Where do we go now

[Soul Monster]

I don't expect Fernando, Beta or whoever to come over and say "Guys, we know you want new music and we're negotiating a thanksgiving release. #FingerCrossed" because things can change and then Saint Patrick's day comes and there's no album - and guess who will be blamed for it? We've seen this before.

I agree completely, and I, for one, really appreciated Fernando's tweet earlier where he said we would be informed when they had actual plans. I think that tweet was professional and to the point.
 
My worry, on the other hand, is that the band is doing itself a huge disservice by not giving any clues as to what they HOPE to do. What is the vision for the band now? What happened to Axl's twin album? The three consecutive releases every second year? We all know things didn't work out as planned, and that's okay, things rarely do, especially in the world of GN'R (and having been a fan since 1988 I don't expect them to, either), but this silence after plans have failed creates a vacuum and vague statements like "definite maybe" does nothing to allay our fears that the band has lost its drive and is no longer a creative entity, or, perhaps even worse, that the band itself has no idea what they want to do. We fill this communication vacuum with all kinds of silly expectations, lies and myths, and this does nothing to keep the fan base content nor make a harmonic relationship between band/management and fan base.

We are passionate fans with a strong love for the music. I can't help but think that more transparency would do wonders in making us more excited to be fans of Guns N' Roses, and would result in fan base and management/band working on the same side for once, towards the same common goal. We are an untapped resource to the band. We are not your enemies. Help us understand what is going on, treat us as a resource, make us excited again, and we will do our best at creating buzz for the future of GN'R.

[Lawzy]

Bit of a lurker, but I thought I'd make a few points..

Team Brazil has done a hell of a lot of good things. We've had a consistently active band, lots of shows, live streams, Facebook, Twitter, Paradise City, better website, Nightrain (I don't think it's gone to plan as of yet, but at least there is an effort to do something), interviews with Axl.

I think the professionalism point may have some value but he's the real problem..

In just under 20 years, we have had 15 original Gn'R songs, 0 music videos, 0 concert DVDs. Think about that. What's the main thing fans want? Music to listen to! We love the tours, we always go, we buy the merch. But the lack of music is what frustrates us. Kiss get constantly accused of touring on the back catalog, but even they have released more. Axl's not going to be able to sing like he does forever. We know there's loads of stuff already recorded. Why are Gn'R not making up for lost time? Did they spend all this time recording all this music to bury in a vault never to be heard? Will we get it when Axl's in his 60's and can't preform the stuff live? In the words of Axl "All I needed was clarity..And someone to tell me what the FUCK IS GOING ON!" haha

Now, this lack of output isn't Team Brazil's fault. They weren't management for almost all of that time period. It might be Axl's, it might be the record company's, but lets all remember that it's not Team Brazil's.

This has exploded the way it has because it's not really unreasonable for us to say "hey, any chance of a album update?" And to hear "complaints, complaints, complaints" is going to make people react a bit negatively. To be fair to Beta, when she said that I think some other guy posting on there (not Manets) was being a bit of a douche. And I think that's where the PR points do have some validity. However, if we'd seen Guns drop albums in '02, '06 and '08..There wouldn't have been this kind of reaction over this..Regardless of how professional or unprofessional it might be.

Fernando, if you're still reading this, thanks from me for all the good things that you guys have done so far! Things are so much better than the years of nothingness. And I really hope something good can come from all of this nonsense. There will always be trolls and haters, but the rest of us just want good things for Gn'R. We just do it in varying levels of stupidity

[team-axl]

The band has learned with chinese democracy, they won't promise things that aren't concrete...no "we'll be back next year with a bunch of new songs" this time.

This band has fans that waited for new music for 15 years, nothing they'll ever do will be enough because people will always want more, we have a talkative band...hell we have the band's manager here talking with us, we have bumble and a few other members, regular updates and shows. They will say something about new music when there's something to say.

Sure the band could explain a few things or talk about the possibility of releasing old unheard songs until we get a new album BUT we shouldnt complaint that they don't...let's wait.

[Lawzy]

I agree that we shouldn't complain, we get what we are given. But I don't see the harm in trying, so long as it is in the RIGHT way.

I think it's a good thing that Fernando feels comfortable posting here, that's something we all appreciate. Regarding the topic, I have to say that I feel a lot of it has to do with simple communication. I think it has alot to do with when people don't know what's going on with plans, albums, tours etc, they naturally vent. While I do realise that there are a hell of alot of "fans" who act immature in "venting", I also can't deny that GN'R in theory could do more in keeping fans in the loop as to what's planned and how things are progressing.

I agree with you.

Fernando seems to agree here, lets not dismiss this completely. This is actually huge. IF we can get better communication as to the bands plans, it can only be a good thing. If not, no harm done. Just little snippets like:

"We are currently in the process of negotiating with the label for the DVD release. There are some issues to be resolved but we're working as hard as we can to get it to you. In the meantime, thanks for your patience."

Or..

"We're busy with our tour schedule currently, but we hope to hit the studio later this year."

Those are examples of course, but something so simple could be such a huge thing. We have no right to complain if fans don't get what Metallica (for example) get, but wouldn't it great to have Guns talked about in the same vein?

[LongGoneDay]

A lot of the "negativity" surrounding GN'R comes down to the success they had in their heyday, and the expectations it would continue.
Going from 5 releases in 6 years, taking the world by storm, in the same conversation as rock gods like the Rolling Stones and then to have that all flushed down the toilet, in the middle of what many considered their prime was a bit hard to swallow for many GN'R fans.

Then you take into account the (right or wrong) perception that Axl was the odd man out, the one guy who couldn't go along to get along, as evidenced by ex-member accounts, the Project, VR etc, and people wanted to believe that Axl must have had some big plans, vision, if he was really serious about continuing on with the GN'R moniker without the other members responsible for it's success.

Flash forward 20 years, and only one album has been released, and the latest update from the band is that there is no update. Surely this could not have been Axl's vision of GN'R, unless he has a very warped sense of humor.

Granted life doesn't often go according to plan, but GN'R has trended downward over the last 20 years, rebounded with it's lone release, and since become stagnant.
Sure there have been plenty of positive moments along the way, but it's not hard to see why many fans would find the trajectory of GN'Rs career post UYI disappointing.

Axl trudged on with the heavy GN'R name, and unfortunately as a result many of his fans haven't been able to let go of the expectations that come along with it.
Interest is there, which I guess is a blessing and a curse depending on how you look at it.

I myself separated this incarnation long ago from the era of Guns I grew up on. I believe this is the cure all. My expectations of this incarnation are I have no expectations.
If anythings ever released, and I enjoy it, fantastic. In the meantime, I'll periodically check for updates, and follow the countless projects of the very much active ex-members.

[imsorry]

A shut mouth catches no flies... we are Going Down! 

[raindogs70]

Some fans have the "squeaky wheel" attitude I guess, they think that bitching and complaining pushes artists into going back to work.

Maybe now that there have been steps taken to discourage people from getting music for free the past couple of years, GNR might finally feel it's time to put new music out in the next few years. A lot of people have no idea how discouraging it was for musicians to put music out for the past decade.  Record companies are to blame because they took way too long to catch up with technology, and they were set in their ways of "doing business".

I would rather know it was finished and coming out in 2 weeks, and not hear about them working on it, because that's just going to lead to more complaints.

Maybe Axl's had it finished for a while and didn't want to discuss it with the band in case they let it slip, and didn't want more leaks getting out.

[jarmo]

We are not talking about what the band can do to shut up the haters, we are talking about what the band can do to appear slightly less dysfunctional and remove some of the basis for the growing frustration.

As far as I can tell, the frustration is only about one simple thing.
People want new music. They need to know the when's, how's, who's and the where's. Maybe there's some kind of feeling of entitlement. "I've been a fan for __ years, I've supported the band, I spent $____ on GN'R" so they feel they deserve an album for their investments.

I didn't know wanting to hear new music has to be such an active thing. That you have to complain about the waiting on a daily/weekly basis. I don't know, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we all go through this same frustration phase once before? And did we learn anything from it? Did all those years of "frustrated waiting" really help?

I'm sorry that our favorite band doesn't fit the needs or the schedules of those who are frustrated.




/jarmo

[Ginger King]

It's not so much (at least to me) to want to know the when's, how's, who's and the where's, but rather IF new music is in the band's future, or whether the direction is to tour and play the hits.  It seems that the message thus far has been intentionally vague, which leaves people to wonder.

And I certainly don't think I'm an entitled fan that can demand to know, but at the same time I don't want to be patronized or scolded for wanting to know.  The level of communication from band members and management has been disjointed at best, with (deleted) tweets and conflicting interviews.  Some form of consistent message would be good.

Labling everyone that asks questions about the furture of the band as complainers and entitled fans is not the way to go.  It's a cop-out (again, in my opinion) to hide behind the "can't please everyone" mantra. 

[Soul Monster]

We are not talking about what the band can do to shut up the haters, we are talking about what the band can do to appear slightly less dysfunctional and remove some of the basis for the growing frustration.

As far as I can tell, the frustration is only about one simple thing.
People want new music. They need to know the when's, how's, who's and the where's. Maybe there's some kind of feeling of entitlement. "I've been a fan for __ years, I've supported the band, I spent $____ on GN'R" so they feel they deserve an album for their investments.

I am sure there is a sense of entitlement for some fans. But that is not what I am talking about at all.

I didn't know wanting to hear new music has to be such an active thing. That you have to complain about the waiting on a daily/weekly basis. I don't know, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we all go through this same frustration phase once before? And did we learn anything from it? Did all those years of "frustrated waiting" really help?

The big difference between the years leading up to the release of CD and the years following is that before the release Axl seemed excited about the future. He talked about the songs, he talked about his release schedule, he talked about what he wanted to achieve, he created a buzz about the future through his own excitement. After the release of CD (and his chat with fans on the forums) his typical response would be, "we want to tour CD for some time", "we'll see what the deal with the label is" and "definite maybe". I am sure you are not oblivious to this marked difference in Axl in regards to the future.

And although this doesn't AT ALL gives us an entitlement to hear from him, nor is he in any way obliged to share anything with us at all, it is very obvious to me that the band would benefit from sharing more with us. They don't have to, we can't demand it, but they should. It makes sense business-wise because -- given that the band actually has some plans of future releases -- it kills all speculation that the band has stopped being a creating entity and it gives us fans a reason to be excited again. And when the hardcores are excited we tend to talk to the casual fans, we talk to our friends about our band, we write passionate comments on Blabbermouth, we create a buzz, a talking point, we help define what is relevant and important in music culture. Basically, we would be a resource.

[JAEBALL]

A lot of the "negativity" surrounding GN'R comes down to the success they had in their heyday, and the expectations it would continue.
Going from 5 releases in 6 years, taking the world by storm, in the same conversation as rock gods like the Rolling Stones and then to have that all flushed down the toilet, in the middle of what many considered their prime was a bit hard to swallow for many GN'R fans.

Then you take into account the (right or wrong) perception that Axl was the odd man out, the one guy who couldn't go along to get along, as evidenced by ex-member accounts, the Project, VR etc, and people wanted to believe that Axl must have had some big plans, vision, if he was really serious about continuing on with the GN'R moniker without the other members responsible for it's success.

Flash forward 20 years, and only one album has been released, and the latest update from the band is that there is no update. Surely this could not have been Axl's vision of GN'R, unless he has a very warped sense of humor.

Granted life doesn't often go according to plan, but GN'R has trended downward over the last 20 years, rebounded with it's lone release, and since become stagnant.
Sure there have been plenty of positive moments along the way, but it's not hard to see why many fans would find the trajectory of GN'Rs career post UYI disappointing.

Axl trudged on with the heavy GN'R name, and unfortunately as a result many of his fans haven't been able to let go of the expectations that come along with it.
Interest is there, which I guess is a blessing and a curse depending on how you look at it.

I myself separated this incarnation long ago from the era of Guns I grew up on. I believe this is the cure all. My expectations of this incarnation are I have no expectations.
If anythings ever released, and I enjoy it, fantastic. In the meantime, I'll periodically check for updates, and follow the countless projects of the very much active ex-members.

Very well said. Could not agree more....the interesest/passioante fan base has been a double edge sword considering that Axl alone is and has been responsible for keeping it going ... thats the way he wanted it

[Ginger King]

The big difference between the years leading up to the release of CD and the years following is that before the release Axl seemed excited about the future. He talked about the songs, he talked about his release schedule, he talked about what he wanted to achieve, he created a buzz about the future through his own excitement. After the release of CD (and his chat with fans on the forums) his typical response would be, "we want to tour CD for some time", "we'll see what the deal with the label is" and "definite maybe". I am sure you are not oblivious to this marked difference in Axl in regards to the future.

[/quote]

You're exactly right.  I watched RIR 2001 the other day (can't believe that was 12 years ago) and there was definitely a buzz and excitement about it, some of it had to do with Axl's presence and demeanor, which was upbeat, positive, and forward thinking ("we'll be back next year with a whole bunch of new songs") and some of it had to do with hearing new music (SOD, Silkworms, Madagascar, OMG, etc.).  Plus, the footage at the end when Beta comes on stage is truly heartwarming and genuine.  She and others clearly helped him, and for that we should all be eternally grateful. 

I think people want to get back to that level of excitement, or better understand why that's gone.

[Jude]

Speaking for myself I would like to know what gets in the way of the band releasing new music...

Let's face the quite obvious thing here: maybe they just aren't in a hurry to release anything new soon (even many of us fans would LOVE to hear new GNR music, and the band knows it)? At least that's the feeling I get when I am listening this new interview with Pitman: http://www.radiorock.fi/?vt=video&vid=347733

Direct quote from him, and I think this tells a lot about the situation with GN'R nowadays: "Just like Guns. We don't care, you know? We'll go out and play songs that people know, but we're not knocking ourselves out to release new music. There's no need to, now. It's not the time or place."

So there you have it, maybe it's just the band itself thats in the way of releasing new music. I don't have high hopes for next year, maybe around 2015-2016 we'll have something new out (even a live DVD or album maybe?). But it clearly seems like the band isn't having too much stress about the release of the next album (some of the guys like Chris are working on their own projects at the moment etc, these are clear signs that the band isn't working on anything new at the moment, well maybe Axl is but that's pretty much it).

[jarmo]

The big difference between the years leading up to the release of CD and the years following is that before the release Axl seemed excited about the future. He talked about the songs, he talked about his release schedule, he talked about what he wanted to achieve, he created a buzz about the future through his own excitement. After the release of CD (and his chat with fans on the forums) his typical response would be, "we want to tour CD for some time", "we'll see what the deal with the label is" and "definite maybe". I am sure you are not oblivious to this marked difference in Axl in regards to the future.

Fair enough.

You list many examples of things said that you say created excitement.

But you fail to mention anything else. Like what would make somebody be more cautious?
I don't know about you, but if you spent a number of years working on an album, hearing some of your fans being frustrated and saying things like "all we need is an album". Then once its out people starting to ask about the next one within a year while you're still touring the world....


How can you mention the chats and use that as an example of him not talking about future releases? He mentions specific song titles.

And although this doesn't AT ALL gives us an entitlement to hear from him, nor is he in any way obliged to share anything with us at all, it is very obvious to me that the band would benefit from sharing more with us. They don't have to, we can't demand it, but they should. It makes sense business-wise because -- given that the band actually has some plans of future releases -- it kills all speculation that the band has stopped being a creating entity and it gives us fans a reason to be excited again. And when the hardcores are excited we tend to talk to the casual fans, we talk to our friends about our band, we write passionate comments on Blabbermouth, we create a buzz, a talking point, we help define what is relevant and important in music culture. Basically, we would be a resource.

Remember all those people saying Chinese Democracy would never come out? I do.
The same exact thing is happening now and people are fine with it.

Like I said, didn't we learn anything in the past. Band members talked and it was labeled as lies. We had to explain to the frustrated fans that tentative doesn't mean it was a guarantee or a promise.
Now we have these same people, or same kind of people, saying there's no new music, nothing is ever gonna come out and whining about having an active band playing shows.

There's no easy solution to make everybody happy. Acting like there is, is just naive. Yet I'm the one who's supposed to live in a bubble. Ironic.

Chinese Democracy came out, and it was supposed to be this happy time where everybody's got the album they needed for sooooo long. Immediately we had people looking for faults with it. Is that how you show happiness? I don't know. Seemed a bit weird way of enjoying the album you had needed.


There's a difference between "can't wait to hear the new GN'R album " and "can't wait anymore for the new GN'R album    "....


Edited to add:


So basically "the frustrated fans" want:

More communication. But only about concrete things, nothing tentative or something that might not happen as announced, because then they'll get more frustrated for being "lied to".

They want to now everything, but not too much because that would ruin the mystery.

They want the band to play lots of shows, but also record so there's new albums out within a time frame that suits them

Every show needs to be different, even though they might not attend any of them.

Axl needs to do more interviews, but only talk about future albums. And nothing too vague or tentative plans.


Is that about right?


/jarmo

[The Wight Gunner]

The thing is, these days with Twitter, facebook etc, the band can use these to garner interest from the music press, who in turn create a stream of Gn'R news.  Now suppose, Axl decides that say on Halloween, he does a 24hour drip feed of new material, 24 new tracks, each and all as just 15 second segments, this would see website getting mental amounts of hits. They need to do something different, this is in my view one such scheme they could do to lead the way to create the excitement a music release deserves.

You would see the music world cream themselves on this gold, waiting for the next instalment to appear ... In turn the music label get their answer into how the band are being received. As Oscar Wilde said "There's one thing worst than being talked about, and that is not being talked about..." And sadly, although when they appear in an area where they are about to perform, they get exposure, there is very little beyond this, these days.

[slash&axl]

We waited for this album for an eon.  It comes out, Axl goes MIA for over a solid year.  Who does that?  That's a natural thing?  To work on something all that time, do precisely zero promotion outside a few unfocused chats on some random message boards, and that's normal?  And WE become the bad guys when we ask what that's about?

So you still think that's not respecting your fans? By not promoting the album and instead talking directly to the fans? That's disrespecting your fans?

What is it...good?

You work 10 plus years on an album.  It comes out, you disappear.  No other major act does this, Jarmo.  None.

The only "press" you do is a pre-arranged interview with pre-approved questions.  And a bunch of rambling chants online, very little of which has to do with the new material, the current band, any of it.  That's who got fucked on this the worst.  How would you like to put all this time and effort into a project that looked like it may never see the light of day, only to have it actually come out...and your captain goes off the reservation?  Or have him only want to talk about the growing more ever distant past?

You tour all over the world, mostly in secret.  No press, no announcement, no local promotion.  Its up to diehards on message boards to stay informed?  No major act does this, Jarmo.

And that is your response?  "Hey, he did sit down with Jimmy Kimmel 4 years later, stop your bitching?"  Are you serious right now? 

Axl's management told Gary Dell'abate, the producer of the Howard Stern show that he would do Howards show. Now that would have been a full hour and a half no commercial interview. That's the kind of interview that us fans would kill for. A shame it never happened.

Howard would never allow any of it to be pre-arranged too, otherwise he just wouldn't do it

But in regards to the Jimmy Kimmel show, all those interviews include usually a pre interview over the phone, where the guest is asked for stories they can bring up

[Soul Monster]

The big difference between the years leading up to the release of CD and the years following is that before the release Axl seemed excited about the future. He talked about the songs, he talked about his release schedule, he talked about what he wanted to achieve, he created a buzz about the future through his own excitement. After the release of CD (and his chat with fans on the forums) his typical response would be, "we want to tour CD for some time", "we'll see what the deal with the label is" and "definite maybe". I am sure you are not oblivious to this marked difference in Axl in regards to the future.

Fair enough.

You list many examples of things said that you say created excitement.

But you fail to mention anything else. Like what would make somebody be more cautious?
I don't know about you, but if you spent a number of years working on an album, hearing some of your fans being frustrated and saying things like "all we need is an album". Then once its out people starting to ask about the next one within a year while you're still touring the world....

Fine. But if that is the case here, that Axl is demotivated because of the lack of praise he has been getting, then THAT is exactly what I want them to communicate to us. It is much better for us to hear the truth, even if it isn't what we want to hear, then just having to sit on the side line watching the band seemingly lose focus and drive and just hear lacklustre responses from Axl whenever he talks about the future.

How can you mention the chats and use that as an example of him not talking about future releases? He mentions specific song titles.

I was a bit unclear here, with pre-CD I meant the broad time period right after and before the release where Axl still seemed excited. The chats happened just when things started to shift.

Remember all those people saying Chinese Democracy would never come out? I do.
The same exact thing is happening now and people are fine with it.

Again, there is a difference here. Those that didn't believe in CD ever being released did so DESPITE the excitement of the band, despite Axl talking about his vision, despite the leaks. Those that don't believe in any future releases don't do that despite much at all, because Axl isn't out there creating a buzz about the future, because we haven't had any leaks that conclusively indicated a future release, and the band doesn't seem excited at all but mostly focused on side projects.

So again, there is a difference.

There's no easy solution to make everybody happy. Acting like there is, is just naive. Yet I'm the one who's supposed to live in a bubble. Ironic.

I hope you are not talking about me, now, because I have never claimed there is such an easy solution nor do I believe it exist. What I am talking about is to remove some of the foundation for many fans frustration: the uncertainty in regards to what Axl wants with CD now that his previous plans apparently have fallen through. I agree with you that this won't silence ALL criticism, but it will stem the trend I am currently observing where the more moderate fans, like myself, grow uneasy with what is happening with the band. We, and I am speaking for this middle block of fans, the moderates, will never demand anything, we don't feel we are owed anything, we will never retort to abuse towards the band or management, we will never do any silly thing, but we might stop caring. And the band shouldn't be indifferent to this rather large number of fans losing excitement.

Chinese Democracy came out, and it was supposed to be this happy time where everybody's got the album they needed for sooooo long. Immediately we had people looking for faults with it. Is that how you show happiness? I don't know. Seemed a bit weird way of enjoying the album you had needed.

Again, you are not talking about me or those I might happen to represent. I was thrilled when CD was released.

More communication. But only about concrete things, nothing tentative or something that might not happen as announced, because then they'll get more frustrated for being "lied to".

They want to now everything, but not too much because that would ruin the mystery.

They want the band to play lots of shows, but also record so there's new albums out within a time frame that suits them

Every show needs to be different, even though they might not attend any of them.

Axl needs to do more interviews, but only talk about future albums. And nothing too vague or tentative plans.


Is that about right?

No, that is not how I see it at all. Communication of vague plans or communication of concrete plans (even if they fall through), is a lot better than no communication at all which just begs the conclusion that there are no plans at all. To maintain our excitement we need to know there are SOME plans. To maintain our interest we need to know the band is interested in the future, because if the band isn't, how can we be? We need to know Axl is still passionate about the future, because if not, we won't be either. They can disclose ridiculously detailed plans if they want to, or they can just say "we will tour for one more year and then we will try to release before 2015", or something like that...ALL of this would be better than "we'll wait and see", "not thinking about that now", or "definite maybe", because all of these last three responses suggests that Axl has lost his enthusiasm, and that is worst case scenario for everyone who loves the music that man creates.

[peter7411226]

Why is fans demanding new music from there favorite band a bad thing? I can't rap my head around the logic of this. The fact that you have such die hards who are interested in hearing new music from this lineup should be a great thing. Should fans be content with going to a show and hearing " the Hits"? And another thing i keep hearing posters speaking of negativity this negativity that. For a band that supposedly doesnt give two shits about anything they are very sensitive.

[jarmo]

Fine. But if that is the case here, that Axl is demotivated because of the lack of praise he has been getting, then THAT is exactly what I want them to communicate to us. It is much better for us to hear the truth, even if it isn't what we want to hear, then just having to sit on the side line watching the band seemingly lose focus and drive and just hear lacklustre responses from Axl whenever he talks about the future.

Praise? Who said anything about praise.

Do you honestly think Axl tweeting: "We want to release an album, we need to take care of a few things first" would make people happy?

It's just another case of certain people needed to be patted on their backs. If the band doesn't say "We love our fans", some start saying "they don't care about us".

I was a bit unclear here, with pre-CD I meant the broad time period right after and before the release where Axl still seemed excited. The chats happened just when things started to shift.

Maybe he was focused on the tour. Is that bad?

Again, there is a difference here. Those that didn't believe in CD ever being released did so DESPITE the excitement of the band, despite Axl talking about his vision, despite the leaks. Those that don't believe in any future releases don't do that despite much at all, because Axl isn't out there creating a buzz about the future, because we haven't had any leaks that conclusively indicated a future release, and the band doesn't seem excited at all but mostly focused on side projects.

So again, there is a difference.

Ok. So because in the past Axl talked about Chinese Democracy, you were excited. Now, you're not. Because he's not talking about the next album.
Once again, you assume talking is the answer...

I hope you are not talking about me, now, because I have never claimed there is such an easy solution nor do I believe it exist.

No, talking in general.

What I am talking about is to remove some of the foundation for many fans frustration: the uncertainty in regards to what Axl wants with CD now that his previous plans apparently have fallen through.

Well some of us have the attitude that "when they got news, they'll tell us". It works quite well for some of us.

No, that is not how I see it at all. Communication of vague plans or communication of concrete plans (even if they fall through), is a lot better than no communication at all which just begs the conclusion that there are no plans at all.

Maybe it's the Finnish in me, but I agree with how GN'R does things. If you don't have anything to say, don't say anything.
Communicating for the sake of communicating doesn't really do anything for me. That's just me.

To maintain our excitement we need to know there are SOME plans.

According to Fernando, news is coming.  

Why is fans demanding new music from there favorite band a bad thing?

Usually it's a positive thing. But in some cases, it's just this negative thing. People choose to make it that.



/jarmo

[Soul Monster]

Do you honestly think Axl tweeting: "We want to release an album, we need to take care of a few things first" would make people happy?

I can only speak for myself and I say unequivocally yes! I would be very happy to hear Axl say he wants to release more music again. Because right now it is not clear at all that he wants to. He doesn't seem excited about new music at all.

It's just another case of certain people needed to be patted on their backs. If the band doesn't say "We love our fans", some start saying "they don't care about us".

No, it has to do with the band demonstrating a desire to actually be creative and not just continue to tour. We are talking about the difference between becoming a nostalgia act and trying to remain relevant. You might dismiss this as "us wanted to be patted on the back", I believe you are grossly misrepresenting my point to make it easy to ridicule.

Maybe he was focused on the tour. Is that bad?

He obviously focused on the tour, and that isn't bad. But he also managed to both tour AND talk about the future in 2002 and 2006. Why is that different now? Again, this suggests a change in Axl that is disconcerting.

Ok. So because in the past Axl talked about Chinese Democracy, you were excited. Now, you're not. Because he's not talking about the next album.
Once again, you assume talking is the answer...

I am saying that the excitement surrounding the band among the fan base dwindles for each unenthusiastic comment from Axl. And yes, keeping our interest for GN'R requires that we believe the band wants to continue to create and release music, and if that is the case, then this is excellently conveyed through talking to us. So yes, talking IS the answer to allaying our fears. I am repeating myself, but the frustration grows from uncertainty, and this uncertainty can be dispelled through some proper communication.

Well some of us have the attitude that "when they got news, they'll tell us". It works quite well for some of us.

And that is fine. The problem now sticks deeper, though, because it isn't about WHEN they will eventually announce a release data but IF they will announce a release data, which again stems from this seemingly shift in Axl's attitude towards the future. If Axl continued to talk about the future with the passion he used to have prior to CD, then we wouldn't really need a release date because we knew what his goal was, we knew he as interested in giving us more music, we knew he was out to demonstrate what a fantastic artist and musician he is.

Maybe it's the Finnish in me, but I agree with how GN'R does things. If you don't have anything to say, don't say anything.
Communicating for the sake of communicating doesn't really do anything for me. That's just me.

It is not communication for the sake of communication. Doing public relations with the intent of telling the world that GN'R as a creative entity is alive and kicking and that we will have great music some time in the future, is basic PR 101 and not "empty communication without any purpose". The result is more excitement among the fans which will benefit the band in various ways as described earlier. But sure, if the goal of Axl is to see the excitement die out among the fans, an excitement he has spent years on creating, to see us become indifferent to what will happen with GN'R, then vague answers or non-communication do a perfect job. Because we remember how passionate Axl used to be, how excited he was about the future.

To maintain our excitement we need to know there are SOME plans.

According to Fernando, news is coming.  

That's true. Looking forward to that I hope it is some news that actually tells us anything about what Axl's overall plans for GN'R are, and not "only" an announcement of some new shows.