Does Talent create responsibility to use that talent?

monkeychow

Been thinking today.

Seems after Axl's most recent "Not In This Lifetime" reunion comments a lot of people are going to be disappointed if/when nothing happens at RRHOF.

Then there's the "No one owes you anything, not one god damn thing". I'm still hopeful for a chinese 2 eventually, and I hope Apoplectic Love is going to be good.

But I know no matter how good those records are a proportion of people will be pissed off at both men because they won't work with one another.

I see both sides of it. Usually I'm content because I love all the "solo" projects. But sometimes I listen to classic GNR and I realise it's once in a generation chemestry.

And then that got me thinking - like really - if you way things on a scale - i don't care how much of a liar or an asshole slash might be (or might not be), or how much of a wife beater and a prick axl could be (or might not be) - what they did together sort of elevates above that.

I'm almost religious about this. There's bigger things at stake than the personalities to me. And that's the art.

There's 1 guy in 10 million who sounds like Axl or Slash. Call it gifts from god, freaks of genetics, chance, natural selection or whatever...it just doesn't come around that often...so like I've stated to think that - if you have that - do you have some kind of requirement to use it and not waste it. Is there a point where the value of what you could give to human kind and art supersedes your own desires?

Like what if Einstein or Stephen Halking or whatever decided they don't like science anymore. It would seem almost sinful or whatever to me for them to waste that sort of brainage when millions don't have it.

Then again, I guess with Art, maybe they just can't. Maybe Axl just can't write killer songs when he's so pissed with Slash.

I dunno. Thinking out loud I guess. But it's an interesting thing to me. Not saying they do or don't have to do anything. But on some level I look at it and think that it would make thousands of people happy - and there's a ton of evidence to suggest that even if disliking each other - things they create would be of all time great value amongst the greatest works in their chosen field....most people just don't have those talents be it a gift or a curse or whatever it is - so is there a point where you have a duty to fullfill your potential...or is it ok to just call it a day.

mister saint laurent

I really don't think anyone owes anyone anything in this world beyond whatever has been specifically promised and agreed to.

It sucks that Izzy left. It sucks that without Izzy, Axl and Slash couldn't agree on where Guns should go next.

But that was a long time ago and whatever greatness could have been achieved at that time is not going to be achieved now, even if Axl chose to work with Slash out of some sort of "guilt" over "cheating" the fans.

Not that I think he has the type of personality where he would give a fuck about any of that.

johndivney

show me someone who's not a parasite & i'll go out & say a prayer for him

IMO you have a basic moral responsibility (which a lotta people would scoff at) but anything beyond that you're on your own.
there's more useful things Axl could do w/his resources than write a new song (tho not that many more)

BUT if you're talking in terms of ideological warfare then defo Axl & artists have a responsibility, one Axl ignored for a long time.
think of him as a priest of RnR. if a catholic priest decided to stop preaching & attending his congregation the crowd will disperse & find a new religion. as a warrior of truth/RnR Axl did betray his responsibility - he has an opportunity to get the msg out there solely because it can help people thus fulfilling his moral obligation BUT also that msg can RESCUE people from the LIES & DECEPTION of other forces such as religion or party politics. w/power comes responsibility - in a smaller way we're also responsible for sharing this msg, it's just our artists can reach more people at a time.

history is littered w/great artists who abandoned the/ir causes. a little unfair to single Axl out - he has tried to survive & come back, credit to him i guess for not dying...

metallex78

Well, I think it kinda goes both ways.

Axl and the rest of the GN'R guys are pretty much set financially from the fans that supported them to begin with, so that is something he should at least be grateful for.
And I also believe it's any artist's responsibility to create as much of their 'art' as they can, while they able to do so.

But the fact that you or I happen to enjoy that art, does not mean we're owed anything because of that.

mister saint laurent

If an artist has a responsibility to create as much of their art as they can, what bounded them to that responsibility? To me, the only responsibility an artist has is to not kill other people for no reason. Maybe also to not molest children or steal. Basic shit like anybody else.

They are set financially from fans buying their records, but let's say they weren't. Let's say Appetite only sold 30,000 copies and they were broke. Would those 30,000 people have a responsibility to donate money to the band since they enjoyed the music so much and the band was still homeless?

I'd say no. Maybe others would feel different.

But unless someone felt they owed the artist financial success, I don't see why they'd feel the artist owes them art.

johndivney

the artist owes it to their art to continue producing. art is its own virtue, if the vision is true - or even if it's honest.

that in-turn is [in]valuable to everyone who could come in contact w/that art.

going back to monkey's comparison: an artist's work could be as significant as those of the great sciences & scientists & that importance determines the responsibility they have. they CAN make a contribution that helps others, that is the extra responsibility an artist carries aside from not killing people.
it's something that applies to everyone on some level, but there does exist an obligation of sorts for them to deliver the help or enjoyment they can.
& just because you've done it once doesn't excuse you from never doing it again. or excuse you from trying.

mister saint laurent

Well, I certainly don't think anyone could accuse Axl of not trying. If anything, his lack of output is from trying TOO HARD.

Slash has been quoted several times talking about how one of the problems with him and Axl is that after UYI, Slash didn't feel like he had anything to prove and just wanted to do something easy and fun, while Axl was still very determined to push the envelope and so something GREAT.

It's very rare to still have that same hunger after having had so much success.

Mikkamakka

I don't see that hunger. Seriously. Not a bit of it. He's been playing safe and trying not to risk anything, except when he says 'fuck it' and works hard on diminishing his own career.

Back on topic... I think they have responsibility towards themselves. Not the fans, not the record company (except legal responsibility), not the universum, just themselves. And that's why Axl fucked himself so badly in the past 15+ years. We, the fans, music lovers lost a lot. Rock music lost a lot. But if I were him, I'd hate to face myself after ruining such an awesome career. He has noone else to blame but himself, and that's why he's always looking for other targets. The blame is so enormous, he cannot bear it. The cure could be creating, but as it seems he has no desire, drive, hunger, anything.

otto

I do believe he's lacking inspiration. The so talked about muse that Merck talked about. He had a driving force to rebuild Guns but lost his inspiration along the way, perhaps to the business side of things, perhaps to the lawsuits, perhaps the record company, perhaps to himself.

Or all the above.

mister saint laurent

The dude just spent like ten years of his life making multiple albums. Just because we've only heard one of them so far doesn't mean a lot of effort was not put into them.

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