Hey all, how's it going? I've been really busy with recording etc, I haven't been keeping in touch.
Outside of working on the record things have been quiet. No VR updates as of this writing, but I'm anxious to see something happen with an amazing frontman for the band in the not too distant future, whoever that might be.
My gig at the Quart Fest is coming up in Norway, June 30th. Which, is starting to come together. I'll post who all's playing next week, but it's a great line-up & the songs so far are shaping up to be a really great set.
As far as the record goes, we're almost done with vocals, 2 more songs left & a couple odds & ends. Then, I can stand back & see what we've got. It is a fucking awesome ensemble, that much I do know, with brilliant performances from each & every singer. I do hope to have a release date soon, but I can assure you, as I said before, it won't be this year. It will, most definitely, be out be very early in the new year. Even though the recording process is almost done, the legal logistics involved with so many different artists takes a minute to iron out.
When the record is released I plan on posting what gear was used on what songs; guitars, amps etc. Although, most of it was done with one guitar & 2 amps. A lot of interesting mike set-ups though. The record is being recorded anolog as well, this might be one of the last rock & roll records to be recorded that way, no joke. So, of course, I have to release it on vinyl, as well as cd.
Right then, I guess that's it. I'll have the Quart Fest line-up for you guys next week & anything else that comes up as well, have a good one.
The Philadelphia Inquirer Head Strong: It sounds familiar but looks different OPINION by Michael Smerconish
For many of us, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of Summer and the launch of the concert season. The slate of bands stopping in Philadelphia, Camden, and Atlantic City this year looks mostly the same as it did 25 years ago.
Jimmy Buffett. Jackson Browne. Chicago. The Allman Brothers. Def Leppard is touring with Poison and Cheap Trick. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Eric Clapton is out with Steve Winwood. The Doobie Brothers. Peter Frampton. REO Speedwagon. Fleetwood Mac. Aerosmith.
Many of the bands hitting the road this summer - Styx, Yes, Foreigner, and Guns N' Roses - remain household names. But see them live and you'll notice a difference onstage, and not just the expanding waistlines. Many bands are back for an encore, even if the musicians in them aren't. It was inevitable, but many of rock's most successful acts over the last three decades aren't half the bands they used to be.
Seventies and '80s progressive rockers Styx are playing the Borgata this summer, even though guitarist James Young is the only original member remaining. Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Alan White of Yes are touring again, though lead singer Jon Anderson isn't. Nor is keyboardist Rick Wakeman. His son Oliver is sitting in.
What's left of Foreigner - guitarist Mick Jones is the only founding member of the band still around - will land at the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City on July 31.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is still tragically star-crossed (bassist Donald "Ean" Evans died of cancer earlier this month). But that never stops "one more from the road," even though Gary Rossington is the only founding member still on the bus.
Most of the original funk-makers from War are on the road, they're just playing in different bands. Lonnie Jordan anchors the most recent incarnation, but the other original members have moved on to the Lowrider Band.
Not to mention Guns N' Roses, headlining Europe even though lead singer Axl Rose is the only guy you'd be able to pick out of a lineup. The rest of the original GN'R is missing in action, unless you count Slash's appearance in that Guitar Hero commercial.
It's worse for the real oldies, acts like the Coasters ("Yakety Yak") and the Platters ("Only You"). Today it's common practice for tribute bands to capitalize on famous names even though none of the original members is present or approving. There could be as many as 50 incarnations of the Coasters, for example, touring the country today. It's so bad that on three dates this summer the Coasters will be opening for the Coasters.
That explains the Truth in Music Act, which has been passed in more than 30 states - including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and which is working its way through Oregon's legislature. The legislation makes it illegal for performers to use the name of a band if the act doesn't include at least one original member.
Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, singer in the group Sha Na Na and lead proponent of the Truth in Music effort across the country, told me that bands' original members are the ones hit hardest by tribute bands masquerading as the real deal.
"It's a double whammy," he said. "The consumer, the fan, is paying good money. If it's going to be a tribute show, call it a tribute show. And people will pay their prices accordingly ... Don't be claiming you're the group if you're not the group."
That trend is now seeping into the acts of the '70s and '80s. And what it all amounts to is a severed connection between the music we grew up listening to and the people we're actually paying to see perform it today. The songs might sound the same and the set lists might look similar. But Foreigner without vocalist Lou Gramm? Just plain foreign.
Still, many of us keep shelling out big bucks to see musicians playing the songs we grew up on. Even though today albums aren't bought and collected. They're cherry-picked for one or two songs that fit into a playlist. Cover art has become an iTunes graphic. Liner notes? Killed off by Lyrics.com. These days, getting to know a band means becoming its fan on Facebook.
Then again, I remember something Gary Bongiovanni, the editor and founder of the music-industry trade publication Pollstar, told me last year about the bands still making a killing decades later. "There's a lot of demand to see these classic rock acts," he said. "I mean, they're really kind of the heritage of the rock music business."
Maybe it's that sense of nostalgia keeping the same old band names in business. After all, we're clearly still willing to play along for a night, even if it means holding up a cell phone in lieu of a lighter.
Where the Hell is Axl Rose? by Dave Everley, Kerrang! Magazine (21 August 1999)
Last month, a quarter of a million people gathered in a field in Upstate New York to witness Woodstock '99, a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the legendary hippy festival.
The lineup was astonishing: Metallica, Korn, The Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine were just a handful of the bands who played.
However, one band were noticeable by their absence.
In April, it was rumoured that Guns N' Roses were to be making their long-awaited comeback at the festival. After an absence of six years, it was suggested that GN'R were returning to preview songs from their equally anticipated new album.
And then, in typical Guns fashion, the whole thing fell through.
The rise and fall of Guns N' Roses is one of the most intriguing tales in the history of music. For six years during the late '80s and early '90s, they were the biggest band on the planet. To many, frontman Axl Rose was Guns N' Roses - a flame-haired wild card as enigmatic as he was unpredictable. It was partly his antics that led GN'R to be crowned "The Most Dangerous Band in the World."
And then they disappeared.
Or rather, Axl did.
While his bandmates were spotted out and about in LA or touring with their respective side-projects, Rose retreated to the solitude of his Malibu mansion. Once the most recognizable rock star on the planet, such was the effectiveness of his vanishing act that only one picture of him has been seen in the past six years.
Latigo Canyon road, a long and winding stretch of grey tarmac that runs through the barren, fire-scorched Malibu hills, leads to the home of Axl Rose. Although it is possible to walk up the road, the huge security gates that stand in front of the singer’s residence make it clear that visitors are not welcome.
According to insiders, Axl rarely emerges from his house, and when he does it's only to buy sundries at the beach-side shopping malls in the presence of his matronly housekeeper.
Over the past six years, Rose’s public appearances have been few and far between. In April 1996, he turned up backstage at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert at the LA forum. "He'd cut his hair short and grown a beard", recalled Chili's drummer Chad Smith. "I didn’t recognize him."
Such was his anonymity that when Rose attended a Radiohead show he had to undergo a thorough body search by the venue's doorman. Three months later, in March 1998, he was spotted on the balcony of the Hollywood Palladium, watching Tool.
Sightings by members of the public are more common, though not always as reliable. In December 1997, Axl was reportedly seen at the Universal Film Studios in Los Angeles with a child and a Hispanic woman. Another sighting placed him buying popcorn at a cinema in Century City, Los Angeles, while further sources claim to have seen him as far afield as New York, apparently sporting black or brown hair that looked suspiciously like a wig.
Indeed, the only public sighting that can be properly verified occurred in February 1998, when he was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, for disorderly conduct at the local airport.
Rose's trial took place exactly one year later. He didn't attend the hearing, and was fined $500 in his absence. A police photo taken at the time of his arrest shows him with short hair and Five o'clock shadow. This is the last picture anyone outside of the Guns camp has seen of him.
Details on new GN'R material are equally vague. Those working on the album have been sworn to secrecy about its contents and the working methods surrounding it. What we do know is this: Sometime between 1993 and 1997, Axl jettisoned virtually all of the other members of Guns N' Roses. Guitarist Gilby Clarke was the first to go ("the cheques just stopped", he claimed afterwards. "I took that as a hint."), followed by Slash, Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum.
In their place Axl began working with a series of "name" musicians, including former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, Nine Inch Nails drum programmer Chris Vrenna, ex-Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abruzzese and even original Gunner Izzy Stradlin.
Between 1994 and 1998 these various lineups rehearsed at LA recording studio The Complex, where they would work 10 hour shifts running from 9PM to 7AM.
By April 1998, the lineup had finally settled down and the band were said to be making their first tentative steps towards actually recording a new album. As well as Axl and long-standing keyboard player Dizzy Reed, GN'R also featured guitarists Paul Huge (a buddy of Axl's from Indiana who played on the Gunners' last recording, their cover of "Sympathy for the Devil" for the Interview with the Vampire soundtrack, and the man largely blamed for Slash's departure), and former Nine Inch Nails man Robin Finck, ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and Vandals drummer Josh Freese. Production duties were being handled by Marilyn Manson / Pantera associate Sean Beavan, after Axl had approached Appetite for Destruction producer Mike Clink, Killing Joke bassist Youth and techno guru Moby.
Over the next 12 months, the band apparently recorded 30 songs for the album, continually reworking them. Tracks recorded were said to include "Prostitute," "Cock-a-Roach Soup," "This I Love," "Suckerpunched," "No Love Remains," "Friend or Foe," "Zip It," "Something Always," "Hearts Get Killed" and "Closing in on You." Depending on who you believe, they veered from techno-industrial rock to old-style Guns sleaze.
Matt Sorum revealed Axl's love of samples and loops; contrarily, Chris Vrenna stated: "I have a feeling it's gonna be more like Appetite, than anyone is expecting."
When the Sex Pistols were rehearsing for their 1996 reunion tour, Pistols main-man John Lydon claimed to have heard "some folky nonsense" emanating from the next room, only to discover it was actually Axl and Co., hard at work. Basketball-player-turned-rapper Shaquille O'Neal supposedly appears on one track, after befriending Axl while recording in the same studio.
Interestingly, sources even suggested that the album already had a title - possibly Cockroach Soup or, more realistically, 2000 Intentions.
And then ... nothing.
August 1999, and there is still no sign of a new Guns N' Roses album. The band's record company, the Polygram / Universal group, say that they have tentatively scheduled its release for the end of this year, although sources admit that it has been on the schedules several times before and the band have consistently failed to meet deadlines.
Speculation has mounted that Rose has forced the band to re-record the entire album three times, and that the process has already cost more than a million dollars. One certainty is that Robin Finck has left the band and returned to Nine Inch Nails. The guitarist had signed a contract to join GN'R for two years; when it expired earlier this month, he had done nothing other than record guitar parts that have yet to see the light of day.
However, earlier this month, the rumour mill sprang into action once more regarding a "new" GN'R song.
The closing credits of the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy features Guns' classic "Sweet Child O' Mine." Halfway through, it segues into what appears to be a completely different version of the same song with Axl’s original vocals over the top. The most common theory is that the latter was recorded by the most recent lineup, although no one seems to be able to confirm or deny that fact. Moby has added further fuel to the fire, claiming that there is a completed version of the album and suggesting that Axl should simply release it immediately, regardless of circumstances.
Whether that happens or not is in the hands of Axl Rose. Hidden away in his Latigo Canyon retreat, he’s fully aware of the pressure to deliver something truly spectacular - something that will return GN'R to their position as the biggest band on the planet. The last six years have offered only rumour, gossip and hearsay, both about the band and Axl himself. Some of it is feasible, some is downright ludicrous. But separating truth from fiction is only one part of the puzzle. The big question is: what will Axl Rose do next? And at the moment, there’s only one man who can answer that ...
Monday night, current Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal updated his Twitter status with this message:
Duff McKagan's LOADED 8pm Tue May 19 2009 Blender Theater 127 E23 St NYC. (I'll be there, maybe with guitar in hand for a song or two....?)
This sounds like fun to me and should be a pretty cool gig.
I'll be updating this page later on with any eyewitness reports / video that surfaces.
Here are some pictures, thanks to shepoutsherbest at CD.com via gunns5 at MYGNR
"Ron played the last song with them, it was a Medley of 'I Wanna Be Your Dog,' some Journey song, 'Tush,' 'Living After Midnight,' 'T.N.T.,' and 'Wild Horses.'
I am sorry to say that they played no GN'R songs, but Duff did play 'Dust N' Bones,' 'It's So Easy,' 'So Fine,' and 'Attitude.'"
Rolling Stone Hard rock ruled the heartland this weekend as Mötley Crüe, Slipknot and Alice in Chains headlined Rock on the Range. For its third year, the Columbus festival drew 38 bands and sold a two-day total of 56,000 tickets, according to L.A.-based promoter Del Williams. A mixed crowd — college kids in baseball caps to bikers — partied under dreary skies on Saturday, and were energized and ready to toss the devil horns on sunny Sunday.
On day one, before he joined Alice in Chains for a haunting rendition of “Rooster,” Velvet Revolver’s Duff McKagan played a side stage, fronting his band Loaded. “The thing about Rock on the Range, I didn’t understand it until Velvet Revolver played here a couple years ago,” explained Duff backstage between appearances. “It’s in Columbus, a little college town — how big a festival can you have here? But people come here from Cleveland, Detroit, Toledo, Cincinnati, Indiana, West Virginia, from Kentucky, Tennessee. They all converge, and this is the big thing of the summer.”
Alice in Chains returned in full force with new co-vocalist William DuVall (formerly of Comes With the Fall), opening the set with the murky anguish of “Rain When I Die.” Singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell led the reconstituted Seattle quartet, who bulldozed through choice cuts like “Dam That River,” “Again” and “Man in the Box.” By the mesmerizing set-closer “Would?” the crowd was roaring approval. DuVall isn’t a clone of deceased singer Layne Staley, and though he didn’t hit the notes in quite the same way, he hit them all the right way.
The set was one of just two American summer shows before the band unveils a new album. Slated for September release, the as-yet-untitled disc has a strong buzz. After his set, McKagan called it “the best rock record he’s heard in the last 15 years.” Cantrell — who had nearly twice as many writing credits as the late, great Staley on previous albums — said the record represents the entire AIC spectrum from electric dynamics to unplugged angst. Though the group’s set didn’t feature any new material, DuVall hinted at a subtle new lyrical direction.
“I think there’s always been a little bit of death trip element [and a] survivor element,” said DuVall. “I think maybe the percentage has been a bit inverted [on the new album]. Where some of the records might have been more Scarface, this one is more Shawshank Redemption.”
you all will witness a world premiere nao. i present to this hollow pale cold world......American Communism, the remaster-remix of Chinese Democracy with a few nice extra nuggets in between.
22 remastered/remixed tracks of the RB2 no guitar rips (by CoBrA2168, cheers) and ogg files of Shackler by unknown and some of my own stuff added.
153MB RAR file, no password, from fastest to slowest download speed (for me at least):
if i disappear into a torture camp in the near future, you all should know i did it for teh lulz :3 ========================================================== pees chicken_dinner/the L
Bachelor Party Idea: Rock with Tracii Guns’ Rock Band
Legendary rock guitarist Tracii Guns – the rock star who put the "Guns" in the rock bands L.A. Guns and Guns N' Roses – hits the road with his own League of Gentlemen rock band.
New wedding blog WeddingPlanningandAccessories.com recognizes that not all red-blooded American men enjoy a bachelor party that only consists of an entire night devoted to just viewing strippers and smoking cigars.
So if you are looking to do something that’s just a little bit different, then you might want to see if Tracii Guns’ League of Gentlemen is in your town. After all – boys wanna rock! And let’s face – girls can rock, too! Both bachelors and bachelorettes can enjoy themselves thoroughly.
During the last part of May, Tracii Guns hits the road with his League of Gentlemen rockers to perform some of his classic hits and a lot of other surprises.
Tracii Guns’ League of Gentlemen tour dates:
May 16 - San Diego, CA 710 Beach Club May 18 - Lakewood, CO Ecks Saloon May 20 - Detroit , MI Irock May 21 - Greenville, WI Route 15 Sports Bar May 22 - Janesville, WI The Back Bar May 23 - Meriam, KS Aftershock May 25 - Waterloo, IA Spicoli's Grill Garden May 26 - Oklahoma City, OK The Rock Theater May 27 - Dallas, TX The Rockstar Bar May 28 - Kemah, TX Heads N Tails May 29 - San Angelo, TX Dead Horse May 30 - Tucson, AZ Omally's
As reported on Monday, Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses are rumored play in Israel, most likely on October 2, 2009, as part of the Chinese Democracy World Tour.
The concert is likely to be held at Park Ha-Yarkon in Tel Aviv.
The latest mention of this supposed concert comes via the Jerusalem Post. Quotes after the jump.
"Local media have been reporting that final negotiations are underway to bring Madonna here as the closing date of her worldwide Sticky and Sweet tour. The show would take place around the High Holidays, with the singer expected to stay here for a few days. And Guns N' Roses, with Chinese Democracy finally off its back, are also pencilled in for a late-summer or autumn show, according to Channel 1."
Duff McKagan's blog over on the Seattle Weekly website is always entertaining. As I drank my morning coffee and read this week's missive from the "white seattle punk who became a world famous rockstar," I had a welcome smile on my face. Duff's words (not mine) after the jump.
"As I write this piece, I am sitting here at the airport waiting for another flight (I fly a LOT). I suppose a guilty pleasure of mine sits right there in Hudson Booksellers' magazine racks under "Entertainment."
At least every other week (if not oftener), either Brad and Jen are getting back together, Brad and Angelina are breaking up, Jen is adopting or pregnant, or Angelina is getting a new tattoo. Good stuff.
There has got to be an almost voyeuristic pleasure or thrill for the mainstream consumer to get these rags by the absolute truckloads. Hey, I am guilty myself of peeking once in a while at this stuff.
The "They Are Just Like Us" section in Star is fucking hilarious to me. Really? They go grocery shopping ... just like us? Change diapers? Pick their noses? I think it would be killer if they caught some celebrity masturbating. It would read "They rub one out ... just like us!" So endearing, really."
Q&A: Great White It's been 20 years since Great White hit the pop charts with their scrappy reinvention of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy." But even now, it's probably the second thing most people think of when they hear the name Great White.
The first thing in most cases is the nightclub fire of 2003 that left 100 people dead in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
We spoke to keyboard player Michael Lardie, now a Queen Creek resident, about the breakthrough hit, the latest album, surviving the '80s and the show that will probably haunt them forever.
Question: How would you say the music on this latest album, Rising, compares with what you guys were doing in the '80s?
Answer: Some of the themes are a bit more mature. Jack Russell as a lyricist and singer really put his heart out there. In many ways, it was very cathartic for him. He was going through a pretty bad breakup. So he just kind of laid it out there. Sonically, it's almost got more of a '70s thing to it 'cause that's what we grew up on.
Q: I thought it was cool that a band so often lumped in with the Poisons of the world would cover Ian Hunter.
A: It was just an appropriate song for the time. We didn't plan it out that way. The funny story is that Jack was riding in a car with Izzy Stradlin and he goes "I want to play you something, dude. You won't believe it."
Our previous album had been called Once Bitten ..., so he pops in this tape, and Jack had never heard it before because it really wasn't a hit out on the West Coast.
It was just one of those things of hearing that and going "Yeah, we'll do that song and call the album Twice Shy." We had no idea it would get the legs it did.
Great White When: 7PM Friday, May 22 Where: Club Red, 2155 E University Drive, Tempe, AZ Admission: $25 Details: (480) 966-4733, myspace.com/clubredrocks
Duff McKagan will make his radio host debut today with "Radio Loaded," a one-hour show on 99.9 KISW "The Rock Of Seattle" and at KISW.com
The show will air Tuesday, May 12 at 10 AM Pacific Time.
Immediately following the broadcast, the show and bonus material will be available for streaming and download at www.KISW.com
Duff's Radio Loaded, Premiere show. May 12, 2009 10AM - 11AM Pacific Time. Seattle, WA.
01. Introduction 02. Scottish bartender joke 03. "Flatline" 04. Lemmy interview 05. "Ace of Spades" 06. Nikki Sixx interview 07. "Dr. Feelgood" 08. Sean Kinney (Alice in Chains) interview 09. "Would?" 10. Mike McCready interview 11. "Wild Horses" live in the studio performed by Loaded feat. Mike McCready 12. 'See you next week'
Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses will play in Israel, most likely on October 2, 2009, as part of the Chinese Democracy World Tour.
Chinese Democracy was one of the most successful albums in recent years, putting the names Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses back on the World Map.
The first and only time Guns N 'Roses played Israel was in July 1993 at the Park Hayarkon in Tel Aviv. That show has been considered since, one of the worst in the band's history.
It seems that it's time for Axl Rose and his new band to be given a chance to correct the impression that the old band gave the Israeli audience. (Mako)
Sorry for the awful translation. If anyone can do better, please let me know. -Mack
In the latest issue of Classic Rock magazine, Duff McKagan spills the beans on Chinese Democracy, writing for Playboy and the continued hunt for a VR singer.
Here's what he had to say about his former bandmates.
What did you think of Chinese Democracy?
I was glad to hear Axl's voice. I've always been a fan of his voice. He's one of the real ones. I'm in sort of a different position listening to that record, because I'm not listening to it for it to sound like anything I was part of, because I know it's not that. I think Axl sang his ass off. He made the record he wanted to make and I'm happy for him. I thought he did a great job
Do you think there will be a point where the five of you will be friends again, able to just sit down and talk about the old days?
Wouldn't that be great? I think Guns were five dudes with this shared vision. We met and it was the exact right five guys. I'd been in enough bands before to know that there's always a weak link in a band. The moment we got in a room and played the first three chords, we all knew it. We didn't have any illusions that we were going to be huge or anything. But people started coming to our gigs and then labels started coming to our gigs and we made the record we wanted to make. And all of a sudden it hit, and it seemed like a whole generation of the world had an affinity for that record.
We went through some growing pains together. Everybody knew who we were. Man, you'd go to the grocery store and people would be like: "Whoa! Dude!" How do you cope with that? All we had was each other to help us understand. We all survived. And that's pretty amazing, that we're all alive to talk about it.
So yeah, as part of a perfect world we could all go out to dinner without our wives or anything and say, "Congratulations. We're all alive, and people still freak out over what we did." Will that happen? I don't know. It's probably utopian.
By the way, "Hello" to all my new readers from Condron.us
It's a rip from the Rock Band 2 videogame. Just Axl's vocals with the piano and symphony. There's some beautiful stuff on there that's buried on the album.
Van Halen News Desk is reporting that Bono has managed to broker a deal that merges Universal Music Group (the largest record distribution outfit on the planet) with YouTube.
The channel, to be called Vevo, will debut later in 2009 and will feature content provided by Universal. The joint venture, apparently derived by Bono during a dinner with UMG’s CEO Doug Morris, is expected to produce revenue through outside advertisements, similar to the commercials seen on sites such as Hulu that viewers must endure before seeing the content they are seeking.
The new channel will be wholly owned by UMG, although both companies will share start up costs. The venture has been deemed as necessary by UMG, as album sales thus far in 2009 are down 45 percent from 2000, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Seattle native Duff McKagan will make his radio host debut next week with "Radio Loaded", a one-hour show on 99.9 KISW "The Rock Of Seattle" and at KISW.com
The show will air Tuesday, May 12 at 10 AM Pacific Time.
Immediately following the broadcast, the show and bonus material will be available for streaming and download at www.KISW.com
"I've always had a lot of fun as a guest on the air at KISW," said McKagan. "We figured it was about time they completely turned the reins over to me for an hour." (Ultimate Guitar)
In related news, Duff talked to Reuters' Dean Goodman about possibly writing a memoir of his life on the road.
Dean Goodman: Have you thought about writing a memoir like Slash did?
Duff: "I've been approached recently by different publishing houses to write a book ... If I wrote a book, '90 through '93, it's a grey area in my memory. It would open up something like, 'Here I sit in my living room. I just hit my 45th year. I remember my dad was 45. Some might have said I wouldn't have made it to this age. I've got kids underfoot.' And maybe flashback to 1994, when I was in the emergency room when my pancreas blew up. But it would have to be funny."
Dean Goodman: There's nothing funnier than an exploded pancreas.
Duff: "If you survive it!"
And in a longer, more in-depth interview with Steve Rosen of Ultimate Guitar, Duff talked about everything from his newest band Loaded, to the old days with Guns, the future of Velvet Revolver and his thoughts on Chinese Democracy.
SR: Do you keep in contact with Slash and the guys in VR?
Duff: Oh, sure, sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We haven’t made our best record yet. We wrote a bunch of new material last summer, and it’s far and above our best material. I think because we were back in that place, up again the wall. That’s when we perform the best. So we’re actively looking for a singer. The guy has got to be not just good, but great and have greatness. That will happen when it’s meant to happen. I’m not sweating it, but we haven’t made our best record yet. We all know we have to do that.
SR: Have you heard Chinese Democracy? Do you have any comments on it?
Duff: I heard it. Axl’s voice sounds great. The rest of it, people have asked me, “Is it weird for you to have a Guns N’ Roses come out?” It’s not that at all. Maybe if I would have gotten kicked out of the band and then this record came out, then I probably would have felt hurt. But you’ve got to remember, I left in 1995. I left because the thing that we created in ’85 was over, and it had been over probably since 1989. We were just kind of chasing out tails trying to get that back. It wasn’t meant to be. So for this record to come out now some 21 years after we made Appetite, for it to have any sort of effect like “Oh shit,” it’s not like. It’s been Axl's thing, and it always has. That will never change. As far as the band or the songs, they’re completely unfamiliar to me. There are some good songs that I really like, and there are some songs that I don’t. That could be any record we’re talking about.
SR: I’m really glad to see that you’re not a casualty of rock and that some guys are able to pull back from the edge to lead a good life.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine turned me on to a great band called Bulldog. They're not exactly a new band, but they are new to me.
Bulldog consists of Kenny Tudrick on vocals and guitar, Pete Ballard on the pedal steel, J. Rowe - drums, "Craven" on bass, and Eddie Harsch on the piano and organ.
I really dig this band, and I hope that you do too. Check them out and let me know what you think.
According to Rolling Stone, the second annual Sunset Strip Music Festival will pay tribute this September to Ozzy Osbourne, for the impact he’s made on the legacy of West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip.
The three-day outdoor festival is scheduled for September 10-12, and a substantial portion of the Strip will be shut down to accommodate the event.
Osbourne first played the Strip in the fall of 1970, when Black Sabbath’s first US tour invaded the Whisky A Go-Go for a five-night stretch. There’s been no word yet on who will be performing during the festival, but a lineup is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
"We are extremely excited to honor rock icon Ozzy Osbourne, and we are thrilled the City of West Hollywood once again supported the Sunset Strip Music Festival," says Todd Steadman, the Sunset Strip Music Festival’s executive director. "This year’s street closure will allow us to expand on the success of last year’s inaugural fest and accommodate more fans and festival-goers."
Of course, this summer, the Osbournes opted to forgo their annual Ozzfest trek, to permit the Ozzman to finish work on his forthcoming album, which has been tentatively set for a November release.
Last year, Slash appeared at the Strip Fest to honor Los Angeles’ rock history and recalled dressing in drag to sneak into the Rainbow on ladies’ night: "It was fun, until I found myself standing in the Rainbow in girls’ clothing by myself. It was a novel idea at the time."
Gawker Peter Brant seems to be going through the billionaire's version of mid-life crisis.
It's been brutal on his second, and soon to be ex-, wife.
Instead of acquiring a new car, like your typical older man reckoning with uncomfortable feelings, Brant bought a $50 million private jet. Instead of quitting his job, he shook up his pet magazine, Interview. And instead of your typical marriage problems, he's going with the nuclear divorce option, his wife's "friend" tells Page Six:
"I'm sleeping in the maid's quarters," Seymour told a friend... "He's playing very dirty with me."
...A friend said she has come home to discover the locks had been changed.
Brant is also challenging custody of the couple's three children, said Page Six.
Of course, Brant has already been through a family shakeup once before — when he left his first wife, with whom he had five children, for fashion model Seymour, whose past relationships included one to the then-married head of Elite Model Management and one with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses.
It could, perhaps, be worse: Some moguls assert their virility by buying severely overpriced newspapers for billions of dollars. Brant sells those newspapers the stock they print on — a superior economic position in a recession. In the midst of a messy divorce, however, Brant must be wishing he was the one with control over the tabloids.
"If it's not sincere - it's not Rock 'n' Roll." -Slash
And with that prophetic voiceover setting the tone for the night, the show began.
Ryan Seacrest introduced Slash and Friends with the Idols, performing the Alice Cooper hit "School's Out."
Apparently, "School's Out" was the only live performance of the night, as Paula Abdul, No Doubt, and Daughtry's portions were pre-recorded and played back live before the studio audience.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Slash insisted on playing live, although the performance was truly nothing special. Slash did some pointless shredding and the Idols kind of screamed their way through the song. There was even a squall of feedback. Not a bad performance, but definitely not great.
After a quick interview with Ryan about his upcoming solo album, Slash promptly left the building, and went back to his studio to record some Flamenco for the new disc.
Paula Abdul was next, singing her awful new single, "I'm Just Here for the Music."
Wow. If there was an award for worst attempt at lip-syncing auto-tuned vocals, Ms. Abdul just won it.
No Doubt's pre-recorded performance was next. They played their 1995 hit "Just a Girl."
There was something really awkward about this performance. Gwen Stefani just looked sad. I love the lady, and I give her credit for running around the audience and doing push-ups on stage and just really TRYING to give a great performance, but I could see that she wasn't feeling it.
Her interview with Mr. Seacrest was even more uncomfortable. She couldn't give a straight answer to why No Doubt was reuniting, or whether or not they were going to record new music together. I got the sense that this "reunion" is nothing more than a 401(k) Tour.
Daughtry was next, and their appearance Idol was the most anticipated of the night.
Daughtry's 2006 Debut (featuring Slash, Chis Chaney, and Josh Freese) is the fastest-selling debut album in Soundscan history and has been certified Quadruple Platinum. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, spawned 7 singles and sits at number 194 on the chart today after 127 weeks.
I thought it was cool that Chris Daughtry let one of his band mates do the talking during the interview, and I personally love the band's debut album, but I thought their performance was weak at best. I wish the band the best of luck on their new album, Leave This Town, but we all know it will probably never match the success of their debut (sound familiar?).
At the end of the show, rocker Allison Iraheta went home, and good for her.
She follows in the footsteps of Chris Daughtry who also made it as far as the Top 4.
She'll probably also have much more creative freedom in her career thanks to last night's vote.
The biggest disappointment of the night is that Idol didn't air Slash's Karaoke performance of the Leonard Cohen classic, "Hallelujah."
After the opening hoopla, host Ryan Seacrest introduced Slash and they showed a photo montage of the guitarist's career. While Ryan brought the public up-to-date with details on "Slash's first ever 'solo' album," the photo montage showed Fergie, Ozzy Osbourne, and Steven Tyler.
They showed rehearsal footage of Slash and his band (Tommy Clufetos, Chris Chaney and Kerri Kelli) jamming with the Idols on the Sunset Strip.
Tommy Clufetos looks like a madman on the drums.
Thank God, Adam Lambert didn't sing "Welcome to the Jungle."
Adam is fantastic - he really did "Whole Lotta Love" justice - especially the middle part.
Judge Kara DioGuardi compared him to Nine Inch Nails and said he should do an album with Slash.
About to embark on a World Tour with his band Adler’s Appetite, legendary Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler rocked the Opium Garden Nightclub at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL.
Traveling with bandmate Chip Z’Nuff, Steven flew into South Florida for a special engagement that won’t soon be forgotten by those in attendance. Playing along to a series of modern dance hits and rock classics, Adler enthralled club goers with his drumming prowess. Looking healthy, trim, and fit, and drumming better than ever, Steven thundered through a nonstop 45+ minute set with DJ Rush.
Sporting his ever-present smile that lit up the room along with the flashbulbs of adoring fans, Steven worked the club into a frenzy with his trademark high-octane fills and sonically enormous grooves. As Chip Z’Nuff commented, "Steven is the conductor that shovels coal into the Rock and Roll Choo-Choo Train!" After the set, Steven and Chip took time to greet every fan, sign autographs, take photos, and embrace hundreds of beautiful and loving ladies in attendance.
This clip shows the night’s finale, with Steven drumming along to "Sweet Child O’Mine." The energy inside the dancehall is incendiary as Steven, live on his drum kit, shows us all what making beats is really about.
Watch for the movie Sugar Boxx in which Chip and Steven have 2 songs featured off their project Johnnie Rotten Jr. Rumor has it that Guns N’ Roses founders Slash and Steven will be recording together in 2009. We are all hoping these 2 friends reunite for the first time since Appetite for Destruction dropped from the rock and roll Heavens. Steven Adler is back and ready to champion on with his rock career, second to none.
