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- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
I agree Bono. There is some bad language. But Axl is like the Honey Badger, and "he don't give a shit". What is really funny is in the early 2000's he dressed like a black man and he also became pals with Elton John. Just remember, Axl was a redneck before a rockstar. Its hard to shake that white trash redneck shit.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
Cool demo... Axl's voice kicks so much ass on this song...
Live
- tejastech08
- Rep: 194
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
Axl is a smart guy right?
Not according to Izzy. 
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
polluxlm wrote:One In A Million - Just a beautiful song.
I understand why people love this song. The performances vocally and musically kick ass but I really question the word "beautiful" to describe the song especially when you leave it just at that. You gave reasons for the other songs, yet the most controversial song in their catelogue, one that borders on hate speech and you simply refer to it as "Just a beautiful song"? I must be missing something but to me a "beautiful song" should be beautiful "inside and out". The "inside" of this song is anything but beautiful. In fact it's rather ugly.
Apart from its brilliant musical parts it's also honest. He probably knows he's not allowed to say it, but he goes ahead and does it anyway because that's how he feels. There's no political statement here, just a bold and unique outburst of emotion and you can feel it in the words.
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
I don't disgaree with anyone who says it's an amazing song. You could make an argument it's top 5 in my opinion based on vocal performance and Slash's solo. I guess I just don't understand describin such a song as "beautiful" is all.
I see a lot of excusing making for Axl on this. Stuff like oh that's just Axl and he's being honest and he was a redneck first and all that junk. I get that but fuck all that noise. He knew exactly what he was saying and he knew exactly what the reaction would be. You can't say you admire him for being honest when we all know full well had it been say Jon Bon Jovi or Bono or Steven Tyler or whoever, the same people admiring Axl for being honest would rip other artists to shreds for being a racist douchebag. Axl's ignorance, if that' what were using to justfy this, is NOT an excuse and doesn't make it acceptable or admirable no matter how honest. The lyrics are pretty disgusting. Honest? Maybe but that doesn't mak them admireable. You can be just as honest without coming off like an inbred, redneck racist, biggot. Ya know what I mean? That's why I have a hardtime associating the word Beautiful with this song that's all.
Apart from its brilliant musical parts it's also honest. He probably knows he's not allowed to say it, but he goes ahead and does it anyway because that's how he feels. There's no political statement here, just a bold and unique outburst of emotion and you can feel it in the words.
So when he says "Police and niggers.... THAT'S RIGHT!" and "Immigrants and faggots" with such venom and hate you would describe that as beautiful because you can feel the emotion(which is hate by the way) in the words? That's my only hang up here. Your word of choice to describe it; I just can't wrap my head around that.
No big deal
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
Beauty in art doesn't have to be pretty. Don't know what else to call it either. Brilliant doesn't seem right, "kick ass" would be inappropriate, and I won't say I like it despite the lyrical content either as I think it's an integral part of the song.
Don't think it's hateful or venomous. A little base yes, but the delivery veers on the side of playful. He's aware of what he's doing, it's not an angry rant. Still it's the way he feels. It's not really a bigot attack either, it's an attack on anything different, irritating or senseless he feels is trying to impose itself on him. Obviously he doesn't hate all these people, nor do I think he really feels all black men or homosexuals deserve to be addressed by those derogatory terms, but if he's walking by some religious group taking things a bit too serious, or he sees two men flaunting their sexuality in the street he might as a response say to himself any of those words.
In the end it's no different than deeming somebody a fucking Canadian, inbred redneck or those cowardly french. He's just deliberately using the words you are not allowed to use. And I do think most people share his sentiments on that level in that when we see something radically different at the very least you are going to think "I wouldn't be caught dead in that". And to justify yourself you may denigrate them in your own mind.
For somebody as high profile as Axl Rose to do that in the late 80s is really extraordinary. To just burst that out totally unadulterated, it's special, it's an event. He's not breaking any boundaries either. You're still not allowed to say what he said, much less so. So every time you get to the line "Police and..." all the controversy you know it must have been comes right back to you. Like watching an eternal train wreck. He's treading in territory that may never be acceptable to tread in and he's doing it at the ascendancy of his career.
To me that is the kind of art that happens not because the artist wants to, but because he has to.
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
Well I don't know. You just said there is no poltical message here yet now you're explaining the songs in depth meaning and commentary on society and basically express your admiration for Axl for writing it. I could not disagree more. The thought provoking explanation for the content in my opinion was an excuse Axl came up with after he caught flak for it. All it was, was a disgusting rant from an ignorant redneck. And to suggest the lyrical deliver is almost playful.... c'mon man. It's loaded with venom and hate an is obviously an angry rant. It's ignorant, it's racist, it biggoted. He may not be those things, a racist or a biggot but in this moment when he used these lyrics and then decided to keep these lyrics yes he is. You can't say "Oh I'm not racist" but then drop the word nigger in a blatantly derogetory fashion. You can't say you're not a biggot then use the word faggot with such ignornace ad then deliver a line about them spreading fucking diseases. At the core of these lyrics there is biggotry and racisim and absolute ignorance.
Like I said I highly doubt this would be deemed acceptable art had it been another artist saying these things. Yet not only does Axl get a pass here based on his ignornace, it's made into a thing to admire because he's making a true, honest statement that reflects his feelings and the feeling of many?
Meh. I can't buy into any of that shit. I think the lyrics are pure trash and all he accomplished with this "message" was showcasing his ignorance which I think is a real shame given it's the best vocal delivery of his career in my opinion. For a guy who can write lyrics to songs like Coma and Locomotive he coudl've easily conveyed the same message without these lyrics. You don't leave lyrics like that in your song unless there's a part of you that feels those words are acceptable and if there's not a part of you that actually feels(felt) that way.
Re: Top 10 GN’R Songs by Ultimate Classic Rock
It's not a political statement, it's personal. He's not making commentary or attempting to intellectualize some problem. He's just venting, channeling.
Nor should we assume it's hateful or based in genuine bigotry since there's absolutely nothing else apart from this song to suggest Axl holds or have held any such attitudes. To the contrary his bodyguard is black, his maid/manager an immigrant and his lead guitarist a mulatto of English decent. On the other hand we have plenty of examples of Axl using "bigger issues" to express his personal feelings. Get In The Ring is not an attack on tabloid journalism, it's an attack on some very specific people. He could easily have made a broader statement, but that's never been his style. Mick Wall pissed him off, he's gonna speak on it. Some homosexuals made him feel uncomfortable, he's gonna speak on it.
He doesn't like religion, but he still wears a cross. What's that about? There's no reason to suspect what you call "an excuse" isn't his honest opinion. It's not an accident, he knew what he was doing. You think he thought he'd somehow "win people over" with a blatant racist statement? That there wouldn't be a backlash? If not then why the hell do it? There's absolutely nothing to gain here.
The reason people "forgave him" was popularity of course, but also because there was never any smoke. Never some attention seeker claiming to have been bigoted by him. In a time where any dirt on Mr. Rose was gold to a newspaper you have nothing. So I think we can safely assume he is not or never was a bigot.
I think he did it because those things were what inspired him to write that song in that moment, and he wasn't about to change that just because it wasn't "correct". To hell with the consequences. There's something pure and uncompromising about that.
