"We Play Whatever Axl is in the Mood for ..."

Izzy Stradlin interviews are few and far-between, so I was thrilled when I actually found a video of one.



-M

"A Disgusting Display of Greed"

I was shocked and saddened to read the following article yesterday.
Click on either of the hotlinks for the full expose.
A short excerpt is included below.

Bon Jovi Fan Club Proves Itself to be Morally Bankrupt

By Anthony Kuzminski

In recent years, a lot has been written about Bon Jovi’s fan club, Backstage with Jon Bon Jovi. In the early days, it was an inner sanctum where interviews, exclusive pictures and information were delved out first. It was never the best fan club on the planet, but it always put the fans first. Somewhere along the line, someone realized how loyal, zealous and steadfast these fans were and decided to take advantage of them. Jon Bon Jovi’s brother, Matt, took over the fan club in late 2006 and since then, fans who were always dedicated and unswerving have decided to turn the back on the fan club because of their business practices. [MORE]

Spread the word,

Mack

GN'R Unreleased

01 - Just Another Sunday
02 - Crash Diet
03 - Heartbreak Hotel
04 - Ain't Goin' Down
05 - Cornshucker
06 - Bring it Back Home
07 - Sentimental Movie
08 - It Tastes Good, Don't It?
09 - Too Much Too Soon
10 - Goodnight Tonight
11 - Dead Flowers
12 - Jumpin' Jack Flash

GN'R unreleased.rar

By request, these 12 songs are an odd assortment of various unreleased GN'R material. The sound quality ranges from good (Heartbreak Hotel, Ain't Goin' Down, Cornshucker) to really bad (It Tastes Good, Don't It?).

"Goodnight Tonight" is performed live by Izzy Stradlin. I have a Guns N' Roses version but the sound quality on this one is superior.

"Just Another Sunday," "Crash Diet," "Bring it Back Home," and "Sentimental Movie" are demos from the Use Your Illusion sessions and I rate the sound quality a B-

This is undeniably the best version of "Heartbreak Hotel" in circulation.

"Ain't Goin' Down" is a rip from the Guns N' Roses pinball machine. This track dates back to the Appetite days. It is as strong a track as "Think About You," "Anything Goes," or "Out Ta Get Me."

"Conshucker" is from the GN'R Lies sessions. It was deemed "too obscene" to be included on the album.

"It Tastes Good, Don't It?" was performed live by the band during the Use Your Illusion Tour. Included here only as a collector's item. It's an awful recording of an awful song.

"Too Much Too Soon" is another old recording from the Appetite days. I don't really care for this song, but why take my word for it?

"Dead Flowers" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" round out the set and both Stones songs are featured here in acoustic renditions. The former is a good recording of a live performance and the latter is a poor recording of a studio demo.

- Mack.Arillo AT GMail.Com

Yet Another Marc Canter Interview

Every time Marc Canter is interviewed about his phenomenal book, Reckless Road, there is another new photo or tiny tidbit worth quoting here. Above is today's new photo, and below is a short quote.

Rick: I'd imagine there were times when the group or their fans were full of surprises, both on and off stage. What are a couple of the most outrageous or hilarious things that you experienced?

Marc: I saw Axl defend himself from a big guy on speed. The guy was swinging a drum stand at Axl's head, apparently intent on killing him. Axl ended up taking that guy down.

As far as on stage, the Street Scene, Sept. 28,1985, was a free outdoor show and Guns N' Roses was opening up for Social Distortion. The whole show was running three hours late. The punks were getting restless, when out come these guys on stage with Les Paul's and dressed like the New York Dolls. The punks were spitting and throwing food at Guns N' Roses!

After three songs the crowd was won over, because the group handled the stage like a stadium band. Before that gig they had only played for a hundred people. That night there were around three thousand people in the audience.

Rick: Slash seems to be heavy into work and always on the move musically or into a slug of projects, endorsement deals. He doesn't seem to be a guy who stands in one spot for too long. What keeps him always pushing forward?

Marc: Slash has always worked hard for his music. He never stops. Now he has two kids to help take care of, but he still works around the clock. I don't know how he does it!

Rick: Do you have a "Guns N' Roses at 50," book planned a few years out?

Marc: Those guys are true rockers and I'm sure they will rock until they die.

Modern Guitars

The Untold Story of Hollywood Rose

While doing some research on Hollywood Rose for Saturday's post, I discovered drummer Johnny Kreis' Hollywood Rose website.

Not only does it have some amazing photos - yes, that's Izzy Stradlin front and center in the above picture - it also answers a lot of questions about a band who's story really has not been told.

Johnny says the band existed from 1981-1984 and describes how he met Axl and Izzy. He even sheds a little light on Axl's recording methods which should sound familiar to many of you.

Quoted below are some of the original reviews of Hollywood Rose from back in the day.

"Bills Voice Is Unique ... He's Gonna Get Signed"

"The Double-Bass Drum Madness of Mickey Mouse on Speed"

"Senseless Heavy Metal Roaring and Ripped-Off ZZ Top Guitar Riffs"

"A drag race between a F-14 Tomcat in full afterburner racing a fully restored Yugo, or ingesting mass quantities of speed and telling yourself to just sit quietly in a round room without windows"

-M

Johnny Kreis' Untold Story
Johnny Kreis' MySpace

Guns N' Roses Reunion ... 2006?

For those of you who think Axl would never consider a reunion...

June 29, 2006:

Despite Slash recently claiming that he is at a loss as to where the Guns N' Roses reunion rumors are coming from, it seems that they continue to slowly gain momentum.

As was reported a little while back there was considerable talk suggesting that the so called 'classic' GNR lineup was to play last months' Download Festival in the UK, which of course, didn't happen.

The current incarnation of the band, however, did play, and after battling through some sound issues were joined onstage by original Gun Izzy Stradlin for ripping renditions of "Think About You, Smoke on the Water/Patience, Nightrain, Used to Love Her, and, of course, Paradise City. Izzy's appearance wasn't a great surprise as the guitarist did join the band on stage for their comeback shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in May, but he has continued to consistently appear throughout this leg of the European tour, a site that must surely warm the hearts of the still considerable GNR faithful.

However, according to Classic Rock magazine, via a GNR insider, recent attempts were indeed made by Axl Rose to reform the original band for shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, and then again for the Download Festival at Donnington Park. The magazine also reported that both were allegedly to be filmed and released on DVD with an accompanying live album to mark the 20th anniversary of the band forming. As the story goes, all parties were interested until the fine print of the contracts were examined.

Apparently, despite the shows and the potential earning power of the subsequent CD/DVD sales, in agreeing to the terms and conditions, each member then agrees that all rights to the entire Guns N' Roses back catalogue would henceforth transfer to Axl.

Needless to stay, negotiations stalled, but rumors persist that the lads will play the Hammersmith in the English summer and that there will be a live album preceding the eventual release of Chinese Democracy.

Stereoboard

Thanks: thesoundofhorror

China Syndrome

Was that Axl Rose Story for Real?
Chinese state media report leaves some readers bewildered
By Matthew Little

A news report in China says Axl Rose, who named his latest album Chinese Democracy, is part of a global conspiracy aimed at attacking China and securing global control.

Some readers have been a bit puzzled about a front page story we ran last week, wondering if it was for real.

“Axl Rose Leads Plot for Global Domination” by Michael Mahonen was a satirical take on a report in the Chinese state-controlled newspaper Global Times. The report alleged Rose was part of a global conspiracy aimed at attacking China and securing global control.

While Mahonen’s take on it was humourous, the report itself was all too real and not at all funny. Chinese state media are in fact alleging Axl Rose is a pawn of Western governments intent on destroying China.

Axl Rose Leads Plot for Global Domination

Readers unfamiliar with the nature of the China communist regime’s media and Internet control may find it hard to believe anyone would take such a charge seriously. Sadly, the regime’s zealous efforts to control all media within their borders have left many Chinese people vulnerable to such outlandish suggestions.

It has also left them with revisionist histories that make it difficult to accurately evaluate the regime that controls their country, or understand the difference between patriotism and misplaced nationalism.

Among the worst victims of this sorry state of affairs are China’s young people.

Growing up in the recent boom times, they’ve come to believe the government wholeheartedly, to the extent that many believe the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989 is nothing more than a Western myth cooked up to defame the regime, another so called attack on China.

Kevin Yang hosts a weekly news dissection program on New Tang Dynasty Television. His show, China News Detox, evaluates stories from China’s state media and breaks down the various propaganda elements deployed within them.

Yang dissected the Global Times news article on his show last week.

“That newspaper did a very normal thing for the CCP [Chinese Communist Party],” said Yang. “It attacked all those people that care about democracy and human rights in China.”

Besides alleging Rose was a pawn of Western governments aimed at forcing democracy on China, the article also claimed celebrities like Mia Farrow and Sharon Stone were part of the same plot.

“If anyone cares about the Chinese people, human rights, or freedom, [China’s media] always say they attack China,” said Yang.

The essential tactic the regime uses is to conflate the Chinese nation and people with the Chinese communist regime, Yang explained. The effect, he added, is that if anyone criticizes the regime, Chinese people have been effectively brainwashed to believe such people are against China and the Chinese people.

“At the end of the article it’s very funny,” said Yang, referring to an interview in the article with a Chinese scholar. That scholar said people outside of China have a biased view of the country and the regime needs to strengthen its propaganda work so the whole world sees the Chinese regime “the way it is.”

“For Chinese people, they don't realize how ridiculous that statement is, but for us, it is absurd…They control all the media in China, so this statement is saying they don't just want to brainwash Chinese people, but the whole world as well.”

Epoch Times