The problem with Axl
Published May 12, 2004
Ok, There are many problems. Axl is holding up rock and roll history. What is weird is that he is holding up history by being alive and well. The first problem with Axl, is he fired the whole band. We looked the other way as he replaced every single person in the band... until Slash. That is where I draw the line, bubba. If Appetite for Destruction is any indication, this would have been the greatest band in the history of rock. I almost wish the band had suffered a Skynrd-esque plane crash, so we could wistfully wonder what might have been. Instead, we know what was. He fired the band, stole the name, and disappeared for 10 years with it. As I am sure you have heard, Axl & Co have gone out and headlined and canceled two world tours already with the new band. Starting with, you guessed it, a no call no show while 30,000 people in the building waited for Guns to come on. He is world famous for this, in Arizona (where I grew up) they were known as 'Guns & Noshows' because Axl missed three concerts in a row early in their career. I guess it's cool when he is 21, but dude is at least 40 now, and still pulling disappearing acts.
For about four years now, Axl has been promising a new Guns and Roses disc. It will be called Chinese Democracy. The process is often slowed though because, you guessed it, he keeps firing everyone. Tommy Stinson left about five years ago, and Buckethead quit/ was fired
For ten years now he has held that name hostage, and by hostage I am not being dramatic. The producers of the film Blackhawk Down wanted to use 'Welcome to the Jungle' because that is what the real soldiers were listening to at the time. To me this is more than an honor, it is a calling. Well, Axl is such a monster that he told the producers he would only give them the song if he were allowed to re-record it with his new band to cut the others out of the royalties. Well, since Slash wrote every single song, that seems a bit unfair.
Just last week, the riff for 'Sweet Child of Mine' was ruled the greatest riff in history. Like everything G&R wrote, that was Slash's work.
Unlike about every other great rock band of history, every single original member of Guns & Roses is alive and well. The guys who made the greatest rock album of all time are all fine and still in the business. I guess it would be silly to wait for a reunion. In the absence of a full re-union, Axl Rose needs to
1) relinquish the band name, and release Chinese Democracy under his own name
2) or, he needs to ____ off and ___.
Chances are he'll do neither, but I'd be pleased with either.
- The problem with Axl
- Published: May 12, 2004
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- Section: Music
- Writer: Lono
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Comments
"Chinese Democracy" will go over about as well as...well...Chinese democracy...
aXl rose
good bye
so sad to see you go
wow,they made you leave the show
but you couldn't find the door
as you swished and then swished some more
but then you saw the stash
cool to score some cash
it is so sad
it is not 1986 anymore
or was it 92?
jack e. jett
drunk
first of all, for the record. Slash didn't write all the nr songs. Axl wrote welcome to the jungle. after the first time that he went to new york and asked for directions. the person he asked said "do ou know where you are? U in the jungle u gonna die. and most of the other songs were written as a band or by axl and izzy together s o you need to get you fact straight. juan
I think Axl knows exactly what he's doing. People are still talking about this crappy band only because of their absence. If they'd continued to release albums we'd have tired of them long ago. Face it, Axl can't sing, couldn't then, definitely can't now. Slash is a player though.
Well u all fuck off. sayn bad thinks about axl, please right? He is awesome so inteligent look to his musics and the things he say. Of course he is a total joker of fireing all the band but thats ok. I love all the band (old one of course) they wre so cute and cool togetter. I wanted so much to know axl e-mail I sure we have a lot in commun.My e-mail is sopalada@hotmail.com
Sophia,
Axl's email address is:
oldfatbroke&lame@usuck.com
I bet he would love to hear from you.
to you who saig axl cant sing. fuck you!
he definetly CAN sing i love his voice, he is very talanted
please can somebody tell me if axl operated his voice,and that his voice suck really??i don't know anything about that.pease...tell me
Well folks, we are two years in on this post and still no Chinese Democracy. However, it looks to be coming soon (probably fall). It will be interesting to see how he makes back the 15 million it has reportedly cost to make over the last 13 years.




Maybe Axl could give up his stage name to someone who could use it, and he could go back to being plain ol' Billy again. I can't imagine the limbo he must've been living in for the last 10 years or so. I imagine he still must have a ton of dough from GnR's previous success, but where's the pride?
No pride left in this band - like watching a speeding train with your least favorite competitor from survivor at the wheel singing "The Wreck of the Ol' 97."