Well that's one of those each to their own opinions. Madagascar was so inspirational for me, and This I love I consider to be one of the most beautiful and emotional songs ever written - so for me I still think Axl has the goods. But if others don't like the new material that's just as valid.

I agree with this. I thought i was the only one. To me the album was a good - I like that they kept most of the bucket stuff that had been in the songs so long, but I also thought the overall effect of most songs was superior in album form than the leaks. I'd be interested to hear a version that was mixed and mastered by different enginers or whatever...but in general I'm happy with the way they came out as final versions.

One thing I don't think enough people consider is that Axl can only be who he is.

In my opinion there is a lot of him and his personality captured in his music, and it comes from very real place.

What these articles always seem to boil down to is "Axl's a cunt and he should be different or do different things" but he'd have to alter his personality to do that, and that would have dire consequences on the artistic results.

At the end of the day, in my opinion, the bullshit that fucks up the business side of things and angers fans and others, is a very real part of the same psyche that is able to create the musical masterpieces he makes. He only has one mind, and it's a package deal. I think people should keep that in mind is all and maybe show a bit more understanding.

Speaking more generally and not about Axl in particular:

People with mental problems feel things and experience events entirely differently to how a sane rational person does. So it would be a "choice" he makes in that his action directly causes an outcome, and, to a logical person no one made him make that choice. So we assign blame.  However what actually motivated his choices is pressures and feelings that the logical person doesn't understand or experience but which remain VERY real to the chooser.

Why's that? Ron says he chats to him about movies and tells jokes and laughs around with him and stuff and doesn't discuss the outcome of business side of things with him.

It's not at all unusual for a person suffering from this type of thing to be very upset about certain things, but also experience moments of happiness or put on a different apperance for others.

Even the firing/re-hiring thing expresses changing emotions. That's assuming any of it is true though.

It could quite easily be the case that when he's feeling positive Axl spends time with his close friends and bandmates, and when he's upset he seeks solace alone. This would lead his friends such as Baz and Ron to say they've never seen evidence of trouble, but also account for delays and incidents when they happen.