All ears.

Right.

The merch company sent out the wrong package? Understandable, as it's not their job to evaluate whether to send out an AFD shirt or not.

Fernando,

whose job is it to doublecheck the merch company sends out the right packages?

Managing a band like GNR is a lot of work. It's really hard to stay active on the job when you are ill-equipped to take on the job in the first place.

That AFD cross goes a long way to pay the mortgage. You fucked up. Don't blame the shirt or the record it represents because of it.

Having worked with procrastinating frontmen, I can tell you from experience that the gig starts out great with all the legacy one is proud to build on, but then it sort of plateaus. You work your ass off because you want the job and have a strong urge to cut your teeth with the material, the material inspires you, you turn in something you feel is the vintage sound with your mark on it.

You feel good, the frontman doesn't.

After a while, you just get frustrated and the name becomes more of a baggage than a merit, the gig turns into a drag, because it's all about doing a show once in a blue moon, chipping away at stuff on your downtime and answering the odd question about whether the frontman is difficult to work with, and, most importantly, why doesn't he release new material.

You'd love to give out an answer, but you can't.

And in some ways, you can.

Axl had a point in saying Steven's way too unstable still, given one person (Axl) can make or break his happiness. It's easy to vilify the other person and keep him as the root of all evil when you wonder why he doesn't do as you please.

And Steven needs to look at it for what it is - he got to perform with Slash and Duff, was recognised for his contributions to the GNR legacy, was able to represent that era, etc.

Demanding Axl to be there, without any consideration towards Axl's feelings on the matter, is rather self-absorbed and shows Stevie hasn't grown up much during his years in the wild. Of course, a lot of these things can be said about Axl as well.

When you're Axl's spokesperson, you need to channel his moods as well as his message. Otherwise, he blows a gasket. I can see that being a real piss-ant job at the worst, as you sign your integrity out at the door and go with the programme.

Do tell.

No wonder CD took such a ridiculously long time. After all the wrangling with the label and the various personell, etc, at the end of the day they were dealing with an artist who could probably cave in for weeks if someone'd make the comment on not liking something on a track.

The man looks as if he's walking through life nude. Nothing wrong with the added sensitivity it may bring to his work, but as you say, everyday life must be hell for him if everything goes under his skin by default.