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Re: The reinvention of Axl’s reputation in the early 00s?
I asked this of a friend, am curious about your views
Why, in the late 90s/early 00s did Axl go from a punchline (dolphin videos, late concerts, cigarette holders) circa 1994 to being seen or at least promoted in the press as the potential “savior of rock” or the “last rock star” or whatever?
Ultimately although GNR are very good, they weren’t THAT far removed in music or attitude from Crue or Skid Row. And there were a lot of great rock records released between 1993-2000 by others. Axl was no more real than someone like, idk, lead singer of Tool etc. No more shocking than Marilyn Manson. No more profane or egotistic than Fred Durst
So how did it come to be, as someone who lived it, that Axl went from being a joke in 1994 to being a guy (potentially) capable of giving an amazing rock saving album as far as press and pop culture were concerned around 99/00?
I ask because besides listening to all this cool old stuff, in hindsight, it’s weird seeing GnR at the 2002 VMAS, that was the year of Eminem, 50 Cent, White Stripes…But GNR, this ancient 80s band whose commercial peak was 1988 or 1992, was presented as the highlight of that evening
- Kikkoman80
- Rep: 2
Re: The reinvention of Axl’s reputation in the early 00s?
Simply because Axl is one of the greatest rock stars ever.
Like Slash ... like all Guns N'Roses.
Axl Rose is awesome. Everyone you mentioned is shit ... the world was hoping for Chinese Democracy and Chinese Democracy is a great record.
It's not for everyone ... not everyone understands how great that record is.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: The reinvention of Axl’s reputation in the early 00s?
I love a lot of those other acts you mention.
But old GNR had an energy about them. Axl had a kind of charisma. Slash had it too. Almost an enigma. Sort of frightening and captivating at the same time. Chaos followed them. You don't know if they will play for 10 mins or 4 hours. They might play anything or walk off. There could be a city wide riot. But it was a major event them coming into town. Importantly...musically they also cashed all the cheques that they wrote..there's people who can play faster than slash..but there's not many who bring what he brought to the music...there's other guys who can front a band...but Axl was out there in a real honest crazy way or something...it's hard to define.
They really are the one in million as the song says. It's lightening in a bottle. Cliches but it was true. People could see this...like the band had insane cross over appeal...people were aware of them who don't follow music even...it was just the thing of the time I guess...bit like how I don't follow sport but I remember michael jordan....
Anyway...by 1994 it becomes a joke because the world moved on and got embarrassed by itself. People started putting away their hypercolor t-shirts, and complaining that greed isn't good and slamming stuff they used to like. They were looking for a scape goat and even though GNR is a lot less "cliche 80s" than other (never the less good) bands like Poison and Motley they got roped in as the ringleaders just because they were the biggest and made themselves a target with stuff like the videos and Axl having shoes and so on. Bands like Nirvana traded a lot on how they saw themselves as different to GNR...and the it just became a fad to be more punk and less technical...
You see it a lot in a lot of the criticism leveled at GNR musically is inaccurate...like people say slash only plays pentatonic (wrong) that GNR was factory made fake music (wrong)...it's just bullshit that got around in the grunge era for some reason....
Anyways...I think after a 6 or 7 years of that the movement was wearing out...and people started to look for some type of resurgence again of what they used to like..and well..I guess they remembered Axl and Slash are freak level rockers deep in the blood.
I think the other bands know it too. Like people give Axl shit sometimes but they know. Look at how Baz who in his prime has a totally amazing voice on world scale...look how he looks up to Axl...he knows there's something there. Look at how other guitarists like Slash too...or like when Brian went down...why would you ask Axl with his notorious reputation....well...it's because if anyone can pull some shit out of the hat it's fucking Axl Rose.
