How Much?

How much do you know?
How much do you see?
How much do you take?
How much do you need?

You want a lot but you dont need it.

Alan Niven Responds to Axl's 'Homework'

Classic Rock

“Axl got rid of me to wrestle control of GN’R!” claims former GN’R manager Alan Niven in a Classic Rock exclusive.

Guns N’ Roses’ former manager has claimed that Axl Rose had him fired in what he believes was an attempt by Rose to take control of the band name.

In a web posting on December 11, 2008, Axl claimed that he sought ownership of the band’s name as protection because their then manager, Alan Niven, “was always trying to convince someone they should fire me”.

He added: “As I had stopped speaking with him he sensed his days were numbered and was bending any ear he could along with attempting to sell our renegotiation [with record company Geffen] out for a personal pay day”.

In his first full length magazine interview printed in the next issue of Classic Rock, Alan Niven refutes Rose’s allegations and gives new insights into life behind the scenes with GN’R.

Of Axl’s claim that Niven tried to personally benefit from the Geffen renegtiation, the manager claims that, rather than being fuelled by greed he “paid millions to get Axl out of my life”.

Niven claims that he had “a 17% commission in perpetuity [ie that] anything released, mastered or negotiated during the term of my contract was commissionable forever… Axl fired me in ’91. Now that means that the sales of Appetite, Lies and Use Your Illusions were all commissionable. Forever. To get Axl out of my life I sold those rights back to the band for $3.5 million. I did not want to deal with him again. Now that’s a decent chunk of change, but Geffen had only paid royalties on about five million albums total at that time. Imagine how much I had still coming. [Appetite For Destruction alone has sold 30 million copies.] The settlement I took is not nearly anywhere close to what I was due and had earned.”

In fact, Niven claims that Axl waited until the manager had renegotiated the deal before firing him.

“As regards his remark about me getting a payday from Geffen from renegotiations – let’s get some more facts straight. I have a right to defend myself against this guy. “Firstly, both the managers of Aerosmith and Whitesnake tried to get renegotiations on existing contracts around this time and failed. I think I am the only person to leverage a re-negotiation out of David Geffen on an existing contract… Their royalty rates were increased by 30%. There were other refinements. Better advances, etc. But since when I was fired I sold my rights back to the band I did not benefit from this re-negotiation.”

“Furthermore, I had their merch deal redone, and their sub-publishing deal redone. They were due. …I also got the first major headline tour in place. Then I was fired. Nice.”

“As for his claim I was trying to get him fired because he wasn’t talking to me, that is an absurd invention. He didn’t talk to me after the incident in Phoenix in ’88 when his failure to show caused a riot. He didn’t talk to me when I refused to cancel the Aerosmith tour. I was banned from that tour for a month. Many was the time Axl would send me to Coventry.”

While Axl claims he sought rights to the name to protect his position in the band from Niven, the former manager suggests that he was fired so that Axl could wrestle control of GN’R: “What I find interesting is that after I was fired, by his own admission, Axl took the band name as part of the Geffen renegotiation. I believe he got rid of me to do that, amongst other things. I think that he always intended to take total control. And he knew I would not stand for such a move. I could be wrong, but I rather think there you have it.

“Axl always had a problem that I made it clear that I represented the interests of all five members of the band, not just and exclusively his.”

Of the new GN’R, Niven comments: “Y’know, everyone has the right to make the music they want to with whomever they wish. But just be up ’n’ up about it. All this ‘last man’ standing stuff from Axl is horseshit. He wore us all out. Drove us all off. And for a personality like Axl, solo work only makes sense. If he wants to be Elton Rose then more power to him. Go for it. Pull it off. He has the talent to do that. But don’t pretend that one person alone represents the idea of Guns N’ Roses. That band, in my opinion, played its last show on April 7, 1990. Farm Aid, Indianapolis.”

To read the full interview, see the new edition of Classic Rock, onsale Wednesday February 4.

London Reunion!

Hollywood 80’s Metal band London - best known for their hilarious appearance in the Penelope Spheeris Documentary film Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (and whose former members included at one time or another Nikki Sixx, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Blackie Lawless and Fred Coury) - will be reuniting for their first live show in 21 years at Paladino’s in Reseda, California on February 14, 2009.

Lead guitarist and band founder Lizzie Grey, vocalist Nadir D'Priest, co-lead guitarist Sean Lewis and drummer Tim Yasui will be performing songs from the London albums Nonstop Rock (1984), Don’t Cry Wolf (1986) as well as the songs "Breakout" and "Russian Winter" from the 1988 Metal Years movie.

The inspiration for the reunion show comes fresh off the success of the Cleopatra/Deadline Records release of the 1989 London studio demos appropriately entitled The Metal Years (now available on iTunes, Amazon.com and other fine retailers) last winter on both CD and limited-edition 12" Vinyl, as well as the continued massive exposure of the band’s 80s music videos on You Tube and Myspace.

Appearing with London will be 80’s Sunset Strip veterans Witch featuring the notorious Betsy from Bitch on lead vocals, Perfect Stranger and several other local metal acts. Spinning metal all night long between sets will be KNAC.COM’s own DJ WILL. Paladino’s has been the main Los Angeles venue for all hard rock and metal acts for more than a decade and is located at 6101 Reseda Boulevard, Reseda, California (818) 342-1563.

Like a Lead Balloon

MTV NEWS

Taylor Swift Is #1 Again, As Animal Collective, Andrew Bird Sneak Into Top 20

"...Jam rockers Umphrey's McGee boogie in at #62 with their latest, Mantis (8,100). Meanwhile, the missile-like descent of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy continues unabated, as the once eagerly awaited album will plunge nearly 25 spots to #75 on sales of 7,200 for a two-month total of just over half a million copies."

Related: Democracy Falls to No. 51
Chinese Democracy Goes Gold!
GN'R at #4

1 Drummer, No Kick

Last night I watched Episode 2 of VH1's Sober House.

I have to say, I'm really "addicted" to this show!

Trainwreck in tight pants, Steven Adler, continued the heroin binge that he began in Episode 1. This time, he was so high that he refused to appear on camera [it's a reality TV show]!

The addicts are having a cook-out, and Steve is totally smashed.

After arguing with his wife and counselor Bob Forrest for most of the party, Steve goes to "look for water." Unsuccessfully.

Then a California Rolling-Black-Out hits and all hell breaks loose.

Steven runs inside to get ripped in the upstairs bathroom.

The show concludes with Steven wandering around the house in an intoxicated state searching for "his room."

ABC News, Rolling Stone, and Colorado Daily all have feature stories on the shenanigans.

-Mack

Democracy Falls to No. 51

A mere 8 weeks after the release of "one of the most highly anticipated albums of all time," Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy has plummeted to number 51 on the United States Billboard Chart.

We can make many excuses as to why this CD is performing poorer than expected - Best Buy doesn't have enough stores, we're in a recession, rock music isn't popular in the States, etc. etc. - but look at the rest of the chart.

Nickelback (9 weeks on the chart) is at #3
Kings of Leon (17 weeks on the chart) is at #23
The Killers (8 weeks) #24
AC/DC (13 weeks) #39 - Wal-Mart exclusive
Metallica (19 weeks) #40

These are fair comparisons.

This album needs a video and a tour, and Axl Rose needs to come out of his shell.

Related: Like a Unicorn
BLACK ICE VS. CHINESE DEMOCRACY



-M.A.

Drunken Cop Urinates on Metallica Fan

A Brewster police officer is on paid administrative leave after allegedly urinating on a fellow music-lover at a Metallica concert in Boston and then refusing to leave TD Banknorth Garden when security guards ejected him for disorderly conduct.

A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Police report from that night identifies Brewster Police Officer Joseph Houston, 29, as being thrown out of the January 18 rock concert by security guards at around 10 pm.

Although he has been charged only with trespassing, Houston appeared to be drunk, flashed his badge in an attempt to get back into the concert, called a black MBTA officer "Obama," and had been asked to leave the concert after he allegedly urinated on another patron, according to the report.

Cape Cod Times

Pressure's Gonna Drop on You

And when it drops you gonna feel it.

It looks like Universal is officially getting nervous over Amy Winehouse. Take note that her album Back To Black paid for a lot of salaries, it went 5x platinum in the UK and double platinum in the United States.

Brian Rose the commercial director for Universal Records recently confronted Winehouse over the future of her music career. The fact is, the label is losing momentum with one of its biggest artists and there is no plans for new music.

Kings of A&R

According to The Alley Insider, Universal Music Group spokesperson confirmed that there was indeed a round of layoffs at Interscope Records this past Friday.

YOU GOTTA MOVE

Guns N' Roses with Izzy Stradlin performing "You Gotta Move" live in 2006.

This video is a real treat for me. I love this song, and seeing Izzy play with Axl's new Guns adds some much-needed credibility to the project.

You can watch a different performance of the same song by the same guys here.

If the "Better" video ever surfaces, you can bet your ass that there's footage of Mr. Stradlin in it.



The next video is a performance of "You Gotta Move" by Keni Lee Burgess. This guy is simply amazing. He's a real virtuoso. I recommend you check out his channel if you enjoy listening to slide guitar.



Wrapping things up is a slideshow set to the 1971 Rolling Stones version of the tune, which is the one I know best.

From their album, Sticky Fingers.

Happy Birthday Popcorn

Steven Adler, the original drummer for Guns N' Roses is 44 today.

Born January 22, 1965 in Cleveland, Ohio, Steven Steven Adler moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Deanna, and older brother Kenny, as a young child.

Adler met future Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash at the age of 12. The two attended the same junior high school in California.

The two became fast friends, and as Slash took up guitar, Adler gave up the guitar himself and took up drums, in order to form the band Road Crew.

Slash and Adler met their future Guns N' Roses bandmates when they placed an ad in The LA Times searching for a bassist for their band. 

Duff McKagan responded to the ad, and three joined Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin to create the most famous and "original" line-up of Guns N' Roses. 

Adler drummed on the first three GN'R albums: their 1986 EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, the multi-platinum Appetite for Destruction and G N' R Lies.

Steven's current project, Adler's Appetite, is currently on their first-ever US Tour.

You can view videos of their performance at the Key Club below.

"Welcome to the Jungle"


"Sweet Child O' Mine"


"Paradise City"


Steven Adler on MySpace

Retail Implosion

The Times Square Virgin Megastore, which is the highest volume music store in the US, will shut down come April.

Zavvi has announced that it is closing a further 18 of its stores, with the loss of 353 jobs. Zavvi's flagship store in Piccadilly, London is one of the first shops to close, with the loss of 110 staff.

Circuit City has become the latest victim of the economic downturn wreaking havoc on the electronics and music industries. The company issued a press release today announcing it will seek the approval of the Bankruptcy Court to begin liquidating all its assets.

Death of the Compact Disc or the latest sign of a Recession / Depression?

American Democracy

"What the cynics fail to understand, is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified."

Slash's Inauguration Ball

***EDIT: The complete schedule for the Inaugural Balls can be found here.

Unofficial balls

The Obamas also could drop in on some of the four dozen or so unofficial parties and events, which offer a wide variety of celebrity-studded celebrations. They include:

> The Creative Coalition Ball: Celebrities expected by this lobbying group for the arts include Sting, Sam Moore, Elvis Costello, Susan Sarandon, Anne Hathaway, Spike Lee, Alfre Woodard, Dana Delany, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marcia Cross, Tim Robbins, Seal, Adrian Grenier, Ashley Judd and Ron Howard. Tickets: $10,000 per couple.

> The Purple Ball (to end racism and honor U.S. troops): Lou Gossett Jr. will host; Ashley Judd, Patricia Arquette and Il Divo will be on hand.

> The Green Inaugural Ball: Former Vice President Al Gore is honorary chairman of this “carbon-neutral” event.

> Human Rights Campaign Equality Ball: Featuring Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper and “equalitinis.”

> Peace Ball: Harry Belafonte, Alice Walker, Eve Ensler and Dick Gregory, along with Joan Baez, Graham Nash and Jackson Browne.

> The Urban Ball: Hosted by Atlanta’s Ludacris, OutKast’s Big Boi, Monica and Cedric the Entertainer will entertain.

> American Music Inaugural Balls: One was not enough, apparently. Dionne Warwick hosts. Among the performers: Ludacris, George Clinton, Chaka Khan, Kirk Franklin, T-Pain, Fantasia, the Cheetah Girls and Peter, Paul and Mary.

> Be the Change Inaugural Ball: Hosted and televised by MTV at the Ronald Reagan Building. It pledges “several leading artists, celebrities and government officials” will be on hand.

> BET Inaugural Ball: Hosted and televised by the cable network and America’s Promise Alliance, a nonprofit headed by former Secretary of State Colin Powell and his wife, Alma. Wyclef Jean will perform; possible guests include Atlanta’s Tyler Perry, Mary J. Blige, Magic Johnson, Judith Jamison, Gabrielle Union and B. Smith, who were scheduled to receive BET Honors awards Saturday .

> Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball: Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, Young Jeezy and T.I. (plus a “surprise” performer) get ahead of the festivities with a party Monday night.

> Heroes Red White & Blue Inaugural Ball: Rapper Nas, rock guitarist Slash, gospel star Donnie McClurkin and singer-songwriter Josh Groban are among the headliners at this event, geared toward wounded service members.

> Bytes and Books Inaugural Ball: The National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training’s party promises to be wonk central.

> The People’s Inaugural: Virginia businessman Earl W. Stafford’s foundation is planning a million-dollar effort aimed at including disadvantaged Americans in the inauguration. He says he is willing to provide gowns, tuxedos and the services of beauticians so they can have an unforgettable experience.

AJC.com

Sober House Premiere

VH1's Sober House premiered Thursday night and all of the addicts that we've been following since Celebrity Rehab seem to be doing well except for one - Steven 'Popcorn' Adler.

He shows up totally loaded with syringes in his pants pockets, and a tin foil package full of heroin down his pants. Chaos ensues and he gets taken to the home of a staff member to spend the first night, both to protect himself and the other participants.



In related news, Steven's MySpace page has been updated with his first "vlog."

The video finds Steven two rehabs later, and obviously still using.

The two minute clip, which features footage from the group's January 14, 2009 rehearsal, can be viewed below.



All I have to say is that Chip Z'Nuff fucking rules.

Adler's Appetite kicks off their tour at the Key Club tonight.

Adler's Appetite Tour Dates:

January, 17 2009 10 PM - The Key Club, West Hollywood, CA

February, 21 2009 10 PM - Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas, NV

February, 28 2009 10 PM - Brixton South Bay, Redondo Beach, CA

July, 11 2009 8 PM - Santa Fe Station Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV

Live in Lisboa

UK retailer, Play.com, is taking pre-orders for a live Guns N' Roses DVD titled: Live in Lisboa.

The disc features Guns' entire performance from Rock in Rio V [May 27, 2006].

The tracklist:

1. Welcome To The Jungle
2. It's So Easy/ Mr. Brownstone
3. IRS
4. Guitar Solo
5. Sweet Child O' Mine
6. Kockin' On Heavens Door
7. Live And Let Die/ Piano Solo
8. Rocket Queen
9. Guitar Duet
10. Out Ta Get Me
11. November Rain
12. Drum Solo
13. You Could Be Mine
14. Patience
15. Guitar Solo
16. Nightrain
17. Paradise City

Live in Lisboa is due for release on February 16, 2009.

Izzy Stradlin, "Box"

Lives in a box down by the ocean
Down off the main road by the hill
Takes what he finds and eats it right there
Makes what he can with what he will

He don't ride the bus
They don't let him drive
There he walks for miles, a day
Cause he ain't got no ride



Lives in a box down by the ocean
Down by the seaside at the hill
Palm trees they make the view look good there
Even though he looks pretty ill

Dead to Rock the 'Naugs

Just a week after confirming their first tour in five years, the reunited Dead are booked to rock the Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC on January 20.

"Barack Obama picked us specifically," says drummer Mickey Hart, "so it was quite an honor. There was a short list and we made the cut."

As for the most important question — can the band jam-out at the ball? — Hart is dubious: "It’s pretty tight, about an hour set. When you play these kinds of things you say, 'How can I be of service?' The entertainment committee makes it so that it fits into their huge schedule."

Another pitfall of political rocking: a background check. "It gave me pause when I had to get a security clearance to play a gig!" Hart says.

So did they get past the security scan? "Oh, yeah, we don’t look so bad on paper. It’s not as bad as you might think."

RS

DEAD Tour Dates

Make Your Own Jackson Pollack

Make Your Own Jackson Pollack

Life on Mars

Alien microbes living just below the Martian soil are responsible for a haze of methane around the Red Planet, NASA scientists believe.

The gas, belched in vast quantities in our world by cows, was detected by orbiting spacecraft and from Earth using giant telescopes.

NASA are today expected to confirm its presence during a briefing at their Washington HQ.

And the find is seen as exciting new evidence that Martian microbes are still alive today.

Some scientists reckon methane is also produced by volcanic processes. But there are NO known active volcanoes on Mars.

Furthermore, NASA has found the gas in the same regions as clouds of water vapour, the vital “drink” needed to support life.

Experts speculate that the methane is being emitted as a waste product by organisms called methanogens living in water beneath underground ice.

And they would have to be alive today because the methane would otherwise have been lost from the Martian atmosphere.

John Murray — a member of the Mars Express European space probe team — believes the mini-Martians may be in a form of suspended animation and could even be REVIVED.

He has found overwhelming evidence of a vast frozen ocean beneath the dust near the Martian equator where simple life could have thrived as microbes.

Today’s briefing will feature a star panel of Mars experts headed by Michael Meyer, chief scientist for NASA’s Mars programme.

UK Mars expert Professor Colin Pillinger believes the methane can only point to the presence of life on the planet.

His ill-fated Beagle 2 probe was carrying a laboratory that would have looked directly for such signs of life when it crashed on Christmas Day 2003.

Prof Pillinger told The Sun last night: “Methane is a product of biology. For methane to be in Mars’ atmosphere, there has to be a replenishable source.

“The most obvious source of methane is organisms. So if you find methane in an atmosphere, you can suspect there is life.

“It’s not proof, but it makes it worth a much closer look.”

NASA’s findings confirm studies by Europe’s Mars Express probe, which has been orbiting the planet for five years and also reported signs of methane in 2004.

Britain’s top space expert Nick Pope last night hailed the new evidence of life as “the most important discovery of all time”.

He said: “What could be more profound than to know it’s not just us out there?

"We’ve really only scratched the surface — it’s an absolute certainty that there is life out there and we are not alone.

“If there is life on Mars then the logical conclusion is that there must be life elsewhere too.

“If it’s happened here on Earth, then why shouldn’t it happen anywhere? The implication is this is a universal law.

“Mars is very similar to Earth. It’s about the same size, it’s a rocky inner planet.

“Most scientists believe it probably has liquid water which is almost universally agreed as the pre-requisite for life. I am certain there is other life in the Universe and, most likely, intelligent life.”

The Red Planet has gripped the public imagination for more than a century as a possible home for aliens.

But life could not survive on its surface because, unlike the Earth, Mars has no magnetic shield to protect it against deadly sun radiation.

The planet resembles our own in many ways. It is made of rock, it has an atmosphere and weather systems.

Although much smaller with a diameter of around 4,222 miles, Mars’ day is just 40 minutes longer than ours and its tilted axis gives it seasons.

Water has been found in the form of buried ice and scientists believe that two billion years ago, Mars was covered with liquid oceans.

Proof that water is still on Mars came in 2007 when Mars Express used ground-piercing radar to study the region around the planet’s South Pole.

NASA’s latest lander Phoenix dug up chunks of Martian ice last year. It swiftly evaporated into the thin atmosphere.

NASA have controversially hit the headlines before for claiming evidence for Martians.

In 1996, they said they had discovered fossilised organisms in a meteorite from the planet.

But other scientists were sceptical.

Today’s conference will be broadcast live online by NASA TV (www.nasa.gov/ntv) at 7PM.

The Sun

CHINESE DEMOCRACY II

UPDATE (OCTOBER 28, 2011): GUNS N' ROSES Reveals New Album Title
Axl Rose and his Guns N' Roses have revealed that the name of their forthcoming new studio album, the follow up to 2008's unsuccessful, Chinese Democracy, will be ... wait for it ... The Legend of The Red Panda. The album is already recorded and was thought to have originally been called Chinese Democracy II and is expected to be released next March/April through Geffen Records.
Its believed that eccentric frontman Rose has sent the album title and tracklisting to all major magazine editors but no actual music to review. Whether this is genuine or just another strange game Rose is playing with the music press remains to be seen. You can check out the tracklisting below. More details on this will be revealed as soon as it becomes available.

UPDATE (NOVEMBER 24, 2011): Tommy Stinson says that there’s "a bunch" of GN'R material written and still waiting to be recorded — "some of it worthy of finishing, some of it probably not" — in addition to 22 songs recorded during the Chinese Democracy process that were not included on the album.

UPDATE (AUGUST 30, 2011): Tommy Stinson says Guns haven't begun working on a follow-up to Chinese Democracy, but still have material left over from the last sessions. "We haven't recorded in a while and I don't see us doing so in the near future."[Link]

UPDATE (MARCH 9, 2011): Bumblefoot confirms there is enough music for another two albums. "There is enough music for another two albums, but these are all 10 year old recordings from the Chinese Democracy sessions. Those songs are not new songs and this current band, this relevant band that contains me and DJ and Richard and Frank on drums, we have yet to get in a studio together and sit down on the floor with guitars and just start writing. We have not done that. The only music that is going to be coming out at this point that I see from GN’R is going to be from 10 years ago with players that have been gone for 5 years and maybe alternative mixes of songs."

UPDATE (FEBRUARY 2, 2011): According to "insider" Mister Saint Laurent (aka MSL), there were plans for a 2-disc reissue of Chinese Democracy, containing "new" artwork and a second disc full of re-mixes - including a version of "Better' with Dj Ashba on guitar - and one "new" song: "Blood in the Water." MSL also offered up a list of "new" song titles: Atlas, Cuban Skies, Goin' Down, Jackie Chan, Light My Fire, Monstrosity, Silk Worms, Soul Monster, The General, Thyme, Tonto. The reissue was originally scheduled for march 29, 2011.

UPDATE (SEPTEMBER 7, 2010): Rumor has it that there are two follow-up albums in various stages of "completion." The first album is "Chinese Democracy II" (not sure what it will actually be called). The second album features material not related to the Chinese Democracy theme. Neither album has a release date.

UPDATE (JUNE 4, 2010): According to "insiders," the record has been turned in and is due out this coming November. It will apparently be titled simply Guns N' Roses. Watch this space for futher developments as they ... develop.

"For now we'll concentrate and keep our focus on this album but I will say I've always thought of it as a double."
-Axl Rose

Since we probably won't have any NEWS regarding videos, tours, singles, lineup changes, interviews, B-sides, appearances etc. etc. etc., I thought NOW would be an approprite time to start speculating about what the tracklist for CHINESE DEMOCRACY II might look like.

Here's a list of songs which are likely to appear on the follow-up to Chinese:

Quick Song
Zodiac
Berlin
Ides of March
Seven
Atlas
Jackie Chan
Soul Monster
The General
Thyme
Going Down

How about a release date? Nevermber?

At Midnight All the Agents

My Chemical Romance's cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row," recorded for the soundtrack of the upcoming WATCHMEN film, will be released as a 12" vinyl picture disc on January 27.

Fans can pre-order the single at the MCR Website. The vinyl's B-side will be composer Tyler Bates' "Prison Fight," taken from Bates' WATCHMEN score.

"At midnight all the agents, And the superhuman crew, Come out and round up everyone, That knows more than they do"

Adler's Appetite Will Tour the US

Adler's Appetite will embark on a full US tour for the first time ever this coming Spring.

The group will perform Appetite for Destruction in its entirety along with 'other classics and some surprises.'

The tour is scheduled to kick off late February and run through early April.

Adler's Appetite's current lineup includes singer Sheldon Tarsha, Alex Grossi (Hookers and Blow, Quiet Riot) on guitar, Michael Thomas (Faster Pussycat) on guitar, and Chip Z'Nuff (Enuff Z'Nuff) on bass.

Adler's Appetite Official Site
Adler's Appetite on MySpace

Hunting the Great White Whale, Pt. II

I Feel Sick to My Stomach

Axl needs a psychiatrist because he has deep rooted psychological issues, he's "fucking crazy". Remember?

Need proof? Just look at him, the way he dresses, the braids in his hair, the way he behaves, tell me this isn't undeniable evidence that he just completely does not give a shit what you or anyone else thinks. He is only concerned with his own self-perception. For fucks sake he hired a guitarist named "Buckethead" who plays with a white face-mask and an empty bucket from Kentucky Fried Chicken on his head. Why did he hire Buckethead? Because Buckethead shreds on the guitar.

Metallica are sporting leather jackets this time around, hoping to convey a tough unified Rock n' Roll image, a back to the streets look. Axl is demonstrating the difference between Artist and Rock Star, a trapping that he has transcended. Axl is demonstrating the difference between self-delusion and self-obsession. Metallica are self-deluded. They need to be the biggest band in the world; they crave the money, the critical praise, and the fame. Metallica's think all these things matter and that they will make them happy.

Axl is self-obsessed. All he cares about is his masterpiece, his monument to himself. Think about it, who else is he writing about? Do you think Axl dates anymore? These songs seemingly sung about some mystery girl, do you really think there is one? Axl is singing to himself about himself. He is in love with himself and at the same time hates himself; he is at war with the demons inside his head. This album is a self-portrait. Metallica are paint by numbers. Axl is Van Gogh. Is his self-mutilation not completely evident? Has he not completely isolated himself into a prison of his own paranoia?

I Feel Sick to My Stomach

Related: Hunting the Great White Whale

ABBA NAMED 'FAVORITE TO REUNITE IN 2009'

ABBA have been named as the band that music fans would most like to see reform this year, according to Viagogo.

The Swedish act came top of a poll of groups that concert-goers would like to see return to the stage for a live show.

"We have already seen huge demand for reunions from the likes of Blur, Take That and Cliff and the Shadows. But ABBA would be the ultimate comeback tour according to fans - and who could put a price on that ticket?" said CEO Eric Baker.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who wrote most of the group's hits, said there was nothing that could entice them back on stage.

"We will never appear on stage again," says Ulvaeus. "There is simply no motivation to re-group. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were.

Manchester band The Smiths, who disbanded in 1987 after disagreements between lead singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, came second on the list.

Music fans placed a Take That reunion with Robbie Williams in third place.

The Top 10 most popular bands to reform in full are:

1. Abba
2. The Smiths
3. Take That with Robbie Williams
4. Stone Roses
5. Guns and Roses with Slash
6. Pink Floyd
7. Talking Heads
8. The Faces
9. Wham!
10. Jackson Five



Telegraph, Digital Spy

Izzy Stradlin 2006 Interview

I just found an old interview with Izzy Stradlin on a music blog called tuneCORNER.

In the 30 minute interview, Izzy talks about the making of the GN'R (and his solo) albums, their rise to fame, leaving the band and what happened next. He also discusses The Ramones, the Internet, growing up in Indiana and motorbikes.

You can listen to and/or download the entire podcast here.

CHINESE DEMOCRACY GOES GOLD!

GUNS N' ROSES: 'Chinese Democracy' Officially Passes 500,000 Sales Mark In U.S.

Congratulations Ax!

Dizzy Reed: "I Just Hope I Get the Call"

From a poster at Metal Sludge:

"First off....Dizzy & HNB were fucking awesome & Dizzy is just a way kewl dude. Very friendly guy.
@ the end of the gig 2nite, I helped Dizzy tear down his stuff & I asked these ?s....

Re-union?
" No chance of a re-union....it will never happen..ever"

Did you play the piano parts on Prostitute, cuz I think its awesome & the best part of the record?
" I have no idea, what parts of mine made it to the final recording of CD. Im fairly certain the parts of Street Of Dreams did, other than that..."

Tour this year?
" He has plans & as far as Im told, There will be a tour this year & I just hope I get the call to do it"

Why did AXL just basically vanish after the release of CD?
" Who knows?...he doesnt even know."

My take on this (if it's true).

1. Not a shock. What else is new?
2. Very sad really.

-M

BLACK ICE VS. CHINESE DEMOCRACY

A new article compares AC/DC and Guns N' Roses' exclusive deals with big box chains and asks the question: Do exclusive deals with big chain stores help?

The answer: Only if the band puts in the effort.

"Wal-Mart, for its part, went all-out in promoting the disc, and the band as a brand. According to independent music marketing executive Bob Chiappardi, who was involved in the strategy, 'it was an encompassing thing...they put a pop-up store in the men's department in all the Wal-Marts, at the entrance they had posters [and] postering throughout the store, they had stand-up racks in the aisles approaching the men's department, and then they had displays in the CD department, a whole top row on the VH1 rack. Not only back catalog, but video games, the AC/DC version of Rock Band and T-shirts.'

The band, in turn, employed all the standard promotional strategies for a new album — it made a video for the first single, 'Rock N' Roll Train,' submitted to interviews and embarked on a massive world tour. Result? Black Ice (which is fantastic, by the way) topped the charts, the concerts sold out — and the band was back, any lingering image controversy surrounding its collaboration with Wal-Mart washed away on a flood tide of cash.

But what about the year's other big exclusive deal — Guns N' Roses' release of Chinese Democracy through Best Buy? In many ways, it was something of an apples-and-oranges comparison. Wal-Mart is a much larger chain than Best Buy, and it threw itself behind its chosen album much more vigorously. BB, which significantly reduced the amount of floor space devoted to music in 2008, offered no store-within-a-store. It merely set the album on cardboard towers on the sales floor, which were dwarfed in many outlets by similar displays advertising the complete Sopranos on DVD.

But according to a marketing executive familiar with the deal, this minimalist-seeming strategy was all that was arranged up-front: 'They're kinda just doing what they can do with what they've got. The only thing [Guns N' Roses] had to deliver was a video and the record.' (The video will be for the second single, 'Better,' and should be out sometime soon.)

According to industry scuttlebutt, the negotiations for the Best Buy deal were frantic and down to the wire. 'These guys didn't have finished music until a month before,' says one source. 'It was insane. In all honesty, Axl was working on everything — the art, everything — right to the end.' Indeed, in a recent web chat on a Guns N' Roses fan site, Rose (manager Andy Gould later confirmed that it was really him) stated that there were plans for multiple covers that may emerge in the future, that he has a favorite, and it's not the one currently in stores.

You can click the link below for the full article.

Riverfront Times

Axl Rose Was My Neighbor

Visual Artist Laura London is premiering a new exhibit titled "Axl Rose Was My Neighbor."

Here is the story behind this picture.

"Well, that's a funny story because actually he was my neighbor in Los Angeles in the late 1980's, early 90's. I was living in Laurel Canyon, an area of Los Angeles, and at the time he was married to Erin Everly.

There was a Rock journalist, who lived behind me in the guesthouse, and Axl Rose lived two houses up the hill. I was hearing stories about him and different things that happened all the time from this journalist, but I didn't really see him.

Then one day I heard they were having a fight and that he threw the wedding ring in the bushes - and that he graffitied his garage. He took the lyrics from his song and then he twisted it because he was having a fight with his wife at that time.

So I took a photograph because it was just like this sick poetry. I guess being in Los Angeles it was just funny at that time…tragic, but it was also funny.

And I took a photograph of it and his wife came home, when I was shooting and she's asked: 'Who are you working for?' and I replied: 'I'm not working for anyone,' because I don’t do paparazzi. And then I put the photograph away.

I think I showed it to my art dealer and I showed it to my brother and that was it. It was kind of this joke that he was my neighbor and I just put it away for years.

Then I was thinking about what to do for my next series. After the 'Rock Star Moment' series was well received and critically successful in the gallery venues, I wanted to further that idea. Each series grows organically out of the previous series with my work.

I produced a permanent public art installation for the MTA in Los Angeles (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) dealing with locations of rock n' roll history. I expanded my level of production to execute that project by using an assistant/intern, scouting locations, and working like a filmmaker. So I took that method from working on the grant project and incorporated it for another series.

I made a whole series of work based on this sick graffiti from Axl Rose's song, 'Sweet Child O’ Mine,' and did a whole new series of images and portraits, constructed just inspired by that image."

Thirsty

PATIENCE

Guns N' Roses' greatest ballad ever, "Patience," appears on their 1989 8 song EP, GN'R Lies (The Sex, The Drugs, The Violence, The Shocking Truth).

Lies seems to be often overlooked these days, overshadowed by Appetite and Illusions, but for me it's an essential part of the canon.

Writer Chuck Klosterman once likened the four acoustic tracks on Lies to the four Gospels of the New Testament, as they all tell a different story of who Axl Rose is.

The "LIES" are:

In "Patience," there is NO SEX (the lovers are estranged).

In "You're Crazy," there is NO DRUGS (it's psychosis instead).

In "Used to Love Her" there is NO VIOLENCE (the girl wasn't really killed and buried in the backyard - it's "a joke, nothing more." -blurb from the album cover.)

But "One in a Million" is like the fourth Gospel - John - the Wild card. There IS A SHOCKING TRUTH. "One in a Million" is still shocking, even 20 years later. No one's really sure why Axl Rose was so angry, but one thing is certain - his emotion wasn't contrived - it was for real. The old GN'R were 'the real deal.'

"Patience" is played using three acoustic guitars (Izzy, Slash, Duff), and was recorded in a single session by producer Mike Clink. The song reached #4 on the US singles chart in the Summer of 1989.

The music and lyrics were written by Izzy Stradlin, who also wrote "Used to Love Her." Izzy reportedly wrote the song about his doomed relationship with actress Angela Nicoletti McCoy.

A music video for "Patience" was shot and appears on the DVD, Welcome to the Videos. It was the last video in which Steven Adler (even though he doesn't play on the song) appeared.

In the video, the band members are shown at the Ambassador Hotel (in LA) where they are the only constant images. All the other people who appear are present for only a moment before they fade away.

In an ironic twist, the final parts of the video show Rose sitting alone watching the "Welcome to the Jungle" video in what appears to be a sad and lonely state. Footage of Slash is juxtaposed with the lines:

"And the streets don't change but maybe the name
I ain't got time for the game
'Cause I need you
Yeah, yeah well I need you
Oh, I need you"

Somewhere Buckcherry is Smiling

For your reading pleasure - 2 very 'creative' reviews of Chinese Democracy

The first is a comparison of Axl Rose, Kanye West and their respective releases for 2008.

The Egos Have Landed

The second is a review of C.D. written as a one-act play.

Coke Machine Glow

WHERE'S TOMMY?

Is Tommy Stinson Still in Guns N' Roses?

The short answer is: No.

Check out his Myspace, where Guns N' Roses is nowhere to be seen. Better yet, check out the tour dates on Soul Asylum's webpage.

03/29/08 The Canyons Resort - Park City, Utah
07/13/08 Taste Of Dallas - Dallas, Texas
07/20/08 Rib Fest - Iowa Events Center - Des Moines, IA
07/25/08 Lumberjack Days - Stillwater, Minnesota
08/18/08 The Wolf Den - Uncasville, Connecticut

But don't take my word for it, NME reported last year that "[Replacements] Drummer Chris Mars retired from music to concentrate on painting, while Tommy Stinson, the teenage bassist, ended up in Guns N' Roses until a spat with Axl Rose forced his departure."

You remember the famous spat from 2006 where Tommy vehemently denied any friction between himself and Axl Rose.

You know, when Stinson threw down his bass in anger?

"In the past I have thrown my bass" said Tommy, and "we are getting along better than we ever have."

But of course, these are the types of denials that we've grown accustomed to.

-Mack

A Likely Scenario

With the BEST BUY exclusive expiring this MAY just in time for the SUMMER FESTIVAL season, it's very likely that we'll see a re-issue of CHINESE DEMOCRACY at that time.

The re-issue will likely feature enhanced artwork, a new booklet, the two alternate covers and ONE ADDITIONAL TRACK.

At this point, ROBIN FINCK and Guns N' Roses will be poised to kick off their tour overseas before returning to the States in August where they may or may not headline LOLLAPALOOZA.

We can also expect Guns to at least schedule a LATE-FALL release for CHINESE DEMOCRACY II (or whatever Axl decides to title it), with an accompanying SHORT US ARENA RUN.

-Mack Arillo
mack.arillo@gmail.com