Here Today... Gone To Hell!

 Friday March 28, 2008
Classic rock UK magazine

'There will be a Velvet Revolver after this tour,' Slash confirms
Classic Rock's Jerry Ewing recently spoke to guitarist Slash

However, we couldn't resist teasing you with the following nuggets:

Slash: I was talking with Robert Plant the other night and he was casually naming certain Zeppelin songs and then in the same breath who it was ripped off from.

Ewing: Did Guns N?Roses ever get taken to court for allegedly ripping anyone off?

Slash: No. One of the things about myself and the other members of Guns N? Roses, with the exception of maybe Izzy [Stradlin'], cos he was maybe a bit more freeform, was that we were huge sticklers for anything that sounded like anything else. Straight off the bat if you played a few chords and it really reminded you of something else we scrapped it. It?s very different with Velvet Revolver. Even though myself and Duff are the same way, and Matt, Scott will rip something. We?ll be like ?No, we can?t do that? and he?ll be like ?Oh, go on, let?s do it? and we?ll do it.

Ewing: Going back to Velvet Revolver, there?s been a lot said on the Internet between Scott and Matt. What?s the current state of play?

Slash: We?ve got six shows, ha-ha.

Ewing: How do you deal with that stuff flying around?

Slash: I have no comment. Obviously I?m very aware of everything that?s going on. The only thing I can add to that is in contrast to what Scott says there will be a Velvet Revolver after this tour.

Ewing: With Scott singing?

Slash: I have no comment on that [chuckles].

Stay tuned for further Velvet Revolver shenanigans.

- and you can read the full interview in a big warts-and-all Velvet Revolver exclusive, to be published in the issue of Classic Rock that goes on sale on April 30.

 

Yay!!!  Can't wait to read the rest of this article...

Not related to VR, but since Slash mentioned it in the article.  There was this rock music historian on the Howard Stern Show last year that went over a bunch of songs by famous bands that were ripped off from other lesser known bands.  He said the Zeppelin pretty much ripped off every song they did.  Obviously they did a good job at making them better than the originals though.

Here's a little excerpt from youtube illustrating such.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjPAEPFaxoM&feature=related

Back on the VR topic.  I noticed when listening to Libertad that one of the intros to one of the songs (I don't recall which one at the moment) reminded me of "Satan's Bed" by Pearl Jam.

Edit:  I just remembered, it was "American Man" that sounded a bit like "Satan's Bed"

If Velvet Revolver continues with a new singer (assuming Scott leaves, of course), it will only reinforce the notion I've had since VR first formed - that they come off as little more than a side project for all its members.  I completely admire everyone in the band, and - as a huge Guns fan - wish everyone who is / was a member of GnR the best.  That said, VR have created few songs that I consider truly memorable, and they are simply unable to get out of the shadows cast by their previous bands (which is more my own problem than the music they create together, I'm sure).

If I'm not mistaken, GNR got taken to court for supposedly ripping off Don't Cry.

Getting taken to court is one thing.  Actually having been proven to rip off something is yet another thing entirely.  The latter never happened as far as I know.

Ali

maybe they can get one that can actually sing :D

With all due respect, because your post seemed very well thought out, but I have to point out that if they come off as little more than a side project, then that's saying that this is a "side project" to GnR, like they're going to go back or something.  I agree that they can't seem to get out of the shadows cast by their previous bands, but I honestly do think it's a shadow cast on them by the general public.  Seems like people/journalists have a difficult time letting them move on and accept them for who they are.  I mean, I'm not expected to live in the shadow of some previous thing I've done.  Live moves on and we evolve. 

But, that being said, though, I enjoyed reading the interview.     

I don't disagree with anything that you said.  In fact - and as I tried to admit at the end of my last post - I'm one of the people who have a hard time letting these guys move on, even though I buy all the albums and support their efforts.  Like I said, more my problem than anything VR have done or probably will ever do.  Instead of enjoying what VR has to offer on it's on terms, I hear bits and pieces of each previous band's influences (the "we ain't got nothing to hide" part of "Just Sixteen" just screams STP, for example), and would rather just listen to full-on STP at that point (stupid nostalgia!).

As a fan of both previous, pre-VR bands, I've always felt that the music of VR strives to fuse the sound of GnR and STP into something new, yet - to me - it always manages to fall short of what each band accomplished separately, let alone taking those influences in a new direction.  I guess that (in response to your post) I totally agree that lives must move on, and that I was just hoping for more of the "evolution" part.  That, more than anything, is where my notion of a "side project" came from.  It's completely subjective and more than a little unfair, but it's difficult for me get past it. 

Who knows?  In spite of my previous post, maybe if a new lead singer does come into VR - a less established (or perhaps "popular") singer, perhaps -  would make a big difference in this respect.  After all, it's probably easier to step out of one shadow than it is two...

And I enjoyed the interview as well.    :beer:

An on stage fight would be entertaining. Very unprofessional, but entertaining none the less.

i'd pay to see that!