That would be Metallica or Pantera, not GN'R. Slash' riffs are not meant to be prominent except for intros and solos. The sound is a balanced mix between vocals and guitars/bass. The outro to Coma would be hollow without the vocals, and vice versa.

And adding a solo to an existing song is a bit easier than adding lyrics, vocal melodies and perhaps arrangements to a riff and a solo. The band tend to agree.

Don't think I'm calling you a Slash fan boy or anything. I sometimes have sudden changes in the story telling point of view. Those "you's" are referring to Slash not you.

The only agenda is attempting to restore some balance to this thing. I'm definitely a bit anti Slash the person, but not musically. I'd like for him to still be in the band. I would have liked for them to battle it out, have their ego stroking phases and eventually just kinda jive with it like the Stones did. Alas that was not to be and I'm tired of seeing Axl being named the only problem in that equation.

He wrote Fall To Pieces. He wrote Slither (which is basically a YCBM remake). Sure it's not jumping off oil tankers epic but nor is it what he claimed to be so adamant about doing back in 95 (the snakepit album). And it wasn't like Axl was even opposed to that. He simply wanted to touch on it. But no. So who's playing the dictator here?

Libertad bombing and Scotts increasingly erratic behavior also must have played a part. Music seems very reasonable though considering the record was beyond average. Combined it probably just evaporated whatever steam was there. But I don't think the sense of compromise musically was the deciding factor. If it had been a hit I'd expect them to still be together, or in the process of being reunited now that Scott's improving.

Realistically speaking, put Slash on CD and scale it a bit in his favor, does that seem like something he would be totally opposed to doing, genuinely? It's not like Axl is trying to be revolutionary here. Increasingly we're being left with the possibility that some failed power play from a disgruntled band member remains the only sensible explanation for why the band irrevocably imploded. How pointless.

Should we burn Slash at the stake for this? Preferably not. But maybe it should help to change the perception of him as the poor boy who couldn't bear to live under the delusions of the crazed, villainous king.

Of course it was a problem, point is they always accepted it. His new band is currently accepting it. A no show was rare and the regularity of his lateness seems easy enough to adapt to. Less than smooth no doubt, but not a monstrous problem. Doesn't make him a villain.

Which he easily could have continued doing. Members doing solo stuff in down times have never been an issue with Axl. Oh he wanted to continue making GN'R records alright. He wanted Snakepit to be it. Does that sound like a smart move in the mid 90s? Forget commercial relevance, would you want that to be a GN'R album? Just something they'd haphazardly throw out there? Maybe some do, but Axl, and Duff didn't. Of course they didn't, there already was something called AC/DC.

I have read it. Besides being very vague and apprehensive about all those core issues his sentiments didn't strike me as someone who couldn't stand being in Axl's GN'R. Things had changed and without Slash it didn't feel like the same thing so he gave it up. Start a fresh life and all that. As often does that only lasted a few years before the need to rock and be someone again returned. With Slash still in the equation we'd probably still have the UYI band rolling (or stumbling) in some form. Whatever his issues were they weren't serious enough to actually mean anything until Slash bailed. Even then it took years.

Him gaining control was implied from the beginning. That's why you don't hear any fuzz about it until years and years after the band is finished. If you're going by the law of the street it really was his band once Tracii left. He teamed up with Izzy, got Duff, then Slash and Steven. All of this would be known to the band and that's why the seemingly outrageous idea of him taking control of the band was proposed in the first place. It didn't come out of the blue. Niven's attempts to try and democratize the band were naturally seen as an affront to that. With such a dominating personality in the group this is what ends up happening no matter how you play it. And everybody knew it, which is why it didn't become a thing until later developments called for it.

Slash didn't give a fuck when things were convenient for him. He didn't care when he was asked for his signature and he didn't care when he went knocking on a certain someone's door years later.  Why would he? Pay is the same, less responsibility and it isn't like Axl isn't already making all the decisions. But in 96 somehow it was very important. Suddenly he doesn't want to do any more November Rains. He doesn't even want to do it the way they did on Appetite, he wants his AC/DC and that's it. Which of course is a bullshit stance when he has shown no aversion to collaborating with genre artists he himself deems detestable since. And he was the one who opted out of Izzy's idea of doing a bare bones rock n roll thing with each of them sharing vocals duties. He wanted to get a "star" like Scott instead. He wanted to do epics on MTV. Exact same thing he accused Axl of.

Having a drug problem and not being able to get along with Axl's recording schedule are all valid reasons for leaving the band, but it doesn't give you the right to paint him a villain. Especially when looking a bit closer you appear quite the egotistical villain yourself. From a fan of the band standpoint, at least Axl never had quitting the band on his to do list. He wanted control yes, but he was willing to stick it out with the original members on issues. When Slash and Duff said fuck that to his Reznor and Janes Addiction ideas he didn't try to force it. He compromised evidenced by the sessions Slash talks about in 96, and it's probably the same album Axl's referring to in his MTV fax published around the same time.

I'm not acting anything, I'm quoting you. That's how you feel about your man. I don't about mine.

So if Axl was caught buggering little boys you'd still be anticipating his next album? If Slash got tired of Perlas bs and offed her you'd line up for the reunion show?

Matt is an idiot, don't like him either. Nothing wrong with dealing drugs to consenting adults. Nothing wrong with having an alcohol problem. And nothing points to Axl being a "wife beater" as in he's doing it right now. They both dropped the case for cash or something so who knows the truth about that. He probably did considering where he comes from but for all we know he hasn't even had a steady girlfriend since those two and we hear no complaints from Beta. Doesn't exactly sound like a "wife beater" to me. Sounds like a guy who made a mistake and now has trouble committing like that again. A millionaire wife beater would just keep on finding new girls to submit. If he's in to raping chicks too I'd expect jail to come sooner than later.

That's not passive aggressive. It's a blunt and matter of factly assertion of his character.

Relevant to music? Perhaps no. Relevant to Slash' credibility in a statement made by him (which is what we're discussing)? Definitely and totally.

I have no doubt he was afraid, of a lot of things. He's not saying that though is he. Asked how he felt he says "I was not disappointed" (implying others perhaps would and should be). A partial and strategic statement. Then he says he didn't have any expectations since he left the band in the early 90s. Not wholly true and doesn't make any sense either. To the contrary he would be the only one in that scenario to be in a position to have any expectations, cause presumably he holds the keys to getting back together.

Of course, we know the real reason there's no expectations. His former front man hates his guts and have been very vocal about that for years. Don't want to get into that too much though. Better to say something which will allow people to assume you're the one who has a problem with him, cause that would make sense in the Axl is a bad guy version of things.

Now I think we'll both agree none of them has done something so bad that it will affect our ability to enjoy their music. But if you want to go the drama way and try and shift some blame in the whole GN'R thing, my vote goes to the top hat for his now exposed character. What were Axl's faults really? Habitually late and prone to blow ups. Not a great cv but at least you could generally expect him to show, alive. Slash has been dead what, 4 times? Yet it's Axl's fault that he's fucked up and barely able to play a show at 11 o clock. It's his fault when you can't keep away from your drug and alcohol problem to make an album. No, you have to tour and get that mother in the bag in a couple of weeks or it's falling apart. Then, when your band mate takes issues with your attitude you up and leave on him.

But...Axl is the asshole. Because he's a dictator (which he always was), because he's got his own dressing room (he had his own room back when you were all sharing a one bedroom apartment) and the head shot, because he wanted to *gasp* explore the bands musical horizons. But fuck that, that's intolerable I'm leaving. Sure I'm the most vital member next to you in the band, but you can go and deliver that record we got a 10 million advance for on your own. I mean, I just don't caaare.

Those first few years without a phone call from Axl must have been so devastating for him. So much so that he just happened to be in Vegas when Axl is doing his first show. So much that at the first sign of Axl speaking about you in a positive way you run to his door trying to get back together, desperately relaying your message to the maid when he doesn't want to see you. You know, just in the faint hope he'll get it and call you back. And once more, you're ready to default on all your current commitments to make this happen. But that's rock n roll right?

Slash looks really cool smoking a cigarette, so fuck Axl Rose. He was not disappointed and he had no expectations, and that's the end of it.

/rant