Would we care as much if this band wasn't called Guns N' Roses?

[Voodoochild]

Wow! And you said on this topic how you support Axl:

Mysteron, we will stand behind Axl no matter what. Sure, I criticize some of the decisions he's made over the past 12 years, but when he comes back, I will defend him till the day I die.
(...)
 Axl has nothing to worry about. CD is going to be a huge phenomenon.

Thank God we have fans like you!

[jameslofton29]

I do support him, but I'm not gonna deny what the former members have contributed to the music world. To be honest, I dont really like VR. Very weak album by such extreme talents. But at least they're trying, and they are doing what they love. Its weird how alot of you guys think you have to pick sides between Axl or the former members. Who put that into your head? For the past 12 years, I have always looked forward to albums released by GNR members, because it was the only things we ever got that was associated with the GNR name.

[Voodoochild]

Yeah, I look foward too. I have both Snakepits albums, I have Contraband. Have mp3 of Izzy, Gilby, Duff. So what? I don't think we have to support them only because "they are trying". I'm sorry, but judgin by what I heard from the new band, it's better wait that long for Chinese Democracy than listen to crap music by the ex-members.

Also, I didn't pick Axl's side. It's just a matter of being fair. You're putting all the blame in Axl just because you heard the ex-members talkin A LOT about this, while Axl only talked a couple of times. Even if they are always changin' their point of view, you still want to their side.

All I'm saying is that is no way Slash and Duff could be such pets in Axl's hand. They are not that weak. You know, they are two against only one person, and they had Matt's support by that time. Why only Axl was left in the band? Because Axl said so? Bullshit! Axl wasn't the boss, he couldn't fire them (only Matt, but I still think he needed Slash and Duff backup). It's obvious that they all fight with each other, it's not an only person's fault.

The thing is that is way too easy to blame Axl. He never talked much about this. We only know the facts from Slash and Duff's point of view. But we all know the truth has much more sides.

[younggunner]

The frustration and demand for Chinese Democracy, in my opinion, wouldn't be as big of a deal. ?Your thoughts?

I completely disagree.
What difference does it make? Do you follow this band because they are called Guns N Roses or because Axl is still in it?

So lets say he did leave the name alone and Axl still didnt release anything up until this point. Your telling me that you all wouldnt still be here? Still wouldnt be frusterated?Etc...

And do you really think that Axl is keeping the name for money issues?Cmon people. Axl and the old members for that matter have never been motivated by money. In Axl mind, whether you think its right or not, he believes that GNr hasnt ended with the old members. They are gone but he still wants to move on.

If Axl was using the gnr name for money reasons he could easily have been pumping albyms out all of these years. He doesnt care about that shit. All he cares about is putting the best product he can under that name. He knows what the name means and you wont hear anything that doesnt deserve to be under that name musically.

Whether the band is called the Malibu Mafia, 2000 Intentions or GNr it dont really matter. It comes down to wanting to hear what Axl has in mind musically and why the old band split.

[ppbebe]

Putting in Your 2 cents as the established facts would be misreading and misleading. Or gimme the sources.

They weren't blind to new music. They just didn't feel the need to latch onto whatever sound that was hot at the moment. That would be lame and the band would have sold out if that happened.

Neither was Axl nor did Axl.

It's all about opening things up and not being pigeonholed.

Loder: This "End of Days" track, "Oh My God," is real, real different. Have you been listening to [or] working with samples and stuff a lot? Has your whole musical approach changed?

Rose: No, not a lot, no. Basically, [I'm] listening to everything that's out there as far as music goes. That was a big difference between myself and Slash and Duff, is that I didn't hate everything new that came out. I really liked the Seattle movement. I like White Zombie. I like Nine Inch Nails, and I like hip-hop. I don't hate everything. I don't think everybody should be worshiping me 'cause I was around before them.
So once it was really understood by me that I'm really not going to be able to make the right old-style Guns N' Roses record, and if I try to take into consideration what Guns did on "Appetite," which was to kind of be a melting pot of a lot things that were going on, plus use past influences, I could make the right record if I used my influences from what I've been listening to that everybody else is listening to out there. So in that sense, I think it is like old Guns N' Roses as far as, like, the spirit and the attempt to throw all kinds of different styles together. If you get to the second guitar solo in "Oh My God," Paul's doing a very Izzy Stradlin-Aerosmith-type riff in the middle of the song, which is a completely different thing than everything else that's going on in the music, but yet it blends. There's a disco drumbeat in the post-chorus, in the heaviest section of the song. We blended a lot of things.

See. He'd no way try to Monkey pJ or NIN album or the sorts, Not to mention megawhatever.   
The basic spirit of GN'R is, in his outlook, not to be narrow-minded but to attempt to throw and blend all kinds of different styles together. I guess many of us can agree with him on this one.

Perhaps the quote above also gives the main reason for his carrying the name.
Lets think about the name GUNS and ROSES. IMO, It's like, so to speak, where the hard and the soft, art and nature, or the old and the new, whatever extremes meet and amazingly enough, make uncanny harmony. The name shows what it is.


Not that I personaly care about the name.

[madagas]

PPBEBE, you are wise beyond your years! Youngun, money plays a factor in Axl's world-no doubt. He would not have been able to pay these musicians if the record company had not funded this project to outrageous extremes. No record company in the world would give Axl 13 million for a solo project!! And, quite frankly, I am not sure if all the musicians would be around unless they saw a nice golden egg at the end of the Rainbow.

[Falcon]

Yeah, "their musical dignity" is awesome, just hear Contraband!

Like it not, Contraband is a success. ?

Slash and Duff have moved forward professionally and are virtually never lpublically looked on in a negative light, both have their reputations in tact and have firmly distinguished themselves outside of GNR. ?Hell, Slash is revered for cryin' out loud.

On the other hand....

[Voodoochild]

Yeah, "their musical dignity" is awesome, just hear Contraband!

Like it not, Contraband is a success.

Yeah, musical dignity MUST be part of commercial success.

Slash and Duff have moved forward professionally and are virtually never lpublically looked on in a negative light, both have their reputations in tact and have firmly distinguished themselves outside of GNR.  Hell, Slash is revered for cryin' out loud.

On the other hand....

Moved forward? That's what Axl wanted to do. But what Slash and Duff wanted?

On other hand, once Axl is back, we all know who deserves the spot light.

[Lineker10]

Id also like to add that non of us really know what went on. We wernt there when therse things were going on so its difficult to judge. However - all this talk of Slash and Duff holding the band/Axl 'back'. Slash left in 1995/1996 and Duff left in 1998 - and theres still no new album- so i dunno about that one.

[jameslofton29]

The only person holding Axl back is Axl. Its time to stop blaming people who left over the past 14 years. It is not Izzy, Duff, or Slash's fault for the lack of progress.

[Voodoochild]

Who blame Izzy, Duff or Slash for this? Are you sure you readed the posts?

[Lineker10]

Who blame Izzy, Duff or Slash for this? Are you sure you readed the posts?

Im not saying holding him back now - i mean that people were saying that Slash/Duff wouldnt evolve and were holding Axl back when they were in the group. Well if they were holding him back then surley when they left then we would have seen some progress by Axl in a new direction e.g. a new album - which hasnt as of yet materialised.

[Falcon]

Yeah, "their musical dignity" is awesome, just hear Contraband!

Like it not, Contraband is a success.

Yeah, musical dignity MUST be part of commercial success.

Slash and Duff have moved forward professionally and are virtually never lpublically looked on in a negative light, both have their reputations in tact and have firmly distinguished themselves outside of GNR.? Hell, Slash is revered for cryin' out loud.

On the other hand....

Moved forward? That's what Axl wanted to do. But what Slash and Duff wanted?

On other hand, once Axl is back, we all know who deserves the spot light.

Yadda, yadda, if, when...

You are obviously looking at things through Rose colored glasses and are void of any objectivity.

[Voodoochild]

Yadda, yadda, if, when...

You are obviously looking at things through Rose colored glasses and are void of any objectivity.

Sure. Why have arguments when you can only try to make fun of other people's opinion?

[jameslofton29]

Lineker10, you are hitting the nail on the head. In the early 90's, everyone blamed Izzy. In the mid 90's, the blame went to Slash. As we started cruising into the late 90's, it started becoming Duff and Matt's fault. I cant believe people fell for this load of crap. Now, people dont want to blame Axl, so they start rehashing the old blame games. Sorry dudes, it doesnt work this time. Its been almost 14 years since Izzy left, 9 years since Slash left, and 7 or 8 years since Matt and Duff left. In the timeframe just mentioned, Axl has released one song. If they were to blame for not 'evolving', there should have been a flood of GNR albums on the market from 1998-2005. We're still waiting for one album. Everyone else 'evolved'. Axl is the only one who hasn't.

[ppbebe]

Again, who is blaming the forthcoming GNR album on Slash, Duff or Izzy here?

Lineker10, is that what you meant?
see voodoochild's post wasn't about yours.

[jameslofton29]

You dont think no one has been placing blame on ex members for Axl's lack of progress? Have you been taking a nap for 10 years?

[younggunner]

Have you been taking a nap for 10 years?

I must be...wheres the hatred toward Slash and company because of whats gone on with the GNR name?

In fact, the old members have cleared themselves from Axl and have the "good guys" image in the public in regards to the whole GNr situation.

The old gnr legacy has not and will not be destroyed because of Axls actions or lack there of. What will be ruine dis Axls image. If he doesnt follow thru with CD or it sux he will suffer not the old members or the old name.

[gnrfan1797]

think about it what's in a name. Guns n roses is like the rolling stones it doesn't happen without axl. If he want's to keep the name then keep it. Would any of you follow him in a so called solo career. Or let me ask this What is the main reason you like axl in the first place. ME personally his antics and his attitude Im sure he wouldn't change just becasue of the name of a band. Im ?die hard axl fan he is what music is weather you like it or not. The old members are great yeah and maybee they are just money hungry who knows but. You have to belive that everything happens for a reason. When it's wright it will happen and when it does it's gonna be a like a freight train.

Smile people you should be thankfull for what we got now

[Axl4Prez2004]

 ?Let's agree on this fact. ?We can't determine who was at fault until we have heard both sides of the story. ?It's like my parents divorcing about 25 years ago. ?Yeah, it was likely my dad's fault, but how the hell do I know? ?The likely answer in the case of GNR's break-up is that all parties involved were partially to blame. ?The % of culpability can only be fairly discussed when/if Axl ever decides to come out of seclusion. ?

 ?Don't worry, Axl isn't gonna spend all this time trying to destroy the legacy of Guns N' Roses. ?That's just my opinion.

 ?To think it's ALL about money is a mistake...no doubt it plays a role, but Axl really is/was the captain of the GNR ship...somebody here at HTGTH has that quote from Slash on their quote page about Axl going down with the ship...no actually, it's more like that GNR ship is lost at sea...Izzy bailed out early in a lifeboat with his dogs and bike and ha lived the life he enjoys leading, writing music and chilling not performing in front of huge #'s of people. ?Matt, Slash and Duff chose to leave the ship a bit later and stumbled around until they realized they needed a new captain to be successful...enter Scott Weiland. ?
 ?I don't believe the GNR ship has sunk, it just hasn't come back to shore yet. ?Axl's a modern-day Odysseus for God's sake! ?Damn I'm delirious. ?

COME BACK AXL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ?