You catch on fast.

Axl. Obviously, he's not purposefully talking about himself. However, it reminded me of a case study on a Hitler/Churchill quote.

"Like a madman, this man has been running all over Europe for almost five years to find anything which would burn."

Was that Winston or Adolf talking about the other? Works either way, tho obviously not intended to do that.

All backing members are expected to be replaced with Daleks by the years end.

You heard it hear first.

Uh-oh,

sounds like John Lydon's in the house!

We can certainly agree on the band members not deserving all that what is being thrown in their direction, by the MSL circus or otherwise.

But that goes on to show how strained a relationship Axl himself has with his fanbase. Is it just me or does he only pick up the bad things said on the boards and tweet back in retaliation? It's a hate-hate relationship, when everybody gets the bad stuff from him and he only picks up things that rile him up.

Axl has the undisputed right to the b(r)and name, doesn't owe anything to the fans, etc. That's all good. But all things would be better if he would live up to his end of the bargain, which means accepting the fact that some people will always have a problem with him being the sole surviving original member.

Badmouthing Slash and random people on the internet isn't the way forward, neither is subjugating the biggest fan-ran message boards to only display your view of the world. Coming on to those boards and communicating directly with those who care is, and it remains a great example of how Axl can reach out and make the lot of us happy to be fans of (t)his band.

The online communities may come across as bitchy and petty when it comes to the band, and that's understandable. But one should never encourage anyone to behave like an asshole, as then that person is bound to behave like an asshole again in the future.

And frankly, I think we have enough bad behavior on both sides of the fence without the bearded one joining in.

RE: BBF.

Your reaction to the MyGNR thread was equally out of line as many of the posts he referred to. The difference? In the grand scheme of things, nobody gives a toss about some sorry wanker at a message board, saying one thing or the other about a band. But when a band member gets into that, it's a different story. Sorry, Bumbs, you represent the band in this context and therefore, you're much more on the inside as the rest of us. Sinking down to the level of anonymous idiots is a bad thing, as your words carry a heck of a lot of weight in these circles. Responding to idiocy with idiocy is a sour solution.

It's equally damning for Axl to have given Madison her fifteen minutes of shame. I'm not going to go into whether or not she deserved to be told off, but one needs to realize there are more far-reaching repercussions here than what meets the eye. Axl's behavior made headlines across the 'net and strengthened the public image that Axl's being a twat again, raging at the fans. When you're a public figure, you need to keep your distance to the heat of the moment, and if you really, really need to respond, you do it in a way that is calm, mature and leaves no room for questioning.

Going off the handle only enforces the speculation that there's deep shit going on behind the scenes. Is that the impression you wish to give, Ron? If so, you did great. I appreciate the numerous good things you've done to and on behalf of GNR, and it has certainly been more fan-friendly in a more general level since you came along. You also do a lot of good things on the side, on your own, and your heart is obviously in the right place. Which is why it saddens me to see such a kind person stuck in a negative and stressful situation.

You have my sympathies, but you need to look in the mirror on this one. Some of those MyGNR posters were probably out of line, but two wrongs don't make a right. You're the one that counts as far as I'm concerned, as I don't listen to music by them or go to a show to see them. If being in the band and dealing with the bad stuff that comes with it is beginning to limit you and your own best interests in life, I suggest you start thinking about alternatives.

This is not to say I want to see you go because of your comments, or for any other reason. Quite frankly, I think your departure would be a great blow for both the band and the fanbase. But if it's slowly turning you into a person that responds to petty and inappropriate commentary in equal amounts, I'd rather see you going back to doing the things that do give you happiness.

Cause there's nothing quite as sad as seeing a big man grow small.