The real issue with Steven is whether they should have ditched him before UYI.

I wonder with proper rehab for a period then - and maybe Slash and Duff could have done with some too. If things would have been different.

Like the guy stayed a junkie for decades after, but it wouldn't have helped watching UYI happen without you when it's your childhood mate in the band.

Thanks!

I think Jeff was due to appear at these shows but had to cancel due to Tinitus from Slash's rig.

I remember this quote from Axl years back:

"In regard to so-called ‘perfectionism,’ I feel that has a lot to do with your goals or requirements with whatever one’s doing or creating… Generally, when this term is used by others in regard to me or how I work, it’s said in a negative way or as an excuse for their shortcomings — and again by my detractors."

I could imagine this plan suits everyone.

For Axl it's an independent umpire who can tell Slash that he has to make an effort to play on the softer ballads and slow numbers. For Slash it's someone to tell Axl that the vocals need to be done inside of 2 years. It's someone objective to say if the riffs are too cock rock or if the ballads are too broadway. It's an independent umpire to sort out any creative tensions, it's someone to inspire the best of you, and it's someone to carry the pressure of a reunion album that isn't in the band.

I thought that at first.

But then he seems to have suffered pretty hard during the CD process being in total control.

Likewise in one of the chats or interviews about CD he mentioned how he became the producer only because of issues with the label.  The impression I got was that it was somewhat reluctantly that he ended up defacto-producing himself.

Additionally in relation to Ac/Dc he spoke that he loved that angus was his boss, he seemed to enjoy the break from total responsibility.

I mean I can't see him handing over the reigns of the whole GNR ship to someone. But I could see given the torturous process the last album was - and given the need for them to co-operate in the future for more tours and the real risk recording might bring up old disputes - that the concept of appointing some type of umpire to deal with disagreement might seem tempting.

I don't think they did say it as an exact statement.

But when you consider Axl's historical remarks about working with the original line up again:

"I suppose Duff could play guitar on something somewhere, but there’s zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn’t be pretty"

You could interpret that to mean no albums as much as it meant no reunion shows.