As most people already know, last night, April 14, 2012, one of the best all time metal/hard rock/glam/hair/in-your-face bands of all time were
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I am well aware of other ATS threads on
this topic, but until last night, I guess there was always hope the entire band would be there. This could just as easily go into the rant section,
but I think it belongs more in the music section. For those who still don't follow me, I'm referring to Guns N' Roses being inducted into the
Hall Of Fame.
I can still remember where I was and what I was doing the night I first saw a video with this young punk looking kid getting off a bus, then saw glam
hair, a drunk guitarist you could never see the face of because of his hair, and blatant rock and blues licks that kicked you right in the groin.
I thought this was crazy insane and somehow the rock gods were indeed on drugs when they came up with this.
Which they indeed were.
Look up the definition of sex,drugs and rock and roll and you will find Guns N' Roses. Their first album, Appetite For Destruction is still the
bestselling debut album of all time in the US. But fame, drugs and success tore them apart. First their drummer, Steven Adler was fired for being too
messed up to play his parts on Civil War. Then my favorite member of GNR...Izzy Stradlin
left. Then Slash, then Duff.....and on and on.
Axl never got the message though. A large portion of their early songs were either written by Izzy, or co-written by Izzy. And after he left, the band
as a whole lost their soul....in my opinion at least. They continued on briefly but then basically took a long, long sabbatical. Their next real album
being released only last year. But the band...with Axl the only original member left...was but a shell of their former selves.
Now. Enough of the history lesson, and on with the rant. As Daaskapital showed us the other
day in his thread, Axl basically gave the R&R Hall the finger when he said he wouldn't attend. Then, last night, when he didn't show up, what he
did was worse. He gave the fans the finger.
Controversy has always surrounded Axl. From the beginning even. Then in St. Louis where he basically started a riot...though eventually acquitted of
doing so. Then the next year in Montreal.
Jason Newstead says it best here. But Kirk Hammett also makes a good reference to Axl in Montreal and Nero watching Rome burn.
Yes, I know. Before any haters can respond, Izzy didn't show up to the ceremony last night either. But he has always had issues with his celebrity
status. Plus, Izzy never declined the hall. Axl did. Slash has said before that Izzy has always left the area when singers come in because Axl tainted
his image of them so much.
Axl has the distinct and very unusual honor in my book of being BOTH the BEST, and WORST front men in the history of front men. But the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame is about the fans. Flip off society. Flip off structure, authority, the music industry, or whoever you want to. But Axl has crossed a
sacred threshold now. He has flipped off the fans. And every single one of them. It's time to grease that Axl up.
So now....I am CALLING AXL OUT!
[size=5 ]AXL
Don't be a
Step up, and claim your honor. You owe it to the fans. Remember, the fans giveth, and the fans can taketh away.
If you don't then I propose the phrase be changed from the above, to "Don't be an Axl."
You don't have to reform the classic GNR. But flipping the fans off is beyond even you. You would have nothing without them. And that's not all that
far away as it is....
It's gone from the heyday,
to
Last night, Chris Rock said
“A lot of people are disappointed that Axl Rose isn’t here,” said Rock as the ceremony stretched toward the 1 a.m. mark for the Chili Peppers’
performance. “But let’s face it, even if he was going to be here, he still wouldn’t be here yet.”
It's still better late, than never. But never is forever.
edit on 15-4-2012 by webpirate because: formatting
lol the story for welcome to the jungle is a funny one. Apparently gun and roses bus broke down in a bad part of LA so they got out where an old black
man yelled welcome to the jungle baby you gonna die the rest is history.