Bumbelfoot Interview (Talks GN?R)

[jarmo]

its verrrrry clear that he thinks its ridiculous to put out another record of material from buckethead and robin finck...and its very clear Axl has zero interest of writing new songs as a "band" or "group" ... and quite frankly... that fucking sucks

Where do you get that he thinks it's ridiculous? And where do you get the number on how interested Axl is in writing/recording with the band?




/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

and to me this is the part that has the most juice and the most conflict

Bumblefoot: "The future is completely unpredictable; you all should know that. It's just trying to say, 'Alright, what direction is the tornado gonna turn?' Anything can be. I'm sure that 2014? Actually, I shouldn't say 'sure,' because it's unpredictable. But I can assume, but when we assume, we make an ass out of? Probably there will be some shows in the future, and I'm hoping that there will be some completed recordings in the future. I would like to see the band write as a band from the ground up and put some music out there. I've been saying for years that we shouldn't even tackle an entire album because it's too big a bite to take. It's too much ? it takes too much time, too much of an investment of life that just doesn't exist. Not in this day and age, and not where things are with the band. We'd be better off just doing a song at a time and putting that out. What I've always wanted to do was, before each time we go out and do a leg of touring, that we get together for a week in the studio, we write a song, we finish that song no matter what it takes, we finish it and we put it out and we play it on that leg, we give it to radio. Every single time we go out and play, we have a new song that we're doing. And if we did that, it would be an album worth of material done that would be done by this band right now. Yeah, if I was master of the universe, that's what would have happened. I mean, you're dealing with seven other people and everybody's gotta be on board and everyone has to agree on a strategy. And it has to coincide with any existing, or preexisting business agreements that are there as well. I mean, it's complicated."
Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bumblefoot-didnt-want-to-betray-axl-rose-by-jamming-with-slash/#jaQKoow85u9Gdpc4.99


its verrrrry clear that he thinks its ridiculous to put out another record of material from buckethead and robin finck...and its very clear Axl has zero interest of writing new songs as a "band" or "group" ... and quite frankly... that fucking sucks

Agree 100%.

How excited can you get about being given a basically finished song and asked to cut and paste some riffs over top of it, then have it called "collaboration"?

I see no reason to release any more Buckethead and Robin stuff.  Minimize it at least.  I'd ideally like some new stuff form people actually IN THE DAMN BAND.  Back-up plan, maybe re-record some of the older CD era songs if you think the song itself is too strong to waste.

[D-GenerationX]

Where do you get that he thinks it's ridiculous? And where do you get the number on how interested Axl is in writing/recording with the band?

How about a years long track record?  How's that grab you?

Ron has said they have yet to be in a room all together to write a note.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  He's been in the band 7 years now.

[jarmo]

Where do you get that he thinks it's ridiculous? And where do you get the number on how interested Axl is in writing/recording with the band?

How about a years long track record?  How's that grab you?

Ron has said they have yet to be in a room all together to write a note.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  He's been in the band 7 years now.

And this means he can't be interested in recording with the band in the future?
Nice try.

Read the whole quote. 


/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

And this means he can't be interested in recording with the band in the future?
Nice try.

Read the whole quote. 

Seven years, Jarmo.  Seven years is a long god damn time.

You want to me to believe this all part of the plan.  Fine.  I could make a more convincing argument the band is little more than a touring band and nothing else.  I wouldn't make that case, but I make that easier than you would trying to tell us that after the seven year lull...he's ready to pounce!!

[jarmo]

Seven years? This current line up didn't exist seven years ago. Just saying...

I don't think I need to break down the years since Dj joined because we all know what the band has done during that time.



/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

Seven years? This current line up didn't exist seven years ago. Just saying...

I don't think I need to break down the years since Dj joined because we all know what the band has done during that time.

Ron's first show was 5/12/2006.

Since that time, they have yet to write a note.  5/12/2006 right through...12/3/2013, Rolex time.

Frankly, I rounded down.

[Siamese Democracy]

Seven years? This current line up didn't exist seven years ago. Just saying...

I don't think I need to break down the years since Dj joined because we all know what the band has done during that time.



/jarmo

That didn't hold Axl back from releasing Chinese Democracy 2 years after BBF joined.  Axl can do anything he puts his mind to Jarmo you know that. 

[norway]

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bumblefoot-didnt-want-to-betray-axl-rose-by-jamming-with-slash/#jaQKoow85u9Gdpc4.99

when we had the big management fight, before joining the band, I remember hanging out with him and he liked the fact that I went after his team of lawyers that the manager sent after me to try to take me down, and I just came out swinging at them.

what is this

Frankly, I rounded down.

lol @ this  #daily jarmo vs D

 

[jacdaniel]

Based on that interview, I think its safe to assume that a new album with the current line up is not something thats even on the cards.

Sounds like any potential new album is far down the road. 

This is the most confusing situation ever... a band that spent years making an album.  Did nothing to promote it.  Do a few tours but don't seem to have any real desire to write new music or put anything out.   

[norway]

This is the most confusing situation ever... a band that spent years making an album.  Did nothing to promote it. 

Didn't Axl sue Azoff (or the company) for lack of promotion?

[jacdaniel]

This is the most confusing situation ever... a band that spent years making an album.  Did nothing to promote it. 

Didn't Axl sue Azoff (or the company) for lack of promotion?

Thats not really the point I'm making.  It just baffles me... whose to blame?  Why didn't they promote the album?  Why didn't the Better video get released?  Why don't they write or record together?  Will there ever be a new album?   

If its all management, haven't they been through quite a few changes of management already? 

Is it just a coincidence that every management team has failed? 

As fans of a band, the least you deserve to know is whether the band plans on releasing new music and if so, a rough idea of a timeframe.  2 years, 5 years, longer than that? 

Its always the same with Guns.  Never any answers.  Even the members of the band don't seem to know what the plans are.

[norway]

  It just baffles me... whose to blame?  Why didn't they promote the album? 

The media and the company desire a reunion of the original band I guess.

I would assume that is (was) the economical intrest of the company, and the demand from 'the public'.

Is it just a coincidence that every management team has failed? 

Can be all kinds of things. It's not really our buisness and I am sure he is very professional to work with, but Axl has been open about having personal problems due to childhoodstuff. 'leave axl alone!'

As fans of a band, the least you deserve to know is whether the band plans on releasing new music and if so, a rough idea of a timeframe.  2 years, 5 years, longer than that? 

Yeah, but...idkwtf

[jacdaniel]

At the end of the day, I'm not going to knock Axl, management or anyone in the band.  I genuinely don't know what the reasons are.  They could be all very valid reasons.

The only thing I do know is that they don't seem to be in any way organised, productive or offer any kind of indication of what we might expect in the future in terms of new music etc. 

This band just doesn't seem capable of any sustained productivity. 

[norway]

This band just doesn't seem capable of any sustained productivity. 

lol fail!

Not that I don't want more releases badly tho.

Maybe Axl isn't satisfied with external terms/conditions (promo), dunno.

[axlrosegnr]

People have bad days and vent. I do. Everyone does. Simple as that.

[D-GenerationX]

Maybe Axl isn't satisfied with external terms/conditions (promo), dunno.

Yeah, but his little tantrum after the least release, how is that going help him? 

You can't go on walkabout for a year after your album comes out and then express surprise they don't want to really invest in promoting you going forward.

[jarmo]

You can't go on walkabout for a year after your album comes out and then express surprise they don't want to really invest in promoting you going forward.

Aren't you rewriting history by stating something like that?

What are your thoughts on how Universal has handled the album?

Unfortunately I have no information for me to believe [that] there was any real involvement or effort from Interscope. I'm not saying there wasn't. But in my opinion, without [Interscope Geffen A&M chairman] Jimmy Iovine's involvement, it doesn't matter who anyone talks to or what they say -- virtually nothing will happen from their end.

I do know [that] I've been asking for a marketing plan for over five years and still haven't got anything. We've asked for a complete breakdown of promotion expenses and efforts from all parties but unfortunately I've received very little information, if anything, so far. On another note, the draft booklet leaking and, I believe, the early shipping of preorders and the inclusion of the early draft booklet for the release was through involvement with Interscope, which was a mess. That's not to say they don't work for other artists and make things happen. I feel they work very hard for whatever it is they truly want to sell, whether it's good or ...

I can say how the band feels, and that is that to a man they hate the record company other than Universal International with a passion. And that's with me talking with them about the record company negatively hardly ever, if at all. They're not blind: They hear the talk and see the results. Our involvement with Interscope has been more than frustrating for them. It's not like anyone here wants to have any negative views, impressions or opinions. They don't go around bitching about things all the time and they don't let it get in the way of whatever they're supposed to do here, but it is what it is.

Here's how things worked until they were no longer involved-that is, until recently. Jimmy [Iovine] and whoever would come down to the studio. Things would be good for a month. Then, according to whoever was involved at the time from their side, someone above Jimmy would start putting pressure regarding us on him, Jimmy would start pressuring others at his label [and they] would begin doing the same with us. We get that it's just how business -- and perhaps especially this business -- tends to work, but after a month of this the whole thing would get ugly and extensively interfere with getting anything productive done, and near the middle of the third month we'd arrange for Jimmy to come down again. They'd go away happy and the entire process would repeat itself over and over and over.

[Former Interscope Geffen A&M president] Tom Whalley brought in Roy Thomas Baker to produce and [A&R executive] Mark Williams suggested Marco Beltrami, among others, to play strings on the album. And Jimmy had an idea for low guitar in a track and the EQ on a drum part. That's it as far as I'm aware. They were all good things, but in all sincerity, that's it. Now, what efforts were made to help keep Universal or Vivendi off us for as long as possible could very well have been extensive, and in that regard either would have been or would be most appreciated. I like Jimmy, but I've never understood him in regard to us or this album. Everything's always been, "That's easy," or "We can fix that, no problem," but unfortunately rarely added up to any kind of reality for us until [he found] Bob Ludwig for mastering.

We'd love to have their and Jimmy's support after this. But to continue at this juncture feeling as we do, keeping things so behind the scenes, unfortunately feels like the same 'ol same 'ol for all of us and, at least momentarily, a bit much to digest. Jimmy did point us in the right direction for mastering, and I believe he's sincere in his appreciation of our record but still for whatever reasons gave up pretty early in those areas.

We feel that, unfortunately, we've never been really anything all that much more other than a throw it at the wall, see if it sticks, no real ground work, something to take advantage of, last quarter, cook the books, write-off, fuck this headache, hoping to get lucky scam. And, unfortunately, for all their nice words and assurances, nothing that's happened since the week or so before the release has shown us much of anything to the contrary. So at least in regard to the U.S., for the most part I don't look at it like we have a record company -- I look at it for the most part like we have friendly but otherwise cutthroat loan sharks, and we were lucky to get what we got but feel we could have done more if they were at least, especially with some of their backgrounds, a bit more involved creatively. So in light of pirating and the mess the major labels are in, I have no sympathy for the record companies, based on our experiences in the U.S.

The Billboard Q&A: Axl Rose - Billboard February 14, 2009 issue

Interview was hardly done a year after the album's release.




/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

You can't go on walkabout for a year after your album comes out and then express surprise they don't want to really invest in promoting you going forward.

Aren't you rewriting history by stating something like that?

No, I am not. 

For starters, I am talking about the future.  Really just trying to get ahead of the usual storyline where Axl can't get a break as explanation for why things don't happen.  I think its completely dishonest to not put some blame on him for that sort of thing.

As for the thing you quoted, its from February 2009?  Well...what did he do from mid 2008 to February 2009 to improve the situation?  He didn't like how things were handled, fine.  But then it becomes cut your nose to spite your face time with him going MIA.  Reports were that he was incommunicado from about September 2008 onward.  Who did that help?  Guess he showed them though, right?  What a righteous warrior for truth and justice.

Even if you think the label done you wrong, at what point do you take some personal responsibility for your own operation?  In no rational universe does it make sense that since you aren't happy with the label's approach that you, the artist, does nothing.  What is that accomplishing?

He's on the cover of the Rolling Stone with a phone call.  But he'd rather be mad and show them.  The result?  A band with no real relevance outside diehards on the internet and ticket buyers wanting to hear the classic songs.  Which is unfortunate.

[jarmo]

What is he supposed to do? It's his and the band's record. He can do what he wants! 
Yeah yeah yeah, I know you love that answer.

But at the end of the day, it's his choice. Even though you can scold him for it for years because he didn't do what you wanted him to.


I know you're still "upset" about the events around the album's release over five years ago.

What did he do? He gave interviews, wanted to put out the album with its proper artwork.... It seems like it was a all or nothing thing.




/jarmo