they have actual feel and emotion that you can see being manifested through their playing.  buckethead seemed to take away from the atmosphere when just standing there or dancing like a robot.  i'm a big fan of finck and fortus' playing, but i still think it would be great if axl were able to keep zakk wylde.  to me he represented more gn'r than anyone else in the line-up right now.  though i do like the new band alot, and i really hope to hear some good stuff from them soon.  btw, here's a question... does anyone know where to find anything from robin finck besides the nin/gn'r live recordings?  he's one of my favorite guitarists and i'd love to hear more from him.

Completely sad man. :'(

I've been waiting for Axl to release something since TSI. :confused:

From what the other members have said since he left, Buckethead was disruptive and not well-liked within the band. I don't think he'll be rejoining any time soon.

However, Buckethead was clearly important to Axl's concept of the band at the time. If they do bring in another guitarist I don't think it'll be a direct replacement for Buckethead as it's unlikely that anyone is going to want to try to replicate his parts. It would have to be a replacement in spirit, not a Bucket-like guitarist but someone equally unique.

i think that in axl head we have a 3 solutions:

1)no new album
2)new album with buckethead on tour
3)reunion

3) is NO SOLUTION !!! and i don`t think that you`d find this in axl`s head

i think axl wants bucket back at least for a tour. brain said he didn`t see axl for a year now. that makes me believe that one year ago the musical part of chinese democracy was finished and now axl is waiting for something....  maybe buckets return

but i came to the conclusion that all this fuckin speculating sucks  i want to hear something official!!!   :beer:

I don't think that any of those options are likely to materialize.
1) The label has spent too much money on the album already, they aren't going to let it die a quiet death.
2) The other guys, Tommy particularly, seem to have not enjoyed working with Buckethead, and I don't think that Buckethead is really interested in GNR. GNR's money maybe, but not the band.
3) I don't think there will ever be a reunion if Axl has any say in the matter :P I'm sure Slash & co would jump at a reunion tour in a second - they make far too much noise about how they're "doing fine without Axl" for me to believe that they're doing fine without Axl.

#1 album, 3 hit singles, Grammy award, successful tours et al.

Ya, they're really having a rough time without the redhead.. ::)

But that's just it! You'd think that by now they'd have stopped trading on their association with Axl/GNR as their new band has been successful in it's own right. Yet they still seem to end up talking about Axl, GNR, reunions, chinese democracy, in every interview. If they want VR to be judged on it's own merits then you'd expect them to put everything GNR related on the d/l and force the focus onto their current band.

i think Axl will want a third guitarist because the songs have been planned that way for some time. i don't think it will be Bucket, but i think it's a 3 guitar band. am i right that he mentioned something about the AFD material being better with 3 even?

also, can someone tell me what was said by Tommy in regards to bucket? i must have missed that.


(as for VR, they have success but they're not going to match the GNR success, and they know that. ofcourse they talk about those old days. find any band that had tremendous success in the past and they'll talk about it and also try to use it for more.)

"HTGTH: Everything that happened this year with GN'R, people are worried about the band. Are they together?...

Tommy: No, no... Buckethead going away is the best thing that could've happened to the band. It's gonna be great.

I won't get too far into that, because I don't really like slamming people or getting into people's personalities or anything like that. It's a really good thing."


. . . and other little things like that. Nothing vitriolic, just vague comments about him being difficult to work or socialize with.

Thanks!

no? how about the comment where he said he's like to shit in his bucket?

I am so depressed, so let down, why??? why is this taking so long for any kind of news, if nothing is being said, that just leaves me to believe nothings comming. You ask yourself deep down inside why no guitarist have been chosen, and with no help from the heart the answer lies clear, there isn't one. There's nothing hiding, there's nothing going on, all I can see is time going by so quickly its almost as if that's all we get. The GNR camp owes us answers, but for now we sit and wait for what, Axl? why??? I need a band that's hungry to wake me up again.   

Ha! I haven't seen that one.
I love Buckethead but the guy's a complete goofball, I suspect he is/should be on some serious medication. He's blown chances with a number of high-profile bands over the years, purely because of his ridiculous behaviour. I give GNR props for putting up with him for as long as they did.

 
they don't need a third guitar player at all.
And by the way HK-47 VR do not talk about chinese democracy, gnr,Axl.....etc in EVERY interview. >:(

I know it's not every single interview, but it's a high percentage. And of course, the longer the interview the more likely the subject is to come up. All I was saying was that if they don't want to be associated with Axl/GNR then they really should stop answering questions/talking about them. And perhaps when the subject of a reunion pops up in conversation, perhaps refraining from replying "Ask Axl."

 ::)  I dont see how he "blew" his chance with GNR since it was he who left the band and wasnt fired.

You answered your own question, he blew the opportunity by walking out on it, and by being deliberately difficult for the duration of his tenure. Given that he's auditioned for bands as diverse as the red hot chilli peppers and ozzy osbourne, it's fair to say that he'd like a shot at the big leagues. The only thing which has prevented him from having genuine success so far is his own idiotic behaviour. I'm a Buckethead fan, I have about 12 cds of his that I had to track down or import while I was living in Europe so I'd say I'm on his side, but even I can see that he's his own worst enemy when it comes to making something of his talent.

Thats not blowing a chance man .. thats called taking control of your own future. Buckethead left after almost 3 years because he decided GNR wasnt for him. I dont see how he blew anything since all this time later GNR is still a running joke with no punchline in sight.



Idiotic? Nice. So because Buckethead didnt want to sell out and take off his mask and destroy the characther he spent years building for Ozzy "mumble jumble" osbourne that makes Buckethead an idiot all of a sudden?! I think that makes him more credible to me , the fact that he will and has turned down "the big show" to stay true to an image that he has spent all these years crafting while being shun and made fun of by "the mainstream" ... thats pretty damn cool and shows he aint "in this" for fame and fortune.



Good for you , you have some of his albums.  : ok:  but to think bucket aint "making something of his talent" is an ignorant statement. bucket does what bucket likes , he likes the genre's of music he plays and it's obvious he likes the people he chooses to play with. Put into a situation like GNR/Ozzy/RHCP for too long and I think it makes B feel very stifled and trapped , whereas on his own he can be free to explore any which way he chooses.

Great post Saul. People shouldnt be mad at Buckethead. Anyone with any self respect would leave a band that doesn't do anything. But I would like to know the real reason behind his departure. Buckethead probably grew some balls and confronted Axl about CD. Axl probably didn't respond very well to it, so BH left. Its funny how Axl and the band said they were gonna take things to the "next level", yet they haven't done shit or even seen each other since BH departure. Pathetic.

I doubt that to be honest. In my mind I picture Buckethead in the studio with dan monti day after day , BH : "wheres axl?"   Monti: "I dont know" , BH: "oh , wheres the rest of the band?"  Monti: "I dont know" , BH: "are we almost finished recording? cause this is the 100th solo I've done for IRS and I need to send this to mike piazza asap!" , Monti: "I dunno" ,  BH: "Got anymore leatherface dolls?"  ,  Monti: "No" ,  BH: "Ok , I'm out .. les called , they wanna jam and record an album , together , then tour , as a band!" ,  Monti: "good move bucket , bye!"

But I'm glad he left though to be honest , it's nice that it actually helped speed up the recording process and take the recordings to the next level ..... It's great to see how fast everything is moving now that slowpoke buckethead quit , and how tight and cohesive the band is as a unit and family. Everyone knows now whats going on and what the deal is .. buckethead was just screwing everything up.

 :hihi:  ::)

He walked out on the band immediately prior to a long-established show. Before that, a bunch of shows were cancelled due to his alledged abdominal problems. The question isn't "was BH right to leave GNR?" The question is; Who in their right mind is going to take a chance on hiring Buckethead for anything important? He proved himself to be a liability rather than a benefit, and the timing of his departure made him look especially bad. It was an opportunity to shine, instead he made a pretty poor reputation for himself. ?




It's got nothing to do with his wardrobe. Well, maybe that's a little idiotic too. I was referring more to the fact that he's deliberately antisocial. He seems to have made very little effort to be a part of GNR, according to the other members of the band, he made plainly stupid prima-dona demands in the recording studio (chicken coop anyone?). Add in his unreliability and you hardly have the foundations for a good working relationship. Then there's the fact that he insists on living his fictional character off-stage, even when auditioning for potential employers. The guy is clearly not particularly mature - and that's giving him all the best of it. Anyone willing to sacrifice the appropriate forum for his abilities for the sake of an image, someone willing to abandon substance for style, is a shallow person indeed. And as I said, it is Buckethead himself who chooses to audition for these people, he wouldn't be doing so if he didn't want the job, it's blatant stupidity to deliberately sabotage your own ambitions.

Putting out hastily constructed albums on a shoestring budget for an audience of ten people is not a fitting tribute to Buckethead's abilities. Sure, the albums vary between decent and brilliant but the guy is clearly capable of doing better. I'm sure that he could consistantly produce excellent albums and reach many more people and continue to improve if he had the resources and the challenge. Instead he's gone shuffling back into obscurity to make small albums for a small audience. I think you're right about him feeling stifled and trapped in an organized band set-up, but I think it has much more to do with the weight of expectation than the lack of freedom. Like all of the other member's of GNR's recent line-ups he was free to pursue his own music, release his own albums and carry on as usual while waiting for GNR to get moving. The only difference between Buckethead's situation now and his situation two years ago is that he no longer has the opportunity to flex his musical muscle in the mainstream (if/when GNR get rolling.)
I simply think it sad that this immensely talented musician has pretty much slammed the door on any chance he had of realizing his ambitions. He spent four years in GNR and all he has to show for it is a tattered reputation. (oh, and a record deal with sanctuary.)

Career wise, Bucket is the least intelligent of all the GNR members. Even if GNR never gets its shit together, being asociated w/ GNR and being able to release your own albums as well as working with whoever you want in the meantime......and getting paid.....how is being in GNR a bad thing?

Sounds familiar?no actually it would apply to everyone.

I just think he's easy to get bored and can't stand still at a perch for too long.
Childlike but that quality made him gifted. JIMO

LOL. According to those in the know , Buckethead had left GNR LONG before RIR4. Long before. And yeah , shows cancelled because of his stomach problems. Yeah , what a jerk huh? His stomach starts bleeding internally and he wont even go to europe for a tour. What an ass.  ::)  Oh waitasec , it didnt matter .. cause axl didnt even know about that tour till he read about it on the internet. The same axl who didnt show up in vancouver or philly. Maybe axl had internal stomach bleeding too.

Whats funny though is that since leaving GNR , Bucket has played about 100 concerts , compared to GNR playing ... let me count .. 1 , 2  , 8  , 4 , 6 .. yup .. zero!





according to tommy stinson? yeah .. and the rest of the band are a close knit family. right? I'm sure they hang out at robins house flipping through magazines looking for pictures to cut out and make collages from. Yawn. Buckethead and Brain are best buds , I'm sure that was enough for Bucket seeing as to he's paid to go and play GNR cover songs. Did you ever think that maybe instead of going out to bars and getting wasted like Stinson and Dizzy obviously like doing Buckethead would rather go hit a toystore and buy some gifts for his fans to giveaway at the show? Did you know Buckethead isnt a drinker or smoker? maybe thats why he didnt "fit in" with what I would describe as a closet alcoholic such as tommy stinson and/or dizzy reed.



Hang out with a prima-donna long enough and it rubs off I'd imagine.



yeah , so unreliable. He forced the band to miss one tour because he was sick. So why isnt the band touring now that mr.unreliable is out of the band?




I guess "in characther" is how he feels most comfortable playing. So what? I thought music was something you heard not something you hear with your eyes.



Actually , I call that someone who is steadfast in his beliefs and not afraid to stick to his guns and buck the mainstream.




Tell that to the thousands of fans who buy his every release. Bucketheads fan adore him. Fuck the mainstream and writing "radio friendly hits" to "make it" , follow your dreams.


 
Buckethead records many of his albums at TDRS , one of the best modern studios in the world , with world class players such as les claypool , Brain , Bernie Worell & Bill laswell amonsgt others.


 
I guess that makes him happy. Isnt that what matters most?


 
Thats your opinion. Who knows? maybe it's correct. we can speculate all night.


 
maybe Buckethead doesnt wanna be mainstream. Who knows? he left for a reason , what it was/is is anyone's guess.



 
I think buckethead has realized every ambition he has ever had. He's recorded many albums , many MANY fans , toured the world over , recorded with some of the bigger names in music and is highly regarded by fellow guitarists. Tattered reputation? LOL , only to GNR fans ... seeing as he hasnt stopped recording and touring since he left the band I dont think he has to worry about his reputation as a stand up musician ever being "tattered" anytime soon.

How do we know the terms of every members contracts? Tommy Stinson is the only current member to release a solo album ... maybe even tommy wouldnt be "allowed" to record say , a replacements album is he wanted. And who knows how these contracts have changed since Bucket left.

Also , how do we know bucket was still getting paid when he left? Maybe the payments stopped coming in and Bucket got out while he could.

In the end I just think buckethead was unhappy with being in GNR , maybe because it was "gnr" and/or maybe there was one or two members he just didnt like.

At the end of the day the fact remains that buckethead left and probably wont be back .. and judging from the fact that people still talk so much about buckethead after all this time shows that he was a big part of the new band and did garner much interest from the fans. If at all possible I honestly believe it would be in axl's best interest to try and lure him back into the fold. hell , sack finck , fortus and stinson if need be.  ;D

At the end of the day, Bucket left because he didn't want to be on call for a gig that was never happening. I believe it began to affect his own career plans. He did the right thing for himself.

I hope when this beast is near a release, axl will personally speak to bucket and win his trust again. The fact that axl has so little contact with his band is quite disconcerting.

Saul;
I didn't need the Buckethead biography and geography lesson, but thanks all the same. I'm sure we could argue back and forth endlessly over this simple difference of opinion but it's really not worth the effort. I do feel I should clarify though, as I don't think you quite understand what I said. I don't think Buckethead should aim to be radio friendly, nor do I think that he's suited to be a mainstream musician, it's simply that his actions in auditioning for well-recognized mainstream bands would suggest that it's what he was/is aiming for. Regardless of the (doubtless many) faults of his bandmates in GNR his own actions, likely his insistance on maintaining his false outlandish persona, caused his position in the band to become untenable. With the band somewhat in the media at the time, all of this is now public knowledge. So, at the point at which Buckethead was at the peak of his ability to communicate to a new audience what he and his music were about he instead rode that opportunity to a massive anticlimax in full view of the public. To anyone who wasn't already a fan, or at least aware, of Buckethead he will forever be the freak guitarist who was in GNR for five minutes, he will always carry that stigma. While it may be that they are the ones missing out on Buckethead's music it's Buckethead who has lost the most in terms of getting his music heard, and that is by far the most important thing - certainly more important than his choice of headwear or facemask. ? ?

....only to people who next to nothing about music outside of gnr.

That's plainly not true. I'm sure that you could round up vast crowds of people who give less than a shit about GNR but recognize Buckethead as described above because they saw him on the VMAs or some other, equally worthless, MTV crapathon. Frankly, Buckethead would have been better off joining any other band in the world, and GNR would have done better to hire any other guitar player.

Buckethead talk goes in the right section (http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php?board=12.0).

If you want to continue this, take it there (http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php?board=12.0).




/jarmo

I think it's better to list facts and history then assumtions. Sue me.



I doubt it. It's not like buckethead was asked to leave the band. he quit. I dont think his characther , on or offstage , mattered much to the only person in GNR who it needs to be concerned , Mr.Rose. What stinson , dizzy , finck or fortus thinks about any of it means squat. At the end of the day it's axl's vote which veto's anyone elses. And axl seemed quite confident and proud of his new guitar player.


haha , dude thats just drama right there. Every night on tour buckethead showed the crowd what he and his music was all about. every night during his ten minute solo spot he tore it up , hit the crowd with some of his classic material , his moves and handed out toys to them. THAT is buckethead , some "got it" some didnt. Those who did are still fans , those who didnt get it really dont matter to me , the fan and to him , the man.



Oh well. If nothing happens pretty soon in GNR land all of the current members will have a stigma as being part of the best cover band of all time for 5 minutes.


I think his music is being heard by those that matter and appreciate it for what it is. Most GNR fans arent going to "get" Bucketheads music and Buckethead the person so  who cares? Music will find those who will enjoy it. And those that enjoy the music apreciate it and the artist , regardless of how they dress , look , act .. on and offstage. Thats all that matters IMHO.

TWICE WITH THE SLEDGE IF YOU LIKE HEADCHEESE!  :peace:

why cater to the ignorant? I know tremendous music fans who recognize tommy as being a Mats alum, Finck as an NIN alum, and Bucket as a praxis, C2b3 member. Your explanation is shortsighted.

and plenty more reconize brain as being a former primus alum.

So many of my friends didn't even know who the hell Buckethead was until he joined GNR.  It's that plain and simple.  Maybe there are a lot of people out there who knew Buckethead before he joined GNR, but you don't speak for everyone.

I dont even get your point.  ???  why would your friends know who buckethead is/was before he joined gnr? Like I've said many times , Buckethead isnt and doesnt try to be a mainstream artist. His fanbase was born from word of mouth and people seeing him open for other bands and getting into him that way.

May I ask , how many of your friends knew who richard fortus was before he joined GNR? Or how about chris pittman?

No, he was by far the most technically proficient.  Talented yes...  but technically talented more than anything else.  Robin's solos are generally more thought out than BH's and of course you all know my stance on Slash :P

The most realistic and accurate post in this thread.

wow
that?s a good point or view
 :P

You must be kidding?  ???  If you call bending notes sharp and/or flat in relation to the actual key the song is in then yeah , I guess I'll agree. But IMHO I'm glad that buckethead actually put effort into playing the solo's slash wrote atleast somewhat close if not dead on most of the time to the way they were originally recorded while throwing in some "bucketness" that was still IN KEY.

Personally I have no faith in robins abilities to play the solo's of the old material. In the studio and with his own material he may be a master and create some stuff that will wow us , but his performaces on the failed 2002 tour left ALOT to be desired.

why no Guitarist?,  cause there is none . The future of GNR looks slim guys. No new news means no CD. Who gives a shit about Buckethead, he's doing his thing. Axl hasn't said shit, so that what we get, we're great fans,  Axl should at least give us something, shit its not the stockmarket.

A lead Singer,3 guitarists,a bassist,2 keyboard players, and a drummer is way too much that makes 8 fuckin members, HELLO SLIPKNOT  :peace:

If Axl's vision of GNR is to have 3 guitarists, and now there is only 2, its only logical that he would be looking for someone else if he still has aspirations for CD.

agreed there - I am looking forward to hearing Robins own creations, however i thought he did a fairly average job with the old Guns material. I dont expect him to rip it off note for note, or even sound like Slash. But the fact remains that he butchered alot of those classic leads through clumsy and uncouth playing, BH did a much more admirable job with that material.

I will say that Robin played the intro to Sweet Child quite nicely though (which although sounds an easy piece , is surprisingly difficult to play smoothly and with feeling)

Miles Davis' touring band frequently had between six and eight musicians throughout the 70's, it did his music no harm. During the mid-50's the Miles Davis Sextet (that's six members, kids) crafted some of the greatest music ever recorded. I think it's safe to say that the number of musicians on hand has far less bearing on the music than the quality of the musicians, so as far as I'm concerned GNR can have as many guitarists as they desire, as long as they're a step or two up from Robin Finck.