Q Magazine Article - "Axl wastes $13"

[axlschild]

Just though I would let everyone know, if you havent already seen it.
This months (Sept) Q mag has an article about the "$ 13" Axl has wasted on CD.
I only skim read it in the shop, so I don't know all the details (not paying ?4 for a five pages Axl bashing article).
The usual crap about what a waster Axl has supposedly turned into. Recluse, therapy session blah blah.
Only thing I though was interesting was Tom Zuzat has supposed been back in touch, back in 2002 and said he was very, very close to getting Axl to put the album out.

Just though I would let you all know about the article.

Cant wait till all these mags have to eat there fucking words when CD does finally drop and they are falling over them-selves to kiss Axl & GNR's ass.

Peace out...\m/

[Jamie]

I actually bought this month's Q magazine, and, in my opinion, it wasn't a bash article, I think the writer tried to stay as neutral as he possibly could, and pretty much stuck to fact. There was a funny part in there though about someone who worked in the record company when Axl was beginning CD. Well, this guy sent Axl a bunch of CD's produced by some of the guys the company thought Axl should work with, and this guy got a call the next morning sayin Axl had run over all the CD's in his car! 

[dave-gnfnr2k]

Wasnt the Q article the same as the ny times one?

[Thorazine Shuffle]

Wasnt the Q article the same as the ny times one?

Yea it sure is.

[axlschild]

I actually bought this month's Q magazine, and, in my opinion, it wasn't a bash article, I think the writer tried to stay as neutral as he possibly could, and pretty much stuck to fact. There was a funny part in there though about someone who worked in the record company when Axl was beginning CD. Well, this guy sent Axl a bunch of CD's produced by some of the guys the company thought Axl should work with, and this guy got a call the next morning sayin Axl had run over all the CD's in his car!?

Like I said, I just skimmed it...
Glad to hear it doesn't bash Axl & GNR, most seem to these days, so I just presumed...

\m/

[Dash_X]

These are the main point from Jeff Leed's fascinating article in the October 2005 issue of Q Magazine:



1) According to official Geffen documents the production costs have exceded $13 million. Making it the most expensive recording never released.

2) Geffen had expected the release of an album in 1995.

3) Between 1994 and 1999 endless instrumental jams and riffs were recorded in fragments, in hope that full song compositions would come from them - these recording included everyone from Slash, Matt, Duff, Brian May, Paul Tobias, Zakk Wyld, Dave Navarro.....

4) Most of all the 30 people interviewed in the article are all signed under a full confidentiality agreement with Axl, and
had to remain anonymous.

5) Eddie Rosenblatt (Geffen chairman) spoke to Axl, saying that he should 'why dont you consider bearing down and completing some of the songs' - the next day Axl had him completely removed from the project

6) 1997 - Todd Sullivan (Geffen talent exec.) sent Axl CD's as examples of potential producers. Axl ran over the CD's with his car.

7) 1998 - Axl returned to Rumbo Studios in San Fernando Valley, where as one engineer has said 'what Axl wanted to do was make the best record that had ever been made. It's an impossible task, you could go on indefinately, which is what they've done'

8 ) Geffen then offered $1million to press on with the album, with another $1million if the record was released by March 1999 - the producer of the record at this time, only known as 'Youth', was removed and replaced by NIN producer Sean Beaven.

9) Under Beaven, songs slowly began to take shape, but by this time the costs really began to spiral - expensive equipment had been rented for more than 2 years, and used for only 30 days (said costs ran well into 6 figures).

10) 5 CD's of mixes were burned by studio technicians a week (which were then DRIVEN to Axl in his Malibu home for him to 'examine') - the band archive grew to over 1000 DAT tapes. There were approximatly 20 A-Lists songs and a further 40 B-Lists in various stages of completion.

11) Jan 1999 - Geffen records, who had lost patience and profits with Axl, were bought out and became part of the Interscope records umbrella, under Jimmy Iovine (who around the same time discovered a unknown named Eminem) - it is believed that Axl's continuing funding after this period happened only because of the labels compelete restructuring, bringing in new heads, who had not given up on him.

12) During 1999 (as we know) Axl previewed several songs to Rolling Stone Magazine, and released Oh My God, the record now had a scheduled Summer 2000 release, however Axl's work during this time became so infrequent that drummer Josh Freese and Axl's engineer Billy Howerdel went to work on their own project - A Perfect Circle.

13) Sean Beaven tires and quits and is replaced by Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker - who (unbelievably) decided that the material needed to be re-recorded. At this point, complicating matters, Axl brings in two new musicians - guitarist Buckethead and drummer Brian 'Brain' Mantia.

14) Axl regained a huge amount of confidence after appearing live with Gilby at the Cat Club in 2000 - it was this that led to the House Of Blues & Rock In Rio performances.

15) Also due to this new-found confidence, work started again, but costs spiralled - running into $244,000. Per month.
Baker had moved the band to a new LA studio 'The Village' costing $50,000, the band's payroll was approxiamately $62,000 (roughly $11,000 each). Guitar Techs earned $6000, head engineer $14,000, and a single recording software
engineer $25,000. Per month.

16) 2001 - On some days 16 CD's were given to Axl, mainly of endless takes of the same bars. Around Christmas Axl then decided to remover both Roy Thomas Baker and long time confidant - Tom Zutaut.

17) In 2002, after the MSG show, Axl was refused entry to a nightclub in manhatten (the Spa) due to his Fur jacket. He didn't show up to the next gig in Philadelphia -? a riot ensues, and the tour completely fell apart. ' You're dealing with insecurity that is beyond most people's comprehension. Nothing happened for a while after? that. He just retreated'

18) 2004 - a letter dated 2nd February states 'Having exceeding all budgeted and approved recording costs by millions, it is Mr Rose's obligation to fund and complete the album, not Geffen's'

19) The tab at the Village recording studio was closed, all the band's equipment has been packed away, and Interscope have removed the record from any and all of their schedules.

20) However, somewhere (possibly back in Rumbo Studios) it is rumoured that, to this day, work still goes on.

[Izzy]

Half of that is guesswork - and stuff any one on this board could have written

[liquidvirus]

i dunno man....sounds kinda real to me,even though it might be exaggerated.....anyways if it is true, for godsakes Axl release the fuckin album now, stop worrying bout your ego

[RnT]

wowwwww
 

[Jamie]

Well, the writer did outline some of the things Axl has done, good or bad, I mean he wrote the good, bad and the ugly of the situation. There were no personal agendas.

[Dash_X]

Half of that is guesswork - and stuff any one on this board could have written

No, Q magazine is far from tabloid hear'say, they are probably the most honest, accurate and fair music magazine in the business - mags like Rolling Stone and NME (in-spite of their well respected history) allow their jounalists to editorialise their own agendas - Q does not, many musicians (Bono for one) champions Q for those qualities.

Also, unlike say, (god-awful) Blender magazine, it doesn't succumb to any bashing or lauding trends.

Personally i think this is best article about Axl written in a long, long time - also note not once does it mention how 'great' Velvet Revolver are.

[Doc Emmett Brown]

These are the main point from Jeff Leed's fascinating article in the October 2005 issue of Q Magazine:

I think it's a good article too.  It originally appeared in the New York Times: "The Most Expensive Album Never Made".   

Booker had posted it in a thread some time ago: http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/board/index.php?topic=19262.0

Jeff Leeds is, according to his own words, a fan of GNR: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/music/interviews/leeds.html  (from The Way Music Died).  I think this can be found in the VR section.

[MATT-A-REAL-FAN]

 Yo,
? My favorite part of that "article",is the report of him running over the suggested cds,for a producer,with his car.
 True or not,how fuckin' funny is that?!?? ?

It's wasn't enough for him to just "throw" them away,he had to completely annihilate them with his tires!? ?? "THAT'S what I think of your fuckin' suggestion!!"? ?

Aaaah....that's fuckin' classic.

Personally,I don't give a flyin' fuck how much this fuckin' album costs!! I'm not payin' for it!

 All WE have to do is........wait.

Time will go by and YOU are at fault if YOU waste YOUR time.? This album will be released in a week if Axl drops dead tomorrow. God forbid.
Sooner or later it will arrive.

 I,for one,am glad that I'M not responsible for the album and having all of this fuckin' pressure from morons who have no life.
 It will come out. Until it does,quit yer cryin' or go do something ELSE!

 GNR FOREVER!!

? ? MATT