There's a great great article in Sunday's New York Times: The Most Expensive Album Never Made. Ah, Chinese Democracy - the long awaited, heavily anticipated and now punch line of jokes album. The one Baseball Crank refers to as "the Waterworld of rock." At least Waterworld actually made it to the theaters.
My history with Axl and company is a long and complicated one. I imagine that most metal fans who hooked on to the early GnR bandwagon followed the same path I did. Think of the seven stages of grief in reverse. From acceptance (Appetite for Destruction = welcome to my record collection!) to denial (I swear to you I never owned The Spaghetti Incident), we watched - and in some ways participated in - the slow death of a once great band. But it wasn't their years of putting out head banging, fist pumping music that was the greatest show. No, it was watching Axl Rose trying in vain to raise the Phoenix from the ashes that offered the most jaw dropping, car-wreck kind of entertainment this side of the November Rain video.
Real music fans don't just buy an album, get their groove on and put the album away until later. We invest a part of ourselves in each record we buy. And, by extension, we invest a piece of ourselves in the bands we love. We form a relationship, so to speak, with the band as a whole. And it's a tenuous sort of relationship, because the only thing that ties us together is the actual music. A new album comes out, you listen for the first time and each perfectly crafted song is tantamount to being embraced by a passionate lover. Every lyric that resonates, beat that you feel in your bones, hook that captures your soul - it's like making love to the music and those who made the music (metaphorically speaking, of course). The better the anticipated album or single, the more intense the action is. So each new album we wait for is like the promise of hot, dirty sex after your partner has been away for a while. And in that essence, Chinese Democracy has been a years long cock tease.
My real lust for the band kind of faded right around Civil War. It was then I realized that GnR was the equivalent of the girl who teases you with her perky breasts for years and when you finally manage to get under the hood, you grab hold of three inches of padded bra. All that music before Use Your Illusion II was just a ruse to get us to this point. They gave us the good stuff first so they could later on sit back and make this pretentious, melodramatic drivel that they called art. There was nothing left to them. Empty D cups.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Lono
Good post. Finally someone besides me is taking Axl to task. I HATE him for ruining one of the greatest bands in the history of rock.
I have heard that Chinese Democracy is 'very close to being done' for about 8 years now. I have also heard he hasn't even laid down the vocals yet, because he said he does that last... just before the mix. So then what has he been doing the last ten years?
There is no way he can recoup the money made because to do that he would have to promote the album. That means touring. We all know Axl only plays two concerts, starts riot, abandons tour. Growing up in Phoenix, we called them Guns & Noshows because they canceled 4 gigs during the Appetite and Lies years. Apparently Axl kept locking himself in a room and threatening to quit the band.
Hello, paging Jim Morrison. You know, if he hadn't stolen the bands name... I might be interested in his solo effort. In fact, I would have bought it. However, since he did steal the band's name, I won't buy the disc out of principle.
2 - Lono
I mean, is there a better rock album than Appetite? I say no.
As for Buckethead, I have heard some stories about him. Towards the end of his tenure with the band, he would only speak through a puppet on his hand. If the band wanted to talk to him, they had to address the puppet.
3 - Eric Berlin
Interesting post Michele, especially the stuff about the artist-as-lover.
I can understand fans of Guns being disappointed/pissed about waiting many years for an album, but one thing I've never understood is the general public's disgust at cost overruns. If the money's not coming out of your pocket, why do you care? Isn't it Geffen who should be ridiculed (and then lauded if/when the record actually makes some cheddar) for indulging the artist far past the reasonable?
Lono - Where does "Chinese Democracy" come from the Morrison annals?
4 - michele
"As for Buckethead, I have heard some stories about him"
I saw Buckethead live a few years ago. While his strangeness often comes off as affected and over the top, he is an awesome talent to behold.
5 - bhw
one thing I've never understood is the general public's disgust at cost overruns. If the money's not coming out of your pocket, why do you care?
It probably does come out of our pockets in the form of the ridiculous price of any and all music CDs. The justification for $17/CD is, in part, because of the cost of production. It's not like Axl's new CD will be priced differently because it cost more to make, as would be the case for other types of products. If my computer more to make, it costs more to buy it. But CDs are all priced the same, as if they all cost the same $$ to make.
So Axl's inflated costs help keep the high CD price fixing going. Or at least it's an excuse for it.
6 - Eric Berlin
Yes, bhw, I would lean heavily on the excuse part of it.
Do you really think that record companies would reduce CD prices if artists started buckling down and getting in and out of the studio quick-like?
The music industry has many problems right now, but one of them is depending on a small number of stars to hit home runs for them (similar to book publishing, actually). Thus the indulgence in the hopes that one day the cash will roll in and erase the red ink.
7 - Marty Dodge
There are other artists who take ages to make an album, Kate Bush comes to mind. She is supposed to have something out rather soon.
GnR is Axl's band and its there to do with what he wants. I, for one, am going to judge CD on its merits when, if ever, it comes out.
You got to have sympathy for the guy. He was involved in one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time and it was only going to go downhill from there.
I saw Buckethead with GnR here in London and I have to say I was not really that impressed. He was adequate for the task at hand but certainly nothing to write home about.
BHW: good point mate and spot on.
8 - Temple Stark
If it's good. I'll buy it. I fit's not I won't.
It is a farce though. I too wish GnR stayed together because they were an awesome force.
Personality flaws, many Axl's but not all, sank the band.
I don't think rock has had anything as good since then, unless you count Pearl Jam as rock which I suppose you should.
Thanks Michelle. I thought the headline referred to Social Security. Luckily it was much more interesting.
9 - michele
"I thought the headline referred to Social Security. Luckily it was much more interesting."
Now that you mention it...
[starts composing parody song to the tune of Welcome to the Jungle]
10 - Eric Olsen
thanks Michele, very nice to have you around again!
11 - Mark Saleski
for a different side of Buckethead, check out Jonas Helborg's Octave of the Holy Innocents.
all acoustic.
trust me.
12 - Santa
if
Quote
Real music fans don't just buy an album, get their groove on and put the album away until later. We invest a part of ourselves in each record we buy. And, by extension, we invest a piece of ourselves in the bands we love. We form a relationship, so to speak, with the band as a whole. And it's a tenuous sort of relationship, because the only thing that ties us together is the actual music. A new album comes out, you listen for the first time and each perfectly crafted song is tantamount to being embraced by a passionate lover. Every lyric that resonates, beat that you feel in your bones, hook that captures your soul - it's like making love to the music and those who made the music (metaphorically speaking, of course). The better the anticipated album or single, the more intense the action is. So each new album we wait for is like the promise of hot, dirty sex after your partner has been away for a while. And in that essence, Chinese Democracy has been a years long cock tease. "
then who cares about
Quote
And how much money has Chinese Democracy cost to make so far?
[Axl] has 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.
13 million dollars to make an album that a) will probably never see the light of day and b) even if it did, would never recoup the costs to the label or even be worth listening to at this point. "
??
Quote
I prefer to remember Axl the way I first loved him; all swaying hips and high decibel screaming, causing riots, forgetting to show up for concerts, making an ass of himself in ways that are forgivable in rock and roll.
Quote
that excerpt alone is what symbolizes both Axl Rose and the whole warped evolution of Guns N Roses. Ridiculous excess, indulgence, pretentiousness and the penchant for extending the idea of making an album to such ridiculous heights that,
hmmmm
13 - I'm happy to wait
Michele,
If you really don't care, why waste your time (which I hope has value) writing such a long and painful account of your innuendo with GNR? No one can tell you not to piss in your pool and frankly Axl owes you nothing. The bottomline is that you love the music and are just being a little whiny bitch about it. On the other hand I'm happy to wait and hope that the album released will be a good one. If not, well too bad but the other albums are still good listening. The world continues to revovle perhaps you should try and get a LIFE!!!!!
14 - dave
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 5 people on the record all of whom with the exception of Tom Zutaut have been out of the picture for between 6 and 9 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. ....
[Ed. Temple: The rest of this letter has been removed as it was a complete copy of the original, which can be found here and here
15 - Jim
I would rather have an alblum that takes 8 years to complete that is something to listen to then an album that was made in a week like the Velvet Revolver album.
I think Axl is trying to create something rather then just re-doing the same thing. If you want a rock record, go buy that last 10 AC/DC albums. They all sound the same but the meida, fans and critics won't say a bad word about them. (safe play)
We are all just living, not really waiting. Would it be nice to have, Yes, But its not like I am not doing something in my life because I am waiting for Axl.
I hope it is a great album, and I hope to have it soon, But I am just living my life.
16 - madagascar
new gnr song, enjoy
17 - buckethead
BH plays the gnr songs better than slash ever did.
18 - Phillip Winn
Really?
19 - Temple Stark
stop with the long links
It's < a href ="YOURHTTPADDRESS">A WORD OR PHRASE HERE< / A > Except oyu removed the spaces.
20 - gnfnr2k
Axl Rose, the man, the myth, the legend. If he does things correctly 2005 could be his year.
It has been a while since we last heard from Mr. Axl Rose since buckethead left but there is still huge interest in what the red head is doing and his long awaited album. Nothing official has come from the Gn’r camp in ages and their official web page still looks the same as it did after the aborted tour in December of 2002. What we have gotten are rumors of Axl going “nuts”, Axl playing a few new songs at some club, a new song being leaked on a radio show that no one heard, bumblefoot being asked to join the band, and now a possible April release date that might be the light at the end of the tunnel. These rumors being good or bad does not really matter, it just adds to the legend of Axl Rose and keeps his name in the media to keep people interested, just when you don’t think you will hear anything about Axl some weird rumor always seems to pops up.
Like him or not, Axl Rose is one interesting person and most often he is misunderstood. Some people like to think of Axl as an *******, but that is just because Axl likes to keep to himself and he likes his privacy. Axl does not crave attention or look to make headlines, he does that with out even trying and sometimes I think that embarrasses him. I know a lot of Gn’r fans get pissed off at Axl because he has not been telling us his every move or what his plans are but I think that is a good thing. Axl seems to get himself in trouble every time he tells us about a possible tour, a possible release date or anything else for that matter. When Axl has told us about tentative tours or release dates and then those things fall through or dates pass by people bash him because they didn’t happen, that is why I think Axl doesn’t want to say anything until he is 100% positive it is going to happen. That is why I don’t think will hear from Axl until he knows the album is 100% done and the release date is set in stone. I don’t think Axl likes to disappoint his fans and this is his best way of getting our hopes up for the release of this album. Another thing fans need to keep in mind is that Axl wants to make the best possible he can, and he does not care how long it takes, this album will be his legacy. This album will make or break his career since it is his first album with out the old band.
A lot of old Gn’r fans like to think the new songs we have heard so far are not as good as the old bands songs, but that is not the important question. The important question is, are the new songs as good or better than the current mainstream songs on the radio today? And IMO the answer to that is YES. I think Madagascar, the Blues and Chinese Democracy are just as good if not better than a lot of the music on the radio right now, and those songs are not even the “big guns” that Axl has in store for us.
If Axl does things correctly I think 2005 could be his year. He has a set of amazing and underrated players backing him up and they have all worked very hard on this album. The few people that have heard the album have all said how great or amazing the songs are, so I think if CD is promoted the way it should be it could be the best album of 2005. Axl and his new Gn’r could also be on top of the music world again. Just look at a few years ago the mtv mva’s. They got a huge pop and people were going ape sh!t. The U.S. tour was not as bad as some naysayers would have you believe. The U.S. tour did pretty **** well considering there was almost no promotion for it and no new album in sight. Just think of how the tour would do with the band having a hit single on the radio, the album being released, a possible video on mtv and proper promotion for the tour. I think it could be huge. All Axl has to do is release the album and let it speak for itself. Axl has to understand he can’t please everyone. Yes Axl will lose some of the old fans with the new band and new sound, but he will also pick up many more fans along the way. As bad as Axl sounded back then he sounded better than the crappy live bands tonight on the VMAs.
Chinese Democracy is going to be like nothing we have heard before from Guns n’ Roses. Tommy calls the new songs “earth shattering” and Dizzy has said the songs will exceed our expectations. Those statements make me wonder how amazing this album could very well be. Brian May and Tommy have both talked about how outrageous/amazing Axl's voice is on the album. Tommy also alluded that the rockers on CD will be like old gnr, while Zakk Wylde said the songs he heard from CD sounded like AFD on steroids.
Axl’s lyrics are said to have deeper meaning than on past albums, and we know there is a song about John Lennon, a song about Axl’s childhood abuse, and I am sure ones about the old band and the break up with Steph Seymour. This album will also have some political flavor with Chinese Democracy and Oklahoma (if that song makes the album).
I believe Chinese Democracy is going to showcase the new bands diversity and could still be talked about years from now much like AFD is still proclaimed as being just as fresh today as it was 15 years ago. CD is said to be a melting pot album by Axl and I think you will be able to tell what each members input was to each song. I think each song will have each member’s trademark, something they can all be proud of.
I am not saying this album will be the best album ever, but I believe it’s going to something that will inspire discussion for years to come. and not only will it serve to cement Axl's legendary status as the ultimate rock star, it will preserve the dignity of the guns n roses name in the annals of rock history
It is now time for Axl to take his throne back as the best front man in rock, others have tried but none have even come close to having Axl presence or aura. Axl holds his own destiny and legacy in his own hands. He can either be the huge star he used to be or he can just disappear again. Either way Axl Rose will always be one of music great mysteries. He had it all in the 90s and he can have it all again if he wants to, he just has to release the album and everything will fall into place.
21 - Lono
to answer two folks: First, eric berlin:
I make the jim morrison analogy because you have a self destructive rock who spent his best years being a dick and missing shows, causing riots, canceling tours. mind you, those were his best years. Since then. in true form, Axl has canceled even more tours and caused MORE riots. Ask the nice people of Toronto... who have lived through TWO G&R riot/ cancelations.
A second person said: It's AXL's band to do with what he wants. No it isn't. It never was. Axl probably wrote no more than three songs ever. The band was 5 guys and Slash and Izzy wrote all the songs. So if anyone should own the name G&R it should be them.
know how Axl got the naming rights? One night he refused to go on stage right before the show unless the whole band signed the name over. they did, never knowing it would come to this. Axl Rose is the devil!
22 - Eric Berlin
Honestly, I wouldn't put Axl anywhere near Jim Morrison's league in artistry, partying, self-destruction, and just everything else.
And say what you want about Jim missing shows, acting drunk/outrageous, etc. but The Doors put out six studio albums (and a host of live stuff) in the four-ish years that they were together.
23 - Lono
to Berlin: very good point. At least Morrison put out. At the end of the day, I guess my message is two fold
Fuck Axl Rose
great post Michelle!
24 - godoggo
I wonder how it will do in China?
25 - Calsky
Hear hear
i would love to see anything more dissing axl rose, he split up the band i love, nonetheless a potentially greater band is formed Velvet Revolver.