Slash says "never say never" over return to classic-era GN'R lineup

[LongGoneDay]

Obviously I hope everyone is healthy, but I think people seem to forget this is rock n? roll, and Guns N? Roses we are talking about.
What?s wrong with a wild card? Granted I?m not fronting the money for it, but the last thing the world needs is for a neatly packaged, safe and predictable Guns N? Roses. If that?s what?s in store, leave it buried. I?d rather remember them the way they went out. On top.

[EmilyGNR]

Well if you like it here so much, why are you constantly going back and forth with the same people? Not everyone shares the same opinions. The confrontation that may arise every once in awhile. I get that. People feel strongly about certain things and feel the need to passionately respond. I've been doing so as a Patriots fan the last few months, especially the last few weeks. But when it's pretty much an every day occurrence. I don't see the point in that. Maybe I'm alone there.

Hahaha.  Yeah, rough few weeks for the Pats fans.

As for the back and forth, let me ask you a question.  There are only 2 people here I butt heads with, Emily and Jarmo.  Emily seems to hate everyone, so I don't really take that one personally.  

But who are the only people Jarmo seeks out?  Look at his posts.  Me, mortis, Ginger King, etc.  There are any number of "real fans" around here he doesn't even look at.  But he couldn't ignore any of we "whiners" on a bet.

And what are we supposed to do at that point?  Ignore him?  Because I tried that a few times.  He still follows me around and asks why I'm ignoring him.  I have tried to make the argument that the board is probably better off if he and I sort of kept away from each other.  He ain't having it.

What am I supposed to do?

I can be posting here for two hours talking to all sort of folks.  Never a problem.  The minute Jarmo gets here, things go to hell for me.  You can bet dollars to donuts that if he is the last post after not being here for a few hours, it will be him quoting some post of mine, or mortis, or some other perceived dissident.  And it ain't to tell us we're awesome.  It's to pick a fight.  Even if what he quoted was 45 minutes ago, and the conversation had been going on without incident the whole time.

What should I be doing differently?

You poor victimized soul, life is so hard on you and you claim you don't know why, nice act.

Contrary to your perceptions, I don't hate anyone here. I don't take the internet that seriously, so you are wrong.

I do object to 2-3 here that seem to have an injured anus about GNR, for whatever reason, and come here day in and day out to whine, and offer up unsolicited amateur advice about non-negotiable issues in an apparent attempt to justify their sad and empty lives and have their online personality appear knowledgeable and witty to other online users, it is more than pathetic.

Other than that, I am a supportive fan that actually enjoys the band and every one of the shows I have been to over the years. I shouldn't be called brainwashed, or a cult member, or it insinuated that somehow I am less than intelligent or subhuman for feeling like that. It is called being a fan.

What is insane is the 2-3 people that feel compelled to come here, berate the real fans, complain, whine, and expect no backlash from that behavior. That is another symptom of entitlement issues, imo.

[EmilyGNR]

If it were to happen, should be all or nothing.
Anything less than Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff, Steven would be a sham.
I?d be more than fine with Matt tagging along as well, but if Steven is still breathing, not including him would be cruel.

This is all theoretical anyway, but any contribution that steven could make are far outweighed by his issues and drawbacks, If his contributions were so valuable more people would have tried to work with him despite his problems, I don't blame anyone for avoiding him.

He wrote no songs, he sued the band twice, he has had countless relapses and overdoses, and he shoots his mouth off inappropriately calling current GNR members "hacks" and "scabs" for instance.

I can't picture a scenario where it would be beneficial to take such a dire chance by utilizing him. If he falls back into drugs because of that, it is nobody's fault but his own. He has made his bed.

[faldor]

Well if you like it here so much, why are you constantly going back and forth with the same people? Not everyone shares the same opinions. The confrontation that may arise every once in awhile. I get that. People feel strongly about certain things and feel the need to passionately respond. I've been doing so as a Patriots fan the last few months, especially the last few weeks. But when it's pretty much an every day occurrence. I don't see the point in that. Maybe I'm alone there.

Hahaha.  Yeah, rough few weeks for the Pats fans.

As for the back and forth, let me ask you a question.  There are only 2 people here I butt heads with, Emily and Jarmo.  Emily seems to hate everyone, so I don't really take that one personally.  

But who are the only people Jarmo seeks out?  Look at his posts.  Me, mortis, Ginger King, etc.  There are any number of "real fans" around here he doesn't even look at.  But he couldn't ignore any of we "whiners" on a bet.

And what are we supposed to do at that point?  Ignore him?  Because I tried that a few times.  He still follows me around and asks why I'm ignoring him.  I have tried to make the argument that the board is probably better off if he and I sort of kept away from each other.  He ain't having it.

What am I supposed to do?

I can be posting here for two hours talking to all sort of folks.  Never a problem.  The minute Jarmo gets here, things go to hell for me.  You can bet dollars to donuts that if he is the last post after not being here for a few hours, it will be him quoting some post of mine, or mortis, or some other perceived dissident.  And it ain't to tell us we're awesome.  It's to pick a fight.  Even if what he quoted was 45 minutes ago, and the conversation had been going on without incident the whole time.

What should I be doing differently?

While I try not to play too close attention to the back and forth bickering, I wouldn't say you're completely innocent in the matter. If you feel certain people are going out of their way to attack you, maybe don't engage them. Is there an "ignore" button here? A one sided fight can't last too long. Listen, you're free to do whatever you want to do. It just seems like a tiresome and monotonous day to day effort. But if you don't see it that way, I'll continue to try to sift through, or more likely around, all the colorful banter.

[Bridge]

If it were to happen, should be all or nothing.
Anything less than Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff, Steven would be a sham.

Agreed.  If it weren't the original five, I wouldn't be attending, and I'm not fucking kidding.  I'm too old to fuck around with bands who fuck me around.

I've been to concerts for years.  I've seen hundreds of bands.  I've paid my dues as a concertgoer.  I've taken the time off work.  I've sat in traffic for hours.  I've spent the money on tickets.  I've spent the money on gas and food.  I've stood outside venues holding my bladder forever waiting for them to open the damn doors.  I've driven (and walked) through slimy, ghetto ass cities being accosted by scumbags -- just to get to the venue from the nearest overpriced parking garage.  I've gotten home at 3 a.m. and slept 2 hours before having to get up for work again.  I've gotten hurt in the pits at Ozzfest.  I've screamed myself hoarse.  I've gotten bronchitis from being vocal at concerts in clubs laden with filthy cigarette smoke, and I've paid the health costs to get myself well after that.

I've done it all, for years and years and years.

In short, I'm too old for this shit.

If Guns N Roses can't/won't give me a FULL reunion of the FIVE original members I fell in love with, I'm not going through the shit all over again.  And that's not even to mention the added liability of Axl's notoriously late starts and unpredictable behavior.  Going through all the above shit, sitting around until midnight for the show to even start, worrying about Axl storming offstage, and NOT even having the full original lineup that I fell in love with?

Fuck that.  You can have my seat.  And no, I wouldn't be missing anything.

[JAEBALL]

If it were to happen, should be all or nothing.
Anything less than Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff, Steven would be a sham.
I?d be more than fine with Matt tagging along as well, but if Steven is still breathing, not including him would be cruel.

This is all theoretical anyway, but any contribution that steven could make are far outweighed by his issues and drawbacks, If his contributions were so valuable more people would have tried to work with him despite his problems, I don't blame anyone for avoiding him.

He wrote no songs, he sued the band twice, he has had countless relapses and overdoses, and he shoots his mouth off inappropriately calling current GNR members "hacks" and "scabs" for instance.

I can't picture a scenario where it would be beneficial to take such a dire chance by utilizing him. If he falls back into drugs because of that, it is nobody's fault but his own. He has made his bed.

Emily ... No beef but do you post on other boards with different screen names? This post is close to identical to some other post I read on another site , no beef just maybe a coincidence.

I don't understand the hatred for Steven ... But c'est la vie

[JAEBALL]

If it were to happen, should be all or nothing.
Anything less than Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff, Steven would be a sham.

Agreed.  If it weren't the original five, I wouldn't be attending, and I'm not fucking kidding.  I'm too old to fuck around with bands who fuck me around.

I've been to concerts for years.  I've seen hundreds of bands.  I've paid my dues as a concertgoer.  I've taken the time off work.  I've sat in traffic for hours.  I've spent the money on tickets.  I've spent the money on gas and food.  I've stood outside venues holding my bladder forever waiting for them to open the damn doors.  I've driven (and walked) through slimy, ghetto ass cities being accosted by scumbags -- just to get to the venue from the nearest overpriced parking garage.  I've gotten home at 3 a.m. and slept 2 hours before having to get up for work again.  I've gotten hurt in the pits at Ozzfest.  I've screamed myself hoarse.  I've gotten bronchitis from being vocal at concerts in clubs laden with filthy cigarette smoke, and I've paid the health costs to get myself well after that.

I've done it all, for years and years and years.

In short, I'm too old for this shit.

If Guns N Roses can't/won't give me a FULL reunion of the FIVE original members I fell in love with, I'm not going through the shit all over again.  And that's not even to mention the added liability of Axl's notoriously late starts and unpredictable behavior.  Going through all the above shit, sitting around until midnight for the show to even start, worrying about Axl storming offstage, and NOT even having the full original lineup that I fell in love with?

Fuck that.  You can have my seat.

While I don't know if Id give up my seat lol

But I get ur point ... It would seem silly to make so many amends and still leave one person at home.

[FunkyMonkey]

He wrote no songs, he sued the band twice, he has had countless relapses and overdoses, and he shoots his mouth off inappropriately calling current GNR members "hacks" and "scabs" for instance.

Steven later apologized...

?Sometimes my emotions get the best of me when talking about my former band. It?s hard to see your ex in bed with somebody else. We created one of the biggest selling debut albums of all time and it?s no secret that I want to finish what we started 25 years ago and play together at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. The guys that Axl has put together are all great players. They?re not hacks in the sense that they can?t play, they?re all incredible musicians. I just meant that they are not the original lineup. I would like to apologize to Axl, Bumblefoot, D.J., Tommy, Dizzy, Richard, Frank, and Chris for my statement.?

If a reunion was ever to happen, like Duff said, past resentments would have to be let go...

Duff McKagan: Resentment is like yourself taking poison. And hoping the other person gets hurt from it. Resentment is killing you. It's eating you up.

[Bridge]

Yeah, Steven has certainly fucked up a lot, but it's a shame people discredit Steven's genuine talent in favor of mentioning that.  It's funny, people on this board always ignore my posts when I quote Slash, Izzy, or Duff when they've spoken about how valuable Steven's contributions to GNR really were.  Instead people focus on the drugs and rants and deemphasize his considerable musicianship.

[Spirit]

A full-blown reunion would be a cool thing, no doubt.

I was thinking about it and I do believe for the general public to be satisfied regarding a reunion, Slash, Duff and Axl would actually be sufficient. For many, who only know the hits, these three are often the ones they know the name of.

100% of the hardcore fans would include Izzy too of course, and then Steven for a percentage (50% maybe) of that fan base.

[D-GenerationX]

This is all theoretical anyway, but any contribution that steven could make are far outweighed by his issues and drawbacks, If his contributions were so valuable more people would have tried to work with him despite his problems, I don't blame anyone for avoiding him.

He wrote no songs, he sued the band twice, he has had countless relapses and overdoses, and he shoots his mouth off inappropriately calling current GNR members "hacks" and "scabs" for instance.

I can't picture a scenario where it would be beneficial to take such a dire chance by utilizing him. If he falls back into drugs because of that, it is nobody's fault but his own. He has made his bed.

Spot on.

[Spirit]

He wrote no songs, he sued the band twice, he has had countless relapses and overdoses, and he shoots his mouth off inappropriately calling current GNR members "hacks" and "scabs" for instance.

Steven later apologized...

?Sometimes my emotions get the best of me when talking about my former band. It?s hard to see your ex in bed with somebody else. We created one of the biggest selling debut albums of all time and it?s no secret that I want to finish what we started 25 years ago and play together at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. The guys that Axl has put together are all great players. They?re not hacks in the sense that they can?t play, they?re all incredible musicians. I just meant that they are not the original lineup. I would like to apologize to Axl, Bumblefoot, D.J., Tommy, Dizzy, Richard, Frank, and Chris for my statement.?

If a reunion was ever to happen, like Duff said, past resentments would have to be let go...

Duff McKagan: Resentment is like yourself taking poison. And hoping the other person gets hurt from it. Resentment is killing you. It's eating you up.

I don't think there's any hatred or much resentment against Steven either from the original band or the fans.

But the situation around him is what it is, he is a loose cannon and I think it would be more about the risk of bringing him with you into the majors again. Can he handle it? That has more to do with being precautionary. It would certainly not be an easy decision to make.

[Bridge]

I was thinking about it and I do believe for the general public to be satisfied regarding a reunion, Slash, Duff and Axl would actually be sufficient.

I don't think the general public cares enough to make any form of GNR reunion a massive success.  Maybe moderate enough to justify the costs, but not a juggernaut.

[D-GenerationX]

If Guns N Roses can't/won't give me a FULL reunion of the FIVE original members I fell in love with, I'm not going through the shit all over again.  And that's not even to mention the added liability of Axl's notoriously late starts and unpredictable behavior.  Going through all the above shit, sitting around until midnight for the show to even start, worrying about Axl storming offstage, and NOT even having the full original lineup that I fell in love with?

Fuck that.  You can have my seat.  And no, I wouldn't be missing anything.

But do you go see the band now though?

Because, if you are, you are taking all those very legit risks with Axl now, and that's with him sharing the stage with the replacements of the replacements.

[D-GenerationX]

Steven later apologized...

Which time?

That's a big part of why I just have no time for the guy.  This was no isolated incident.  He's popped off time and time again.  Remember him flipping the fuck out when slash was going to have Sorum on one of his records?  And this is supposed to be his best bud, right?

And then to just dismiss it afterwards as "Steven being Steven"?

Nah. 

He is the one that fucked up a great gig for himself.  That's not on any of the other guys.  And its sure not on any of us.

[Bridge]

But do you go see the band now though?

Because, if you are, you are taking all those very legit risks with Axl now, and that's with him sharing the stage with the replacements of the replacements.

No.  I've never seen Axl live in any capacity.  The only way I'd consider it if it were the full original lineup.  Seeing that is what just might make all the other bullshit worth living through.

[D-GenerationX]

I was thinking about it and I do believe for the general public to be satisfied regarding a reunion, Slash, Duff and Axl would actually be sufficient.

I don't think the general public cares enough to make any form of GNR reunion a massive success.  Maybe moderate enough to justify the costs, but not a juggernaut.

I think the talk of stadiums are optimistic.  In some foreign lands, perhaps.

But domestically, even a reunion under optimum conditions, I think its an arena act.

And I think it would sell very easily.  At least the first time around.  How it went would determine if there any other follow up tours.

[Bridge]

And then to just dismiss it afterwards as "Steven being Steven"?

Welllll, in fairness, how much does Axl get away with that many people are content to dismiss as "Axl being Axl"?  Hell, even Slash dismisses stuff that Axl does on that basis!  Does Steven spout off any more than Axl does onstage, especially during the UYI tour?

[FunkyMonkey]

Steven later apologized...

Which time?

At least he apologizes.

[D-GenerationX]

No.  I've never seen Axl live in any capacity.  The only way I'd consider it if it were the full original lineup.  Seeing that is what just might make all the other bullshit worth living through.

Oh.  Well, that does change things.  

I have only seen them once, in 2011.  It was hardly my first choice of a line-up, but its who he had at the time.  I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel like I was seeing he band I grew up with.

If I was getting Axl, Slash and Duff...I'd be happy enough.  Only because I'm not sure Izzy would sign back onto this circus.

But to say you could get Axl, Slash, Duff, and Izzy...just no Steven?  I don't even give that a second thought.