LA Times: Axl Rose's appetite is for today's Guns N' Roses

[LongGoneDay]

I don?t have an excitement to work with people that joined in the "Illusion" time. There?s behind the scenes that was really, really difficult there with different ones. So it?s not really even a full reunion. And these guys have been here a long time, whether the public knows it or not because we haven?t done the media like that. Tommy?s been on 14 years, Richard?s going on 11. That?s as long as Duff was in the band. Chris has been in going on 11, Dizzy?s on since "Illusion," Frank?s going on six, and so?s Bumble. These guys have been here. And DJ?s going on three.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/12/axl-rose-talks-playing-los-angeles-rock-hall-reunion.html

God bless W. Axl fuckin' Rose.

Its fantastic to know Axl thinks exactly the same than me and the real GNR fans that dont suffer amnesia.

I understand wanting to distance himself from people in the "Illusion" era, but before he slams them, he should realize the biggest news coming from this tour might be the song Estranged, from the guy who helped out with a few riffs back then.

you have to be fucking kidding me  

Estranged is a song written 100% by Axl Rose. It's his baby. First grade fact, not a newsflash at all... in fact, it even exist in full form without guitar solos and it's still a masterpiece.

Sorry, but Slash, the guy that did ''come on come in'', ''spectacle'', and butchered November Rain with a couple of rappers dont have what it takes to create a gem of the dimension of Estranged.

It would help your case if it were a fact that Axl wrote 100% as you say, but unfortunately that's more revisionist history.

Someone's drunk on kool-aid.
Estranged is an epic song, and most would agree that Slash's solos have just as much to do with it as Axl's lyrics, melodies.
Axl himself agreed back before he started rewriting history. He thanked Slash in the liner notes for his contributions.

[GeorgeSteele]

Not sure what Axl means here:

"Because, really, you can get guys from the "Illusion" thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It?s nothing against Izzy and it?s nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I?m working with right now, they work really hard and it?s hard work. I?ve toured with the other guys and I?ve also seen what they?ve done since, and I just know the difficulties."

Is he saying that it's unrealistic to expect Steve and Izzy to do the hard work required if they're going to do a full-blown reunion tour?

[Bodhi]

Not sure what Axl means here:

"Because, really, you can get guys from the "Illusion" thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It?s nothing against Izzy and it?s nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I?m working with right now, they work really hard and it?s hard work. I?ve toured with the other guys and I?ve also seen what they?ve done since, and I just know the difficulties."

Is he saying that it's unrealistic to expect Steve and Izzy to do the hard work required if they're going to do a full-blown reunion tour?

thats the way I interpreted it.  Izzy is known as being unreliable, and we all know Steven's issues.  

[Limulus]

plus that Slash/Duff have been the longest old Guns with a 3-man-partnership back then. plus...the media would consider it only some form of a re-union if those 2 jump in, media could live without Izzy and Steven.

"I don?t have an excitement to work with people that joined in the "Illusion" time."   <--- whats up there? Matt and Dizzy joined there, huh??

[Bodhi]

plus that Slash/Duff have been the longest old Guns with a 3-man-partnership back then. plus...the media would consider it only some form of a re-union if those 2 jump in, media could live without Izzy and Steven.

"I don?t have an excitement to work with people that joined in the "Illusion" time."   <--- whats up there? Matt and Dizzy joined there, huh??

I believe he is referring to Gilby and Matt.

[LunsJail]

plus that Slash/Duff have been the longest old Guns with a 3-man-partnership back then. plus...the media would consider it only some form of a re-union if those 2 jump in, media could live without Izzy and Steven.

"I don?t have an excitement to work with people that joined in the "Illusion" time."   <--- whats up there? Matt and Dizzy joined there, huh??

I believe he is referring to Gilby and Matt.

Yeah, this was an interesting statement. He explained why a reunion won't happen in more detailed terms rather than the "one of us will be dead" crap. Basically he doubts Izzy and Steven could pull it off and he wouldn't be all that interested in a Gilby/Matt version.

[sofine11]

Not sure what Axl means here:

"Because, really, you can get guys from the "Illusion" thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It?s nothing against Izzy and it?s nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I?m working with right now, they work really hard and it?s hard work. I?ve toured with the other guys and I?ve also seen what they?ve done since, and I just know the difficulties."

Is he saying that it's unrealistic to expect Steve and Izzy to do the hard work required if they're going to do a full-blown reunion tour?

Yeah, I'm not sure what he meant by that either.  Does that mean he's open to possibly touring with Slash & Duff, along with members of the current lineup?  Obviously he's not interested in touring with Matt & Gilby, and doesn't believe Izzy & Steven would be able to handle the pressures of a full blown tour.  But the comment about Slash & Duff is interesting.

[LunsJail]

I don't think he's saying he's interested in touring with Slash and Duff. Those 2 and the current lineup wouldn't really be a reunion. And if that's the case, what's the point?

[Fingers]

Not sure what Axl means here:

"Because, really, you can get guys from the "Illusion" thing, but the only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It?s nothing against Izzy and it?s nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I?m working with right now, they work really hard and it?s hard work. I?ve toured with the other guys and I?ve also seen what they?ve done since, and I just know the difficulties."

Is he saying that it's unrealistic to expect Steve and Izzy to do the hard work required if they're going to do a full-blown reunion tour?

Yeah, I'm not sure what he meant by that either.  Does that mean he's open to possibly touring with Slash & Duff, along with members of the current lineup?  Obviously he's not interested in touring with Matt & Gilby, and doesn't believe Izzy & Steven would be able to handle the pressures of a full blown tour.  But the comment about Slash & Duff is interesting.

It sounds like he's talking about touring

[Jeramy]

this is axl's band and his vision is and apparently always was the driving force behind it

if he believes the lebeis family can get things done then that works for me

no matter what happens at least he's got plans for 2012


you can't blame him for wanting 'beta' management... screw those other sleazeballs

Well, It appears that he's gone through literally everyone else and still has yet to choose Beta to be his manager. She gave him an " Either me or I quit" ultimatum to get the position.  So, its not like he has been at her ankles begging for the Lebeis Family to be his management. And I would guess that there is a reason for that.

Throughout that entire interview I never read anything  about him supporting the new management. I really hope things workout, but being backed up against the wall and being forced into doing something that you may not want to do for the sake of keeping the ones you love close to you only sets up resentment. Axl has said on more than one occasion that he views them as his family and Beta as his mother, so why in the hell would she say something like " Or I Quit". Quit what? Being his Assistant? His friend? His mother? Cleaning his house? Washing his clothes? What does " Or I Quit" even mean... I dont get it

i don't know axl or beta, but it seems unlikely that he would tolerate a forceful takeover  from anyone

i sensed humor in the ultimatum story... surely she means well and isn't power tripping

[sofine11]

I don't think he's saying he's interested in touring with Slash and Duff. Those 2 and the current lineup wouldn't really be a reunion. And if that's the case, what's the point?

It'd be close enough for most people.  Most of your average rock fans equate Axl + Slash = Guns N' Roses.  Duff being in the mix too would only make it that much sweeter.  The highly successful Illusion tour showed that most people feel that way since Izzy & Steven weren't in the mix, and very few seemed to mind.   But my guess is that Axl was just thinking out loud about what members would be necessary for a hypothetical reunion tour.

[Limulus]

yeah, i think "Bodhi" and "LunsJail" nailed it:

it wouldnt be a AFD full re-union tour because he
- doesnt think Izzy and Adler would have the full energy for doing it (remember Izzy said that he needed 2 (4?) weeks for recovering from the 2006 european tour - a tour he partly filled in for a couple of songs only! and everyone knows about Adler's issues)
- Matt and Gilby arent AFD members - and he doesnt have much interest in doing a UYI-line up tour

[GeorgeSteele]

I don't think he's saying he's interested in touring with Slash and Duff. Those 2 and the current lineup wouldn't really be a reunion. And if that's the case, what's the point?

It'd be close enough for most people.  Most of your average rock fans equate Axl + Slash = Guns N' Roses.  Duff being in the mix too would only make it that much sweeter.  The highly successful Illusion tour showed that most people feel that way since Izzy & Steven weren't in the mix, and very few seemed to mind.   But my guess is that Axl was just thinking out loud about what members would be necessary for a hypothetical reunion tour.

I think the 'Axl+Slash = GNR' mentality was what Axl was railing against when he made the 'just a few riffs' comment.  That may have been going overboard on his part, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly Jagger/Richards either.  

[sofine11]

I don't think he's saying he's interested in touring with Slash and Duff. Those 2 and the current lineup wouldn't really be a reunion. And if that's the case, what's the point?

It'd be close enough for most people.  Most of your average rock fans equate Axl + Slash = Guns N' Roses.  Duff being in the mix too would only make it that much sweeter.  The highly successful Illusion tour showed that most people feel that way since Izzy & Steven weren't in the mix, and very few seemed to mind.   But my guess is that Axl was just thinking out loud about what members would be necessary for a hypothetical reunion tour.

I think the 'Axl+Slash = GNR' mentality was what Axl was railing against when he made the 'just a few riffs' comment.  That may have been going overboard on his part, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly Jagger/Richards either.  

Right, and all you have to do is look on the Illusion sleeve to see that Izzy was much more of a writing partner to Axl than Slash.  Unfortunately, mass public perception begs to differ.  The fact that Slash was by all means the lead guitar, and that Izzy was much less of a dynamic figure live and was missing missing for the majority of the Illusion tour when GNR was the biggest band in the world, didn't exactly help.

So while Axl may view Slash's input to be minimal, only complimenting his and Izzy's work, the whole world remembers that badass dude with the top hat standing on top of the piano in November Rain or plugging into the Marshall amp and riffing at the beginning of SCOM.  Hard images to shake, just because of a personal fallout.

[estebanf]

plus that Slash/Duff have been the longest old Guns with a 3-man-partnership back then. plus...the media would consider it only some form of a re-union if those 2 jump in, media could live without Izzy and Steven.

i wonder why for fucks sake some of you are so worried about what media thinks, what media ''would consider'' or not.

We should not care if media dont estimate enough the job and hard work (axl's words) of the current members of the band: we should care about OUR opinion, and THE BAND'S opinion. Fuck the media. They're crows looking for fresh meat, it doesnt matter if its GNR, Britney Spear, Eminem... the only thing they want is good news to sell and some drama to sell.

[LongGoneDay]

I don't think he's saying he's interested in touring with Slash and Duff. Those 2 and the current lineup wouldn't really be a reunion. And if that's the case, what's the point?

It'd be close enough for most people.  Most of your average rock fans equate Axl + Slash = Guns N' Roses.  Duff being in the mix too would only make it that much sweeter.  The highly successful Illusion tour showed that most people feel that way since Izzy & Steven weren't in the mix, and very few seemed to mind.   But my guess is that Axl was just thinking out loud about what members would be necessary for a hypothetical reunion tour.

I think the 'Axl+Slash = GNR' mentality was what Axl was railing against when he made the 'just a few riffs' comment.  That may have been going overboard on his part, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly Jagger/Richards either.  

I think it was pretty damn close.

Similar to the misconception that Jagger and Richards were, or are the Stones, a lot of people would put the Axl/Slash partnership in the same ball park.
The 1969-74 Stones were the greatest rock r roll band of all time in my book, and while they were already an established powerhouse before that period, Mick Taylor opened new doors for them because they never before or since had such a fluid player. Watts and Wyman were no slouches either.
Same can be said with Izzy, Duff and Steven in Guns. Take one of them away, and who knows what happens.

In most bands, the lead singer and guitarist are going to get most of the attention/credit because they are at the forefront, and maybe rightfully so, but there's obviously more that goes into it.

[LongGoneDay]

I don't think he's saying he's interested in touring with Slash and Duff. Those 2 and the current lineup wouldn't really be a reunion. And if that's the case, what's the point?

It'd be close enough for most people.  Most of your average rock fans equate Axl + Slash = Guns N' Roses.  Duff being in the mix too would only make it that much sweeter.  The highly successful Illusion tour showed that most people feel that way since Izzy & Steven weren't in the mix, and very few seemed to mind.   But my guess is that Axl was just thinking out loud about what members would be necessary for a hypothetical reunion tour.

I think the 'Axl+Slash = GNR' mentality was what Axl was railing against when he made the 'just a few riffs' comment.  That may have been going overboard on his part, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly Jagger/Richards either.  

Right, and all you have to do is look on the Illusion sleeve to see that Izzy was much more of a writing partner to Axl than Slash.  Unfortunately, mass public perception begs to differ.  The fact that Slash was by all means the lead guitar, and that Izzy was much less of a dynamic figure live and was missing missing for the majority of the Illusion tour when GNR was the biggest band in the world, didn't exactly help.

So while Axl may view Slash's input to be minimal, only complimenting his and Izzy's work, the whole world remembers that badass dude with the top hat standing on top of the piano in November Rain or plugging into the Marshall amp and riffing at the beginning of SCOM.  Hard images to shake, just because of a personal fallout.

The fact that Slash is the person responsible for creating that November Rain solo, and Sweet Child riff, and solo, and WTTJ riff, and Don't Cry solo etc doesn't hurt.
You finally said something I agree with. Hard to shake that from your head. He made an undeniable impact. Strange, it hasn't stopped you from trying.

[AdZ]

To all the people who seem to think that that Beta, Fernando and Vanessa aren't equipped for this job;

Haven't you stopped to ponder that maybe being in the business for 20 years, being around GN'R for 20 years and knowing the entire history, each member of the band, and more to the point having from all this time and energy spent a great understanding of the industry, would make them the perfect people for the job?

Surely much better than a bunch of people pushing for some sort of cash grab awful reunion.

[sofine11]

I don't think he's saying he's interested in touring with Slash and Duff. Those 2 and the current lineup wouldn't really be a reunion. And if that's the case, what's the point?

It'd be close enough for most people.  Most of your average rock fans equate Axl + Slash = Guns N' Roses.  Duff being in the mix too would only make it that much sweeter.  The highly successful Illusion tour showed that most people feel that way since Izzy & Steven weren't in the mix, and very few seemed to mind.   But my guess is that Axl was just thinking out loud about what members would be necessary for a hypothetical reunion tour.

I think the 'Axl+Slash = GNR' mentality was what Axl was railing against when he made the 'just a few riffs' comment.  That may have been going overboard on his part, but let's face it, it wasn't exactly Jagger/Richards either.  

Right, and all you have to do is look on the Illusion sleeve to see that Izzy was much more of a writing partner to Axl than Slash.  Unfortunately, mass public perception begs to differ.  The fact that Slash was by all means the lead guitar, and that Izzy was much less of a dynamic figure live and was missing missing for the majority of the Illusion tour when GNR was the biggest band in the world, didn't exactly help.

So while Axl may view Slash's input to be minimal, only complimenting his and Izzy's work, the whole world remembers that badass dude with the top hat standing on top of the piano in November Rain or plugging into the Marshall amp and riffing at the beginning of SCOM.  Hard images to shake, just because of a personal fallout.

The fact that Slash is the person responsible for creating that November Rain solo, and Sweet Child riff, and solo, and WTTJ riff, and Don't Cry solo etc doesn't hurt.
You finally said something I agree with. Hard to shake that from your head. He made an undeniable impact. Strange, it hasn't stopped you from trying.

I never tried to shake them, since I love the old lineup and also dig the music on Chinese Democracy.  It doesn't have to be one or the other, though some would try to tell you differently.

I'd be just as happy if they announced a reunion tour tomorrow as I would if they announced Chinese Democracy II.

[Limulus]

To all the people who seem to think that that Beta, Fernando and Vanessa aren't equipped for this job;

Haven't you stopped to ponder that maybe being in the business for 20 years, being around GN'R for 20 years and knowing the entire history, each member of the band, and more to the point having from all this time and energy spent a great understanding of the industry, would make them the perfect people for the job?

Surely much better than a bunch of people pushing for some sort of cash grab awful reunion.

might be the case, hope it works out, we'll see.
but if something goes wrong he cant blame it on or fire managers anymore but his inner circle.