First off,

the best-ever description I've ever heard of Guns was that they started as carefully managed sell-outs they are ending as less-carefully managed sell-outs. 

And if you think about it for a few minutes, it's actually quite apt. Live Like a Suicide was published by Geffen, covertly under the UZI Suicide moniker. This doesn't contradict the band's artistic merit or ambition, simply it just points out that they saw the money and took it, wasting millions on drugs, alcohol and whatever.

So, it's a bit of a curate's egg to say Guns have suddenly sold out. That much isn't news.

Sure. Corporate shows are probably the lowest of the low, but high-profile artists have participated.

Clearly fed up, in 1996 Molson held its first Blind Date Concert. The concept, which has since been exported to the U.S. by sister company Miller Beer, is simple: hold a contest in which winners get to attend an exclusive concert staged by Molson and Miller in a small club — much smaller than the venues where one would otherwise see these megastars.

And here's the clincher: keep the name of the band secret until it steps on stage. Anticipation mounts about the concert (helped along by national ad campaigns building up said anticipation), but the name on everyone's lips isn't David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Soundgarden, 1NXS or any of the other bands that have played the Dates, it's Molson and Miller.

[...] The rock stars, turned into high-priced hired guns at Molson's bar mitzvah party, continued to find sad little ways to rebel. Almost every musician who played a Blind Date acted out: Courtney Love told a reporter, "God bless Molson.... I douche with it." The Sex Pistols' Johnny Lydon screamed "Thank you for the money" from the stage, and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell told the crowd, "Yeah, we're here because of some fucking beer company... Labatt's."

But the tantrums were all incidental to the main event, in which Molson and Miller were the real rock stars and it didn't really matter how those petulant rent-a-bands behaved.

- Naomi Klein: No Logo

Here's the clincher:

"He's not motivated by money, he's motivated by his art." - Baz

"Axl Rose was one of the only artists I ever worked with who was never motivated by money. He consistently put the quality of his artistic output above all." - Tom Zutaut

"W, Axl Rose is not interested in fame, money, popularity or what the New York Times or any other paper for that matter might think of him." - Merck

I think you and I are on the same page here, but as you can see, many of Axl's cohorts have done their damnedest to prove otherwise. That's where the rub comes for many people - Axl is not motivated enough by money to go for a reunion, but he is motivated enough by money to play at a French wedding.

Is Axl crazy enough to gamble his mortgage for his obsession on Slash? Place your bets!

Haven't read that, but might like to.

Got a link?

Expect songs co-written by the hangers-on, in case they wish to ensure a royalty share.

Axl & The Family Rose. Sheesh.

A lot of fish flying around that one.

In the TMS interview with Trunk, Axl mentioned in passing that the band almost got screwed in Abu Dhabi for one reason or the other. Wonderful journalism prevented the obvious follow-up question.

It's a wild goose chase to say what'd been eating Tommy at that point. I wouldn't buy the late addition to the tour itinerary straight-off, as shows this big are announced months before to ensure ticket sales. However, Doc McGhee was fired the next month, so there was a lot rumbling behind the scenes.

Educated guess would be that the biz end made everybody in the Guns organisation jump through some additional hoops while in Abu Dhabi. The Management would've convinced the band to go through with it as it pays off well.

The Axl interview in Gulf News and the brief promo video with the band were, I think, pushed by the promoters, given there'd been a long time since the Guns' last show in the region.

Notice how Dizzy appears to be either stoned and/or taking a piss at the situation while Tommy evades the camera.

Of course, MSL (among others) went on to say the band members weren't paid on time after all, which would've certainly created chagrin. Go figure.

For what it's worth,

Dexter posted on MyGNR yesterday to say there'd be a new album in 2012.

Today, all those involved claim it was a fake and beta's email account was hacked, which would've enabled the hacker to change the forum password.

Summa summarum, even the hackers are bored.