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Re: GNR '95 - The Lost Drummer
You think you knew who was in GNR in 1995? Think again. This is something snatched from MyGNR:
The early morning hours of Feb. 8 [1995] made for a wild night for [Dizzy] Reed, who owns a house on Country Club Road. [...] Reed was arrested Feb. 9 on the Moorpark Freeway near the Ventura Freeway off-ramp. The charge: drunk driving. His plea: not guilty. His defense: His friend was driving and pulled over to vomit when the California Highway Patrol happened on the scene.
[...] Both sides agree that it began with a band practice and drinking session at a North Hollywood studio that lasted past midnight. Reed and roommate Sean Riggs--a Guns N' Roses studio drummer--left the practice and continued drinking at the Yucatan Cantina on Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Westlake Village. - LA Times
Darren (Dizzy) Reed of the rock group Guns N' Roses was convicted of drunken driving in a Ventura courtroom, although another band member, drummer Sean Riggs, testified during the trial that he was at the wheel. Reed was placed on three years' probation and ordered to pay a $1,515 fine, do 40 hours of community service and take alcohol awareness classes. - LA Times
The plot thickens as ASCAP credits Sean Riggs as one of the writers of Oh My God.
This goes on to show Axl apparently had a 'shadow band' working for him in the studio all the while as the core lineup was seemingly unable to get into the same room during the SFTD sessions. Sean Riggs apparently went on with Dizzy and Paul Huge for quite some time, up until he was replaced by the more seasoned Josh Freese.
Re: GNR '95 - The Lost Drummer
That shadow band must have reached new, previously unattainable heights of suckery. Cant do anything with old GNR. Has a shadow band for a couple years and cant get anything done. Then goes through various all star line ups and still cant get anything done. Finally in 2008 releases a half baked album.
While this tidbit of info is interesting and definitely another small piece of the chinese puzzle, at this point I simply laugh at it. The guy had so many musicians walking through his revolving door, he should have been able to double the old band's discography in about two or three years.
It makes you wonder how much he really brings to the table.
Re: GNR '95 - The Lost Drummer
I think everyone kind of knew when Paul Huge replaced Gilby that Axl was already hand picking his band. Wasn't 1995 also when he left the "contract" and took the name with him.
This was a planned piece of business for years before it happened. What a douche.
Re: GNR '95 - The Lost Drummer
That's very interesting - I'd never heard of that guy.
Axl knew the writing was on the wall and presumably intended to do things HIS WAY however that panned out. I would imagine he knew that Slash et al weren't going to come around to his way of thinking so he moved on, notwithstanding that some "lose ends" like existing band members/employees hadn't been tidied away, that would take care of itself eventually.
Paul Huge playing on Symapthy for the Devil is probably a similar example. Axl just hired the guy and probably just forced his own way through on this issue. The other guys could like it or fuck off.
As we all know according to a couple of peoples versions of events, eventually after one too many of these instances they just fucked off.....
Re: GNR '95 - The Lost Drummer
I don't have anything against him cherry picking his own line up that he wants to work with. The question becomes year after year after year after year.....why bother? None of them could obviously record anything resembling a cohesive album, and it makes you wonder why he would even go through the trouble of doing it.
Cant say money because he's already rich. Cant say art because he obviously isn't interested in musical output.
Maybe its like madagas said all along....
He's just bat shit crazy.
Re: GNR '95 - The Lost Drummer
wow...just when you think you know all the people that have been in the band at one time or another ... something like this comes outta the blue
i looked up slash on there and there are a few tunes that he doestn get credit for in the cd booklets...who takes precedence? ascap or the linernotes? also some unknow VR songs in that list
Re: GNR '95 - The Lost Drummer
I don't have anything against him cherry picking his own line up that he wants to work with. The question becomes year after year after year after year.....why bother? None of them could obviously record anything resembling a cohesive album, and it makes you wonder why he would even go through the trouble of doing it.
It just goes to show you that simply putting some of the great musicians in the world together in the one room or at least individually through the revolving studio door to jam and/or lay some tracks down, doesn't guarantee you great music.
How do you hire an "X factor"?
How do you employ "lighting in a bottle"?
How can you make "band chemistry" contractual?
Unfortunately you can't despite the best of intentions.
