And a bonus re-mix would be killer.

That interview really does make me miss Buckethead, though.

Nah, what I meant was that the cancelled shows added to the the deterioration of their cred not that it was the specific cause. The 06 tour did start to try and fix that image, but then it suffered the same fate as the last aborted tour. It didn't have anything to do with people thinking it was or wasn't GNR. But I also don't think it adds to the Axl Rose mystique either. Most people, I'd say, saw it as "The same old bullshit." and rolled their eyes and washed their hands of it. So it definitely effected their cred in that aspect because its going to push away the casual fan who isn't interested in what constitutes a Del James version of a "real rock show" which includes late starts and possible no shows and cancellations. That's not dangerous. It's just bullshit. Again, none of this goes to de-legitamize the newGNR. But I could see where someone would be giving the band a chance and then having to deal with Axl's touring bullshit ending up just saying "Fuck it."

I have a problem with Scraped seeing how cut and pasted it is. That's a song Bob Ezrin could have done wonders for. But I can tell you right now I'd sill have problems with the songs I have a problem with now even if I had never heard the original demos. I know what I like and I know what I don't like. And it didn't have to be loaded with sound. That's ridiculous. There's just so much going on with guitars that it is near IMPOSSIBLE to layer it all perfectly in the mixing process. That's why some of the unmixed demos come off better.

I know there's a school of thought that we're just attached to the demos and its our fault for listening to them. I can say I'd feel the same way if I didn't. But we did hear them. And they were better. I also prefer the 2001-02 live versions of Madagascar and The Blues and they sound nothing like the demos. And nothing I've heard studio wise has lived up to those live versions.

I think what James was talking about on IRS with Pittman is his work that's on the studio version, and you can barely make it out. Tommy's bass was killer on the IRS demos, especially on the 99 version.

And I said Ron ruined the song CD. Not the album itself. I still love the album and think its very good, despite thinking there was a better version of it before.

Not just losing fans, James, but opportunity as well. The 06 line up would have never been as big as the 02 would have been, but they had a chance to be pretty damn successful. But it was all fucked up. And that responsibility falls on one person, imo

Granted, I know I don't know everything that was involved with the band. And I'm sure the label did give them a hard time. And I'm sure RTB might have hurt the band, too. But it still falls on Axl's shoulders. From what we know the label supported Axl with money up to 2004. They tried to find him a producer. And despite what Axl said, he did have a great producer in Sean Beaven, who for still unexplained reasons was let go or walked away. Bob Ezrin was there for a time. We also know the album was in various stages of completion from 99 to 04. And all that was accomplished between 04-08 was Axl losing 2 of the most important members of the band in Robin and Buckethead, destroying their cred in the public eye even more by another aborted tour and lame cancelations, horrible interractions with the fanbase and the ridiculous continuation of tinkering of songs that only accomplished in creating bad cut and paste jobs and adding an outside guitarist to turn a potentially great album to just a good album. That sums up what the Axl waiting period has achieved.

The only bright spot in this whole mess was "If The World."