They also have a sizable overhead with the usual stage production.

The Azoff complaint mentioned Guns earned around $12,5 Million for the early 2009-10 tour legs. With some 32 shows, they average at $400,000 in revenues, which, I assume, includes merch.

Axl complains all managers want to scale things down by (for example) cutting it down to one tour bus. If the boss could be arsed to travel with the band, the band might be looking at earning additional hundreds of thousands of dollars per show. 

The Vegas thing is pretty much a god-send from a business point of view, given they got a good deal. In theory, the overhead is radically reduced along with travelling costs, the public exposure is there, this would be a time to aggressively sell the new band with new (yes, NEW) music.

Then they call it Appetite for Democracy and we cross fingers that Axl strolls into a local recording studio, or at least, saves up the dough in the band war chest.

It's a nice job, if you can get it.

You're quite right. Both went through a lot during that era. Axl, for instance, had some major changes of opinion during that era.

I'm mentioning this, as - while we all know Axl's insistence on regression therapy, which evolved into Yoda - he seemed to have a fairly cordial relationship with his (step)father up to a point.

I may be at a loss here, but it strikes to me as sycophants jumping in on a payday, feeding up his insecurities and systematically alienating him from the people around him.

Obviously, Slash would've gotten much of the same, although people would've likely focused on catering to his indulgences more than with Axl. Ax's the one who always felt good playing head games - only he wasn't good enough.

From Vegas to India...

Better go on stage on appropriate hours, Axl.

Your housekeeper wants that check.

CD was a perfect storm in many, many ways. It's unique in many ways and that's why it's so deceptively fitting to Axl, of all people in the industry. Even the abbreviation could be said to symbolise the twilight of the commonplace physical format; the MySpace preview was merely icing on the cake.

No-one on top of the situation

Axl had some ideas. The label had others. There was not much dialogue between them throughout the years as they lacked an level-headed middleman. A&R Man Tom Zutaut was probably the best one on the job, but the War of the Yesmen (Axl's camp vs label execs) got even him caught up in a crossfire. Azoff got the job and cut the deal.

General disregard of public image

Has any CD lineup ever done a professional photoshoot?  Had they been marketed themselves as a band, they would've been more openly viewed as a band as opposed to the crazed hermit and his mercenary posse. 

Axl deciding when

Face it, he's always been late for everything.