Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I know he's their manager and head of Sanctuary and stuff, but he's EVERYWHERE that Axl/GNR are. He was there with Axl at the F1 race, he's in almost every single photo taken of Axl in clubs, on the streets, everywhere. I don't recall ever seeing a person/group's band manager always being with the artist. Anyone else find it a little strange? I'm sure GNR are his prized possession but it's almost like he's an unofficial member of the band...

Maybe he's just really good at his job.

They're probably good friends as well.  I'm sure he doesn't always have to be there with Guns, but just chooses to.  Who else does Merck manage?

Maiden, I believe

Nah, just Guns.  Maiden are with Sanctuary, but Merck doesn't represent them. : ok:

he is Axl's baby-sitter

Merck is the guy who cleans up the mess, when Axl is pissed off and pushes his $50,000 piano through the window. Merck has taken over from Doug Goldstein, as Axl's minister of Propaganda.

Wow... looks like you know everything... Merck cleans up the mess that Axl makes when he's pissed off... I mean, right on duuuuude....  : ok:

Merck is GN'R's and Axl's manager. He's good at what he's doing and he loves music.

This is one of the biggest comebacks of all times, and we're talking about a huge European tour with a crew of 80 people.

Don't you think someone who knows and does all the business should be with them?

I'm just kidding around!! Haven't you ever read the story about Axl pushing his piano through the window?

Um - that isn't strictly true though.  As a music industry figure he isn't seen as a successful part of the Sanctuary group and is under extreme scrutiny all the time due to the massive financial problems Sanctuary have experienced in the past few years.

I would think that his attention to Mr Rose is because he needs a back-up plan when he gets the boot from Sanctuary.  When that happens he is probably hoping to stay on as Axl's personal manager.

Hes one of the very few people in the world Axl has let close to him, I say. Plus he probably orders Axl's drinks, warns security, cleans his seat before he sits down etc so hes convenient to have around. Its not that abnormal for a celebrity to travel with some kind of assistant to help with stuff.

You think how hard it would be to get around a foriegn country if everyone knew you but you didnt want to be noticed.

he also manages maiden. and he is the ceo of sanctuary.

Rod Smallwood manages Maiden. : ok:

Represents: Morrissey, Guns N' Roses, Jane's Addiction, Iron Maiden, Buddahead, Overseer, Rob Dickinson

A former A&R and marketing director at Virgin Records by the time he was 20, Merck Mercuriadis has been working with Sanctuary for the past 16 years, splitting his time between the commercial and the creative. He is involved in the management of artists such as Guns N' Roses, Catherine Wheel, Jane's Addiction, Iron Maiden, and Bruce Dickinson. A self-confessed "record junkie" with a global approach to business, he relocated from Sanctuary's London office to the U.S. in 2000 to helm Sanctuary Group Inc. as its CEO.

Indirectly.  But Smallwood does all the things for Maiden just like the things Merck does for Guns, i.e. Press Releases, Traveling, etc....

i don`t think so....  people like merck don`t have to worry about their job or finding a job at least....


well...   axl has beta and co for that....  merck is responsible for the business side of things etc...

Um... yes they do.  Merck is currently one of the most under-fire people in the whole of the music business.  The industry as a whole do not give a flying f**k about any upcoming GNR release because it will make a very insignificant dent in the financial problems that Sanctuary currently have. 

Sanctuary is in serious trouble at the moment and that is down to Merck. 

Profile on the Sanctuary website:

http://www.sanctuarygroup.com/index.php?l1=6&l2=4&l3=0&rt=AM

Who the hell is Rob Dickinson?  Is Roadrunner related to Sanctuary in any way?

Merck does NOT manage Maiden.  Rod Smallwood has done that since the beginning (and is EXTREMELY succesful with them, I might add).  Merck is part of Sanctuary, which, as others have posted, is having some very significant financial troubles.  Like Smallwood, Merck seems very hands on (i.e., going to gigs) and probably, like Beta, fulfills somewhat of a "keep on eye on Axl" role, but more from the gig/hotel management end (versus Beta's apparent more personal management end).

Yup!  : ok:

Doug Goldstein saved the day when this happened, by the way. 

dont think i know about that..

can someone enlighten me?

He was also instrumental in the massively successful return of another early nineties recluse Morrissey. After not being short of offers but without a record deal for years, he was the one who brought him back. Morrissey also worked with Marco Marco Beltrami on his last record.

In an interview Morrissey said Sanctuary was the most artist oriented label around. and one of many Merck threads we've had here was about as how he frequented the Morrissey fan board.
I gather he's a very devoted manager.

I though Emo Fags saved Morrissey's career? Morrissey has one of the most annoying voices i've ever heard! The guiitar player in The Smiths, Johnny Marr, was cool though.

I think Morrissey was making some of the worlds greatest ever records a good decade or two before some brainless twat came up with the stupid idea of branding anything they dislike emo.  : ok:

It says he represents Iron Maiden, doesn't necessarily mean he manages the band. Rod Smallwood has been their manager for over 20 years now.

Managing GNR and Maiden at the same time? He would be too good to be true.

Mixed emotions on Merck here, a job well done with the latest Euro tour but huge mistakes with whacky press releases, the '02 tour debacle and the obvious misteps throughout the process of getting a new GNR record delivered.

Not too mention being the guy in charge of Sanctuary and the label going 125 million bones in the red under his watch...

Grade?

A "D" so far.

Plenty of time to raise the bar with a record release and successful US tour, final judgement is a ways away.

You people are funny! You give marks to Merck like if you were a school teacher :hihi:
Merck did his job very well during all this tour. That's all I wanna say. The communication is better now. It was TERRIBLE in 2002. He was trully seen as a joke back then. But now, I think he has learned from his mistakes... : ok:

6th reserve guitarist. he's just sitting on the bench waiting for a chance :D

I don't remember much about it....  :-\
I'm pretty sure I've read about it in an interview I found in the HTGTH archive.
I don't even remember who was being interviewed, I think an ex-gunner, but which one...?  :confused:

Sorry I can't help any further.  ;D

was merck even manager in 2002??

Merck became manager in either Dec 2004/Feb 2005 as far as I know.

Do managers normally travel with their musicians like Merck does?  I didn't know if that was a standard thing in the music industry. 
Also, it seems like being GnR's manager would be a full time job.  I wonder how he splits his time between the other artists he manages.  What happens when more than one of them goes on tour at the same time?

damn right hes everywhere..
heres a vid of him, axl, beta, and fernando getting out of a hotel..

http://youtube.com/watch?v=H00pFVf1yXQ

ya think merck sleeps with axl too?...