Yay! an opportunity to get some "Tommy love" in at the board today
hehe
here are some other things Tommy has said about the band and Axl.
(compiled by chindem)
Tommy on the album -- "it touches on a lot of different elements of old Guns N' Roses in some ways; in other ways it touches with more current-sounding music." He also lauds Rose's lyrics, which he says are "a lot deeper" than on previous GNR releases.
Tommy on trying to make C.D. happen -- "We wouldn't be doing this if it weren't going to come out -- are you kidding?" Stinson says with a laugh. "If it works out, it could be history making, 'cause no one's ever done this before. A lead singer's never taken the (band) name and continued on with an entirely new band and done that successfully before. I kinda got into this for exactly that reason; if you're gonna try to do something really whacked, this would be the way to do it. I really don't think about the consequences either way; it's either gonna work or it's not, and in the meantime we're all having a good time trying to make it happen."
Tommy on joining the band -- "I was doing a session with a friend of mine who played drums for GN'R at the time, Josh Freese. He was joking about them needing a new bass player. I laughed and said I'd play bass. The next day, they called. I learned about four or five songs. A day or so after the audition, they called and said, 'If you want it, you're in.' And I took it. I wasn't much of a GN'R fan . . . when I was making [Replacements] records. We were a different breed. But you couldn't help but hear the GN'R stuff on the radio and on MTV every 10 minutes because it was the flavor of the day."
Tommy on the album -- "For a GN'R record, it's pretty diverse. It's not straight down the rock 'n' roll road. It's all over the place, in a good way. It has a little bit of everything - the old Guns N' Roses vibe, ballads, a couple of pop songs."
Tommy on Axl's singing on the album -- On "Chinese Democracy," Rose delivers "more soulful singing," Stinson said. "You really get to hear some different tones in his voice which don't lend themselves to traditional bluesy riff-rock. And the lyrics are a lot more in-depth, with deeper sentiment and emotion than some of the earlier stuff."
Tommy on Axl -- "I'll tell you why I'm still with the guy: He's got my back. He's the most loyal guy you could ever meet. There's a lot of love in him. There's a real person there who goes way beyond his historical past, you know?"
Tommy on the songs -- "The new songs are working out great. The old ones are fun to play, too. We've taken some liberties, but you'll definitely recognize them. We don't do disco versions of anything. We've all just taken what was there and made it our own."
Tommy on joining the band -- "At the time, the options I was looking at, I had a few things on my plate. I had a record deal that I was pretty sure I was just about to get f**ked on, and I think at the time I felt ?of these things I?ve got in front of me, what is the most interesting thing that isn?t going to be on my shoulders necessarily?? Because, you know, you do your own thing for awhile and you?re carrying all that weight... Sometimes you go, ?Ah, I can?t do that now. Let?s take a break from that.?"
Tommy on the album's delay -- "beating [a song] to death until we?ve spun it around and gotten it right. There?s a reason why it?s taken so long and it?s sort of the process of getting the songs to where Axl wants them and is inspired to sing them."
Tommy on Axl -- "I think just about @#%$ everything is a misconception about the guy, to be really honest with you. I know the guy, spend a lot of time with him on the road, at home, whatever. What I see people write, or hear what people write or think, is @#%$ so 180 degrees from what it really is. Most of the time. And you know what? That?s part of the myth and why people still want to come see him is because no one really knows! Except what we know. But they [the media] don?t want to @#%$ hear that! No one wants to hear ?you know what? He?s a really good guy, he?s funny as @#%$ and he?s a really good friend [who] I totally @#%$ trust my life with.?"
Tommy on the album's success -- "Either way it goes, it?s going to be big. It could be a huge @#%$ success and historical in that no lead singer has undertaken the [band] name and the whole band has quit. So if it goes huge, we all win and we?ll have done something that hasn?t been done yet. And if it flops, it?s going to be a huge @#%$ flop. And I don?t think that?s the case. I think there?s a lot of viable music that we?ve done and I have confidence in it that it won?t be the other extreme. Either way, it?s a biggie."
Tommy... *sigh*
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