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Re: Ron leaving the band after Vegas?
Anyway, what a mess. I suppose this is what GnR embodies anymore, a band of revolving band members. All while Axl repeats the same things, expecting different results. Just put the old band back together already.
Reunite so they never release anything or make it out on tour? Especially with Erin Everly's best friend showing up every night?
If by reuniting it means bringing back Robin, Bucket and Brain, yes please.
Re: Ron leaving the band after Vegas?
Was Ron ever more than just a touring guitarist though? When you think about it. DJ seems to be the guy post Bucket/Robin he is willing or wanting to write with. I never got that feeling with Ron when he came in or ever. He may have wanted that but I don't think it was ever in the cards.
Ron's history with Guns is checkered and full of revisionist history as it oft is with this band.
He was approached and nearly hired in 2004, about six months after Bucket issued his walking papers. There were talks about Ron coming in and doing some additional guitar parts, etc. It all went as well as it could until - Ron confirmed the rumors that he was courted for Guns. That killed the mood. Merck Mercuriadis canceled all talks with him, possibly because Axl had flipped a gasket. Ron was a bit dumbfounded, but he was on a long, winding road in learning how Guns do business.
Cue 2006. World tour starting. Comeback shows booked, album being readied. The incentive was to accumulate funds to continue with the band. As the record label support had dried up a few years earlier, Guns were semi-independent. Money was needed to complete the album, the album was needed to rebuild bridges with Universal. Most importantly, Axl needed to show he was for real.
Ron plays his first show in the Hammerstein, NYC, after two weeks' worth of rehearsals. The new songs he'd had to learn by playing next to a laptop. The band had real issues with him. They'd worked out everything to go smoothly with two guitars. They were ready to tour in that configuration. Two weeks before the tour, Merck and Axl step in, saying, 'Hold your horses! Here's our next Buckethead!'
Axl had been wanting for Bucket to come back all the way to the end. Some other guys were auditioned leading up to Hammerstein, but none panned out. The band felt they could work around the absence of Bucket - Axl had a differing view. Their backs agains the wall, they caved in and called Ron. 'We're sorry, man. Do you want to come in and audition?' Ron walked into a minefield and worked hard to prove his worth. He even carried his own amps to the stage and back again, brushing shoulders with the road crew.
Axl was pleased with him. Ron had the chops to churn out guitar solos and he was also a producer - a guitar producer. For Axl, he was a godsend. Ron dug deep into what was CD, found the Paul Huge/Fortus rhythm tracks lacking oftentimes, and redid them. He went through a slew of guitar solos Robin, Bucket and himself had committed to tape and handpicked what he felt were the best takes for any given song. He did a lot more than the fretless on CD, but most of it was that kind of 'silent' work.
Ron's undoing within the Guns camp was primarily his outspoken nature. He felt alien to the rest of the outfit. Early on, he decidedly skipped band meetings, because he felt he was treated like an underling. There was a lot of tension there. At the same time, Ron knew his only chance was to endear himself to the fanbase. He did a lot of press and gave out the impression that Guns are a band and they're having fun.
Then, along came DJ. Darren Jay was a Hoosier like Axl. Robin had walked, again, and Axl was lacking his Randy Rhodes. Ron was beginning to realize that he was out of that competition. Ron's alluded that DJ snuck up to Axl's good graces by telling the man what the man wanted to hear - a game Ron found hard to play. Ron touted that the band needs to get into a room and start hashing out songs. DJ was telling what a genius Axl is and how he's sent another batch of guitar tracks to him.
Ron reached out to Guns above and beyond the call of duty. One the biggest moments was his automobile crash in the summer of 2011. He got chronic back pain and was on medication for a long time, also enduring heavy-duty emotional strain. Then Guns told him a tour would begin in October at the Rock in Rio festival. And it would go on for a long while. Ron was between a rock and a hard place. Look at Axl - the shape of the performers was hardly a priority at the time. The tour was mainly for the money, again.
Ron persevered, but he was beginning to unravel. He was realizing this is what Guns do. They set up a big tour behind your back - without as much as a notice of these intentions - and then, they 'surprise' you by asking you to drop all other plans and head to the rehearsal. The flight's booked and it's leaving in a few months. Screw your personal life. Slowly, Ron was ostracized from the process which continues to be CD2. The likely outcome is that he was decided to be 'let go' after the Vegas shows last summer, if only the news trickeled down slowly.
If you're reading this, Ron, thanks for your time in Guns.
- metallex78
- Rep: 194
Re: Ron leaving the band after Vegas?
In other news regarding this new band of Ron's, Scott has already taken to Facebook and shot this down as just a "side project" and that he won't be their touring vocalist, instead he is concentrating on his new band - Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts
It'll be interesting to see what Ron has to say about that, and how much this is actually his new band, or just a side project to GnR...
The whole "supegroup" thing bugs me about this too. Scott is known, and yeah Bumble is to an extent, but the other three guys...? Never heard of them... Lol
Re: Ron leaving the band after Vegas?
From MSL site these two guys paid Scott and Ron to perform in their band.
And Ron is not a good guy. According to the insiders over there a lot has gone on behind the scenes with his passive aggressive attitude and badmouthing Axl. He is as good as gone... I guess?
Re: Ron leaving the band after Vegas?
From MSL site these two guys paid Scott and Ron to perform in their band.
And Ron is not a good guy. According to the insiders over there a lot has gone on behind the scenes with his passive aggressive attitude and badmouthing Axl. He is as good as gone... I guess?
Ron is/was good for the fans. I don't care what happened behind the scenes. It's not like they treated him all that well, so if he reacted in kind, you can't be too shocked by that.
Re: Ron leaving the band after Vegas?
misterID wrote:From MSL site these two guys paid Scott and Ron to perform in their band.
And Ron is not a good guy. According to the insiders over there a lot has gone on behind the scenes with his passive aggressive attitude and badmouthing Axl. He is as good as gone... I guess?
Ron is/was good for the fans. I don't care what happened behind the scenes. It's not like they treated him all that well, so if he reacted in kind, you can't be too shocked by that.
Agree with buzz. He was only awesome to the fans. Took time and chatted with us way back on ROV. Always answered questions from fans that asked him things. I always take what is said by forum "insiders" with a huge grain of salt. Obviously all wasn't / isn't well with Ron and the band but wouldn't bet on one horse or another depending on what someone on a fan forum has to say about it.
Re: Ron leaving the band after Vegas?
As Fortus said in November,
DJ and I've worked on stuff, nobody's worked on stuff with Ron, but yeah... Really, what the focus has been lately is just been writing and stuff like that.
Gilby was let go the same way, actually. He confirmed in a recent interview that he was still in Guns when Sympathy was recorded.
