Agreed.

Which would make sense as to why Izzy was pulled out of the wordwork to do several shows and play rhythm on the old AFD & Lies tracks, which was heavenly for us old Gunners to see Axl & Izzy back on stage together, but even at the time seemed plainly obvious that Izzy, who's now friends again with Axl, was trying to help him out by giving more legitimacy to the new band. I know as a diehard that during those shows, even in bootleg, I was biting at the bits to have Izzy back on stage, and totally blacked out the rest of the guys... and i'm a new band fan. I can't imagine what new band skeptics did, and it would've been even more accelerated if Slash was out there.

I think in some ways it was a good thing it didn't happen. Because the media would've been all over it, the majority of the world would've said "GN'R are back!" and the media would've rode that horse for months. Then suddenly, European fans who got a taste of old Guns at most shows, would've accepted it as such also. Then us North America fans when they hit the road in October 2006, MANY would've walked into venues expecting to see the old band, and would've gotten the new band.... they would've been BOOED unmercifully and heckled to death, not to mention had all kinds of shit thrown at them. Which is sad.

The only way for old & new to work at the same time is if an old member (Slash/Izzy) were to rejoin the band FULL time and tour. But you couldn't have pulled out Slash, Izzy & Duff for a few shows, and then yanked them back away. Axl's situation would've become even worse. He'd be on the road firing every new member of the band, and getting the old band members back asap, so the tour wasn't cancelled and he didn't have ANOTHER lawsuit to deal with and MORE riots to deal with.

At this point, with so many failed starts and just a general lack of knowledge among most casual fans, the new band has lost ALL credibility, starting in 2004. I can remember going to 2006 shows and breaking the news to those who weren't regularly "in the know" that Buckethead was out, and honest to God some contemplated LEAVING. And these were OLD Gunners. They know it, the new band fans know it.... it's time for Axl to mend fences. It'll just be better for everyone involved.

He was someone who approached the school, I assume, that's how he presented himself, and of course the school allowed it, as long as he stayed non-partisan. He told me that if they saw him passing out the Obama stuff, which he handed to me like it was some kind of secret rave or some shit, that they'd kick him out of there.

He then proceeded to ask me who I voted for in 2004, which immediately sent up a red flag. When I told him Bush, and I still backed that decision, he acted even more miffed. He then asked me who I liked in this election, and put McCain in my mouth immediately, and I said I liked them both and was more swayed to Obama. That's when he warmed up and suddenly started spilling his guts.

He said he was working for the senator this fall, that they would be setting up a post to try and get him elected in the area. I assumed what he really meant, was that he'd be working for the local sector of Democrats in the actual city, and handing literature and stuff to get people for Obama.

He wasn't actually working personally for Obama, even though he presented it as such.

Now if he was a MoveOn.org guy, I wouldn't be shocked in the least with the way he behaved. The way he talked he wasn't a local, and he said that up front when he seemed dumb founded by me talking about local areas. He also seemed thrown when I started telling him, the Obama guy, MORE stuff about Obama than he seemed to know, especially with the fact Obama (at that time) had recently said he'd be tough on Pakistan & Iran and wouldn't play around, so to speak. The guy acted like I just told him his girlfriend cheated on him. He was a total hippie. One of these young bucks that probably thought "Recreate '68" was just his ticket to being apart of a generation (the boomers) that he was 20 years too late for.

NIN & Rihanna are not side gigs.

And I think the label knows that also James. Thus the reason any smart suit would pressure Axl for a reunion.

I remember saying to a friend in 2004, that the new band would go nowhere without Buckethead. He was their one chance to totally re-invent themselves and still get respect, and with him gone there would be no way. I continued to ponder the thought everytime a leak surfaced, it has Bucket all over it, despite him being a departed member.

*cough* I guess I was right.