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- monkeychow
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Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
It's not the latter that's needing meds if you ask me and if you say the Axl of 16 is the result of meds then they're clearly fucking miracle pills and he should have been on them years ago.
I don't want this to sound disrespectful to Axl but it's possible he should have.
If you go over the 'evidence' of the past there's an absolute ton of evidence to suggest Axl suffers from some type of mental illness - diagnosed or otherwise. Perhaps he's just a creative genius or a little eccentric or whatever, however so many of his symptoms are similar to those of people with certain issues that it makes me raise an eyebrow.
We all know the things: the rage incidents, the criminal record, the problems with his wives, unusual behaviours, ostracising himself, unnecessary secrecy, people being treated as either saints or devils, believing a version of the truth not perceived by others, acting against his own self interests, apparently wide mood swings between his usual 'nice' Axl and a person people are afraid of.
Add that in to the very legitimate non-illness reasons Axl has to act in this manner: Many business types in music ARE untrustworthy, the general public IS watching him because he's famous, there IS a shit ton of pressure from labels and fans and so on, and you have a situation where a person's career and life situation might be compounding and exaggerating aspects of an existing mental illness.
As for it being a miracle cure. I'm not so sure - aside from forgiving slash - a lot of these improvements have been gradual from at least 2011 era if not a bit before. Which is also the time where he started visibly gaining weight which is a common side effect of such medications.
To me it could easily be that he started medication 4-5 years ago or more and that some time was spent adjusting the dose and so on and here we are.
Although it might seem like a miracle, maybe it's just a long term illness finally getting some treatment.
Anyway, obviously it's speculation, but to me it's quite plausible, what's the alternative? That Axl just decided to stop doing all these problematic things that have made him and others so unhappy for 30 years or more? Seems strange to me.
Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
a lot of these improvements have been gradual from at least 2011 era if not a bit before. Which is also the time where he started visibly gaining weight which is a common side effect of such medications.
To me it could easily be that he started medication 4-5 years ago or more and that some time was spent adjusting the dose and so on and here we are.
Although it might seem like a miracle, maybe it's just a long term illness finally getting some treatment.
Anyway, obviously it's speculation, but to me it's quite plausible, what's the alternative? That Axl just decided to stop doing all these problematic things that have made him and others so unhappy for 30 years or more? Seems strange to me.
This does seem a possibility.
They've finally caged the beast, n r pumpin him full of horse tranquilizers.
Doesn't mean they've tamed him entirely tho. Hopefully he's got a bit of fight left in him! Certainly the way things are going can't continue. All this happiness is making me uncomfortable!
Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
The emphasis does seem to have shifted to bringing out the best technical performance. We could describe the Axl of the old as an 'instinctive' performer, waiting for the apt energy surge pre-show, blowing his vocal chords and flipping out due to errors, simply because he feels compelled to deliver his utmost, and is intolerant of any errors or disruptions. This is something I'd imagine to have gone through his mind whilst on the outset, it appeared as diva-like behaviour, rightly or wrongly.
Now, he's consistently on the clock, all warmed up and visibly enjoying himself. Maybe that's the thing that's changed from 2010 onwards. After showing initial form, he got a bit jaded (possibly due to the necessity to tour for Azoff lawsuit). Slowly creeping back from being a wedding band in the French Riviera, the entertainment for the night for Russian oligarchs and a Vegas act, he's regained some professional dignity.
It's a win some - lose some. Forgive Slash and welcome him back, tour stadiums. Trade in your anger and manic stage presence for a reigned-in, conscious effort, get AC/DC thrown in for good measure. The days of Manic Axl seem to have gone by. The joke of it is, he spent them exactly the way wanted, by taking his time to forge an album, blowing off all restraints. He was allowed to go out unchecked, and the album only came out by way of ambush.
He's certainly tamer now, the one-time hellion. But can you blame him? CD was a huge albatross he carried around for over a decade, getting derided and isolated. When he toured, it was obvious he had a mental strain - he wanted closure, but the bridges with the label were too burned for Guns to function like any other band. Now that he's out of past stalemates, he can bask in adulation and make the most of his present situation. He knows the alternative.
On the other hand, there are still moments when his voice raises through the roof and the verse ends with that thousand-yard stare, those moments when he's in the zone, carried on by the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29up_UZA24s#t=3m30s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOjKAVJmipE#t=3m51s
Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
Apex, I totally agree with what you're saying. It's sad times indeed.
Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
... It's a win some - lose some. Forgive Slash and welcome him back, tour stadiums. Trade in your anger and manic stage presence for a reigned-in, conscious effort, get AC/DC thrown in for good measure. ...
Just wanted to highlight this part.
To me AC/DC is not a thrown in for good measure type of deal. To me it's his security check. In case he sees himself in all the painful drama he always saw himself with in the past with Slash and Duff, he can halt GNR activity and move on to ACDC.
Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
otto, I agree with you that Axl/DC makes for a much more secure frontman. Slash is now a guitar hero, and the star of the show. Axl counterbalances by upping his Rock Star ante. That, and the throne, were typical left-field incidents that often come his way. But I bet they also gave him a slice of humble pie.
However, had Axl been anything less than top of his game within the AC/DC machine, Angus would've passed him. He was vetted, surely, because of his past reputation. Imagine Axl holding up an AC/DC crowd.
Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
The irony is Axl probably should've done what people were telling him to do all along.
The jig was up the moment Robin left for Nine Inch Nails. At that point, it was a slow death march to the bottom.
Azoff was certainly unscrupulous in his methods but I think everyone in their right minds would've taken a reunited Guns N' Roses and Van Halen world tour in 2008 rather than 6 years of tedium, band infighting, and DJ Ashba. Imagine Slash and Duff touring in promotion of Chinese with a hungry, motivated Axl.
It's depressing to reflect on all of the wasted time and possibility.
Re: Axl and the Haunted Piano at Houston
To me, Axl is NOT taking his meds. That's the reason he's more stable.
He seems to be a man at peace now. Truly. He seems to have put the ghosts of the past... in the past. From his upbringing, to the start of GN'R, starving, becoming the biggest band in the world, falling apart, the promise of a rebuild that never got off the ground, the failure of Chinese, pushing on, and ultimately coming back full-circle.
The man walked out the door into what amounts to a 23-year nap, and became the biggest rock star on the planet again for the Summer of 2016! What's not to be happy about?
Axl... Slash... Duff.... they made it. What they're doing PROVES they survived and they made it. They are all millionaires, getting to do what they love every night, in front of fans, who love them, making the biggest check they've ever made, and all of them get to fuck beautiful women every night if they choose, whether married or not.
They're older, sober, and secure with themselves. The negativity is long gone, and it's obvious with the way they're performing EXACTLY why Izzy & Steven & Matt were all left at the house. Izzy wanted to be negative about money, wanting a bigger cut (allegedly), Steven got to finally play with GN'R in front of a stadium audience (although is full-time member status is long gone... and he knows it), and Matt Sorum is a douche that is in his own band now with Alice Cooper, Joe Perry & Johnny Depp, that's pretty kick ass themselves.
There's no more wars to fight. No more screaming to do.
Which is what worries me that we'll never see another Axl Rose-fronted album. Axl always wrote from a standpoint of adversity. When that was gone, the pen ran out of ink. Axl is no longer the outcast. He's the life of the party. He's the face of rock n' roll all over again, but this time with the Yoda-wisdom he didn't have in 1991-93.
