19. DECEMBER 1994-OCTOBER 1996: AXL AND SLASH FIGHTS, SLASH QUITS

With rumours flying about the band being in the process of disintegrating, Duff would return to Seattle to start up again his old band, Ten Minute Warning. In February 1995, Slash would be asked what this meant:



Duff would later tell what happened:




It is possible that Duff's involvement with Ten Minute Warning in 1994 was very small and that Duff's quote above refers to when he played with the band in 1997-1998 after having quit Guns N' Roses.

As stated by Slash, one of the guitarists brought in to potentially replace Gilby when he as fired in June 1994, was Paul Huge, Axl's friend from Indiana. Axl, on the other hand, would suggest Huge as not brought in as a replacement, but as a temporary writing partner [see quotes below]. Later on, after Slash, Duff and Matt had recorded their parts for 'Sympathy for the Devil' in September or October 1994, Axl came in to lay down his vocals and brought along Paul again.









Media would report on Paul replacing Gilby and compliment the Paul's guitar playing, likely to Slash's frustrations:



The following quote would also indicate that Slash's dislike of Paul went beyond the fact that he had been included on 'Sympathy' without Slash's knowledge or consultation, but stemmed from when they first met and played together after Gilby had been fired:



And in January 1995, when referring to the band's effort to replace Gilby Slash would refer to Paul as "that idiot" [Much Music, January 1995].




And later as a "fucking asshole":



In a later quote from an anonymous friend of the band, it would be said that Paul simply wasn't good enough:



In 2002 Axl would discuss bringing Paul in to work with Slash:



And Goldstein would confirm what Axl was saying and chastise Slash and Duff for not working on finding a replacement for Gilby:




As for why they were so opposed to Paul:

In 1995, rumors were flourishing and one was that Goldstein considered managing The Stone Roses and quitting Guns N' Roses [Kerrang! January 14, 1995]. Goldstein's stint with The Stone Roses turned out to be short-lived [Los Angeles Times, February 12, 1995; Spin, May 1995; Los Angeles Times, April 16, 1995; Louder Than War, October 4, 2011] and he continued to manage Guns N' Roses. One likely result of Goldstein's involvement with The Stone Roses was Slash possibly joining the band to replace John Squire [see: Slash and The Stone Roses].

Despite Goldstein not leaving Guns N' Roses, an increasing divide between Axl and Goldstein on one side, and the rest of the band seemed to have been building up. In an interview from 2000, Slash would perhaps shed some light on this when he blamed management for losing money during the Use Your Illusions tour:



This could also be colored by the fact that not long before this interview, Goldstein had filed a lawsuit against Slash and Duff, for monies claimed to be owed [see: Goldstein Sues Slash and Duff].

See later chapter about Goldstein's possible involvement in the breakup of the UYI lineup.

It seems like Goldstein was working with the band throughout the rest of the millenium, and studio engineer Dave Dominguez would mention meeting him at Rumbo Recorder in 1998:



Based on the quote above it doesn't seem like Goldstein was much involved with the music creation at the time, and possibly focused on other clients. It can also seem that Axl fired part of the Big FD management team, somehow, more likely he made sure Goldstein kept them away from the operations.

In December 1994, Slash would be confronted with a rumour that said that he would be fine if he never played with Axl again, to which he would prevaricate:



And if the band is over:





When asked if it isn't natural that Axl would be pissed when Slash made a new band featuring Matt and Gilby, after Gilby had been sacked from Guns N' Roses, Slash responded and mentioned that he had "a rare, heated conversation" with Axl:



But it seems like things were relatively okay between Slash and Axl in January 1995:




But not long after, in late February, likely after having met again to jam with Zakk Wylde, the relationship between the two men seems to have worsened again. At the time they had a lot of disagreements and reasons to be angry with each other, including but not limited to disagreements on what the next GN'R record should be like, Gilby not being in the band any more, difficulties in finding a replacement for Gilby, Axl thrusting Paul onto the band, Slash using the songs he had written for Snakepit, and Slash's decision to tour with Snakepit at a time when Axl wanted to work on a new album.






Matt would later confirm that Slash's decision to leave on a tour with Snakepit had angered Axl and that this friction had lasted well into 1996:




Slash would also later say he left to tour because his friendship with Axl was so poor:




In an interview with Howard Stern from early February Slash would say he hadn't seen Axl since October 31, 1994, while "doing" 'Sympathy for the Devil' [The Howard Stern Show, February 1 1995]. It is likely that Slash and Axl met in mid-January 1995 when playing with Zakk Wylde, which would suggest the interview with Stern was taped in early January.

And whether Axl is doing okay:





When asked if he had quit the band, Slash would indicate that he didn't get along with someone in the band but that he, Slash, would not quit over this:



A little while later he would again reiterate he hadn't quit but that Zakk Wylde might be in the band and that he would have an issue with that:



In early 1995, Slash would tell Kerrang! that despite what had been said earlier about there being songs on tape, everything that he had made after the last touring, was either meant for Snakepit or ended up on their pinball machine (Ain't Going Down) [Kerrang! January 14, 1995].



Around the same time he would say that they were working on new music but had just started:



From the quote above it is also implied that Slash wasn't fully into Guns N' Roses at the time.

Much later, in 2005, Gilby would discuss the meeting he had with Axl in 2000 where Axl had mentioned how he felt Slash and Gilby had been against him when they worked on and later released the Snakepit album:

As 1995 came along, the band was still without a replacement for Gilby. The band had worked with Paul Huge (both in the summer of 1994 and then later when he came in and added guitar to the Sympathy for the Devil) but Slash was adamant about not wanting to work with him. They had also tested other guitarists, but so far nothing had really clicked.





Slash had previously expressed admiration for Zakk Wylde's guitar playing:




It is likely Axl then thought Slash would appreciate the opportunity to play with Wylde after all the problems they have had with Paul Huge and difficulties in finding a replacement for Gilby Clarke.

Slash would later state something to that effect:





So in January 1995, Axl invited Zakk Wylde to come and play with the band [RAW, March 1, 1995] and possibly replace Gilby [Detroit Free Press, April 24, 1995].





Wylde was excited about the opportunity:






Wylde was not sure if anything would come out of this one week of jamming:




And discussing what the music sounded like:





Duff would later also talk about the music they had worked on with Wylde in the band:



Interestingly, in early 1995 it would also be speculated that Axl considered Wylde a potential replacement for Slash, but that Wylde was not interested in it [Kerrang! January 14, 1995].

Slash would also cool the rumours about Wylde joining the band, saying it had been just a "buddy thing":




And later Slash would go in more detail about why it hadn't worked out:










Axl would also discuss bringing in Wylde:




And in the end Slash faxed Wylde:



This fax was most likely sent before Slash went on tour with Slash's Snakepit, so in late January or February 1995, or possibly after Slash returned from touring.

In May, Slash would say that Wylde have jammed with them "a couple of times" [Metal Edge Magazine, October 1994; interview from May 15, 1995].

It seems like the jamming with Wylde would be the last Slash would do with GN'R before going on tour with Snakepit, starting om March 1, 1995 [see later section].

Yet, just before Slash went on tour, Slash would indicate that Wylde may be a member of the band and that he had a problem with that:



This could indicate that the fax was sent after Slash returned from the tour.

This also suggests that the band's interaction with Wylde wasn't over after the jamming in January,



Wylde's connection with Guns N' Roses lasted for about 6 months, and that he jammed with the band also after Slash had left to tour with Snakepit.



This sheds some light on the rumour that Axl had considered replacing Slash with Wylde.

This quote from Wylde is likely when Axl called him up again, likely after Slash had gone on tour, and implies that Wylde had talked to Axl earlier about missing lyrics:



Wylde would later talk about the state of the music in this period:



And how he was drawn in different directions:




Talking about how it never happened:





It is obvious Wylde had a lot of admiration for Axl:



Interestingly, in July 2000 Slash would be asked if he was good friends with Wylde, and reply:



This could indicate that something had happened between them.

In 2005, 2011 and 2018, Wylde would look back at his involvement with Guns N' Roses:






In 2019, Slash would look back:



And refer to it as a "desperate move":

___________________________________________________________________________________________


And doing something on his own outside of Guns N' Roses was not a new thought to Slash:



By August 1991, Slash would state that he intended to do a record with another band if Guns N' Roses experienced a long downtime:



In early 1992 he was asked about a solo record again:



When asked again in July 1992 Slash would say that other than Duff's planned solo record there were no other solo record from band members in plan [Rockline, July 13, 1992], and in January 1994 he would dismiss the idea that he would make a solo record [Rockline, January 3, 1994].








With Slash and Axl disagreeing over musical direction, Gilby being out of the band, Diff in rehabilitation, and Axl trying to get Paul into the band, Slash looked for another outlet for his music, the music that had already allegedly been rejected by Axl, and decided to use the songs in a side project. Gilby would first mention this in June 1994 when he was asked what would happen to the songs he and Slash had worked on:



For Slash, this decision was likely fueled by a strong desire to get back on the road as soon as possible to avoid the lingering temptations of sedentary life in Los Angeles, but also frustration with not being able to see eye to eye with Axl on the direction of the band and wanting to do something with songs he felt were good and should be heard.

Explaining the contradiction between consistently saying he wouldn't do it, and then doing it:




Talking about why he decided to make his own record:





And again without mentioning that he initially wrote the songs for Guns N' Roses but that they were rejected:



Slash would even go as far as to say Axl had encouraged him to do a solo record with the rejected material:






In June it would be claimed the new band with Slash would be called "Gak", a slang terms for 'cocaine' [Hit Parader, December 1994]. It would also be reported it would be co-produced by Slash and Mike Clink [Kerrang! June 25, 1994].

In July, though, it would be reported it was Slash's new band that would be called "SVO Snakepit" [The Newcastle Journal, July 14, 1994], with "SVO" meaning "Slash's Very Own" [Kerrang! June 25, 1994], and that the project also featured Matt and Gilby [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1994].



Slash did not want to sing on the record:



Slash considered former Quire-boys vocalist Jonathan "Spike" Gray to sing on the record, along with 5 others [The Newcastle Journal, July 14, 1994; Kerrang! July 16, 1994]. Other singers who tried out for the spot were Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) and Ron Evans (Little Ceasar) [Metal Hammer, February 1995]. Slash would also say he had been taking singing lessons, but that he doesn't think he has the "personality to carry it off!" [Kerrang! June 25, 1994].




He would also say they considered many different singers, but that it would be impractical in regards to touring:



Eventually Slash would choose the 41th singer to audition, Eric Dover [RAW Magazine, November 1994; The Gazette, January 26, 1995]:



Talking about writing lyrics:



Slash would later say he did the record in two weeks:





By October 1994, the name had been reduced to just "Snakepit" with Slash explaining why he didn't want his name attached to the band name:



He would emphasize that it was a band later, too:





In November it would be reported that the name of the record would be, 'It's Five O' Clock Somewhere' [RAW Magazine, November 1994]. It would also be said that Slash's plan was to release his record in February 1995 and then go on an "extensive" tour in support of it [RAW Magazine, November 1994].

Explaining the band and record name:





And the cover:






In the end, the cover would say "Slash's Snakepit" and Slash would explain that this was a label decision and not his:



It would also be reported that Gilby would open the shows with his solo band [RAW Magazine, November 1994].

In December 1994, Slash would say he was allowed to do a solo record as per their contract:



In early 1995 Slash was asked why Duff wasn't also part of Snakepit:



Slash's plan was to release his record in February 1995 and then go on an "extensive" tour in support of it [RAW Magazine, November 1994].

Talking about his decision to do Snakepit and tour:



And discussing how the record was basically how he would like Guns N' Roses to be:



Summarizing how it came to be:








In his biography Behind The Paint from 2003, Insane Clown Posse member Joseph Bruce would discuss collaborating with Slash on the ICP song Halls of Illusions and claim that Slash said It's Five O' Clock Somewhere was about Axl:



Slash would also admit that the lyrics dealt with Axl in his own biography [insert quote].

This excerpt from a Slash interview in 2000, also supports this:





In addition it would be reported that the record had only sold 77,000 units by May 8, and had fallen out of top-200 [New York Daily News, May 8, 1995]. Rumours stated that Geffen was angry Axl had dismissed the material, concluding the material would have done much better if it had been released by Guns N' Roses [New York Daily News, May 8, 1995].

In 2018, Goldstein would discuss the album and claim that people around Slash had realized it was not good enough and that Axl had wanted it to succeed:

On March 10, The Joint - Hard Rock Hotel opened in Las Vegas.







Duff would be involved in setting up the roster [source?], and when asked if he got everyone he wanted, he replied:







In the 2000s, Guns N' Roses would do residencies at The Joint making it the venue where the band has played the most live shows.

After the album was released on February 14, 1994, Slash and his band would immediately embark on a tour from Mid-February that lasted until August 1, 1995.

Slash would be quick to say Guns N' Roses had not broken up and that he would soon return to get the band back on track, and that he had to tour the Snakepit record:



Slash had decided to tour when, according to him, nothing happened with GN'R:







Talking about why he needed to do this:




Although Axl was not happy about it:






Originally Matt was supposed to tour with Snakepit:



But in the end Matt did not tour with the band, and it seems like Axl made that stipulation:









And Matt would comment on this, too:



Later, Matt would say he distanced himself from Snakepit because it "sounded dated":



In 2012, he would say that Axl had threatened to fire him if he toured with Slash:









The plan was now to reconvene as soon as Slash was finished touring for Snakepit, and "if everything's okay, then I'd love to continue doing [Guns N' Roses]" [Kerrang! January 14, 1995].




In March 1995 he would elaborate on this, saying the plan was to revive Guns N' Roses in the summer:



As for writing for GN'R when Slash comes back from touring with Snakepit:



And when asked if this doesn't mean a new record is far away:








During the touring Slash would run into problems when they intended to do a show in San Diego in May, 1995. The San-Diego-based band Snakepit obtained a restraining order against Slash's Snakepit prohibiting them from doing any shows in the area under the "Slash's Snakepit" name [North County Times, May 5, 1995]. A court date was set for June 19 [North County Times, May 5, 1995].

Later Slash would claim the case was thrown out of court but that because of legalities they had decided to not play in San Diego:







The Snakepit tour was ending in July 1995, but after having met Lars Ulrich in Paris in June while playing shows there, he decided to add a show at that year's Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, England in August 26, 1995. He still planned on returning to Los Angeles after the last show in July, but then head off again for three days to play at Donington:




Then it became August:









In the above quote Slash puts a lot of blame on Axl being away. This is not entirely right, as discussed in earlier chapters, Slash himself had stopped attending rehearsals and him and Axl was engaged in heated discussions over the direction of the band including who to replace Gilby.

As described in previous chapters, there were significant incompatibilities in the personalities of Axl and Slash and these had been obvious from early on.



At times Slash would try to minimize the seriousness of these, and suggest that opposites attract, at other times it was obvious it caused a severe strain on the function of the band.





With stories about Axl and Slash's deteriorating relationship in 1994-1995, and with Slash leaving Los Angeles to tour with his band Snakepit in February 1995, rumours were spreading that Slash was in the process of, or had already, left Guns N' Roses.

When asked if he had quit the band, Slash would indicate that he didn't get along with someone in the band but that he, Slash, would not quit over this:



A little while later he would again reiterate he hadn't quit but that Zakk Wylde might be in the band and that he would have an issue with that:










Being asked if they will make another record:



And whether he wants to make another record with GN'R:



Slash was not overtly exuberant about ending Snakepit to go back to the drama and circus that was Guns N' Roses. In May 1995, he would state that he "really have to go back and focus on Guns at some point" [The San Francisco Examiner, May 8, 1995].




And when asked if he is reluctant to go back to Guns N' Roses:



In July 1995, Slash would state that "GNR takes itself a little bit too serious" [Folha De Sao Paulo Journal, July 21, 1995].




By May 1995, Slash had not spoken to Axl in a long time:



In early June, Slash would say he probably hadn't talked to Axl in 6 months [Dutch TV, June 5, 1995].



When asked if Slash doesn't feel a need to "call him and say, 'How are you doing, man' and 'How is it going?'", Slash responded:



We know Slash and Axl met at a rehearsal in late-January [Raw, March 1, 1995], indicating that since then Slash had neither met or talked to Axl.



Later he would say he hadn't talk to Axl because Axl was busy with the Erin Everly trial [Kerrang! July 1995].

Despite this, Slash would admit there was still bitterness about how Gilby was fired, although he could be talking about Gilby being bitter and not himself:



In a later interview, Slash would say he can't hang out with Gilby because "because it might upset the others" [Kerrang! September 21, 1996].

During 1995, Slash would also become more vocal about his misgivings with Axl and how it affected Guns N' Roses. When asked if Axl plans to do a solo record, Slash would quip:



In July 1995, Slash would again state that when they last talked, which was in late January 1995, Axl wanted to accomplish his solo aspirations within Guns N' Roses, possibly bringing in Trent Reznor to help him out [Kerrang! May 27, 1995]:



This raises the question: Did Axl want Guns N' Roses to evolve in the direction of bands like Pearl Jam or bands like Nine Inch Nails? Because Slash would state both. From Slash's quotes it could seem like Axl wasn't sure himself and was interested in exploring various possibilities, or perhaps Slash simply hadn't understood what Axl wanted, except that it wasn't the music that ended up on It's Five O' Clock Somewhere.

Slash would again claim that Axl considered Guns N' Roses his solo project:




Over a year later, Slash would again talk about Axl considering GN'R to be his solo band:

Later in the year, Slash would describe how he had gone back to writing music they had done in the beginning while Axl wanted to change the sound of the band:






In the early 1990s Slash would talk positively about the band's ballads:



But when his fighting with Axl escalated, and after having left the band, he would change his tune and even talk disparagingly about some of the music he had helped make:





After he released the Snakepit album, an interviewer would ask him if he and Axl had moved in different directions musically:



In a later interview he would go even further, referring to Axl's music as "piano-shit" and talking negatively about some of the piano-ballads the band had done:



Duff would later confirm that Slash had talked negatively about Axl's music, and say that the downfall of Guns N' Roses happened when Slash turned his back to Axl and called the music Axl was working on for "shit":






The differences between Axl and Slash two didn't only come down to musical direction:





And Slash would again state his distaste for the elaborate music videos:





_______________
TO BE MOVED:



Later, in 2000, Slash would look back at how Axl had changed:

Talking about his guitar work in the beginning:



Slash would be quick to point out his musical limitations:



A prerequisite for improvement is wanting to become better and back in 1992 Slash had indicated that he still felt limited by his own skills.



In 1995, he would say he had improved and was now a better musician:



One was to improve was to play with better musicians:



When confronted by a fan who referred to him as the best guitarist ever, Slash responded:




And talking about consciously trying to be better:



Describing his playing style:





Slash in late 2000:




Talking about other players looking up at Slash:



And discussing where he would be in five years (from 2002):



And how he comes up with solos:



In 2004 Slash would talk about scales:



And about his accomplishments:




Being asked if there is some song he wanted to be able to play, but couldn't:



Comparing himself to when he was in the 20s:



And being challenged to describe what makes his guitar playing unique:

In February 1995, just before heading out to tour with Snakepit, Slash had said there was no new music recorded on tape, and that all they had was already used, either on Use Your Illusions or on his Snakepit record, or their pinball machine [Kerrang! January 14, 1995]. In April, though, Slash would contradict this by saying they had started rehearsing and recording new music:



Later in the year Slash would again state that they had worked on music before he left to tour with Snakepit:



In November 1995, Metal Hammer would release an interview with Slash that was likely done in August. In this interview, Slash talks about the music they had recorded, and this must have been from before he went on tour:



In June, Slash would say he hadn't talked to Axl in 6 months [Dutch TV, June 5, 1995], suggesting that the working on the next record took place in January 1995, at the latest. This coincides with Wylde jamming with the band, implying that those sessions were the last time Slash played with GN'R before leaving on his tour with Snakepit.

Slash would also describe the music they had been working on, in not so flattering terms:



Slash would talk more about the work they had done:





It is unlikely much was done in the period March-September 1995 when Slash was gone touring with Snakepit.

In an update from the band's fan club, sent out in mid-1995, Duff would excitedly say they were working on new music:



In an interview published in mid-1995, Duff would say he couldn't do the interview earlier because he had been working on Guns N' Roses' new record [Gearhead Magazine, May 1995].

But in an official newsletter that was probably sent out in 1996, but with content from some time in 1995, Matt would describe the new music in terms that would suggest they hadn't recorded much yet:



Despite having started making music again, the band had still not replaced Gilby:



Not long before, Slash had expressed uncertainty in regards to whether Zakk Wylde was in the band or not [RAW, March 1, 1995], indicating that Slash was out of the loop and that it was entirely run by Axl now. He would reiterate this uncertainty in April:



And later in April, it would be reported that Wylde was indeed rehearsing with the band while Slash was on tour with Snakepit [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 28, 1995].

Slash was not optimistic about what had been done while he was away:




Slash was still unsure about whether Paul was in the band, and would again express negativity towards this scenario:




Slash much more wanted Gilby back in the band:



Simply put, the missing guitarist was a big concern to Slash:





After returning from his tour with Snakepit, Slash would be less excited about the amount of work that had been tour by the guys left behind and say the band had only jammed twice during this whole period:



This is corroborated by this quote from Matt in late 1996 where he said he had seen Axl in the period but that they "didn't really work" together:

Since the end of 1993, Axl had not been doing any interviews [as far as we can tell], instead deciding to lay low with less media exposure than before. This could be because he was busy with personal work like his ongoing legal battles, that he felt there was nothing to say since the band was fragmenting and with no clear future, or because he didn't like the press and doing interviews, or any other reason unknown to us..




In 2005, Craig Duswalt, Axl's former personal assistant, would explain that Axl "is not so great in public":



One exception to his avoidance of the public was the Elton John induction at the Hall of Fame in January 1994 [see previous chapter] where he came together with his girlfriend at the time, Jennifer Driver.





In July 1996, it would be reported that he had taking guitar lessons [Addicted to Noise, August 30, 1996] and had cut his hair short [New York Daily News, July 11, 1996].

Duff would comment upon Axl's lifestyle and all the rumors about him:



Then, in August, it would be reported that Axl would be featured in the movie "The Underground Comedy Movie" together with people like Joey Buttafuoco and Anna Nicole Smith [Red Deer Advocate, August 1, 1996]. The finished movie which was released in 1999, did not feature Axl but did feature Slash in the sketch Miss America Bag Lady Pageant so it is likely the press got it wrong and that Axl was never intended for the movie.

In October 1996, the Malibu area was ravaged by wildfires and it was mentioned in the press that Axl's house was saved by firefighters [AP/The Press Democrat, October 23, 1996].

In 2002 Axl would explain why he became a recluse:



And explain that he wasn't so much being away from the public as not being recognized:







Regardless of Axl's reasons for not doing press, this meant that the rest of the band members' opinions and statements would dominate, particularly Slash's.

Slash was doing interviews continuously and when asked if all the rumours about the band was allowed to run rampant due to their silence, he would say:



Later Axl would claim he purposely stayed silent so as to not help promote their projects:

In July 1995, Dizzy would have to go to trial after pleasing not guilty to a misdemeanor case drunk-driving after having been arrested on February 9, 1995 [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1995]. Dizzy's claim was that he had not been driving the car, and that it was Sean Riggs who had been driving [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1995]. The jury's verdict was that Dizzy was guilty and he was sentenced to "five days of community service" and a fine of $1,515 [Los Angeles Times, July 21, 1995]. In addition, Dizzy was ordered to attend alcohol education classes [Los Angeles Times, July 21, 1995].

________________________________________________________________________________

Despite numerous claims that GN'R was his main focus, slowly Slash started to admit that his mind was occupied with Snakepit and that he saw both bands happening simultaneously:



Talking about the whole process:



And talking about why he started a new band:








And on a second album, and contrasting it with making music with GN'R:





He would further indicate that already from the start he had envisioned doing a second album with Snakepit, somewhat undermining his claims that he was more or less driven to do a solo-project when Axl rejected the songs:



But that a second album wouldn't happen until after GN'R's next album, indicating a dedication to GN'R:



And contrasting his experience with Snakepit with Guns N' Roses:




Later in the year, there would be indications that Slash was preferring his mistress Snakepit over his wife Guns N' Roses:



In 1996, when Slash hadn't played with Guns N' Roses in over a year and his future in the band looked dimmer and dimmer, Slash still insisted that GN'R was his main priority and that a second Snakepit album would have to wait:

On May 2, 1995, the movie 'Panther' would be released. The soundtrack featured a collaboration between Slash, Brian McKnight and the Boys Choir of Harlem, doing ' The Star-Spangled Banner'.

In September 1995, Matt and Duff would form a new band called The Neurotic Outsiders [The Courier Journal, July 6, 1996; Addicted to Noise, August 30, 1996]. The lineup featured Matt, Duff, Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), and John Taylor (Duran Duran) [The Courier Journal, July 6, 1996; Addicted to Noise, August 30, 1996].



Matt started it to get a bit away from Guns N' Roses:



One of the reasons Duff joined this new band was to get his "life back in gear" after his serious health issues in 1994 [Addicted to Noise, August 30, 1996]. It would also be a way for him, like it had been for Slash and his Snakepit, to reconnect with fans after the stadium tours of Guns N' Roses:



Duff was afraid that he might not be able to play well while being sober:



Duff also knew Jones from biking:




The Michigan Daily would recount the start of the band:



Duff and Matt would describe how it started:







The charity event drew $10,000 and was for a friend of Viper Club's owner (Sal Jenco) who had been diagnosed with cancer [Calgary Herald, September 6, 1996]. But out of this humble beginnings grew a more serious musical project [Addicted to Noise, August 30, 1996]. In late September 1996, they embarked on a tour [Addicted to Noise, August 30, 1996]:



Matt would explain how this supergroup was formed in June 1995 at Johnny Depp's nightclub The Viper Room in Hollywood:








Later, Matt would say they had struck a "multi-million record deal" on Madonna's Maverick Records that included one record and limited touring [Toronto Sun, September 4, 1996].



Commenting on their album:




The band would release their eponymous album on Maverick Records in September 1996.

Apparently, Axl was a big fan of the record:




When asked what would happen if the new band became popular with Duff having to juggle two bands at the same time, Duff would respond:



In 1997 it would be rumoured that the band had cancelled a plan because Axl allegedly insisting on Duff and Matt focusing on Guns N' Roses [CyberSleaze, December 27, 1996; Rolling Stone, January 13, 1997]. IT would also be rumoured that Steven Jones would guest on the next Guns N' Roses record [CyberSleaze, December 27, 1996].

Yet, even after Duff quit Guns N' Roses, it seems Neurotic Outsiders was dead.




Looking back at the band:




And when asked if he ever thinks they will do a reunion concert:

In early 1995, Slash would continue to downplay Izzy's guitar-playing skills in a live setting:



But not long after this, rumours would spread that Izzy had returned to the band [Folha De Sao Paulo Journal, July 21, 1995]. The rumours might have been started after Slash played with Izzy in Chicago on April 27, 1995, during his tour with Snakepit [Kerrang! July 1995].



Slash would be asked if Izzy was coming back to the band and imply that it could be happening:



Slash would be asked about the Izzy returning rumour again in July, and state that Izzy was interested in writing with the band but not touring:




Media would also later report that Izzy had returned to Los Angeles in 1995 to write with Axl [Kerrang! August 21, 1999].

In 1996, Slash would talk more about Izzy:




In 2018, Doug Goldstein would deny that Izzy had any plans of returning to the band:





Slash would reiterate that Izzy wasn't interested in joining as a proper band member and state that he had in fact been writing with Duff:



Duff would also mention having worked with Izzy:



Izzy would later talk about these session and say that it had been Duff who had asked Izzy to come to Los Angeles and write with him, but that the music they wrote didn't go anywhere:










The fate of these songs are unknown, although some of them might have ended up on any of Izzy's later albums or possible some unreleased music from Duff.

Dave Dominguez, who later worked as a sound engineer, would work in the studio when Duff, Izzy, Taz Bentley and Slash worked on new music, at some point after Izzy had left Guns N' Roses [GN'R Central, January 16, 2019]. It is not entirely clear when these sessions took place. Dominguez believes they happened before Juju Hounds, but that is very unlikely since Juju Hounds was Izzy's first project after leaving GN'R. Dominguez also mentions Slash being involved, but he doesn't seem to have been much involved in the sessions between Duff and Izzy in 1995. It is possible the sessions Dominguez talk about happened even later than 1995.





In 1995 Izzy also visited Axl:




About a month after having reconnected at Axl's place in Malibu, they would talk on the phone, but this would not go so well:




Still, in late 1996, Slash would say that if anyone were to come in and replace Gilby it would likely be Izzy [Total Guitar, January 1997]:





Apparently, in 1996 Izzy also sent a bunch of songs, 18 [Expressen Fredag, March 14, 1998] or "around 20" [Rock & Folk, April 1998], to Axl:







In 2001 Axl seemed interested in at least one of the songs he had received from Izzy:

In Dizzy's drunk-driving trial of July 1995, Sean Riggs would be said to be a studio drummer for Guns N' Roses, and had been so since at least early February 1995 [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1995]. Later, Riggs would receive writing credits for the song 'Oh My God' that would end up on the 'End of Days' soundtrack in 1999. This is the same Riggs that was the drummer in Dizzy's old bands Johnny and the Jaguars and The Wild, under the name Sid Riggs and the moniker Sid the Kid. The Jaguars later morphed into Johnny Crash and then to The Real McCoys [Krys Baratto, personal communication, August 29, 2020]. Another member of The Real McCoys was the bassist Krys Baratto who, together with Riggs, were also working with Guns N' Roses in the period 1995-1997.

Riggs and Baratto got involved when Matt and Duff focused on the Neurotic Outsiders and Axl wanted to keep working on new music:





Baratto would mention the players that were involved in these sessions:




We know Wylde was involved in 1995 and that Izzy returned to Los Angeles that year to write with Duff. The people from Pearl Jam and Nine Inch Nails would likely be Dave Abbruzzee and Chris Vrenna, who were drummers who came in to possibly replace Matt after he left in 1997 (see later chapter).

Despite the number of people involved, including such personalities as Paul and Slash, Baratto would claim everybody was cool:



When specifically asked about Paul and Slash:



Although Duff was busy with the Neurotic Outsiders in at least parts of this period, and possibly on his way out of the band, he would still be around:



As for how much contact Baratto had with Axl:




When asked if any of the music they worked on ended up on Chinese Democracy, Baratto would reply:

In September 1995, Slash returned from his tour with Snakepit with the stated goal of working on the next GN'R record, although this quote from 1999 suggests his heart wasn't really in it:



Axl was apparently also eager to get Guns N' Roses rolling again with Matt and Duff having formed the Neurotic Outsiders [see previous chapter]:

Matt would say Axl had wanted to work on a record after Duff and Matt put the Neurotic Outsiders together:



But that did not happen:



In late 1995, Los Angeles Times would finally shed light on what was happening in the band:



That Axl, Duff and Slash was working separately was an ominous sign, considering that Slash and Axl had not been on the best of terms. The reasons for this separation could be that Slash had given up:



Although this quote from Matt could also be about the period in 1994 when Slash focused on Snakepit.

In November 1995, Metal Hammer would release an issue where they asked Slash about how long it might take to get a new record out:



Being asked if there's a possibility there won't be a new record:



In the quote above it is clear that Slash and Axl still felt differently about the music on the next record.

And talking about a future tour:



Doug Goldstein would talk more about the future tour:



And:



Early in 1996, Entertainment Weekly talked to Bryn Bridenthal about the work on a new record and she would say that a new record would be released by the end of 1996 and that the band members are working on new songs and occasionally play together:



It is unlikely that the band were able to get much work done together as a band in this period. Slash likely recorded new music in his own studio while playing with and rehearsing with Duff and Matt without Axl. This is corroborated by this quote from Matt in late 1996 where he said they "didn't really work" together:

As discussed previously, on September 1, 1992, Axl, Slash and Duff had signed a partnership agreement to regulate the legal and financial aspects of Guns N' Roses [see previous chapter]. The agreement also contained provisions for ownership of the band name, "Guns N' Roses", and stated that if Axl was to leave the partnership, or otherwise be terminated from the partnership, he would own the rights to use the name [Partnership Agreement, September 1, 1992].






In November 1994, it would be speculated that Axl owned the band name and logo and could in theory continue the band with a new lineup [Kerrang! November 5, 1994; RAW Magazine, November 1994]. These speculations probably arose as a result of people close to the band leaking contents of the partnership agreement.

Later it would be claimed that Axl had forced Slash and Duff to sign the Partnership Agreement by stating he would refuse to go on stage if they didn't sign:




Marc Canter would also suggest that Slash and Duff got tricked into signing something they shouldn't have singed, and imply that Goldstein had a role in this:



Zutaut would further state that the agreement had been written by their lawyer Peter Paterno to prevent the band from breaking uop:



According to the quotes by Zutaut, this blackmailing by Axl happened on the "eve of the tour". Slash and Duff signed the partnership agreement on October 15 and 21, 1992, respectively, at a point between the North American fall tour in 1992 and the South American tour (which started with a show on October 25, 1992, in Caracas, Venezuela). So if Zutaut is correct, Axl had informed his band mates that if they didn't sign the agreement, he wouldn't be doing the South American shows.

Slash would later suggest this could be correct by saying the show where Axl presented them with an ultimatum took place in 1992:






In the quotes above, Slash makes it seem like him and Duff was handed the contract mere hours before showtime and that they were essentially forced to sign on the risk of a riot. Obviously, by looking at the dates of signing (Slash signed on October 15 and Duff on October 21), this representation of what happened can not be true, the agreements was signed about a month before the first show of the South American tour (Caracas Venezuela, November 25, 1992).

In either case, both Zutaut and Slash claim that Axl presented them with an ultimatum, either sign or Axl want go on stage.



In 2012, Marc Canter, on the other hand, would suggest the band manager, Doug Goldstein, had very much been the root of the problem by being the one who claimed Axl would refuse to play unless Duff and Slash signed the agreement:



So according to Canter, Goldstein had lied to Slash and Duff that Axl would refuse to go onstage if they didn't sign, and Slash and Duff had believed Axl was really behind the thread.

Doug Goldstein, on the other hand, would deny having been involved in this at all, and say it was the tour manager, John Reese, who had presented the ultimatum to Slash and Duff:



Interestingly, Zutaut said this happend at the end of the tour, and Duff [Biography] and Goldstein claim that it happened when the band was touring in Barcelona, which would date it to July 1993, and not 1992, but the agreement itself is dated to September 1992 (with Slash and Duff signing in October). In 2015 and 2018, Goldstein would again state that he was not there when Slash and Duff were handed the papers, and specifically date the incident to July 5, 1993:




Goldstein would also speculate that Reese probably wasn't aware that presenting the agreement to Slash and Duff under threat of Axl not doing the show, would make it legally void because of duress:



Goldstein would be asked if he had "kicked the fuck out of that dude [=Reese] that gave Slash and Duff that contract":



So the question remains, did Axl direct John Reese to present an ultimatum to Slash or Duff? Was this Reese's own idea without Axl's involvement? Or perhaps Goldstein suggesting it to Reese, possibly days or weeks before it took place? And maybe it wasn't even Reese but Goldstein himself? In any case, the agreement was signed by Duff and Slash in October 1992, long before the Barcelona show in 1993.

Then there is also the possibility that a new partnership agreement was worked out in 1993, making the one signed in 1992 void, but we have no corroborating evidence suggesting this to be the case. In the lawsuits that were to follow in the 2000s, the 1992 partnership agreement is referenced; and in Axl's resignation later from 1995 [see below], he also refers to the 1992 partnership agreement.



In 2008, Axl responded to the allegations that he had threatened Duff and Slash and pointed out, similar to Goldstein's reasoning above, that if this story had been true, it could have resulted in devastating legal litigations:



He also possibly explained that the reason he had not vocally opposed the story before, was due to how that could have hurt "whatever nonsense was going on", likely referring to other concurrent legal processes:



Although this comment above from Axl might have been towards a different topic.



On August 31, 1995, Axl sent a letter to Slash and Duff stating that per December 31, 1995, he would withdrawn from the partnership.





The practical implications of this would be fought over in three lawsuits in the 2000s [see later chapters], with Slash and Duff's position being that because of this Axl had no commercial rights over the old Guns N' Roses assets, while Axl's position would be that the resignation from the partnership had not been fully executed and that besides, Slash had withdrawn, too [see later chapters for more discussion on these lawsuits and their arguments]. All of these lawsuits were dismissed with no legal conclusions.

The timing of the resignation letter is likely important, it came at a time where relationship between Axl and Slash was particularly strained, and it did suggest that Axl could continue with Guns N' Roses without Duff and Slash. The letter even stated that Axl was interested in discussing how Slash and Duff could become members in the new group (the new Guns N' Roses). This was likely to further sour the relationship between Axl and Slash and Duff, and further drive Slash away.

In Slash's 2007 biography he would talk about the partnership agreement and how Axl had the right to start a new Guns N' Roses:



Furthermore, Slash would also reveal that after Axl sent his resignation letter on August 31, 1995, they signed an agreement that would be put in escrow (and thus ineffective) until certain terms were met within a specific date. If these conditions were not met, the agreement would be rendered terminated. But if the conditions were met, and the agreement in escrow became effective, Axl "would be "officially at the helm":



Unfortunately, we don't have access to this escrow agreement, but it does sound like the implications of it becoming effective would grant more control to Axl and thus that preventing those certain terms to be met could be an attractive course of action for Slash. It is also possible that the unspecific terms were connected to the making of a new album, and thus that Slash had less incentive to work on new music within the time frame and rather have the time-limit for the escrow agreement expire.  

It is also not clear why Axl decided to resign from the partnership, the partnership agreement granted him the rights to the name if Slash and Duff left the partnership. Perhaps Axl realized that things would not move forward with the current lineup and wanted to start a new immediately, something which would not be possible if he remained in the partnership?

Axl himself would discuss leaving the partnership and that he did it to "salvage Guns", indicating that he perceived Slash (and possible Duff) as impediments or direct threats to the future of Guns N' Roses:




Axl would also allude to an attempted takeover from Slash that would have destroyed the band and driven him (Axl) "to bankruptcy":






As Slash would also refer to in his biography, the outcome of Axl's powerplay was extensive legal negotiations in 1995 and 1996, which eventually resulted in a "trial period" in late 1996 when Slash came back to work with the band again:



As discussed in later chapters, Slash came back to these rehearsals without any real enthusiasm, suggesting he had no internal motivations to create a new record with Guns N' Roses, possible due to the legal ramifications this would have when the escrow contract became effective.



Axl did not deny wanting control of the band and would emphasize that the other partners had initialized the section with ownership of the name and that the intention for Axl was to protect himself if he was fired from the band:



The manager that Axl is referring to in the above is Alan Niven, who was outed before the tour started in 1991 [see previous chapter], suggesting that the agreements were being negotiated for a time before they were signed.

Niven would comment on Axl's claim:





The public did not get to know about the practical implications of the amendment to the partnership agreement until 1994 when the press started writing about it in connection to the fights between Axl and Slash [Kerrang! November 5, 1994; RAW Magazine, November 1994].

Slash would later express bitterness over Axl getting the ownership through the amendment:



Slash would also vent frustration with Axl being in control of the band:



In early 1997 it would be reported that Axl had actually purchased the rights to the band name, "Guns N' Roses" [Addicted to Noise, January 30, 1997]. Steven would say that the band members were approached one-by-one and offered money for the name:



And Steven's rationale for accepting this was that Axl wouldn't be able to monetize on the name without the rest of the band:



Slash, though, would indicate it didn't go down like that and that he wasn't able to prevent it from happening:



In 1997, with Slash out the band, Alan Niven would also scathingly castigate Axl for taking control of the band and would claim that the only reason Axl continued with the band Guns N' Roses was to collect a large windfall from Geffen:



In late 2000, Slash would admit that Duff and him hadn't wanted the name:




And in 2003, when asked if they would have wanted "Guns N' Roses" if it was handed to them, both Matt and Duff said no [Riki Rachtman Triple R, June 27, 2003].

In 2008, Axl would present a theory explaining why Slash had considered contesting that the ownership was transferred to Axl and why in the process Axl had been painted as basically getting the name through strong-arming Duff and Slash, with Slash trying to save face when it became clear to the public Axl had ended up with the name:



Axl would also talk about why it had been important to him to continue with Guns N' Roses as other left:




And Axl would not deny that a sense of entitlement to the name by the others wasn't completely off, but that it has also been a strategy on Slash's name more than a feeling of genuine ownership:



As for Slash's strategy for obtaining the name:



Despite Axl's letter of resignation, there was still a partnership in effect as evidenced by the quote below from Duff in 2002, and this ongoing business as if nothing had happened would also be an argument Axl would use in court.



In 2004, Slash would still say he didn't care about the name:



He would repeat this in 2010:

In 1995, Slash would claim that Axl was separate from the day-to-day business of the band:



Slash would also, probably in 1997, claim that Axl considered him and Slash the most important parts of Guns N' Roses:



In late 1999, Axl would claim the other band members had been against him:



Matt would later shed light on this and imply that could be one of the reasons Axl would fight for Paul Huge's involvement:



Slash would also refer to how Axl isolated himself and how Slash was unable to communicate with him:



Goldstein would look back and suggest that Axl wasn't good at communicating:

On November 30, 1995, Gilby sued Guns N' Roses for "commercial misappropriation of his name, likeness, photograph, voice, and performance." [Billboard, December 16, 1995]. Gilby would later say he didn't want to sue, but that no one in the band would return his calls [Rolling Stone, May 11, 2000].

More specifically, the band had used a picture of Gilby on the pinball machine released in 1994:



The defendants in the suits were the band members themselves and not Geffen [Billboard, December 16, 1995]. According to the suit, Gilby had not given the band permission to "use or exploit his name, likeness, photograph, voice, and performance in a commercial manner in the absence of a contract regarding royalties from sales of albums on which he performed." [Billboard, December 16, 1995].

Gilby's manager, Mike Hall, would comment:



As a response, Guns N' Roses counter-sued. In the end, the cases were settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money paid out to Gilby [Rolling Stone, May 11, 2000].



In September 1996, Slash would talk about Gilby and indicate they weren't on friendly terms anymore due to the lawsuit:



Which is a shame, because in July 1994, right after he had been fired, Gilby said the following:



And not much later Slash, Gilby and Matt would play together in Slash's Snakepit.

In 2015, Duff would look back at how the lawsuit had affected their relationship at the time:

In July 1996, Duff would state that the new record would be released "at the very latest, nest spring" [St. Cloud Times, July 28, 1996]. Duff would also say the band had quietly started working on the new record two months ago with "a really cool genuine air of excitement" [St. Cloud Times, July 28, 1996].



Apparently, they had written a song that was intended for a Jackie Chan movie:



According to Duff, Axl was a "huge fan" of Jackie Chan [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996].

The band would not end up having any songs in any Jackie Chan movies. In 2008, Axl would state that the band had a song with the working title Jackie Chan and this song would later be released as Hard Skool in September 24, 2021. It was speculated that Hard Skool must have been the songs Duff referred to, but a verified source close to the band would later deny that the band was working on a song intended for a Jackie Chan soundtrack and state that the working title was simply Jackie Chan because Axl was into a Jackie Chan movie at the time [Personal communication, September 24, 2021]. It is still not clear if this is the song Duff and Matt talked about and whether Hard Skool thus dates back to 1997 or earlier.

Slash didn't seem to be part of these sessions because in July 1996 he would take part in an Internet chat and not sound very positive about the work on the next record:



And on whether GN'R was breaking up:



He would also indicate he was out of the loop in terms of what was going on with the new album and that he hadn't played with "them" yet [since returning from the Snakepit tour in 1995]:



In early August 1996, he would state that he still hadn't played with them, or even been in the same room since before the Snakepit record was released [Kerrang! September 21, 1996; but interview from early August 1996]. This means that if Slash had been involved in working on new music, including the Jackie Chan song, it must have been from his own studio and not together with the rest of the band.

Slash would also deny that Izzy was back in the band [Netscape Online Chat, July, 1996] and Slash would later, according to Kerrang! indicate that Axl still intended Paul Huge as the replacement for Gilby [Kerrang! September 21, 1996; but interview from early August 1996]. This is odd, because around the same time both Duff and Bridenthal would say Axl would be playing rhythm guitar [see later chapter] - so maybe this is an indication of how far out of the loop Slash was and had been?

In July 1996, Bryn Bridenthal would be asked about the progress of a new record, and indicate that a new record this year was possible but unlikely:



In early 1997, after having left Guns N' Roses, Slash would claim he had rehearsed with the band after returning from the Snakepit tour:

In connection with Gilby's lawsuit against the band [see separate chapter], a Geffen spokeswoman, likely Bryn Bridenthal, would say that a new record was due in late 1996 with an unnamed new guitarist [Billboard, December 16, 1995]. In July 1996, the press would report that this unnamed guitarist could be Axl [New York Daily News, July 11, 1996].

Bryn Bridenthal would comment:







Guitar was not new to Axl, he had previously played guitars on Shotgun Blues and Dead Horse from the Use Your Illusions, and Duff would suggest he had learnt guitar as part of writing Shotgun Blues:



Other band members would confirm that Axl had been taking lessons and was now playing guitar on his own songs:








Some of the lessons apparently came from Paul Huge:



In September when the band was back in the studio working on the new record, Duff would be asked about Axl playing guitar:



In an interview likely from September 1996, Duff would also confirm that the entire band was rehearsing, but that they also included a "friend of Axl":

This friend was likely Paul Huge, and it seems his role had been reduced to teaching Axl how to play.

In October Slash would say he didn't think Axl intended to be the rhythm guitar player:



And when asked who would be playing rhythm guitar:



From the answers it can be alluded that Slash was somewhat in the unknown regarding the plans of the band.

Later, after Slash had left the band, Duff would be asked if Axl intended to replace Slash on lead guitar and whether Axl would be interested in that



In 2008, Chris Pitman would discuss Axl's guitar playing in the period of 1999-2000:



Despite the praise from Chris, when asked what stops him from playing guitar at gigs, Axl answered:



Dave Dominguez, studio engineer who was with the band from January to August 1998, would mention that Axl was taking guitar lessons at his house and would record himself after the band had moved into Rumble Recorder in 1998:



It is not clear who was teaching Axl at this point. Gary Sunshine would become his guitar teacher in 1999. It could possibly have been the band's guitar tech Sean Paden, who came in in 2015 [see later chapter], or Paul Huge [see quote above], or someone else.

Being asked if Axl was a shredder:

In 2006, a few articles would mention Slash almost joining the English band The Stone Roses in 1996 to replace John Squire who officially left in April. Singer Ian Brown would confirm this but say they didn't think Slash would fit:



Mani, the band's bassist, would confirm the story and explain that Goldstein at the time wanted to become the Stone Roses' new manager:



The eventual replacement for Squire, guitarist Aziz Ibrahim who joined in August 1996, would confirm the story:



In 2010, Slash would downplay the story:



It is not likely Slash had felt too busy with Guns N' Roses in the first half of 1996 (Squire was officially out in April) considering that Slash had recently toured with Snakepit and only did a few weeks of working with Guns N' Roses in August - he had more or less checked out of the band at this time.

In 2013 Slash would tweet about the story and claim he never attempted to join The Stone Roses:

Matt had been interested in producing other artists for as long time:



By mid-1996, Matt had moved out of his house in Malibu where he had lived with his wife Kai until they divorced in 1994 [see previous chapter]. In February 1996, it would be reported that he was now leasing a home in the Hollywood Hills [Northwest Herald/L.A. Times, February 22, 1996; Metal Hammer, July 1996].



The house contained a studio [Metal Hammer, July 1996] which allowed Matt to start producing other's music.



Matt had started producing other people's bands:



As for displaying his awards and trophies:



At the time Matt had a dog called Drac and a cat called Oscar: