China Exchange: 60 Minutes with Axl Rose [June 14 - official video available]

[D-GenerationX]

For years I was as desperate as anybody for "CD 2" to come out...

After the second vegas residency and endless Hulk hogan ears ... I was getting antsy...

but right now... I am just too giddy and too excited for this summer... Vegas and Coachella and ACDC... it's all too fucking amazing.

If the album comes in a few years... especially if it comes with the meat n potatoes... all the better.

Agreed.

Far too excited about the tour than I am some album that sounds like the very definition of theoretical.

[Voodoochild]

but then why segway into the this reunion didn't just happen, it was intentional thing?

i know i'm over analyzing it, but i really want to see where the sentences would have gone if his responses went straight through without changing up. it's hard to explain what I mean, but the stuff like "um, and i just, i do want to...". he said he does want to put out music, but he JUST what? i don't think he was going to say "i just want to put out new music". it's like he was going to say something but then left it out and said something else instead. and then the "But I haven't, it's kind of, i've been working to get where things are". He hasn't what? It's kind of what?

i know i'm focusing on such a small part of the interview, but alas, that is obviously where my head is at (new music) when it comes to gnr and has been for a long time.

Ha, you are overanalyzing it indeed.

Think about how he was informally talking. He was like, speaking his mind, and sometimes you, like, talk like this.

And again, I think he was talking about new music when he said "I haven't". It's like, the priority was "to get where things are" now, meaning the whole regrouping and major tours. Maybe he's even talking about friendship, I dunno.

I have kinda given up on a new album. The track record of album releases over a 31 year period speaks for itself.....not angry about it or anything...just done fretting over something I can't control.

Maybe the negotiation with the record company now could be much easier with the old guys back.

[D-GenerationX]

Maybe the negotiation with the record company now could be much easier with the old guys back.

I would be tempted to agree.

Yet we theorized that the record company was not happy with Axl's total MIA act at the time of release, right?  And how they weren't about to go down that road again, unless it was behind a Guns N' Roses product composed of members the public had actually heard of, and could be counted on to do their part to help it succeed.

That was the theory, right?

Well, what about this U.S. tour has really given them fresh hope on that front?  Ain't like the return of "the old guys" led to that much of a change in promo strategy.

The GNR Twitter is actually about the band, and less about Axl's cats and mistreated giraffes, which is good. 

But other that that?

[Reunion2016]

No offense to Trunk or Kimmel, but this "interview" is the most revealing interaction with Axl since the Dexter message board posts from years ago. While I think we'll see a DVD from the GN'R reunion tour, I almost think the chances of us getting an AC/DC album with Axl are greater than the chances of another GN'R album. No matter what happens, we'll always have this great Axl interview. It's too bad the interviewer was a total ass, but at least Axl still seemed to be enjoying himself.

[sofine11]

For years I was as desperate as anybody for "CD 2" to come out...

After the second vegas residency and endless Hulk hogan ears ... I was getting antsy...

but right now... I am just too giddy and too excited for this summer... Vegas and Coachella and ACDC... it's all too fucking amazing.

If the album comes in a few years... especially if it comes with the meat n potatoes... all the better.

This.  I've been waving the banner for the next album for YEARS, but with everything going on now, it just wouldn't feel right if Slash and Duff weren't on at least a good handful of tracks, if not all of them.  However long they need to accomplish that, I'm all for it.  I'm still just so happy they're back together and touring in such a massive way.  Good times.

[sky dog]

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

[D-GenerationX]

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

Had the same reaction.

[Factory Girl]

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

I don't think he doesn't care. I'm sure he knows how much Slash and Duff can add to his songs, and he said he would like to have them, but it seems they haven't discussed the matter and he doesn't know if they want to be part of it. He even mentions the possibility of them writing stuff.
It's pretty clear to me how they're getting along and are enjoying playing together again.
But one thing hasn't changed: he sees GNR as his band and he will release the album with or without them.

[sofine11]

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

Had the same reaction.

On one hand, I get it.  You work hard on getting tracks to a certain place with a certain group of players, and then the reunion materializes. Do you scrap all of it, and start from scratch?  Based on his statements here, no he's not.  So if you already have a bunch of tracks together, do you include them on some of those tracks? If so, which tracks would best suit their style(s)?  Do they even have an interest in playing on these tracks?  Not super easy to sift through all of that.  

He seems open to having them on it, but apparently it's not a deal breaker for him.  I get that.  But like I said, I would certainly hope they appear on at least a few key tracks.

[Johnnyblood]

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

Had the same reaction.

+1

[Johnnyblood]

His stance is pretty classic post-breakup Axl. Defiant and proud, only now with a sliver of amicable light. A sliver. Overall what you can read between the lines is that the reunion mostly about increasing cash flow.

[D-GenerationX]

Probably not worth fretting over too, too much.

He'll be touring the rest of this year between GNR & AC/DC.  And we assume he'll tour a lot of next year with GNR.

So now you are into 2018.  Some of these songs will be pushing 20 years old, and the people responsible for their creation gone for 15 years.

Combine all that with Axl's legendary work ethic and productivity, it's a pretty implausible argument he is going to go balls to the wall to get this stuff out there.

As a betting man, I think there is another tour with Slash and Duff before there is some new album.

[Ringoturtle]

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

Had the same reaction.

Yes. In this regard I wouldn't give a fuck about a new album. Sounds like he'd be happy but if they don't want to play on songs, he couldnt care less.   Play them shows, we will be happy and call it quits after that.

If he'd/he's psyched about working with Slash and Duff more power to him. Write something from the scratch with some CD stuff. that would be alright. I hope Slash and Duff dont let themself be treated like some random, exchangeable musicians. They def don't need that.

[Bodhi]

Great interview.  One of the main things I got out of this and I have said it all along is that this is not a reunion so much as it is Slash and Duff rejoining what is currently happening.  Several things Axl said alluded to that, especially the parts pertaining to new music and the possibility of Slash or Duff not being on some of it.  I know some argued over semantics of this being a typical reunion type thing, and why there was no Steven or Izzy or whatever , but it is hard to argue after that interview.  This is clearly the band moving forward in 2016 not trying to recreate something from 1987.

[Voodoochild]

You guys are over analyzing it too. Maybe he didn't want to step ahead and talk on behalf of Slash and Duff about something they may not be so sure yet. Did you ever think that maybe they are not interested in recording over the CD-era material? Or maybe they just didn't sit and talk seriously about it.

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

I don't think he doesn't care. I'm sure he knows how much Slash and Duff can add to his songs, and he said he would like to have them, but it seems they haven't discussed the matter and he doesn't know if they want to be part of it. He even mentions the possibility of them writing stuff.
It's pretty clear to me how they're getting along and are enjoying playing together again.
But one thing hasn't changed: he sees GNR as his band and he will release the album with or without them.

That's how I see it too.

[draguns]

You guys are over analyzing it too. Maybe he didn't want to step ahead and talk on behalf of Slash and Duff about something they may not be so sure yet. Did you ever think that maybe they are not interested in recording over the CD-era material? Or maybe they just didn't sit and talk seriously about it.

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

I don't think he doesn't care. I'm sure he knows how much Slash and Duff can add to his songs, and he said he would like to have them, but it seems they haven't discussed the matter and he doesn't know if they want to be part of it. He even mentions the possibility of them writing stuff.
It's pretty clear to me how they're getting along and are enjoying playing together again.
But one thing hasn't changed: he sees GNR as his band and he will release the album with or without them.

That's how I see it too.

I have to agree with this. You can't speak on someone else's behalf when that person isn't there.  People are overanalyzing. Lets take one step at a time. In a week and half, the tour begins. Let's enjoy that! It's been 24 years since I last saw these guys TOGETHER!

[ice cream sand pig]

i think a second world tour makes more sense after a new album. it gives them a good reason to tour again. now they don't really need it. more people want to see them live with slash and duff than there are people that are dying for new music. but after they hit the world once they may (or may not) lose some steam, and a new album may reinvigorate the hype.

he said he'd like to keep this configuration going for a while, i think. and i'm sure slash and duff were already aware that they may not be on the next album before they signed up to rejoin guns. i'm sure they talked about that stuff. so even if they aren't on it, they'd likely have to tour it anyway. so they may as well play on it.

i think if they were disgusted with the prospect, they wouldn't have signed up for it. and who knows, maybe axl's stuff blew their minds. he did say they liked it, right? it was said that it's a further departure from afd than cd, but also that it was meaner, darker, (heavier?)? i think people will respond to that more positively than they did to the tone of cd. i'd even bet on it.

voodoo child is right, but what can i say, i'm having fun.

[jarmo]

Maybe he didn't want to step ahead and talk on behalf of Slash and Duff about something they may not be so sure yet. Did you ever think that maybe they are not interested in recording over the CD-era material? Or maybe they just didn't sit and talk seriously about it.

Yes. I don't know how much time they've had recently to discuss anything relating to those recordings with rehearsals, April shows, AC/DC's European tour and the upcoming GN'R summer tour...
I might be wrong, but judging by the recent activity, I'd assume that GN'R is focused on the tour...

Lets take one step at a time. In a week and half, the tour begins. Let's enjoy that! It's been 24 years since I last saw these guys TOGETHER!

It's less than that, a week!


/jarmo

[ice cream sand pig]

huh, interesting that you say they may not have discussed it yet. i figured that was something they would have spoken about already.

[Ringoturtle]

Well, Axl pretty much said he doesn't care if they are on the album or not. It was a bold comment that worries me a bit on multiple fronts.

I don't think he doesn't care. I'm sure he knows how much Slash and Duff can add to his songs, and he said he would like to have them, but it seems they haven't discussed the matter and he doesn't know if they want to be part of it. He even mentions the possibility of them writing stuff.
It's pretty clear to me how they're getting along and are enjoying playing together again.
But one thing hasn't changed: he sees GNR as his band and he will release the album with or without them.

fair enough