Irving Azoff Denies Pressuring Axl Rose to Reunite Classic Lineup

[McKenzie]

Q. Recently it was announced that Guns N? Roses would be reuniting for Coachella. You once briefly managed the band, and Axl Rose said that you had tried to pressure him into reuniting the original group.

A. I would never go to an artist and say, ?I want you to reunite.? If he had asked me if I thought it was a good idea, I would have said yes. But by the way, nobody tells Axl to do anything. He does what he wants to do.

Slash and Duff McKagan are terrific people. Axl is a complicated individual that I wish nothing but success for. I think this is a good historical moment that the public deserves to see. I hope it happens.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/arts/music/a-word-with-irving-azoff-a-hard-charging-artists-manager.html?_r=2

[russkwtx]

The sentiment is shared by many.

[Spirit]

I would never go to an artist and say, ?I want you to reunite.?

He kinda avoids the accusation Axl made against him here. As far as I remember it's true that Azoff didn't outright say that to Axl, but it was his actions the led Axl to believe that was his motive.

[Wooody]

Yeah, he did it in the shadows. Not directly.

[pilferk]

Yeah, thats a pretty non denial denial.

he didnt walk up to axl and say "you should reunite" be ause he knows axl would have told him to hit the bricks.

What he did not say s "no, i never said or did anything to try to positin gnr so that its best and only option was a reunion".

[HBK]

More Promotion For World Tour 2016

[doooodickiebr]

We should be hearing something soon! Hope they have a good NA run.

[D-GenerationX]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

[The Wight Gunner]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

No they wouldn't. The only question that mattered was who works for who... QED

[D-GenerationX]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

No they wouldn't. The only question that mattered was who works for who... QED

Depends if you hired a manager to manage your career or cater to your feelings.

Business wise, some sort of reunion is the obvious move.  The only reason to NOT suggest it is if you are worried Axl might get his feelings hurt and fire you.

[Spirit]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

No they wouldn't. The only question that mattered was who works for who... QED

Depends if you hired a manager to manage your career or cater to your feelings.

Business wise, some sort of reunion is the obvious move.  The only reason to NOT suggest it is if you are worried Axl might get his feelings hurt and fire you.

It makes sense when we're talking about a young, inexperienced artist that the manager's role is to help guide that artist.

With Axl, you have an artist who knows what he wants. He had a vision and goals that the manager was to help him achieve.

I would think Axl laid it all down for Azoff when he got hired, then expected him to do whatever to achieve that. Not go his own ways.

[JAEBALL]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

No they wouldn't. The only question that mattered was who works for who... QED

Depends if you hired a manager to manage your career or cater to your feelings.

Business wise, some sort of reunion is the obvious move.  The only reason to NOT suggest it is if you are worried Axl might get his feelings hurt and fire you.

It makes sense when we're talking about a young, inexperienced artist that the manager's role is to help guide that artist.

With Axl, you have an artist who knows what he wants. He had a vision and goals that the manager was to help him achieve.

I would think Axl laid it all down for Azoff when he got hired, then expected him to do whatever to achieve that. Not go his own ways.

I guess i should probably know the reasons...but they were never clear to me... what exactly did the guy do to "sabotage" the band at that time?

Was that ever laid out... or we just take Axl's word that he did indeed try to sabotage them and force his hand in reuniting?

I do know that he was in charge when the record was released... and selfishly.. that was fine by me.

[sofine11]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

No they wouldn't. The only question that mattered was who works for who... QED

Depends if you hired a manager to manage your career or cater to your feelings.

Business wise, some sort of reunion is the obvious move.  The only reason to NOT suggest it is if you are worried Axl might get his feelings hurt and fire you.

It makes sense when we're talking about a young, inexperienced artist that the manager's role is to help guide that artist.

With Axl, you have an artist who knows what he wants. He had a vision and goals that the manager was to help him achieve.

I would think Axl laid it all down for Azoff when he got hired, then expected him to do whatever to achieve that. Not go his own ways.

I guess i should probably know the reasons...but they were never clear to me... what exactly did the guy do to "sabotage" the band at that time?

Was that ever laid out... or we just take Axl's word that he did indeed try to sabotage them and force his hand in reuniting?

I do know that he was in charge when the record was released... and selfishly.. that was fine by me.

I read the lawsuit brief a few years back, and it only very broadly states that he intentionally sabotaged the release of Chinese Democracy with the intention of leaving Axl desperate with the only option being to reunite.  Hard to prove, I imagine.  You'd basically have to read Azoff's mind to know for sure what his intentions were.

[JAEBALL]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

No they wouldn't. The only question that mattered was who works for who... QED

Depends if you hired a manager to manage your career or cater to your feelings.

Business wise, some sort of reunion is the obvious move.  The only reason to NOT suggest it is if you are worried Axl might get his feelings hurt and fire you.

It makes sense when we're talking about a young, inexperienced artist that the manager's role is to help guide that artist.

With Axl, you have an artist who knows what he wants. He had a vision and goals that the manager was to help him achieve.

I would think Axl laid it all down for Azoff when he got hired, then expected him to do whatever to achieve that. Not go his own ways.

I guess i should probably know the reasons...but they were never clear to me... what exactly did the guy do to "sabotage" the band at that time?

Was that ever laid out... or we just take Axl's word that he did indeed try to sabotage them and force his hand in reuniting?

I do know that he was in charge when the record was released... and selfishly.. that was fine by me.

I read the lawsuit brief a few years back, and it only very broadly states that he intentionally sabotaged the release of Chinese Democracy with the intention of leaving Axl desperate with the only option being to reunite.  Hard to prove, I imagine.  You'd basically have to read Azoff's mind to know for sure what his intentions were.

Yeah. I had only skimmed it a few years back.. so yeah basically nothing concrete.

[sofine11]

Any competent manager would be derelict in his duty if he did not at least ask the question.

No they wouldn't. The only question that mattered was who works for who... QED

Depends if you hired a manager to manage your career or cater to your feelings.

Business wise, some sort of reunion is the obvious move.  The only reason to NOT suggest it is if you are worried Axl might get his feelings hurt and fire you.

It makes sense when we're talking about a young, inexperienced artist that the manager's role is to help guide that artist.

With Axl, you have an artist who knows what he wants. He had a vision and goals that the manager was to help him achieve.

I would think Axl laid it all down for Azoff when he got hired, then expected him to do whatever to achieve that. Not go his own ways.

I guess i should probably know the reasons...but they were never clear to me... what exactly did the guy do to "sabotage" the band at that time?

Was that ever laid out... or we just take Axl's word that he did indeed try to sabotage them and force his hand in reuniting?

I do know that he was in charge when the record was released... and selfishly.. that was fine by me.

I read the lawsuit brief a few years back, and it only very broadly states that he intentionally sabotaged the release of Chinese Democracy with the intention of leaving Axl desperate with the only option being to reunite.  Hard to prove, I imagine.  You'd basically have to read Azoff's mind to know for sure what his intentions were.

Yeah. I had only skimmed it a few years back.. so yeah basically nothing concrete.

Didn't Azoff "win" the suit, with the condition being he got a percentage of the 2011/12 tour dates? I thought that was part of the settlement.

[D-GenerationX]

Only thing I thought was damning was Azoff talking about that tour with Van Halen like it was a real thing.

Only for word to get back to Van Halen and be like "wait...what?"

[sofine11]

Only thing I thought was damning was Azoff talking about that tour with Van Halen like it was a real thing.

Only for word to get back to Van Halen and be like "wait...what?"

I don't understand what his thinking was there.  The band even got together in L.A. and rehearsed for a couple months, only for them all very quietly returning home with zero explanation. Why dangle that carrot in front of the band?

[GypsySoul]

Depends if you hired a manager to manage your career or cater to your feelings.

Business wise, some sort of reunion is the obvious move.  The only reason to NOT suggest it is if you are worried Axl might get his feelings hurt and fire you.

You constantly harp on this notion that Axl is somehow this super sensitive person that has no concept of how the music business works or how/when his art should be presented.

Know your client.  IMO, Azoff didn't.  He thought he was bigger than the client.  It got his ass fired.

It appears by this current statement of his, Azoff now acknowledges that error in judgement:
Azoff: But by the way, nobody tells Axl to do anything. He does what he wants to do.


For whatever reason back then the timing and circumstances wasn't right for the rejoining.  Obviously now that has changed.  Now the circumstances apparently are in alignment with Axl's artistic & business sense and timing.

[D-GenerationX]

You constantly harp on this notion that Axl is somehow this super sensitive person that has no concept of how the music business works or how/when his art should be presented.

I'm hardly the one that considers him a delicate flower who's personal feelings need to be considered at all times.

I make fun of those people, actually.

[jarmo]

I make fun of those people, actually.

Without knowing these people, I'll go out of line here and assume, that the feeling is mutual.... 



/jarmo