Here Today... Gone To Hell!

This one was written Aug 29, adressing NME's poll "Axl Rose - Asshole or hero?". I can say this is well worth reading!  : ok:


Axl Rose ? Asshole or Hero? NME Ask The Question!

Tim Chester over at the English music scenes answer to a cheap gossip rag, New Musical Express has posted a question based piece entitled, ?Axl Rose ? Asshole or Hero??. Now normally the NME isn?t worth reading, replying to or taking any notice of at all, well not unless you want to know which shop Pete Doherty just walked out off or what brand of cigarettes Amy Winehouse smokes (Thanks Daily Gossip!). But this time Tickets There is taking the liberty of branding the author, the magazine and their staff a bunch of over the hill, raised on camp indie bullshit-artists, with as much right to write about Rock N? Roll as a Nazi has to a fair hearing.

The Facts: Reading 2010

Guns N? Roses played Reading on Friday night. In the week leading up to the event, NME spearheaded reporting a speech from Reading /Leeds organizer Melvin Been that the Guns had been issued a warning that their stage times must be adhered to after local councils and police made a similar warning to Melvin a co.

The band were scheduled to arrive on stage at 09:30pm, eventually arriving at 10:30 -an hour late. Their original cut off time was 11:30pm and they managed to play on until 12:00. When the band tried to return for an encore, their sound was cut so the band staged a sit in protest after leading the crowd through an ?acoustic? rendition of Paradise City, which saw nearly 90,000 fans singing along and chanting ?Let Them Play? and ?Fuck You Reading?(Not a secret, watch the videos). They eventually left the stage after Axl made a comment the band would not play Leeds after the treatment they received at Reading by ?those responsible?

Coming on Late Ain?t right is it?

For the past twenty years, Guns N? Roses have had a very obvious, very public, well documented and very much lampooned and hated reputation for showing up late by heritage fans and the music press. In fact, the writer shows a knowledge for this by highlighting (as usual) the low points and incidents of previous GN?R tours, in no great detail or context off course as that might involve some real journalism on their behalf ? God forbid. For anyone to act surprised or angry at the group for turning up late has a vendetta because Axl Rose and the band have never done anything to make you think they?ve changed.

Do these people still act surprised when they get wet in the shower? Because they seem to have no comprehension for the flippin? obvious.

Our Response ? Axl Rose ? Asshole or Hero?

Rock music has lost it?s way ? Rock is now dead. Rock N Roll hall of fame, award shows ? heritage bands reuniting, greatest hits set-lists, staying together for the ?career?, money, album after album of repeated glory day styles, follow the rules, adapt to the industry?s expectations, the fans expectations, pander to the press, bad mouth your band mates and still stick together because there?s no-where else to go. Bands are old, rock is old and it?s fans, it?s bands and the industry built around them to exploit and drain what ever profits it can has finally destroyed what was once a perfect machine for encouraging rebellion. A style designed to give kids a voice to express their views, their difference of opinion and the things the mean the most to them.

Rock N? Roll, Punk, Rap, Heavy Metal all evolved in each generation to suit new fans, new young people and their lives but the spirit of rock n roll has always been carried over and that message is simple ? Don?t Follow The Rules and fuck society, fuck the industry, the government and fuck you, I?ll do what I want.

That message has become a clich?, a punch line for the marketing and advertising industry every time a twenty two year old college grad is given the new Motorhead album to push. The people running things, the bands involved and the new breed of fans, raised on ageing fogies playing greatest hits tours every year while struggling younger bands repeatedly get passed up so rich musicians can make more money. These days bands have to sound like Coldplay or Arcade Fire to get ahead, music that your gran, neighbours and teachers can sit back with, sip wine to and discuss the banking crisis. Very rock n? roll eh.

Then you take Guns N? Roses. Old Guns N? Roses. Slash, Duff, Axl, Izzy and Steven and Appetite for Destruction. Sweet Child O Mine, Welcome to The Jungle and Paradise City. massive. Then Later with Don?t Cry, November Rain, Live and Let Die, You Could be Mine?just as massive. They had it all and could still be out there today, like every single other heritage rock band making money, touring Appetite for Destruction and a choice selection from what ever Appetite rip off they released that year and pandering to the fans every whim and wish. The so called ?Most Dangerous Band? could be there in the O2, top hat, American flag shorts and all, like nothing ever changed in the past twenty years.

Wake the fuck up, things change and people move on.

Slash is gone, playing American anthems to stadiums, selling guitars for Gibson, living up in every respect to the stereotype cast on him. Discussing reunions and his love for Axl. Duff is around, playing in second rate punk bands, writing for Playboy (he?s a journalist now don?t ya know) and still playing with Slash and Matt Sorum in Guns N??.sorry, I mean Velvet Revolver. He likes to discuss reunions occasionally aswell. Steven, poor Steven plays in Adler?s Appetite, a band that until recently exclusively played Appetite For Destruction at every show. Again, he mentions the idea of a re-union at every given opportunity.

Axl does not discuss reunions, he does not give interviews, he does not play national anthems to baseball stadiums full of 40/50 year old Americans who point and remember he was the guy who sang Sweet Child O? Mine. He keeps the band fresh. He works on his music in his own time, he tours and plays shows ranging from 2.5-4.5 hours with a new band of incredibly tight musicians playing half hits and half new material. He goes on stage when he?s ready, he releases his music when he?s ready and he does what he likes, when he wants to do it. Not when people tell him he should do it.

He makes no secret of this and anyone that tries to argue that is an opinionated, but faceless moron following the sheep and the lead taken by people set out against Axl for personal grudges. Ya see, musicians who don?t pander to the press become enemies. People who won?t do what they?re told become a nuisance. and people who tell you to fuck off after you?ve devoted yourself to them for years on end get pissed off.

Axl Rose does what he likes when he likes. He doesn?t set out to piss off fans or anyone else but anyone turning up at a Guns show expecting to see the band on time is a straight up retard and fuck knows where they?d get the idea that was going to happen. It might, it?s not like they never turn up on time but you only hear of the occasions when they don?t. It?s not like every other band in the world always turn up on time, but then again ? they don?t make as interesting reading as Axl.

He doesn?t pander to press, to fans, to x-band mates, to record companies or to anyone who else who tells him what he should be dong. He?s nearly 50 years old and he knows very well what he?s doing and how he wants it done. he knows when he?s ready to walk on stage to give the best performance he can and he knows when his musics ready. The Press, managers, fans and no-one else knows this because they all suck off the ?product? he?s giving the world. if you don?t like it ? fuck off, if you question it ? fuck off and if you have a problems guess what ? Fuck Off!

Rock N? Roll is rebellion and Axl Rose rebels against pretty much every rule in the book, whether it?s the industry making them, Society making them, the fans making them or his band making them. He will give you a fantastic show as long as you don?t throw shit at him (by the way, how many of you would remain in your chairs at work if customers came along throwing bottles and coins at you with a spot light in your face blocking your view?? Ya, fuck off!).

Axl Rose is the last true hero of rock n roll because he?s the only one famous enough still telling pressure and rules to go fuck themselves and anyone that can?t see that has no business being a fan of rock in the first place. Fuck off and listen to Radiohead and leave Rock N Roll alone for people with some balls.

Moving On:

Guns N? Roses play Belfast on Tuesday, Dublin on Wednesday. Don?t go if you want Slash, don?t go if you have somewhere to be after. Go if you want to see the last true icon of a rotting genre, that once gave people alot of hope before it?s originators, it?s fans and it?s spokespeople were absorbed back into the system the movement set out to defy in the first place. He might also play a few cracking tunes while you?re there.

NME ? Stick to reviewing The Kings of Leon, The Libertines and The Klaxons. That seems to be as much danger as ye can handle. I hear there?s a fat, squirrel eating lesbian naked somewhere ? go quick, there?s a cover due!



Source: http://ticketsthere.com/2010/08/29/axl-rose-%E2%80%93-asshole-or-hero-nme-ask-the-question/ (http://ticketsthere.com/2010/08/29/axl-rose-%E2%80%93-asshole-or-hero-nme-ask-the-question/)

Couldn't agree more with this review, brilliantly written.

It makes me happy to see that there are still some intelligent people out there writing reviews. This person, has hit the nail right on the head and I couldn't have put it much better myself.

Axl Rose is a Hero, and in this day and age, Axls' spirit and integrety are non existent in any other artist. Credit to this reviewer for writing an accurate, honest and positive review.  :) 

Now that was actually very well said. Now if a few more would get what some of us have known all along.
thanks for the post

I love that quote! Sums up the whiners who have been clogging the boards regarding getting pissed off when the band goes on later than scheduled.

That is almost exactly how I see the whole situation.  Except for Axl saying "fuck you" to his fans.  He does not disappoint his true fans.  Everything else is spot on.  I don't go to a GnR concert, I go to a Guns N Roses EVENT.  You have to experience the whole package. Late starts, the anticipation, the pyro, the effects, Axls rants, his speeches, it is all an EVENT.

Fuckin love it!!!  This article is great.   : ok:

Very good indeed.  Some people just won't allow themselves to see it "that" way though.  Their minds are already made up.

Great article though.  I enjoyed the read very much.

Truth and nothing but the truth...great article

finally, somebody who actually gets it

FACT:  Chuck Norris fears Axl Rose... we love you man   :beer:

Now this is one a hell of an article. Brilliant.

I'm not sure why complimenting Axl always has to be followed by insulting Slash and Duff. But other than that, I liked that article. Even if it didn't really seem unbiased to me, either.

Great read! Thanks  ;D.

Sweet article ! Fuck yeah !

Pretty much sums up how I feel; gave me goosebumps reading it.   : ok:


Precisely, Axl makes headlines and sells papers, so why spoil a good story with the facts.  The media love to pigeonhole artists into a neat, easy-to-understand package and God help them if they do things sometimes that don't fit that preconceived image.  Makes me mad.  :rant:

Amen,-great article

Only thing I disagree with is the title of the thread, cause it is clearly an extremely biased article.

Well.. surely it could be viewed as such, I totally agree.

From a rock n' roll point of view, this article is the truth, basically. I put it in the title as to show this one is on the other side of the scale (opposed to the media).

The articles spewed out by the media this last week was all pretty much the same garbage. As reports came in from other people who actually attended different concerts, one gets an whole other story.

Therefore, considering this article is much closer to the truth than anything else this past week, not totally blocking out the other side of the story, I put it in there.

Pretty fn' great article sir! Thank you very much for posting Spirit!!!  :beer:

only disagreement i have is the setlist is still dominated by old school GNR material.

rest is spot on!

Awesome article with the exception of the Radiohead diss at the end ... I'm not a huge fan, but they're one of the few bands that plays by its own set of rules and refuses to compromise its artistic standards.

A great piece overall, though.

2.5-3.5 hours

but that's a spelling mistake, I suppose

apart from that,

the article is truth only !

Amazing article!

A real view of the Rock 'n Roll spirit!

When the band plays over 3 hours some nights, naturally they're gonna play more old stuff than new stuff.....

When the next album comes out, there'll probably be a little less of the old stuff, a little less of CD......if Axl just flat out ignored 5 albums of solid material to only play CD and a couple of older tunes, we'd be getting ripped off of some of his great work, and of course, the show wouldn't even hit 2 hours.

Btw....posted that article link on facebook.....it's kinda nice to find a solid review that we can cram down asshole's throats...

And as far as unbiased, I think the guy used that as a title to refer to the fact he isn't biased on the basis of old bullshit, or a guy in a tophat not being around anymore.....so it's fitting

Sorry, I didn't mean to attack Slash or Duff, simply pointing out that they've become the bland, predictable rock stars most want Axl to become.

Slash is and always has been my ultimate guitar hero. The guys has written/played/co-written some of the best songs I've heard in my life and I'll always love the man for that.

The fan comment wasn?t meant that Axl says fuck you to his fans, but his actions imply a fuck you attitude to the ones asking for reunions or criticizing his musical style on Chinese Democracy. For those of us who fully support his methods and actually like/love CD, he embraces us with open arms ...:D

Thanks for noticing, will change that now ;)

Hey, thanks for that great article! :)

Thank you. Really brilliant article. Loved reading it!!!  : ok:

Cheers guys, don't forget to head over to NME and comment there, stop all those little indie bitches moaning ;)

Finally got round to reading this, ''A great (un-biased) article''  lmao  :rofl:

hey'
aren't we all little greedy squirels,just tryin ta get our nuts !