25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
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25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
CHAPTER INDEX
- 2004-2014: "THE AXL TAPES"/RAPIDFIRE 1983
- SEPTEMBER 20, 2004: AXL ROSE SIGNS TO SANCTUARY PUBLISHING; SLASH AND DUFF PROTEST
- OCTOBER 26, 2004: AXL IS FEATURED IN GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS
- OCTOBER 31, 2004: VELVET REVOLVER DRESSES UP FOR HALLOWEEN
- JANUARY-MARCH, 2005: WORK ON CHINESE DEMOCRACY - MIXING AND SOME VOCALS REMAIN
- "THE MOST EXPENSIVE ALBUM NEVER MADE"
- 2002-2016: ARRANGING THE INSTRUMENT PARTS FOR LIVE SHOWS
- JANUARY 2005: RUMOUR ABOUT RICHARD JOINING NIN; RICHARD SAYS REZNOR PUBLISHED THE RUMOUR TO SCREW WITH AXL
- TOURING IN THE SUMMER OF 2005?
- APRIL-OCTOBER, 2005: WORK ON CHINESE DEMOCRACY - SOME VOCALS STILL MISSING
- MID-2005: PATTI HOOD ADDS HARP TO 'THIS I LOVE'
- AUGUST 2005-MARCH 2006: SLASH, DUFF AND AXL'S LEGAL BATTLE, PART II
- OCTOBER 2005: SLASH PAYS AXL A NIGHTIME VISIT
- 2001- : BRAIN'S PERSONAL LIFE
- OCTOBER 2005: GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2?
- NOVEMBER 2005: RICHARD BECOMES A DAD AND MAKES CHANGES TO HIS LIFE
- DECEMBER 2005: RICHARD RECORDS FOR CHINESE DEMOCRACY
- DECEMBER 2005-FEBRUARY 2006: SLASH SAYS CHINESE DEMOCRACY IS COMING OUT IN MARCH 2006
- JANUARY-APRIL 2006: "AXL IS ALMOST FINISHED"
- FEBRUARY 2006: AXL PLAYS CHINESE DEMOCRACY AT THE CHELSEA NIGHTCLUB; MANY SONGS LEAK
- FEBRUARY 2006: A 2006 SUMMER TOUR IS ANNOUNCED
- FEBRUARY 2006: GUNS N' ROSES REUNITING?
- MARCH 2006: AXL ATTACKS SLASH
- 2003-2006: SCOTT WEILAND VS AXL
- APRIL 2006: PLANNING MAY WARM-UP GIGS AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM
- APRIL 2006: JOSHUA CRAIG TO REPLACE BUCKETHEAD?
- MAY 2006: SLASH TO REJOIN GUNS N' ROSES FOR THE SUMMER TOUR?
- APRIL (?)-MAY 12, 2006: REHEARSALS IN NYC
- MAY 2006: AXL AND SEBASTIAN BACH RECONNECT
- MAY 2006: BUMBLEFOOT JOINS THE BAND
- BUMBLEFOOT BEFORE GUNS N' ROSES
- MAY 12, 2006: THE FIRST WARM-UP GIG AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROM
- SONG: THERE WAS A TIME
- SONG: I.R.S.
- SONG: BETTER
- BUMBLEFOOT, TOO QUIRKY FOR GUNS N' ROSES?
- 2005-2012: TOMMY AND SOUL ASYLUM
- 2004- : THE COMPULSIONS WITH RICHARD, FRANK AND BUMBLEFOOT
- 2005- : PISSER WITH RICHARD, FRANK AND BUMBLEFOOT
- AXL'S STILL CAREFUL WITH DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
- MAY 2006 AND APRIL 2013: AXL MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY?
- 2006: AXL'S PUBLIC APPEARANCES AND THE SOPRANOS
- SEPTEMBER 20, 2004: AXL ROSE SIGNS TO SANCTUARY PUBLISHING; SLASH AND DUFF PROTEST
- OCTOBER 26, 2004: AXL IS FEATURED IN GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS
- OCTOBER 31, 2004: VELVET REVOLVER DRESSES UP FOR HALLOWEEN
- JANUARY-MARCH, 2005: WORK ON CHINESE DEMOCRACY - MIXING AND SOME VOCALS REMAIN
- "THE MOST EXPENSIVE ALBUM NEVER MADE"
- 2002-2016: ARRANGING THE INSTRUMENT PARTS FOR LIVE SHOWS
- JANUARY 2005: RUMOUR ABOUT RICHARD JOINING NIN; RICHARD SAYS REZNOR PUBLISHED THE RUMOUR TO SCREW WITH AXL
- TOURING IN THE SUMMER OF 2005?
- APRIL-OCTOBER, 2005: WORK ON CHINESE DEMOCRACY - SOME VOCALS STILL MISSING
- MID-2005: PATTI HOOD ADDS HARP TO 'THIS I LOVE'
- AUGUST 2005-MARCH 2006: SLASH, DUFF AND AXL'S LEGAL BATTLE, PART II
- OCTOBER 2005: SLASH PAYS AXL A NIGHTIME VISIT
- 2001- : BRAIN'S PERSONAL LIFE
- OCTOBER 2005: GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2?
- NOVEMBER 2005: RICHARD BECOMES A DAD AND MAKES CHANGES TO HIS LIFE
- DECEMBER 2005: RICHARD RECORDS FOR CHINESE DEMOCRACY
- DECEMBER 2005-FEBRUARY 2006: SLASH SAYS CHINESE DEMOCRACY IS COMING OUT IN MARCH 2006
- JANUARY-APRIL 2006: "AXL IS ALMOST FINISHED"
- FEBRUARY 2006: AXL PLAYS CHINESE DEMOCRACY AT THE CHELSEA NIGHTCLUB; MANY SONGS LEAK
- FEBRUARY 2006: A 2006 SUMMER TOUR IS ANNOUNCED
- FEBRUARY 2006: GUNS N' ROSES REUNITING?
- MARCH 2006: AXL ATTACKS SLASH
- 2003-2006: SCOTT WEILAND VS AXL
- APRIL 2006: PLANNING MAY WARM-UP GIGS AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM
- APRIL 2006: JOSHUA CRAIG TO REPLACE BUCKETHEAD?
- MAY 2006: SLASH TO REJOIN GUNS N' ROSES FOR THE SUMMER TOUR?
- APRIL (?)-MAY 12, 2006: REHEARSALS IN NYC
- MAY 2006: AXL AND SEBASTIAN BACH RECONNECT
- MAY 2006: BUMBLEFOOT JOINS THE BAND
- BUMBLEFOOT BEFORE GUNS N' ROSES
- MAY 12, 2006: THE FIRST WARM-UP GIG AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROM
- SONG: THERE WAS A TIME
- SONG: I.R.S.
- SONG: BETTER
- BUMBLEFOOT, TOO QUIRKY FOR GUNS N' ROSES?
- 2005-2012: TOMMY AND SOUL ASYLUM
- 2004- : THE COMPULSIONS WITH RICHARD, FRANK AND BUMBLEFOOT
- 2005- : PISSER WITH RICHARD, FRANK AND BUMBLEFOOT
- AXL'S STILL CAREFUL WITH DRUGS AND ALCOHOL
- MAY 2006 AND APRIL 2013: AXL MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY?
- 2006: AXL'S PUBLIC APPEARANCES AND THE SOPRANOS
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
2004-2014
"THE AXL TAPES"/RAPIDFIRE 1983In August 2004, Kevin Lawrence, founder of the band Rapidfire, which had Axl on vocals for a brief period in 1983 [see earlier chapter], launched the website theaxltapes.com with the following info:
COMING SOON
Before GNR there was Hollywood Rose.
Before Hollywood Rose there was RAPIDFIRE.
Who??
RAPIDFIRE
Yes, the REAL first ever recordings of AXL ROSE with his FIRST band RAPIDFIRE.
These demos have been stored for over 20 years and are now being prepared for release.
Before GNR there was Hollywood Rose.
Before Hollywood Rose there was RAPIDFIRE.
Who??
RAPIDFIRE
Yes, the REAL first ever recordings of AXL ROSE with his FIRST band RAPIDFIRE.
These demos have been stored for over 20 years and are now being prepared for release.
theaxltapes.com, August 2004
Lawrence had been motivated to release the Rapidfire songs after hearing that Cleopatra Records won a lawsuit from Axl, Slash, Duff and Guns N' Roses Music where they tried to prevent Cleopatra from releasing Hollywood Rose songs as "The Roots of Guns N' Roses" [Rapidfire1983 Website, July 21, 2012] a few months earlier in June 2004 [see previous chapter]. Lawrence was peeved that Cleopatra Records had claimed their album contained the first recorded vocals of Axl, knowing well that his tape with Rapidfire songs predated the Hollywood Rose songs [Rapidfire1983 Website, July 21, 2012].
With the Hollywood Rose album, claiming to be the first ever Axl Rose recordings, I got a little pissed. I was like, ‘That’s not true, that’s bullshit. These are the original recordings.’ And so I scoured the country for somebody who had an old 8-track reel-to-reel machine that could run it into a computer and digitize it for me, and it took me all over the place. Finally I found Jack Endino, who was Nirvana’s first producer, and he referred me to another guy who had all the equipment. I shipped out the tapes to him and he digitized it and sent it back. I put up a little website, just one page with a picture, and it just got slammed.
Lawrence would then announce his plan of releasing a demo with Rapidfire songs with Axl on vocals, on the Guns N' Roses fan forum htgth.com, resulting in this summary:
Rapidfire update
According to Kevin Lawrence, the Rapidfire songs are currently being mixed and the cd will hopefully be out by Christmas. The tapes have been in storage for the past 20 years (in the original 8 track format). The tracks were transfered to digital.
The songs are:
Ready To Rumble, All Night Long, The Prowler, On The Run
The bandmembers were:
Axl Rose - Vocals, Kevin Lawrence - Guitar, Mike Hammernik - Bass, Chuck Gordon - Drums
There are plenty of pre-tattoo Axl pictures to accompany the cd.
According to Kevin Lawrence, the Rapidfire songs are currently being mixed and the cd will hopefully be out by Christmas. The tapes have been in storage for the past 20 years (in the original 8 track format). The tracks were transfered to digital.
The songs are:
Ready To Rumble, All Night Long, The Prowler, On The Run
The bandmembers were:
Axl Rose - Vocals, Kevin Lawrence - Guitar, Mike Hammernik - Bass, Chuck Gordon - Drums
There are plenty of pre-tattoo Axl pictures to accompany the cd.
htgth.com, August 27, 2004
In late 2004 or early 2005 the website would change from theaxltapes.com to rapidfire1983.com.
Artwork on rapidfire1983.comApril, 2005
In early 2005, Lawrence would provide updates on the project and state they were in talks with the Guns N' Roses camp:
We are still mixing the songs, but have not done much for the last 2 months or so. What has been mixed sounds really good, but not just right. While I realize that it was a demo, and analogue, I do want it to be the best sound that it could be.
[Being asked if they have been met with any reactions from the GN'R camp]: Yeah a bit, but it's all going to be fine.
The reaction was not just a "bit" and, as it turned out, it would not be "fine". Lawrence first received one cease and desist letter from Axl's US legal counsel [Rapidfire1983 Website, July 21, 2012]. Joshua Solomon, Lawrence's brother who was also a lawyer and acted as his legal counsel, would describe the content of the letter like this:
There are things I like about law and lawyers. There are things I dislike. As you have already read, I am also willing to make broad pronouncements about both. For the most part, however, I reject stereotypes. When you actually practice law, you realize very quickly that few of your fellows are as polished as their fictional counterparts, or as cartoonishly mean and factious as the popular cliché. Then you get a letter like that, and you are reminded that most commonly held notions do not arise out of nowhere. It was hardly a proper “hello.”
Not long after, a new letter came from "an attorney who presented himself as Axl’s Canadian counsel" and Solomon would comment on the content:
When I got done laughing, my initial reaction was not to the content. It was to the tone. Perhaps its just the Canadian way, but the letter was so absurdly officious it came off as parody. This was not just an example of the sort of thing that makes people hate lawyers. It reads like it was written by someone who taught himself to practice law by reading dime-store novels about lawyers whom everybody hates — a cliché based upon a cliché.
Admittedly, I could be accused of throwing stones from a glass house. “(M)utually advantageous business relationship” does sound a bit formal and pretentious. Mockingly quoting me in an impotent attempt to prove Kevin had failed to keep his word was inane. Coming from a guy who uses “inter alia” in a citation-free letter and bolsters a threat by unnecessarily stating the obvious (all lawsuits include “doe” defendants), it’s ironic. At least he was kind enough to make sure we understood what “legal fees” meant. We might have gotten lost without that clarification. I realize I’m being a jerk, but Jones (yes, another pseudonym — surprise, surprise) was being a bully, and trying much too hard at it.
Admittedly, I could be accused of throwing stones from a glass house. “(M)utually advantageous business relationship” does sound a bit formal and pretentious. Mockingly quoting me in an impotent attempt to prove Kevin had failed to keep his word was inane. Coming from a guy who uses “inter alia” in a citation-free letter and bolsters a threat by unnecessarily stating the obvious (all lawsuits include “doe” defendants), it’s ironic. At least he was kind enough to make sure we understood what “legal fees” meant. We might have gotten lost without that clarification. I realize I’m being a jerk, but Jones (yes, another pseudonym — surprise, surprise) was being a bully, and trying much too hard at it.
Later, Lawrence would also describe the letters:
My attorney thinks it’s a lawyer thing. He said, ‘You all parted on completely amicable terms. The last time you saw each other you had a good chat. I don’t even think [Axl] would care.’ But his lawyers sure did, and they were sending me some of the nastiest, most threatening letters: ‘You have to return Axl’s property and master recordings or’- I was living in Canada- ‘we’ll have the RCMP seize them from your home.’ The Canadian lawyer told me I was holding Axl Rose’s property and they wanted a list of all the people who have copies of it. It was just ridiculous. My brother Joshua, who was my lawyer, just laughed and wrote them back letters just catching them on all their mistakes. ‘Hey really? Here’s the copyright registration and serial numbers that shows Kevin owns everything.’ Another lawyer would go after me, then another. They were trying to scare me, and I just don’t scare easily.
According to Solomon, both letters had claimed that Axl owned the rights to the Rapidfire songs [Rapidfire1983 Website, July 21, 2012]. Solomon would suggest that the lawyers acted on "standing orders" and had not involved Axl in the response, in fact, Solomon mused that Axl might not even be aware of the ongoing cease and desist letter and threats of litigation:
As I already said, I cannot claim to know Axl’s own position on the subject of Rapidfire. I do not know if he even has one. I have heard from these attorneys and others over the years. I have even had fairly lengthy conversations with a couple of them. The impression I have developed is that Axl mostly ignores the issue, even when the topic arises. Despite my uncertainty, I am convinced of one thing: Even if he wanted to stop Kevin dead in his tracks, Axl would not handle it the way Smith and Jones did. I base this on what little I have gleaned from Axl’s attorneys over the years, and some observations about Axl, himself. It is also the second reason not to attribute these attorneys’ letters directly to their client. This is a situation where one should blame the messenger.
[...]
The attorneys’ letters were asinine, meritless attempts at bullying, based on false contentions. None of this matches a reasoned assessment of Axl Rose. Whatever Axl’s position may be, he would not try to bolster it with lies. He’s too smart, too honest and has too much integrity for that. In my opinion, the only aspect of the response to Kevin’s announcement in 2004 that may reasonably be attributable to Axl is timing and decisiveness. To win a fight, hit first, hit hard and do not stop until your opponent is subdued. This applies no matter who provoked it. This Axl knows, I assure you. And in this instance, it worked as it should. Although the opening salvo may deserve mockery and disdain, it did what it was supposed to do. It forced Kevin to rethink his plan.
[...]
The attorneys’ letters were asinine, meritless attempts at bullying, based on false contentions. None of this matches a reasoned assessment of Axl Rose. Whatever Axl’s position may be, he would not try to bolster it with lies. He’s too smart, too honest and has too much integrity for that. In my opinion, the only aspect of the response to Kevin’s announcement in 2004 that may reasonably be attributable to Axl is timing and decisiveness. To win a fight, hit first, hit hard and do not stop until your opponent is subdued. This applies no matter who provoked it. This Axl knows, I assure you. And in this instance, it worked as it should. Although the opening salvo may deserve mockery and disdain, it did what it was supposed to do. It forced Kevin to rethink his plan.
Nevertheless, the letters and the ensuing and correspondence between legal teams did halt the process of releasing the songs in 2004/2005. In August 2006, Lawrence would provide an update and indicate that they were still trying to find a way to release the songs, without risking litigation:
I an sorry for the huge delay in releasing the Rapidfire 1983 Demos.
My attorney has been working with Axl's attorney for some time now trying to come out with a way to release these demos which is acceptible to Axl.
Regardless though of what he wants, the law states that I can release these at any time and have the full legal right to do so. Because at one time (and if I ever spoke to him now) I considered Axl a friend, I am trying to work beyond the scope of my legal rights with him, out of my respect and admiration for him. Regardless though, if in the future he chooses not to cooperate, the CD will come out commercially. Once again I am sorry to all of you for the delay, but the legal process moves very slowly.
My attorney has been working with Axl's attorney for some time now trying to come out with a way to release these demos which is acceptible to Axl.
Regardless though of what he wants, the law states that I can release these at any time and have the full legal right to do so. Because at one time (and if I ever spoke to him now) I considered Axl a friend, I am trying to work beyond the scope of my legal rights with him, out of my respect and admiration for him. Regardless though, if in the future he chooses not to cooperate, the CD will come out commercially. Once again I am sorry to all of you for the delay, but the legal process moves very slowly.
Rapidfire Website - Update from Kevin Lawrence, August 31, 2006[/url]
And on the last time he met Axl:
About 5 years ago at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. We just ran into each other, had a short chat and that's it.
The weird thing was, I saw him like 15 years ago at Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, and he was like, “Hey Kevin,” like we hadn’t missed a beat. People started kind of gathering around, so eventually he said, “I’ve got to go,” but we were always amicable. The only problems we have had were about releasing this Rapidfire CD, but that was all speaking through lawyers, and for all I know, he probably doesn’t even give a shit and barely even knows what’s going on.
It was in the mid-to-late nineties. I don’t know what album they were on, but I’m pretty sure it was still the time when Slash was in the band, and they were the original. We just ran into each other on the Third Street promenade in Santa Monica, and just started chatting. We were both in a shoe store. He said, ‘Let’s take this outside,’ because people in the store were like, ‘Is that Axl? Is that Axl?’ So we went outside and we were chatting for awhile, and he actually asked me, ‘Do you have a copy of that demo? I never got a copy.’ I said, ‘Give me a phone number and an address and I’ll get you one.’ He gave me a phone number, I called and he never called me back so he never got one. If he’s heard it, he’s heard it since it’s been released.
Things came to a standstill and by 2012 the songs were still not released because, according Solomon, Lawrence feared a costly lawsuit and didn't want to go against Axl's wishes:
Kevin believed that Axl would embrace the concept of releasing the Rapidfire Recordings if he could only apprehend and address whatever concerns or objections he might have. Early on, Kevin attempted to ask Axl himself. He sent a letter which went through me to Axl’s attorney. We don’t know if Axl read it, or even received it. [...]
Over the ensuing years, Kevin and I have spent countless hours pondering and discussing why Axl might be so adamantly against allowing the Recordings to see the light of day. I have also made a couple more fitful attempts to reach Axl through counsel, and sought advice from a few other sources. The consensus was to go ahead and release them, but the core issue remained — how to move ahead without running afoul of Axl.
[...]
The other sticking point faced by Kevin is directly linked to the cost, hardship and risk associated with litigation. It has essentially nothing to do with Axl’s wealth or Kevin’s likelihood of prevailing, however. It has absolutely nothing to do with doubts or trepidation when it comes to duking out the issues I’ve discussed in a courtroom. Neither Kevin nor I would shrink from such a fight. It boils down to a cost/benefit analysis.
The music business has changed significantly within the past fifteen years. With the advent of filesharing, recorded music was hugely devalued. Although things are improving as the industry adapts to its post-Napster, digital environment, file-sharing and other forms of piracy have taken a bite out of copyright protections and the sales of recordings. Matters were even worse back in 2004. Even though the music industry probably should have seen the freight train bearing down, at that point people were still staggering about trying to figure out exactly what had hit it. Even today, putting the songs on the market may not net sufficient profit to justify the cost of any litigation whatsoever. Winning, and doing so swiftly would not matter. And when it comes to Rapidfire, I can make this comment with some direct authority.
Most people know that even the simplest case can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Although you would never know it from looking at my bank statements, attorney’s fees rack up rather quickly. Several years ago, I was given some data about the profits realized by Cleopatra Records in connection with Hollywood Rose. This information is now outdated. It also lacked certain details which left it open to interpretation. I will not cite figures, but I can tell you that even when viewed in the most favorable light, the data do not commend this enterprise. If what I saw reflects the income likely to be attained from selling the Rapidfire Recordings, there is no reason to take the risk.
At this point, one could quite reasonably ask why Kevin does not just post the songs on the Internet, and be done with it — especially if he’s so concerned about history. Don’t try to capitalize. Just lay them out for the world to see. Wouldn’t that be fair use? Wouldn’t that be protected by the First Amendment? Probably. But that would not prevent Axl from suing him over it. We do not know what Axl finds objectionable about the concept. It may have nothing to do with Kevin making a profit. This idea also fails to take into account that Kevin already has a significant amount of time and money invested in his property. He paid for the original recordings in 1983. He paid to have them digitized in 2004. Since then, he has incurred attorney’s fees, maintained a website, had graphics and photos prepared, and incurred any number of small incidental expenses over the years — all in connection with the preservation, protection and presentation of those five songs. Fair use? Yes. Fair? No.
Unfortunately for him, and unfortunately for anyone interested in the Rapidfire Recordings, Kevin is not in the position to make such a gift. If his pockets were overflowing with disposable income, it might be a different story. Then again, doesn’t Kevin Lawrence have as much right as anyone else on this planet to earn a profit from the fruits of his hard work and creativity?
Unless something changes and Kevin is afforded a genuine chance to protect himself both legally and financially, there is little more he can do with his songs. As things stand today, the music recorded by Rapidfire in 1983 will have to remain locked away.
Over the ensuing years, Kevin and I have spent countless hours pondering and discussing why Axl might be so adamantly against allowing the Recordings to see the light of day. I have also made a couple more fitful attempts to reach Axl through counsel, and sought advice from a few other sources. The consensus was to go ahead and release them, but the core issue remained — how to move ahead without running afoul of Axl.
[...]
The other sticking point faced by Kevin is directly linked to the cost, hardship and risk associated with litigation. It has essentially nothing to do with Axl’s wealth or Kevin’s likelihood of prevailing, however. It has absolutely nothing to do with doubts or trepidation when it comes to duking out the issues I’ve discussed in a courtroom. Neither Kevin nor I would shrink from such a fight. It boils down to a cost/benefit analysis.
The music business has changed significantly within the past fifteen years. With the advent of filesharing, recorded music was hugely devalued. Although things are improving as the industry adapts to its post-Napster, digital environment, file-sharing and other forms of piracy have taken a bite out of copyright protections and the sales of recordings. Matters were even worse back in 2004. Even though the music industry probably should have seen the freight train bearing down, at that point people were still staggering about trying to figure out exactly what had hit it. Even today, putting the songs on the market may not net sufficient profit to justify the cost of any litigation whatsoever. Winning, and doing so swiftly would not matter. And when it comes to Rapidfire, I can make this comment with some direct authority.
Most people know that even the simplest case can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Although you would never know it from looking at my bank statements, attorney’s fees rack up rather quickly. Several years ago, I was given some data about the profits realized by Cleopatra Records in connection with Hollywood Rose. This information is now outdated. It also lacked certain details which left it open to interpretation. I will not cite figures, but I can tell you that even when viewed in the most favorable light, the data do not commend this enterprise. If what I saw reflects the income likely to be attained from selling the Rapidfire Recordings, there is no reason to take the risk.
At this point, one could quite reasonably ask why Kevin does not just post the songs on the Internet, and be done with it — especially if he’s so concerned about history. Don’t try to capitalize. Just lay them out for the world to see. Wouldn’t that be fair use? Wouldn’t that be protected by the First Amendment? Probably. But that would not prevent Axl from suing him over it. We do not know what Axl finds objectionable about the concept. It may have nothing to do with Kevin making a profit. This idea also fails to take into account that Kevin already has a significant amount of time and money invested in his property. He paid for the original recordings in 1983. He paid to have them digitized in 2004. Since then, he has incurred attorney’s fees, maintained a website, had graphics and photos prepared, and incurred any number of small incidental expenses over the years — all in connection with the preservation, protection and presentation of those five songs. Fair use? Yes. Fair? No.
Unfortunately for him, and unfortunately for anyone interested in the Rapidfire Recordings, Kevin is not in the position to make such a gift. If his pockets were overflowing with disposable income, it might be a different story. Then again, doesn’t Kevin Lawrence have as much right as anyone else on this planet to earn a profit from the fruits of his hard work and creativity?
Unless something changes and Kevin is afforded a genuine chance to protect himself both legally and financially, there is little more he can do with his songs. As things stand today, the music recorded by Rapidfire in 1983 will have to remain locked away.
Joshua Solomon published a long letter describing the history of Rapidfire and the legal dispute over Lawrence's desire to release the songs in July 2012 [Rapidfire1983 Website, July 21, 2012].
This letter resulted in many fans asking for the release of the songs and about a year later, a 55-second snippet of the Rapidfire song "Ready to Rumble", would be sent by Solomon to some fans and later found its way to Youtube [Facebook [Yahoo Music, May 31, 2013; Letter from Solomon to Doug Mark, January 1, 2014].
In 2013, on 30th anniversary of the EP being recorded, [my brother] Joshua sent me a little email that said ‘Happy Birthday.’ I was like, ‘It’s not my birthday....’ It was a link to a snippet of “Ready To Rumble” and it got a lot of hits.
Only a few weeks later, the video was gone "due to a copyright claim by Mark Music & Media Law, P.C." [Yahoo Music, June 6, 2013]. Doug Mark of Mark Music & Media Law, P.C., was Axl's lawyer.
Tom Zutaut commented on the snippet before it was removed from Youtube:
It sounds very 70's classic rock influenced like Tesla was in the '80s with a touch of Quiet Riot and a serious bent as opposed to the party sound of hair metal. It's Interesting that there's no punk influence like G N' R at all, but the voice is a great preview of Axl's extraordinary talent.
Solomon then contacted Youtube "to reveal Lawrence's actual copyrights for the track and the song sample was restored" [Loudwire, February 25, 2014] and the snippet was back up again.
Axl’s lawyers filed a copyright infringement, and you’re not allowed to do that unless it’s your copyright. All we had to do was respond to YouTube with the copyright information, which is all mine.
The public interest in the songs following the publication of the short snippet, bolstered Lawrence's wish to release all songs [Letter to Mark Doug, January 1, 2014] and Solomon sent a letter to Axl's lawyer, Doug Mark, stating Lawrence's intention of releasing the songs in 2014 and his preparedness to fight his rights in the court:
The chances are that Kevin was the only person surprised by the public’s reaction to the “Ready to Rumble” sample. He’s his own worst critic, which left him pleasantly unprepared for the fact that people responded so favorably to his music. When the press picked up on the news and the comments started pouring in, he began to consider releasing the recordings seriously for the first time since 2004. Your ironically hypocritical act of bringing everything to a screeching halt was what sealed the deal in his mind. If his rights weren’t going to be respected, what point is there in continuing to keep his music under wraps out of courtesy? I agree with him.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that Kevin will be releasing the Rapidfire Recordings to the public in 2014, and to give you one final chance to convince me that your client has some legal right to prevent this from happening. In fact, Kevin and I will go beyond that and will consider any reason you or your client can articulate that might affect the decision to release the Recordings, irrespective of its legal basis. Although the latter is nothing more than a courtesy, I assure you that legitimate reasons will be taken just as seriously as legal rights. We have not abandoned courtesy or our willingness to consider Axl’s personal wishes. At this point, we don’t even know for certain that he instigated the false allegations of infringement.
It is important for you not to mistake this kindness for weakness, however. Kevin’s rights and remedies in this situation are absolutely clear. Unless we are convinced to do otherwise, they will be vigorously defended and pursued. I strongly advise against holding anything back now. Doing so will only bolster Kevin’s ability to recover his legal fees and costs from Axl, and could expose your client to liability for other damages. Consider this to be your speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace moment.
If I receive no response from you within thirty (30) days from the date of this letter I will presume your client has no interest in the matter and will not interfere with my client’s activities in any way. If you need more time, a reasonable extension will be granted. Be advised, however, that any legal action taken after this offer has expired will almost certainly be considered strategic, with all of the consequences that word implies. Given the clear evidence of copyright ownership and the very real possibility of issue preclusion stemming from the Cleopatra Records decision, ultimately, litigation will end up being a costly, losing proposition for your client alone.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that Kevin will be releasing the Rapidfire Recordings to the public in 2014, and to give you one final chance to convince me that your client has some legal right to prevent this from happening. In fact, Kevin and I will go beyond that and will consider any reason you or your client can articulate that might affect the decision to release the Recordings, irrespective of its legal basis. Although the latter is nothing more than a courtesy, I assure you that legitimate reasons will be taken just as seriously as legal rights. We have not abandoned courtesy or our willingness to consider Axl’s personal wishes. At this point, we don’t even know for certain that he instigated the false allegations of infringement.
It is important for you not to mistake this kindness for weakness, however. Kevin’s rights and remedies in this situation are absolutely clear. Unless we are convinced to do otherwise, they will be vigorously defended and pursued. I strongly advise against holding anything back now. Doing so will only bolster Kevin’s ability to recover his legal fees and costs from Axl, and could expose your client to liability for other damages. Consider this to be your speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace moment.
If I receive no response from you within thirty (30) days from the date of this letter I will presume your client has no interest in the matter and will not interfere with my client’s activities in any way. If you need more time, a reasonable extension will be granted. Be advised, however, that any legal action taken after this offer has expired will almost certainly be considered strategic, with all of the consequences that word implies. Given the clear evidence of copyright ownership and the very real possibility of issue preclusion stemming from the Cleopatra Records decision, ultimately, litigation will end up being a costly, losing proposition for your client alone.
Sadly, in February 2014, less than two months after his letter to Mark Doug, Solomon ended his own life:
So today I bring bad news. The Rapidfire Attorney and my Brother and Best Friend, was found dead in his home from a suicide. This only increases my resolve to get you fans the recordings out ASAP in his honour. I will work harder than ever to deal with Mr. Rose and his never ending legal harassment. I know my rights. I own, wrote, paid for, played on and produced this CD. Mr. Rose and his attorneys know that they have NO BASIS WHATSOEVER to stop the release for you fans but he can harass and harass me. At this point I have nothing to lose and have already have a fantastic artist for the CD 6 panel cover as well as getting ready for a final mix and mastering. This MAJOR setback just fires me up to release these songs in Joshua’s honour. I have every legal t crossed and i dotted. I will keep you all posted as well as share the letters between his camp and me. Get Ready To Rumble in 2014. Thank you Josh for putting up my shit, and over 10 years of harassment and threats from Axl’s camp even though they are well aware that they don’t have a legal leg to stand on. The most dangerous part…. I KNOW they don’t have a legal leg to stand on. Everything Rapidfire is owned by me, all the songs, performances and masters. Mr. Rose and his attorneys can try to mess with me all they want. I do NOT scare easily and I have nothing to lose. Lets ROCK…. for Josh…… I love you my Brother….. Kev.
*
Facebook – The release of the “Ready To Rumble” CD in 2014 will be stopped over MY dead body and since Josh is gone via suicide, PARTIALLY FROM DEALING WITH TEN YEARS OF THIS HARASSMENT AND CRAP FROM AXL’S CAMP……. IT’S ON……AND FAN SUPPORT VIA LETTERS WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL AND APPRECIATED. Mail a letter TO AXL’S ATTORNEYS AND SEND ME A COPY AT KEVIN@RAPIDFIRE.COM in order to express your demand and desire, as fans of Axl who want to hear his earliest ever recordings, from his first time in a recording studio, when he was still an untattooed “Bill Bailey” fresh off the bus. PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES and write these letters from every country around the world that you “DEMAND AN END TO THE HARASSMENT AND THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR THE EARLIEST RECORDED PART OF THE HISTORY OF AXL’S CAREER. THESE RECORDINGS, PHOTOS, AND FLYERS WHICH ARE A PART OF HISTORY THAT DESERVE TO BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. Please tell Douglass S. Mark Esq, AND AXL, that you WANT YOUR RAPIDFIRE CD, AND TO STOP HARASSING THOSE WHO, WITHIN THE FULL CONTEXT AND EXTENT OF THE LAW, SPECIFICALLY COPYRIGHT LAW, PLAN TO RELEASE THE RAPIDFIRE CD WITH BILL BAILEY ON VOCALS.
*
Facebook – The release of the “Ready To Rumble” CD in 2014 will be stopped over MY dead body and since Josh is gone via suicide, PARTIALLY FROM DEALING WITH TEN YEARS OF THIS HARASSMENT AND CRAP FROM AXL’S CAMP……. IT’S ON……AND FAN SUPPORT VIA LETTERS WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL AND APPRECIATED. Mail a letter TO AXL’S ATTORNEYS AND SEND ME A COPY AT KEVIN@RAPIDFIRE.COM in order to express your demand and desire, as fans of Axl who want to hear his earliest ever recordings, from his first time in a recording studio, when he was still an untattooed “Bill Bailey” fresh off the bus. PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES and write these letters from every country around the world that you “DEMAND AN END TO THE HARASSMENT AND THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR THE EARLIEST RECORDED PART OF THE HISTORY OF AXL’S CAREER. THESE RECORDINGS, PHOTOS, AND FLYERS WHICH ARE A PART OF HISTORY THAT DESERVE TO BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. Please tell Douglass S. Mark Esq, AND AXL, that you WANT YOUR RAPIDFIRE CD, AND TO STOP HARASSING THOSE WHO, WITHIN THE FULL CONTEXT AND EXTENT OF THE LAW, SPECIFICALLY COPYRIGHT LAW, PLAN TO RELEASE THE RAPIDFIRE CD WITH BILL BAILEY ON VOCALS.
Then Josh killed himself and I just lost it. I said, ‘Over my dead body will this album not come out in 2014, regardless of the consequences.’
Lawrence also founded a Kickstarter campaign to finance the release of the songs [Loudwire, February 25, 2014] and posted on his Facebook, clearly indicated he intended to release the full songs:
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead man. Oh and I can't wait for the 500 page illegal harassment of a cease and desist. Snore .. zzz … zzz. Heard of interference of business and SLAPP suits? I own the copyrights, the masters, the photos, the performances and I have the receipt that I paid for it all … LOL … open and shut.
The Kickstarter campaign failed, but Lawrence was intent on releasing the songs on November 1, 2014, "in the form of a worldwide CD and internet streams" [Metal Sludge, September 1, 2014].
In September 2014, Lawrence would be asked why he waited so long to release the tape:
I wasn’t out to ride his coat tails. It was just a demo that we did, and to be honest, I didn’t know I still had it. Then one day I was moving, and I opened a box, and there it was. I was like, “Oh man, this is going to be great.” I got it digitized, which was really hard to do from an eight track reel to reel, but I did it and remixed it in a studio. [...] The reason I never released it back in the day is because it was just wasn’t my thing. I wasn’t part of Guns N’ Roses, and like I said, I didn’t want to ride his coat tails, but when I found it again, I thought to myself: “I have to release this.” You know why? Because it’s more a piece of history, and it happens to be good, too. It’s a piece of history, and anyone who is an Axl Rose fan or a Guns N’ Roses fan, then this is truly a must-have for their collection.
And finally in November 2014, the songs were released without any word from the Axl camp:
We mixed it, had it remastered, had a little artwork done for the front, and put it out there. And I haven’t heard a word. They know they have no case. Josh was very clear in his letters that they have no say in my music, just because some unknown named Bill Bailey was on it and now he’s a star.
EPILOGUE: JANUARY 14, 2016: KEVIN LAWRENCE DIES
As a sad epilogue to a sad story, on January 14, 2016, it was reported that Lawrence had died after a period of illness [Metal Sludge, January 15, 2016].
Facebook post informing of Lawrence's deathJanuary 15, 2016
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
SEPTEMBER 20, 2004
AXL ROSE SIGNS TO SANCTUARY PUBLISHING; SLASH AND DUFF PROTESTOn January 24, 2005, it would be reported that Axl had signed an agreement with publishing company Sanctuary Publishing covering both Guns N' Roses back catalogue but also future music:
Sanctuary Music Publishing has signed Axl Rose to a publishing deal. Until recently, Warner Chappell published the Guns N' Roses frontman's works.
The deal covers both future material and catalogue. Rose's contribution to such hits as "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Paradise City" and "November Rain" are covered under the deal, as are dozens of new tracks Rose has recently recorded for Universal Music.
The deal covers both future material and catalogue. Rose's contribution to such hits as "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Paradise City" and "November Rain" are covered under the deal, as are dozens of new tracks Rose has recently recorded for Universal Music.
The actual agreement was signed already on September 20, 2004 [Administration & Exclusive Songwriting Agreement between Axl/Black Frog and Sanctuary; September 20, 2004]. According to business insiders, the 20-year deal would be worth about $19 million [Associated Press, February 1, 2005]. The actual agreement, though, was for 12 years that could be extended to 15 years [Administration & Exclusive Songwriting Agreement between Axl/Black Frog and Sanctuary; September 20, 2004].
SLASH AND DUFF CHALLENGES THE DEAL
Soon after the announcement, it would be reported that Slash and Duff challenged the deal between Axl and Sanctuary, arguing that Axl was transferring copyrights to songs which were not owned by him [Associated Press, February 1, 2005]. They would follow up this accusation with a lawsuit in filed August 17, 2005 [see later chapter].
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
OCTOBER 26, 2004
AXL IS FEATURED IN GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREASOn October 26, 2004, the fifth installment of the popular computer game Grand Theft Auto was released featuring Axl as the radio DJ Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith on the fictive radio channel K-DST (or The Dust) [MTV News, October 26, 2004].
Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasOctober 26, 2004
Classic Rock Magazine would play the game and write about Axl's contributions:
Anyway, over on K-DST, you soon discover several recurring themes to Axl’s dazed-but-not-so-confused DJ commentary. One such theme concerns death:
“Who says rock is dead? No one in this morgue, that’s for sure,” Rose laughs.
“When I die I want ‘exhume at your own risk’ put on my gravestone, you know what I mean? And if not, you’re probably an asshole.”
After a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’: “I remember singing that song on the way to put my wife down. Just joking, people - she survived, OK?”
The embittered male sexual schtick continues with statements such as:
“This song will put hair on your chest. It certainly did on my ex-wife’s.” (Spoken before Kiss’s ‘Strutter’.)
Following a shrill shriek from Ann Wilson midway through Heart’s ‘Barracuda’:
“Jesus, did someone screw their mother?”
Axl appears emboldened by such drugged-up jingles as, “If the police can’t stop you, you must be on The Dust” and, “When all your buddies from the 70s have gone to rehab, we strongly advise you to stay on The Dust”.
“I’ve said it before,” the singer intones with droll humour, “all you need to get through this life is a little patience - and a speedball.” (A speedball being a devastating cocktail of heroin and cocaine.)
Axl continues: “Music is like a drug, but listen to the same thing for a couple of days and you’re on The Dust.”
And his piece de resistance: “San Andreas, gotta love it. Move here for the weather but they hide the sun under a cloud of pollution. Look, I like to smoke as much as the next man, but you’re supposed to hold the smoke in!”
Were Axl’s DJ links scripted? Possible not, because the GN’R leader’s well-documented egomania shines through on at least a couple of occasions:
“Great Britain has produced a lot of great musicians but I doubt anyone with more gravitas, more importance, more significance than me - apart from this man. The one, the only Rod Stewart. This is ‘Young Turks’.”
“What makes K-DST special are two things - me mainly, but also these guys with the records.”
The ‘Nightmare’ Smith character appears to be a former member of a fake 70s band called Crystal Ship; presumably named after The Doors track on their 1967 debut album. Speaking after The Who song ‘Eminence Front’, the K-DST DJ offers:
“I love that track; blows me away every time. In the 70s there weren’t many others that could hold a candle to Crystal Ship but I would’ve shared a stage with The Who any time. If only they’d had the vision to ask.”
Interspersed between the tunes and Axl’s verbiage are some marvellous spoof advertisements. One has a body, Jimmy, phoning home to speak to his mother:
“How are you?” says a delighted mum. “Not good,” responds Jimmy. “I killed a man drunk-driving. I need bail money bad. Can you re-mortgage the house?” Then the voice-over goes: “Every day is Mother’s Day. San Andreas Telephone. For those difficult conversations.”
Back in Axl land, there’s some mock rivalry between K-DST and Radio X, the other rockin’ station you can listen to while you’re punching the buttons on your hand-held controller. “Tell you what,” snarls Rose on The Dust, “I really can’t bear that chick on, what is it, Radio X, Rock X, Rock, er ... look, sweetheart, get over it.”
(In light of the above, it’s ironic that GN’R are on Radio X’s playlist but not on The Dust’s; tune into Radio X and you can hear ‘Welcome To The Jungle’.)
Additionally, there are plenty of humorous asides. After Rod Stewart’s ‘Young Turks’ has finished, Axl says: “Young hearts beat free tonight. I love that track, it’s like opera only quicker and without all the fat Italians.”
Rose also offers the following sound advice: “If you’re planning on heading out to the beach this weekend, don’t bother. It’s really not that interesting. Sand, sun, a lotta nonsense about suntans. Go out to a nightclub, drink until you puke and act like a goddamn American. You’re on the home of driving rock radio.”
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been praised as a milestone release for the PlayStation console, and within the context of the game Axl Rose’s K-DST radio station is thoroughly believable; a mini-masterpiece of faux broadcasting by itself.
As Axl’s alter ego ‘Nightmare’ Smith puts it succinctly: “Love’s an old-fashioned word. So is the f-word. But I like that too. This is The Dust.”
“Who says rock is dead? No one in this morgue, that’s for sure,” Rose laughs.
“When I die I want ‘exhume at your own risk’ put on my gravestone, you know what I mean? And if not, you’re probably an asshole.”
After a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’: “I remember singing that song on the way to put my wife down. Just joking, people - she survived, OK?”
The embittered male sexual schtick continues with statements such as:
“This song will put hair on your chest. It certainly did on my ex-wife’s.” (Spoken before Kiss’s ‘Strutter’.)
Following a shrill shriek from Ann Wilson midway through Heart’s ‘Barracuda’:
“Jesus, did someone screw their mother?”
Axl appears emboldened by such drugged-up jingles as, “If the police can’t stop you, you must be on The Dust” and, “When all your buddies from the 70s have gone to rehab, we strongly advise you to stay on The Dust”.
“I’ve said it before,” the singer intones with droll humour, “all you need to get through this life is a little patience - and a speedball.” (A speedball being a devastating cocktail of heroin and cocaine.)
Axl continues: “Music is like a drug, but listen to the same thing for a couple of days and you’re on The Dust.”
And his piece de resistance: “San Andreas, gotta love it. Move here for the weather but they hide the sun under a cloud of pollution. Look, I like to smoke as much as the next man, but you’re supposed to hold the smoke in!”
Were Axl’s DJ links scripted? Possible not, because the GN’R leader’s well-documented egomania shines through on at least a couple of occasions:
“Great Britain has produced a lot of great musicians but I doubt anyone with more gravitas, more importance, more significance than me - apart from this man. The one, the only Rod Stewart. This is ‘Young Turks’.”
“What makes K-DST special are two things - me mainly, but also these guys with the records.”
The ‘Nightmare’ Smith character appears to be a former member of a fake 70s band called Crystal Ship; presumably named after The Doors track on their 1967 debut album. Speaking after The Who song ‘Eminence Front’, the K-DST DJ offers:
“I love that track; blows me away every time. In the 70s there weren’t many others that could hold a candle to Crystal Ship but I would’ve shared a stage with The Who any time. If only they’d had the vision to ask.”
Interspersed between the tunes and Axl’s verbiage are some marvellous spoof advertisements. One has a body, Jimmy, phoning home to speak to his mother:
“How are you?” says a delighted mum. “Not good,” responds Jimmy. “I killed a man drunk-driving. I need bail money bad. Can you re-mortgage the house?” Then the voice-over goes: “Every day is Mother’s Day. San Andreas Telephone. For those difficult conversations.”
Back in Axl land, there’s some mock rivalry between K-DST and Radio X, the other rockin’ station you can listen to while you’re punching the buttons on your hand-held controller. “Tell you what,” snarls Rose on The Dust, “I really can’t bear that chick on, what is it, Radio X, Rock X, Rock, er ... look, sweetheart, get over it.”
(In light of the above, it’s ironic that GN’R are on Radio X’s playlist but not on The Dust’s; tune into Radio X and you can hear ‘Welcome To The Jungle’.)
Additionally, there are plenty of humorous asides. After Rod Stewart’s ‘Young Turks’ has finished, Axl says: “Young hearts beat free tonight. I love that track, it’s like opera only quicker and without all the fat Italians.”
Rose also offers the following sound advice: “If you’re planning on heading out to the beach this weekend, don’t bother. It’s really not that interesting. Sand, sun, a lotta nonsense about suntans. Go out to a nightclub, drink until you puke and act like a goddamn American. You’re on the home of driving rock radio.”
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been praised as a milestone release for the PlayStation console, and within the context of the game Axl Rose’s K-DST radio station is thoroughly believable; a mini-masterpiece of faux broadcasting by itself.
As Axl’s alter ego ‘Nightmare’ Smith puts it succinctly: “Love’s an old-fashioned word. So is the f-word. But I like that too. This is The Dust.”
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
OCTOBER 31, 2004
VELVET REVOLVER DRESSES UP FOR HALLOWEENFor Velvet Revolver's show at Rocktoberfest in Little Rock, Arizona, USA, on October 31, 2004, the band dressed up, including Weiland dressing as Axl, Slash as Buckethead, and Matt presumably as Tommy [Blabbermouth, November 13, 2004].
The members of Velvet Revolver dressing upOctober 31, 2004
I really enjoyed that, especially the fishnet stockings. It made me feel proud of my feminine side.
I was [Buckethead] for Halloween a couple of years ago.
Around the same time, Slash would express bewilderment that Guns N' Roses was still such popular band:
The level of hysteria around the band - or should I say the name - has continued. I don't totally understand that because there's really been nothing going on for quite some time.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
JANUARY-MARCH, 2005
WORK ON CHINESE DEMOCRACY - MIXING AND SOME VOCALS REMAINIn early 2005, the record was being finished, according to Tommy, adding that what had been remaining was "[s]ome vocal parts and mixes" [St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 20, 2005].
You know, it'll come out probably sooner than later, I can just about assure you," he said. "I've been told as much, anyway. Without giving a date, it'll be sooner than hell freezing over.
[...] they’re pretty much 95 percent done with it. [...] But really, I think the album sounds great. What we’ve done is awesome. I heard it recently and was like – damn. I want it to come out.
The close release of Chinese Democracy would also be signaled with Axl's deal with Sanctuary Publishing [see later chapter]. This would be confirmed by Merck Mercuriadis who would also say that as soon as the release plan was finalized they would send out a press release [Sp1at, January 27, 2005].
And a little bit later:
The artwork, all those little things like that, getting all the, you know... The particulars, the little bits done... so they can actually get a release date and put it out.
And to emphasize that the music was done:
It's been done... For a while.
But in February, when asked when the record would be released, Dizzy answered:
I haven't heard anything.
Around the same time Tommy would say:
They're finishing up the mixing right now. Sorting out what songs are going on it and artwork and shit. And hopefully sooner than later, it'll come out.
There's nothing that I can divulge, but suffice it to say that when it does come out, we'll tour behind it.
And describing the music:
There are so many different musical textures and different things going on, you can't pinpoint it as just another drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll record, which is kind of what they celebrated back in the heyday. There's elements of that sort of a musical vibe in a way, but it's a lot more diverse.
And when it would be released:
That record's really close to being completed and put out. [...] It's been scheduled every month for the last 10 years, there will be a flurry of chaos that I'll be thrown into.
In March 2005, Merck Mercuriadis would be asked when the album would be released and evade the question:
Axl is one of the most extraordinary artists of all time. When people hear this album, they will realize what [Axl] did in this band, versus what Slash says he did. It will be evident to everyone who the heart, soul and passion of Guns N' Roses is.
BUCKETHEAD'S PARTS TO REMAIN INTACT
In early 2005, Brain would say that as far as he knew, Buckethead's contributions to Chinese Democracy would remain intact despite him leaving the band in 2004 [Sp1at, January 23, 2005].
Brain would also insist that there would be no "Buckethead influenced songs" on the album [Sp1at, January 23, 2005]. In hindsight, this last statement seems to have been wrong, because it is widely assumed that Shackler's Revenge and Sorry, off Chinese Democracy, are very much Buckethead influenced songs.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
"THE MOST EXPENSIVE ALBUM NEVER MADE"
In an article in March 2005, The New York Times would describe Chinese Democracy as having "racked up more than $13 million in production costs, according to Geffen documents, ranking his unfinished masterpiece as probably the most expensive recording never released" [New York Times, March 6, 2005]. In the article, The Times would also quote numerous sources, many of which spoke under anonymity, detailing the process of making Chinese Democracy, painting a less than flattering image of the project and especially Axl [New York Times, March 6, 2005]
Mercuriadis would respond to the article and its allegations in a letter to The Times:
Sir, I find it remarkable that the New York Times — a newspaper of some repute — has chosen to run an article on the making of the forthcoming GUNS N' ROSES album, 'Chinese Democracy', without even bothering to talk to anyone who has actually been involved in the making of the album. You quote five people on the record, all of whom, with the exception of Tom Zutaut, have been out of the picture for between six and nine years, and like the author of your article, have never even heard the album! Tom Zutaut himself has not been involved for three years and has heard virtually none of the actual record.
Your journalist Jeff Leeds — is this the return of Jayson Blair under a pseudonym? — contacted us last Thursday the 24th of February to inform us he had been working on an article about the 'process' of making the album. I explained that it was not possible for him to write such a story as he had not spoken to the band, our two engineers, myself or most importantly, Axl, all of whom have been working on the actual album for the last two years and enquired how he could write an investigative report with any integrity without doing so. I also asked why if he was reporting on the 'process' why we were the last people he was contacting, as it was obvious from the discussion that he had been working on this for a number of weeks.
Contrary to his blatant lie that he was told by 'management' that W. Axl Rose 'could not be reached for comment,' I made it clear that we could not consider his request for an interview with either Axl or myself until we knew who the other people involved in the article were, as we were not going to lend credibility to an article that was based on hearsay from people that have not only had nothing to do with the album but whose only agenda was to recapture their 15 minutes of fame in an industry that had cast them aside and left them unemployed many years ago. Mr. Leeds told me he would call this week once he had considered our position so that we could discuss it further. This past Monday the 27th at 6 pm he left a message with my office saying that his deadline to file the story was 12 pm the following day. I called him immediately on receipt of the message the following morning and reminded him that we had made an agreement that he would consider whether he was going to divulge the people involved in the article following which I would then contact Axl and we could consider whether to participate and asked why he had not mentioned that he was working to a tight deadline when we had previously spoken. I also made the point that this piece was not 'news' nor was it 'fragile' and that surely if his article was to genuinely be about the 'process'" then he must speak to someone who was involved. After much discussion with Mr. Leeds it was clear that both the writer and the Times had its own agenda and that it was not only not interested in presenting an accurate view but both he and his editor refused my request for 24 hours to discuss the situation with Axl despite the fact that the story was scheduled to run six days later! It should also be mentioned that during our initial conversation the writer was offered the opportunity to hear the album in the studio when it was finished and talk to people who were directly involved and declined in favour of the article you have chosen to run.
As one of the few people involved in the making of this album I can tell your readers the following: W. Axl Rose is not interested in fame, money, popularity or what the New York Times or any other paper for that matter might think of him. His only interest is making the best album he is capable of so that it can have a positive effect in 2005 on people who are enthusiasts of music and interested in GUNS N' ROSES. His artistic integrity is such that he has chosen to do so without compromise at great personal sacrifice, which makes him a soft target for the sort of rubbish you have chosen to print. I believe he will have the last laugh.
Your journalist Jeff Leeds — is this the return of Jayson Blair under a pseudonym? — contacted us last Thursday the 24th of February to inform us he had been working on an article about the 'process' of making the album. I explained that it was not possible for him to write such a story as he had not spoken to the band, our two engineers, myself or most importantly, Axl, all of whom have been working on the actual album for the last two years and enquired how he could write an investigative report with any integrity without doing so. I also asked why if he was reporting on the 'process' why we were the last people he was contacting, as it was obvious from the discussion that he had been working on this for a number of weeks.
Contrary to his blatant lie that he was told by 'management' that W. Axl Rose 'could not be reached for comment,' I made it clear that we could not consider his request for an interview with either Axl or myself until we knew who the other people involved in the article were, as we were not going to lend credibility to an article that was based on hearsay from people that have not only had nothing to do with the album but whose only agenda was to recapture their 15 minutes of fame in an industry that had cast them aside and left them unemployed many years ago. Mr. Leeds told me he would call this week once he had considered our position so that we could discuss it further. This past Monday the 27th at 6 pm he left a message with my office saying that his deadline to file the story was 12 pm the following day. I called him immediately on receipt of the message the following morning and reminded him that we had made an agreement that he would consider whether he was going to divulge the people involved in the article following which I would then contact Axl and we could consider whether to participate and asked why he had not mentioned that he was working to a tight deadline when we had previously spoken. I also made the point that this piece was not 'news' nor was it 'fragile' and that surely if his article was to genuinely be about the 'process'" then he must speak to someone who was involved. After much discussion with Mr. Leeds it was clear that both the writer and the Times had its own agenda and that it was not only not interested in presenting an accurate view but both he and his editor refused my request for 24 hours to discuss the situation with Axl despite the fact that the story was scheduled to run six days later! It should also be mentioned that during our initial conversation the writer was offered the opportunity to hear the album in the studio when it was finished and talk to people who were directly involved and declined in favour of the article you have chosen to run.
As one of the few people involved in the making of this album I can tell your readers the following: W. Axl Rose is not interested in fame, money, popularity or what the New York Times or any other paper for that matter might think of him. His only interest is making the best album he is capable of so that it can have a positive effect in 2005 on people who are enthusiasts of music and interested in GUNS N' ROSES. His artistic integrity is such that he has chosen to do so without compromise at great personal sacrifice, which makes him a soft target for the sort of rubbish you have chosen to print. I believe he will have the last laugh.
Blabbermouth, March 6, 2005
Tom Zutaut, despite being a named source in The Times' article, would also speak to the defense of Axl and in particular any accusations of him being motivated by money:
To the Editor:
Axl Rose was one of the only artists I ever worked with who was never motivated by money. He consistently put the quality of his artistic output above all. Whether you consider him to be a musical genius on hold, a poster child for the misunderstood, or a narcissist, all of his actions are motivated by a pure desire to make every recording count as a true reflection of his own high standards.
In a sea of musical mediocrity and generic voices processed into greatness by computers, Axl Rose achieved the American dream in music without compromising his integrity for the sake of fame or fortune. I am sure that Axl's new Guns N' Roses will impact popular culture with the same vigor and vitality that made "Appetite for Destruction" a part of musical history.
Axl Rose was one of the only artists I ever worked with who was never motivated by money. He consistently put the quality of his artistic output above all. Whether you consider him to be a musical genius on hold, a poster child for the misunderstood, or a narcissist, all of his actions are motivated by a pure desire to make every recording count as a true reflection of his own high standards.
In a sea of musical mediocrity and generic voices processed into greatness by computers, Axl Rose achieved the American dream in music without compromising his integrity for the sake of fame or fortune. I am sure that Axl's new Guns N' Roses will impact popular culture with the same vigor and vitality that made "Appetite for Destruction" a part of musical history.
The New York Times, March 20, 2005
Still, Zutaut got a first-hand view of the financials of the making of the album in 2001-2002, and would later discuss where the money went:
One of the things that Interscope wanted me to do is was have a look at the budget, and try to figure out where all of this money was going. So you know, it took me about a month. One area where there was an astronomical amount of money being spent was in rented gear. There was a lot of gear being rented that was not being really used. It’s a bit of a luxury to have a ’59 Les Paul at however many thousands dollar a month when it isn’t even being used.
Maybe one day three years ago they needed this piece of gear, but now the track it was used on isn’t even still being considered, the gear is still sitting there and the rental company is still making the money. We’d paid enough in rental for it that we could have bought it! My recollection is that we were able to shave around $75,000 a month off the budget…
Maybe one day three years ago they needed this piece of gear, but now the track it was used on isn’t even still being considered, the gear is still sitting there and the rental company is still making the money. We’d paid enough in rental for it that we could have bought it! My recollection is that we were able to shave around $75,000 a month off the budget…
[Axl]’d come to the studio once or twice a week, and then we might be there for two weeks because he stays to work on stuff. Or he might come at four in the afternoon and work ’til midnight the next day. It didn’t bother me because this was how GN’R had always operated. Whether it’s Axl, Duff, Slash or Izzy or whoever – when these guys want to record, you record ’em. They are not on a calendar – this is not a 9-5 job for them. [...]
Musicians, engineers, Pro Tools guys, assistant engineers – in all honesty, these fucking people are getting paid shitloads of money and they’re sitting on their arse doing nothing because Axl’s not coming to the studio and they can’t get him on the phone. So you’ve got all these people sucking money out of him doing nothing. Spinning their wheels – they’re inventing ways to stay busy.
Musicians, engineers, Pro Tools guys, assistant engineers – in all honesty, these fucking people are getting paid shitloads of money and they’re sitting on their arse doing nothing because Axl’s not coming to the studio and they can’t get him on the phone. So you’ve got all these people sucking money out of him doing nothing. Spinning their wheels – they’re inventing ways to stay busy.
In April 2007, the costs of making Chinese Democracy would be estimated to between $13 and $15 million [Uncut, April 2007]. The flaw with this rationale is that the band was working on music for more than one album.
Brain would comment on the article in 2018 and joke about one million coming from all his time adding drum parts:
No, I think that was you know, when I saw that article in the, you know, New York Times or whatever and it was like, you know, "the most expensive album never made", you know, and it was like, I think, it was 13 million and counting or something. You know, I was like, "Okay, yeah, I was a part of that." And I probably added a million, yeah, "I added that million at the top, thank you."
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
2002-2014
ARRANGING THE INSTRUMENT PARTS FOR LIVE SHOWSFROM TWO TO THREE GUITARS
Guns N' Roses had been a two guitar band (Slash and Izzy or Slash and Gilby) but this changed from 2001 with the following 3-guitar player constellations: Buckethead, Paul and Robin [2001], Buckethead, Richard and Robin [2002], Bumblefoot, Richard and Robin [2006-2007], and Bumblefoot, Richard and DJ [2009-2014].
Bumblefoot would talk about how three guitars had always been Axl's plan:
Because, at the time [in 2006], they were auditioning people for months and they were so burnt out. The tour was a few weeks away. They thought that, “All right, we’re not getting the third guitarist like Axl wants,” which was always his vision. He always wanted a three-guitarist band. He loves Boston. He loves a lot of the old classic stuff. He’s just a guitar lover.
He always wanted to have three guitars. Even on “Appetite”, left, right and something in the middle. He always had that vision. Yeah. They thought that they weren’t going to have a third guitarist so they worked out all that stuff, just to be safe, for the two guitars. They were told, “Okay, you’re good to go.” Then the next day, management says, “Your new guitarist is coming in,” and didn’t even audition me. They were just told, just like, ”Here’s your new guitar player.”
He always wanted to have three guitars. Even on “Appetite”, left, right and something in the middle. He always had that vision. Yeah. They thought that they weren’t going to have a third guitarist so they worked out all that stuff, just to be safe, for the two guitars. They were told, “Okay, you’re good to go.” Then the next day, management says, “Your new guitarist is coming in,” and didn’t even audition me. They were just told, just like, ”Here’s your new guitar player.”
In 2012, Dizzy would talk about having added a third guitarist and claim it had been necessary, like to get represent the Chinese Democracy songs well:
I think at some point there was the need for three guitar players and it just worked so well that I think it would be hard to go back to two now. They all contribute different parts to the show and it adds to the overall sound of the band.
And in 2014, DJ would be asked if they could have managed without three guitar players and if he thinks three guitarists is a necessity:
I don't. I don't, but I get it. Could two of us pull off those songs? Absolutely. But I think what's cool, and where Axl is coming from is he wants it to sound like the record; Axl is very big on that. You know, everybody that's ever made a record, usually there's more than two guitar tracks on a song; you've got rhythms and lead and overdubs. So it's kind of cool, 'cause everybody… [Axl has] really put together an incredible pool of musicians. He handpicked everybody in this band and I'm honored to be a part of it. Everybody in this band is top-notch players. So, yeah, could two of us do it? Of course. But to me, we can do all the bells and whistles and put the icing on the cake as well, and we don't have to put anything on… You know what I mean?! It's like we play. And it sounds very authentic that way, I think. We can really make it sound like the record, like a really cool live experience for people.
Late in 2011, Richard would talk about how challenging it had been to rearrange songs for three guitar players:
Trying to make 3 guitars work together is something that I’d never had to deal with before. It’s quite a challenge to keep out of each others way and orchestrate things to make it sound bigger and still be dynamic. That’s probably been the biggest learning experience.
2001-2002: ROBIN, PAUL/RICHARD AND BUCKETHEAD
When asked if he and Buckethead ever worked together to change songs or do their own things on songs, Brain would mention that Buckethead had found it hard to have to work with two other guitarists:
As far as the live stuff, not really, because I kind of had my own way of approaching it and he [=Buckethead] was dealing with the two other guitar players, you know. I think Paul Tobias was the first one that was there so he was there all at first and then, you know, Axl got rid of Paul and then we got Richard because he was Tommy's friend and, you know, then he was dealing with them and Robin. So he was kind of had to be, you know... I think that was tough for Bucket because Bucket, you know, was his own thing, you know. Obviously, you know, doing his own thing now and he's got his own thing and he can play in front of a thousand people every night just solo, you know, with the iPod. He just solos because he's so talented. It was hard for him because, you know, it's like... I don't even think he likes guitar players, really, you know what I mean in that sense? I think he does it because he's great at it and he likes to, you know, but he doesn't like to talk to other guitar players, he just does his own thing. So I think that was the hard part about it because it was like, "Oh, now you have to sit there with other guitar players and learn parts," and, "Okay, why don't you play this part and then you'll play that part and then I'll play this?" I think it was hard for him. [...] I'm the drummer and there was no other drummer. And I think that it was easier because I was just like, "Okay, I know what I have to do and everybody's counting on me to hold the time down and that's my job," so you know what I mean? But for Bucket it was like, you know, maybe he wanted to play this other part and he was realizing that, "Oh, I get it," you know, "Richard wants to play that," and he's a nice guy, he doesn't want to step on any toes so he's not gonna fight for it, and then it's like, "What? Now we're fighting for parts?" you know. It's stupid, you know what I mean? [...] and no one knew it was happening, really, because it was kind of like, "Okay, there's three guitar players and they're all new and they've never met each other before and now we got all work together," plus, "you got to play," you know, "I want to play this," and, "who gets to play the beginning of Sweet Child?" you know, the funniest part, so.
2006-2007: ROBIN,RICHARD AND BUMBLEFOOT
After the touring of 2006, Bumblefoot would discuss how he, Robin and Richard split the guitar parts between them:
We play together, complimenting each other, harmonizing each other's solos and rhythms.
Richard would also mention how Axl had intervened to move one solo from Robin to him:
[...] when I started playing that first solo of November Rain, Robin was playing it and Axl had asked in the middle of the tour, he said, "Hey, can I hear Richard play that?" and that's when I started playing it.
2009-2014: DJ, RICHARD AND BUMBLEFOOT
In early 2009, Bumblefoot would discuss how they worked out which guitarist would play what:
I wasn’t there when Bucket was there, but it seemed like whatever he played, that’s what I played.
Being asked if Robin and Richard are like Slash and Izzy and Buckethead or Bumblefoot then plays all the "stunt" guitar bits:
Yeah, I know what you mean. I can agree with that. But all I know is Axl has a vision, and I trust that vision. For a lot of things, especially earlier on, it was like, “All right, we’ll take care of the pretty stuff. You just shred.” But I think things have loosened up quite a bit. For instance, onstage I’ll play the pretty stuff in between the verses on “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Or the end solo of “November Rain.” Or the second part of the “Nightrain” solo.
And being asked how they decide who gets to play what:
There’s not too much thought behind it. During rehearsals we’ll be like, “Hey, you want this one?” It’s pretty relaxed like that. And me, I don’t really give a fuck. As long as in the end the song sounds good I don’t care if I’m playing freaking kazoo parts. Whatever the song needs.
In 2010, Bumblefoot would discuss how hard it had been for him to learn his parts when he joined the band immediately prior to the shows in 2006:
I should probably go back to the beginning when I first started playing with Guns... I jumped in, and I never had a chance to get my gear sounding right. I never had a chance to really learn the songs, and to get my parts where they needed to be. It was just a set of circumstances at that time where I had a lot of things stacked against me when I first joined the group, and it was hard for me to give what I could've given. It was a tough one. I was really just waiting for the moment when all the guitarists could sit down, work everything out, and do it the right way. Now, I finally have that double neck, and I have the right gear that I need to play the songs. Another thing is when I first joined the group, because leaks were such an issue they wouldn't give me the music. I didn't have any of their new songs, and the band would say to me "Just tell them you have to have it - you have to have the songs to learn them", but the management folks would not give me the music - they said "No".
The only way I could learn the songs was during rehearsals before we were on tour, like a week before. I would go into the other room, listen to the songs on the road manager's laptop with a set of headphones, write down notes, listen to them, try to remember all the parts, and do, as they say, the best I could. I would then go into the other room where everyone was waiting, and start playing. That's how I had to learn 'Chinese Democracy' (laughs) - on headphones with a laptop in half an hour. They didn't want me to have a copy, and I respected their wishes. Yes, I could've just gotten a hot copy from somewhere, someone, but I thought "Well, this is how they want it to be... I'm gonna respect their wishes, and when they want things to change, they'll change".
In the beginning, I didn't know what the hell I was really doing yet, and I wasn't getting much help (laughs). Even when we played live, I wanted to sing backing vocals and start doing that, but was told they didn't have enough room in the mixing board for me. I felt like the circumstances were minimizing and devaluing what I could bring to the group, and making it so much more difficult for me to do the right thing, and it wasn't helping anyone - it wasn't helping me, it wasn't helping the audience. But eventually, after more touring and laying my own guitar parts into 'Chinese Democracy', I had a better idea of what to play.
The only way I could learn the songs was during rehearsals before we were on tour, like a week before. I would go into the other room, listen to the songs on the road manager's laptop with a set of headphones, write down notes, listen to them, try to remember all the parts, and do, as they say, the best I could. I would then go into the other room where everyone was waiting, and start playing. That's how I had to learn 'Chinese Democracy' (laughs) - on headphones with a laptop in half an hour. They didn't want me to have a copy, and I respected their wishes. Yes, I could've just gotten a hot copy from somewhere, someone, but I thought "Well, this is how they want it to be... I'm gonna respect their wishes, and when they want things to change, they'll change".
In the beginning, I didn't know what the hell I was really doing yet, and I wasn't getting much help (laughs). Even when we played live, I wanted to sing backing vocals and start doing that, but was told they didn't have enough room in the mixing board for me. I felt like the circumstances were minimizing and devaluing what I could bring to the group, and making it so much more difficult for me to do the right thing, and it wasn't helping anyone - it wasn't helping me, it wasn't helping the audience. But eventually, after more touring and laying my own guitar parts into 'Chinese Democracy', I had a better idea of what to play.
Clarifying his comments on being devalued:
It wasn't Axl or anyone in particular - it was the situation. It felt at times in the beginning like I jumped in at the last minute, and there wasn't room for me. There was no time for me to co-ordinate with everyone, so I almost had to play just with one hand tied behind my back in a way. I didn't have the tools I needed to do everything that I could've done.
Talking about how much better they got to prepare before the shows in 2009/2010, with DJ having joined the band:
In a general way, I do the most crazy stuff, Dj gets the melodic parts and Fortus plays something in the middle of all this. It's a good way of keep our identity in this wall of guitars. We do something like that in the rhythm, when I play the low tonic of the chords and riffs with the bass. Fortus fills up the rest of the chords while Dj puts something on top of that. This is the general idea, but it all depends on what sound better for each song. We're getting along well and working a lot on our guitar sounds. We tried different instruments and heads. We're polishing the sound that the crowd will hear, which is very important. Afterall, whats the use of getting a great guitar tone on stage if the sound that makes to the crowd is bad? Everyone, band and staff, worked hard to make sure that the sound that people hear will be the best.
Finally this year, I got my gear together how I wanted it to be. I had my guitar parts and a feel for which parts I should play, and we were able to co-ordinate it between me, DJ and Rich. We came out, and it sounds better than it ever did. Finally. It's something that I wish could have happened years ago, but... yeah (laughs).
In the very beginning when Dj first joined the band, we all would just sit in a room for hours in just three chairs facing each other with our guitars figuring out what each one of us should do so that we don’t step on each other. Keep it organized and coordinated so that it’s not just a mess onstage. In the studio you can tweak it and make this one a little louder and this one a little lower but when you’re playing live and everything is echoing and stuff, a little goes a long way. So you have to be very careful and not fill it up too much because it’s just going to become inaudible.
Richard would also talk about allocating guitar parts between himself, DJ and Bumblefoot:
For the most part, we are playing the parts that were handed down to us from our predecessors. DJ is covering most of the parts that Robin used to cover, Ron is covering Bucket's parts (as well as the parts he did on the record), same with me.
I think we are pretty democratic for the most part. There’s never been an argument over who’s going to do what. Everyone looks at the bigger picture and realizes each of our particular strengths. As far as the older material, we each have our roles that have been passed down from those that came before, but nothing is ever in stone. We spend a lot of time orchestrating the guitar parts to try and create a broader and more dynamic aural landscape.
As for sticking to the original signature solos and leads:
For a lot of the Guns stuff, the guitar melody is a major part of the song. Straying too far from what was originally recorded would be like changing the lyrics. So I like to respect the song. That said, with “November Rain” I tend to pretty disrespectfully go off and do whatever the hell I want! [laughs] In fact, I usually grab the fretless guitar for that one. But there’s just a lot of creative freedom. No one says, “Don’t play this,” or “Don’t wear that.”
In some I keep faithful to the original because there is solos that are more than just solos. They are an important melody and gives an identity to the song. Change it would be like change the lyrics. This is the case in November Rain ending solo. But in songs like Nightrain and Paradise City I can jam something different every night, playing with my inspiration.
When I first joined the band, I also had the feeling that I had to do something more. I felt like I was brought in to play all the wacky, noodly stuff, and I might've been overdoing it a lot of the time, instead of just being myself. What do I do now? Honestly, I just try to play them the way they were written, and the thing is, no two guitarists play the same way. You can take Eddie Van Halen and you can take Ace Frehley, and have them play the same riff, and you can tell who is who. It comes from the hands. I just play the songs as authentically as I can, and try to respect the way the songs were written, and the way people came to love the songs. That's it. I just feel that if it comes from your own hands, it has your own feeling to it. Sometimes I do things with the fretless guitar. With the slide parts, what I do is I jump onto the fretless neck and do the slide on that neck, and jump back down, little things like that. But as far as changing parts of the songs to make them my own, I would rather respect G N' R's music. On 'Chinese Democracy' songs, I play the parts that I wrote and recorded, and with everything else, I try to respect the songs as they were written and recorded.
Some guitar parts are important to the song itself, where changing them would be like changing a vocal melody or lyrics. In a song like Sweet Child, the opening riff should be played precisely, note-for-note. But in some of the soloing towards the end of the song, some of the faster runs, that would be a spot to do more of your own thing. It's gotta be about doing what's right for the song.
I try to respect what [Slash] wrote for the songs. I don't want to re-write the songs, I want to play the songs the best I can, and give the audience the song in the way they would know it and want it. For fast phrases in the solos I may give it my own thing, but I keep the melodies the same.
Obviously I grew up a fan of Guns N’ Roses and I respect what they’ve done for the world of music. I always look at it like, “Listen, I’m joining something that has been around for many, many years that is already huge” and is one of the biggest bands in the world. I’m stepping in the shoes of legendary guitar player so it’s like separating yourself from the song as a producer. I could come into this and go, “You know what? I wanna play my own solos and do my own thing in ‘Sweet Child ‘O Mine.” But me as a fan, if I were to show up and see some new guy on stage, what would I really want to hear? Well you’d want to hear somebody staying as true to what you grew up listening to. So for me with all the songs that have already been recorded, of course I’m bringing my own flair and style to ‘em but I’m trying to do ‘em justice by staying as true to these songs as I possibly can. Because I just feel like they deserve that; they’re so classic that you can’t really vary off of them too much because at that point it becomes over-playing and showing off.
It's a respect thing and a respect for the music and the audience. You have to realize it's not all about you - it's about them and what they should be getting.
I didn’t want to re-write the songs, the parts people love about those songs, I’d respect the melodies of the song, but if there were more open areas, like the end soloing of Night Train or Paradise City, I’d do my own thing and improvise more.
I think it's a delicate balance trying to remain respectful of the original yet you want it to be something that is you and you're comfortable playing; instead of just copying note for note what somebody else has done which I find difficult to do night after night. But Axl's not real uptight about that. I think you need to have reverence for the songs when you're dealing with a body of work like GNR's and how attached people are to those arrangements and the parts. A lot of the Slash solos are hooks, they're part of the song. It's a difficult thing. You have to be respectful yet do your own thing. So that's always a challenge.
Before the European leg of the tour in 2010, DJ would comment on how they split the guitar parts:
We shares the songs between us. I do 80-90 % of the Slash pieces, Ron does the Buckethead stuff and Richard does a lot of what Izzy used to do. Whatever fits each own's style. We are very different guitarists and do whatever feel natural.
And during the tour Bumblefoot would also comment on this:
DJ is a tasteful melodic player. Often he takes on these guitar parts and I do more of the technical parts, but there's no solid rule to it, we just take each song and think about what would compliment it best.
DJ would again be asked about this before and during the US tour in 2011:
Live, how it breaks down is that I pretty much take all the Robin [Finck] parts. Bumblefoot is the shred-master so he takes most of the Buckethead’s parts. I play a couple Bucket solos. I do more of the Robin parts. On the catalog material, I take the Slash parts and Richard [Fortus] takes the Izzy parts. All of our styles are so different. I have more of that melodic-blues type feel. Bublefoot has the “blazing saddles." He’s just insane on guitar.
We kinda just sit back and say, “You wanna take this?” or “You take that?” It’s really actually — nobody fights over anything. I think we all have so much respect for each other as far as musicians and friends and what not. It’s really just kick back and lay back and we kinda all three know. We all three have very different styles of playing and I think it’s like, “Hey, you do this and I’ll do that.”
And in 2012:
We all have three different styles, so it's pretty obvious who takes what, and we all don't give a s**t either way. We're like, "You want to take it, take it."
Also, we all sort of inherited the roles of those before us. We came into those and stuck with those roles.
And whether they could change the parts during a show:
No we all know each other’s parts, I mean we know these songs inside and out. But we don’t usually do that just because everybody’s in-ear mix is how it is and everybody goes off different cues. Whether it’s Chris Pitman (backing vocals) goes off of this cue in his in-ear, and if all that changes it could throw some guy off — so we try not to do that.
Dizzy would praise the guitarists for arranging the songs:
With this band especially, it’s not easy having three lead guitar players in a band. Three guys who could play lead guitar for almost any band they wanted to. The way they’ve been able, over the years, to sit down and sort of dole out who’s going to do what and do it respectively and do it objectively, with my, Tommy and Axl’s help, of course. I think that’s what probably what gets overlooked the most, some people probably might take that for granted.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
JANUARY 2005
RUMOUR ABOUT RICHARD JOINING NIN; RICHARD SAYS REZNOR PUBLISHED THE RUMOUR TO SCREW WITH AXLIn early 2005 the Nine Inch Nails fansite "NIN Hotline" would report that Richard was set to join Nine Inch Nails [Sp1at, January 20, 2005]. This rumour would be denied by Sanctuary [Sp1at, January 20, 2005] and it didn't happen.
Later, Richard would claim Trent Reznor had published the rumour to fuck with Axl:
Nine Inch Nails is another [band I turned down]; Trent (Reznor) even released for a second that I was joining, but he was doing that to stir up shit with Axl (Rose).
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
TOURING IN THE SUMMER OF 2005?
The plan was still to tour in support of the release of Chinese Democracy, and in February, Tommy would go as far as to suggest they probably had dates booked:
I understand there's probably some European dates booked in the summer. Hopefully, that'll happen and we'll get over there and do it. Once it gets going, it's a lot of fun. There's a lot of fuckin' work involved with getting it going, but once it is going, it's a lot of fun.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
APRIL-OCTOBER, 2005
WORK ON CHINESE DEMOCRACY - SOME VOCALS STILL MISSINGAs part of writing an article to be released in March in The New York Times, journalist Jeff Leeds got to hear some of the new music and Sp1at would describe what he had heard [Sp1at, April 14, 2005]. 'Atlas Shrugged' would described as "being somewhere between 70's glam rock and 'November Rain'", 'Quick Song' would be described as "a rock song with a riff similar to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'", and 'Zodiac' as "an electronic, industrial song" [Sp1at, April 14, 2005].
In June 2005, Mercuriadis would comment to Sp1at that "it is fair to assume that only he, Axl Rose and Caram Costanzo (engineer) know the full facts about forthcoming GN'R album, "Chinese Democracy", including details of the final tracklist" [Sp1at, June 13, 2005], indicating that not even other band members were fully informed.
And this seems to be correct since band members would typically admit they didn't know much details about Chinese Democracy:
To be clear, the request to refrain from emailing me about Guns n' Roses is not a diss to you or to the band or to anyone. I simply am not eager to instigate that conversation until an official release date for the album is made public. Otherwise, I'd go a little nutzo tossing "I dunnos" and "Can't quite says" in every direction.
But the thing is that I haven't heard of it in so long that... I don't know what changes its going through- what's happening. I'm not even sure what they're called [laughs].
Madagascar88, September 26, 2005; paraphrased
Despite all allegations that the record was more or less done, by June 2005, Richard would state that Axl still hadn't finished adding vocals:
Axl is still finishing up vocals on the record and I've heard rumours that it will be released before the end of the year. Only time will tell.
In September, Dizzy would mention they had three CDs of material and that Axl was still working hard to finish Chinese Democracy:
I believe in Axl. We have three CDs worth of songs. Everyone contributed and it all goes into the mill. We did some touring about three years ago, but things are on hold for now. (Rose is) working hard to finish our first record in quite awhile.
I'm pretty excited about the fact that it might come out this year.
Being asked if they really have 32 songs:
Well... I actually thought that there are more... but if Axl says there are 32 then I guess. But what's already in the bank is unbelievable material. There's a lot. There's at least three dozen. There's a shitload of stuff. We've actually been doing stuff... we haven't been sittin' around. There really is a lot of stuff.
And describing the sound of the album:
Sound. You know... the thing about it is that there are so many different areas and the other thing is that through time guys have come and gone that as different members of the band- everyone brought 2 or 3 songs such that there are multiple musical genres and situtations. Umm.. it's kind of a smorgasbord. Everyone works on it and when Axl sings on it- it's magical. So... there's gonna be a little something for everybody on it. It mixes rock with all that modern... rock elements... to do this.
And on whether fans will appreciate the direction of the music:
You can't please everybody. The quality of the songs goes a long ways. If you can play the song on the piano or just on a lone guitar and it still sounds great- then the song stands out on its own. All the songs are like that so I think the songs will carry the record. You know what? There are probably already a million people who have their minds made up that there gonna hate the album. You know- fuck those people. They probably will buy it... who knows? And I think a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised too. Or you know... maybe noone will buy it- you know? You can't predict the future. It's the tunnel theory of ever-changing things- you never know.
Dizzy would also talk about the song Silkworms that had been played live in 2001, and whether it was really written by him and Chris:
Umm... it was passed back and forth on our computers. [...] you know, we do a lot of work now on computers. We pass it back and forth and I had a couple riffs so... yea.
Madagascar88, September 26, 2005; paraphrased
And on whether it would be included on Chinese Democracy:
No. It kind of went away. I mean we actually played it a few times live... but... I'm sure it'll up at some point.
Madagascar88, September 26, 2005; paraphrased
And talk about his favorite tracks:
Umm... I don't know... last year Brain had this song called 'the General' that was really cool... and another song called "we were lying" [?]
Madagascar88, September 26, 2005; paraphrased
It is interesting that Dizzy refers to The General as being a song from 2004 since we know Beltrami worked on it already in 2003. Probably Dizzy is mistaken.
In October Dizzy would say the record would be out very soon:
From what I’m told and what I hear, there should be a record out very, very soon.
EXPLAINING THE LONG DELAY
Of course, I’d like it to have gone a lot faster. I think the reasons that it’s taken so long are very good reasons. For all intents and purposes, the reason that I had was that it was something that hadn’t been done before – eight guy collaborating together to make one album. It’s been one of the best musical experiences of my life, cos I learned how to do something with eight guys that I never knew how to do before. That process is a beautiful process. And I’d love to do more of it now.
You know... there is no primary reason... its really a variety of reasons. Umm.. there's just absolutely no one thing. I'm certainly not gonna go say that its all because Axl's a perfectionist or you know... things are just always coming and going... and the other thing is I guess there's never really been a deadline or any pressure. Axl and the rest of us will put the best thing out.
Craig Duswalt, Axl's former personal assistant, would also be asked why the record wasn't out yet:
I do not know the exact reasons the album has not been released yet, but I do know that Axl will only release what he is extremely happy with - he will never settle for less.
And Robert John would offer his theories:
I think the reason why Chinese Democracy has taken so long is because Axl is a perfectionist and he keeps working on things; and, as people have quit, he’s brought new people in and they’ve had to redo their parts. I just think it’s an ongoing process with him. I know he’s never satisfied, but you know what? Most true artists aren’t. They’re never satisfied with what they do.
POSSIBLE TRACKLIST
In July 2005, Sp1at would publish a gossip column speculating on the tracklist of Chinese Democracy, listing the songs, "Prostitute", "Madagascar", "The Blues", "Chinese Democracy", "IRS", "TWAT", "This I Love", "Catcher in the Rye" as highly probable, while "Rhiad and the Bedouins", "Leave Me Alone", "Seven", "Quick Song", "Zodiac", "Atlas Shrugged", "The General" and "Thyme" were less likely to be included [Sp1at, July 28, 2005].
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
MID-2005
PATTI HOOD ADDS HARP TO 'THIS I LOVE'In late 2007, the harpist Patti Hood would mention on her website having worked on the too-be-released record Chinese Democracy [Patti Hood website, December 2007]. After this was discovered by the fanbase Hood received numerous emails asking about her involvement with Guns N' Roses.
Chris reached out to Hood already in 2004, but the recording session took place in 2005 [Guns N' Roses Hispana, June 30, 2010]:
I did a tour with The Church last year (we played at The Belly Up), I toured with a band called Lusk (we played at The Casbah). The lead singer in Lusk is Axl's keyboard player [=Chris Pitman].
Paul who was the original bass player started a project called Lusk with Chris Pitman who is one of the keyboard players for Axl.I recorded and toured with Lusk.
Describing her working with the band and the song 'This I Love':
I actually didn't meet Axl until well after I did the session. I'm on a song called "This I Love". It is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard.
I don't want to say too much about the song. I will say it's very special. I think everyone may have a different opinion of Axl but to me, he is wonderful. I think I should wait until the album is released to say anything. I think the album is close to being finished.
I did the session about 2 and a half years ago. Axl was not present at the session.
I do like Guns. Axl puts on an amazing show and is quite a performer. But you have probably seen him live and know this.
Out of respect for Axl, I really don't want to say much more at this time.
I did the session about 2 and a half years ago. Axl was not present at the session.
I do like Guns. Axl puts on an amazing show and is quite a performer. But you have probably seen him live and know this.
Out of respect for Axl, I really don't want to say much more at this time.
To answer your question, yes, I am on the track "This I Love". That is the only one I did. I actually did not meet Axl until well after I did the session.
I'm not sure if I should say anything else about this song with respect to Axl and his wishes. I can tell you that I did the session 2 years ago!
Also, this is really the only song I've heard.
Also, this is really the only song I've heard.
As far as Axl goes, I believe he can be different in every situation. I had an extremely wonderful meeting and impression of him. But I know we really connected through his music and my arrangement. And yes, he is very down to earth. I really don't know when I will see him again. Hopefully, one day soon.
I heard the music on There Was A Time. I believe that Axl wants this one to be perfectly amazing.
I never met Bucket.
I can hope and pray to play with Axl live.
I never met Bucket.
I can hope and pray to play with Axl live.
I am on the song "This I Love". First I heard the instrumentation that was already completely recorded without the vocals. The song completely moved and inspired me for my arrangement.
First Chris recorded me for a "demo" of what we could do with the piece, then we went into the studio and Caram Costanzo did the rest.
In 2010, Bumblefoot would discuss Hood and her contributions:
Patti did some beautiful stuff - don't know what the future holds, would be interesting to bring her on stage.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
AUGUST 2005-MARCH 2006
SLASH, DUFF AND AXL'S LEGAL BATTLE, PART IIOn August 17, 2005 - while their previous lawsuit from April 2004 was pending to go to court [see previous chapter] - Duff and Slash again sued Axl, this time for missing royalties [Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2005]. According to the lawsuit, when Axl signed with Sanctuary and sold the publishing rights to the GN'R back catalog in January 2005 [see previous chapter], the publisher was changed from Guns N' Roses to Axl's own Black Frog Music Publishing and Kobalt Songs Music Publishing [MTV News, August 22, 2005]. This resulted in publishing royalties being sent to Axl directly, bypassing Slash and Duff [MTV News, August 22, 2005; Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2005]. The total royalty revenues per year was said to be about $500,000 and for one quarter of 2005 Slash and Duff had been excluded from their shares of at least $92,000 in royalties [Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2005].
According to the lawsuit:
Suffering an apparent attack of arrogance and ego, former Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose recently decided that he is no longer willing to acknowledge the contributions of his former partners and bandmates in having created some of rock’s greatest hits, such as “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” So, Mr. Rose duped the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”) into changing the designation of the Publisher/Administrator of the Guns N’ Roses copyrights from the true copyright owner to himself and his publisher. This change in designation deception also resulted in ASCAP paying public performance publishing royalties to Rose himself and his accomplices. Defendants’ conduct constitutes, among other things, copyright infringement, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, unfair competition, interference with prospective economic advantage, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and conversion. By this action, plaintiffs seek to return the copyright owner to its proper place in exercising its exclusive rights, to recover money recently paid by ASCAP to defendants, to ensure that defendants cannot profit in the future from this deception and to deter them from future similar misconduct.
Slash and Duff sought "damages for fraud, copyright infringement and breach of fiduciary duty, among other things" [Slash & Duff Vs. Axl lawsuit document, August 17, 2005].
Howard Weitzman, Axl's lawyer, would state that Axl "had asked to receive only his portion of royalties, and that the overpayment was due to a clerical error by the society [=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers]" [Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2005]. In addition, according to Weitzman, Axl had "returned the extra funds to the organization" [Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2005].
Weitzman would furthermore refer to the lawsuit as "frivolous" and imply Slash and Duff had ulterior motives:
This is a classic case of premature accusation. If someone had taken the time to investigate or ask about this situation before rushing to judgment they would have learned that ASCAP (the entity that collects money for songwriters) made a clerical error and failed to appropriately divide and distribute the royalty's owed for the first quarter of 2005 to Axl and the former Guns N' Roses musicians. The amount ASCAP mistakenly sent to Axl's publisher was never received by Axl nor was he ever made aware of the error. The publisher alerted ASCAP to the error, returned the money immediately and asked ASCAP to remedy the situation by distributing the funds appropriately.
[...]
Rather than pick up the telephone and contact Axl or his representatives, his former partners scurried to file a lawsuit that contained false statements about Axl rather then making an effort to learn the truth regarding ASCAP's mistake. Slash and Duff have an unfortunate pattern over the past few years of filing sensational but baseless lawsuits for the purpose of generating anti-Axl propaganda. It is clear that Slash and Duff are looking for another opportunity to spread untruths about Axl in an effort to hurt his reputation and to alienate his fans while at the same time creating a profile for themselves.
Contrary to allegations in the lawsuit, Axl has never denied that others made substantial contributions towards the success of Guns N' Roses, but there is little doubt as to who was the creative catalyst behind the group's success."
[...]
Rather than pick up the telephone and contact Axl or his representatives, his former partners scurried to file a lawsuit that contained false statements about Axl rather then making an effort to learn the truth regarding ASCAP's mistake. Slash and Duff have an unfortunate pattern over the past few years of filing sensational but baseless lawsuits for the purpose of generating anti-Axl propaganda. It is clear that Slash and Duff are looking for another opportunity to spread untruths about Axl in an effort to hurt his reputation and to alienate his fans while at the same time creating a profile for themselves.
Contrary to allegations in the lawsuit, Axl has never denied that others made substantial contributions towards the success of Guns N' Roses, but there is little doubt as to who was the creative catalyst behind the group's success."
And:
When a band is very dependent on the personality of the group's leader, and that leader chooses to move on, it's not unusual for the members left behind to be hostile and mad. If you mention the Eagles, people remember Henley, not Felder. When you mention Guns N' Roses, everyone knows the leader was Axl.
Despite Weitzman's comments, in September it became clear that Slash and Duff intended to continue pursuing the lawsuit [Sp1at, September 6, 2005]. In the words of their lawyer, Glendon Miskel:
The money was returned to ASCAP. However, Axl has not withdrawn his claim that he has the right to control a portion of the songs which are registered to Guns N' Roses Music.
This means this lawsuit not coalesced with the lawsuit from 2004 [see previous chapter] which was about Axl's right to control GN'R assets.
MARCH 2006: AXL COUNTER-SUES
On March 1, 2006, Axl responded to the accusations and countersued Slash and Duff, seeking a federal judge's confirmation of Axl's "ownership of his own creative works" [Axl's countersuit, March 1, 2006; MTV News, March 6, 2006]. On March 2, 2006, the suit was amended with additional introductory text [Axl's counter-lawsuit documents, March 2, 2006].
In the counter-suit, Axl would aggressively attack Slash and Duff:
Former Guns N’ Roses’ members Saul “Slash” Hudson (“Hudson”) and Michael “Duff’ McKagan (“McKagan”) have, for many years, waged a vindictive public relations campaign, spreading propaganda, dis-information and outright lies about Rose in a deliberate attempt to smear Rose, undermine his business and alienate him from fans. Among other things, Hudson and McKagan falsely claimed that Rose was responsible for the break-up of Guns N’ Roses, and have disparaged Rose’s work ethic, commitment to the band’s fans and contributions as a songwriter and performer.
[...]
Hudson and McKagan’s vindictive attempt to aggrandize their own stature and re-write history through false media statements attacking Rose stands in sharp contrast to Rose’s conduct. Unlike his former band mates, Rose has at all times worked diligently to maintain the artistic integrity of the band, refusing to license Guns N’ Roses songs to potentially embarrassing projects, lighting to avoid the release of material that does not live up to Rose’s standards and those of the bands fans, and choosing to take the high road in the face of Hudson and McKagan’s attacks. Hudson and McKagan, by contrast, have told ever changing — and false — stories regarding the formation of the band.
[...]
Hudson and McKagan’s vindictive attempt to aggrandize their own stature and re-write history through false media statements attacking Rose stands in sharp contrast to Rose’s conduct. Unlike his former band mates, Rose has at all times worked diligently to maintain the artistic integrity of the band, refusing to license Guns N’ Roses songs to potentially embarrassing projects, lighting to avoid the release of material that does not live up to Rose’s standards and those of the bands fans, and choosing to take the high road in the face of Hudson and McKagan’s attacks. Hudson and McKagan, by contrast, have told ever changing — and false — stories regarding the formation of the band.
Axl would also claim that Slash and Duff had falsely accused Axl of being responsible for the breakup of the band, been the reason for Izzy quitting, forced Steven out of the band, and blackmailed them to sign the partnership agreement:
Musicians confident in their talent should be able to leave a band without attacking their former bandmates or the band’s legacy. Hudson and McKagan have taken the exact opposite approach, choosing instead to attempt to label Rose in the media as a negative dictator. Hudson and McKagan have falsely accused Rose of (1) being responsible for the break-up of Guns N’ Roses, (2) causing Izzy Stradlin’s withdrawal from the band, the music business and the public eye, (3) forcing Steven Adler out of the band (when it was Hudson who was largely responsible for maneuvering this) and (4) coercing them (Hudson and McKagan) into signing over rights to the Guns N’ Roses name by refusing to go on stage (which is a complete fabrication and never happened), among other things.
Furthermore, Axl would claim that Slash specifically had refused to cooperate to replace band members, destroyed the band's fan club, hired Matt to change the sound of the band according to his desire, claimed that Axl was responsible for the breakup of the Use Your Illusion lineup, false claimed the conflict between them was due to musical differences, aggrandized his own importance in the band, sabotaged three attempts to make a traditional rock album as a follow-up to the Use Your Illusions, and hurt the band through detrimental drug use:
Contrary to his own false accusations, it was Hudson who refused to cooperate in replacing band members that he himself maneuvered out of Guns N’ Roses because of his own insecurities, egotism and jealousies regarding his songwriting abilities and musicianship. It was also Hudson who destroyed the band’s fan club and engineered the employment by Guns N’ Roses of Matt Sorum, thereby facilitating Hudson’s desire to change the approach/rhythm and direction of Guns N’ Roses by seeking to dictate the entire musical direction of what would become the follow up to the classic “Appetite For Destruction” album and sound. But Hudson then publicly placed responsibility for such decisions on Rose. Hudson also falsely, and publicly, claimed that Rose was responsible for the dissolution of the “Illusions”-era line Up, and falsely attributed the break-up to, among other things, musical differences - thereby purposefully and deceptively misleading the public as to Rose’s personal musical vision for the then line-up and future Guns N’ Roses recordings. There is abundant recorded evidence which includes Hudson’s performances in Rose’s possession disproving all of Hudson’s purposefully false, manipulative and calculated claims. Indeed, it was Hudson who attempted to manipulate public perceptions to aggrandize his own position by changing the musical course of the band away from the style expressed in the hugely successful album “Appetite For Destruction” instead to songs which Hudson created, regardless of their artistic quality or commercial appeal. In addition, on information and belief, Hudson personally sabotaged three attempts to make a traditional rock album as a follow up to the “Use Your Illusions” albums and engaged in consistent substance abuse that was extremely detrimental to the band.
Additionally, Axl would take the opportunity to claim that Slash had made false accusations regarding the music Axl wanted to record and that Slash had recently changed his tune and become enthusiastic about the new GN'R album:
In an effort to disparage Rose and alienate Rose’s fans, Hudson also made false accusations regarding the type of music Rose wanted to record. (Hudson falsely claimed Rose wanted to make a “techno industrial, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam” record.) Most recently, on the eve of the release of a new GN’R album, Hudson is changing strategies by jumping on the Guns N’ Roses bandwagon and falsely claiming that he has been supportive/enthusiastic of a new Guns N’ Roses album, Rose’s efforts and the new line up. This is a blatant lie and yet another example of Hudson’s efforts to manipulate Rose, the media and GN’R’s fans, as Hudson has been anything but supportive. He has played a long, manipulative, ugly, complicated, deceptive game with other people’s lives and livelihoods, all the while having full knowledge of Rose’s positive intentions and true reasons behind all of Rose’s involvements with Guns N’ Roses. The motive behind Hudson’s new found enthusiasm is not known, but it is interesting that it happens to coincide with new Guns N’ Roses activity.
He would also claim, similar to what his lawyer Howard Weitzman has said [see above], that Slash and Duff's lawsuit was based solely on a clerical error:
The lawsuit Hudson and McKagan filed was based on a faulty premise and was ill-advised from the start. What Hudson and McKagan attempted to portray as egregious misconduct by Rose was in fact — as Hudson and McKagan have now admitted — nothing more than a clerical error committed by ASCAP. Had Hudson and McKagan or their representatives bothered to pick up the phone and call, the clerical error could have been easily sorted out without the need for an utterly baseless lawsuit, which one can only assume has been filed for the purposes of self-publicity at Rose’s expense.
In conclusion, Axl demanded a trial by jury [Axl's countersuit, March 2, 2006], likely to settle the disagreement over rights and obligations once and for all.
A press release, likely to speak his case to the public, following the lawsuit would state:
W. Axl Rose, on Friday March 3, 2006 responded to one of Saul 'Slash' Hudson's baseless lawsuits by filing a counterclaim asking the Federal Court to confirm his ownership of his own creative works. Slash and Michael 'Duff' McKagan had previously filed cases both in Federal Court and in the Los Angeles Superior Court making numerous false allegations about Axl. Mr. Rose believes that once apprised of the true facts the Judge or Jury deciding these lawsuits will rule in Axl's favor on every issue before them.
[...]
Mr. Rose's attorney Howard Weitzman commented, 'Axl regrets having to spend time and energy on these distractions but he has a responsibility to protect the GUNS N' ROSES legacy and expose the truth. Axl believes he has been left with no alternative but to respond to these lawsuits. It would have been Axl's preference to resolve disputes with Slash and Duff in private. The courthouse is not his choice of forum. However, Axl could no longer sit quietly and allow the continuing dissemination of falsehoods and half-truths by his former band-mates.'
[...]
Mr. Rose's attorney Howard Weitzman commented, 'Axl regrets having to spend time and energy on these distractions but he has a responsibility to protect the GUNS N' ROSES legacy and expose the truth. Axl believes he has been left with no alternative but to respond to these lawsuits. It would have been Axl's preference to resolve disputes with Slash and Duff in private. The courthouse is not his choice of forum. However, Axl could no longer sit quietly and allow the continuing dissemination of falsehoods and half-truths by his former band-mates.'
MARCH 2006: PERLA MAKES A FAILED INTERVENTION?
In April it would be reported that according to rumours, Perla had intervened in ongoing attempts to settle the lawsuits through mediation causing the discussions to fail and causing a rift between Slash and Duff [Blabbermouth, April 5, 2006].
MAY 24, 2006: THE LAWSUITS ARE DISMISSED
On May 24, 2006, only two days after the lawsuits from 2004-2005 had been dismissed, Slash and Duff' 2005 lawsuit and Axl's 2006 counter-lawsuit, were also dismissed without prejudice.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
OCTOBER 2005
SLASH PAYS AXL A NIGHTIME VISITIn early January Slash would imply that he had been in some contact with Axl, just not directly, and indicate there was no bad blood between them and that other people were creating animosity:
I haven't really talked to him directly, but we're not at each others throats or anything like that, just to kill all of that bad blood that people keep recreating. God, it's been going on for 10 years. He and I have never had a conversation, an argument...over that whole 10 years, and people have been generating all this animosity. But at this point there's no friction going on.
Blabbermouth, January 11, 2006; originally from VWWR Philadelphia Radio via Launch
In March 2006, Axl would perhaps shed light on what that contact had been when his lawyer Howard Weitzman disclosed that Slash had made a visit to Axl's home in October 2005, where he, allegedly, badmouthed his bandmates in Velvet Revolver and admitted Axl to have proven himself "the stronger":
In October of 2005 Slash made an unannounced 5:30 AM visit to Axl Rose's house. Not appearing to be under the influence, Slash came to inform Axl that: 'Duff was spineless,' 'Scott [Weiland] was a fraud,' that he 'hates Matt Sorum' and that in this ongoing war, contest or whatever anyone wants to call it that Slash has waged against Axl for the better part of 20 years, that Axl has proven himself 'the stronger.' Based on his conduct in showing up at Rose's home, Axl was hopeful that Slash would live up to his pronouncements that he wanted to end the war and move on with life. Unfortunately that did not prove to be the case.
As far as we know, Slash would first address this rumour in May 2006, stating that he hadn't talked to Axl:
It was like all these rumors going around. So I just wanted to dispel that one. That one and the fact that I ever had a conversation with him [Axl] at all.
Later in the same interview Slash would claim that it was a "blatantly fabricated thing" to "promote the next GUNS record":
I'm not gonna go into the whole long thing. It was just something that he [Axl] decided he was going to… It was a lot of this stuff was built to promote the next GUNS record and the tour and all that kind of stuff, 'cause there was this blatantly fabricated thing in there that I'd gone to his house and that he and I had a conversation in which I said all this stuff about my bandmates. And it's just blatantly untrue. For one, I have not talked to the guy in any way, shape or form since 1996, so it's going on 11 years. [Laughs] So that's basically it. There's just no truth to it. And all things considered, it put lot of whatever in people's minds that I was that kind of a guy, so it's… there you have it. So it's not true.
Slash is correct in not having talked to Axl, he did, though, allegedly talk to Beta Lebeis:
I was the one whom Slash spoke with when he came to Axl's house in 2005 and expressed his negative comments regarding the others in his new band. Behind the scenes it is a very different story than what the public is sold.
Around the same time would Slash finally admit to having visited Axl's house but claim he only went there because of the ongoing lawsuit:
It's a long story. I actually did go to Axl's house at one point, but I never saw him. I never talked to him. I left a note with his person over there having to do with lawsuit that we were in. I don't know how it got turned into what it got turned into.
In 2007, Slash would mention a press release by Axl that had caused issues in Velvet Revolver because it had seemed so "factual" but that "none of it was true":
I was sitting at home writing songs when I heard Axl had a put out a press release saying in so many words I was going back. There had been a lot of sh*t going around, stories about me and Axl but what made this so bad was that it seemed so factual.
The guys were worried, angry even. I had to sit them down and tell them none of it was true.
They were still a bit sceptical as it seemed so detailed. We got through it but it was an unexpected bump in the road. I didn’t expect to go there with something that was so much part of my past.
The guys were worried, angry even. I had to sit them down and tell them none of it was true.
They were still a bit sceptical as it seemed so detailed. We got through it but it was an unexpected bump in the road. I didn’t expect to go there with something that was so much part of my past.
What is strange about this comment from Slash is that he claims the statement from Axl had indicated Slash was returning to Guns N' Roses, something it didn't. It did, though, claim Slash had badmouthed his Velvet Revolver band mates and according to this quote from Slash above, it had naturally caused friction in the band.
In October 2007 he would admit he had initially lied about the visit:
I didn't really intend to lie for any other reason than that I didn't feel like explaining everything. Which is the reason most people lie, I guess [laughter].
To Rolling Stone magazine Slash would again admit visiting Axl's home but deny having slandered his band mates [Rolling Stone, August 9, 2007].
And then to Q Magazine and Mojo Magazine he would indicate that he had visited to apologize for venting to the press and to end the ongoing lawsuit:
When Velvet Revolver started, we were promoting the new record and I was harbouring so much resentment about what happened at the end of Guns N' Roses that I vented all my feelings to the press. I had never got the shit off my chest. So I apologised for all that. Recently Velvet Revolver had to induct Van Halen into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame because they were fighting and couldn't do it themselves. It changed my view. Fighting with band members is so childish.
I went over to his house in the middle of the night drunk on JD. [...] It was the last time I tried to see him. I wanted to put the kibosh on this fucking lawsuit [in which they contested rights over profits stemming from licensing and merchandise], so my plan was to speak with him and say, "Here's my number, let's sort this out." I'm pretty sure he was at home that night, but he didn't come to the door. I gave the message to his live-in assistant. That was the closest Axl and I have come to any kind of communication since I quit.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
2001-2006
BRAIN'S PERSONAL LIFEBrain would keep himself busy with other projects, especially computer music and programming:
I do a lot of programming for albums. I just did a load of stuff for the new Vanessa Carlton album. I also just did an album with Buckethead, the guitarist from Guns n' Roses. His new album has a lot of programming.
Brain's involvement with Guns N' Roses created new opportunities and in 2005 he was also doing gigs with Tom Waits and Colonel Claypool’s Bucket Of Bernie Brains (CCBOBB):
It’s getting kind of hard. The other day I was saying to myself, “Is this worth it?” I mean, I’m happy to have the work – when it rains, it pours – and when the work comes in, I just take it. I figured I’ve kind of over-booked myself, but Tom [Waits] rarely tours, and we had a great time making Real Gone. He asked me to do some live dates, and it was in between the CCBOBB dates. We worked around Tom’s schedule in order to do the CCBOBB stuff. I decided, “Hey, let’s do it all.”
MELISSA REESE
At some point Brain met Melissa Reese who he would start working with and later enter and end a romantic relationship with:
We met through a mutual friend, Jason Carmer. He produced Donna's and stuff and his manager was also managing, Donna's manager was also managing Melissa, trying to help her out as a singer/songwriter. So we were working with Jason and I had met her and then we just hit it off, you know, as far as music, we just knew everything, like loved all the same stuff and we just like making music together and doing all that. And then we kind of hooked up, you know, together and we kind of did the whole composing, living together, doing the whole thing. And that became just like too much, you know, trying to be like- [...] We were just watching a movie together. And all of a sudden it's like, "Wait, you text blah, blah about the, you know, did you zip the file and send it to him? They needed the base part on it." And I'd be like, "We're just trying to watch a movie." And then I'd be wearing her out. And it'd be like, "Oh boy, maybe we should just keep making music together. That's easy."
Being asked to describe Melissa:
Melissa Reese. She's a nice. She's like one of the probably... just talent. Just pure talent.
More about Melissa and Brain in the chapter about Melissa before Guns N' Roses.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
OCTOBER 2005
GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2?In late October 2005, media would start reporting that "Greatest Hits Vol 2" was in the works with a scheduled release date of December 6, 2005 [Musictap, October 26, 2005]. The supposed release date would quickly be changed to March 6, 2006 [Blabbermouth, October 27, 2005].
Then another greatest hits package would be announced, this would a double disc set with expected release date on December 20 with the title "Welcome to the Jungle -- The Very Best of Guns N' Roses" [Billboard, November 17, 2005].
The journalist Ross Haflin would meet with Slash and discuss the greatest hits records:
We discuss the two versions of Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits Vol II. One is done by Axel's management. Slash says the track listing is good but the politics from Axel's management leave a lot to be desired. The other is done by Universal. Slash tells me he hasn't approved either, so who knows what'll come out.
Then, in December, a Geffen spokeswoman would deny they had any plans of releasing a double disc titled "Welcome to the Jungle -- The Very Best of Guns N' Roses" [So Hood Magazine, December 9, 2005].
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
NOVEMBER 2005
RICHARD BECOMES A DAD AND MAKES CHANGES TO HIS LIFEOn November 5, Richard and his partner, Stephanie Howlett, became parents to Paisley Piper Fortus. In an interview from 2011, Richard would allude to previous drug abuse [also see an earlier chapter for more on Richard's drug habits] and how he had started taking care of himself with exercise and healthy eating after his first daughter was born:
You know, when you give up one way of life you have to fill that hole. So we're giving up drugs and for me, I have now replaced that with the gym, with being healthy and trying to take care of myself.
It is until a certain age then you got to make a choice. Stay alive or not. And there comes a point where you have to make that conscious decision. For me, it was when my daughter was born, my first daughter was born and I thought, "Okay, I have to grow up now, and I have to get serious about...cause I want to be there for her," you know.
[The drug use is] not something that I am embarrassed of because it’s something that happened and I came out of it and I am very fortunate. Really my daughter saved my life, and my wife. When we found out we were pregnant, we’d been trying to get clean for a long time and when we found out we were pregnant, we’d been sober for a little while and that was like, well that part of our lives are over and we were fine with that. It was like we had a reason and that’s all we really needed.
Having kids meant that Richard cherished home life more than before:
It’s interesting cause I used to live to be on tour. I’d be home in New York, even in the middle of New York City, and I still couldn’t wait to get back out on the road. Now it’s the exact opposite. I feel like a tree in winter when I’m on the road and then when I get home I feel like I’m alive again.
Later in 2011, Richard would also mention that he had been a drug dealer at some point when asking what he would have done if he hadn't become a musician:
I probably would have continued with my career as a drug dealer.
In late 2012, Richard would talk about what he wanted for his daughters:
I think the most important thing that I can teach them is, I mean, for my oldest, my biggest challenge is to teach her to enjoy life and to be truly happy because she’s so talented and so incredibly intelligent, everything comes very easily to her. It’s just I think happiness is something that could easily allude her and that is my biggest wish as a parent-teacher, for her to be truly happy and peaceful within herself.
In 2017, he would discuss how it had affected his life:
I think what's ultimately more important to me and the biggest change for me in my life is that of having children. Because when I was single and didn't have kids I couldn't wait to be back on the road, you know. That was when I really felt I was living life, you know, and the rest becomes sort of waiting around to tour, even though I was always very busy in the studio and whatnot, and I loved that, but there's obviously so many spoils to go with touring and, you know, that I was enjoying quite a bit at that time. And now it's just completely different, now it's, you know, I love doing it but it's just very different for me.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
DECEMBER 2005
RICHARD RECORDS FOR CHINESE DEMOCRACYDespite all statements suggesting that all recordings of instruments were complete [see previous chapters], Richard would in December 2005 inform GUNSNROSESonline.DE on that he would return to Los Angeles (from Germany where he had been touring with Nena) to record new guitar tracks for Chinese Democracy [Blabbermouth, December 6, 2005].
The first record, everything was written [when I joined]. I went in and rerecorded parts, but it was all written before I got in. It's funny because that was a big part of why I was brought in. It was because of the writing. I think Axl, he wants a band that can write with him. That's always put into consideration.
On 'Chinese Democracy', I was adding to ideas that were already there. That entire record was written when I joined the band 13 years ago. Except I wrote the chorus to 'Better'. A lot of the new stuff that [we were] working on, some of that stuff [are ideas that came] from nothing and some of the stuff is stuff that [we had] been working on that were ideas that were already there. Some of the stuff Slash did that was the beginning of the seed of the song that's been around for a while.
[...] it all happened very quickly and organically, like, I went in and did my parts on the album, for the entire album, in probably two weeks, if that, honestly. You know, I did everything very quickly, all those songs were written for the most part, you know, there were parts that maybe were open, but.... [...] there were some parts that I was just sort of doing my take on that were already written and there were other parts that there wasn't anything, that I was just... But, you know, there were also two other guitars on there so I had to find my space. It's just like doing another session in a way, you know, where you're going in, you're listening to things, and just, you know, finding your place in it.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
DECEMBER 2005-FEBRUARY 2006
SLASH SAYS CHINESE DEMOCRACY IS COMING OUT IN MARCH 2006Despite the revelation that Richard was called back to record more guitar work, in an interview in December, Slash would reveal that Chinese Democracy was set for a release in March 2006:
Axl's got got a record coming out, Guns I guess you call it, I think in March. Which is sorta cool, you know it's gonna be interesting to hear it. After all this time and after all this talk what's going on with him. [...] it's coming out in March... [...] That's what... I've been told a lot of things over the years, but it definitely sounds like it's coming out in March. [...] Judging by, I think Axl's record is finished.
The context of this announcement must be considered: Slash had recently visited Axl's home trying to reconcile [see earlier chapter] and Velvet Revolver were having issues [see earlier chapter].
Guns N' Roses management would quickly come out and state that they had no release date for Chinese Democracy [Blabbermouth, January 11, 2006; from Launch].
But Slash continued stating the record was due in March:
Yeah its going to happen, I’ve been made aware it’s been heard. [...] I’m really excited, it’s been a long time waiting to see what the next step around the corner was going to be for him (Axl), we know where everybody else is, but we were wondering what he was going to be doing. It’s coming out in March and apparently it sounds great.
NME, February 11, 2006; originally from Virgin Radio
In May, Slash would discuss his statements and claim that he hadn't realized it was "such a big deal":
I got a lot of flak for having said that, 'cause everybody through I was on glue. I'm the first guy to go… I would never have put out a date. But somebody who would know is who told me that, and that's somebody close to that side of the fence that told me, 'Oh, we got a March release date.' So I just repeated it, basically. It was somebody in the business. They made it sound like it is coming out on such and such a date. Really, I didn't realize that it was such a big deal. And I think some people were like, 'You've gotta be out of your mind.' But it was very sort of casual, in conversation.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
JANUARY-APRIL 2006
"AXL IS ALMOST FINISHED"With Richard being called back to add more guitars to Chinese Democracy [see previous chapter], one wouldn't be at fault for fearing that hearing new music was far off, but at an announcement party for Korn, Axl reassured that would not be the case:
People will hear music this year.
Merck would come out and specify :
[Axl is] almost finished and he's confident that it will come out this year.
Axl would also discuss the elusive album:
It's a very complex record. [...] I'm trying to do something different. Some of the arrangements are kind of like Queen. Some people are going to say, 'It doesn't sound like Axl Rose, it doesn't sound like Guns n' Roses.' But you'll like at least a few songs on there.
We're working on thirty-two songs, and twenty-six are nearly done.
Furthermore, of these 32 songs, 13 would be included on Chinese Democracy with Axl's favorites being Better, There Was a Time and The Blues [Rolling Stone, January 16, 2006]. This is the first known mention of the song Better.
In hindsight we know that excluding songs that would end up on Chinese Democracy, the leaks of songs from 2000-2001 contained 27 additional songs in various stages of completion. This means that at least eight of these songs which they worked on in 2000/2001, were now not among those 32 they worked on at the start of 2006. It must be "at least", since it is likely that additional songs were written in the period after 2001 and were not being worked on.
According to The New York Post, at his 44th birthday party, in February 2006, Axl would play Chinese Democracy at the Chelsea nightclub Stereo [The New York Post, February 12, 2006]. This indicates that the record was finished recorded and mixed by then.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
FEBRUARY 2006
AXL PLAYS CHINESE DEMOCRACY AT THE STEREO NIGHTCLUB;MANY SONGS LEAKAccording to The New York Post, at his 44th birthday party, Axl would play Chinese Democracy at the Chelsea nightclub Stereo [The New York Post, February 12, 2006]. One of the club owners, Barry Mullineaux, would comment:
[Axl] was talking with everybody freely about how he's been off for 10 years, and how even though Slash and the rest of the guys [have moved ahead with their careers by starting] Velvet Revolver, he's been holding back. He was freely answering questions about his work, the band, what happened with the split, the direction he's headed in — and the music sounded great.
Mullineaux manned the DJ booth at the party:
[Axl] kept telling me to put back track #3 — I guess that was his favorite song. He wanted to play that one over and over, like six times. He was really getting into it and rockin' out. Everybody was surprised at how good it sounded. And that third track, that was the song where his voice sounded the best; the smoothest.
Later in February, Axl was attending a party after a Derek Trucks show in Hollywood where he ending up partying with Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band to whom he would play Chinese Democracy and sing along [Indystar Blogs, March 1, 2006]. In the words of Jayme Peyton from the Big Damn Band:
[Axl] heard us say that it was my birthday, and he came over and bought me a couple of shots of Patron (tequila). I thought that was real nice.
He still has the ‘Axl voice'. He was in the bus singing along. I couldn’t believe it was still Axl’s voice, all these years later.
After the show everyone was having a great time at the VIP after party at “on the Rox” above the Roxy. I know I was laughing pretty hard. Jayme was having fun! Axle Rose was there too.
At midnight it became Jayme’s Birthday. Axl Rose insisted on paying for drinks in honor of the occasion. He was really nice to us, and we spent a long time talking about Indiana. (He is from Indiana too). It was great to hear his stories.
[...]
We continued the party on Derek Trucks’ tour bus when the bar finally threw everyone out. This picture of Axl Rose, Breezy, and me was taken by Derek Trucks. I promised him I would credit him for the photo! Trucks had us listen to some great mix CD’s, and Axle played everyone tracks from his CD that will be coming out soon.
At midnight it became Jayme’s Birthday. Axl Rose insisted on paying for drinks in honor of the occasion. He was really nice to us, and we spent a long time talking about Indiana. (He is from Indiana too). It was great to hear his stories.
[...]
We continued the party on Derek Trucks’ tour bus when the bar finally threw everyone out. This picture of Axl Rose, Breezy, and me was taken by Derek Trucks. I promised him I would credit him for the photo! Trucks had us listen to some great mix CD’s, and Axle played everyone tracks from his CD that will be coming out soon.
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band blog, October 6, 2006
In the same month the songs "There Was A Time", "The Blues", "IRS" and a "rough" 1 minute 20 second snippet of "Better" was leaked [MTV News, February 23, 2006]. The source of these leaks were unknown, but it seems like an odd coincidence that Axl in January had mentioned "There Was A Time", "The Blues" and "Better" as his favorite tracks off Chinese Democracy [Rolling Stone, January 16, 2006; and see earlier chapter]. On February 23, 2006, Tom Breihan, writing for The Village Voice Blogs, would claim the leaks originated from Mike Piazza [The Village Voice Blogs; February 23, 2006].
Rolling Stone would review the leaks:
AFTER A LOONY DECADE-LONG DELAY, it’s a relief just to know that Axl Rose really has been recording and surprisingly enough, judging by three freshly leaked demos, Chinese Democracy could end up being worth the wait. "Better" is the strongest track: With robotic rhythm guitar, poppy verses, an aggro chorus and an exotic falsetto intro, it beats most of USE YOUR ILLUSION I and II. In contrast, "There was a Time" wants to be a "Don’t Cry"-style epic but sounds more like an overproduced mess. "I.R.S.," however, is an effective hard-rock tune, nimbly sliding drum loops underneath crunchy ascending power chords and Rose howling like he just got off that bus from Indiana. Hey, Axl, put the thing out it already sounds better than Velvet Revolver.
MTV News would report that the songs "Catcher in the Rye," "Riyadh and the Bedouins," "Silkworms" and "Chinese Democracy" had leaked at an earlier date [MTV News, February 23, 2006] and in early March, Brian May would comment on hearing 'Catcher':
"Catcher in the Rye" is a great track .. I was pretty surprised to find a mix of it in my inbox this week .... after all these years. I wonder who leaked this stuff. Yes, my guitar is there, nice and crisply recorded. It was a blast doing the sessions. I had flown out to LA specially to play on the record for Axl. I've sat on whatever I have or know about these songs ever since that moment .... out of respect for Axl .... confidentiality is part of respect for me. So I will watch with interest. I like the track a lot and always did ... and it still sounds very fresh ... the thing that hits you first is that incredible, incredible voice ... we've been missing it for far too long. Axl is magic.
A "band insider" would suggest the songs had been intentionally leaked by the band to gauge the public's reaction, and if positive that there was a good chance the record would be released in 2006 [Total Guitar, June 2006].
AXL COMMENTS ON THE LEAKS
In May 2006, Axl would be asked if the leaks were of actual songs that were planned for Chinese Democracy:
No, it's stuff that's gonna be on the record. Except, it's still debatable like...there's songs we're still shuffling around, I mean we recorded about 2 and a half/ 3 albums worth of material. So, there's still stuff that's gonna bounce between one and two.
And in 2009, Axl would likely refer to having played unreleased tracks at the Stereo nightclub when discussing the first leaks:
Actually, our first leaks were from using a sound system in a strip club in the early hours when it was basically empty. I went there to play the tracks for someone I was interested in working with. I'd gone there with a guy who worked band security, who was allegedly somehow related to the owners, feeling it was a bit more of a protected environment than it turned out to be.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
FEBRUARY 2006
A 2006 SUMMER TOUR IS ANNOUNCEDOn February 20, 2006, Rick in Rio-Lisboa would officially announce that Guns N' Roses was set to play at their festival on May 27, 2006 [Press Release, February 20, 2006]. According to the press release, Guns N' Roses had been the most requested act "by the official site users, amongst all bands, by all fans, whether Portuguese or international" [Press Release, February 20, 2006]. The news from Rock in Rio-Lisboa would quickly be followed by Download festival confirming that Guns N' Roses would headline the festival on Donington Park on June 11, 2006 [NME, February 22, 2006]. In connection with the announcement, Axl would make a statement:
The UK and Europe have always been special for me. After our last great shows there, we are all very excited and looking forward to getting back over there and in front of such great audiences.
Donington has always meant a lot to me personally, way before I ever played there. To be asked to headline is for me an honour and a privilege that none of us take for granted. We look forward to seeing all of you at Download!
Donington has always meant a lot to me personally, way before I ever played there. To be asked to headline is for me an honour and a privilege that none of us take for granted. We look forward to seeing all of you at Download!
After more festivals announced Guns N' Roses on the bill, MTV News would summarize the band's expected summer concerts: "Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 27; Italy's Gods of Metal festival on June 3 and 4; Rock am Ring in Nurburgring, Germany, June 3 to 6; the NovaRock festival in Austria, June 15 to 17; and both GN'R and Metallica — a lethal combo, in light of their riotous co-headlining North American tour of 1992 — have been announced as headliners of this year's Download Festival in England, June 9 to 11" [MTV News, February 23, 2006].
The band are playing a mixture of headline Festival appearances including Rock In Rio in Portugal, Download at the UK's famed Castle Donington, Rock Am Ring in Germany, Gods Of Metal in Italy, Novarock in Austria, Graspop in Belgium, Roskilde in Denmark, and A Heavy Day In The Park in Holland as well as their own headlining indoor shows in Madrid, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, Paris, Zurich, Stockholm, Oslo, and Helsinki, most of which have been instant sellouts.
Following their strongest ticket sales for the event ever Download promoter Stuart Galbraith of Live Nation enthused, "The comeback of GN'R into the UK live market place has been quite phenomenal. GN'R along with Metallica and Tool will be headlining the biggest Download festival ever at Donington that for the first time in its history will sell out and in addition will also play to a sell out audience at Download Dublin - it's been a very long wait but it's certainly been worth it - GN'R are back!"
Following their strongest ticket sales for the event ever Download promoter Stuart Galbraith of Live Nation enthused, "The comeback of GN'R into the UK live market place has been quite phenomenal. GN'R along with Metallica and Tool will be headlining the biggest Download festival ever at Donington that for the first time in its history will sell out and in addition will also play to a sell out audience at Download Dublin - it's been a very long wait but it's certainly been worth it - GN'R are back!"
Later, a US fall tour would be planned:
We’ll start the [US] tour around October 24th, but we’re doing some shows before that.
The touring activity meant that Brain was called back to the band after having worked with Tom Waits since the tour in 2002 collapsed:
And at that point, you know, I was kind of like, I went back to Tom Waits, because that was that little period where we took a break. So I was doing that Real Gone album with Tom and I took off and I was in a whole different world. You know, it wasn't till after Bucket quit and then like a year later, they called and was like, "Hey, we're going to do this again." During that whole time, you know, I had just kind of went and did my own thing like everybody else. And then it's all of a sudden it's like, "Okay, now we're going to do it again." And it's just like, "Okay, you know, let's do it."
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
FEBRUARY 2006
GUNS N' ROSES REUNITING FOR SUMMER SHOWS IN 2006?In early February 2006, rock journalist/photographer, and friend of Slash, Ross Haflin would claim that the Appetite lineup of Guns N' Roses would reunite to play a show at the Download festival together with Metallica:
I have to write some copy this weekend on Guns 'N Roses for a feature to go with my photos. My mind is blank at the moment. The thing is if you tell the truth it sets off too many wars, or egos way out of control. The original line-up is supposed to play Download in June with their metal chums, Metallica, if Lars can be bothered to turn up.
Haflin would soon delete the post [Blabbermouth, February 4, 2006]. Later it would be announced that both Metallica and Guns N' Roses would indeed play at Download festival in the summer of 2006 [NME, February 22, 2006].
Despite Axl's harsh words towards Slash and Duff in March 6, 2006 [see later chapter], rumours about Axl, Slash and Duff reuniting would not die and later in the month Rolling Stone would mention that the rumour had been discussed during an after party at that year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 13 [Rolling Stone, March 24, 2006].
In May 2006, Adam Bomb -- who toured with Steven's Adler's Appetite in February 2006 -- would claim that Izzy had considered travelling to Portugal to jam with Steven (in late February) and to check what condition Steven was in for a potential Guns N' Roses reunion:
Funnily enough, Izzy Stradlin called me the same day the tour ended. We spoke for 2 hours. He wanted to come to Portugal to jam with us. [...]
To me he was more interested in checking, on behalf of Axl Rose, Steven's real conditions for an eventual Guns N'Roses reunion. I told Izzy that I had to leave the tour because Adler was out of control and probably he wasn't able to reach Portugal. And he didn't.
To me he was more interested in checking, on behalf of Axl Rose, Steven's real conditions for an eventual Guns N'Roses reunion. I told Izzy that I had to leave the tour because Adler was out of control and probably he wasn't able to reach Portugal. And he didn't.
There are suggestions that Izzy considered touring with Adler's Appetite in 2005, too [Reality Check TV'S Dragon Dave, December 9, 2004].
In May 2006, Classic Rock magazine would cite a "Guns insider" who claimed that Axl had "approached the former members of GN’R with a proposal to reunite for two gigs" [Classic Rock, May 2006]. These former members were Slash, Duff, Izzy and Matt [Classic Rock, May 2006]. The shows had been 2006's Download festival and the following week's show at the Hammersmith [Classic Rock, May 2006]. Further more, "both would be filmed and recorded for a DVD and live album - and each band member would receive millions in payment" [Classic Rock, May 2006]. The alleged reunion fell apart, according to the insider, when "the small print stated that in agreeing to the terms and conditions, all rights to the Guns N’ Roses name and back catalogue would transfer to Axl" [Classic Rock, May 2006].
The same month as the Classic Rock issue, Axl would comment on the rumours about the band reuniting:
No, that's all nonsense. That's just people starting stuff for whatever reason. They'll hear the leaks, and they'll decide, who wrote the solo, you know because they don't like the guy that's playing it, they'll say someone else wrote it, people make up all kinds of stuff.
In 2008, Scott Weiland, the singer in Velvet Revolver, would claim the band had been very close to reuniting around the time of the Greatest Hits album (the second that was rumoured to be released in late 2005 (see previous chapter)), but insinuate that badmouthing in the press caused it to fall apart:
I think they should get Guns N’ Roses back together, to tell you the truth. I think that would be the greatest thing that they could do. I think the world would be very happy. If they could stop talking trash about Axl in the press. It almost happened. The pens were ready to sign. With the Greatest Hits there was a possibility but there was too much stuff being said. But it was a close call. I would love to see that happen, as a Guns N’ Roses fan. I’d pay to see it.
Duff would be asked to comment on Weiland claiming the band almost reunited:
I know [Weiland] was really paranoid about that and we had to allay his fears at one point, when we were writing for Libertad. He got wind that our manager at that point had been talking to Axl about bringing Axl over to what was our management company back then. And Scott freaked out that we were getting GN’R back together and we weren’t going to make the second record. I don't know where it came from - there was no contract on the table or pens ready to sign... Maybe now he’s convinced himself that’s what happened.
Later in 2008, Duff would be asked again about the reunion rumours before the release of Chinese Democracy in November 2008, and suggest they weren't true but not flat out deny them:
I think all of it's rumors. It makes for good, you know, talk around the water cooler, but I don't think much of it is based on any fact.
It is possible that Duff is here referring to rumours about a reunion closer to the release of Chinese Democracy, and not the rumours from 2005/2006.
In April 2009, Jeb Wright, writing for Classic Rock Revisited, would tell Duff that Slash had told him that they three years ago were very close to reuniting with Axl. This would place it around 2006. When asked about this this, Duff responded:
Slash was not back on the planet yet.
Thus suggesting Slash was under the influence when he said it, or that he was misinterpreting what was happening-
The quotes in this chapter strongly suggest that the Appetite for Destruction lineup members were indeed in discussions in 2005/2006 about a reunion, at least for a couple of shows in the summer of 2006, possibly to coincide with the release of a second Greatest Hits album.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
MARCH 2006
AXL ATTACKS SLASHLATE 2005/EARLY 2006: FRIENDS AGAIN?
By the end of 2005 and into 2006, Slash would strike a much more reconciliatory pose:
I haven't really talked to him directly, but we're not at each others throats or anything like that, just to kill all of that bad blood that people keep recreating. God, it's been going on for 10 years. He and I have never had a conversation, an argument...over that whole 10 years, and people have been generating all this animosity. But at this point there's no friction going on.
Blabbermouth, January 11, 2006; originally from VWWR Philadelphia Radio via Launch
This quote came not long after Slash had visited Axl's home [see later chapter]. Then in February 2006, Slash followed up with stating:
I’ve always been supportive over that thing [=Chinese Democracy], even though it’s been turned in to a big controversial blah blah blah thing.
When I left I was pretty pissed off for having to leave in the first place. After a while all the boo-haha that was stirred and all the negative press, sort of went in his direction, so I’m just waiting for the record to come out, so I’m glad where it’s got to the point that that’s happening.
When I left I was pretty pissed off for having to leave in the first place. After a while all the boo-haha that was stirred and all the negative press, sort of went in his direction, so I’m just waiting for the record to come out, so I’m glad where it’s got to the point that that’s happening.
NME, February 11, 2006; originally from Virgin Radio
MARCH 2006: AXL ON THE ATTACK
Any hopes that Axl and Slash were about to put their feud behind them was effectively squashed in March 2006 when Axl counter-sued Slash and Duff [see previous chapter] and in the suit made a scathing attack on them in which he claimed that they had falsely accused Axl of being responsible for the breakup of the band, been the reason for Izzy quitting, forced Steven out of the band, blackmailing them to sign the partnership agreement:
Musicians confident in their talent should be able to leave a band without attacking their former bandmates or the band’s legacy. Hudson and McKagan have taken the exact opposite approach, choosing instead to attempt to label Rose in the media as a negative dictator. Hudson and McKagan have falsely accused Rose of (1) being responsible for the break-up of Guns N’ Roses, (2) causing Izzy Stradlin’s withdrawal from the band, the music business and the public eye, (3) forcing Steven Adler out of the band (when it was Hudson who was largely responsible for maneuvering this) and (4) coercing them (Hudson and McKagan) into signing over rights to the Guns N’ Roses name by refusing to go on stage (which is a complete fabrication and never happened), among other things.
Furthermore, Axl would claim that Slash had refused to cooperate to replace band members, destroyed the band's fan club, hired Matt to change the sound of the band according to his desire, claimed that Axl was responsible for the breakup of the Use Your Illusion lineup, false claimed the conflict between them was due to musical differences, aggrandized his own importance in the band, sabotaged three attempts to make a traditional rock album as a follow-up to the Use Your Illusions, and hurt the band through detrimental drug use:
Contrary to his own false accusations, it was Hudson who refused to cooperate in replacing band members that he himself maneuvered out of Guns N’ Roses because of his own insecurities, egotism and jealousies regarding his songwriting abilities and musicianship. It was also Hudson who destroyed the band’s fan club and engineered the employment by Guns N’ Roses of Matt Sorum, thereby facilitating Hudson’s desire to change the approach/rhythm and direction of Guns N’ Roses by seeking to dictate the entire musical direction of what would become the follow up to the classic “Appetite For Destruction” album and sound. But Hudson then publicly placed responsibility for such decisions on Rose. Hudson also falsely, and publicly, claimed that Rose was responsible for the dissolution of the “Illusions”-era line Up, and falsely attributed the break-up to, among other things, musical differences - thereby purposefully and deceptively misleading the public as to Rose’s personal musical vision for the then line-up and future Guns N’ Roses recordings. There is abundant recorded evidence which includes Hudson’s performances in Rose’s possession disproving all of Hudson’s purposefully false, manipulative and calculated claims. Indeed, it was Hudson who attempted to manipulate public perceptions to aggrandize his own position by changing the musical course of the band away from the style expressed in the hugely successful album “Appetite For Destruction” instead to songs which Hudson created, regardless of their artistic quality or commercial appeal. In addition, on information and belief, Hudson personally sabotaged three attempts to make a traditional rock album as a follow up to the “Use Your Illusions” albums and engaged in consistent substance abuse that was extremely detrimental to the band.
Axl would also describe how Slash had used media to aggrandize himself while villainize Axl:
After the band was formed, Hudson pursued multiple public and private strategies in an effort to control and dominate Rose for motives and desires known only to Hudson. Among other things, (1) Hudson appropriated Rose’s and Stradlin’s share of the initial advance, (2) refused to fire the band’s interim manager because he (Hudson) was not done “using her”, and (3) sabotaged Rose’s involvement in rehearsals and live performances and stood silently by (as if he knew nothing) while other band members and additional musicians mistakenly publicly and privately blamed Rose for circumstances that were in fact orchestrated by Hudson. Hudson constantly used any form of the media to falsely and maliciously paint Rose as the “bad guy” in his relationship with Hudson making public statements accusing Rose of being the most vile person he knows (while ironically being on record stating that Rose is the most honest person he knows) and showing up uninvited — and literally “guitar in hand” — to a performance of Rose’s new line-up in Las Vegas. Hudson has been clever enough to know when to publicly debase Rose, and even better at knowing when not to, so as to publicly appear as the “good guy” while allowing an interviewer to do Hudson’s “dirty work” for him. In fact, for well over ten years, Hudson has been the consummate press, photo and performance opportunist. He has aggressively courted and collected a small and highly vocal group of anti-Rose followers who range from the naïve to the highly negative, belligerent, ignorant, hostile, hateful and hurtful individuals. Hudson has encouraged this type of support in consort with a handful of anti-Rose media “wanna-bes” who appear to have no gainful employment other than to write negative or exaggerated commentary with regard to Rose and his involvement in what are often harmless non-events.
To accompany this, Axl's lawyer, Howard Weitzman, released an associated statement to the public that discussed Slash:
More surprising to Axl are recent media reports that Slash (Saul Hudson) is claiming that he has always been supportive of Axl Rose and the new GUNS N' ROSES. Slash's actions in recent years have in fact been anything but supportive. Besides the lawsuits filed against Axl Rose, claiming, among other things, that Axl does not own the copyright in the songs that Axl co-authored with his former GUNS N' ROSES band mates, Slash has continually made negative and malicious statements about Axl in order to garner publicity for himself.
[...]
The [2005] lawsuit also attacks Axl's integrity as Slash and Duff, in a vindictive attempt to aggrandize their own stature, re-write history through false statements, which have been repeated by the media. Their attacks on Axl stand in sharp contrast to Rose's conduct. Axl has at all times worked diligently to maintain the artistic integrity of the band by choosing with great care which properties to license GUNS N' ROSES songs to and refusing to participate in what he believed were potentially embarrassing projects. He has fought to avoid the release of material that does not live up to the highest of standards demanded by the band's history and its followers. Axl chose not to respond through the media while taking the high road in the face of Slash and Duff's attacks. Hudson and McKagan, by contrast, have told ever changing — and false — stories regarding the formation of the band and its history and believe that the band's catalogue should be exploited without careful consideration — for the GUNS N' ROSES brand and their loyal audience — or Axl's input as if it were fast food by anyone willing to pay for it.
For over 10 years Slash, a consummate press, photo and media opportunist and manipulator, has attacked Axl Rose on a number of levels. Slash's actions whether in or out of GUN'S N' ROSES have been a complete betrayal across the board of his alleged friendship and business relationship with Axl and the so called brotherhood and band loyalties that are supposed to have existed. Instead Slash has publicly attempted, by soliciting public and media support, to take credit for something that was not his or anyone else's to take, notwithstanding that Slash played a major part in the success of the band as Axl has continually acknowledged.
[...]
The [2005] lawsuit also attacks Axl's integrity as Slash and Duff, in a vindictive attempt to aggrandize their own stature, re-write history through false statements, which have been repeated by the media. Their attacks on Axl stand in sharp contrast to Rose's conduct. Axl has at all times worked diligently to maintain the artistic integrity of the band by choosing with great care which properties to license GUNS N' ROSES songs to and refusing to participate in what he believed were potentially embarrassing projects. He has fought to avoid the release of material that does not live up to the highest of standards demanded by the band's history and its followers. Axl chose not to respond through the media while taking the high road in the face of Slash and Duff's attacks. Hudson and McKagan, by contrast, have told ever changing — and false — stories regarding the formation of the band and its history and believe that the band's catalogue should be exploited without careful consideration — for the GUNS N' ROSES brand and their loyal audience — or Axl's input as if it were fast food by anyone willing to pay for it.
For over 10 years Slash, a consummate press, photo and media opportunist and manipulator, has attacked Axl Rose on a number of levels. Slash's actions whether in or out of GUN'S N' ROSES have been a complete betrayal across the board of his alleged friendship and business relationship with Axl and the so called brotherhood and band loyalties that are supposed to have existed. Instead Slash has publicly attempted, by soliciting public and media support, to take credit for something that was not his or anyone else's to take, notwithstanding that Slash played a major part in the success of the band as Axl has continually acknowledged.
The statement would disclose that Slash had made a visit to Axl's home in October 2005 [see previous chapter], where he, allegedly, badmouthed his bandmates in Velvet Revolver and admitted Axl to have proven himself "the stronger":
In October of 2005 Slash made an unannounced 5:30 AM visit to Axl Rose's house. Not appearing to be under the influence, Slash came to inform Axl that: 'Duff was spineless,' 'Scott [Weiland] was a fraud,' that he 'hates Matt Sorum' and that in this ongoing war, contest or whatever anyone wants to call it that Slash has waged against Axl for the better part of 20 years, that Axl has proven himself 'the stronger.' Based on his conduct in showing up at Rose's home, Axl was hopeful that Slash would live up to his pronouncements that he wanted to end the war and move on with life. Unfortunately that did not prove to be the case.
Tellingly, Slash did not issue an immediate response or rebuttal, and instead it was Scott Weiland who decided to put words to paper and attack Axl [Associated Press, March 16, 2006; and see later chapter].
In 2014, Craig Duswalt, Axl's assistant during the Use Your Illusion tour, would claim that any hope of a reunion had been squashed with Slash's visit to Axl's house and the fight that followed:
About five years ago, Slash went to Axl's house one day, and Axl didn't want to see him. We [had] thought for a while yes [a reunion could happen], but then it just got ugly again and we thought, 'There's no way.'
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
2003-2007
SCOTT WEILAND VS AXLInevitably, as Velvet Revolver was formed and started to get media attention, Weiland would get many questions about Axl:
[Being asked what he does when singing Guns N' Roses songs so he don't fall into the way Axl does things]: You mean that I don't fall into the wig that he wears? [laughs] Actually, I have nothing against Axl. I hope that he makes a great record because he was very, very important. It just seems that he's going through his Brian Wilson phase right now.
And when asked if he was bothered about being compared to Axl:
I don’t think so. He’s a fat f***. I’m not here to talk about other singers. I’m here to talk about Velvet Revolver’s records. He’s got his own deal, his own band and his own issues. If people want to see Axl Rose, they’ll go see his version of Guns N’ Roses.
NewsRadio 938 (Singapore), July 8, 2004
From the stage in Sydney, February 24, 2005, Weiland would attack Axl:
During the second show [in Sydney], there was an incident where Scott angrily told some fans with an Axl Rose banner to leave the show. Scott said the banner insulted the band and other VR fans. Scott told them they were not invited, had wasted their money and to get out. "If you want to see a fat, bald guy who wears a wig, you'll have to wait another ten years."
Snakepit.org, March 3, 2005
Then in March 2006, Axl would claim that Slash had visited his home last October and referred to Weiland as "a fraud" [Press release, March 6, 2006; and see previous chapter]. This claim and any intrinsic implications of Axl claiming Slash had deserted his bandmates in Velvet Revolver to get back with Axl, likely prompted the following response from Weiland in-which Weiland seems to accuse Axl of lying about Slash's visit and what Slash allegedly said:
Get in the ring or to the gym motherf--ker, or if you prefer, get a new wig motherf--ker. I think I'll resist the urge to stoop to your level.
Oh shit, here it comes, you fat, botox faced, wig wearin' f--k! O.K. I feel better now. Don't think for a second we don't know where those words came from. Your unoriginal, uncreative little mind, the same mind that had to rely on its bandmates to write melodies and lyrics. Who's the fraud now bitch?
Damn, I couldn't imagine people writing for me. How many albums have you put out man and how long did it take the current configuration of this so-called band to make this album? How long? And without the only guys that validated the name. How dare you! Shame on you! How dare you call our bass player spineless.
We toured our album over a year and a half. How many shows have you played over the last ten years? Oh, that's right - you bailed out on your long awaited comeback tour, leaving your remaining fans feeling shall we say a trifle miffed?! I won't even list what I've accomplished because I don't need to.
What we're talking about here is a frightened little man who once thought he was king, but unfortunately this king without his court is nothing but a memory of the asshole he once was.
Yours truly,
Scott Weiland; from velvetrevolver.com
Oh shit, here it comes, you fat, botox faced, wig wearin' f--k! O.K. I feel better now. Don't think for a second we don't know where those words came from. Your unoriginal, uncreative little mind, the same mind that had to rely on its bandmates to write melodies and lyrics. Who's the fraud now bitch?
Damn, I couldn't imagine people writing for me. How many albums have you put out man and how long did it take the current configuration of this so-called band to make this album? How long? And without the only guys that validated the name. How dare you! Shame on you! How dare you call our bass player spineless.
We toured our album over a year and a half. How many shows have you played over the last ten years? Oh, that's right - you bailed out on your long awaited comeback tour, leaving your remaining fans feeling shall we say a trifle miffed?! I won't even list what I've accomplished because I don't need to.
What we're talking about here is a frightened little man who once thought he was king, but unfortunately this king without his court is nothing but a memory of the asshole he once was.
Yours truly,
Scott Weiland; from velvetrevolver.com
The rant from Weiland against Axl would result in Alan Niven coming to Axl's and Slash's defense (since Niven obviously trusted Axl's recollection of Slash's visit to his house):
I MANAGED GUNS N' ROSES FROM 1986 TO 1991, AND IN SO DOING, OVERSAW THE PRE-PRODUCTION OF 'APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION', 'LIES' AND 'USE YOUR ILLUSIONS'.
I WAS ALSO PRESENT AT SEVERAL REHEARSALS DURING THE FORMATION OF VELVET REVOLVER AND I HAVE SEEN THEM PERFORM 'LIVE'. [I PASSED ON AN INVITATION TO MANAGE THE BAND, PRIOR TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF SCOTT WEILLAND, FOR PERSONAL REASONS].
CATEGORICALLY, SLASH IS UTTERLY ACCURATE - MR WEILLAND IS, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, A CLUELESS POSTURING FRAUD, OF NO PARTICULAR OR OBVIOUS ABILITIES, INCLUDING, AND MOST APPARENTLY, COMPOSITION. THE BAND IS A THOROUGH WASTE OF A TRULY GREAT GUITAR PLAYER AND TERRIFIC RHYTHM SECTION. [THEIR OUTPUT HAS BEEN ENTIRELY FORGETTABLE AND ONE DIMENSIONAL].
AS FOR MR ROSE, I HAVE NO DOUBT HE IS STILL GENUINELY AND PROFOUNDLY GIFTED, AND IT IS SELF EVIDENT THAT HE HAS PROVIDED MORE INSIGHT AND MEMORABILITY IN A SINGLE LINE OF COMPOSITION THAN MR WEILLAND HAS MANAGED IN AN ENTIRE CAREER.
FOR THE RECORD, MR ROSE WROTE THE MAJORITY OF THE MELODIES AND LYRICS ON THE GUNS RECORDS, WHICH INCLUDE THE BEST SELLING ROCK DEBUT OF OUR TIMES, WITH 16,000,000 SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE.
HE SHARED THE SPOTLIGHT WITH INDIVIDUALS WHOSE EXCELLENCE IS REFLECTED IN SUCH SALES FIGURES.
WHAT MIGHT NOT BE UNDERSTOOD IS THAT HE, AND THE OTHER BAND COMPOSERS, EMPLOYED A COURTESY SHARING OF SO CALLED MECHANICAL INCOME - GRACE AND JUDGEMENT IN ACTION.
MR WEILLAND, OF COURSE, EXHIBITS NEITHER GRACE NOR JUDGEMENT IN HIS DELUSIONAL UTTERANCES, AND IN MY VIEW, NO DISCERNABLE TALENT EITHER.
I HAVE HELD THIS OPINION FROM THOSE VERY FIRST REHEARSALS, AND CONSIDER HIM BETTER EMPLOYED BY HIS FORMER BAND, WHERE HE COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR COMPOSING ABILITIES ONCE MORE.
PERHAPS THEN WE COULD ALL GET DOWN TO THE VERY SERIOUS, AND BIG, BUSINESS OF REFORMING THE GREATEST, AND MOST RELEVANT, ROCK BAND, [DISPENSING WITH THE COURT SPATS THAT SUCK THE JUICE OUT OF LIFE ITSELF], FOR THE DELIGHT OF MILLIONS OF FANS, A MULTITUDE OF WHICH, THE SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION OF ADMIRERS, HAVE NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE FLORAL ARTILLERY IN LIVING MAGNIFICENCE.
THE INDUSTRY COULD CERTAINLY USE A SHOT OF GENUINELY TALENTED FIREPOWER.
SINCERELY
ALAN NIVEN
I WAS ALSO PRESENT AT SEVERAL REHEARSALS DURING THE FORMATION OF VELVET REVOLVER AND I HAVE SEEN THEM PERFORM 'LIVE'. [I PASSED ON AN INVITATION TO MANAGE THE BAND, PRIOR TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF SCOTT WEILLAND, FOR PERSONAL REASONS].
CATEGORICALLY, SLASH IS UTTERLY ACCURATE - MR WEILLAND IS, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, A CLUELESS POSTURING FRAUD, OF NO PARTICULAR OR OBVIOUS ABILITIES, INCLUDING, AND MOST APPARENTLY, COMPOSITION. THE BAND IS A THOROUGH WASTE OF A TRULY GREAT GUITAR PLAYER AND TERRIFIC RHYTHM SECTION. [THEIR OUTPUT HAS BEEN ENTIRELY FORGETTABLE AND ONE DIMENSIONAL].
AS FOR MR ROSE, I HAVE NO DOUBT HE IS STILL GENUINELY AND PROFOUNDLY GIFTED, AND IT IS SELF EVIDENT THAT HE HAS PROVIDED MORE INSIGHT AND MEMORABILITY IN A SINGLE LINE OF COMPOSITION THAN MR WEILLAND HAS MANAGED IN AN ENTIRE CAREER.
FOR THE RECORD, MR ROSE WROTE THE MAJORITY OF THE MELODIES AND LYRICS ON THE GUNS RECORDS, WHICH INCLUDE THE BEST SELLING ROCK DEBUT OF OUR TIMES, WITH 16,000,000 SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE.
HE SHARED THE SPOTLIGHT WITH INDIVIDUALS WHOSE EXCELLENCE IS REFLECTED IN SUCH SALES FIGURES.
WHAT MIGHT NOT BE UNDERSTOOD IS THAT HE, AND THE OTHER BAND COMPOSERS, EMPLOYED A COURTESY SHARING OF SO CALLED MECHANICAL INCOME - GRACE AND JUDGEMENT IN ACTION.
MR WEILLAND, OF COURSE, EXHIBITS NEITHER GRACE NOR JUDGEMENT IN HIS DELUSIONAL UTTERANCES, AND IN MY VIEW, NO DISCERNABLE TALENT EITHER.
I HAVE HELD THIS OPINION FROM THOSE VERY FIRST REHEARSALS, AND CONSIDER HIM BETTER EMPLOYED BY HIS FORMER BAND, WHERE HE COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR COMPOSING ABILITIES ONCE MORE.
PERHAPS THEN WE COULD ALL GET DOWN TO THE VERY SERIOUS, AND BIG, BUSINESS OF REFORMING THE GREATEST, AND MOST RELEVANT, ROCK BAND, [DISPENSING WITH THE COURT SPATS THAT SUCK THE JUICE OUT OF LIFE ITSELF], FOR THE DELIGHT OF MILLIONS OF FANS, A MULTITUDE OF WHICH, THE SECOND AND THIRD GENERATION OF ADMIRERS, HAVE NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO SEE FLORAL ARTILLERY IN LIVING MAGNIFICENCE.
THE INDUSTRY COULD CERTAINLY USE A SHOT OF GENUINELY TALENTED FIREPOWER.
SINCERELY
ALAN NIVEN
Niven quickly had to come out and dispel any notions that he hadn't written the letter, and stress that he did it both to defend Guns N' Roses but also in the hopes of a Guns N' Roses reunion:
In response to doubters, cynics and jaundiced web white noise, yes, I did indeed author the statement concerning Scott Whyslam and his remarks about Mr Axl Rose.
The primary motive was to counter an ignorant and rude diatribe; no one ought belittle Guns n’ Roses achievements or disparage their place in rock n’roll -number one is number one and 16,000,000 debut sales remain unmatched.
A secondary motive was to point out the obvious – time is now – and who wouldn’t get off the Internet to see a reunion?
The primary motive was to counter an ignorant and rude diatribe; no one ought belittle Guns n’ Roses achievements or disparage their place in rock n’roll -number one is number one and 16,000,000 debut sales remain unmatched.
A secondary motive was to point out the obvious – time is now – and who wouldn’t get off the Internet to see a reunion?
In May 2007, Weiland would be asked about Axl again and claim Matt and Axl were in regular contact:
Oh, man. I have never spoken to him, but I've gotten messages from him through [drummer] Matt Sorum. They speak every once in awhile. I know that he was a fan of STP back in the early days of Guns. Well, I guess it wasn't the early days; it was just sort of mid-days, early-mid days. ... I think that -- depending on his mood -- he vacillates between being into the idea [of Weiland playing with former Guns members] and kinda diggin' it and then hating my guts.
After reading this interview, Jarmo, the admin at Here Today Gone To Hell, reached out to Beta Lebeis for a comment:
Though Axl spoke with Matt roughly a year ago, Scott doesn't interest Axl, there are no messages, no vacillating, no messages were given to Matt by Axl for Scott. In fact earlier on the same night that Axl ended up speaking with Matt when Scott saw Axl enter the same club that he and Matt were in, Scott immediately RAN out of the club which Axl's guests found mildly amusing, beyond that nothing.
In June 2007, Weiland would again talk about his inflammatory post and claim that he had heard through Matt that Axl had been hurt by Weiland's comments:
Well, you know, the reason why that happened was - and I forget how the whole thing came about, where he... [...] he had said some things about me first and it was… You know, if I was… I probably should have been more gracious and just left it alone, but I retaliated and I guess it got out of hand. And I actually ended up hearing, because Matt ran into him at a club, and Matt said his feelings were hurt by what I said (chuckles). And then I felt really bad.
Rolling Stone, August 9, 2007; from June 2007
Being asked if he seems similarities between himself and Axl:
Well, you know, what I do see is the inability to being in control of my temper at times. I’ve been known to sort of go on rampages. On stage, if something sets me off, I don’t really have any great control valve. […] When I blow a head gasket, it’s hard to sort of contain myself. I can’t really… I don’t have a great self-container. [...] But, ultimately, to tell you the truth, I think that… early in his career, I think that he was really on to something remarkable. You know? I think that – from what I know of the guy and I don’t know him personally. From what I know of him just from various – obviously, you know, I play in a band with guys who knew him very well for a period of time. You know, certain people that become very successful allow outside people to manipulate them; and that becomes your downfall, if you are not in control, in a sense, of your own destiny, and you don’t allow yourself to think freely and make of your own decisions, then, no matter how talented you are or smart you are, you are going to change and you’re going to start thinking the way other people want you to think. And, I think, it seems to me, that that is sort of what happened to him. But then again, you know, we have never been introduced. But just as far from what I’ve sort of heard, that’s my little take on the whole situation. But, as far as a fan of the old music and… a fan, definitely.
Rolling Stone, August 9, 2007; from June 2007
2008-2009: EPILOGUE - WEILAND TAKES A U-TURN
After the ugly departure from Velvet Revolver, Weiland would discuss Axl:
[Discussing Velvet Revolver just before he was fired/left]: Right now it’s like a relationship that’s dead in the water, where you need space to figure out if it’s important enough to last. The band need time out to sit back and let the creative juices flow, and also time away to realise what everyone’s part is in why things have gotten to the point that they’re at. Now, I’m not saying that I’m innocent in this, but everybody’s at this place where the fucking finger is getting pointed and they’re all pointing the finger at me. When you think about it, isn’t it ironic that the band is regurgitating the same story that they did with Axl Rose in their last band, where the lead singer was being demonised? Originally I thought: “What a troll he must have been. What an evil man.” But you know what? I have to say that I have an entirely different opinion of him today.
[Talking about his inflammatory attack on Axl in 2006]: But y’know what? That was a long time ago and I’d heard a lot of stories. But there are two sides to every story, and having been in this band I actually feel for the guy and understand him a whole lot more.
I was in a band where at the end, it was pretty much three against one. And so I'm pretty sure that it felt that way to Axl as well. I have to say this, and I'm not just saying this now because of my situation I went through, but I heard a lot of great Guns n' Roses stories you guys in the press will never hear. Everyone has made Axl out to be this horrendously crazy person, this bad guy, and I don't know him very well at all. He and I for whatever reason got almost tricked into this little media spat for a moment because one of our band members happened to run into him and said that he said something. So, my point being that having been in a band with Velvet Revolver now for five and a half years, I'm not quite so sure that it was all Axl's fault.
It's like, why does it always have to be the lead singer.
It's like, why does it always have to be the lead singer.
I'm not a difficult frontman at all. No. I actually was in the band with those guys and we had a great time until the end when we didn't have a great time, then I knew it was time to bail out. I heard a lot of stories about a certain singer who everyone knows about and sometimes I wonder if all those stories are all true or maybe there's another point of view.
Skinnie Magazine, November 2009
[Talking about Axl]: We came close to getting together one time. I had wondered if he was the center of all their problems or if it was a mixed bag—and it was definitely the latter.
Details Magazine, April 2010
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
APRIL 2006
PLANNING MAY WARM-UP GIGS AT THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOMIn April 2016, Live Nation would announce that Guns N' Roses were to play two shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York as preparation for their summer festival tour [MTV News, April 14, 2006]. The shows would be on May 15 and May 17 [MTV News, April 14, 2006]. In early May the two shows had been increased to four - on May 12, 14, 15 and 17 - and they had been sold out in three minutes [Business Wire, May 4, 2006].
Axl would comment:
New York has always been so great to Guns and myself. The response to our last show at Madison Square Garden was nothing short of amazing. I've spent the last couple of months here in New York. I've had a great time, met a lot of great people and the band and I are excited that we get to play New York City and play for the friends - both old and new - that we've made before we head to Europe.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
APRIL 2006
JOSHUA CRAIG TO REPLACE BUCKETHEAD?The search for a replacement for Buckethead was not over, and with shows lined up already in May, there was no time to loose. In April, guitarist Joshua Craig, from The Alien Blakk project, auditioned:
[I express my] complete admiration and respect for the opportunity to audition for such a great organization where everyone was the most polite and kind musicians and crew
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
MAY 2006
SLASH AND/OR MATT TO REJOIN GUNS N' ROSES FOR THE SUMMER TOUR?Despite Axl's press release in March, media would continue to speculate that Slash had left Velvet Revolver to rejoin Guns N' Roses, and Slash would be confronted with these rumours in May:
I saw a thing that was put out that said something to the effect that I won't be doing any gigs until after a certain point [referring to a May 8, 2006 Associated Press article which stated that 'Slash may end up back in the band as well, but probably not before the Hammerstein shows.' — Ed.] He put out some sort of… He [Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose] did a radio interview, I guess, in New York, and it said whatever city he was gonna be playing, it said it won't be until after that… And I was like, 'Where does this stuff come from?' But before that, the whole thing was, like, everybody just assumed that I'd quit Velvet Revolver and I was joining… Even you guys [speaking to Matt — Ed.] thought that. [...] It was like all these rumors going around. So I just wanted to dispel that one.
In June he would be asked what he'd do if Axl called him and mention that he has sent Christmas cards to Axl but received no reply:
Oh, I'd answer it. But I know he would never call me. I've actually sent him Christmas cards, just to be cordial, but he never returns anything.
He would also deny the rumours of rejoining Guns N' Roses:
I don't know where [the rumors come] from, but I haven't dealt with Guns N' Roses any more than I have in the last 10 years, which is not much at all. So it's not really a thing with me. I have, in the foreseeable future, no re-involvement with that band whatsoever.
Later in the year, Del James would mention how the band had been progressing without Slash and Duff, and how Axl had been the man with the vision:
When certain former members of Guns N' Roses quit, like Slash and Duff McKagan, had they had their way that would have sounded the death knell for GN'R. Guns N' Roses was never their original vision. It has always been Axl's vision and drive to try to make the band as successful as possible without compromising the integrity of Guns N' Roses. Fortunately for the fans, Axl has always been able to see outside the box of conventionalism, taking intelligent and calculated risks when it comes to the evolution of Guns N' Roses. This same forward progress is evident on the band's forthcoming album, Chinese Democracy. Some people out there have downloaded unmixed versions of songs like "IRS," "There Was A Time," "Chinese Democracy," "Madagascar," and "Better" and while it's unfair to judge an unfinished product, it's not that big of a stretch to say that Axl's vision is once again leading him in the right direction.
There would also be rumours that Matt was rejoining the band, to which Matt responded:
You know I haven't really thought about Axl in a long time to be honest. You know, I kind of left that behind me in 1996 (laughs). That's ten years ago. It was a whole lifetime ago. I was in that band, but I look at it like it was someone else's movie. We got off the road in 1993. That was the last time Guns N' Roses played. So it's been thirteen years since I've played in that band, really. I've done five or six albums since then, and ten tours and Axl hasn't done sh-t, so I don't know what to tell you.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
APRIL (?)-MAY 12, 2006
REHEARSALS IN NYCIn preparation for the summer tour, Guns N' Roses played four warm-up shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, on May 12, 14, 15 and 17. The intention had been to do the warm-up shows in a small venue [Eddie Trunk's Friday Night Rocks, May 5, 2006].
The May shows in NYC would be about 3.5 years since the band last played a show. The shows would also be Bumblefoot's first in Guns N' Roses and feature some new songs.
So yeah, I’m getting ready to go on tour and I hope all you fans out there of Guns N’ Roses, Primus or whatever, Brain fans – there’s about six of them, I think – come and check out the show. We start here in New York and then we’re headed over to Europe doing all the big festivals – I think we’re doing some shows, Metallica, the Stones... and, you know, all the freaks out there. So come and check out the show, and love you guys.
Axl would spend some time in New York City before the first show on May 14:
Another snow storm, right? A couple of months ago? I was here during that. New York's been really great to me lately. I've been out here, having a great time, everybody's been really cool...
The band would also rehearse in New York City before the shows and on May 5, Axl would call in to Eddie Trunk's Friday Night Rocks radio show during one of the rehearsals and let listeners listen in to the band rehearsing 'Nightrain' before they went on to rehearse 'Paradise City' [Eddie Trunk's Friday Night Rocks, May 5, 2006].
Axl would also reveal that the band had a new guitarist:
It's pretty much the same [lineup] that we had in 2002 but it's, like, there will be somebody else there but I'm not gonna say who.
No, we have one, but I'm not announcing him.
Because of ongoing rumours that Slash had rejoined Guns N' Roses, and likely also because of Axl and Izzy hanging out together in New York, Axl had to dispel the suggestion that someone from a previous lineup was returning to the band:
No, no, it has nothing to do with the past.
Axl would also talk about the upcoming warm-up shows:
Yeah, I'm just doing four warm up shows to get ready for Europe and we'll see what happens, and it just feels great you know. Everybody's excited, the band is excited. They were rehearsing in L.A, and then they're out here, and they're all excited to be here. It just feels good.
In late 2011, Axl would talk about having to prepare to sing old Guns N' Roses songs for the shows in 2006:
It was hard to make myself want to do the old songs again. It was like, I wasn't going around my house dancing to 'Jungle.' To even figure out how to even make myself move to those songs — and how I was going to move to them — that was a big thing to figure out in '06.
BUMBLEFOOT MUST LEARN THE NEW SONGS BY EAR
As will be discussed in the next chapters, during the rehearsals in New York Bumblefoot was brought in to play with the band. But because of fear of songs leaking, Bumblefoot would not be handed copies of the new, unreleased songs, but had to learn them during the rehearsals:
A funny thing about it was the newer stuff, the new songs, you know, there was a big concern about leaks and stuff getting out and they didn't really know me and and just to play it safe figured it best not to give me any of the music. So the only way I could learn all the songs would be at rehearsal jamming, then I would take a half hour and I would go into the next room and listen on the road manager's laptop with headphones. I would listen to all the new songs and just maybe jot down some quick notes of the arrangement and everything and then run back in the room and play it. And that's how I did it even on tour, that's how... the only thing I had to go by was just the memory of listening to it on headphones on a laptop and trying to nail everything just from that. So it was a challenge up to the point where, later that year when I started actually laying my own tracks for the stuff. Once we did that and once the album came out and everything was indefinite as far as what was in the song what wasn't what was going to be there.
For the Chinese stuff, I didn't have a copy of it. They wouldn't give me a copy of it, because at that point the leaks were an issue. Stuff had just leaked, so the only way I could learn the stuff was I had a half hour and a piece of paper and a pen. I had to pretty much learn the album in that half hour just by listening.
Talking about the tour preparations in 2009 and contrasting it with how it was in 2006:
We had most of 2009 to coordinate our guitar parts, our gear, to get everything ready to go. Very different from my 'new guy' experience, which was to hop in at the last minute before touring with no time to work out gear, to get to know each other, to work together on anything, to learn the new songs...shit, I had to learn the Chinese Democracy songs note-for-note by listening with headphones on a laptop for a half hour at a rehearsal studio while the band waited in the next room, without ever getting a copy of the songs to really learn them.
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Re: 25. AUGUST 2004-MAY 2006: FINALIZING CHINESE DEMOCRACY; LAWSUITS; RETURN TO NYC
MAY 2006
AXL AND SEBASTIAN BACH RECONNECTIn early May 2006, Axl would reconnect with his friend Sebastian Bach. Axl was then spending time in New York City in preparation for Guns N' Roses' shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom while Bach was presumably living in New Jersey.
Eddie Trunk describing the moment Sebastian and Axl met again after many years on his Friday Night Rocks show on may 5:
Ladies and gentleman, Axl Rose has just walked into the studio. I am not kidding you! Axl Rose is here. Sebastian Bach and Axl are having an embrace and, this is absolutely an amazing moment. I am speechless right now, man. (everyone's introducing to each other) Axl Rose has just walked in...fresh from Guns N' Roses rehearsal. Let the man get to the microphone!
Bach and Axl would explain how the reconnection happened:
Here's how this happened: I was at home three night ago, I was in the basement mixing Edge of the World by Damnocracy and I don't know what I am doing - mixing. So it takes a long time. You don't know how many hours I spent doing that and it still isn't that great. [...] Can I tell you something? I honestly, probably like the rest of the planet, I never knew, I never thought, you know like the rest of the world, I didn't know if I would ever see him ever again in my life. Like, ever! He's the Howard Hughes of planet Earth!
[...]
He stays away for like over 10 years and then, like, People Magazine does a survey of like teenagers of America, "Who is the coolest person in the world?" and Axl Rose is like number 2 or something! Number 1, I think!
[...]
I am not a producer! So I come upstairs and it's like 11 o'clock at night and I'm kinda bagged out listening to you play guitar all day and I look on my phone and it says, text message, and it says, uh, some number I don't know, and it says, "Hey Baz, It's Axl. Are you still in New York City? What's going on?" I go, who is this doing this? Yeah right. Yeah, sure. So I just pressed, "Call". just watching TV, you know, not even thinking. I am thinking it is you or something. Chris Jericho, "Hey! It's Axl!" And the phone rings and it goes, "Hello," and I go, "It's you," and he goes, "Ah-ha-ha-ha!". Laughing!
[...]
He stays away for like over 10 years and then, like, People Magazine does a survey of like teenagers of America, "Who is the coolest person in the world?" and Axl Rose is like number 2 or something! Number 1, I think!
[...]
I am not a producer! So I come upstairs and it's like 11 o'clock at night and I'm kinda bagged out listening to you play guitar all day and I look on my phone and it says, text message, and it says, uh, some number I don't know, and it says, "Hey Baz, It's Axl. Are you still in New York City? What's going on?" I go, who is this doing this? Yeah right. Yeah, sure. So I just pressed, "Call". just watching TV, you know, not even thinking. I am thinking it is you or something. Chris Jericho, "Hey! It's Axl!" And the phone rings and it goes, "Hello," and I go, "It's you," and he goes, "Ah-ha-ha-ha!". Laughing!
I got this text saying, `Hey Bas, you still around New York? You want to hang out?' And I was like, 'Who's pretending they're Axl Rose on my cell phone?' So I pressed 'call sender,' and I hear this 'Hello.' I was like 'Holy f- - -!"
I sent a text...I didn't what you guys were doing, your thing, I didn't know what was going on, I was just going hey it's time to call Bas... [...] I just knew it was time to call Bas...It was like ok 13 years...and 40 days...(laughs)...call now!
Axl would explain why they had lost contact in the 1990s and indicate that Sebastian's partying had been a problem:
I was busy trying to save my life, he was busy trying to destroy his.
Well, I think, you know, if I would have been hanging out with this guy for 13 years, it’s like, I’m not sure if either of us would be here.
Bach would later give his opinion:
I think it was just Axl shutting out the world. So when he came back to the world, my old friend called me up.
Bach would also describe Axl:
Let me say this, everybody would always come up to me over these last 10 years and say "What's Axl like?" and first I say, "I haven't seen him in a long time, but he was just a really nice guy, like, to me, and it was always, a really good guy, you know? I have the same kind of mystique, I go on the Internet and read this stuff, and it's like, "He's an egomaniac!" "He's a crazy man!" "He's wild!" and stuff. Me and him. But I don't even, you know, people make up these big mystiques, and they create these mystiques about certain people and I have only seen Axl be like the nicest, coolest guy, the best singer...
Yeah, but we also hung out a couple of...you know, quite a bit, you know....Everybody has you know this image of him, you know, and me of like this mystique or whatever, and people always say like: "what does that guy like?", and I go let me describe to you Axl, ok. We get in the nicest car at that time I've ever seen, some Mercedes or something, I think it was black, or it could have been silver, I can't remember, but this beautiful car, and I'm like, we're driving around Hollywood, and I'm thinking he's gonna put in you know, some music on man, and I don't know what he's gonna put on, cuz, you know I'm intrigued about people's musical tastes... [...] ...and he grabs a CD, he looks through all the CDs and he goes: "I got it!", he puts it in, and, Axl cranks up W.A.S.P (laughs)...and he's rocking his head off... (Bach singing WASP)...and then I turned and I go: "I cannot believe, this is the choice of Axl Rose!" (Axl laughing his ass off). It's like this guy rocks man! And then, he's like, OK, Sebastian, I gotta...(radio playing WASP)...he's got a lot of taste, and then we stop, and he goes: "I gotta make one stop", so as the WASP is cranking, he pulls in some alleyway and he goes in the back of this restaurant and buys a tin of caviar, but $800! (everyone laughs) And he goes in the car and he goes: "Have you tried this man?" I don't know! He goes: "I paid 800 bucks for this man!" It's like: Geez!
Axl commenting on the story:
Everybody else was doing blow so I was doing caviar and champagne (laughs)
A couple of years later, and after having toured together in 2006, Bach would discuss Axl:
He’s a fascinating individual and he does things a lot differently to what I do. He doesn’t do any interviews at all and I do millions of them. It’s an incredible experience to be talking to him before he goes on stage. I’ll be backstage in his room and he carries on a conversation as we’re walking to the stage. The whole [arena] is going nuts and Axl will be telling me about what he did last night or the day before, and he doesn’t break a stride. I’ll be like, “Well, ok, you’re going on stage now,” and he’ll say, “Ok, I’ll talk to you later.” He’ll walk out there and all of Sydney’s Acer Arena crowd is like, “Ahhh, there he is. Oh, my God!” People can’t believe that he’s actually standing there. It’s such an intense moment every night.
[...]
I’m in the middle of all these huge rock icons who are calling me at the same time, and I’m sitting there thinking, “How does this f**King happen to me?” Axl said to me, “Dude, the way that you sing is rare.” The way that Axl sings is rare too. There’s not a lot of guys anymore that can sing in the range that we sing in.
[...]
I’m in the middle of all these huge rock icons who are calling me at the same time, and I’m sitting there thinking, “How does this f**King happen to me?” Axl said to me, “Dude, the way that you sing is rare.” The way that Axl sings is rare too. There’s not a lot of guys anymore that can sing in the range that we sing in.
With The Band, May 12, 2008
Axl is the most controversial lightning rod of a human being I've ever encountered in my life. He's so big that it's hard to fathom. I've walked down the street with him, and he literally stops traffic. No humans can speak the way that they normally speak, to Axl Rose. I watch people — smart, successful people — stand in front of him and try to figure out what he wants them to say so he'll like them. People think they know who he is, but they really don't. He's a very sensitive guy, and a lot of times, I wish people would just shut the fuck up about him.
Mouth4Music, July 2, 2008
I know who I am, even people who are my detractors can't deny that I have a very clear vision of what I do musically and stylistically. Like Axl said that to me, he goes: “Baz, even people who don't like you have to admit you're the real deal!” I was like: “I think there's a compliment in there somewhere!” *laughs*
The AU Review, September 15, 2011
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