Matt Sorum: 'Axl Should Use Another Name'

Rocker Matt Sorum has blasted Axl Rose for touring under the name Guns N' Roses, insisting he should follow Sting and Paul McCartney's leads and rename the group or go solo.

A former Guns N' Roses drummer, Sorum feels the rock group's name should only feature on tour tickets and albums when Rose is surrounded by his original members, including his Velvet Revolver bandmates Duff McKagan and Slash.

He tells ThePulseofRadio.com:

"I'm not saying I'm an original member, but I understand the core of the band is Slash and Duff and probably Izzy (Stradlin).

"This goes back to a Paul MCCartney thing. Does he call himself The Beatles? I'm not saying we were as big as The Beatles, but... Does Sting call himself The Police? No. Does Jimmy Page and Robert Plant go out there calling themselves Led Zeppelin? Nope."

Thanks for the report to Contactmusic.com.

Comments

[XtractionProces]

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

[wolvenrick]

YEAH TELL EM MATT!! xD

now this is a piece of truth no doubt. Gn'R is axl slash duff izzy with steven or matt on drums. NOTHING else can calls itself Gn'R.

dont attack me now, i think chinese democracy is good but it's just another genre which i don't like.

[Edgey_15]

Well he didn't say Chinese Democracy was bad...

Just that he thinks the band name should changed because it no longer consists of the origional band members.

[Aleks_Ring]

I can understand him, he in THE band once. And it's big part of his life and everything. But it's like Chris Cornell said; the artist has become more important then the songs.

[AaronianKenrod]

I think he's completely right, not only does chinese democracy (as much as i love it, which is a lot) not feature any other original members, the new members vary from track to track. this really is a solo project, one of the guitarists on it (can't remember who) even said when he was brought into the band he was told what to play.

[aaciseric]

It's a fair point. I don't particularly mind that Axl is still using the name but I can see where Matt is coming from.

[str84ever]

Quite frankly i don't really care anymore about this whole debacle.

Now let the shitstorm of LOL GUNS N ROSES commence.

[MT in Austin]

Guns and Roses is no longer relevant enough to worry about these issues.

[shadow__666]

I agree with everyone who really couldn't give a sh*t.

Maybe Axl is paying Matt in Dr Pepper (drummer's gotta get energy from somewhere) to keep GnR in the headlines.

[ihavenoname93]

he did a good job of getting the point across, (not that he was the first one or even one of the the first million people to say it) without sounding like an arrogant *******.

[Jugulator_cro]

MT in Austin wrote:

Guns and Roses is no longer relevant enough to worry about these issues.

This.

[j-walk]

I agree he should of made it a solo album but we all know its a money thing and he probally figured he would sell more albums with the gnr name.

[scaris_stride]

hardly a blasting was it?

[bjovi400]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

who pissed in your pickles? no one mentioned anything about Chinese Democracy sucking.

Although there are about 3 songs that are even decent on it, thats IMO.

I agree 150% with Matt on this. And considering the way Axl constantly gets new band members, it's not GN'R. It's not even Guns n' Roses. It should be Axl Rose. Thats it.

[Bass of Grunge]

when one of them members from Choking Victim died, they went on to start a new band, Leftover Crack, cos they didn't want to continue without him. Hint Hint Axl

[multipleofone]

There should be a ban on musicians saying the name, Guns N' Roses. Because the slightest utterance of the name by a musician results in front page news on UG. Same can be said for Metallica

[HammettFTW]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

you do not know how much i was looking forward to that album, i wanted to like it. but i am dissapoint

[rogerneeb]

wow, actual common sense...

[guitaringnathan]

why should he give up the name, he is an original member, and the singer, and the main songwriter, thats whats most important in a band not a guitarist with a top hat. he took took the name from a bunch of addicts, good for him taking the initiative. in my opinion as long as the band has the same singer or songwriter or both, no need to change the name

[Brattarocks]

yeah... david coverdale is the only constant member of whitesnake. just like axl he owns his band name and he keeps changing the lineup. no one seems to have a problem with that. same for ritchie blackmores rainbow and many other bands.

[ajaxender12]

I agree totally. When I talk about Guns N Roses, i have to distinguish between the old and new bands; theyre very different, and frankly, its the old band that deserves the name. Axel Rose does not make GNR; it takes all of the old members, or at least most.

I like Chinese Democracy. Im interested to see what Axel does next. But its not Guns N Roses.

[Big Dave 91]

It sounds f*** all like Guns N Roses has one original member therefore it shouldnt be called Guns N Roses

[Maddy!]

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

You guys should do ur history :P

[Martindecorum]

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

You guys should do ur history :P

say i have a Ferrari. if i take the engine out the doors out and strip it down and replace the parts with Honda, does that make it still a ferrari or honda

[emich]

i agree 100% this is exactly what i said when i heard chinese democracy.. im not saying it was a bad album. in fact it was quite good. but it was NOT guns n roses. it was something completely different. and that name itself just seeing the guns and roses title on those songs sort of ruins them for me because it is a completely different genre from guns

[waysay]

Guns n'Roses is in the past. A genre of music that was in the late eighties and early nineties. And that was when I listened to them. That new album is great but its not anyone from the old days but Axl. I takes two members to keep a name. Think Van Halen, or AC/DC,and Kiss. All other members of these bands have either died, quit or got fired.Maybe Axl should have had his brother be a founding member in the band there wouldn't be an issue

[Maddy!]

Martindecorum wrote:

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

You guys should do ur history :P

say i have a Ferrari. if i take the engine out the doors out and strip it down and replace the parts with Honda, does that make it still a ferrari or honda

It makes it not either cus honda parts wont fit a ferrari chassis :P
I get what ur saying but this is the band world and ive been through this myself after kicking our singer out we kept the same name so I get both sides of the argument. Theres alot of history in GnR both before sorum and after sorum. Its just kept goin. The voice of Guns and Roses is still there. But as I said I get what everyone means and I agree with both sides to this.

[stratdud39]

i agree with matt

[slash=king]

bjovi400 wrote:

who pissed in your pickles? .

hahahahaha funniest saying i've ever read on this website

[slash=king]

guitaringnathan wrote:

why should he give up the name, he is an original member, and the singer, and the main songwriter, thats whats most important in a band not a guitarist with a top hat. he took took the name from a bunch of addicts, good for him taking the initiative. in my opinion as long as the band has the same singer or songwriter or both, no need to change the name

i think you'll find izzy was the main songwriter and since when was a singer more important than a guitarist? why should they get the name not the bass player for example? or any other original member?
a band is a band, not an individual member

[GuitarJunkie]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Wow...now I know that if I ever see you posting about how good an album is on this site, chances are, it's a shit album.

There is not one track on the album worth listening to all the way through which is why I would like the time I did spend listening to it back. In fact Axl Rose is indebted to anyone who listened to the whole thing in my opinion.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

[jagstangkc]

slash=king wrote:

guitaringnathan wrote:

why should he give up the name, he is an original member, and the singer, and the main songwriter, thats whats most important in a band not a guitarist with a top hat. he took took the name from a bunch of addicts, good for him taking the initiative. in my opinion as long as the band has the same singer or songwriter or both, no need to change the name
i think you'll find izzy was the main songwriter and since when was a singer more important than a guitarist? why should they get the name not the bass player for example? or any other original member?
a band is a band, not an individual member

you make a valid point, but seeing as how the songwriter is the voice and face of the band and always in the front, the singer is considered the most important part of a band. there's a reason that singers get the biggest cut when it comes to getting paid. i've heard of singers getting as much as 75% of the income, with the rest of the band splitting the last 25%. i don't think he should change the name, they changed out members back when it was the 'core' band, and no one complained. gilby clarke replaced izzy stradlin, and matt sorum replaced steven adler. who cares? its just how bands work, throughout history bands members always come and go and yet the name remains the same.

[ultimate-slash]

the name guns n roses doesn't even have anything to do with slash and duff and izzy!

Axl ROSE and Tracii GUNS founded the band, hence the name GUNS and ROSE's,

really, I think it's pathetic how much fuzz there can be about something as irrelevant as a ****ing bandname..

since when did it stop being about the music and start looking like a ****ing dramatic tv-show..

[MetalManic 666]

ultimate-slash wrote:

the name guns n roses doesn't even have anything to do with slash and duff and izzy!

Axl ROSE and Tracii GUNS founded the band, hence the name GUNS and ROSE's,

really, I think it's pathetic how much fuzz there can be about something as irrelevant as a ****ing bandname..

since when did it stop being about the music and start looking like a ****ing dramatic tv-show..

if the band u like the most in the world changed their name to "i have sex with children" it would be okay because as u said.... band names are irrelevant...

[bfchead]

Its not a matter of who got the name, its a matter of running a name like Guns n Roses to the ground, someday when we grow old and tell are children we use to listen to Guns N Roses, they might find some of that shit from the Axel Rose show, and think its "Guns N Roses". However Guns N Roses was Sweet Child O Mine and Welcome to the Jungle. If its not that band playing, its not Guns N Roses.

[Big Fat Liam]

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

You guys should do ur history :P

i believe that it was combining the names of axls band 'hollywood rose' and slash's band 'LA guns'was it not? and u r all goin on about how he shood or shood not keep the name because he is the only member left, i utter the name of one band...MEGADETH. dave mustaine is the only original member of that band and the line up has changed considerably from the beginnin. so why r u not tellin him to change the name? i dont think he shood because he is so frickin awesome bt if he was to then it shood b changed to megadave!

[Kotie]

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

I like how you want the bullshit to end but are the first one on this article to start it back up. Everyone has their opinion about the album, and those differing from yours may feel obligated to offer theirs in response to your statement. Get a pulse guy.

And I completely agree with Sorum on this one. When you think GNR you think "Oh, Izzy, Slash, Duff, Axl" not "Oh, Axl." He wasn't a solo artist - it was a band. And with the music being so much different than previous GNR work, I feel a name change should have been discussed.
That aside, I love the new album, love Axl, and don't really give two ****s what name he plays under.

[StratDune]

matt's ****in right!!!

[Kotie]

Also, the insults insinuating that someone "must be a 14-yr old girl" or "must have only listened to each song once for 15 seconds" to not care for an album you particularly enjoy is entirely sophomoric. Quit being so incredibly ignorant.

[NightEmbers]

technically because axl IS an original member he CAN use the name by law but for real this is just axl and friends, im tired of him killing the GNR name

[enginehead]

Big Fat Liam wrote:

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

You guys should do ur history :P

i believe that it was combining the names of axls band 'hollywood rose' and slash's band 'LA guns'was it not? and u r all goin on about how he shood or shood not keep the name because he is the only member left, i utter the name of one band...MEGADETH. dave mustaine is the only original member of that band and the line up has changed considerably from the beginnin. so why r u not tellin him to change the name? i dont think he shood because he is so frickin awesome bt if he was to then it shood b changed to megadave!

Yea, but Dave writes almost all music in the band now, so i would still call them Megadeth, obviously not the megadeth they were in 1985
and axl's seems like a bit of a prick nowadays, dave may be a little self-centrerd, but hes not too bad. So people probably feel more obliged to insult him about things lol

[enginehead]

sry, i meant i wud still consider them megadeth cause dave wrote all the bands music from when they started

[Power123]

Martindecorum wrote:

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

fail! okay so originally yeah, but did they write any of the songs on AFD? no! therefore they dont count as any contribution towards originall GnR as axl quoted at a gig once "this is the first song we wrote in Guns N' Roses its called dont cry" izzy and slash wrote that not tracii guns etc! (i know it wasnt released until UYI thats because they felt it wouldnt fit appetite) AFD lineup = originall lineup!...

[EEE_ELLL_OHH]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

YES!!!!! KUDOS GOOD SIR!

And for him to basicsally say that Duff was more important than Izzy, shhyeah right!

[ghoztofcasper]

I hate Matt Sorum with a passion and despise Axl even more. With that said, I would typically tell Matt to shut the hell up since he's not an original member, but he has a point. Since it is ONLY Axl I would think a name change would be not only appropriate, but the right thing to do for the bands legacy. I'm not one to call out for name changes (see some of my posts), but for some reason I think GnR isn't GnR anymore - it's New GnR, Axl Rose Band, etc.

Yes, Alice In Chains has a new singer (technically on their second bassist, too), but the CORE is there. So I say keep the name. Same with the RHCP, Metallica and a ton of other bands. The CORE is still in those groups. There is no more core in GnR. It's just Axl. Hense a name change would make the most sense.

[n00barmy]

i utter the name of one band...MEGADETH. dave mustaine is the only original member of that band and the line up has changed considerably from the beginnin. so why r u not tellin him to change the name? i dont think he shood because he is so frickin awesome bt if he was to then it shood b changed to megadave!

The difference between what you're talking about and this situation is that Dave Mustaine IS Megadeth whereas Axl was NOT Guns 'n Roses. Dave was pretty much the driving force of Megadeth same as Reznor is with NIN or Tomas Kalnoky is with Streetlight Manifesto. If you ask anyone who is a fan of GnR they would pretty much tell you that GnR IS Axl, Slash, Izzy and Duff.

Obviously, each case is different even though the situation is the same. I believe that, even though it is perfectly fine for him to do so, it is misleading if he still uses the GnR name. Same with the Misfits. As much as I LOVE the Misfits, they are NOT the Misfits without Jerry AND Doyle AND Glenn even thought they are still awesome with just Jerry.

[Sabscope]

If Chinese Democracy or even the Spaghetti Incident was in the same vein as Illusion or Appetite then it would maybe make sense. The fact is, CORE members are gone,and as a result the music is different. Velvet Revolver could not be called GnR, aside from legal issues, as it is different from GnR in style and sound.
On the other hand, as long as everyone KNOWS that GnR is not the same band that made those excellent tracks back in the day (as everyone who is even vaugly interested MUST by now) it doesn't really matter.

[Deece]

The dilema is..
Opeth dont have any original members either. should they be renamed?

[AxleSteele]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

agreed. what about wolfmother? that bamd is completely different aside from the vocalist. should they change names too? honestly it doesnt make much of a difference. imo. whether they use the name or not Axl is still gonna sell out every venue he steps into (or doesnt as history tells us) they could call themselves the pink fairies from mars and people would be like wtf then see Axl Rose and go holy shit and buy tickets

[jimmyled]

yep he's right

[allfallsdown]

^I think if a band slowly replaces members after they leave for one reason or another, its still the same core band. If all band member leave all at once for the exact same reason, namely that the band can no longer cooperate as a group, maybe it is something different.

almost all bands that have existed for more than,say, ten years, go through some line up change. In Flames, Iced Earth, Metallica.

I don't hear anyoine complaing about the fact that metallica is called metallica without their origincal bassist.

[theotherguy7145]

Some bands it seems right for it to be the same name, such as Megadeth. Other bands it seems wrong. Certainly with GnR I've seen a lot more convincing reasons why Axl should change the name. The name represents the band, and who's in the band, and the bands sound.
Axls changed all that!

I could launch into a big essay of reasons why, but I won't.
Bottom line is that he should change the name.

[Baz1211991]

Matt's just pissed cos he didn't get his Dr. Pepper!

[AxleSteele]

Baz1211991 wrote:

Matt's just pissed cos he didn't get his Dr. Pepper!

lmfao nice haha i was pissed too, good thing the cd was good.

[jmo101]

Axl came up with the name...should he have changed it because Tracii Guns wasn't in the band anymore? Give me a goddam break and let's be honest here..everything comes down along Axl and Slash lines...If you like Axl everything is fine..If you like Slash its not...but at least be honest...I am a big Axl fan but i feel he has gotten a bum deal by Slash and the media...Slash has been caught in a lie TWICE (said he never went to Axxl's door at 60am, said he never brought his guitar to Las Vegas) Axl has not been caught in a lie...Slash is a junkie..Axl is not..Axl's songs are awesome..even the so called Slash fans stayed away from his solo stuff in droves..and VR just plain sucks...and Matt Sorum is a big punk and always has been since he was toured with the Cult..he has always been a wanna-be tough guy..if they are so upset over this, why did they quit then????

[prophetsfan]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

I actually quite liked CD. I still think Axl should not be touring under GnR's name though. Personally, I renamed all the CD tracks from GnR to just Axl Rose on my itunes anyway, so if I want to listen to GnR on a smart playlist it wont add the stuff that is not GnR.

[Oosh.]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

this article is nothing to do about whether the album is good or bad. Dont get me wrong i like the album, but its just not Guns 'n' Roses.

[b_flo]

Yep, Matt's right, coz when Guns 'n' Roses is mentioned, Slash, Duff, Izzy, Adler/Sorum come to mind too. Axl Rose should name his band 'Axl' instead.

[demonchild90]

I mostly agree, I like New GNR and Chinese Democracy and all, infact I like it alot. Technically he SHOULD use another name, but the bottom line is every one else sighned the name over so... if thats the case then **** it. We all know Axl is going to keep the name so what exactly is the point in bitching about it?

[Cobalt Blue]

Everything he said was 100% right, he even covered things people could nit pick at "I'm not saying I'm an original member" etc.

[aeroledtallica]

Martindecorum wrote:

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

You guys should do ur history :P

say i have a Ferrari. if i take the engine out the doors out and strip it down and replace the parts with Honda, does that make it still a ferrari or honda

Fucking A Right dude... Best comparison ever..

[Metallicam]

MetalManic 666 wrote:
if the band u like the most in the world changed their name to "i have sex with children" it would be okay because as u said.... band names are irrelevant...

Wow, GREAT argument...
Yes, I would in fact still like that band. Who really gives a rats ass about names. Bottom line is that Chinese Democracy is a sweet album, and it could be called GNR or Goat Suckers Anonymous and I would still like it.

[KingSquall802]

Yeah, i think he should change the band name.

better change the name to "Roses Got Gunned".

[Metallicam]

On another note, they must have like one guy sitting at home googling Guns N Roses every 15 minutes to try and find the smallest most insignificant news article to use here and start an argument. There has to be.

[scarfacesuit]

Although I see where he's coming from, he's wrong.

Legally, Axl owns the rights to the band, so he can do whatever the **** he wants under the banner of GNR. He could release a country or a rap album as GNR, and nobody could do anything about it.

As much as I think he's an insufferable prick who needs to die and burn in hell, Axl has the ball in his court on this one.

[scarfacesuit]

Am I the only one who hasn't jumped on the recent trend of saying "Chinese Democracy" wasn't that bad? Cause I thought most of the album was terrible. There were one or two good tracks, but they didn't by any means counteract the heaping mounds of shit that engulfed the rest of the album in a rancid odor.

[slash_fan56]

KingSquall802 wrote:

Yeah, i think he should change the band name.

better change the name to "Roses Got Gunned".

haha that's right.
I've listened to every song on the album many times, and it's a true masterpiece. But it's definitely not Guns n' Rose. Haha he barely touches on sex, drugs and r n'r, and that's what the Real GnR was all about.

[Blaze1986]

I can see why people are saying that Tracii was an original member and all, and I know the history of Guns so I agree. But, and this is a big exception, SLASH and DUFF MADE Guns N Roses what they were. If ppl had liked the band while Tracii was around, then we wouldnt be talking about this rite now because things wouldnt have turned out like they have. However, Slash, Duff and, at first, Steven completed the image of the band, and also the sound. I know ppl have different opinions, but Tracii sounds nothing like Slash to me! So, I agree with Matt on this one.

[CelestialChaos]

Wait, did he just say that Izzy was PROBABLY a core part of the band? Axl and Izzy, and to some, extent Duff, WERE the band. Slash was awesome, and was the frosting (a very good frosting, I might add) on the cake.

[pebbles123]

damm right, roses got gunned

[DimebagJosho]

CelestialChaos wrote:

Wait, did he just say that Izzy was PROBABLY a core part of the band? Axl and Izzy, and to some, extent Duff, WERE the band. Slash was awesome, and was the frosting (a very good frosting, I might add) on the cake.

I was about to say the exact same thing!
Took the words right out of my mouth mate

[NorfIrIon]

I agree. It's really not the same band. I still like the new album, I liked it alot, actually, but it isn't Guns 'n' Roses, it's Axl Rose and some other guys.

[sav46e]

I agree but thing is, when they tour they will be mainly playing guns n roses songs and if he made it a different name it would be weird to do that.

anyways, id go see them again just hear all the classics played live

[NorCalLos]

Axl has a hell of a lot more to say about what is guns and what is not guns than Matt Sore Arm.

[rocker222]

enginehead wrote:

sry, i meant i wud still consider them megadeth cause dave wrote all the bands music from when they started

and he left metalica he didnt go and say wellll im gana call my band metalica also or metalica 2 nooooo he named it megadeth

[Nazo64]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

I like you

[TK1]

agree with him completely, regardless of whether you like or dislike the music, Axl is not Guns N Roses. he was the singer for guns n roses, not the entire band.

[Lionheart2390]

Martindecorum wrote:

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

You guys should do ur history :P

say i have a Ferrari. if i take the engine out the doors out and strip it down and replace the parts with Honda, does that make it still a ferrari or honda

So every heavily modded car is, effectively, it's own brand?

Haha I get what you mean but that wasn't the best example.

And Ferraris are badass, btw. \m/

[WheredMyRockGo?]

Power123 wrote:

Martindecorum wrote:

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

fail! okay so originally yeah, but did they write any of the songs on AFD? no! therefore they dont count as any contribution towards originall GnR as axl quoted at a gig once "this is the first song we wrote in Guns N' Roses its called dont cry" izzy and slash wrote that not tracii guns etc! (i know it wasnt released until UYI thats because they felt it wouldnt fit appetite) AFD lineup = originall lineup!...

They actually did write some AFD songs before the AFD lineup came together. Ever hear of hollywood rose? Didnt think so. Check out that CD and you'll see some familiar song titles.

[mckay21]

Mustaine did change the name. He tried to release "The System Has Failed" as a solo album and the label said they wanted a Megadeth album. So, he called it a Megadeth album.

[sweet-cheeks-72]

makes totall since i really like chinese democracy but seriously he shouldn't call it that i totally agree

[bassmannick]

here's the fact of the matter. axl OWNS the rights for the title "Guns N'Roses". He owns the name, the image, the masters, he owns it all. he can join forces with sebastian bach, james hetfield, dave lombardo and pino palidino tomorrow and call them gnr. he can do whatever the **** he wants because slah, izzy and duff signed over their the name guns n'roses to axl back around the use your illusion tour. it's that ****ing simple. grow up you emo whiners.

[IdntNedUrCvlWar]

Yeah Chinese Democracy is an OK album, and Axl really does need to pick a new name. His cover band is nothing close to what the old Guns was.

[jrcsgtpeppers]

"Does Jimmy Page and Robert Plant go out there calling themselves Led Zeppelin? Nope."

Only if that statement was true.... They don't tour together sadly...
But I agree. The Ex Beatles had many menbers of the Beatles in their solo careers. But they alsways stook with their own name.
Axl Rose and others should go as:
The Axl Rose Failure.

[jrcsgtpeppers]

IdntNedUrCvlWar wrote:

Yeah Chinese Democracy is an OK album, and Axl really does need to pick a new name. His cover band is nothing close to what the old Guns was.

Sorry for 2post, but the Old Guns N ROses was a cover band too. They had what, 2 cover albums? Anyway, the old Guns was beter though, in everyones poinion.

[Waterboy799]

jrcsgtpeppers wrote:

IdntNedUrCvlWar wrote:

Yeah Chinese Democracy is an OK album, and Axl really does need to pick a new name. His cover band is nothing close to what the old Guns was.
Sorry for 2post, but the Old Guns N ROses was a cover band too. They had what, 2 cover albums? Anyway, the old Guns was beter though, in everyones poinion.

they had one cover album and that was after they had already released 4 studio albums.

Matt's right to say the least.

[Villearreal92]

rocker222 wrote:

enginehead wrote:

sry, i meant i wud still consider them megadeth cause dave wrote all the bands music from when they started

and he left metalica he didnt go and say wellll im gana call my band metalica also or metalica 2 nooooo he named it megadeth

No...he didn't...but thats because Dave was kicked out of Metallica...Matt, Slash, Izzy, and Duff all left INDIVIDUALLY on their own...(well, one was probably fired...but w/e). Axl, the last member, filled in the slots with other people. So, despite the fact that it isn't Gn'R's "Original" line-up, by law, AXL FUCKING ROSE ownes Guns N' Roses, so AXL FUCKING ROSE can do whatever he wants with the name and the music. W.A.S.P. Did it, The Smashing Pumpkins did it, and Megadeth did it...When only one person is left, they have the name...they can do whatever they want. The only difference is that Guns N' Roses went away for a long ****ing time and came back with all new people. Had they released Chinese Democracy WAY back in, oh say, 1996/7, Most people would be perfectly fine with it.

Times changes, bands change, direction changes, but apparently bitching about things never gets old

[loganpwns]

Amen.

And yes, he should change the name. Considering he's the only original member left now.

[November_Rain94]

He is absolutly right i would respect nuGNR as a rock band so much more if axl would get his head out of his ass realize gnr are over and change the damn name

[rainmaker13]

Right on Matt. Sure, some people think Chinese Democracy is great and all that, but really, compare it to the other GNR records. They were so badass and raw and just had this, flow of creativity that is so rare in a band. Yes, Axl has the rights to the name legally, but the original members, even Matt, deserve it as much. If it wernt for them Axl wouldn't be where he is today, and you would think, for oldtimes sake, he would change the name.

[saucehead]

Let me ask everyone something: If Slash & Duff named their current band Guns N' Roses, do you think it would outsell Axl's current version? I think the answer's obvious just looking at album and ticket sales. On the flipside, do you think Chinese Democracy would have sold as well had it been issued under the name "The Axl Rose Project". Again, the answer is obvious.

[lpcustom325]

i agree, i never felt right calling them guns'n'roses cause axl is the only original member left, if he had released the album back when the other members left it would have been a bit different

[carlsbad]

About time someone says what I've been feeling this whole time. When Chinese Democracy was coming out I would ask my GnR fan friends that if they were going to get "Axl Rose's new album". I refuse to call it Guns and Roses.

checked.

[Felfner]

Well, guys, I think (politically) that Axl is (awesome, and has funny tantrums (: ) can still use the name guns n roses, because slash izzy and duff (god bless 'em) all left the guns n roses, leaving axl to recruit new members or be the alone man of guns n roses,

Now on to personally, i think personally that axl should change the name, i like all of the new chinese democracy, but it'sn't the "GUNS N' ROSES" its new and experimental, Axl would probably benefit from starting new,

But then economically axl benefits from the name guns n roses, a) it gives him something to call himself, a title of pride b) all the old roses fans will find someway to relate to all the old songs.

Really I'm not sure, and i think it is up to Axl to decide, but since this is a forum... ill probably get some kind of person yelling at me for miss spellings and putting that as a reason to critizize what i say, but just think about it,

Think about, where you in the band? are you in the band? well if those questions are both answeared no then who are you to decide?

[Felfner]

MetalManic 666 wrote:

ultimate-slash wrote:

the name guns n roses doesn't even have anything to do with slash and duff and izzy!

Axl ROSE and Tracii GUNS founded the band, hence the name GUNS and ROSE's,

really, I think it's pathetic how much fuzz there can be about something as irrelevant as a ****ing bandname..

since when did it stop being about the music and start looking like a ****ing dramatic tv-show.. if the band u like the most in the world changed their name to "i have sex with children" it would be okay because as u said.... band names are irrelevant...

LoL, no i wouldn't mind, they'd get more attention, and will appear as the leading characters of free speech.

Why? well because in the modern day we connect to things that aren't written for us, or made for us. we think we kind find clues, like the gold pot at the end of the rainbow,

and in conclusion, the 9/11 is not a conspiracy, it's was just a bunch of pissed of muslims. (if anyone still belieaves its a conspiracy.

Thank you, and good night, now it is 22.38 on a friday. lets see the difference in personality over the next 67 hours.

Now GOOD NIGHT.

[winterburn69]

Well allow me to retort for Axl Mr. Sorum. Izzy and Axl were the core, not Duff and Slash. Izzy wrote or co-wrote almost every single Guns song on Appetite for Destruction, GN'R Lies and Use Your Illusion 1 and 2. Why did was Velvet Revolver limited to playing a half dozen GN'R songs, because that's all Axl had little, or no part in writing.

Did Megadeth change their name? AC/DC? Motorhead? The Scorpions? The Misfits? Fleetwood Mac?

[Gibson_SG_uzr55]

They still play all the big hits from original GnR, band lineup changes=/= different band

hell, Taking Back Sunday has no original members

and I love it how he says that he shouldnt call the band GnR until he surrounds himself with the original members, yet he is not an original himself. I guess when Steven left and Matt joined they shuld have changed the name too *sarcasm*

[koyak]

I always thought the band should be called "Axl and his Roses" or "The Axl Rose Band" or simpply "Axl Rose"... I guess he sticks to the GnR name for fame and money... he's the only guy left.

[Reverend-Me]

XtractionProces Totally misses the point, haven't heard chinese democracy, but this hasn't anything to do with the album, it's that Matt Sorum( and many others) thinks that Axl should change the name of the bands or call it "Axl Rose"( witch it is, he's the only staying member other than Dizzy Reed.)
Axl legally owns the name, slash and duff signed it over to him to save the band( or make it start again, or whatever they said it was for), so Axl can call it GnR legally, still, the only GnR part of the band is the songs, it's not Guns N Roses without Slash, Duff Steven( or Matt). And he's changed the style so even further away from Guns. He should change the name!

[BenjaminFields]

Chinese Democracy is a complete and utter disappointment.

By the way, Appetite for Destruction is not an album that has aged very well.

[TheWickerMan666]

Basically, it all comes down to when you think the band stopped being GnR, and became something else, or whether you think it still is GnR. It's not gonna have any solution.

Try looking up the Ship of Theseus on Wikipedia or something, and you'll see the same basic argument's been going on for millennia, albeit in different contexts.

[triky66]

He makes a completely valid point, you can't call it GNR when it's not actually GNR.

[Lil' Pookie]

Sure, Axl is a *****. but who can blame him. "Guns 'N' Roses" isn't about music, its about making that phat cash. Integrity means nothing if you cant afford the finest Cocaine and high class hookers. do you expect him to lower himself to weed and strippers. the indignity.

[Gibson Phoney]

Maybe he should call it Axl Roses?

[TheWickerMan666]

^^^ Troll?

The way I see it (still having not heard Chinese Democracy), is that Axl is the only original member not to have left the band, and is therefore still in it, and should still be able to release under the Guns N' Roses name.

Like I said in my previous post (about the Ship of Theseus), at what point does the band stop being GnR? A lot of people seem to think the band stopped being Guns N' Roses when Slash and Duff McKagan left, however these were at separate times, so the band could not have stopped at a single time.

In my opinion, Axl is justified to keep on going under Guns N' Roses, as the band has never broken up.

[TheWickerMan666]

"^^^Troll?" meant for Lil'Pookie

[geddyleesimmons]

Matt is right. If its not the original band then the name should be changed.

[jetfuel495]

Wow, Matt sounds like a lot of UGers. When will people get over it?

[kurko26]

steven adler

[Roberttitus]

Damn... You don't hear Megadeth fans bitching every time Dave replaces his entire band. Get over it people. Chinese Democracy was a badass album, plain & simple.

[Les Paul57]

[quoteyou do not know how much i was looking forward to that album, i wanted to like it. but i am dissapoint[/quote]agree. no matter how much i've enjoyed listening to GnR over the years, i just can't seem to enjoy Chinese Democracy....

[cloudy_skies]

Way to go, Matt! You're only about fifteen years late on this.

[98Timberwolf]

The original GnR was comprised of people who just worked perfectly together (at least at first). In the GnR case remove just Slash or Izzy or Axl etc... you don't have GnR anymore. In a band like Megadeth where one member basically IS the band's identity the other members can be switched up. You still have Megadeth. It's different for different bands. In this case, I agree with Matt.

[98Timberwolf]

n00barmy wrote:

i utter the name of one band...MEGADETH. dave mustaine is the only original member of that band and the line up has changed considerably from the beginnin. so why r u not tellin him to change the name? i dont think he shood because he is so frickin awesome bt if he was to then it shood b changed to megadave!

The difference between what you're talking about and this situation is that Dave Mustaine IS Megadeth whereas Axl was NOT Guns 'n Roses. Dave was pretty much the driving force of Megadeth same as Reznor is with NIN or Tomas Kalnoky is with Streetlight Manifesto. If you ask anyone who is a fan of GnR they would pretty much tell you that GnR IS Axl, Slash, Izzy and Duff.

Obviously, each case is different even though the situation is the same. I believe that, even though it is perfectly fine for him to do so, it is misleading if he still uses the GnR name. Same with the Misfits. As much as I LOVE the Misfits, they are NOT the Misfits without Jerry AND Doyle AND Glenn even thought they are still awesome with just Jerry.

This

[Slash 555]

To be honest i don't think it would be a big deal if Axl was makeing the same style of music he used to right in the 80's. If the new GNR sounded like the old GNR musicly i don't think anyone would give two shits.

[David_Bowie=GOD]

I agree with him, he should change the name, its no longer guns n roses, its just roses. In fact, he should name this new GnR that. I don't see anything wrong with him still playing the older material, but he should still change the name.

[guitargodwannab]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

thank you, some1 who agree's with me. not saying that its better then the Illusions or Appitite but its a sick album

checked

[Flariduh]

guitaringnathan wrote:

why should he give up the name, he is an original member, and the singer, and the main songwriter, thats whats most important in a band not a guitarist with a top hat. he took took the name from a bunch of addicts, good for him taking the initiative. in my opinion as long as the band has the same singer or songwriter or both, no need to change the name

He wrote the lyrics noob. and the piano(on a few songs) The main song writer was izzy stradlin.

[Flariduh]

Something I just realized. No one gives izzy much credit. People say it wouldnt be the same withour slash or duff or axl(which is true) But Izzy wrote or co-wrote EVERY SINGLE SONG they created. HE was the main songwriter. Axl wrote lyrics and piano, slash the solos (only some actually for example dont cry was written by izzy.)

[Vinura]

he should call his new band "Axl and Friends"

[GivesYeHell]

Okay, I'm sick of all this.
I have respect for all the members of Guns N' Roses, past and present, but honestly, what Matt is saying is true. You don't use a name of something that practically is non-existent anymore. Sure, he's got the right to use the name, it doesn't mean he HAS to.
Come on, Axl, please just come to our senses. We all love you so much, man, you're a rock legend, but you're making a fool of yourself and the name 'Guns N' Roses' itself. Please, just change the name. Change it back to Hollywood Rose or something, something suitable, not Guns N' Roses.
And I agree, Flariduh, Izzy was amajor part in their stuff. I love all of his work, and when you think about it, it all fell to pieces once Izzy left. I wonder why. Cough cough.

[Flying Afros]

The Axl Experience

[SG_Player93]

tell em matt

[ricardosevillav]

Flying Afros wrote:

The Axl Experience

Nice!!! and then we call Billy Corgan's Smashing Pumpkins Billy and the gypsies! lol

[Maxomano]

By the way Megadeth has remained Dave Mustaine and David Ellerfson throughout the bands history so they aren't a perfect example of this subject

[c21vin]

IdntNedUrCvlWar wrote:
His cover band is nothing close to what the old Guns was.

I just fell off my chair laughing!!

[Dreiken]

You're just preaching to the choir on this one Matt.

[iNsaNeNic]

I agree with the fact that they shouldnt be called GnR anymore but the thing is, the name belongs to axl.. so i dont think hes ever going to change it.

[blackparade]

mabye this should be said to billy corgan as well

[MLilienthal]

Of course he doesn't consider Steven Adler a "core member"
that just might make him look like a hypocrite

[Jondy]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

first of all this article is not about chinese democracy at all. secondly, you're just assuming that everyone that didn't like said album only listened to 15 seconds of each song, BEFORE anyone at all even says they didn't like the album.

[iplayguitar666]

oh but then hed miss out on his money... Creed sold million albums in 6 years.... Alter Bridge, which is the same band but with a different singer, has sold close to two million in 5 years.... oh yeah and their in a whole other league of talent, their music is way better than it was with "creed"... yet had they just called the band "creed" they would have sold at least 3 times the amount they have as Alter Bridge.

Look at System of A Down, their singer and guitarist started their own projects, and both basically failed. The name is what sells albums, because people who buy albums are the ones who hump the idea of commercial cookie cutter music, their not willing to do a little reading and find out what the musicians of their favorite band are doing... A lot of people who love A Perfect Circle think their way better than Tool, but they have no clue that its the same singer of both bands because they dont care enough to look into it.

This is the same reason why Alice In Chains, even though they lost their lead singer, are still under the same name... Money... thats it. A name sells, like an image sells... Axl Rose will use the name Guns n' roses forever, because he wants money... oh and by the way chinese democracy was ****ing terrible.

[iplayguitar666]

sorry, "30 million"

[JoeeJoee]

Maxomano wrote:

By the way Megadeth has remained Dave Mustaine and David Ellerfson throughout the bands history so they aren't a perfect example of this subject

As true as that may be Dave Mustaine still wrote the majority of the music.

[queenslander47]

Flariduh wrote:

Something I just realized. No one gives izzy much credit. People say it wouldnt be the same withour slash or duff or axl(which is true) But Izzy wrote or co-wrote EVERY SINGLE SONG they created. HE was the main songwriter. Axl wrote lyrics and piano, slash the solos (only some actually for example dont cry was written by izzy.)

izzy probz doesn't get much credit cos he isn't big on the music scene these days. slash and duff and axl all still have a pretty big presence so they get most of the credit. izzy definitely deserves more credit, he was the best song writer in guns.
that said, i honestly believe that it was the five of them together that created something brilliant, without any one of the original line-up guns would not have been wat it was.

[Anjohl]

I am torn on this. Partially because in effect, calling Chinese Democracy a solo album is akin to calling Use Your Illusion a solo album, since Izzy left the band before then.

Chinese Democracy was written as a GNR album, and I think it sounds like a natural progression of their more progrock songs like November Rain, Estranged, Coma, etc. There was a Time and This I Love in particular.

Slash wrote virtually nothing, the main elements missing are the blues influences of Izzy Stradlin, and the punk rock influences of Duff Mckagan. But what's left still sounds like GNR to me, and I am FAR from a fan of Axl Rose, lol.

[Filip413]

cloudy_skies wrote:

Way to go, Matt! You're only about fifteen years late on this.

All things Gun N' Roses related are usually late, take a look at Chinese Democracy.

[Plarx]

Does this mean that Iron Maiden should change their name too? And Megadeth? And 'tallica? what about every other band who has had mass lineup changes?

[Muse=Rock]

I definitely think he needs to change the name to Axl and Co.

[Franknroses]

axel should call his band fishsticks!!

[Armageddon Rag]

Anjohl wrote:

I am torn on this. Partially because in effect, calling Chinese Democracy a solo album is akin to calling Use Your Illusion a solo album, since Izzy left the band before then.

Just to be pedantic, that's sort of not true at all. Izzy has plenty of writing credit on the Illusions albums - he actually left much later, after the European leg of the Illusions tour.

[jayyshep]

cinese democracy may be good but its just not guns n roses if u know wat i mean. when recording began for chinese democracy as axl own the rights to the band name he legally turned it into a solo project and made all the other members just contributing musicians. at that point it should have stopped being guns n roses.

[Váli]

axl cant really win in this situation

if he keeps the band name the same he will be hated for being the only orgininal member and how its not the same band....its not

but if he renames the band he will be hated to because its not respectfull to the name G'N'R

personally i dont care what he does..hes a good singer...but an absoulute twat appart from that

[smurfhurpease]

He should change the name to "Fatty Magoo and the guys who AREN'T Slash"

[The Frayed End]

Well he's damn right. Chinese democracy was good as just an album, but if you insist on saying that it's Gn'R then you don't know shit about old Guns. And then again, the article's not even about Chinese Democracy. It's about the name of the band. And I love Axl, but Axl himself without Slash or Duff or Izzy is just not GN'R.

[Bonorly]

Chinese Democracy is one the best albums Axl's GnR has producded, period. People are let down because a) they were overhyped to the extent they were expecting nothing less than orgasm, and b) because their musical skills are lesser of peoples that can understand that slash never did make gnr what it was.

[vitriolis]

Absolutely right Matt!
Axl was in the cold for 15 years, so he has lost a big part of his popularity. So he's using the name that way.

[CaptainBlueEyes]

I sorta agree with what hes saying, but why should he care after all these years? Hes got VR and doesn't ever have to talk to Axl again, he should let it go.
Also in my opinion, To Axl,Guns 'n Roses was always just his, with an ego that big. =)

[trashbeast]

emich wrote:

i agree 100% this is exactly what i said when i heard chinese democracy.. im not saying it was a bad album. in fact it was quite good. but it was NOT guns n roses. it was something completely different. and that name itself just seeing the guns and roses title on those songs sort of ruins them for me because it is a completely different genre from guns

Yeah. Guns N' Roses is a ferarri.

[c21vin]

jayyshep wrote:

cinese democracy may be good but its just not guns n roses if u know wat i mean. when recording began for chinese democracy as axl own the rights to the band name he legally turned it into a solo project and made all the other members just contributing musicians. at that point it should have stopped being guns n roses.

Excellent point.

Actually, let Axl call his band GNR. The truth is the real GNR is long and gone.

[November_Rain94]

actually the name came from LA Guns and Hollywood Rose which slash and izzy played in so yeah it does have to do with them

[grayfox1001]

say i have a Ferrari. if i take the engine out the doors out and strip it down and replace the parts with Honda, does that make it still a ferrari or honda[/quote]
it makes you stupid for ruining a ferrari : P
but i totally agree with you, they need to change the name, it's not gun's n roses, anyone who listened to it can tell that, great album, but not gn'r material

[xbonez182]

Been saying this for months...Chinese Democracy is a great album...But not a GnR album...If it was released by another band it would have been accepted. But as long as GnR use the name, it will be compared to the classics, which IMO it pales in comparison to

[wheelz]

I am a huge Guns and AXL fan, in fact, I think Axl is probably the greatest rock singer of all time. I think C.D. would have been much more accepted had Axl released the album as a solo album and just called it Axl Rose. Guns N Roses would not have been the band it was without Axl as a front man, but, now that it is just the front man, it is no longer G N R.

[viaquez]

wasn't Nick Mason the only original member of pink floyd on all of their albums post-Roger Waters?

or was Rick Wright an original member as well?

[Dragon Master]

Matt Sorum is the only remaining GNR who will admit that Chinese Democracy is a bad album. Slash has to put on a happy face for Axl, Duff hasn't even heard CD, but hey, Matt's not afraid to put it out there, man.

[Dragon Master]

rainmaker13 wrote:

Right on Matt. Sure, some people think Chinese Democracy is great and all that, but really, compare it to the other GNR records. They were so badass and raw and just had this, flow of creativity that is so rare in a band. Yes, Axl has the rights to the name legally, but the original members, even Matt, deserve it as much. If it wernt for them Axl wouldn't be where he is today, and you would think, for oldtimes sake, he would change the name.

You, sir, know what GNR truly is. And so do most of us here.

[Franknroses]

Wait. Axel should call this band Axel and the gnr wannabes!

[Tedward]

considering Ozzy Osbourne made Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler change their name, Black Sabbath (which the lineup put out 2 records under with Dio) to Heaven and Hell, I think it makes sense that Axl Rose should change the name.

[Tedward]

and Roger Waters and David Gilmour don't call themselves Pink Floyd on tour(even though they basically are) (i think they dont call themselves Pink Floyd?)

[FearOfTheDuck]

yeah, people were expecting a guns n roses album, not the embaressingness which is chinese democracy

[Smillzer]

Now, this is not to say that I don't like Matt Sorum, but Matt is not an original member, nor does he really have any pull when it comes to the Guns N Roses name. I've always loved Steven Adler and Izzy Stradlin, and the replacements were the downfall of a great band. I love the new GNR line up. Fortus rocks, Bumble rocks, Tommy Stinson on bass is just amazing. Why mess with what works?

[Wednesday Bass]

The reason the band was called Guns 'n' Roses was because it was Tracii Guns and Axl Rose (with supporting members). But by the time Appetite for Destruction came out it was just Rose left out of the original founding members.

Just to compare, a local band from my area called Lithium were well known in the county and when their drummer left for University, they found a new drummer and renamed because it is not the same without the original members.

Axl needs to drop the ego and learn that the way he acts causes people the world across to hate them

[jack hate crew]

maybye he should change the name to withered rose

[Sdooper_Man]

XtractionProces wrote:

Bring on the QFTs...

It's time this bullshit stopped, seriously. Chinese Democracy is a ****ing awesome album.

Hey, maybe I should be like you guys and listen to each song once for 15 seconds then go onto the next one.

The point is that they need to change their name because it isn't GNR anymore. It's some garbage you hear on pop radio. Chinese Democracy was good for what it is... but compared to what the REAL GNR put out, this is garbage, therefore PLEASE CHANGE YOUR BAND NAME.

[Sdooper_Man]

wheelz wrote:

I am a huge Guns and AXL fan, in fact, I think Axl is probably the greatest rock singer of all time. I think C.D. would have been much more accepted had Axl released the album as a solo album and just called it Axl Rose. Guns N Roses would not have been the band it was without Axl as a front man, but, now that it is just the front man, it is no longer G N R.

see this guys gets it. Yes axl is is an amazing singer but this ins't GNR.

[Metlhead443]

allfallsdown wrote:

^I think if a band slowly replaces members after they leave for one reason or another, its still the same core band. If all band member leave all at once for the exact same reason, namely that the band can no longer cooperate as a group, maybe it is something different.

almost all bands that have existed for more than,say, ten years, go through some line up change. In Flames, Iced Earth, Metallica.

I don't hear anyoine complaing about the fact that metallica is called metallica without their origincal bassist.

not to break balls, but thats probably because they kicked Ron McGovney out (hes not really considered the original bassist anyway) and Cliff Burton was killed in a tragic bus accident.

At any rate, i stopped giving a **** about GNR years ago. Chinese Democracy was barely passable as an album under the GNR name, but it's Axl's bandname legally, so if he wants to rape it then thats his prerogative.

[edgeyyz]

I AGREE!!!!!

[NaivexLi]

People, seriously?
Shut up about Chinese Democracy.
Like it or dont, it is entirely irrelevant to this article.

[MetaMegaMagic]

I'm wondering, should Iron Maiden call itself Iron Maiden just because Steve Harris is the only original member or Megadeth and Dave Mustaine? Well, then there's the arguement that those bands changed the original band members early on and Guns 'n' Roses has been pretty consistant until the original lineup left.

[metalifan]

He's 100% right
I do like Chinese Democracy but it's not GN'R
Slash + Axl = Guns N' Roses
Like Paul McCartney + John Lennon = The Beatles
Can't just have one of them

[viaquez]

Tedward wrote:

and Roger Waters and David Gilmour don't call themselves Pink Floyd on tour(even though they basically are) (i think they dont call themselves Pink Floyd?)

Gilmour isn't an original member of Pink Floyd anyway

[MetaMegaMagic]

metalifan wrote:

He's 100% right
I do like Chinese Democracy but it's not GN'R
Slash + Axl = Guns N' Roses
Like Paul McCartney + John Lennon = The Beatles
Can't just have one of them

That's probably like Page and Plant.

[Tom Martin]

scaris_stride wrote:

hardly a blasting was it?

Haha, my favourite comment. Made me laugh.

[b1acK_shadowz]

jerry only is the last original misfit and they are still called misfits

[RadioMuse]

I think it would be legit if Slash was in still... The two biggest focal points of the Guns N' Roses sound were Slash and Axl; remove either and it's not Guns...

[RadioMuse]

Please accept my humble apologies for the double post, I felt this needed to be addressed:

MetaMegaMagic wrote:

metalifan wrote:

He's 100% right
I do like Chinese Democracy but it's not GN'R
Slash + Axl = Guns N' Roses
Like Paul McCartney + John Lennon = The Beatles
Can't just have one of them

That's probably like Page and Plant.

Zeppelin relies VERY heavily on all four members. Without Bonham we'll never truely see Zeppelin again. His son is probably the most worthy replacement, Jimmy Chamberlin would fit well (imo) but honestly, it'll never be the same without him. And there's a certain feel that John Paul Jones has on bass that really couldn't be replaced by anyone else.

Pink Floyd is the same way: the classic sound that they're known for relied very heavily on all four member. The "Watered" Floyd (the Final Cut, much of The Wall) and the "Gilmoured" Floyd (A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Division Bell) are NOT really Pink Floyd. The Beatles also relied heavily enough on each members input that they would've never been the same without the exact same line up.

The real shame here is that rather than sounding like a good shadow of Guns N' Roses, Axl's project sounds more like a gigantic truck full of production dollars plowing into a wall. There's no swagger, there's no dirt... There's no Guns N' Roses.

[MetaMegaMagic]

I would agree Zeppelin relies heavily on all four members, but they are known as a songwriting team, even outside of Led Zeppelin. It won't be the same without the other.

[Wicked Rose]

it's not a matter of who's in the band, but whether they stick to the style of music the band dedicated itself to. I don't care if other bands did the same thing, I'd have a problem with them too, if all the sudden... let's say that metallica (using this merely as a band that most people know)suddenly started playing pop rock. I think that people would have a problem with this as well.

[magisterdixit]

Does Lemmy still call it Motorhead? Yes. Is he the only orignal member left in that band? Yes. Does it really matter? No.
Axl can do whatever he wants and he always has. Whether what he does is good or career suicide doesn't really seem to matter to him too much. That's obvious.
It's kind of strange that a guy that wasn't even in the band originally when they hit it big with Appetite, which is the album that made them known as Guns N'Roses, decides to complain about this.
IMO whoever posted before and said that this is really irrelevant because GN'R is a band from the past that doesn't really matter anymore got it right. --KILL YOUR IDOLS.

[m0o]

MT in Austin wrote:

Guns and Roses is no longer relevant enough to worry about these issues.

It's relevant enough to start a huge topic about it. Orignal Guns were an amazing band. Have a little respect for the legacy they left.

On the other hand... Finally decided to speak up openly against this Bull Shit. Who the Fuck does Axl think he is? Whether or not Matt was in Appetite or not doesn't matter. He was still a part of it(An important part) and whats more important is that he's right. Change the Name to Axl & Company. or whatever. Just not Guns N' Roses. It's enough that we all had to see them break up like that. Don't want the whole Guns legacy ruined.

Again, i dont mean that chinese democracy is a bad album. its just not Guns N Roses

[realiztik]

Good on ya Sorum. Axl isn't GNR. We all know it, he's just still pissed because no one else wants to tour with the band anymore cuz he's still in it. Axl is the voice of the band, but not a founding member. Unless you are a founding member, I really think you should change the name... OR maybe Axl really does care about the fans and really just wanted them all to get thier free Dr.Pepper.....IMO

[Ateic Iteous]

In before Axl responds to Matt in a highly unnecessary manner.

[Wells-Zeppelin]

I agree with this..

But that's only cause Axl's ruining the name, if Chinese Democracy worked out well I would've been fine with it, but he ****ed up the GnR name.

[Brasseye81]

he should call his band something original like, i dont know, silk pistol or something.

[voodoochild23]

I always thought, from Slash's biography and other floating anecdotes on the net, that Axl was the guy who turned small melodies and riffs into songs.

Hes the one with the sense of melody according to slash, hes the one who wrote the lyrics, giving the songs their meanings, and hes their frontman.

He effectively told them what would work and wouldnt work, so the fact that he's doing that to different people now doesnt mean as much as it initially seemed.

Also, if you ask me, hes not harming the guns n roses name, by releasing an album which as a whole blows away their previous albums, even without containing sweet child o mine or november rain standard tracks.

[MethenyRules]

i love how many comments a post about GnR gets compared to other stuff...personally I think everyone needs to get over it, music is creativity so why should we waste time debating about a band that were good 20 years ago. yea they were important but they aren't the state of the art anymore!!

[Snapple]

Personally I agree, the band isnt GnR anymore. Yes I did buy chinese democracy and wish I hadnt bothered.

Also would like to give Izzy some credit, he seems to have the biggest influence as a writer on a lot of their successful songs, and an awesome guitarist to boot.

[AC/DC#1]

Totally agree

[inlovewithmusic]

Brattarocks wrote:

yeah... david coverdale is the only constant member of whitesnake. just like axl he owns his band name and he keeps changing the lineup. no one seems to have a problem with that. same for ritchie blackmores rainbow and many other bands.

Ok ...I see where you are coming from ...but that is a whole DIFFERENT story. That shows that you dont really know how GNR came into existance. Whitesnake and Richie Blackmore's Rainbow where both projects that were driven by a single artist (David Coverdale and Richie)...they famous and well reputed enough to go out and pick session musicians to play with them . When GNR formed the situation Axl was in was NOTHING like that. He didn't hand pick the musicians ...these were a group of guys who sounded good together ...wrote good songs TOGETHER ...and thats why they became as big and they did .. I agree with Matt ....its like Robert Plant going on tour calling hiimself Led Zepplin

[inlovewithmusic]

Scorge wrote:

guitaringnathan wrote:

why should he give up the name, he is an original member, and the singer, and the main songwriter, thats whats most important in a band not a guitarist with a top hat. he took took the name from a bunch of addicts, good for him taking the initiative. in my opinion as long as the band has the same singer or songwriter or both, no need to change the name

now THIS is pretty effing arrogant. guitaringnathan thinks that the most important part of Guns n' Roses is one guy! and not only one guy, but he thinks AXL ROSE was the most important guy in the band! lol go eat your failure fries with a side of sadness sauce you jerk.

Amen to that ....god people check your facts before you shoot out comments that are stupid ...its right there on the cover of the two most successfull GNR albums ...AFD and UYI 1 and 2 ....Axl is NOT the main song writer ...he did write some of the songs alone ...but Slash and Izzy played a HUUUUUGE role ....in lyrics and arrangement .....

[muse_rule!!]

Why do all frontmen feel the need to be money grabbing egotistical gits? Axl only kept the Gn'R name to make money (and that didn't work out too well lol). Same as Billy Corgan. Who is also a t**t.

[ultimate-slash]

So I'm guessing November rain isn't a guns n roses song because Axl wrote it himself? And it became a guns n roses song after slash added a solo?
(the other guys didn't even want to put the song on the record, because they didn't like it)

[Power123]

Power123 wrote:

Martindecorum wrote:

Maddy! wrote:

Technically Slash Duff...are not the original members. The name came from a band that Axl Rose made with a guy called Tracci Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and Izzy Stradlin. The name came from combining Roses and Guns name together. They joined after the name was made so technically they have no right to say he is not allowed to use it after they have left. Izzy on the other hand does but hes friends with axl so thats all good.

fail! okay so originally yeah, but did they write any of the songs on AFD? no! therefore they dont count as any contribution towards originall GnR as axl quoted at a gig once "this is the first song we wrote in Guns N' Roses its called dont cry" izzy and slash wrote that not tracii guns etc! (i know it wasnt released until UYI thats because they felt it wouldnt fit appetite) AFD lineup = originall lineup!...

They actually did write some AFD songs before the AFD lineup came together. Ever hear of hollywood rose? Didnt think so. Check out that CD and you'll see some familiar song titles.

yeah i have heard of hollywood rose, GnR covered some of their songs originally, but those songs were writting as part of Hollywood rose which is only part of GnR originally, so technically tracii guns Etc wernt part the GnR writing process theyt wer for Hollywood rose which GnR then did a few covers of, but i get where your coming from..

[dannn5150]

someone quoted about Slash biog... I seem to remember in the book he mentioned something about the rest of the band members and himself signing over the rights to use the G n'R name to Axl - mainly cause they were fecked off with his control freak attitude and secondly cause they were all sooooo strung out on whatever crap they were snorting/injecting/smoking/drinking.

so regardless of where the name came from, who the most important member of the band was or who constructed the songs - Slash and the rest of them walked away from the Guns name and have no claim to it legally, so imho Sorum should his face and crack on with HE is doing now cause unless a certain Mr Rose says so he has not a thing to do with G n'R's future.

btw - by Slash's own admission in his biog he says on a regular basis it was Axl that kept things together as he didn't have a substance abuse problem unlike the other members of the band. Most bands get famous then develop a 'habit' it was the other way around for them. They were LUCKY to record Appetite, they came very close to not finishing it. The driving force behind it being finished??? Axl Rose (don't like the guy but according to Slash's book the above is a fact)

checked...

[xxdarrenxx]

Looool

Axl has been doing shit under the GN'R's name for like 15+ years, and now all of a sudden he complains.

This is pure case of Trolling/flamebaiting irl.

No. Does Jimmy Page and Robert Plant go out there calling themselves Led Zeppelin? Nope."

Last time I checked, they played 1 show under the Led Zeppelin name in 2007, and John Bonham has been dead since way before that, so it's technically not the entire line up either.

[BornToRun]

but guns n' roses are axl roses solo...

[thedarkblues06]

RadioMuse wrote:

Please accept my humble apologies for the double post, I felt this needed to be addressed:

MetaMegaMagic wrote:

metalifan wrote:

He's 100% right
I do like Chinese Democracy but it's not GN'R
Slash + Axl = Guns N' Roses
Like Paul McCartney + John Lennon = The Beatles
Can't just have one of them

That's probably like Page and Plant.

Zeppelin relies VERY heavily on all four members. Without Bonham we'll never truely see Zeppelin again. His son is probably the most worthy replacement, Jimmy Chamberlin would fit well (imo) but honestly, it'll never be the same without him. And there's a certain feel that John Paul Jones has on bass that really couldn't be replaced by anyone else.

Pink Floyd is the same way: the classic sound that they're known for relied very heavily on all four member. The "Watered" Floyd (the Final Cut, much of The Wall) and the "Gilmoured" Floyd (A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Division Bell) are NOT really Pink Floyd. The Beatles also relied heavily enough on each members input that they would've never been the same without the exact same line up.

The real shame here is that rather than sounding like a good shadow of Guns N' Roses, Axl's project sounds more like a gigantic truck full of production dollars plowing into a wall. There's no swagger, there's no dirt... There's no Guns N' Roses.

Even though it was a production album, I still think it was done fairly well.

But, other than that, I whole-heartedly agree with your comment. *applause*

[K_Cobain606]

I agree with Matt. Axl ROse is trashing the Guns N' Roses name and should go solo. He is the only remaining oringial member. Stupid Chinese Democracy!

[K_Cobain606]

Guns N' Roses is more like the Axl Rose Dictatorship...

[Bugur_red]

I agree with Matt 100%. But the thing is that Axl owns the right to the name therefore he can do whatever the Fuck he wants to with it. The members all signed the name over to him. It's Axl's name so let him decide. It's all about the money.

[mattel362]

Just as I was about to forget about Guns N' Roses... this shit had to appear on UG.com.

[DetonateMurder]

Good on matt!
guns n roses are my favorite band still after 10 years. BUT only with the original line up now all it is is Axl rose a ginger twat who thinks hisall that
in all honesty what made guns n roses was the music not the vocals so axl rose should just bugger off. it isnt guns n roses anymore. its just ****ing axl! that ginger peice of crap needs to get it into his thick chinese democraced head, his tryingto do a bono with all this democracy too ****ing dick.

[KnotParkDay]

I have three points to make-
1. I do think Axl should go under his own name, or maybe something like Axl's GNR.
2. However I'd like to point out that several bands like Cradle of Filth and Marilyn Manson only have 1 original member left.
3. I don't like Chinese Democracy.

[guitar_hero999]

multipleofone :
There should be a ban on musicians saying the name, Guns N' Roses. Because the slightest utterance of the name by a musician results in front page news on UG. Same can be said for Metallica

well siad haha =D

[TSngRemainTSame]

Okay tadys GNR still has the keyboardist they got in 1990 (his name is Dizzy Reed) but that dont mean crap it should be the the Axl Rose band.

[Angel aka alaab]

quit being bitches! members leave and whos left might want to keep the name cuz its cool.

like AC/DC, i think they should have changed their name once Bon Scott died, but they didn't. I don't see people bitchin bout that.

IMO Axl was what Guns 'N' Roses was all about anyways

[NHLfreak]

"Gook Government" had like 2 good songs on it.
Axls new shit is alright, but it SURE AS HELL ain't GNR.He should call it "Axl's Pose" or "Axl Roses Pose"
or some shit. Cause' Guns N' Roses it AIN'T!!!!

[josh.more]

i wish everyone would quit ****ing whining about the fact there still called guns and roses, seriously, why do you still give a shit, i notice noone cares about the fact there 1 original sugababe left, or the fact that lynrd skynrd are missing pretty much there entire line-up, noone gives a shit about them so quit whining about guns and roses for ****s sake

[blindfatkid23]

Does Sting call himself The Police? No.

Because The Police still exists... dumbass

[napalm890]

guitaringnathan wrote:

why should he give up the name, he is an original member, and the singer, and the main songwriter, thats whats most important in a band not a guitarist with a top hat. he took took the name from a bunch of addicts, good for him taking the initiative. in my opinion as long as the band has the same singer or songwriter or both, no need to change the name

If that was true then velvet revolver would be pretty shitty, wouldnt it?

[SilverStratocas]

I honestly love how Chinese Democracy is a Best Buy exclusive release, but every training video takes the opportunity to bash the album. Even Brian Dunn, the CEO of the damn company, made an April Fool's joke about the album, based off the running company gag of "Recommending Chinese Democracy" with almost every purchase. Apparently it was the way for our company to deal with these rough economic times. Ha. But on topic with the article, I agree.

[lul]

i concur with matt

[rockstartony08]

axl should marry courtney love. lmao

[rockstartony08]

then she might kill him and take his money

[rockstartony08]

I honestly love how Chinese Democracy is a Best Buy exclusive release, but every training video takes the opportunity to bash the album. Even Brian Dunn, the CEO of the damn company, made an April Fool's joke about the album, based off the running company gag of "Recommending Chinese Democracy" with almost every purchase. Apparently it was the way for our company to deal with these rough economic times. Ha. But on topic with the article, I agree.
I work at BEst Buy too! and it's true!

[tom1thomas1]

Guns n Roses is just the biggest saga there's ever been in rock.

[KingSquall802]

as what ive said,
if there will be a name replacement,
that should be

"Roses Got Gunned"

period.

[WheredMyRockGo?]

Everyone keeps saying izzy was this band. I've always heard that izzy was hit or miss to even show up. I think he had a lot to do with appetite but not much more after that. I dont think izzy contributed much to the illusions.

[jbttf]

He should change the name because it's kinda embarassing you know, I mean, going out there calling his band "Guns n Roses" having none of the most important memebers in it.

[uncleSam1]

GnR = Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy, and a drummer

The argument has nothing to do with how good or bad Chinese Democracy is...it has to do with it hailed as a GnR effort when really it was an Axl effort. I agree with Matt, this was an Axl solo project with a bunch of other musicians and should be labeled accordingly.

[Icarus166s]

I had pop tarts for breakfast this morning.

[uncleSam1]

WheredMyRockGo? wrote:

Everyone keeps saying izzy was this band. I've always heard that izzy was hit or miss to even show up. I think he had a lot to do with appetite but not much more after that. I dont think izzy contributed much to the illusions.

Izzy is credited, either by himself or in conjunction with some combination of Axl, Slash, and Duff, as writing a good bit of the songs on Illusions I & II. He also has lead vocal duties on quite a few songs as well.

In my humble opinion, Izzy was probably the most underrated guy in the band but the best musician. I know Slash is a an awesome guitar player and i'm not trying to dispute that...this is just my opinion.

[Maidenhell666]

Icarus166s wrote:

I had pop tarts for breakfast this morning.

I'm eating pop tarts right now! lmao

[Melkord]

allfallsdown wrote:

^I think if a band slowly replaces members after they leave for one reason or another, its still the same core band. If all band member leave all at once for the exact same reason, namely that the band can no longer cooperate as a group, maybe it is something different.

almost all bands that have existed for more than,say, ten years, go through some line up change. In Flames, Iced Earth, Metallica.

I don't hear anyoine complaing about the fact that metallica is called metallica without their origincal bassist.

I think the situation with metallica is a little different. Even though Cliff was a huge part of early metallica, the core is still there(we can save the dave/kirk argument for another time). That added with the fact that i think it was ulrich and hetfield that started the band, and i dont think cliff was the 'first' bassist.

[Melkord]

blindfatkid23 wrote:

Does Sting call himself The Police? No.

Because The Police still exists... dumbass

Sting does have his solo project, im pretty sure thats what he was referring to...dumbass

[josh.more]

Melkord wrote:

blindfatkid23 wrote:

Does Sting call himself The Police? No.

Because The Police still exists... dumbass

Sting does have his solo project, im pretty sure thats what he was referring to...dumbass

oh and the police split up in august last year...

[Mr Rock 'N Roll]

The new Guns 'n Roses isn't real Guns its jst Axl Rose and his new friends!