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Archives: 2000

17. July, 2001 : Slash Interview at Livewire.com

There's a great Slash interview by Tony Bonyata you can check out at Livewire.com...

http://www.concertlivewire.com/interviews/slash.htm

7. July, 2001 : Beta Interview by Ivani Cardoso

(Translated To English)

Interview with Beth beta Lebeis, the 'Brazilian and tattooed mama' of Axl Rose

She was famous after having been homage by the singer, in the Rock in Rio 3. Now she is on vacation in Santos, but the leader of Guns calls her all the time, even to ask revenues of stewed bean

In the middle of a dinner with friends in a restaurant of Santos, Beth Lebeis assists the cellular insistent. On the other side of the line it is Axl Rose - himself - asking her to teach him the revenue of the stewed beans that him so much likes. Situations as this is normal for her, that after eight years is in Santos on vacations to review the parents, the siblings and the friends.

Working as Guns N'Roses's charismatic leader's assistant personnel in United States, she is the person who him most trusts.

For him and for the fans, she is Beta, famous after the received homage in the stage of the Rock in Rio 3, in January, in Rio. Of course the fast vacations it's not being calm and the telephone rings the whole time. As in the dawn of Thursday, when Axl was calling up to 8:30 of the morning counting details of the birth of the couple's of wolves puppy that he maintains at the house which they lives, in Malibu, with 12 snakes , a tarantula and parrots. " He said that they are two, but I think were born more and he is hiding, with fear that I don't want to be with them in the house".

Axl calls to ask advices, to speak about the recording of the new album that it should be ready before Christmas, to negotiate of accounting problems and, mainly, to guarantee that she will return even on this Monday. After that, Beth only will return again between February and March of next year, when he intends to begin the new tour in South America.

Beth smiles in a understanding way even when he interrupts meals, walks or those fast moments beside the parents, siblings or the few friends that she still maintains in Santos. When she talks about Axl, the reference seems a lot distant of the famous image of the bad boy and temperamental. " He is a lot shy, he is very correct, honest person, he says exactly what he thinks, he is very ethical".

- It prints in the blouse

The affection reminds the one of a lot of mothers, a role that she assumed without even noticed that. It is a affection, about everything she knows about his life (the father's constant aggressions and stepfather and the mother's omission were frequent during his difficult childhood), it was that Axl most needed, affections. Like all Brazilian people she is crazy to hug strong and to kiss. She said that, in the beginning, he thought a little strange those demonstrations of affection. Then he started learning to live together with that, mainly when seeing the relationship of Beth with the three children (Fernando, Vanessa and Alexandre, 22, 23 and 24 years respectively), that also live in United States. She remembers that, one day, Axl said that would like to have had a mother like her and that her children were very happy.

Beth also has a big connection with him. From a shopping in Santos, she phoned him telling that she had in the hands a silk blouse, printed with the the artist's face. He was surprised and she just said: " And does that can "?.

Worried with Axl, Beth left the daughter Vanessa in her place and she also wants to know everything that is happening there while she herself is not there. Each detail. I am the person who cooks at the house, but it is easy. He likes meats and fish grelhados a lot, he has a very healthy feeding and it drinks a lot of water".

To maintain the form, he has an academy at home and he works out daily of three at four hours. They are going a lot to the movies, of preference for films of policemen or dramas'.'

In the beginning of the eighties, after a very suffered separation Beth decided to leave Santos, first for Itaja� and later to United States, assisting in a restaurant of friends in Philadelphia. The following step went work as nanny of the model Stephanie Seymour' son, in 1990, who at that time was the vocalist's girlfriend. The relationship ended, but Axl became fond and he identified so much with Beth that decided to take it to work with him. " I accepted in at that moment, our relationship was always good, it seemed that they knew each other for a long time. In the beginning my children were jealous and theythought I was devoted a lot to him, but with the time they went understanding and today they are always for there. Fernando and my brother also work for him ". To take care of the star and of the house it is not a simple task. Sometimes, she passes the night accompanying the rehearsals and recordings and, the following day, while he sleeps, she has to continue organizing the house and the calendar of the boss. It is her that drives the car, that helps to choose the clothes, that opines even in the choice of the songs.

On the new album, she reveals that the songs are pretty, very beautiful. It will "be 12 or 18 songs, they are still coming to a conclusion. He composes lot by himself, another times with the other members of the band".

- Cake and candles

Six years ago, Beth took a fast trip and, when it returned, she had a car in the parking of the house, all baled for present, with balloons and liaisons. "He moved me, he could simply have given the car and ... that's it". The connection among them is so strong that she admits that she didn't even think about returning to Brazil... and that she doesn't imagine the life without being beside him. I sometimes feel myself very alone, I think that would be good to have a boyfriend, but I don't have time for anything and difficultly I will find somebody that understands that lifestyle so crazy. " About Brazil, she misses the family and some friends. " There they are very ... not outgoing, not "warms", they don't have that kinf of thing of neighbor playing the bell to ask sugar, or friends calling every hour to hang out or drink a beer. These "warm human" I feel a lot of lack. I miss that very, very much. I think Axl is very close to my me and my children because he feels that we like him for what he really is, not for being a rockstar ".

A huge desire of Axl is to be father and Beth wants a lot for that to happen (with a point of typical of the mothers jealousies) so that he finds a wonderful woman who can understand him. " I am sure that, for everything that he suffered, he will be a wonderful father. He plays with the subject, saying that when his son/daughter be born I will cry a lot. I think it's funny that a lot of fans... they want to see him brave, because that it's not him. He is unable to provoke a fight, he only reacts when he is provoked ".

As soon as Axl entered in his house, in the first February 6, Beth prepared a surprised party for him, with cake, candles and congratulations." He didn't know what to do when he arrived home, he was very excited, emotional. I think that's the reason for him never forgets about my birthday ".

To the 46 years of age, Beth is a person with great astral and that has a lot of faith. Prays daily and thanks for the children, for the employment, for the family and for the happiness of Axl. I think he ended up becoming a son for me ". As a present, from Brazil, she is taking him a medal of S�o Bento, to guarantee protection to the singer.

Thanks to Tatiana Roper for the translation.

7. July, 2001 : Slash's Snakepit Live In NJ

Slash�s Snakepit Live In NJ
Jimmy Metal, KNAC.COM Pure Rock Patroller
Tuesday, July 03, 2001 02:52 PM

Slash�s Snakepi Live At Birch Hill Nite Club, Old Bridge, NJ, June 23rd, 2001

As the 2001 summer concert season continues in full swing one of the biggest surprises has to be Slash�s Snakepit. The Snakepit gang has started their US summer leg on the east coast and this would include a stop at one of the most popular rock clubs out east, The Birch Hill Nite Club in Old Bridge, NJ. I have to be honest in saying that this was one show I really didn�t plan on hitting when it was announced. Why??? Without question is Slash a legendary axe-man (we ALL know that) and yeah that is enough to go out and see his solo outfit. But I saw them with AC/DC last summer and I really wasn�t impressed due to a few factors. The sound wasn�t that great (not uncommon for openers), they were touring a CD (Ain�t Life Grand) that wasn�t out (you can�t a win crowd over by playing 95% material that people don�t know), and Slash will always (like it or not) have the GN�R thing to live up to. You see I� m not really a fan of side projects (I know Snakepit isn�t one per say), as Dave Mustaine, Tony Iommi, and Nikki Sixx have all given us side projects that really weren�t necessary to be given out so� But after some nudging from a friend of mine (thanks Ed), who told me that Ain�t Life Grandwas right up my alley, Ain�t Life Grandhas become a �cult� favorite of mine. The morale of the short story??? I am very stubborn, but enough of that so let�s get on to the show�

Lots of rumors have been flying around lately that the Birch Hill might not be around too much longer (it is on the market), but that isn�t the main issue on this night. Now I have seen lots of gigs at this venue and I always call the box office to find out what time the headliner goes on stage. No surprise to find out that Slash�s Snakepit was going on at midnight (there were three opening acts), as that is an old trick the owner likes to use (i.e. selling liquor all night). I arrived at the venue around 11:30PM and the place was packed and there were easily 1,000 plus people here for this all general admission show (1,500 capacity). Just by parking my car in the last lot was a clear signal that this show was going to go over well. This show was sponsored by NY radio station WNEW 102.7 (courtesy of metal DJ Eddie Trunk) so it was nice to see that the promotion paid off.

Once inside there was a nice variety of Snakepit memorabilia for sale, including t-shirts, tour books, 8x10 photos, guitar pics, and posters. Also, there was a sign that said Slash�s Snakepit would be signing for fans thirty minutes after the show at the stage area. Fans who are interested in meeting a living legend might want to be aware of this, as the band have been doing signings at most gigs after their sets. I made my way into the deck area (back of the club) and saw that Eddie Trunk was in motion with his Saturday night metal show. During a break Eddie saw me and said, �Hey Jim, nice to see you and thanks for coming down.� He noticed my bag of stuff I brought down hoping to get Slash to sign and he told me, �I did an interview with Slash (live on the air) a little while ago, he was really cool, and I am going to be introducing the band soon.�

After Eddie Trunk introduced the band, they hit the stage at the stroke of midnight and it was a blizzard of Slash�s Snakepit!!! They opened with �Life�s Sweet Drug� and the fans went crazy. I was under the impression that most of the crowd was made up of Guns N� Roses diehards (probably true), but the crowd was really into the Ain�t Life Grandmaterial and were singing along to a lot of the tunes. Lead singer Rod Jackson has a much stronger voice than I thought, as he and the band simply sounded great. Jackson seemed to be having a blast and he told the crowd (something along these lines), �We have to get a picture of you guys because this has to be one of the best shows we have done.�

As the ninety minute set rolled on, Ain�t Life Grand (every song played) was the showcase and the singles �Been There Lately� and �Mean Bone� went over best with the crowd. The latter sounded much better live especially without the silly �rap� thing going on during the studio version. One aspect that has to be greatly respected is that Slash does not rest on past milestones (i.e. not on heavy on Gn� R tunes). Watching Slash perform live is really guitar playing at its finest, as he seems to make it so easy. The only thing that made me scratch my head was that Slash didn�t do a lengthy guitar solo, as that was one of the main reasons why I hit this gig. But no matter as fans will enjoy seeing Slash master his craft at such a close range (I was in the middle section behind sound board). Slash a west coast struttin�??? One bad mother??? You bet your fucking ass he is!!!

Again, it was the crowd that made this show such a memorable night for Slash�s Snakepit and there was even a sign that read, �Slash for President.� Rod Jackson commented on that by saying, �If this guy is president then we are all going to hell!!!� The crowd was also starting to get very rowdy in front of the stage and bassist Johnny Griparic had to instruct fans to move back so people wouldn�t get crushed. Yes, Slash did play a couple of Guns N� Roses much to the delight of the crowd and they would include �Its So Easy,� and the set finale �Mr. Brownstone.� Jackson nailed both songs pretty well, though he was a little of on the tail end of �Its So Easy� (i.e. high notes). The crowd was still fired up and weren�t going home without an encore and the Snake gang closed the show with �Beggars and Hanger-ons� from the first Snakepit record.

Then as advertised Slash�s Snakepit (with a thunderous roar from the crowd) came back on stage a half-hour after their set to sign items for fans who decided to stick around. And a LOT of fans stuck around (200 plus) to meet Slash and company. The line was sort of �organized� and the security barked out orders, �Everyone make a single file line. It doesn�t matter if you are first or last you will get an autograph. But please leave the venue after receiving your autograph.� While waiting, I was talking to a fellow fan about the possibility of the Birch Hill being changed soon (with new ownership looming) and we touched on the great rock gigs that we have seen take place here: Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Rob Halford, Dio, W.A.S.P., Quiet Riot, and others. Also, I was able to get a guitar pick from a roadie who was actually pretty cool. Usually road crew guys (when asked for �goodies�) tell you to fuck off, claim they don�t have any, or ignore you. I asked this dude if the Snakepit guys are cool and he said, �They are the best and always treat their fans great.�

At first the band were walking back and forth (there was a barricade between stage and floor were fans were) trying to sign for everybody, but eventually the band settled into one corner to sign. It should be noted that Slash was very ill this past spring (due to pneumonia), but he looked great tonight (sans goatee) and he could easily have passed for a G n� R photo session circa 1988. On a personal note, Guns N� Roses were one of the bands that have enabled me to become a metal warrior for life (ala Jimmymetal) and Appetite For Destruction is an album that I will take to my grave. Once Appetite broke huge the world over during my junior year of high school (�88-�89), Gn�R became one of my bands. I saw GN�R twice on the Illusion tour (Dec '91 at Madison Square Garden and June '92 at Giants Stadium) and though I was a million miles away it was simply spectacular to witness rock and roll at its finest. Now I would have the honor of meeting (for the first time) a member of the GN�R family. What follows is brief chat I had with Slash�s Snakepit (order of meeting them) during the after show signing:

JIMMYMETAL: �Hey Matt, thanks for signing for us and were AC/DC nice guys when you toured with them???�

MATT LAUG: (drummer): �No problem man and yeah AC/DC were awesome to open for. In fact, Phil Rudd (AC/DC drummer) called me last week to see how I was doing.�

JIMMYMETAL: �That�s very fucking cool.�

-Next up bassist Johnny Griparic

JIMMYMETAL: �Hey Johnny, how is the tour going so far on the east coast???�

JOHNNY: �The tour is going great for us. We played a sold out show in NYC last night (Wetlands Night Club) and you saw the turnout here tonight.� �The east coast has been very supportive of us.�

JIMMYMETAL: �How is Slash doing health wise???�

JOHNNY: �Better than ever man!!!�

JIMMYMETAL: �How long have you known Slash???�

JOHNNY: �About six or seven years.�

JIMMYMETAL: �Does he talk to the other Gn�R guys???�

JOHNNY: �Yeah, he talks to all the guys except for Axl. In fact, when Duff releases his next album Izzy might be touring with him.�

JIMMYMETAL: �Did you guys try to latch onto a big tour this summer like Ozzfest???�

JOHNNY: �No, as that really isn�t what we are about. The AC/DC tour last summer was perfect for us.�

-On to lead singer Rod Jackson

ROD: �What the hell do you have in this bag???� Is it for me??? LOL!!!�

JIMMYMETAL: �Just my stuff I brought to get signed.� By the way, I saw you on VH-1 with Slash and that was pretty funny when he smashed the guitar.�

ROD: �I know, I can�t believe they showed that!!!�

JIMMYMETAL: �Are you guys going to wait five years to put out another album?� [Note: The first Snakepit record came out in �95 with a different lineup].

ROD: �No way man!!! It will be sooner.�

-Finally it was time to meet Slash!!!

JIMMYMETAL: �Hey Slash, would you mind signing my stuff with my silver paint pen???�

SLASH: �No problem.�

JIMMYMETAL: �How are you feeling health wise???�

SLASH: �I feel fine and it�s nice that everyone has taken an interest in my well being.�

JIMMYMETAL: �I thought you guys sounded a lot better than when I saw you last year.�

SLASH: �Yeah, the tour is going well.�

And that was it, as the line had to keep moving. The thing that will always stick out for me about this encounter was here is a guy who doesn�t need to do this (I would assume he is mega rich), but yet he was completely reserved, down to earth, and took the time to sign for his fans. I would never have used the word �class� in the same sentence with Gn�R before, but that is the perfect word to define Slash towards his fans. Slash even wanted to give me back my silver paint pen, but I told him to keep it because another fan behind me on line also wanted her item signed in silver.

Slash signed all my items including Appetite on vinyl, the Jan. '91 Rolling Stone and May '92 RIP magazine covers (featuring Slash only), Snakepit CD booklet, and Snakepit promo post card. All the Snakepit guys signed my CD booklet and promo post card, but I didn�t have Keri Kelli sign either item. Not that I dislike Kelli (he seemed very nice), but I am picky in sticking to who played on the album and is featured on the cover for signing purposes (i.e. Ryan Roxie). The night was going to well so I decided to get on line again and get individual pictures with Slash and Rod and both were very cool again. While on line, Eddie Truck comes up to me and says, �Hey Jim, let me borrow your camera as Slash is wearing my radio show t-shirt and I want to get a picture of me posed with him wearing it.� �No problem, but please be careful as I have STP film (from Tower NY signing) in the camera,� I told him. Eddie was very thankful and I mailed pictures out to him a couple of days later. Also, some dude on line got his black Gibson Les Paul guitar signed by Slash and it looked awesome. In fact, Slash enjoys signing and checking out guitars (are you reading this Kiss???) that his fans bring him. On a side note, Dave �Snake� Sabo (Skid Row) showed up at this gig and was interviewed by Eddie.

It was then onward home towards the deserted Garden State Parkway North and I was flyin� like an Aeroplane!!! Once home it was nearly 4am and I looked at the signed Appetite For Destruction album and thought to myself, �Man, its been 13 years since I first became obsessed with this album. Never thought I would one day meet one of the true metal greats.� I then immediately crashed and fell into a deep summer�s sleep�.

Source: knac.com.

8. April, 2001 : The Return Of Hair Metal - GN'R Tops 80's List

Maxim Blender - June/July, 2001
by Chuck Klosterman

The Return Of Hair Metal


EVERY MONDAY NIGHT on Los Angeles's Sunset Strip, scores of trendy boys and wet-hot girls line up in front of the world-famous Viper Room to plunk down $15 and listen to Whitesnake songs. Not the original Whitesnake songs - Whitesnake covers. And Warrant covers. And "You Give Love a Bad Name."

The music is performed by Metal Shop, a band you've probably never heard of. However, you have seen them: They're better known as Danger Kitty, the faux Behind the Music TV commercial for the Discover card, Clothed in the Strip's finest '80s-reenactment spandex, singer Michael Diamond gleefully warns the sold-out house that "We're gonna rock your world so hard you're just gonna be... rocked!"

It's shtick - mostly Spinal Tap's shtick - and the smartly dressed audience yuks it up from an appropriately ironic remove.

But there is a larger ironywithin the Viper Room's velveteen walls.

Look closer at the clubgoers - get in there and really smell the glove - and one thing becomes clear: These sophisticated cool-hunters genuinely love their hair metal.

"I initially thought this kind of show would be a really cool thing for lesbians," says Viper Room impresario Sal Jenco, referring to the Monday night glamathon he's dubbed Camaro. "We'd have wet T-shirt contests and play '80s metal, and I thought it would be a cheesy, tongue-in-cheek, underground sensation for the ladies. But it just became this ultra-mainstream event overnight."

Midway through the evening, Metal Shop rip into Ratt's 1984 rallying cry "Round and Round." People waiting at the bar for $7 drinks rush back to the overcrowded floor and make little devil signs. The reaction was the same when "Round and Round" blared over the sound system before a recent Weezer show in New York - hundreds of fresh-faced kids suddenly wanted the right to rock. Perhaps Ratt lead singer Stephen Pearcy was right: What comes around goes around. Hair metal - the sex-and-drugs-and-sex-obsessed spawn of glam and heavy metal that dominated rock music in the 1980s and made suburban pinups of Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Poison and dozens more - has somehow survived. And it's leaving lip-gloss traces all over twenty-first-century pop culture.

American Hi-Fi's Buzzworthy video for its modern-rock hit "Flavor of the Weak" pays homage to the legendary 1986 hesher mini-documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot. Big-time movie stars Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston will star in the upcoming motion picture Rock Star, a fictionalized version of Tim "Ripper" Owens's ascension from a Judas Priest tribute band to the real thing. The Donnas, a gum-snapping girl-punk band from California, pose like Kiss and cover Motley Crue's "Too Fast for Love" and Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight" on their indie-fave CDs. Big-haired country star Shania Twain is married to former Def Leppard producer Jeff "Mutt" Lange and puts on a stage show that's closer to Poison than George Strait. Swedish superproducer Max Martin, who has written the greatest hits of Britney Spears, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys, honed his chops playing in a hair-metal band called It's Alive. With a Bush in the White House and a new Guns N' Roses record due this year, it's almost like 1989 all over again.

ONSTAGE, METAL SHOP'S Michael Diamond (who also fronts a Van Halen tribute band called the Atomic Punks) is the spitting image of Bret Michaels of Poison, the group his band cites as the "foxiest" of the '80s metal acts. For casual metalheads, Poison define the glammest aspects of the poodle-rock genre: They had the best dumb songs and looked the most like hookers (or at least gypsies).

They might also be the most maligned rock band of the past 20 years (Hootie and the Blowfish included). But shed no tears for what the cat dragged in; Bret Michaels is happy and thriving. Over the past three years, Poison have starred in a signature episode of Behind the Music and staged consistently successful summer tours with fellow hair-metal stars of yore Cinderella and Ratt. This summer, they'll hit the road with Warrant, Quiet Riot and Enuff Z''Nuff, playing venues as large as 18,000 seats.

"I just read an interview with Cameron Diaz, and she was asked who her favorite bands were," Michaels explains. "She said Poison and Ronnie James Dio-era Black Sabbath. In fact, she wanted an old Poison T-shirt to wear in her next movie, so we sent her one. Now, did Cameron Diaz say that just to be cool or ironic? I don't know. I don't car. I'm just glad she's wearing the shirt."

Part of hair metal's appeal undoubtedly derives from that logic. Like many rappers, Michaels doesn't overthink the obvious. Top 10 Poison hits "Talk Dirty to Me" and "Nothin' but a Good Time" offer ample proof of this - party-strippers and self-conscious decadence.

"Was it only about fun? Well, that's the shortest and truest answer," says Michaels, now 39. "You can say what you want about the '80s bands, but you can't deny that we brought you a rock & roll party. There was no reason whatsoever to go to a concert in 1993. Why pay $60 to get depressed?"

For "depressed" read "grunge," that hypersincere mix of punk, indie rock and don't-call-us "metal" metal that helped kill off hair bands in the early '90s. The keg party was effectively over the night Kurt Cobain wore a dress on MTV's Headbanger's Ball in 1991; record labels, radio and MTV soon turned their attention to the new generation of music culturally conscious agenda. Suddenly, Poison appeared as dated as the Captain and Tennille. What's more, the scores of Sunset Strip bands signed by major labels to cash in on the success of Guns N' Roses - Firehouse, Slaughter, Trixter, Wildside, Southgang, Danger Danger, Tora Tora, Dangerous Toys, et al. - were toast.

"When Nirvana came out, they were just better than everybody else," says Jason Flom, president of the Atlantic Records imprint Lava and an A&R superstar who made his name in the '80s signing Twisted Sister, Skid Row and White Lion. "It wasn't the cultural revolution everyone claimed. It was just better music. But metal never really went away. Every week, people buy Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue and Bon Jovi records. They never stopped buying the good ones."

Numbers back up Flom's assertion: Last year, Poison's Greatest Hits 1986-1996 sold 243,000 copies, according to SoundScan. By comparison, Nirvana's Nevermind sold 238,000. The Voice of a Generation was bested by a group that boasted "I got a girl on the left of me/A girl on the right/I know damn well I slept with both last night."

"As far as I can tell, people never stopped liking Poison," says Michaels. "It's just that the press had a passion to destroy us, which I'll never understand. I mean, nobody in the media destroyed Candlebox when they disappeared. They just stopped writing about them."

One band the media has never stopped writing about is Guns N' Roses. After going eight years without a studio album, GN'R are reportedly set to release a new record, Chinese Democracy, sometime in 2001. The group - Axl Rose is the sole original member - has been shrouded in secrecy for over five years, finally emerging to unveil a new lineup and a few grains of new material in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve and in Brazil at the Rock in Rio festival in January. And though most of the album is still a mystery, what has slipped onto Napster sounds a little like mid-period Stevie Wonder, filtered through Houses of the Holy. At least one song - a heavy piano ballad titled "The Blues" - shows flashes of the melodramatic brilliance of "Sweet Child O' Mine," "November Rain" and "Rocket Queen."

"If that record does well," says Tracii Guns, leader of the flash-metal band L.A. Guns and a member of GN'R's first incarnation, "it will obviously be good for everybody else."

Back at the Viper Room, guest DJ Taime Downe, lead throat for L.A. hair metallers Faster Pussycat, is spinning vintage metal tunes, a look of marked disinterest on his face. Downe may no longer see his musical legacy as cause to party hearty, but he's in the minority tonight. Moments earlier, Metal Shop had roared through Cinderella's "Shake Me," rocking the crowd so hard they were inarguably, you know, rocked.

"I don't want to cut my hair and play alternative rock," proclaims Metal Shop's Diamond. "I don't. I love this. I want to go back in time and find Kurt Cobain when he was a little kid, and I want to convince him to grow his hair out. Because then we could have been doing this for the last 10 years."

8. April, 2001 : Izzy/JuJu Hounds Review In Classic Rock Magazine

Classic Rock magazine march 2001
by Paul Ging

EVERY HOME SHOULD HAVE ONE
An overlooked classic album from the past.

IZZY STRADLIN AND THE JU JU HOUNDS
Izzy Stradlin - vocals,guitar,harmonica percussion / Rick Richards -guitars percussion/ Jimmy Ashurst-bass,backing vocals / Charlie"Chalo" Quintana-drums, percussion, backing vocals

TRACKS - Somebody knockin, Pressure Drop,Time Gone By, Shuffle It All ,Bucket o"trouble, TrainTracks, How Will It Go,Cuttin The Rug,Come On Now Inside.

The sleeve of a recent "Best of the Faces", Stradlins heroes, insists the Faces, were a real band, and "about as much Rod Stewarts backing group as Guns N Roses were Axl Roses". But the truth is thats exactly what both these great bands ended up being. Way back when ,though ,the Gunners were very much a unit and the inpute of Izzy Stradlin shouldnt be underestimated. So while Axl spits bile at his former collegues from the Rock in Rio stage, it,s worth considering how far he would have got without them.

Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds, the mans solo debut , features former Georgia Satellite Rick Richards, who proved to be Izzy,s perfect foil on guitar. Much of the album is an unashamed homage to the Stones and Faces, right down to Izzy,s raspin vocals. However, this is perferable to being "inspired" by people and pretending you,re not really into them (where are the Quireboys now ? ). Faces organist Ian McLangan plays throught and must've felt right at home. But there are other ingredients here punk, reggae, and even gospel.

The lyrics constantly refer to Izzys days in the Gunners and his decision to quit. The opener, "Somebody is Nockin' , lists the queue outside Izzys hotel door on a GnR tour ,(gropies lost friends,even the CIA ). Though the world weariness is blown away with a cover of reggae gem "Pressure Dropp" that kicks off with a breakneck Ramones stile buzzsaw guitar, before abruptly slowing into an authentic shank. It seembs Izzy couldnt quite decide which style to cover the track in.

His philosophy is summoned up amid the swaggering guitars of Shuffle it All. Iz reconing life to a game of cards- better than Forrest Gump,s analogy -and you may as well leave it to chance , like in Mick n Keef on "Tumbling Dice". But , rasps Iz , "if you see old friends out there , tell them i send my love". aaaah.Bet Axl was touched.

Train Tracks with it,s searing slide guitar , is the highlight of the album. It kicks off with the gurgling of a bong hit , and the title refers to the kind of place the young Iz would hang out and toke. But, for a man who had to quit heroin three times before it quit him , train tracks would seem to indicate track marks , check the lyrics"It,s to insane in my blood /My hand is showing , like a road map".

Take A Look At The Guy "is the biggest tip of the hat to his idols -not least because it was written by and features Stones/Faces guitarist Ron Wood himself, wit Mac on keyboards for good measures .You can almost feel Izzy,s ear to ear grin comming out of the speakers. Not content with rock legends on his album ,Izzy enlists a third for the big ballad closer, Come On Now Inside, with the late great Nicky Hopkins, plus gospel backing singers giving the song a feel of the Stones ,Exile on Maine ST, one of Hopkins finest hours. I,ts really perfect closure.

Except, like all great albums , theres a hidden track. "Morning Tea"is a strange title for a song that sounds like Mardi Gras going at it at three in the morning. All kinds of latin style percussion bang away while a guitar groans away like a dying brontausauras in the background. If 'Chinese Democracy is half as good as this , it,ll be well worth the wait

Thanks to Sharon50 for typing all of this out.

3. April, 2001 : GN'R Article In Metal Edge Magazine

Metal Edge Magazine - May 2001
by A Diehard Fan

Welcome To The New Jungle

A lot of people are caught up on the fact that Axl Rose is still using the Guns N' Roses name without the rest of the guys being in the band. "How can he do that?!" Diehards scream, and many are bashing Axl, bashing the new lineup, bashing the fact that the old lineup isn't together, bashing the new GN'R songs, before they even hear them. Yes, I realize that the original Guns N' Roses is no longer together and the new band is not the old band. But, put aside that kind of thinking for once and remember what rock n' roll is about. Rock n' roll is not about thinking, it's about feeling. It's about feeling the songs, feeling the lyrics, feeling the vibe. Feeling the music. So open your soul and leave your personal politics aside. With that in mind, this is my take on a night in Las Vegas - New Year's Eve 2001 - when the unthinkable happened: Axl Rose took the stage after an eight year hiatus with his new Guns N' Roses lineup.

My heart was thumping, my pulse was racing faster than Mario Andretti and adrenaline was pumping harder than Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was a hell of a journey to get there, and I still couldn't believe it was happening. I was talking to a newfound Friend, and we were about to pinch each other just to confirm that it was true. I hadn't slept in over 24 hours and I didn't give a shit. Axl Rose was about to take the stage with the new GN'R lineup. My mind was spinning and my legs were shaking. What was he gonna look like? What was he gonna sound like? What was the band gonna sound like? Would they play old songs? New ones? Will Axl actually show up? I didn't know what to expect. All I knew was there was no place in the world I would rather be. There was no other way I would like to bring in the New Year. My anticipation was building so high I thought I was gonna burst. I felt like I had been waiting to see Axl Rose sing for longer than GN'R had even been together.

Looking around at the crowd, I got a really weird vibe. Does anyone even live in Las Vegas? There was such a mixture of faces --- Some people you can tell were old school diehards, some younger kids who probably have never even had the pleasure of seeing GN'R live 'back in the day,' and some people who just didn't look like they belonged at a rock show� Makes it all the better, though. To look at such a mixture of faces makes you realize just how many different people GN'R has touched over the years. Everyone was in great spirits, probably still drunk from bringing in the New Year just a few hours before. At 3:30am, it was time. The crowd was frantically cheering. I was ecstatic, smiling ear to ear, glowing with excitement and anxiety. I felt as if I were a teenager again and this was the first concert I'd ever been to. Every other anxiety I've ever experienced in life was lessened. I'm about to see Guns N' Roses man!

The stage was filled with televisions upon televisions, stacked on top of one another. Suddenly they came alive and a cartoon image of Axl appeared. Much of it was a blur as I kept looking off to the side of the stage trying to catch a glimpse of the living legend. I do remember the cartoon Axl professing "Uncle Axl's newfound lack of dependence on drugs. The crowd started growing impatient and then Axl Rose burst onto the stage with shades covering his eyes.
All the questions that were up in the air for all these years, floating around through my head as recently as 10 minutes prior, suddenly found answers. He looked phenomenal, still had a full head of strawberry red hair, and a great figure. And then he opened his mouth --- "You know where you are, you're in the jungle baby." It was enough to send chills down your spine. "I wanna hear you scream." Axl was back, and better than before. He looked comfortable onstage, wearing a pair of black Adidas track pants with red stripes down either side, and a black (and later white) button down shirt with a dragon printed on it. He swayed the "Axl sway" and spun the mike stand ferociously. His energy level was different, though. There was a new maturity and stealth in his undeniable presence and movements. He wasn't as erratic or hyped up as he was before, but hell, this was his first show back in over eight years, and he still had the audience by the balls the entire time.
Once he took off his shades, you could see Axl staring at you in the same awe in which we were staring at him. It seemed like he was genuinely excited to get back on the stage, just as excited as we were seeing him there. Throughout the night, Axl Rose spoke to the crowd the way you talk to your friends. He joked about having just woke up from an eight year nap and said that he's had to deal with the emotions he had on playing the old band's music. At one point, Axl even prided himself on the fact that this time around was different. He said that unlike the past 15 years, he actually attended practice, rehearsal, and soundcheck.
It was weird to look up and not see Slash or Izzy or Duff or Matt or Steven, but just as we got used to Matt after Steven left, I think it's safe to say there's a chance we'll warm up to the new band. I know I did. And that was only the first show. Axl said it best when he introduced Tommy Stinson saying, "Tommy's old band's name is synonymous with the music industry, it's filled with The Replacements." Joining "the replacement" bassist in the new lineup were Primus' Brian "Brain" Mantia on drums, keyboardists Chris Pitman and Dizzy Reed, and guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck, and Paul Tobias --- someone Axl referred to as, "An old pal who used to fight with him over who was a better band, Queen or Led Zepplin." They're all amazing musicians who had some tough fucking shoes to fill, and they did a damn good job. The audience responded with a warm --- yet hesitant --- welcome during the introductions (with the occasional cry out for Slash), but I swear, if you closed your eyes, at times it was hard to tell the difference. Especially when hearing the voice of magic, a voice like no other� The voice of Axl Rose. It was as if he kept his voice bottled up� Rose sounded better than he did 14 years ago, hitting and holding every note with precision and passion, spicing it up with his "yowser" inhales that only he could do. He was on top of his game. During the powerhouse 2 hour set, Axl and all his new guns were fired up. There was lots of joking and laughing among the members as they pretty much flawlessly blasted through almost all of Appetite For Destruction. When's the last time you heard "Think About You" live? Imagine the feeling, imagine the emotions that run through your mind. It took me back to that time and that place, yet the songs still stand strong today. There aren't very many songs that can stand the test of time like GN'R songs --- 14 years (and a huge lineup change) later and they still sounded like they were breaking ground with a new revolution in rock history. The whole band played so intensely, you could feel the vibe --- You felt like you were connecting to Axl, to the new band, and to the person standing next to you.
They added a couple of tracks from Use Your Illusion I and II, including the covers "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Live and Let Die," as well as "Don't Cry" and the infamous "November Rain." They also threw in a little "Patience" from GN'R Lies. They broke out four new tunes, plus they're previously released "Oh My God." The new songs included the title track to "Chinese Democracy," "Silkworms," an untitled song, and "The Blues," a song that made you feel like you did the first time you listened to Appetite. Let the anticipation for the long awaited new album begin�

Axl's still got the attitude and edge we've all grown to love, but that was also different. There were no rants, no raves, no bashing, no real threat of not knowing when he was going to fly off the handle. There was a sense of lightheartedness on the stage that made you feel comfortable and at ease. When the piano didn't work at the beginning of a new song they were about to expose to the crowd, there was a moment of tension in the audience --- for a minute, you almost expected him to explode and thought that heads would be rolling. But to everyone's surprise (including Axl's), he chose to move onto a different song while the problem was fixed, opting to practice a little " Patience" (the song they chose to play). With a great sense of humor, he mocked his notorious outbursts.
As he sat at the piano, the room burst into a chant "Welcome Back� Welcome Back�" It was a time for goosebumps and welled up eyes. The room exploded with love and an invitation for Axl back into their hearts. The smile on his face was absolutely indescribable. He thanked the audience with a genuine show of pride, pleased to be right back where he belongs. He admitted that he was beginning to blush, and said with a shyness that rarely comes out on a stage that he's always in complete control of, "Now you're embarrassing me." Then he sang the words to that song we've all whistled a thousand times before, "Just a little patience� Yeah, yeah, some more patience�" It was as if Axl was thanking us for waiting for him to come back. Deep inside, it felt like he was connecting, unveiling a bit of an autobiography. And when he roared his final line to that song ---- "Oooohhhh I need you, ooohh, I need you, this time" ---- you almost felt like screaming back, "We need you too!" The show was an emotionally draining experience that was flabbergasting, breathtaking and exhilarating, all at the same time. "It's a feeling that I know, I know I'll never forget."
The show ended at 5:30am, and Axl slammed his red foam mike onto the ground after an amazing performance and a show stopping encore of "Paradise City." Not out of anger though, kind of like a feeling of accomplishment, that sigh of relief that comes afterward. He wished everyone a Happy New Year and walked offstage, but then ran back on to tell the audience and crew that whoever got the mic, can keep it.
Axl Rose chose a city full of gaudiness and bright lights as the venue for his return to performing, the complete opposite of the straight up, raw rock n' roll that he brought with him. But on the Eve of the New Year 2001, Axl Rose was the only light on the Strip. He shined brighter than all the glitz and glamour, and he packed more of a punch than the fireworks that exploded atop the hotel rooftops just a few hours before. When the show ended, I was floored and my adrenaline was pumping just as hard as it was before the show.

Lately, everyone's been peaking around the corner, trying to figure out what the hell will change the face of rock, what will bring it back into the forefront� Perhaps, Axl is the man to lead the change.

Thanks go to mrice for typing it out since the scanning was too much trouble.

12. March, 2001 : Beta Interview in Brazillian Journal

In a Brazillian Journal, Beta gave a very insightful interview that's nothing less than an incredible read. The interview was made possible by waxlrose - the site.

Who is this woman? Up to january 14 she was a simple woman from Sao pAulo of 45 years old living in California, divorced and mom of three children. After this date she is also known as "The Mom" of Axl Rose. And she was called and praised in the stage she suddenly became a big celebrity. Her picture appeared in the headlines of many brazilian newspapers.

In the bar at the Intercontinental Hotel she gave us this interview where she speaks about her personal life, her children aand reveals that Axl is an eternal romantic person.

He is so passionate that at the time he was with Stephanie Seymour, he "went to her house riding a bg horse and carrying flowers".

So this is Axl Rose according to Beta...

Q: Mother?

B: I always cook and take the meals to the studio, I make cakes, pies and I call before a show to wish them "good luck". I even light caandles for them. Its like im the mother of Guns n' roses.

Q: Did Axl composed any song for you?

B: I dont know, i dont think so. He says that one of the new songs is dedicated to me and my family.

Q: When did Axl left his home?

B: He left home when he was very young, his stepdad used to beat him hard and he even abused him sexually. This being the main reason for him to be so shy. I think he left Lafayette, im not quite sure, at 14 or 15 years old. Now he is 38 years old.

Q: And he is now discovering maternal love.

B: He has nothing against his mom, the only thing he could not understand is why he did not receive her maternal protection. This is what he sees now in my relationship with my children. Today he understands that a mother should be protective and he never felt protected.

Q: And that influenced a lot, right?

B: I think that who we are is aa reflection of how we were raised, how our family behaves at home, how we relate with our parents. We are a mirror of our family.
The basic level comes from our home, and Axl never had that. That feeling is much more difficult to grow in an adult's head. We when are growing up we see this exemples in every day life, this love, the kiss goodnight...he never had that. Therefore, he doesnt know how to show this type of love and this is very hard for a grown up to handle, right?

Q: And his music reflects this lack of love.

B: Yes, right. Old songs do reflect that, new songs are different.

Q: Is he in touch with his mom?

B: She passed away 5 years ago.

Q: Who lives with him in Malibu?

B: Me and him. My younger son lives with us every now and then aand in my house too.
I own a house in California, too but in another neightboorhood. But its very close to Axl's house.

Q: I feel like you are a housekeeper for him, do you organize everything?

B: (laughs) That is the correct word, coz everyone asks, what do you do??
OK, I am his personal assistant. And I also organize his house, I coordinate the personel. Q: Do you advise him?

B: I give him my advice whenever he asks. He accpets my opinion very much, you know. He never took it bad. I have to see the person in every possible angle. You have to see in 360 grades, there is always something good in a person. So, if he performs any contracts
with the new band, that is his decision. He only asks me what I think about it.
He wants to know if he should do that or not, he asks if he is being fair. He is worried about being fair, he doesnt like to do anything which is not true. He always wants to do everything right coz he gets worried of what they may say about him.
He wants everything to be clear. So I think that I influence him pretty much. But at the same time this worries me, coz im afraid of this resonsibility.

Q: How did you enter into his life?

B: I was the babysitter of Stephanie Seymour's son. She was a Victoria's secret model, this was 11 years ago.
I started working with Stephanie in February and in May she started going out with Axl Rose. It seems that
they had something before this.

Q: Do you believe in past lives?

B: Yes, i do and Axl believes in them also. As a brazilian i believe in this. I find it impossible for two persons who never met to get along so well.
When I opened the door and he was there, I felt like I had known him for years.

Q: Do you know what Axl says about Queen?

B: He likes Queen very much, its his favourite band. Freddy Mercury liked Axl very much. Axl even made a tribute to him the second day of Rock in Rio. Axl is still Brian May's friend. He playes the guitar in one of the new songs.

Q: So after the breakup you stayed with Axl?

B: He asked me to stay with him when they brokeup. But I was the child's babysitter so I was worried about him.
He was only two years old and Stephanie was always travelling, she was never at home.

Q: What was the reason for Axl and Stephanie to breakup?

B: Because she used to bring many people at home and Axl found out. He adored her.
She moved to New York and Axl called me to work with him. And I accepted coz between Axl and her, i was always sure i wanted to be with him, he beats her 100 to 0. Even though he is a man our friendship
is amazing, I really trust him. He is what he says he is, Stephanie was in a certain way with me and in another with others. He values me much more than her.

Q: Can you talk about his depression?

B: Axl is a person who wants to do everything right. I think he was the man in love that many women would have wanted to have in their lives.
He was like an enchanted prince. All the things he did for her where the type of things you caan only find in a romantic book.

Q: So he was an old fashioned lover?

B: Yesss, of course. When they were about to breakup, he went to her house in a white suit, riding a horse and carring flowers.
The things he did for her can only be read in history books. This does not exist in real life. I think that many women would have liked to be in her place. I would never have left this man walk away. But as Stephanie is very beautiful and sexy, she can have any man she wants. She uses men like toys. Have you seen a child with a new toy? She plays with it and then she doesnt want to play anymore.
I have always told her that she would hurt Axl more than she thinks. Other men that dated her had not suffered the way Axl did, that is why he suffers so much.
He wanted to do everything right and he thought he was doing everything right.
He took this relationship very seriously. She practically killed him. When the band finished he thought he would have his family, he would get married and have children.
He thought this would be the second part of his life, he had earned enought money and now he wanted to dedicate his time to a family.
His dream was to have a family, children, and everything he never had. I think that when I entered into his life he started realizing that someone cares about him and loves him.
Im a patient person, i trust him and he did not trust himself. Im not a psicologist but he needs someone to listen to what he has to say and im here for him.
When i have to be his friend im here as his friend and when i have to be his assistant im here as his assistant. I dont mix things. When i have to be his assistant i leave our friendship behind and i work. He doesnt take advantage of our relationship.
I respect him as if he was my boss and it becomes an emplyment relation.

Q: Is he happy he played for 200.000 people?

B: His dream was to come back to Brazil. When we first met, our first conversation was about Brazil. He spoke about the poor people, the "favelas", and how he wanted to build a hospital where everyone could be treated no matter their condition.

Q: I have the feeling that brazilians liked the new band.

B: Yes, very much, its amazing. We are very surprised, this generation is not so Gnrs and yet they love the band.

Q: How is the new record going to be?

B: SO great. Im emotionally related to them but i think it will be amazing.
It will be realeased in June or July. They already have 48 songs and the record company is selecting the material.

Q: Is Axl out of drugs?

B: Totally. I have known him for 10 years and i have worked with him for 7 years and a half and he never had drugs. He even quit smoking.

Q: Any drinks?

B: Yes, every now and then.

Q: You must have been in touch with people who were addicted to heroin, is it hard to quit all that? B: I have never seen it.
Axl does not admit it in his house or in his group. Not even smoking is allowed in the studio, never close to him. You have to go out if you want to smoke. So I have never been around someone who is doing drugs.

Q: Does he have an studio at his Malibu home?

B: Yes, he does.

Q: Werent drugs one of the reasons of his fight with Slash?

B: There wasnt any fight, the problem was that Slash said he had alreaday had Guns n roses records at that time.
Slash last records were terrible, and Axl wanted to do something more advanced for the new generations. You cant remain in the same music style you were 15 years ago.

Q: There is an electronic business behind this music.

B: In this current year 2001, music is more electronic but its not all electronic. Slash wanted to stay in the past... and then there was this problem with drugs.
Axl could never count on Slash coz he never showed up in rehearsals and he was never OK.

Q: Does Axl have a routine nowadays?

B: We have a doctor that tells us what to eat. Axl does gym all day long.

He runs up to 5 miles every two days. His exercises last for about 4 hours.
He doesnt go out much, we go to the cinema coz he likes watching movies very much.

He doesnt like bars.

Q: Does he go to sleep late?

B: According to his grandma he never lived the day very much.
He writes very much at night. He doesnt have a phone or anything that may interrupt him, he is more creative late at night.

Q: Does his grandma still live?

B: His grandma on his mother's side is still alive. He never met his father.
He thinks that nobody in his family ever protected him. He's got a huge sorrow inside. Her sistes was abused by his stepfather and his mom continued living with him.
Nobody did anything, not even his grandma.

Q: And what does he like to eat?

B: He eats plenty of healthy food, many fruits, water and salads. He also likes brazilian food.

Q: How old are your children?

B: 24, 23 and 22.

Q: Did you raise your children by yourself?

B: I got divorced 15 years ago so i practically raised them by myself.

Q: Are you a protective mother?

B: Very protective (laughs) I should be that much.

Q: Are you a rocker mom? I can see you have a tattoo.

B: (laughs) I wasnt a hippie. I actually came to the first Rock in Rio to see Queen.

Q: Were you a secretary before moving to the United States?

B: I worked in Quaker, in Itajai, Santa Catarina. I was an executive secretary.
I moved to the US coz the situation in Brazil was very hard aand i was divorced and with three children. I thought that i wouldnt be able to raise my children the way i wanted to raise them here in Brazil. They were three little children.
I raised some money and i left by myself leaaving the children with my mom and I have brought them one by one.

Q: You went there with courage?

B: Right, i sold everything i had so as not to come back. After a year i took one of my children, then the ohther and finally the other.

Q: You said that everyone is phoning you. What do think about this?

B: I never thought this could happen.
I was translating what Axl said and he suddenly called me to the stage.
I thought he was just going to thank the public. Then he said "Seven years ago.." and i started to choke, i didnt know anything else.
Then his manager took me to the stage, there he was translating everything wrong as i was didnt know anything.
It is very hard to translate a person who is talking about you. I was very nrevous, i cant explain what i have been through thaat moment to face all those people.

Q: What is it that you must always carry in your bag?

B: the cellular phone and the pager. I dont go out if he cant he in touch with me 24 hours a day.

Q: Talk about your loving life.

B: I lived 12 years with the father of my children in Santos. In the last four years of our relationship i didnt know he had married to another person. It was a great shock.Today he is the owner of Santos Nave, aa company. I suffered a lot with his family.
I moved to the US and i remarried an american. After six years he said he was not ready to be married and as he didnt know how to say this to me, he took his stuff, put them in the caar and left.
This was my second separation. I always get in too deep in a relation and i want everything to be ok and then i suffer a lot.
Now i think i have a goal, either i finish my mission with my children or i dont do anything else.
Im afraid of getting involved with someone again and then get hurt. I have placed a barrier in my loving life and i have noone. I work and i take care of my children.

Q: Do you spend some time with friends?

B: Axl's friends are my family. The guys in the band call me the BIG MOM.

Q: Do you come to Brazil very often?

B: I visited Brazil six years ago.

Q: What do you think about abortion?

B: Im pro choice, it is necessary in certain situations, are you against it?

15.January, 2001

Following is a wonderful article by MTV's Kurt Loder about the Rock in Rio event. One I just had to put in the Articles section:

---------------------------

Guns N' Roses Kick Out The Jams At Rock In Rio

By Kurt Loder

The capstone of the third night of the big Rock in Rio festival � which is being held in a huge lot in the sun-baked suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, filled with state-of-the-art stages, grandstands, and all the usual festival midway attractions � was the world debut of the newly resuscitated Guns N� Roses. The already legendary L.A. band had been mysteriously missing-in-action since the release of its last album, an inconsequential compilation of punk-metal covers called The Spaghetti Incident?, way back in 1993, following which the group had noisily fallen apart amid a welter of interpersonal recriminations and endless lawsuits. Mercurial frontman Axl Rose had emerged from these wranglings with legal rights to all further use of the GN�R name, and for years he�d been rumored to be working on a new album, with new musicians, in a Los Angeles studio that was said to have been booked around the clock for his personal use. No album ever appeared, however, and as the sediment of wasted years settled around him, Rose became a figure of rock & roll myth. It was asserted as fact within the industry that he�d become a complete recluse, keeping vampire hours in the studio to monitor the daytime labors of his newly hired players, but otherwise remaining hidden in his mansion, where he hosted endless dinner parties, grew fat, and started losing his hair.

But now Guns N� Roses were back � or at least Rose and the previously under-heralded keyboard/conga player Dizzy Reed were � and had even played a well-received warm-up gig at the House of Blues in Las Vegas on New Year�s Eve. The new group was scheduled to take the Rock in Rio stage in the early hours of Monday morning � 1:40 a.m., to be precise � but by 1:35, there was still no sight of them backstage (punctuality was never a GN�R hallmark), and out front, a sprawling crowd of 190,000 people, earlier primed by two powerful sets by Papa Roach and Oasis, but weary after an hour-long wait in darkness and silence, was beginning to grow restive. Then, in the backstage area � essentially a jerry-built clapboard dressing-room complex fronting a gravel parking lot still lightly puddled by an afternoon rain shower � a tribe of burly security guards began sweeping away un-credentialed idlers with a snarling insistence rarely seen since the heyday of such pre-show prima donnas as Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.

Down at the end of a long road leading from a nearby helicopter landing pad, a constellation of headlights suddenly blossomed in the tropical night. Three dark vans, attended by a swarm of motorcycle-mounted Brazilian cops, pulled into the parking lot, disgorging the unmistakable, lanky figure of Axl Rose (not fat, not bald), who marched straight up some steps and into a dressing room. He was followed by a very strange figure in a white, Jason-style hockey mask, wearing an inverted cardboard fried-chicken bucket on his head, and by an equally surreal Goth-type character who looked somewhat the way Marilyn Manson might, if Manson�s lifeless corpse had been left overnight in a roomful of famished rats. The four other members of the band followed them into the dressing room and closed the door.

At 1:55, the dimmed lights on the airplane-hangar-size Rock in Rio stage died down completely, and a giant video screen on the back wall flickered to life, bearing the words "W. Axl Rose in �A Sorta Kinda Wonderful Life.�" There followed an extremely weird animated film depicting a cartoon Axl � his toe- and fingernails grown to eccentric length, apparently on the model of the late, whacked-out billionaire Howard Hughes. He appeared to be confined to a sanitarium of some sort, and was seen to be peeing into a plastic urine-sample cup, calling for a bedpan, and then wiping his nether parts with a page ripped from a copy of "Rolling Drone" magazine. A cartoon night nurse appeared, straight out of an ancient porn scenario, complete with big breasts and black fishnet stockings, bearing a syringe the size of a bazooka, at which point the cartoon Axl (or "Uncle Axl," as he called himself, in a voice that could only have been Rose�s own) advised the no-doubt-puzzled Brazilian crowd that "Things go better with Diet Coke."

The bizarre minifilm ended, and all across the stage, howling pyro fireballs suddenly erupted into the pitch-black night, accompanied by a soaring, air-raid-siren guitar note. The stage lights slammed on, and there they all were � the new Guns N� Roses � ripping into "Welcome to the Jungle" as if they�d just written it a little earlier in the day.

About 10 minutes into their set, it became clear that the new GN�R is a rock & roll event of the sort that a lot of people (well, me, anyway) have been waiting for for a long, long time. Where the reigning rap-metal acts of the moment � Korn and Limp Bizkit and their ilk � get over quite successfully on murk and muscle and pure sonic wallop, the new GN�R � with only one-month�s worth of rehearsal (this was their second gig) � already played with a passion and precision that�s unlikely to be matched in any other quarter anytime soon. The band�s three lead guitarists were individually exhilarating, and perfectly balanced in their divergent styles. The underground avant-fusion virtuoso Buckethead (the guy in the disturbing Jason mask and the KFC container � he claims to have been raised by chickens), churned out everything from screaming blues leads to orchestrally echoplexed art-rock excursions to Chet Atkins-style chicken-picking forays (while film footage of doomed chickens flashed across the video screen behind him). Across the stage, Robin Finck (the Manson-gnawed-by-rats figure, late of Nine Inch Nails and � a subject that remains to be explored � Cirque du Soleil) more than held his own in the noise-and-curious-charisma department. Between the two of them, normal-guy Paul Tobias � a childhood friend of Rose�s from back in Indiana � anchored the guitar onslaught with a complementary style that was generally modest and accommodating, but very much his own. Solos never slipped into hard-rock clich�, but were instead constructed and deployed with a taste and level of invention rarely heard in this sort of music anymore. Rock guitar has a long and well-mined tradition by now, of course; but this trio of players, to their considerable credit, were often able to make all the old thrills seem new again.

Most of the rampaging, 90-minute set, however, was filled with old GN�R material: "Sweet Child o� Mine," "Mr. Brownstone," the famous Axl-at-the-piano opus "November Rain," the still-lilting Dylan cover "Knockin� on Heaven�s Door," and the sledge-hammer set-ender, "Paradise City." This was no oldies show, though; as Rose himself proudly noted at one point: "This new band can play the f*** out of these songs." Indeed they could. Former Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia and ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson (adding possible teen appeal in red knee pants and suspenders) shoveled out truckloads of bottom, and two keyboardists -- Dizzy Reed and Tool associate Chris Pittman -- slathered the sound with rich layers of electronic detail.

The unmistakable center of the show, though, was Axl Rose. At 38, he remains one of the great can�t-take-your-eyes off him rock stars, twirling back and forth across the stage (and, rather uncharacteristically, racing out into the audience, too), pausing only to lean back and emit a proverbial banshee wail of the sort that probably occurs to such past masters as Robert Plant these days only in their dreams. He was also extremely talkative, taking time out to berate his long-gone former Guns N� Roses colleagues (for trying to derail his dream or something, apparently), to gently chide local Latin American rock critics (by name!) for not knowing what the f*** they were talking about, and � totally out of the blue � to quietly urge a non-violent resolution of the soccer violence that has long plagued relations between Brazil and its equally sports-mad neighbor, Argentina. Judging by some of the images flashing across the onstage screen, he also retains a knowing eye for vintage (and fairly hard-core) bondage and S&M footage.

So it was an exciting show � not only for the unusually high level of musicianship, but for the unflagging spirit and intelligence of the music itself, and what that seems to promise for the future. There really is a new Guns N� Roses album in the pipeline. (Really.) It�s called "Chinese Democracy," and it should be out in the spring, summer, something like that. The band played four songs from it at Rio. One of them, a gorgeous piece called "Madagascar," recalled nothing so much as the mid-period Beatles, with all their quaint little horn ornamentations. It also sampled the voice of the great, slain civil rights hero Martin Luther King. (Rose, who definitely runs this show, further illustrated the song�s intentions onstage with footage of King, and of the turbulent civil-rights protests of the 1960s.)

When the album comes out, pray for a tour. And definitely don�t miss it.

Source: mtv news.

7.January, 2000

Gunners, The Garden of Illusions has been granted an exclusive interview from a member of our community. As many of you know, John Parrott aka Auston was one of the first people to post a review from the House Of Blues where GnR took the stage for the first time in nearly eight years.

The wait for this show cost Guns many fans as they grew tired of the wait. Axl being Axl as he is, does nothing quick. The show received nothing but good reviews. Axl�s voice was better than before as many fans who had the pleasure of viewing this show have been quoted. He holds notes better and longer. His appearance was healthy reguardless of the many rumors that have been floating across the Internet.

With this interview, I wanted to get a feel first hand on what the emotional status was from the news of the gig to the aftermath of the performance. At this point all the reviews are in and pretty much say the same thing. We have gone about this in a different way to show the anticipation through the end of the the show.

THE TRIUMPED RETURN OF GUNS~N~ROSES AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A FAN

_LORI_ John, what was your first thought or reaction upon hearing the confirmed news that Guns would do a rehearsal gig at the House of Blues?

JOHN I heard that they were doing Rock in Rio and actually thought about going. Unfortunately, it was a bit out of my budget. Then came the news of Vegas and I knew immediately I had to go. This one was within reach. Having seen GnR 6 times before, I knew that their return would be one helluva event�especially on New Year�s Eve�and at a small club venue in Vegas. In my opinion, it�d be an even better show than the large Rio festival. Simply put, nothing would stop me from going. None of my friends were up for it, so I purchased a ticket off eBay, arranged for a flight from LA to Vegas at 6pm on New Year�s Eve and headed out on my concert adventure.

_LORI_ The Chinese Democracy question has been unanswered since the beginning of the old forum days, back before the trouble makers infested the forum. When it was just a group of Gunners who came to the same place to chat! You now hold the answers to many of those questions. You had the opportunity to see and hear the longest awaited concert of my adult life! What was Chinese Demo like? How did the audience react to it?

JOHN I�ve taken a lot of heat for my reaction to the new material, but I stick by it. Chinese Democracy and the other new songs (with the exception of The Blues) did not have the melody and catchy hooks that get planted in your memory. Whereas rock songs that I enjoy, which have a smoother flow to them (even when they�re hard rock), this new material was more abrupt in places. It had a much more industrial sound to it

The crowd reacted to it just like any concert when the band chooses to play new, unreleased material � they were appreciative, but not overly enthusiastic. Simply because they don�t know the songs. You can�t sing along. You can�t play air guitar to the riffs. It�s a natural crowd reaction to any band�s new material.

An interesting thing about the new material, especially Chinese Democracy, is that it was accompanied by very disturbing and emotionally jarring images on the video wall behind the band � war scenes, violence and the like. The remainder of the songs had video too, but it was mostly filler material of clouds, dolphins and other pleasantries � nothing that really connected directly with the theme and message of the music. It said to me that GnR really put thought into the new material and wanted to make it an experience for the audience and not simply just new material.

Now, I do have to say that The Blues was much more like traditional GnR. In fact, Axl even introduced it by saying, �You�re gonna like this one,� almost acknowledging that it was more of what the crowd liked from GnR of the past. It had a strong melody and catchy hooks. I loved it. I heard it as a cross between �Sweet Child �O Mine� and �November Rain.�

_LORI_ Old time Gunners have a sense of personal growth with Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steven. They became very well known early in life. It�s not an easy vision for the fans in their mid to late 30�s as in the beginning, what we saw was raw uncontrollable metal in a style that took us all by surprise. We watched five dudes scream about jungles and paradise. They added some things here and took from there, while they grew into a business that allowed many more than five on the front stage. Then they exploded as we all watched. When you heard the first note of the opening song, what was going on in your mind? How did it affect you?

JOHN Being a fan right in the age-range you describe, I�ve certainly seen the band grow and change over the years. In Vegas I staked out my spot in front of the stage at about 2:00am and the 1-1/2 hour wait from there forward was tough. I�d been up all night partying since I arrived in town and standing there waiting was tiring to say the least. We all guessed what song they�d open with and I honestly said to others that I thought it would be Welcome to the Jungle. Then, about 15 minutes before showtime, a roadie brought out Axl�s brightly colored microphone stand and ceremoniously placed it at the center of the stage. It brought back memories of my past GnR concerts -- seeing Axl thrust the stand above his head as he stood on his teleprompter, swing it under his arm when belting out his trademark screams, and even hurl it to the ground in angst. �Would he do the same tonight?� I asked myself. Would this be the Axl Rose I saw and enjoyed so much 8 years ago? It was at that moment I realized that in only a matter of minutes I would be witnessing THE concert to be at. I looked at the crowd packed around me and felt that everyone was feeling the same way as I was. And once I heard the first guitar notes of Welcome to the Jungle a shiver went through my spine. Then, when Axl screamed, �You know where you are?� the place exploded. People cheered. Fans sang along (as you can certainly hear from the mp3 on Napster!). We all knew that GnR was back�and we were among the privileged few 1,800 who were there to witness their long-awaited return.

_LORI_ This is a real touchy subject for Gunners especially those who have not seen or heard the new GnR and it�s a question I know you have been asked over and over. What was it like without Slash? I know you had to have some moment when you just kicked back and thought Slash where are you?

JOHN Slash had a persona that made him more than just a guitarist in the band�his hat, his cigarette, his hair, his guitar, his attitude. All of it contributed to making GnR�the band. Nevertheless, Axl that was the leader. His onstage antics and trademark voice made him more than the frontman for a band�he was GnR. Here�s what I mean. I saw Slash in concert about a month ago with his new Snakepit band and they played Mr. Brownstone. Watching and listening to Slash play, his guitar made you think it was GnR, but the lead singer�s voice reminded you that it wasn�t. At the Vegas show, it was the exact opposite -- Axl singing with a new band behind him. But unlike with Snakepit, when I closed my eyes during Mr. Brownstone in Vegas, you couldn�t tell whether it was the new GnR or the old. Why? Because Axl is GnR.

_LORI_ How would you compare the current guitar performance to that of Slash�s live performances?

JOHN As I said, Slash has quite a persona that enhances his on-stage performance. Talent-wise he�s an excellent guitarist. Are others as good as him, probably yes. Are the new guitarists in GnR as good as him? It�s tough to tell from just one live performance. From a purely musical perspective, I can�t remember a single song that didn�t sound just like the original GnR. From a persona perspective, though, I think it will be tough to match Slash. His solos were truly commanding performances. Buckethead certainly has his own unique style and personality. From his KFC bucket to his white mask and nunchucks solo, he�s definitely one of a kind. In time, after the release of the new album and hopefully a summer tour, we�ll get to know the new GnR and what they embody. If all goes well for the band, someday we�ll not think about Slash, but rather Buckethead and the others in the new lineup when someone asks, �who plays guitar in GnR?�

2.January, 2000 : More Top Reviews on the Vegas Show

Following are a couple of great articles on the Vegas event:

Exclusive Report! Guns N' Roses Rocks Hard In Vegas!
Denise Korycki, Contributor
Tuesday, January 02, 2001 04:22 PM

Axl Makes Triumphant Return To Concert Stage For The First Performance In Eight Years

"Everyone needs some time on their own, everyone needs some time all alone." He sang with such passion, it was as if he was explaining his absence from our lives for so long. And the audience sang with him with such an intensity as if they understood...

"Good morning! I just woke up. I took a nap for about 8 years!" That's what Axl Rose told the crowd of onlookers still in awe at the fact that this rock n' roll icon was actually standing right before their very eyes. What a way to bring in the New Year!

Axl Rose and the new Guns N'Roses line-up burst onto the unbelievably intimate stage at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, NV, like a force not to be reckoned with. 3:30 AM, January 1st, 2001 will go down in the history books (screw the new millennium) and mark Axl?s return to the fans that have loved and missed him for too many years. "Do you know where you are? You're in the jungle baby," he screeched during the opening song and carried on with such an impeccable perfection it made you feel like he was welcoming you into his jungle for the first time ever!

During the powerhouse two hour set, GN'R cranked through practically the entire Appetite For Destruction album with confidence. They snuck in a few songs from Use Your Illusion I - "Live & Let Die," "Don't Cry" and the epic "November Rain" featuring Axl's return behind the piano. Mixed in were hits from Use Your Illusion II - "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "You Could Be Mine," as well as one track from GN?R Lies - "Patience." They broke out a few new tunes including the previously released track "Oh My God," the new title track to the long awaited album, Chinese Democracy and a song entitled, "The Blues," which kicked some serious ass and was well received by the audience.

Axl's back with a vengeance; and he's taking no prisoners. After an incredibly long break that, he sarcastically yet sincerely said, was necessary to deal with some emotions he had in reference to singing the old band's music. And thank the heaven?s above that he finally got over it, 'cause the world's been missing out on and foaming at the mouth just to hear him again.

He may be with all new players, but trust me, there were times if you just closed your eyes, you felt the same way that you did over a decade ago. Yeah, everyone misses the old line-up and it's gonna be hard to get used to the new, but change isn't always a bad thing. The "new guys" held their own. After all, those are some fuckin' tough shoes to fill! Fans loved every single member of the old GN'R. True. And every single one of them will be missed, but kudos to the new guys for stepping in. And kudos to Axl for finally bringing it back to us. Like the old members, the new all have their own individual identity on the stage. And they're all amazing musicians. You can't condemn them just because they weren't part of the band since the beginning. It's not their fault and they're in the band now. So you either accept it or not. It's your call, but they sounded pretty damn good to me.

"There was a new found maturity and stealth to his undeniable presence and movements. Not as erratic or as hyped up as he was before, but hell, this was his first show back! (And he still had the audience by the balls the entire time!)" The introductions of his new lineup went smoother than expected. The audience greeted them rather warmly (with the occasional cry for Slash), but by the end of the night, the crowd seemed to grow more accepting of the band. It'll take some time getting used to, especially since Guns N' Roses was always known as a "true band," but as Axl said onstage when he introduced bassist Tommy Stinson, he comes from a band whose name is synonymous with what this industry is known for. . .The Replacements. GN'R proved they can still make it work with the "new guys:" Stinson, Brian (Brain) Mantia (former Primus) on drums, Chris Pitman and Dizzy Reed (old gunner) on keyboards, Paul Tobias, Robin Finck (ex-NIN) and Buckethead on guitars. (It would be different if the old band was trying to replace Axl, that would be impossible! No one can be Slash, no one is Slash, or Izzy or Duff or Steven or Matt, but they came pretty damn close. Let's face it, no one can be Axl or even come close.

Axl's a rock star. Plain and simple. He's a frontman like no other with a set of pipes that can easily blow anyone off the stage. He wailed, he inhaled, that "yowser" sweet inhale that only he can do, and he sang with such a passion and force that it sent chills down your spine, to the point where you had to pinch yourself just to make sure you weren't dreaming.

Not only did he sound amazing, he looked amazing. All of those rumors of a balding, bloated Axl can be put to rest (although most of them were dismissed after he surfaced back in June to jam onstage with Gilby Clarke at the Cat Club in Los Angeles). His hair's a bit shorter, but still full flowing and shiny enough to be in a Pantene commercial. He looked comfortable onstage with a pair of black Adidas - like jogging pants with red stripes down either side and a black (and later white) button down shirt with a dragon painted on it. He swayed the "Axl sway" and spun the mic stand around ferociously. His energy level was different though. There was a new found maturity and stealth to his undeniable presence and movements. Not as erratic or as hyped up as he was before, but hell, this was his first show back! (And he still had the audience by the balls the entire time!)

He's still got the attitude and edge we've all grown to love. But that's also different. There were no rants, no raves, no smashing, no bashing, no real threat of not knowing when he was going to fly off the handle. There was a sense of lightheartedness on the stage that made you feel comfortable and at ease. When the piano didn?t work at the beginning of a new song they were about to expose to the crowd, there was moment of tension in the audience. For a minute, you almost expected him to explode and thought that heads would be rolling, but to everyone's surprise (including Axl's), he chose to move onto a different song while the problem was fixed and decided to practice a little "Patience" (the song he picked to play). With a great sense of humor, he mocked his notorious past onstage outbursts and opted against throwing a "tantrum." At one point, Axl even prided himself on the fact that this time around was unusual. He confessed that he actually attended practice, rehearsal, and soundcheck and claimed that was a first in 15 years!

At times, he joked around with the other members, laughing and smiling. He treated his crew with an unprecedented amount of respect that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Axl and the new GN'R seemed to have a genuinely great time and so did the audience. He connected to each and every one of them gazing at them with the same awe in which we were gazing at him, seeming to enjoy playing the music we've longed for, as much as we enjoyed listening to and watchin' it. It was hard to take your eyes off him.

As he sat on the piano gathering up his "Patience," the room burst into a chant, "Welcome Back...Welcome Back..." It was a time for goosebumps and welled up eyes. The room exploded with love and an invitation for Axl back into our hearts. The smile on his face was absolutely indescribable. He thanked the audience with a genuine amount of pride to be right back where he belongs. He admitted that he was beginning to blush and said, with a shyness that rarely comes out on a stage that he's always in complete control of, "now you're embarrassing me." And then he sang the words to that song that we've all whistled to a thousand times before, "just a little patience...yeah, yeah, some more patience..." It was as if Axl was thanking us for waiting for him to come back. Deep inside, it felt like he was connecting and telling a bit of an autobiography some how, some way. And when he roared his final line to that song, "oooohhhh I need you, ooohh, I need you, this time," you almost felt like screaming back, "we need you too!" The show was an emotionally draining experience that was flabbergasting, breathtaking and exhilarating all at the same time. "It's a feeling that I know, I know I'll never forget."

Rose's New Guns Unveiled In Vegas

It was over seven years in the making, but the general consensus is that it was well worth waiting for.

Axl Rose debuted his new Guns N' Roses lineup at Las Vegas' House of Blues in the wee small hours of New Year's Day, belting out an array of old favorites and introducing a handful of new tunes to a capacity crowd of 1,800 ecstatic patrons.

GN'R kicked off the show with "Welcome to the Jungle" and finished with an equally rousing "Paradise City," delivering other GN'R classics such as "Mr. Brownstone," "Sweet Child o' Mine," "November Rain," "Patience," "My Michelle" and "Think About You" in between.

The band also rolled out a handful of previously unheard songs, including "Chinese Democracy" � the title track off the band's long-long-long-awaited album (see "Guns N' Roses To Release Album In June") � and "The Blues," "Silk Worms" and one untitled track, GN'R management confirmed.

GN'R also offered up a version of 1999's "Oh My God," their contribution to the "End of Days" soundtrack (see "'Oh My God,' Guns N' Roses Finally Has A New Song").

Rose was "a little emotional" at the event, according to his longtime manager, Doug Goldstein, who added that the singer hugged his close friends in attendance and thanked them for their support.

The concert featured the expected lineup: guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck and Paul Tobias (a.k.a. Paul Huge); keyboardist Dizzy Reed; former Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia; and former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, who inspired Rose to joke, "'The Replacements' would be a good name for this band."

Keyboardist Chris Pittman, perhaps best known as a member of the Replicants and for his work on Tool's Aenima, also joined the group onstage.

"Axl really looked happy to be playing with those guys," said LeAnne Eden, a GN'R fan who flew in from Los Angeles for the show. "That's something that didn't seem to be happening with the old band � during their last tour, anyway."

Onstage, Rose alluded to how he had begun rehearsals with his new bandmates a few days prior to the show, another situation that rarely happened in days gone by. (The band usually rehearsed without Rose in attendance.)

"[Rose] looked young and healthy. He was slimmer than when I saw him sit in with Gilby last summer," Eden said, referring to Rose's only other outing in seven years: an impromptu performance with former guitarist Gilby Clarke in June (see "Axl Rose Takes Stage For Gilby Clarke Club Jam").

The two-hour show got underway at 3:30 a.m., after the club cleared the house following a performance by the Goo Goo Dolls. GN'R started an hour later than expected, although the club's publicist said the group never intended to go on much earlier than 3:30 and that Rose's fabled tardiness was not a factor.

Rose was "awesome" and totally at ease with the HOB staff as well as with the audience, the publicist said.

Concertgoer Jeff Sheldon, who flew from Chicago for the show, said that Rose made a point of crediting guitarist Tobias with getting him through the past seven years, conveying that the two had played together since they were 12 years old.

Tobias � described alternately as a Kurt Cobain lookalike and as a paler, nondescript version of Rose himself � stuck to rhythm duties, concertgoers said, while ex-Nine Inch Nails member Finck, sporting eyeliner and black lipstick, faithfully revisited ex-GN'R member Slash's guitar parts. New twists and turns were added to the sonic texture by Buckethead, who wore his customary white facemask and Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket atop his head.

Even though the audience was positioned directly before the stage, the band's backdrop was a JumboTron-style, 25-foot, floor-to-ceiling video screen augmented by a number of smaller monitors.

"It looked like they fit an arena-sized show into this club," Eden observed.

Security was incredibly tight, so fans may be hard-pressed to find live MP3s or photos on the Web. "Not only were they confiscating cameras," Eden said, "they were even going after cell phones."

The band's performance was preceded by an animated feature that poked fun at Rose's media-perpetuated persona. The mercurial frontman was depicted in bed � presumably having spent the last seven years in Brian Wilson-like seclusion � carrying on conversations with Buddha and the odd alien, with a music magazine used in lieu of toilet paper following a bedpan sequence. Footage depicting a journey through a birth canal was also presented, among other esoteric endeavors.

Next up, the band heads to South America, where it will play the gigantic Rock in Rio festival on January 14 (see "Guns N' Roses To Play Rock In Rio").

--Sorelle Saidman, with additional reporting by Kara Manning

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