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Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
Psychology Today makes nice enough reading, even if they gleefully promote their therapy sessions and whatnot. While some of the articles venture to the fluff side, they can spur up some interesting conversation. A recent one I noticed was about how famous people fuck it up at the peak of their power, and why (Tiger Woods and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, please stand up).
The article (available here) doesn't as much as hint towards Axl or the CD saga, which is why I thought it might be interesting to look at it from a GNR fan perspective.
If the shoe fits, what would appear is not an all-encompassing explanation to Axl's mental state, but rather, it would show the general outlines of what people go through when they seemingly "flip" at the height of their fame and let their past accomplishments slip through their fingers.
Famous people who fall are classic examples of the life pathway I've labeled "Downward Slope." People on this pathway may be outwardly successful but inwardly they lack a solid sense of identity. They make poor and self-defeating decisions that cause their lives to implode.
...
How do we know someone is on the Downward Slope? Here are three of the criteria:
1. Major decisions that you regret. People on the Downward Slope believe that they have taken too many wrong turns and that their lives have spun hopelessly out of control. They live in a past filled with feelings of personal remorse and get stuck in the conviction that there's nothing they can do about it.
From Izzy to Slash to Stephanie Seymour, Axl has been known to mull over big changes in his personal and professional life for a good while.
2. "Selling out" on your dreams of youth. Some of the participants in my study who fit the Downward Slope criteria were highly successful and seemed to have it all. Inwardly, however, they were miserable because they had left behind their youthful value systems. Perhaps these highly successful men had lost touch with their true selves-- the ones that inspired them to pursue the careers they did.
One word. Yoda.
3. Feeling that your life was harmed by random forces outside your control. People on the Downward Slope believe that they are where they are because of something that occurred over which they had no control. In his press conference, Weiner stated that he has a sex addiction. Rather than taking the responsibility for the poor decisions they make, people on the Downward Slope tend to blame outside forces rather than their own personal failings.
Axl never does this. Ever. 
One of the ways that we get on the Downward Slope is by engaging in what I call "shoot yourself in the foot syndrome," otherwise known in professional terms as survival guilt. People who are incredibly successful sometimes believe that they don't deserve to do so well.
People on the Downward Slope don't believe in themselves. Once you start to develop a stronger inner identity, you won't feel the need to make decisions that reinforce your inner lack of faith in yourself.
Deep-seated insecurity and no firm professional identity as a musician outside Slash-era GNR. Does this sound like our man Axl (at least up to 2008)?
If Axl's sentiments towards, say, Slash, are observed as a textbook response to survivors guilt, much of the venom would be blame directed to the top-hat, in terms of "you left me all alone with the band, the fame, the money - and I had a horrible time dealing with all that without you there with me."
This blame would manifest from a fear that GNR wouldn't be a valid band without Slash and that one day, people would learn about the ruse and Axl would lose the band completely.
The outcome is fairly obvious: the album would take years to reach his personal standard - and if you throw in a concerned record label, which shares his sentiments, you're in for a long wait.
At least he feels happy with the current lineup, but as far as another album is concerned, it's anyones guess. One may hope the resolution of the Azoff conundrum will allow them to tour and brandish their stateside net profit at Universal, but the more important question is, does Axl feel secure enough to release an album, and moreover, does he feel the creative urge to do so?
My personal opinion is that by making peace (if not reuniting) with Slash would help things out a lot, in that Axl would feel more secure with carrying on the GNR name with Tommy, Ashba, Bumble and the likes and keep churning out songs simply because the music matters on its own right.
The strangest thing is that so many wounds could be healed with a single phone call.
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
Absolutely agree. I still believe that if these guys got alone in a room for a few hours, you'd have a reunion tomorrow. Whether it be a fist fight, cry, shouting match, or fuck-a-thon... the issues are there and unresolved. Instead of resolving it, both of them stay stead fast with their opinion that they're right. In this case I feel both Axl & Slash are equally guilty in being egotistical.
It's just like divorce. Alot of people break up over the little things. You'll hear all the time marriages that survived multiple affairs, yet divorce gets filed because the dude keeps farting in bed.
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
while a lot of that speculation does make sense in relation to axl, i seriously doubt he could find substantial enough peace of mind in mending his bridges with slash. to me it seems he has many more issues than just the sainted top-hat.
2. "Selling out" on your dreams of youth. Some of the participants in my study who fit the Downward Slope criteria were highly successful and seemed to have it all. Inwardly, however, they were miserable because they had left behind their youthful value systems. Perhaps these highly successful men had lost touch with their true selves-- the ones that inspired them to pursue the careers they did.
One word. Yoda.
see i don't get this one. if anything i think axl has perhaps stuck too rigidly to the behaviour he exhibited in his youth. i watched a film called the Edukators last night & one of the striking moments was when the Edukators declared, "some people never change" & i think that's more axl's 'problem' than leaving behind his "youthful value systems" - in many ways he still behaves like that streetsmart kid who isn't gonna take shit from anyone & who will demand the world in return. he is still, for the most part, an unreasonable principled jerk.
i think if axl hadda gotten enough money any other way he still woulda probably turned to Yoda due to his insecurities.
i do agree reaching a detente with slash would be good & productive for him (& everyone), but it isn't the sole reason why we're not getting a new album.
let's not forget it took an unusually long time for the UYI sets to follow the bands debut LP.
my point is, his behaviour has always been in a along a similar pattern. it was probably Izzy leaving more than Slash which derailed GnR & the ability to get Axl to produce on a reasonable timetable as he was the only one who could communicate to the guy, as he knew how to talk to him when they were kids. Axl has been exhibiting the same principles & character defects all down the line & Slash isn't the solution.
to be fair to the guy, i think we know enough but not enough about him to understand what is really going on. there are well documented reasons for his insecurity & he doesn't seem to have ever been able to resolve them & control them despite the money he's spent on Yoda & psychologists & dietitians.
maybe it's as simple as he doesn't have the managerial/administration skills to run the b(r)and as a hugely successful enterprise (which is obv from the lack of merchandise as well as many other things - MLB/NFL owning the GnR website?!) & he can't trust people - managers or bizness representatives so he's got his ex-wife's housemaid & her son as his defacto manager. but he's ambitious, egotistical & perhaps even greedy.
those factors are debilitating & have always been fundamental issues. & it's in there somewhere where the fault-line is. Slash & his myth is another cumbersome burden for Axl & GnR to have to carry.
but really, we have no real indication outside of the content of CD to know where Axl's head is at these days. does he harbour ambitions of bringing GnR back to the level of fame they were at? does he still have an interest in music, in releasing music?
we just don't know what the fuck is going on in his head. my best guess is he's an insecure procrastinator who has bitten off more than he can chew.
there is a lot of other dilemma's impacting his behaviour like his jesus-complex.. outside looking in he does seem like a complicated mess of a guy who refuses to deal on other peoples terms.
the hope i have for the band is that RiR will perhaps point to what the future plans are. if there are any.
dj keeps saying it won't be 15yrs til the next album is out, but i mean why should we believe that?
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
I had this dream last night that I was at a GN'R reunion show in this big stadium, and I was backstage, right there next to them: Axl, Slash, Duff, Matt, Dizzy, Richard and Chris.
Slash was running around stage like he used to. Axl stops singing, walks over to Matt and says something to him. Matt gets on the mich and asks the "guitar player" (that's how he addressed Slash) to stop running around because he was invading Axl's space and ruining the vibe.
And you know what, that was probably a realistic scenerio
Strange thing was, they were playing new music 
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
Absolutely agree. I still believe that if these guys got alone in a room for a few hours, you'd have a reunion tomorrow. Whether it be a fist fight, cry, shouting match, or fuck-a-thon... the issues are there and unresolved. Instead of resolving it, both of them stay stead fast with their opinion that they're right. In this case I feel both Axl & Slash are equally guilty in being egotistical.
It's just like divorce. Alot of people break up over the little things. You'll hear all the time marriages that survived multiple affairs, yet divorce gets filed because the dude keeps farting in bed.
I don't agree. While I do think that a lot would be to gain if Axl and Slash would resolve their issues I don't think they will. Axl has the type of personality that seems to hold a grudge forever, And what makes this more sad is I'm convinced that the issues are not half as bad and were simply amplified over the years by others around Axl and or Slash and or the media. And to prove my point. Look at Izzy and Duff. They seem to have settled their issues with Axl but yet as far as the media goes they don't have a track record to bash Axl and or vice versa. While Slash always seem to take the bite and what is sad is often he'll say tons of good things about Axl and yet the media will only take out the one small part where Slash took the bite and voila we have a renewed feud.
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
Actually Izzy bashed Axl FAR worse for years, than Slash. Izzy is actually the one who created the image of Axl being a dictating nazi.
So the track record is there. But it's not as sexy or sensational to say Axl vs. Izzy as it is to say Axl vs. Slash.
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
Actually Izzy bashed Axl FAR worse for years, than Slash. Izzy is actually the one who created the image of Axl being a dictating nazi.
So the track record is there. But it's not as sexy or sensational to say Axl vs. Izzy as it is to say Axl vs. Slash.
I'll grant you this that at 1st Izzy really bashed Axl, but the media seemed to forget about him. I'm telling you man. This feud between Axl and Slash has been made so much worst by the media and their respective entourage that I bet that if you ask them why they hate each other they may have a hard time telling you what the other has done to piss the other off.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
Strange thing was, they were playing new music
Was it good? 
:mosh:
Re: Anatomy of an Implosion
Axlin08 wrote:Actually Izzy bashed Axl FAR worse for years, than Slash. Izzy is actually the one who created the image of Axl being a dictating nazi.
So the track record is there. But it's not as sexy or sensational to say Axl vs. Izzy as it is to say Axl vs. Slash.
I'll grant you this that at 1st Izzy really bashed Axl, but the media seemed to forget about him. I'm telling you man. This feud between Axl and Slash has been made so much worst by the media and their respective entourage that I bet that if you ask them why they hate each other they may have a hard time telling you what the other has done to piss the other off.
I have no doubt in that. Right on man.
