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Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
I've said it again and now that it's imminent I won't change my opinion.
A reunion makes me lose much of the respect I have for Axl. Especially now. It seems the worse (1998~CD RELEASE) has passed so it's even worse on my book to do it now.
Just a bunch of old men cashing in retirement plans.
I get all the excitement around it and I'll probably try to get to one concert, but just for the nostalgia act.
It depends on the plan. Running this as a reunion is the best thing money-wise. The fact TB is featured prominently means management isn't changing, and some legal stuff with the name isn't changing. Essentially, Slash and Duff are rejoining more than a reunion, which has been said they've wanted to do since 2008.
- jimmythegent
- Rep: 30
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
Good point there i guess. Axl is 'recruiting' his former bandmates seemingly. I guess that allows him to save some face in his eyes. Irrespective, the majority of the world will read it as a reunion and rightly so.
Amazing how things can change. It wasn't that long ago phrases like "a cancer", "not in this lifetime" etc etc were being bandied about at every juncture. A remarkable about-face if this eventuates.
What i'm most curious about now is Izzy's involvement in this. He's on record as saying he thinks a reunion would be cool isn't he? Perhaps he just means a one-off.
At any rate, it's time for this thing to be done properly. Get some major league management on board. Amateur hour, clock and dagger management is not befitting of a band of this stature.
I really do hope new music materialises as a result of all this.
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
Yea I also think there's something to be understood where Axl's coming from - he's been the most vehemently anti-old band, both in whatever passes as his media/public utterances & in his lyrics/songs.
My guess is he feels the need to hold onto that resentment/bitterness as a fuel for his music, & that prob justifies all the things he's said. But now maybe it seems he can be a rational, pragmatic person.
I'm not sure. I do want a reunion/Slash back in the band, but I also feel like it's been such a pathetic waste of energy & time if Slash really is back, like what was the point when all we got were the 12/13 wispy washy songs from CD only to reunite after 20-odd years?!
Dunno.. Maybe he'll get it right this time 
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
The mythical "Chinese Democracy II" that we'll never hear in whatever form it was originally intended would be almost 20 years old too if it got released next year.
I cannot seriously imagine these guys recording new music with Axl's involvement next year "just like that". Didn't that line-up break up the last time they tried to record an album together?
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
I've said it again and now that it's imminent I won't change my opinion.
A reunion makes me lose much of the respect I have for Axl. Especially now. It seems the worse (1998~CD RELEASE) has passed so it's even worse on my book to do it now.
I get that, surely.
The post-Slash -era was all about defiance. Axl aggravated just about everybody; the record company, the promoters, the media, the fans. A big fuck-you to all of them, he's going to take his time and do his album; the hell with the world around him saying he 'needs' to do this or that. The effort and the way it was handled was certainly vintage Axl, for better and for worse.
The CD-era was more than Axl being insecure and insufferable. There was Geffen/Interscope bleeding for a hit album, which hampered things. There were the managers cutting throats and deals with ClearChannel. He had control of the name, but lacked control of the money surrounding the name - this caused various sycophants to walk in, exploit his weaknesses and put him in untenable situations.
Had his environment been more supportive and encouraging, more music would've come out by now. Meaning, he should've been coaxed to regularly attend band rehearsals and listening parties and to give face-to-face feedback to his session band. Boots on the ground would've gone a long way to give everyone an idea of what he was after, even if they'd be just vague 'Like this, dislike that' kind of things.
To me, the new band died in Rock in Rio 2011. That yellow raincoat was miles away from the devil of a singer beleaguered by his ambition. Had he soldiered through then and there by showing up in 2010 form and unveiled a new song or two, I would've applauded him. It would've send out the message that he was still on his mission and that the public reception of CD would've been a mere blip on his radar.
The creative fire was exhausted by a wave of free alcohol, and now he's pissing it away by officially retreating to the 90's. Too bad.
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
otto wrote:I've said it again and now that it's imminent I won't change my opinion.
A reunion makes me lose much of the respect I have for Axl. Especially now. It seems the worse (1998~CD RELEASE) has passed so it's even worse on my book to do it now.
I get that, surely.
The post-Slash -era was all about defiance. Axl aggravated just about everybody; the record company, the promoters, the media, the fans. A big fuck-you to all of them, he's going to take his time and do his album; the hell with the world around him saying he 'needs' to do this or that. The effort and the way it was handled was certainly vintage Axl, for better and for worse.
The CD-era was more than Axl being insecure and insufferable. There was Geffen/Interscope bleeding for a hit album, which hampered things. There were the managers cutting throats and deals with ClearChannel. He had control of the name, but lacked control of the money surrounding the name - this caused various sycophants to walk in, exploit his weaknesses and put him in untenable situations.
Had his environment been more supportive and encouraging, more music would've come out by now. Meaning, he should've been coaxed to regularly attend band rehearsals and listening parties and to give face-to-face feedback to his session band. Boots on the ground would've gone a long way to give everyone an idea of what he was after, even if they'd be just vague 'Like this, dislike that' kind of things.
To me, the new band died in Rock in Rio 2011. That yellow raincoat was miles away from the devil of a singer beleaguered by his ambition. Had he soldiered through then and there by showing up in 2010 form and unveiled a new song or two, I would've applauded him. It would've send out the message that he was still on his mission and that the public reception of CD would've been a mere blip on his radar.
The creative fire was exhausted by a wave of free alcohol, and now he's pissing it away by officially retreating to the 90's. Too bad.
Pretty much agree with all of this. The Ron/DJ era was the biggest disappointment for me and the yellow coat incident is when he gave up, IMO.
This could be a shot in the arm, though. CD II has been considered Axl's baby, and he was working on it, with Mother Goose, until recently. I could see him bringing in Slash to do some work on it, perhaps Slasheven offered. In any case, this could be a huge power play on Axl's part in regards to getting CD II the release it deserves, and dive in on the big money shows. I think this could be great for Axl.
If he simply walked away from CD II to cash in on a reunion, not only would I be disappointed, but I would bet the performances would suck. Like the yellow coat incident 2.O, where he mails it in for the money.
- jimmythegent
- Rep: 30
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
The " yellow coat incident" 
Had to YouTube to check it again - what an appalling shambles - he looks like utter shit and sounds worse. A new low
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
Well, I honestly don't get what was so great about his actions during the CD-era. From the get go, rebuilding GNR seemed like a foolish task. Buckethead is a talented guy, but I don't see how that line-up would have ever worked. Though it was the only point when nuGNR looked like doing something of note. After that, it all became one long wilderness for Axl. He became lost. I saw nothing noble in his actions. Fighting a record company who has given you an unprecedented 13M for an album, is not admirable in my book.
Not saying he's a terrible person for the path he chose, but to me his actions became seriously self-defeating and self-destructive. The people around him who egged him on are shallow idiots imo. I don't see how you can care for someone, claim to be Team Axl, and then enable this kind of damaging behaviour. The guy may no doubt have felt wronged for whatever reason, but to become so obstinate is not the answer. It has only ended up wasting away 20 years of his life.
I would have preferred to see him be more contrite; release more music and be an active artist. I will always maintain that a solo career is the biggest missed opportunity of the last two decades. At the very least, he should have taken Slash back after the incident at the gate.
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
Well, I honestly don't get what was so great about his actions during the CD-era. From the get go, rebuilding GNR seemed like a foolish task. Buckethead is a talented guy, but I don't see how that line-up would have ever worked. Though it was the only point when nuGNR looked like doing something of note. After that, it all became one long wilderness for Axl. He became lost. I saw nothing noble in his actions. Fighting a record company who has given you an unprecedented 13M for an album, is not admirable in my book.
Not saying he's a terrible person for the path he chose, but to me his actions became seriously self-defeating and self-destructive. The people around him who egged him on are shallow idiots imo. I don't see how you can care for someone, claim to be Team Axl, and then enable this kind of damaging behaviour. The guy may no doubt have felt wronged for whatever reason, but to become so obstinate is not the answer. It has only ended up wasting away 20 years of his life.
I would have preferred to see him be more contrite; release more music and be an active artist. I will always maintain that a solo career is the biggest missed opportunity of the last two decades. At the very least, he should have taken Slash back after the incident at the gate.
I think that 02 line up worked perfectly, artistically speaking. CD and the demos proved to me he was on the right track. Of course it comes down to taste, his behavior is a sepetate topic than the music he created. And that behavior has always been a part of the package. Since AFD. It's like wishing he was born a different person.
Had he taken Slash back at the gate it would've been a clusterfuck, it would have brought Perla into the mix.
- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Coachella Festival profile and rumours
This shit is a done deal
