DJ's Letter

[Ginger King]

After a good night's sleep and some big time reflection (no not really haha)...

Not trying to pick a fight ... none of you guys should with these people...but for anybody to say this is exciting...is just not playing with a full deck...

This is a bad time if you are GNR fan... no way around it... and I don't have ANY attachment to either DJ or Ron...

If Axl releases a record next week, or announces some kind of new/old lineup...sure nobody will care about this ...but until then...

But how can you release an album without a band?  What record company in their right mind would green light that project?  What kind of marketing can you do around that?  Maybe Axl could do it if he were to stand behind the music and promote the shit out of it.  But the odds of Slash re-joining are better than that...

[D-GenerationX]

The excitement levels here are proof you can spin absolutely anything. Of course it is so exciting losing guitarists. Hopefully the drummer and bassist will also leave making gnr that much more exciting again.

Its an odd choice of words.

Maybe we can hit the real jackpot and Axl will lose his voice.  Think of the possibilities!

[D-GenerationX]

After a good night's sleep and some big time reflection (no not really haha)...

Not trying to pick a fight ... none of you guys should with these people...but for anybody to say this is exciting...is just not playing with a full deck...

This is a bad time if you are GNR fan... no way around it... and I don't have ANY attachment to either DJ or Ron...

If Axl releases a record next week, or announces some kind of new/old lineup...sure nobody will care about this ...but until then...

But how can you release an album without a band?  What record company in their right mind would green light that project?  What kind of marketing can you do around that?  Maybe Axl could do it if he were to stand behind the music and promote the shit out of it.  But the odds of Slash re-joining are better than that...

This has to torpedo whatever that next album was going to be, if it was ever going to be a thing in the first place.

[sky dog]

Ginger, NIN records albums and releases them with almost different touring musicians everytime....just sayin. Let's be honest, since 1998, Gnr is no different than NIN.

[JAEBALL]

Ginger, NIN records albums and releases them with almost different musicians everytime....just sayin. Let's be honest, since 1998, Gnr is no different than NIN.

Agreed. I don't think there being no band in place, means that Axl CANT release music.. Whether he does or not..is an entirely different thing.

[D-GenerationX]

He's not releasing music because he doesn't feel like it.

I think this recent bit of news with 2 of the main components of the band cashing out means we might start talking about things in some more real world terms.

Let's be honest.  Aren't we all thinking right about now what's going through Richard and Tommy's heads?

[rebelhipi]

Ginger, NIN records albums and releases them with almost different musicians everytime....just sayin. Let's be honest, since 1998, Gnr is no different than NIN.

Agreed. I don't think there being no band in place, means that Axl CANT release music.. Whether he does or not..is an entirely different thing.

The main difference between GNR and NIN is Robins hair style 

[C0ma]

Ginger, NIN records albums and releases them with almost different musicians everytime....just sayin. Let's be honest, since 1998, Gnr is no different than NIN.

ummm, I would say they are a lot different (outside of sharing a guitar player).

Since 1998 NIN have released 6 studio albums, GnR 1... I'm assuming you were getting at the lead singer being the sole creative force and 'primary' member. Not counting the mysterious songs locked in the vault that have never seen the light of day you are talking about 14-16 songs from Axl to 6 albums worth of material from Reznor in the same time frame, which doesn't include an Oscar winning Movie Score along with a Grammy Award winning score. Meanwhile Axl recycled a few songs for movies and lost one to stubbornness because he wanted to rewrite history with the version of WTTJ used.

It's comparisons like Axl and Reznor or Gnr vs. other mainstream bands that is super frustrating... They manage to release all this music without the constant management and label drama... they do it without spending 10's of millions of dollars re-recording and re-recording.

Sure I'm selfish, I want new music. I want the same feeling that a fan of NIN, Greenday, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5, etc... feel when new music comes every few years. Meanwhile I get 14-16 original songs since 1991 from my favorite band in the world.

[D-GenerationX]

Since 1998 NIN have released 6 studio albums, GnR 1... I'm assuming you were getting at the lead singer being the sole creative force and 'primary' member. Not counting the mysterious songs locked in the vault that have never seen the light of day you are talking about 14-16 songs from Axl to 6 albums worth of material from Reznor in the same time frame, which doesn't include an Oscar winning Movie Score along with a Grammy Award winning score. Meanwhile Axl recycled a few songs for movies and lost one to stubbornness because he wanted to rewrite history with the version of WTTJ used.

It's comparisons like Axl and Reznor or Gnr vs. other mainstream bands that is super frustrating... They manage to release all this music without the constant management and label drama... they do it without spending 10's of millions of dollars re-recording and re-recording.

Spot on.

"Yeah, but there is no band like Guns N' Roses" is a frustratingly hollow talking point.  Probably only topped by "Yeah, but that's how its always been" if you question it.

Isn't the bigger issue looking at what that attitude and approach has gotten him?  Hard to champion, I would think.

[mortismurphy]

The excitement levels here are proof you can spin absolutely anything. Of course it is so exciting losing guitarists. Hopefully the drummer and bassist will also leave making gnr that much more exciting again.

Its an odd choice of words.

Maybe we can hit the real jackpot and Axl will lose his voice.  Think of the possibilities!

Can you think of any other fanbase who would be 'excited' by the news of a band member quitting?

[reayj2003]

Christ, we've done the "is NIN like GN'R" discussion to death in the past. NIN is a one man project in terms of the albums, then Trent takes a band out on tour. Very similar to the way Bumblefoot records. Unless Axl is playing practically every instrument himself it's not at all the same. Look at the credits of CD- like it or not this is a group/band effort as it has always been. All be it a dysfunctional one!

[D-GenerationX]

Can you think of any other fanbase who would be 'excited' by the news of a band member quitting?

I don't take it quite that literally.

I see the comment as just an extension of the (in my view) deeply flawed concept that "real fans" never utter out loud anything that might convey skepticism or criticism.

There are people that straight up loathed DJ, so there was always going to be a "ding dong, the witch is dead" type vibe when he left.  

But I see the "I'm looking forward to the bright future Axl has in front of him" routine as just more of the same type of delusion that saying such things is a fan's duty, as defined by some.

[sky dog]

Coma.....not comparing output between NIN and GNR....just the obvious one man runs the show with various employees depending on the day. 

[mortismurphy]

Can you think of any other fanbase who would be 'excited' by the news of a band member quitting?

I don't take it quite that literally.

I see the comment as just an extension of the (in my view) deeply flawed concept that "real fans" never utter out loud anything that might convey skepticism or criticism.

There are people that straight up loathed DJ, so there was always going to be a "ding dong, the witch is dead" type vibe when he left.  

But I see the "I'm looking forward to the bright future Axl has in front of him" routine as just more of the same type of delusion that saying such things is a fan's duty, as defined by some.

That is my interpretation (I was being rhetorical with that question). Everything has to be roses and rainbows and daffodils with this band. The sheep mentality is all persuasive in this fan base.

[Ginger King]

In a reunion, Slash won?t play songs from CD era, and IMO Axl won?t throw away 20 years of work just to get Slash back to play the same songs they used to play in the past. So, I think or we will see Robin/Bucket back or new guys to tour when the next album drops up. Because of course, do another tour after all this mess will be just stupid, but... this is axl?s guns n roses, so, meh

But why wouldn't Slash play CD songs?  Duff had no problem with it.  This makes it seem that a reunion wouldn't happen because of Slash's demands...kind of think it's the other way around.

There are many, many hurdles to a reunion (management cooperation and decades long hate to name a couple) but I don't think the choice of songs is one of them.

[reayj2003]

In a reunion, Slash won?t play songs from CD era, and IMO Axl won?t throw away 20 years of work just to get Slash back to play the same songs they used to play in the past. So, I think or we will see Robin/Bucket back or new guys to tour when the next album drops up. Because of course, do another tour after all this mess will be just stupid, but... this is axl?s guns n roses, so, meh

But why wouldn't Slash play CD songs?  Duff had no problem with it.  This makes it seem that a reunion wouldn't happen because of Slash's demands...kind of think it's the other way around.

There are many, many hurdles to a reunion (management cooperation and decades long hate to name a couple) but I don't think the choice of songs is one of them.

It's not his style of playing and the songs are nothing to do with him. Duff joining for Bass duty is slightly different. If there were a reunion tour I would not want to hear CD songs & it's one of my favorite albums of all time.

[slashsbaconpit]

Class act all the way.
I can't blame him. He can't just sit around waiting for a call saying, "we're going on a tour next week" or "we're gonna record the album next month."
The guy is a professional musician, and he doesn't have the millions in his bank account Axl has. If he's not playing gigs and recording, he's not making money. Plus he seems like the kind of guy who likes to write and record music, and being in a situation where he is always wondering when the call might come to do that, but not actually being able to do that, would be very frustrating.
DJ has to eat, and he can't eat by putting gigs that pay on permanent "hey, I'll have to walk away from this at a moment's notice to do the GNR thing" status.

We'll miss the guy. I was really hoping to hear a Guns record with his input on it. I think it would have been epic.

[D-GenerationX]

But why wouldn't Slash play CD songs?  Duff had no problem with it.  This makes it seem that a reunion wouldn't happen because of Slash's demands...kind of think it's the other way around.

There are many, many hurdles to a reunion (management cooperation and decades long hate to name a couple) but I don't think the choice of songs is one of them.

Oh, I do.  I see it as a non-starter more than a problem though.

I would think this would just be understood.  They have a body of work they all worked on together.  Which, not for nothing, is the GNR that most people know and love.

I can't see a reunited band being all about playing songs from Axl's bastardized version of the band they had no hand in.  And this is one of the rare times I think even Axl would concede the point.

Even getting to that point?  Well.....

[D-GenerationX]

It's better that he puts this out there where there's no interviewers asking annoying questions about new GNR music or what's going on with GNR and can be free to talk about what he's working on. Are people always going to ask him about Axl? You bet.

This could well be.

I'm sure Nikki takes a rather dim view of Axl these days.  I'm sure most fellow musicians do.  Even (if not more so) people that are friends of people that have been playing with him.  I just assume there is a real vibe of "what are you even doing with that guy?", even it its unsaid.

But perhaps now, it has been said.  I don't think it impossible Nikki wanted a firmer commitment and never allow the distraction in the form of GNR questions to become an issue.

Was it a hard sell?  I doubt it.  He's offering albums and tours, and Axl is suggesting DJ wish in one hand and crap in the other, and see which fills up first.

[sky dog]

I would like to hear Slash's take on Catcher in the Rye, Street of Dreams and This I love.