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- Smoking Guns
- Rep: 330
Re: Podcast/Spin Interview Discussion (Trunk&co on Ax) *possible spoilers*
I think it his "people" "handlers" that keep reminding Axl how much he should hate Slash. Of all the old members, Slash carried the most weight, cred, and could speak on behalf of the band with the most authority. Slash back in the band means a lot of those fuckers don't have a job or life anymore cause Slash gets shit done and does stuff Axl won't... Promote, interviews, runs sessions, records, etc... In GNR, often times, it was Slash running the show when Axl was absent. Which was a lot. He could confirm or deny things, speak about new albums, etc. They don't mind Duff and Izzy too much cause they won't rock the boat.
Re: Podcast/Spin Interview Discussion (Trunk&co on Ax) *possible spoilers*
MSL (for what it's worth) recalled in 2006, when he was in contact to Beta, how he was surprised how "obsessed" the GNR camp was with Slash. He wasn't talking about Axl per se, rather than the people he dealt with directly.
For his part, Slash has said his one reunion condition (there may be others, I wouldn't know) is that he'd want the power structure to return to what it was back in the day. Axl's management sounds painfully close to the days of Doug Goldstein, and that didn't actually create a good working environment.
I can see this as a reasonable request. I'd hate to work with someone who's the supposed leader of the pack and his people come up with schemes no else has a say in and share those plans with him when they feel the time is right. I'd rather have a direct line of communication - and as you say SG, Slash is able to take up the space Axl leaves vacant, which leaves Ax the possibility of just focusing on his own thing.
They compensated each other on so many levels, once you think about it. Excellent interpersonal chemistry at best.
Re: Podcast/Spin Interview Discussion (Trunk&co on Ax) *possible spoilers*
Now you're getting the hang of it.
This whole middleman business is something that's been recently popping up in the discussions here, and Florentino's account essentially confirms how things have been with Axl for quite some time - unless you hear something directly from him, don't assume it's coming directly from him.
The image coming to focus in front of me is that of a 50-year old man basically catered on all things by his entourage. He gets this red carpet treatment from them on all things - the downside is that by receiving a one-sided version of the surrounding world, he's painfully vulnerable. Even a pebble will feel like a shard of glass if you haven't walked barefoot in years.
As Monkey suggests, the HTGTH censorship can be read as a continuum of this same management decree, and if so, these people at the management are seriously deluded. Cutting back on all criticism eliminates the constructive bits as well, and what do you end up with? A 50-year old acting like a baby when things go boo-boo. Hey, nice going - you're really doing the man a favor, there.
Axl, with his years and experience of the industry should've, by now, developed a bit more thick skin and come to terms with the fact that, even if all goes exactly the way he likes it down at the mansion, the outside world is an imperfect universe and the stars won't align on a nightly basis for his big show. Sometimes, you need to think about the big picture and be willing to compromise in order to deliver your very best under uneasy circumstances.
Let's hope he has free Internet access, so he can come down to Evo and lurk some. By George, after a few weeks here, he'd be tough enough to unload all remaining CD material, record a brand-new EP with the current lineup and still have the time to rehearse with Slash for RRHOF.
I'd be fucking embarassed of Evo if Axl came in the last week.
- Intercourse
- Rep: 212
Re: Podcast/Spin Interview Discussion (Trunk&co on Ax) *possible spoilers*
If you look at Axl talking to those fans about Slash in SA, Beta is lurking the whole time. She is never far from her mark.
I mean does it not strike anyone as weird that Axl hasn't married anyone or fathered kids? What is the barrier to him doing that?
Some say its her motherly protective side.
I'd love to see if she and her family would do all of this management and protection for free.
Re: Podcast/Spin Interview Discussion (Trunk&co on Ax) *possible spoilers*
My main point of interest from the podcast was the whole "He knows it's not Guns N' Roses" thing Jim said.
I'd be real interested to hear if those actual words came out of Axl's mouth of if it's Jim putting words in his mouth.
I highly doubt it. I think he's just paraphrasing what Axl said and misquoting him accidentally.
Ali
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Podcast/Spin Interview Discussion (Trunk&co on Ax) *possible spoilers*
It's a mixed issue I think.
Do you guys remember Axl's comments on the trunk show on the radio about how he listened to wasp to fire himself up enough to be able to perform one night when depressed?
Don't want to missquote him...but the impression I got was that he'd had some kind of domestic with Stephanie (or possibly someone else) and was in the worst kind of slump and feeling all suicidal and at the lowest of the low...and then almost by accident he came acrosss this wasp tape and it ignighted his fire...and then he want to the venue and kicked ass...all be it hours late. Axl's point was that the person he had been fighting with wanted to keep him in a slump but that wasp saved him, and Baz goes on to tell about how Axl was cool enough to write off the delay when challaned as "i needed a shower" or something similar.
But for this discussion, I think what's interesting is that Axl's emotional state was fucking with his ability to perform at first that night. He's said himself sometime in the 1990s that he he comes late because he needs to be in a certain mindframe to kickass.
The depth of emotion is why he can write amazing songs. Also...his ability to obsess and focus on details is the analysis that makes for the facinating lyrics he writes in all of his music.
But these powers can turn against him just as much as they help his music.
If something upsets him, it could fuck with his confidence in the show or his desire to do the show. Little details that other people would ignore - like the views of fuckwits like me on the net - is the kind of thing he might take to heart then ponder all fucking night instead of doing what he was scheduled to do.
He'll then be sucidal or filled with rage or something or just not give a fuck for how ever long it takes him to shift gears in his mind - which could be hours or days. Could be all lies...but IF that was the case...then imagine the level of things around that could potentially set him off - and you start to see why the handlers might act like they do.
I think everything is done to avoid the kinds of meltdown that was going on that night with steph. It's probably why he comes to the venue right before a show - so nothing there can fuck with his mindset.
So i know everyone here is all like "fuck the handlers" but the question is - are they making things worse - or do they actually help somewhat - things like riots and cancels don't seem to happen with the frequency they did - but if you peer behind the scenes - Axl's still got this temper - like when he droped the photographer at the airport last year - or how about hte recent airport footage where he seemed *very* angry walking from his car into the airport.
Say what you want about Beta - but I think it's basicly her job to get ranting angry axl from the airport carpark - back into the jovial happy badass peformer Axl that we've seen on stage at recent gigs.
At any moment she has to find the bridge to the happy cool funny guy you see talking with fans about slash - from the dude that will leap into a crowd midshow because security won't take a camera.
And they do what they think will work. Sometimes they're right and others times shit goes down anyway.
It's a facinating ethical dilemma it raises. On one level - they clearly provide Axl with support and love that's been lacking in his life elsewhere. On the other hand - how much manipulation is too much.
In this case - maybe it was the right call? If they'd told axl about the interview and he'd got stressed - what would happen? The show would get fucked up? he'd cancel the interview? Press would convert to how he came on 6 hours late for the show or something? It's obviously a fine line they walk - as it happened this time - they surprised him with the interview - the show kicked ass and he went on to record something the fans are likely to enjoy (some posters on this site aside hahha). so in this case playing with his reality seemed to work.
The question is at what point would it be too far ethically. How many lies or half truths can be told to Axl just to keep him in a mood that's less destructive and more profitiable, at what point does Axl loose too much control of his day to day relationships.
It's an ethical mindfield...for example...say someone from the past called Axl. Do you tell him - knowing that telling him might make him so obsessed over why they rang that he might quit the tour? Tough one.
It's like if someone dies while someone is on vacation somewhere. Do you tell them - even though they can't do anything about it and it will wreck their expensive trip - or do you wait the news till they get home and let them have their moment of fun then hit them with it. Everyday is probably a choice like that for the handlers.
Re: Podcast/Spin Interview Discussion (Trunk&co on Ax) *possible spoilers*
I am pretty sick of hearing about start times and setlists and managers and handlers and housekeepers. Let it go. They are out kicking ass around the world for the last two years, and it sounds like they are semi-interested in releasing some new music fairly soon. What more do you want? There is NO reunion in the near future so this is what we got, and it is pretty good right now. 
