The Classic Rock Opinion: We Hate Axl. Or Love Him.
Following today’s news that Guns N’ Roses may be coming to play in Europe this summer, Classic Rock’s Editor In Chief Scott Rowley offers his viewpoint on the band’s current status.
I might love Axl Rose. It’s either that or I hate the despicable, contrary, miserable ginger twonk.
I really can’t decide but it’s definitely one or the other. One minute I’m in thrall to the genius of Chinese Democracy tracks like Better or Madagascar, punching the air to ballads like Street of Dreams and There Was A Time, and ready to argue the toss that Chinese Democracy shouldn’t just have been CR’s album of the year in 2007, it should have been album of the year in 2008 too (c’mon: it out-gunned, out-crafted, out-ambitioned, out-emoted, out, er, song-ed Black Ice by a country mile and you know it in fact we should make it album of the year every year until someone makes something better).
The next minute, I see an article about him, read his comments online, see a picture of him, or consider the Michael-Jackson-in-training freakshow his life is in danger of becoming and I realise that, actually, he’s how to put it a bit of a dick.
That’s the weird impact the former William Bailey has on the world of rock.
And as the band currently known as GN’R look like they will come out of the woodwork this summer, the question has gotta be: Does anyone care anymore?
Well, yeah. The new GN’R have the most passionate internet fan community out there. The CR office is bombarded daily with updates on every rumour, whisper, movement and he-said-she-said from Axl and his enormous guitar army. Every posting on our website about GN’R is followed by postings from normal people saying, “Yeah, tell someone who cares” immediately followed by 30 posts from assorted lunatics who wrte n txt spk and thnk ChinDem is the tits and bthead is god.
But what about those normal people? Do they care? Well here’s the thing.
Recently I heard a great story about the Steven Adler trial (Adler sued the band for wrongful dismissal). The story went that the GN’R camp offered to settle out of court for a relatively small amount. The Adler camp at first accepted but then Axl stepped in. Axl didn’t want to settle he wanted his day in court, he wanted JUSTICE! (Read: he wanted to humiliate that motherfucker.)
So the band went to court and while Adler allegedly didn’t have a very strong case, as the days worn on and especially after Axl took the stand (see footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqNW2z4kvyY) a strange thing started to happen: everyone realised that the court battle had turned, as they tend to, into a personality contest. And the cuddly, dumb-ass, shaggy-haired drummer bloke who’d been sacked was much more likeable than the horrible, arrogant millionaire rock star bloke in the pale blue suit wot had sacked him.
So before things got out of hand, the band settled out of court for a considerable amount more than had been originally offered.
And here we are. Today we’re the jury and in the big pop culture popularity contest, Axl slippery, evasive, arrogant, weird-looking old Axl is losing out. And as much as we might say that it’s not about the people, it’s about the music, when we look up to those guys onstage we want to just do
that: look up to them. And Axl is a hard man to love.
But I love him. Or hate him. I dunno. It’s one of the two. So let’s hope he does make it to Europe. It’ll be brilliant. And if it’s not it’s a good excuse to chuck stuff.
Scott Rowley
I agree its hard to decide how to feel about him. I’m a huge GN’R fan and have been all my life, but sometimes I really believe that guy has nothing but absolute distain for his fan base. One example of this is how he openly admits he will make fans and his band stand around for hours waiting on him because “he has always been a late night kind of guy”.
There is no compromise to the venues, staff, roadies and fans who have no choice but to wait around on him.
Izzy was complaining about how inconsiderate it is back in 91 – ” for every hour late you go on, thats one less fucking hours sleep the road crew gets.”
Axl still doesnt give a shit, he goes on when he feels like, fuck everyone else.
The new album is really good and he has done his bandmates a diservice by refusing to promote it or even release a video. Thats the new GN’R way though, ever since they emerged at Rock In Rio 2001 it has been one disapointment after another for their fan base.
All those long years of clusterfucks and broken promises climaxed with final release of Chinese Democracy, an album of 10 year old songs accompanied by the most error strewn and illiterate booklet I have ever seen. Wonderful. I look forward to forking out on the next version released so I can follow the lyrics properly.
And I no doubt will be first in line to buy the re-release, I’m pretty typical of the fan base the Axl Rose has nowadays.
Ever heard the one about GN’R fans suffering from “Beaten Wife Syndrome?”
So Axle does what he wants regardless of the opinions/wants etc of others? And? I always thought thats exactly how a rockstar should behave.
Winter Smith i agree with you and this article…
but know…i don’t he totally changed…he looks like a rich bitch!i know its about music…Chinese democracy wasn’t all that…couple of songs there brilliant but some of them were so shit that i have to skip it to the next songs…i loved better,there was a time,sweet of dreams..
then is it coming out?after 14 years?
then i see those old stuff about gnr that’s then love comes to axl and stuff
but still i remember then all gnr CD was brilliant and you wont even skip a song
i love and hate axl!there are allot of things i could say about him which are good and bad!i am big fan too …since i was 11..and i always be a fan of gnr..but its true that axl made so many promises even about better video
Axl Rose is just an artist. Loving or hating him is just part of the game. If I had to judge from his efforts, though, I’d hate him for not putting out a masterpiece after 14 yrs of gestation. Way too long for what the record actually is. But as Hetfield says “ain’t gonna waste my hate on you”.
Thats how rock stars are supposed to behave? What like a complete dick? For 20 years and still have a fanbase. I wouldn’t mind if they weren’t called Gn R it is Axl rose solo. Thats it. If you pay £100 to see a band and they don’t turn up etc, If you think thats cool, then well you are sad. I pay my money, and I respect the people up there, if they treat like a c##t then I’ll take my money elsewhere.
Its not all about the music and this release was never going to be looked on in terms of only music.
Some of the music on Chinese Democracy is quite brilliant and deserves to be appreciated on its own merits. But instead the album is veiwed in terms of how long it took to release, the alleged cost and Slash and Co. being absent.
It has almost became cool to label Chinese Democracy a turd, even if you havnt even heard one note. That no doubt boils down to perception people have of Axl Rose in pop culture today. Slash can do no wrong in peoples eyes, no matter how mediocre and uninspired his work can be, he will always have a “cool” factor that draws people to him as strongly as Axl repels them.
Mabye Axl has made a very shrewd move and sat out the storm that this release would obviously bring. If its true that CD is a double album, the next release will not have the same amount of ridiculous hype surrounding it.
Whatever his next move is he will be able to make it without the burden of Chinese Democracy hanging over him as it has the last 10 years. Its out now, the critics have had their say and now he can start moving forwards in life again. One thing about that album is clear, it doesnt seem at all like it was a labour of love.
I am 16 and have loved Guns N Roses since I first heard their greatest hits album and have bought all of their albums since, I think the band are let down by Axl, he has a great voice and writes some great stuff but he can be such a twat and can write some bullshit songs, I agree Lucass that in the old albums you wouldn’t skip a song but in Chinese Democracy there is 1 on 2 which are painful to listen to. But I belive it would be good if they come to Europe even if Axl is a complete dick!
Axl is very talented. His behaviour doesn’t surprise me. Axl has always been ¨Axl¨. I admire this guy, he’s an awesome musician.
As the writer said, you love Axl or you hate him.
Well, I love Axl. I’m pro Axl!!! Yeah!!!!!
i love him and i`m already gearing up for hopefully a summer tour, can`t wait to hear chinese democracy live. what i hate is that when after all these years he has his say about why it took so long and what happened with the ex members he gets bashed for it, he`s aloud to give his side of the story god knows slash, duff, and matt have had plenty to say over the years! he`s not a dick he follows his heart right or wrong
just me who thinks they’re chit then? i must be missing something because i’ve seen them live and they were THE worse band i have ever seen,axl’s voice is godawful
I do so agree! The album should be the best of the year, next year and ever after til something better comes up! I can’t understand why people says it sucks, it really doesn’t!
I’m 14 years old, and listened to Guns N Roses for a LONG time, but never made it to a concert.. So I hope they’ll come to Europe, even thought (as you say Tom T) he is a complete dick. Let us just hope that he can make it on time next concert!
actually their old cds have a few songs I regulary skip…anything goes, out ta get me, bad obsession, back off bitch, bad apples, shotgun blues, so fine (possibly worst song ever).
CD is awesome, Axl is cool…I don’t look up to him thats for sure, why would anyone? The problem is people want the same sound forever even tho UYI aren’t the same as AFD….they are sad people, the same sad people who bought 2 million of black ice.
I’m ready for Axl’s next cd though.
Axl stop being a dick and release;
“Chinese Democracy” Part II Now!
Chinese Democracy is masterpiece, period. I didn’t expect it to be anything like AFD, UYI, and appreciate the work and though that went into it. Peace.
http://thegnrsyndicate.com/
Yeah Axl is a dick, but we all knew that from the start.However if 3/4 of the band you’re in are raging smackheads and in danger of blowing it, what you gonna do. Can you honestly believe that everyone else was giving it 100%, its hard work being in a band when someone cains the weed a bit too often, nevermind shooting up at every available moment.
this is the thing if they want to get richer get back together is that so hard to flippen figure out come on