Here Today... Gone To Hell!

To: Cleveland, Ohio, Guns N' Roses Fans and everyone who's shown support for my decision regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

I seriously didn't plan on or expect the overwhelmingly positive response and public support for my decision regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. With such a generous outpouring of solidarity from fans, media outlets, writers and other artists, I'm truly humbled, blown away and unbelievably relieved! To be honest, I thought it would go the other way and was just hoping to weather the storm. As I said, I sincerely didn't want to disappoint anyone. It gets old being the outlaw even if "it's only rock and roll".

It took a lot of focus and soul searching to be sincere and informative while making a genuine effort to be somewhat diplomatic. We made, what I feel, are real efforts to learn about the Hall and the Board, spoke as I said with the president and various members, and though I inducted Elton John and Bernie Taupin in '94 saying something to the effect of "I'm learning what the Hall's about..."

I still don't exactly know or understand what the Hall is or how or why it makes money, where the money goes, who chooses the voters and why anyone or this board decides who, out of all the artists in the world that have contributed to this genre, officially "rock" enough to be in the Hall?

This isn't an attack. These are genuine issues I don't have enough verified information on to have more than rough ideas. Certainly not enough information to make any judgments about.

I would like to apologize to Cleveland, Ohio for not apologizing to them beforehand for not attending [the ceremony] in their city. I think they know how much I genuinely love performing there. Cleveland does in fact Rock!!

Now that the smoke's cleared a little, any desperate, misguided attacks have been just that, a pathetic stab at gossip, some lame vindictiveness, the usual entitlement crap, he's obsessed, crazy, volatile, a hater. I once bought a homeless woman a slice of pizza who yelled at me she wanted soup. We got her the soup. You can get your own.

Again: HUGE thanks to the fans and to everyone for the incredible public support. My congratulations to the other artists inducted. And my apologies to the city and people of Cleveland, Ohio. I hope you'll forgive me and we hope to see you again soon!

Keep Rockin',

Axl


Unlike my open letter to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N' Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern this was written for GNR's official website, Facebook account and my personal twitter account and not intended as a press release. If anyone does choose to pick this up as has been done previously I'd appreciate if you'd run in full including this paragraph so as not to give a partial picture, have things taken out of context or to imply or inadvertently give the impression this was intended for other outlets.

Thanks in advance. Peace-

A man with his own personal disclaimer! I'm glad Axl is getting the understanding from people especially the media (at least some it of that is) that is needed. The article that was released by Rollingstone.com I think regarding all of the other musicians/bands who chose not to attend the RARHOF really showed that he isn't alone in his opinions about the board and what it really is about. Way to go Axl!

Why was this not posted on the official website, does anybody know? Whats your source CJ?

It's on Axl's Twitter page, GN'R' Facebook, gunsnroses.com and the news section of this site.

http://twitter.com/axlrose

Regardless of your own personal opinion regarding Axl's absence from Cleveland, this latest startement (particulary the first few lines) gives a genuine insight to this mans honesty and almost (dare I say it) his insecurity? Top marks! :)

Right, enough!!
Get some sleep Axl, UK tour in sight  ;D

 :peace: All the best Axl, see you in Europe soon  : ok:

Great letter by Axl , really asks some valid questions about the Rock Hall that nobody else seems to ask.  People just accept things as they are, WHO is the Hall exactly, why do they get to choose?

Rock fans/music journalists shit on Axl a lot, but he is the real fucking deal!  He is exactly what the media used to like to think Kurt Cobain was.  The best part is Axl doesn't do it to be cool,hip or different, he is just being himself and doing things his way.  There is nothing more "rock n roll" than that.  

I think Bodhi sums up my thoughts on this rather well..


His life is "easier" without the reunion shit coming up 24/7 like it was leading up to the HOF. Hopefully that will cease now.

hey thanks for confirming.

Human. Nothing more beautiful than just this. Thank you Axl!  :love:


Enjoy! ~~ Da lemonjuice ~ ~ Kim! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2F_hGwD26g&feature=related

Rhetorical Q - Does he have any idea of how much people need him, even be it through statements on the internet? Well, I hope he does!  

This letter seems a lot clearer than the last one. It was pretty cool of him to take the time to write it. Not sure if I agree with his decision or not still, but this has made me have a lot more understanding of it. :)

I questioned HOF as organisation too, I dont think people accept things as they are, they are just used on accepting the people they pay attention to, doing the things they are used of them to be doing, its different. I suppose its with what you say, anyway.

You compare Axl with Cobain now in relation to the media? No.goddamn.connection.at all whatsoever! Fact. Go back and read articles. anyway, whatever, I dont care, RIP Cobain.  

I dont agree with just being rnr. I mean it has some kind of deeper meaning to it, I mean to me. It always had , it always have but sometimes when we think too much we make things much more complicated than they already are, so nowdays I say its just rnr and it feels great. It feels light as a feather! I understand it, no need to elaborate or analyse it. at least thats how it works for me...

Very humble and human letter, I really hope this whole reunion gossip era will or has come to an end now.

Respect :peace: & long live Rock N' Roll!

I hope the next letter is thanking fans for buying the next album.

So, about him not going it was all about HOF, not knowing all details or what? It was not about former members?

dont get it

Between this letter and the first one, I believe what Axl is saying is that there were many different reasons that contributed to his final PERSONAL decision not to attend.


Edited to add:  Don't know if this is one of the things Axl took into consideration but ....

(This is an article I originally posted in 2008.)

Nice reference to that Globe article Gypsy.  Axl's communications are always appreciated with the fans.  I'm glad he sees the response as positive.

Enough of the HOF talk already!  I always love hearing from Axl, but let's talk about the future now, not the past.  The HOF needs to die down now.  To the general public I fear it has caused a world of confusion.

Well, I am afraid you will need a crystal ball to do this.


Axl has always been himself, this is what I think & there is nothing more Rn?R than just this! I have never watched him or read something about him where he was pretending. In my opinion, he has always been true, real and human, whether good, bad, crazy, sad, funny, peaceful, mad? oh damn whatever! & obviously for all these reasons he has been misconcepted from time to time. All I see on the media is motherfuckers pretending & I can?t FUCKIN stand this!

Axl, class.

Great to get this final bit of clarification.  Now, let's move on from the press release/RARHOF phase of things to the kick-ass album/rockin' world tour phase of things.   :beer:

All i care about now is new music

Granted, there was a lot of hate thrown his way.  What else is new?  People have hated Axl since the beginning of time it seems, and the number only grows with each passing day. 

But I was actually surprised that anybody, outside of these boards, had his back out of the gate.  And people did.  Eddie Trunk, Howard Stern, that article on MTV.com, just a few examples.  So I assume, that's what he is alluding to.

Nice !!!!  ;D

The response from the MEDIA was actually surprisingly positive.  A lot of big name media folks either defended his decision (Eddie Trunk, Howard Stern) or didn't condemn him for it (Andy Greene)

A large portion of the people responding are just the general morons who can't think for themselves that turn up and say something negative about Axl any time his name is mentioned.  These people aren't even really Guns fans (you can usually spot them by the fact that they spell his name "Axel")

Then you have the Reunionists who have done nothing but complain about the Slash-free era of Guns since its inception, who got their hopes up despite the fact that Axl's said repeatedly he won't perform with the original lineup ever again.  These people lashed out violently, and in an entirely expected fashion.  It was actually somewhat hilarious to watch their pathetic and hypocritical meltdown unfold. 

Are there some people who genuinely have supported Axl/Guns since the new lineup was formed that were/are disappointed or upset?  Sure.  But the vast majority of these people will get over it.  The only ones who will legitimately cling to this RRHOF snub in the long run are the people who weren't fans of the new lineup in the first place.  I mean anyone who enjoys the new lineup's live shows, enjoyed CD, has hoped for more new music from the CD era and/or the current lineup that stops supporting the current lineup because Axl didn't turn up at the RRHOF is a flat out moron.  That's really the only way to describe someone who would deprive themselves of something they enjoy until the end of time because Axl didn't show up at an awards show

Am I the only person who believes that a significant portion, if not the majority, of the GNR fanbase lies somewhere in between the former and the latter?  If we had our choice, we'd take a reunion.  But understanding the remoteness of that possibility, we enjoy the post-Slash lineups as well.  My assumption is that most GNR fans feel this way...maybe I'm wrong?

If we had our choice, id stick to what we've got now, ever since the split in the nineties I never looked back. Instead watched GN'R grow and unfold to what it is now, call it has come full circle if you like with a large group of people that want's to be there and lives for it. Id say it a million times if I had too "GN'R, crew & family I'm proud of ya!

It's just so unrealistic... that ship sailed over a decade ago.  I love GNR in every form.. Ever since I was 7 back when I first saw their videos on MTV in the late 80s.  Then they came back with the Terminator 2 video and the Use Your Illusion albums... after that it was video after video, hit after hit.  I've followed everything since then... The Spaghetti Incident, the breakup, SPIN magazine with the 'What The World Needs Now Is Axl Rose' cover, Oh My God, Live Era, the Axl interview on MTV where he called in, the silence, reading about Axl with a new band performing on year's 2000 in Las Vegas, I somehow missed Rio but I did see the VMA performance of Welcome To The Jungle, Madagascar and Paradise City... shortly after that is when I went online and discovered Rio and the first Chinese Democracy tour.... I was like WOW, he's still got it and this new material sounds amazing!!!  From that point on I could have cared less who was in the band... Axl is singing his ass off, he's happy, he's touring, he's making new music.... GREAT!  Fucking Awesome, I was just happy that he was back and still kicking ass.  Since then I've had the pleasure of seeing GNR in 2006 at the Warfield in San Francisco (holy shit... perfection), I bought Chinese Democracy the day it was released (most overlooked album EVER), and to wrap this huge random, poorly punctuated mess of a post up... I recently saw Guns N Roses  perform in Nashville Dec 4, 2011... it was by far the best show I've ever been to and I've been to plenty.  These guys have the look, they sound amazing and at the same time they refresh that 'raw, hungry, dangerous, something to prove' attitude that has been the driving force of this band since day one

Glad the support has reached Axl. Many of the board-members here have been outstanding regarding that. Don't care what anyone might think, but it is possible to back Guns n' Roses anno 2012 100%, and not being interested in a "re-union" whatsoever.

"I once bought a homeless woman a slice of pizza who yelled at me she wanted soup. We got her the soup. You can get your own."

I notice how NME.com has not published the last paragraph of Axl's statement. Typical shit rag magazine. Normally they add the video of fan reaction after Reading festival 2010 to every news story regarding Guns N' Roses.

Maybe after all is said and done the Hall will finally take a closer look at how things are done.
Love ya Axl and as always thanks for sticking too your guns!

classy. I'd love to interview Axl, about life in general, music, arts.

I hope he'll come here when he'll have the time to chat with us like some months ago.

anyway, even if I was a bit hurt by the whole situation as a long-time fan who love all
the line-ups and don't want to take a side because it's not my story and I don't care
who loves who and who hates who, I suppose it was the right decision to make for him.

and I can't wait for what it's really important, new music.

Really interesting well thought out letter i love it when he communicates with everyone, he raises some good points about what exactly is the Hall of fame? thanks AXL : ok:

I'm not ashamed to admit that this letter, especially the first paragraph, made me quite emotional. It's easy to think that because Axl must be used to all the lies and prejudiced judgments made against him, he's able to let them just roll off him and remain unaffected by them. But reading this really brought it home to me that there must be times when perhaps he gets worn down with always being portrayed as the bad guy when, as far as I can see, first and foremost he's always tried to act from a place of sincerity and integrity. So, I'm incredibly glad to know that he is fully aware of the love and support he has from a large number of fans who supported this decision and, just as importantly, acknowledged his right to act according to what is in his best interests.

I love how he takes the time to communicate the important stuff to us, the fans, whilst not bowing to the pressure to become one of those artists who live their life on twitter and/or facebook. (Not that I think artists shouldn't behave in this way if it is what they enjoy but to go against your nature just becase the market demands it, would be a sad state of affairs in my view.) The fact that Axl prefers to keep his private life private makes these occasional glimpses behind the public face even more special and the emotional honesty he displays in them I find rather touching.

Add the HOF to the ever growing list of people, corporations, and entities that have screwed Axl: Rock n Roll HOF, Slash, Sorum, Adler, Duff, Spin, Kerrang, Metallica, Nirvana, Tommy Hilfiger, Vince Neil, Vancouver arena officials, St Louis arena ppl, Irving Azoff, Alan Niven, Merck Mercuriadis, Live Nation, Bob Guccione Jr, Philadelphia arena officials, Doc McGhee, Roy Thomas Baker, etc.  Great to see him stand up for himself again!

You nailed it!!!  I was ashamed to admit that this letter made me quite emotional. This man has always had GUTS. There is nothing more rnr than just this in my opinion & I will always admire him for everything he has ever done, for everything he has achieved regardless if most people can get it or not especially those who think that its so goddamn easy..... He has been a role model to me, a true idol, nothing dangerous there, nothing complicated because even at a really young age I always considered myself responsible for my actions & this was something that my parents taught me. I have missed him so much and I am glad for his letter.... Thank you so much!

I am so happy that Axl knows how much his real fans care about him! His letter totally made my day!

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f96/AObando2002/AxlTwitter4-18-201211-44-34AM.png)

Dang Axl has a TON of followers. Just set my account today.

Yeah, I was thinking that myself.  Sarcasm is often lost in the written word as you can't detect tone of voice.

Ali

The meaning to a written text its defined within the spectrum of the reader.  It is not an exaggeration. When the owner of a text is famous and people/entities have different needs, expectations, demands, the whole 360 degree spectrum landscaped as it has ALWAYS been with Axl & this 'meaning'  will ALWAYS be interpreted in many different ways; one of which has already being added by your input above so thank you for this.

As for the soup, well, at least I hope it was warm & not goddamn microwaved!.............. 

I, as a fan appreciate what seems to be sincerity from Axl that he does indeed care in regard to all of the GN'R fans. Thank you!

Axl. In a world corrupted by money, fame n? greed, some people who aren?t inside the Guns N? Roses world don?t believe me when I tell them about episodes such as this one.
This is not what people would expect from a guy in your position (unfortunatelly). Reading your words makes me proud of being a Guns N? Roses fan. Makes me proud of being your fan.
Thank you so much for being out there. You inspire me (not only me - thousands if not millions) to do better everyday.
Thank you (once again!) for your inspiration through lyrics n? interviews.
Hope you keep rockin? too n? see ya on tour !
Eduardo Mellone

To those thinking he is being "sarcastic" in this letter, I have to disagree.  It sounds like he could be up until he says "To be honest, I thought it would go the other way and was just hoping to weather the storm."  I think he wrote this in the most genuine of intentions.

I think it's possible.  The problem is sarcasm is very hard to tell with only the written word.  It's possible, and unfortunately, only Axl knows for sure.

Ali

thanks for sticking to your guns axl have a blast on the next leg of the tour cant wait to see what suprises you guys have in store

I think Axl is being genuine, Ali.

As Jarmo said, there are those that slate Axl regardless, we generally know who they are, and what they say is, and should be, disregarded when guaging common opinion.

Your friend at MTV reporting on this is an example of something positive that Axl would not have been expecting.

No point of posting cause it will be deleted since it doesn't fall within certain standards. GnR/Axl made history by expanding those standards, not keep marching on the same tempo because whom-the-fuck-ever is got a pc or a tweeter account.  Axl kicks ass, in my opinion, I am not sure what others are doing!.......

So, we have to address a situation by finding a way not to address it those creating while everyone is paying so much attention to each other of what being said and that's how the pot boils.

Regardless, gnr, current members or past, still are rnr and gratefully they are not that boring and may the wont ever be!

It must have been something really civil about the napalms anyway....



 :beer:

I'm from Cleveland-apology accepted :)