New Axl pics

[ppbebe]

yay, great pics!

it's the look in his eyes.

you mean those aren't really smiling? I love tommy's waggish face.

The drinking has helped with the rasp as well.

I don't really think he looks all that different except for the shorter hair, but you have to remember the new clothes and hair (no more baggie jersey's, big braids) has to a lot to do with making him look better also.

agreed about the appearance but I don't think his "rasp" today is the result of the drinking. If it was, god help GNR.

@ Russian Roulette cut the crap already. If he was still affected from the unhealthy lifestyle of the past, of more than a decade ago, he wouldn't be able to sing clean.

[T_Roxie]

You smoke, you damage your vocal cords.  Permanently.

quote "If he was still affected from the unhealthy lifestyle of the past, of more than a decade ago"

[ppbebe]

You smoke, you damage your vocal cords.  Permanently.

quote "If he was still affected from the unhealthy lifestyle of the past, of more than a decade ago"

how much permanent is it when you can actually sing clean now? 
That would be the case if your vocal coards were fatally hurt. Yes smoking can kill. Still some survive. 
Look at his UYI era pics. He was always useing extra filter with his ciggy to remove the tar and such.

[mrlee]

wow, one of the pics, where hes smiling and looking to the left, he looks like old axl!

[smugolo]

hey was just wondering, can you edit these images into fan art etc. or is it a breach of copyright?

[tonya_ytzerman]

Depends. If you take the pic and put it up in your apartment or use it to make a wallpaper for yourself, I guess it's not. If you put the pic (or anything you did with it) up on your website, or distribute it further in any way, IMO it is. If you appear to be making any money using the pic (eg. sell shirts with the pic or anything you derived from it as the print), you can be pretty sure you have a lawsuit thrown at you.

[smugolo]

Depends. If you take the pic and put it up in your apartment or use it to make a wallpaper for yourself, I guess it's not. If you put the pic (or anything you did with it) up on your website, or distribute it further in any way, IMO it is. If you appear to be making any money using the pic (eg. sell shirts with the pic or anything you derived from it as the print), you can be pretty sure you have a lawsuit thrown at you.

thanks for the info 

[dodger girl]

That's Axl. That's fucking Axl.

I haven't seen a picture of Axl looking this much like Axl in over a decade.

you know, I just said this very same thing over at another forum... how much this particular pic and Axl's expression reminds me of his old self.. it's surreal


and Tommy.. .well, he reminds me of a cartoon there LOL but can't remember which one.. some dwarf or something lol I love his face there hahaa!

[padje]

Damn, his AFD-Cross is getting really pale... He should get it renovated!

[requiem156]

Yeah the more Axl tours the better he looks. Reminds me of something Dave Grohl said about the Foo song "Skin and Bones" which describes your physical condition after living on the road for so long and not living an extremely healthy lifestyle.? He also sounds better the more he tours.? I think a big reason for his '02 voice sounding so clean and un-Axl was that he quit smoking? ?I've seen him smoking cigars and he talked about smoking weed in a hip-hop studio on the Eddie Trunk interview.? Whatever he's doing its working.? If this is Axl's big push may it never end.? An endless tour briefly interrupted with intermittent album releases will do nicely.? ?

Axl's voice changed because he had been out of the game for years, and his voice had weakened. Furthermore, due to the fact that he DID smoke and drink so much when he was younger, coupled with the fact that he was now older, his voice had been affected and when he tried to pull off the rasp it probably didn't sound right. So he thought he could start singing like Freddie Mercury I guess, because he found it easier and more natural/comfortable. I think he had voice training before he reappeared in '06 and Baz said he hooked him up with a vocal coach.

There you go again speading misinformation. Why do you bother speculating on vocal technique when it's obviously not your field of expertise?

[HamsterDemocracy]

Yeah the more Axl tours the better he looks. Reminds me of something Dave Grohl said about the Foo song "Skin and Bones" which describes your physical condition after living on the road for so long and not living an extremely healthy lifestyle.  He also sounds better the more he tours.  I think a big reason for his '02 voice sounding so clean and un-Axl was that he quit smoking   I've seen him smoking cigars and he talked about smoking weed in a hip-hop studio on the Eddie Trunk interview.  Whatever he's doing its working.  If this is Axl's big push may it never end.  An endless tour briefly interrupted with intermittent album releases will do nicely.   

Axl's voice changed because he had been out of the game for years, and his voice had weakened. Furthermore, due to the fact that he DID smoke and drink so much when he was younger, coupled with the fact that he was now older, his voice had been affected and when he tried to pull off the rasp it probably didn't sound right. So he thought he could start singing like Freddie Mercury I guess, because he found it easier and more natural/comfortable. I think he had voice training before he reappeared in '06 and Baz said he hooked him up with a vocal coach.

There you go again speading misinformation. Why do you bother speculating on vocal technique when it's obviously not your field of expertise?

There you go again being a self-important prick.

Mis-information? Let's see. He acknowledged that his voice weakened while he was gone. It's a fact that Baz said he hooked Axl up with a vocal coach earlier this year. Smoking and singing with the type of rasp Axl used will affect your voice. (Tom Waits said his own voice got rougher because of all the cigarettes and alcohol.)

The real question is, Why do you feel the need to impose your inflated ego on everyone else? It's a public discussion board. No one who signs up here is required to sign a disclaimer proving their field of expertise is vocal technique. If you don't agree with someone, you can reply and argue all you want - but don't try to imply they shouldn't be able to voice their own opinion, especially when it's backed up with facts.

[chineseblues]

Yeah the more Axl tours the better he looks. Reminds me of something Dave Grohl said about the Foo song "Skin and Bones" which describes your physical condition after living on the road for so long and not living an extremely healthy lifestyle.  He also sounds better the more he tours.  I think a big reason for his '02 voice sounding so clean and un-Axl was that he quit smoking   I've seen him smoking cigars and he talked about smoking weed in a hip-hop studio on the Eddie Trunk interview.  Whatever he's doing its working.  If this is Axl's big push may it never end.  An endless tour briefly interrupted with intermittent album releases will do nicely.   

Axl's voice changed because he had been out of the game for years, and his voice had weakened. Furthermore, due to the fact that he DID smoke and drink so much when he was younger, coupled with the fact that he was now older, his voice had been affected and when he tried to pull off the rasp it probably didn't sound right. So he thought he could start singing like Freddie Mercury I guess, because he found it easier and more natural/comfortable. I think he had voice training before he reappeared in '06 and Baz said he hooked him up with a vocal coach.

There you go again speading misinformation. Why do you bother speculating on vocal technique when it's obviously not your field of expertise?

it's a fact that Baz said he hooked Axl up with a vocal coach earlier this year.

It wasnt before Axl came back to the public eye like you claim though. It was after the first Hammerstein show when he blew out his voice.

[requiem156]

Yeah the more Axl tours the better he looks. Reminds me of something Dave Grohl said about the Foo song "Skin and Bones" which describes your physical condition after living on the road for so long and not living an extremely healthy lifestyle.? He also sounds better the more he tours.? I think a big reason for his '02 voice sounding so clean and un-Axl was that he quit smoking? ?I've seen him smoking cigars and he talked about smoking weed in a hip-hop studio on the Eddie Trunk interview.? Whatever he's doing its working.? If this is Axl's big push may it never end.? An endless tour briefly interrupted with intermittent album releases will do nicely.? ?

Axl's voice changed because he had been out of the game for years, and his voice had weakened. Furthermore, due to the fact that he DID smoke and drink so much when he was younger, coupled with the fact that he was now older, his voice had been affected and when he tried to pull off the rasp it probably didn't sound right. So he thought he could start singing like Freddie Mercury I guess, because he found it easier and more natural/comfortable. I think he had voice training before he reappeared in '06 and Baz said he hooked him up with a vocal coach.

There you go again speading misinformation. Why do you bother speculating on vocal technique when it's obviously not your field of expertise?

There you go again being a self-important prick.

Mis-information? Let's see. He acknowledged that his voice weakened while he was gone. It's a fact that Baz said he hooked Axl up with a vocal coach earlier this year. Smoking and singing with the type of rasp Axl used will affect your voice. (Tom Waits said his own voice got rougher because of all the cigarettes and alcohol.)

The real question is, Why do you feel the need to impose your inflated ego on everyone else? It's a public discussion board. No one who signs up here is required to sign a disclaimer proving their field of expertise is vocal technique. If you don't agree with someone, you can reply and argue all you want - but don't try to imply they shouldn't be able to voice their own opinion, especially when it's backed up with facts.

It's not backed up by facts - it's pointless conjecture. I don't impose my "inflated ego" on everyone here - in fact, I don't respond to many threads at all. However, when I see someone stating a poorly informed opinion as the gospel on vocal technique, I feel it's my obligation to step in and make a correction because I know that the "facts" on which their theory is based are anything but. In fact, as a musician, not much bothers me more than seeing someone who isn't a musician dispensing wisdom on the subject of guitar playing and singing.

As far as voicing an opinion -let's clarify that for a second. An opinion is where you say, "I don't think Axl's voice is as strong as it was in '92." in response to a statement like that, I can either say "yes, I agree" or politely disagree. However, when you start making statements like this one Axl's voice changed because he had been out of the game for years, and his voice had weakened. Furthermore, due to the fact that he DID smoke and drink so much when he was younger, coupled with the fact that he was now older, his voice had been affected and when he tried to pull off the rasp it probably didn't sound right you're you're using facts that may or may not have any relevance to the situation as support for your opinion.

I promise this is the last time I will ever post on this topic without being asked, so bear with me- the damage caused by smoking and drinking can be undone for any singer except the most polished voices(opera singers and so on) by simply stopping the behaviors. For someone who sings like Axl, it's really never going to make a perceptible difference in comparison to what is really vocally damaging - his technique. Singing with a rasp, and particularly the kind of rasp that Axl was employing during the UYI tour causes your vocal cords to rub together in particular areas, which in turn produces a node(similar to a callus). The formation of a node prevents a clear passage of air through the vocal cords, and consequently prevents a clear tone from being produced. Once a node or nodes are formed tone and range will degenerate. This kind of damage is caused by singing hard, and can only be undone by surgery. That is why I have no patience when people say that Axl's voice is not as strong as it was on the UYI tour - that was when it was weakest, and he had to strain that hard just to make it through a set. If he can make clear notes again now, then his voice is obviously stronger. That is the physiology of the situation ?I'm sorry my pointing it out offends you, but people should have the correct info before they speak, in my opinion.

[HamsterDemocracy]

However, when I see someone stating a poorly informed opinion as the gospel on vocal technique, I feel it's my obligation to step in and make a correction because I know that the "facts" on which their theory is based are anything but.

Which facts are "anything but"?

That smoking will damage your voice? That drinking will? 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061023054343AAzLVcO

In fact, as a musician, not much bothers me more than seeing someone who isn't a musician dispensing wisdom on the subject of guitar playing and singing.

How do you know I'm not a musician? That's an assumption, and you're wrong. I'm not a singer, but I do play multiple instruments, and have since childhood.

But here we are at the root of the argument. Your superiority. You feel you are the authority on vocal technique because you are a "musician." I hate to burst your bubble, but that means absolutely nothing. Your opinion carries no more weight than anyone else's.

The fact that you admit "not much" bothers you more than "seeing someone who isn't a musician dispensing wisdom on the subject of guitar playing and singing" reveals a problem on YOUR part - if it bothers you to come to a public message board about a music group and see posts discussing the guitars in the band (a band known for its guitar work) or the vocals of its lead singer (who, arguably, is one of the most famous vocalists of all-time) - that's like saying you hate karaoke music and going to a karaoke bar.

I can guarantee you there are going to be endless discussions of Axl's vocals and the band's guitar work, and not everyone who offers their OPINION on these topics must be a "musician" or a qualified expert. By this criteria, all movie critics who bash an actor's performance or a director's work or a screenwriter's writing must be accomplished filmmakers, actors or screenwriters?

As far as voicing an opinion -let's clarify that for a second. An opinion is where you say, "I don't think Axl's voice is as strong as it was in '92." in response to a statement like that, I can either say "yes, I agree" or politely disagree. However, when you start making statements like this one Axl's voice changed because he had been out of the game for years, and his voice had weakened. Furthermore, due to the fact that he DID smoke and drink so much when he was younger, coupled with the fact that he was now older, his voice had been affected and when he tried to pull off the rasp it probably didn't sound right you're you're using facts that may or may not have any relevance to the situation as support for your opinion.

Let's start off with the very elementary part of message board etiquette. People don't have to say "IMHO" before offering an opinion. It's a given they're offering their opinion just by writing.

I promise this is the last time I will ever post on this topic without being asked

No one ever said you had to "ask" to be part of the discussion, and I certainly didn't imply so. If you don't want to post more in this thread without having "permission," you only have yourself to blame for that. Don't try to make it sound like I am, or anyone else is, accountable for whether you can post without being asked to.

It seems like you don't have a real clear grasp of what a message board is or why it's called a "forum" in the first place.

If you don't agree with my opinion on Axl's voice and why it changed in 2002, it's real simple - agree or disagree; offer your thoughts. But don't try to come here with a holier-than-thou attitude and act as if YOUR opinion matters more because you are a musician. And don't try to accuse me of passing off my opinion as "fact" simply because you fail to comprehend very basic message board etiquette.

"IMHO."

[requiem156]

However, when I see someone stating a poorly informed opinion as the gospel on vocal technique, I feel it's my obligation to step in and make a correction because I know that the "facts" on which their theory is based are anything but.

Which facts are "anything but"?

That smoking will damage your voice? That drinking will??

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061023054343AAzLVcO

In fact, as a musician, not much bothers me more than seeing someone who isn't a musician dispensing wisdom on the subject of guitar playing and singing.

How do you know I'm not a musician? That's an assumption, and you're wrong. I'm not a singer, but I do play multiple instruments, and have since childhood.

But here we are at the root of the argument. Your superiority. You feel you are the authority on vocal technique because you are a "musician." I hate to burst your bubble, but that means absolutely nothing. Your opinion carries no more weight than anyone else's.

The fact that you admit "not much" bothers you more than "seeing someone who isn't a musician dispensing wisdom on the subject of guitar playing and singing" reveals a problem on YOUR part - if it bothers you to come to a public message board about a music group and see posts discussing the guitars in the band (a band known for its guitar work) or the vocals of its lead singer (who, arguably, is one of the most famous vocalists of all-time) - that's like saying you hate karaoke music and going to a karaoke bar.

I can guarantee you there are going to be endless discussions of Axl's vocals and the band's guitar work, and not everyone who offers their OPINION on these topics must be a "musician" or a qualified expert. By this criteria, all movie critics who bash an actor's performance or a director's work or a screenwriter's writing must be accomplished filmmakers, actors or screenwriters?

As far as voicing an opinion -let's clarify that for a second. An opinion is where you say, "I don't think Axl's voice is as strong as it was in '92." in response to a statement like that, I can either say "yes, I agree" or politely disagree. However, when you start making statements like this one Axl's voice changed because he had been out of the game for years, and his voice had weakened. Furthermore, due to the fact that he DID smoke and drink so much when he was younger, coupled with the fact that he was now older, his voice had been affected and when he tried to pull off the rasp it probably didn't sound right you're you're using facts that may or may not have any relevance to the situation as support for your opinion.

Let's start off with the very elementary part of message board etiquette. People don't have to say "IMHO" before offering an opinion. It's a given they're offering their opinion just by writing.

I promise this is the last time I will ever post on this topic without being asked

No one ever said you had to "ask" to be part of the discussion, and I certainly didn't imply so. If you don't want to post more in this thread without having "permission," you only have yourself to blame for that. Don't try to make it sound like I am, or anyone else is, accountable for whether you can post without being asked to.

It seems like you don't have a real clear grasp of what a message board is or why it's called a "forum" in the first place.

If you don't agree with my opinion on Axl's voice and why it changed in 2002, it's real simple - agree or disagree; offer your thoughts. But don't try to come here with a holier-than-thou attitude and act as if YOUR opinion matters more because you are a musician. And don't try to accuse me of passing off my opinion as "fact" simply because you fail to comprehend very basic message board etiquette.

"IMHO."

Ok, like I said - I'm not going to debate this any further. Maybe we have different ideas of what constitutes message board etiquette, but as you say, everyone has different opinions. I'll keep my mouth shut, and you can continue to tell people that the world is flat, the sun orbits the earth or whatever else you can think of. Enjoy.

[marty]

Damn, his AFD-Cross is getting really pale... He should get it renovated!

i'm just glad he never tried to get rid of it or edit it to remove any past friends, would have been a huge shame, and would never want to ruin such a legendary tattoo

[crow316]

ive heard stories about him having it blacked in, and some pics ive seen it does look like he messed with it.?Even this pic looks like the vertical part of the cross has been colored in. I wish I could see a really clear pic of what it looks like now, though.

[LeftToDecay]

That's Axl. That's fucking Axl.

I haven't seen a picture of Axl looking this much like Axl in over a decade.

you know, I just said this very same thing over at another forum... how much this particular pic and Axl's expression reminds me of his old self.. it's surreal

Ditto.Watching that pick and listening to "..but there was a tiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-imepart of TWAT would make anyone think it's 1994 in a wierd alternative reality where GNR has a new record out.

[HamsterDemocracy]

Ok, like I said - I'm not going to debate this any further.

Predictable.

Maybe we have different ideas of what constitutes message board etiquette, but as you say, everyone has different opinions.

Your idea of message board etiquette is that your opinion is above everyone else's when it comes to discussions related to vocalists simply because you...ahem...are a "musician"?

And you think unless someone says, "In my opinion..." before a post, they're automatically taking on an authoritative position. This is not an opinion. It is a fact that just because someone writes something on a message board, it doesn't mean it's factual or that they think it is factual. Look up the definition of "forum." It's a place for someone to vocalize their opinions. If I say Axl's voice was weakened by smoking and drinking in the early '90s, nowhere am I claiming to be the end-all authority on the subject. That's the beauty of a message board. Until I start going around telling people they can't continue to discuss it because I and only I am correct, your argument is baseless.

I'll keep my mouth shut, and you can continue to tell people that the world is flat, the sun orbits the earth or whatever else you can think of. Enjoy.

And here you devolve back into a series of lame put-downs. Backing up an opinion with facts regarding the deterioration of vocals due to smoking and drinking hardly constitutes a comparison to "[telling] people that the world is flat."

That's lame, childish and ignorant. If you can't back it up then don't dish it out. This is the second time you've responded to posts of mine about Axl's voice trying to tell me you're right because you think you know more about vocal technique - more so than health physicians whose research proves smoking and drinking will adversely affect your ability to sing.

[requiem156]

Ok, like I said - I'm not going to debate this any further.

Predictable.

Maybe we have different ideas of what constitutes message board etiquette, but as you say, everyone has different opinions.

Your idea of message board etiquette is that your opinion is above everyone else's when it comes to discussions related to vocalists simply because you...ahem...are a "musician"?

And you think unless someone says, "In my opinion..." before a post, they're automatically taking on an authoritative position. This is not an opinion. It is a fact that just because someone writes something on a message board, it doesn't mean it's factual or that they think it is factual. Look up the definition of "forum." It's a place for someone to vocalize their opinions. If I say Axl's voice was weakened by smoking and drinking in the early '90s, nowhere am I claiming to be the end-all authority on the subject. That's the beauty of a message board. Until I start going around telling people they can't continue to discuss it because I and only I am correct, your argument is baseless.

I'll keep my mouth shut, and you can continue to tell people that the world is flat, the sun orbits the earth or whatever else you can think of. Enjoy.

And here you devolve back into a series of lame put-downs. Backing up an opinion with facts regarding the deterioration of vocals due to smoking and drinking hardly constitutes a comparison to "[telling] people that the world is flat."

That's lame, childish and ignorant. If you can't back it up then don't dish it out. This is the second time you've responded to posts of mine about Axl's voice trying to tell me you're right because you think you know more about vocal technique - more so than health physicians whose research proves smoking and drinking will adversely affect your ability to sing.

You're telling I'm childish and ignorant after starting this entire exchange by saying: There you go again being a self-important prick. All right then. Actually, I was hoping to de-fuse this entire situation, because contrary to what you seem to believe, I don't think I'm superior to everyone else on the board, and being at odds with everyone here serves no purpose.

I'm perfectly willing to accept that I may have put things in terms that were less than flattering to you, and consequently pissed you off. Ok - sorry about that. Sometimes it's too easy to be flippant on the internet.

On the other hand, I'm standing by my original statements about Axl's vocal evolution. The point at which we're disagreeing is the point at which you say this is all a matter of opinion. Well, there are some absolutes when it comes to vocal technique, and I'm aware of some of them - singing with a rasp in head voice will take a toll on your voice, Axl's voice was in it's worst condition ever during the UYI tour. You're saying that his voice was weakened so the rasp wouldn't sound right. I'm saying that doesn't make rational sense. Sorry if you don't believe me. I suggest we avoid the subject because it seems like it will end predictably. 

For the record, I never said that smoking and drinking is good for your voice, I said that for someone like Axl the effect would negligible because he isn't striving for a clear tone, and probably won't be treating us to "Ave Maria" in the near future.