duff claims VR is more talented than gnr

[mikegiuliana]

it's so sad to see one of my childhood heroes fuck up like this... he appears to be in denial, cause in reality they are totally lost without axl.

becuase he feels he's a better player now being he's clean.. Yeah it's such a shame, they need axl like a hole in the head.. These guys love to play, being with axl they'd be sitting in their houses waiting for years..

No one can make me feel different about this, one he's pushing his new band, and two he feels like a better player because he's clean, he used gnr as a reference.. I can't see anyone not understanding this article..

Sad part is how everyone is up axl's ass when he does nothing forever.. That's what makes me sad of one of my childhood favs

[Mutherfunker]

Explain this then..... Why couldn't he say that the band is really talented and that they feel they're playing better than ever?

Explain to me why he has to say they are more talented than Guns N Roses. That's either pure stupidity (not realising that that is obviously offensive), or he was being offensive on purpose (which is disgraceful).

You tell me this, and then I'll understand the article.

@#$%Funker

Edit: Why is it that another VR v GNR battle has to start here. Why don't people discuss the actual point, that being the one above. If you have a brain you avoid making such comparisons unless you were doing it on purpose to wind people up.

[mikegiuliana]

Explain this then..... Why couldn't he say that the band is really talented and that they feel they're playing better than ever?

Explain to me why he has to say they are more talented than Guns N Roses. That's either pure stupidity (not realising that that is obviously offensive), or he was being offensive on purpose (which is disgraceful).

You tell me this, and then I'll understand the article.

@#$%Funker

I'm not duff, I can only i9nterpet what he was saying..
ok if you read this entire statement you'll see his is refering to himself, hence 99% of the times meaning himself
"That was an anomaly, it was a freakish thing that happened and the whole world caught on. It's a more talented band that we have now, much more talented than Guns ever was. There were Guns nights where it was magic, but we were fucked up half the time. No, 99 per cent of the time. As players we weren't really maximising our potential. So, as far as aggression and talent are concerned, this is a much better band. I don't know if another band will ever achieve the kind of world domination Guns N' Roses managed. But if they do, it's going to be us."

He mentions as players, he is talking about him n slash.. I read the entire article, not just the one paragraph dave posted(even though he posted the link, we know people are lazy)
I think he could have worded it better, if he meant the entire band he would have been bashing axl, he is saying as players they are better now.. He used gnr because this is what he gets asked in every interview, i follow the interviews all through europe they were always asked about teh old band.. It was used as areference because people know gnr, he's just comparing his days between sober n high.. I think way to much is being taken from this article.. He definetly could have worded it better, but I understand how to read between the lines..

he said this prior in the same interview

"Since the day this thing started, we've heard a lot of people saying it wouldn't work. But they're falling by the wayside pretty quickly," McKagan says. "We didn't have these huge ambitions. It wasn't about trying to top what we did before. Nobody can top Guns N' Roses.

[liquidvirus]

usually I hate VR Vs. Gnr topics.a nd this one isnt an exception.
he said that they werent playing to their full potential before..now they are all sober and aware of what they're doing, so they can enjoy what they are doing much more than ever before,hence his comment.
He also said that nothing can top GNR, which is true....but hopefully VR ill come close...as someone said theis album is just to plain, but then that's what they wanted to do.....the wanted the album to be hard in your face- rock n roll
hopefully their next album they concentrate a little nmore on the song structures!!

[Mutherfunker]

Hey... my point is only about that one sentence.... which is what this topic was about.

The rest of what he said was very true and there was nothing wrong with it. The rest of the article was fine. Duff is cool.

However, that particular sentence was very ill advised and was a moment of stupidity on his part. We all have them I suppose.

@#$%Funker

[younggunner]

Oh yeah, they're so lost that their debut album hit number #1 on the charts, went platinum within two months, and their maiden U.S. tour sold out venues everywhere.  Sure buddy, they're lost, aren't they?

Thats all fine and dandy. BUt to many old gnr fans, the album content doesnt match thier talents or potential.

Like many have said, and like I have said earlier, the problem is not the whole quote. Its mostly that sentence where he says Vr has more potential now. ANd that comment is pure stupidity. A fucked up GNR is 100x better than a sober, weve been through it all VR. You know why? Because a fucked up GNR had Axl Rose and a fucked up GNR had pure venom and agression. This band doesnt.

SO if you wanna go on sales, yea VR had done great. NAd no1 is saying they dont deserve it. The music is descent. NAd its better than most of the stuff thats out there. BUt as a fan of them, they didnt deliver for me.

[Old Man In Chains]

I think Duff meant that as a live band they are stronger musicians in Velvet Revolver than they were in Guns N' Roses.  I mean Contraband is no way as good as Appetite, but in the studio you get to keep doing it until you get it right - live you only get one shot and if you are totally hammered, there is good chance you are gonna screw it up.  Guns were so screwed up back in the day that they were sloppy in a lot of their concerts - even their best ones.  For instance, the Ritz 88 show Axl himself said "the rest of the country might think we are the sloppiest band in the world - but I really don't give a fuck".  Axl has also said that they had to turn down Izzy's guitar because he would be in the wrong key or even playing the wrong song.  Duff totally butured the opening of Sweet Child in Paris.  Don't get me wrong I think VR misses Axl and Izzy's songwriting abilities and they aren't the dangerous out of control band that GNR were.  I think GNR was the better band because they were hungrier and more inspired and lived the we don't give a fuck attitude to the hilt.  But that also caused them to be sloppy musicians at times.  VR has good songs, not as good as GNR - but good, they aren't as dangerous - although Scott does add some unpredictability to the band.  But I think the one aspect that VR may be better, is being a more consistent live band.  Since they are not all messed up they can concentrate on the music and are a tighter band and better live musicians.  They might not reach the highest peaks that GNR did, but they always come to play and they aren't sloppy musicians.

[Johnnyblood]

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/interviews/story.jsp?story=562537

He said: "... It's a more talented band that we have now, much more talented than Guns ever was. There were Guns nights where it was magic, but we were fucked up half the time. No, 99 per cent of the time. As players we weren't really maximising our potential. So, as far as aggression and talent are concerned, this is a much better band. I don't know if another band will ever achieve the kind of world domination Guns N' Roses managed. But if they do, it's going to be us."

The guys have the same talent they were born with. You can't just decide to have more talent later in life. You can only make better use of your natural talent. Maybe that's what Duff was going for with that statement. But no way do you start with Axl/Slash/Izzy/Duff/Stephen, and then go to Weiland/Slash/Kushner/Duff/Sorum and say that the second group is more talented. Nope. And I love VR.

[D]

Duff has a business degree now, its smart business to promote your band with shit like that. People who know Guns N Roses but may not really truly know VR may hear a statement like that and buy the cd.

Controversy sells records, If GNR and VR had a east coast/west coast type rap feud where they talked shit about each other and bashed one another in magazines it would set the music world on fire!

People love reality tv type crazy controversy, Duff says that and when Axl comes back if he says CB was ok but shows that Slash had peaked as a guitarist and maybe bashes a few of CB's songs

damn that would kick ass and really interest fans.

2Pac ran into Notorious B.I.G. backstage and told him something like "no hard feelings, lets make some money" and boy did they make some money!  their raps were great but is it a coincidence that they had their biggest selling records during that feud whereas before they were good rappers but never really exploded?


Feuds kick ass!

[mikegiuliana]

to bad tu pac n biggie can't spend the money now

[TK1]

I don't think Duff's quote was a big deal.  He's not going to say, "We're a good band, but we never will be as good as we were."  I'm sure he just thinks that because they are clean and sober that they can be more focused and maximize their potential better.

Now, the world domination part, I don't buy.  I don't see VR or Axl's line up dominating the world like they did.  Both projects are really good, but when the original GN'R exploded out of nowhere and hit their peak, they were a force that couldn't be stopped until they stopped themselves...

[Mikkamakka]

Now, the world domination part, I don't buy.? I don't see VR or Axl's line up dominating the world like they did.? Both projects are really good, but when the original GN'R exploded out of nowhere and hit their peak, they were a force that couldn't be stopped until they stopped themselves...

I don't remember that any band would have dominated the world music above the age of 40. Maybe Queen did that...

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Duff days VR are more talented than old Guns because they are sober now.

I can understand that.

Based on the GNR bootlegs from the new band and comparing them to the songs on Contraband, I would say GNR is more talented than VR as a whole.

[D]

steven tyler and aerosmith were around the same age axl is now when they released Pump, aerosmith one can argue were bigger in their 40's than in their heyday and GNR can go even beyond that


We have seen and heard VR so we can legitimately say that VR will never be world dominate. I think we have to at least hear Chinese Democracy before we assume whether or not Axl is capable with the new lineup.

We cant automatically say there is no chance, for all we know Axl has an album that makes AFD,Nevermind and metallica's black album look like a new found glory record

we cant damn axl before we hear it!

[mikegiuliana]

I don't agree D, you can't say vr could not be dominate by hearing one album, their live shows have been awesome, even though they were once gunners doesn't mean they don't need to go through all the steps to becoming a big band.. It will take time like everything else in life.. I'm not saying they will be huge but it's way top early to know.. They basically did a promo tour just getting their names out there..

I think the new album contraband is great, they had their loyal gnr, and stp fans to helpo give them a jump start, now they will take it from there.. SLither did reach number one on the modern rock charts, I'm sure fall to pieces will do the same.. The name vr is still an unknown to alot of people, so I believe a little patience is needed.. The album came out in june, it's september, not that much time..

Even though I am not comparing the two, just using it as an example, afd took a year to top the charts, scom was teh deciding factor.. I think all in good time things will happen, even though I think they're doing very well now..

As for aero compared to the new guns we'll have to see. permanet vacation 87, pump 88, etc get a grip were all pretty big albums for the group and the lineup never changed..? I think aero fit back in very well with the guitar rock and hair bands of that time, plus the run dmc thing was huge which broaden their popularity..

[D]

oh no mike my fault i didnt mean it that way. i wasnt saying they cant be world dominate, i just meant people have something concrete where they can form an opinion on Velvet Revolver, i was tryin to say that we cant assume that Axl cant be as big as his heyday till we hear something, then we can form an opinion.

with VR they are great and have the potential but if people dont think they can be they at least gave them a chance and formed an opinion based on what they have heard

but its premature right now to say that Axl cant reclaim the top of the world.

[mikegiuliana]

yeah D we can only wait then form an opinion.. I hate waiting!!!

[nesquick]

I think VR is cool, I saw them live in Paris and they were great, but we need something more "global" with "chinese democracy", something definitely much bigger in the success. You know here in France, expet most of old GNR fans, the general public doesn't know who Velvet Revolver are. They don't absolutely have a clue. Nobody knows them. It's not like Guns n' Roses back in the days when Hits like knockin' on heaven's door, don't cry, november rain or you could be mine etc... were played everydays on radiostations here in France. Do you see what I mean? with" chinese democracy" we need something more global, just bigger. Only the name "Guns n' Roses" can do it again. Here, the general public knows who Axl Rose is. He is famous.

[mikegiuliana]

nesquick it takes time to become established, the group has only been around a few months album wise.. You can't expect a band to be global in such a short period, tehy may be from groups that were great but they still need to follow the guidlines like a nerw group to become known worldwide

By the time gnr was playing KOHD, and songs from the illusions they had toured all over and been out for years n years,.. I definetly think new gnr has the chance to go global very quickly because they're know all over the world, the name vr isn't known yet.. To be honest I'm supirsed how good vr is doing already..

Everything takes time..

[damnthehaters]

Oh yeah, they're so lost that their debut album hit number #1 on the charts, went platinum within two months, and their maiden U.S. tour sold out venues everywhere.? Sure buddy, they're lost, aren't they?? ?

Now I'm not getting in to this VR GNR battle but come on buddy, you can't have "sold out venues" as a argument.  Alot of the places that Velvet Revolver played at in the US only held like 300 to 500 people.  Therefor, selling out a venue wasn't that hard to do for VR.