After this morning’s letter to GNR fans from Axl we get the response from Merck who tells a slightly different story to that being told by Axl in his letter:

An Open Letter To Guns N’ Roses Fans From Merck Mercuriadis

Along with all of the other Guns N’ Roses fans around the world I read “An Open Letter To The Fans From Axl” this evening with much interest. About half way through it occurred to me that I had read much of this before. In fact, I had written the blueprint for it in an email for Axl’s attention two days ago which I have copied below.

The reality is all of this year’s touring was planned and agreed between Axl and myself, with a view to the album being in the stores before the 31st of December ‘06. This was confirmed by Axl in numerous interviews - most famously at the MTV Video Music Awards. We planned the tour in February, just after Axl’s birthday and we were supposed to finish the album in May, before it started. We sent our engineers to New York, where we all waited, for over a month, for the muse to come but she never arrived. We then scheduled sessions in London in August and had our engineers meet us there at the end of the English tour. August came and went and once again the muse did not show. We postponed our proposed radio date of Labour Day for the first single and we came back to LA and tried to finish before the San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles shows but yet again she eluded us. Axl then asked me to postpone the North American tour which was due to start on 24th of September by a month and finally, early in that period after the euphoria of Inland Invasion, Axl made a break through and got two or three very productive days under his belt.

At this point we were very excited as Axl’s feeling was that we had two or three days of work left to tidy things up and we still had three weeks before the tour started, so we were in good shape. Unfortunately the muse disappeared just as fast as she came and the tour started with no single at radio to support it and the album still needing two or three days of work. Despite this, it was a break through period as Robin, Bumblefoot and Frank had all made important contributions to the album that made it even stronger. By the way none of the above is meant as a criticism of Axl. It is the reality of trying to create something special under incredible pressure from the public - that wants and DEMANDS the record - and the record industry - that NEEDS it. The creative process is not something you can dictate and Axl is a true artist.

At this time I seriously considered postponing the start of the tour, again, as the album was of paramount importance but the reality was that our historic track record left us with very little good will with you, the fans, and we needed the money to be able to complete the album and keep the band alive. We scheduled sessions in New York and once again sent the engineers there for the first two weeks of November while the tour was based there - but the hectic touring schedule meant nothing got done. The record company refused to conclude the renegotiation until we were ready to hand over the finished album and refused to prepare a marketing campaign or commission video treatments until they had it in their hands. This is still their position as of this week.

At this point despite the success of many of the dates on the tour the pressure on all of us became unbearable. While some of Axl’s letter is disappointing - As John Lennon once asked Paul McCartney “How Do You Sleep?” - until you have walked a mile in his shoes you cannot begin to comprehend the pressure he is under. I know I sleep well at night in the knowledge that when Chinese Democracy hits the streets in March that it is in large part down to my efforts over the last almost 5 years. I found the money and the motivation to keep Axl and the band alive and get the record made when everyone else had given up and walked away. We worked as a team united to make Chinese Democracy a reality. In the end the album will speak for itself but our relationship could not survive the pressure.

I have no regrets. I believe Chinese Democracy is one of the best albums ever made, Axl Rose is one of the greatest vocalists and front men and the new Guns N’ Roses (which kicks the shit out of the old) is one of the greatest bands. What we accomplished in 2006 only hints at what is to come.

I believe in Axl Rose. I am the artist’s manager and it is my responsibility and job to take the heat. I promise you Chinese Democracy is worth it and you should keep the faith. I will walk away knowing I have done my best and that next year will see Axl recognized not only as a great singer and rock icon but as one of the greatest artists of all time.

Merry Christmas and all the best to you for 2007!

Merck Mercuriadis

PS I apologize to all the fans irked by my facetious comments regarding the release date to Rolling Stone magazine. They were meant to poke fun at a magazine that had announced a definitive release date, causing us all lots of grief, when none had been set. Unfortunately many of you took them to heart and for that I am sorry.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Merck Mercuriadis
Date: 12 December 2006 14:11:02 GMT-08:00
Subject: Album Press Release

Regardless of the issues that exist between Axl and myself I believe it is important for an announcement on the album to be put out this week and at the same time cover the cancellation of the 5 shows in January. Further to this I have thought about the album release date taking into account the issues between Axl and myself and my view is that the album should be set for release on the 20th of March rather than the 6th of February. March 20th is the first day of Spring and a positive day. This allows for three months to set it up properly around the world without unmanageable pressure and for it to be well imbedded in the market place before the summer lull sets in. It also allows for the deal to be done with the label and any change in Management etc which may be made to be made as well as detailed meetings on the touring which on this basis would start in Dubai just before the album’s release. The note will be most effective if it comes from Axl as he will then be seen as the good guy who is giving people the information they want. Having said that it could come from either Howard or myself or both of us. I have presented two options the first not giving a release date and the second one stating it. The message would be posted as the lead story on gunsnroses.com and we would then point all of the media there. I would appreciate it if you would all let me know your thoughts on all of this keeping in mind that this is a work in progress.

Option 1

Merry Christmas To You All

We are into the last week of the tour and Christmas is almost here so I wanted to take the time not only to wish you Merry Christmas but to also explain why CHINESE DEMOCRACY is not under your tree or in the stores as we wanted it would be. We read the papers and we know you want - demand! - news. We have been in the final stages of renegotiating our deal with our record label and it has been a long slow process - not unlike making the record! The discussion started over a year ago but did not become serious until they started hearing the mixes. Everyone involved has worked hard to get the deal completed so we could get the record out this month but a few weeks ago it became obvious that was not going to happen. We then held out as we wanted to at least be able to give you the release date before Christmas but unfortunately we are still not there yet. This is not meant to spark a hate campaign on the label. This is an unusual and complicated situation as we have worked a long time on this album and it is important to us to make sure that everything including the deal is right. At the same time it is a business that has to work for everyone involved. We have all - you included - waited a long time for this and this is not the time to compromise. The first news you will hear from us in 2007 will be to announce the album’s release date. Without the album out it does not make sense to do the 5 shows we have scheduled for January in isolation so they are being cancelled and we will focus on getting the album out. Until that time we want to thank you for all of your support in 2006 and wish you all the best for the holidays and a happy new year.

W. Axl Rose

Option 2

Merry Christmas To You All

We are into the last week of the tour and Christmas is almost here so I wanted to take the time not only to wish you Merry Christmas but to also explain why CHINESE DEMOCRACY is not under your tree or in the stores as we wanted it to be. We read the papers and we know you want - demand! - news. We have been in the final stages of renegotiating our deal with our record label and it has been a long slow process - not unlike making the record! The discussion started over a year ago but did not become serious until they started hearing the mixes. Everyone involved has worked hard to get the deal completed so we could get the record out this month but a few weeks ago it became obvious that was not going to happen. We have all - you included - waited a long time for this and this was not the time to compromise. We then held out on making an announcement as we wanted to at least be able to give you the release date before Christmas so here it is. Chinese Democracy will be released on the 20th of March in the US and Canada - the first day of Spring and a time for new beginnings! - and on the 19th of March everywhere else in the world. Without the album out it does not make sense to do the 5 shows we have scheduled for January in isolation so they are being cancelled and we will focus on getting the album out. We want to thank you for all of your support in 2006 and wish you all the best for the holidays and a happy new year. We look forward to seeing you in 2007!

W. Axl Rose

Axl has spoken and it’s probably the most interesting read of anything written about Guns N’ Roses in nearly a decade:

Thursday, December 14th 2006
An open letter to our fans:

Guns N’ Roses regrets to announce that the following concert tour dates have been cancelled:

January 10th Sacramento

January 11th Bakersfield

January 13th Reno

January 16th San Diego

Due to the schedule of these particular shows valuable time needed by the band and record company for the proper setup and release of the album Chinese Democracy would be lost. Rather than delay the album yet again all involved have decided to remove these shows from GNR’s schedule. We sincerely hope our fans understand and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. Tickets may be refunded at local point of purchase.

To say the making of this album has been an unbearably long and incomprehensible journey would be an understatement. Overcoming the endless and seemingly insanity of the obstacles faced by all involved, not withstanding the emotional challenges endured by everyone: the fans, the band, our road crew and business team has at many times seemed for all like a bad dream where one wakes up only to find they are still in the nightmare and unfortunately this time it has been played out for over a decade in real life.

The true ongoing behind-the-scenes triumphs and casualties are much more complicated than any negative speculation that media or otherwise has managed to hit upon. For much of the time some form or another of legalities have been taking place that really the best way to deal with publicly was to keep our mouths shut in an attempt to ensure the best outcome and especially one that wouldn’t jeopardize the band or the album. One can easily point to how others have done things or how they themselves feel that they would were they in the same situations but without full knowledge of the various dynamics and circumstances involved, again these types of comments or commentary are uninformed, outside, generally useless and often hindering speculation.

When I agreed to do our recent North American tour I agreed with the understanding that I and my manager Merck Mercuriadis were in full agreement as to our strategy, touring plans and most importantly that any and all things needed to release the album at the latest by Dec. 26th were to be in place. Unfortunately this turned out not to be the case and not only do I regret to say that again the album will not be released by the end of the year but that though many things went extremely well and were very exciting there were in our opinion unnecessary and avoidable complications on our tour having to do with the tour routing, scheduling and album and video plans that played hell on all involved especially our crew. This was compounded by an overall sense of a lack of respect by management for the band and crew and each individual’s particular expertise that has resulted unfortunately in the end of both Guns and my relationship in having a management or sense of band involvement with Merck Mercuriadis.

In regard to a release date for the album itself certain minor and by that I do mean minor things and or additions as well as contract negotiations need to be completed and barring any unforeseen complications these things have now been adequately scheduled. Both the band and I along with our record company feel that this record deserves the proper setup and promotion not the “13 Tuesdays left” and “it may just appear in your record store” approach offered by management. We believe this strategy may have been used in order for management to sell this latest tour to the various promoters. We feel that if this was so, this was obviously unfair to them. The stress of dealing with this situation has been considerable for everyone as well as to the band themselves as a whole but that this was more importantly in our opinion something utterly insane to do to our fans. Our apologies and please know we have been laboring over this with management for the entire North American tour.

It takes approximately 8 weeks for an album to hit the shelves once it has been turned in to the record company. For whatever reasons it appears it may have been mistakenly inferred by management that this could be condensed to three. That being said this is not a promise, a lie or a guarantee but we do wish to announce a tentative release date of March 6th. This is the first time we have done this publicly for this album. Any and all other dates have been made up by others for their own reasons. We would like to assure the fans that though tentative everything in our power will be done to meet this date. Once it is finalized and official you will be notified. If we are delayed for unseen reasons you will also be notified as soon as possible in regard to a new date and the album will be released as shortly thereafter as is possible. We thank you for your patience.

In the end it’s just an album and one that I, the band, our record company and all involved believe and feel is a true Guns N’ Roses album. Ultimately the public will decide and regardless of the outcome our hearts, lives and our passion has been put into this project every step of the way. If for no other reason we feel those elements alone merit your consideration. We do hope you can hold on just a bit longer and if not we hope you would please feel free to take a break and we’ll be more than glad (if you so choose) to see you again later.

Once again, our sincere apologies and our deepest thanks, Guns N’ Roses would also like to thank all the fans who attended the 70 concerts in 21 different countries for their support in 2006. All the best to each and every one of you over this holiday season, thank-you and God bless.

Sincerely,
Axl Rose

Well done Axl on finally coming out and telling the fans what we want to know. Merck’s “Tuesdays” charade certainly did more harm than good and with a release date mentioned, however tentatively, maybe all GNR fans can settle themselves on the notion that Axl really does the best interests of himself, the band and crew and the fans at heart.

6th March is a day after my birthday - Happy Birthday!

We all know that it’s only an unreleased demo version of There Was A Time (TWAT) that we’ve got our hands on but YouTube user dys6 has put it to a great homemade video montage of Guns N Roses and primarily Axl’s relationship with Stephanie Seymour and came up with an interesting fan video.

Enjoy.

Although they are relative Guns N’ Roses tour support veterans now after completing the first five shows on the US leg of the Chinese Democracy Tour, Papa Roach have been a little reticent in actually approaching the real star of the show and getting to know Axl Rose.

Papa Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix tells why:

“I’m just hesitant to meet Axl, man, I’m just like, I don’t know. Probably by the end of the tour I’ll end up meeting him, but so far I have not met him yet, which is like, you know sometimes, when you, like, imagine what somebody would be like and then you meet ‘em and then you’re like, aw, you’re bummed out? I’ll probably end up meeting him. Everybody says he’s a cool cat, so I’m sure we’ll click.”

Jacoby had better hurry up as Papa Roach’s spell supporting GNR is rapidly coming to a close as they prepare to head out healdining the Zippo Hot Tour starting on November 13th 2006.

MyGNR Forum.com posted this up on their newswire after the band pulled it from the official Guns ‘ Roses website, probably because of some setlist pictures they’ve included but it’s Del James first column on the official site giving some spin and inside info on the GNR camp as the US tour rumbles on and hopefully Chinese Democracy edges closer to release.

VIEW FROM THE SIDE OF THE STAGE
By Del James

Hello and welcome to “View From The Side Of The Stage.” I was asked to write a column for GunsNRoses.com and have mixed emotions about doing so. I have a 21-year history with Guns N’ Roses dating back to before the record deal. During those 21 years I’ve been offered amazing opportunities and have directed videos, co-written songs, lived with, humped gear, was the project coordinator for the double live album, etc, etc. I’ve also interviewed Guns N’ Roses for countless publications around the world including Axl Rose’s first Rolling Stone cover.

If you’re reading this then you’re probably a Guns N’ Roses fan in search of some factual information.Hopefully this column will be insightful and informative without becoming a drag. I’m here to share a little honesty because of the access I have. The day this starts to suck is the day I forget how to type a sentence.

I don’t know how often I will update it and since GN’R are on tour, I have other duties that need to be tended to but every now and then I’ll do my best to scribble out some lines.

That being said, welcome to the backstage area. First things first, the drummer for the 2006 US tour is Frank Ferrer. Frank filled in for Bryan “Brain” Mantia for a good portion of the European summer tour when Brain went home to be present for the birth of his daughter, Kei. Prior to the U.S. run, Brain asked if he could sit this one out so he could be with his newborn baby. Had it come down to not being able to do it without him, Brain would have done the tour but management and the band support his decision to be with his family.

IPB Image

Frank Ferrer is not a replacement drummer or some backup playing because of an injury. Like Brain, Frank is part of the Guns N’ Roses family. He came into the fold through guitarist Richard Fortus. Frank and Richard were in Honky Toast together, which for those of you not living in New York was the best band to come out of that city since D-Generation. When GN’R were making arrangements for someone to fill in for Brain, both Richard and bassist Tommy Stinson knew what the perfect fit would be when they recommended Frank. After one rehearsal, everyone else in the band knew they were 100 percent in the right. Frank’s resume includes Honky Toast, The Psychedelic Furs, Perry Farrell, The Beautiful, Wyclef, and many others. Along with the ability to bend cowbells, Frank brings a positive vibe that always lights up the room.

IPB Image

Guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal is also GN’R family. Prior to the European tour, auditions were held in Los Angeles but the band did not find the right guy to replace Buckethead. Truth be told, the band was hoping that Buckethead would come back and made very effort to make that happen. When it was apparent that Bucket would not be re-joining, the band had to move forward. Joe Satriani is how the Guns camp first heard of Bumblefoot. GN’R’s Pro Tools engineer “French” Eric Cadieux has worked a lot with Satriani and Satch recommended Bumble to French Eric. One thing lead to another and prior to the band’s four-night stint at the Hammerstein Ballroom back in May, Bumblefoot was part of the fold.

Bumblefoot is probably the most accessible member of GN’R. At times he’s too nice and has to be reeled in from signing autographs in order to catch a bus or a flight. His six-string wizardry is of the highest level and the man literally knows every song ever recorded or if he doesn’t only needs to hear something once. The walking Ipod entertains his brethren by playing the most obscure AM radio hits of the 70’s, cheese metal, or TV theme songs. The band often tries to stump him with a request and rarely can.

Some time last week, GN’R flew into Florida for production rehearsals at Miami Arena. The place was sweltering hot and somehow we managed to temporarily lose one out of the two band buses en route. A few songs that fans haven’t heard in a while have been worked up and when the time is right, may be added to the set. Telling you now what the songs are would be rude. After Monday night’s rehearsal, Axl and Guns N’ Roses manager Merck Mercuriadis went over to catch some of the Eric Clapton concert because as it turns out, Axl’s friend, guitarist Derek Trucks, is playing in Clapton’s band. From there, Axl met up with most of Guns N’ Roses at a South Beach hotspot called Snatch. For the uninitiated, Snatch is a club that blends hard rock and funk with classics. Snatch also has a mechanical bull, performance artists, drag queens, and super fine go-go dancers all getting their freak on. Now some people might frown upon a rock band staying out all night, drinking up a storm and dancing before the very first show of a tour but this is Guns N’ Roses. Conformity will never be a part of the equation. No one in this band got into the music business to punch a time clock or worry about hangovers. It’s not rocket science, it’s rock n’ roll, and seeing Dizzy Reed, Robin Finck, Axl, Tommy, Frank, and Bumblefoot drinking, mingling, and dancing until the sun came up was a beautiful scene of a rock band bonding. And that’s what Guns N’ Roses 2006 are — a band!

When certain former members of Guns N’ Roses quit, like Slash and Duff McKagan, had they had their way that would have sounded the death knell for GN’R. Guns N’ Roses was never their original vision. It has always been Axl’s vision and drive to try to make the band as successful as possible without compromising the integrity of Guns N’ Roses. Fortunately for the fans, Axl has always been able to see outside the box of conventionalism, taking intelligent and calculated risks when it comes to the evolution of Guns N’ Roses. This same forward progress is evident on the band’s forthcoming album, Chinese Democracy. Some people out there have downloaded unmixed versions of songs like “IRS,” “There Was A Time,” “Chinese Democracy,” “Madagascar,” and “Better” and while it’s unfair to judge an unfinished product, it’s not that big of a stretch to say that Axl’s vision is once again leading him in the right direction. Recently, Bumblefoot and Frank played on a few tracks that will appear on Chinese Democracy.

Oh yeah, there was a show on Tuesday night, 10/24, at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. and judging by the reaction of the 10,000-plus people in attendance, they had a kick-ass time. There have been a few more Florida shows and an amazing gig in Puerto Rico. I’ve read a few reviews where the reviewer says something along the lines of ‘the band came on late but the show was great.’ WHOA, WAIT A MINUTE — who decides what late is? Every single press release for the tour specifies that Sebastian Bach will be going on sometime AFTER 8pm, Papa Roach will be going on AFTER 9pm, and Guns N’ Roses will be onstage AFTER 10pm. This is supposed to be an all night party. When the f*ck did rock n’ roll — and the last time I checked rock music was supposed to be a non-conformist, rebellious, art form — get a Flavor Flav-sized time clock wrapped around its neck like a hangman’s noose? Rebellion and punctuality do not go hand in hand and for those of you too young to remember, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin rarely went on before midnight in their hey day.

IPB Image

Here’s a little insight for you — a rock band has to do certain things in order to be prepared to hit the stage. It’s a lot like a sports team warming up before hitting the field. Axl has to do his vocal warm ups or else he will blow his voice out. Guitarist Robin Finck has to do yoga-type stretching or else he’s going to pull or tear a muscle again. Some of the band members need chiropractic adjustments or massage therapy. Others need to warm up on their instruments. The list is endless and every night something unexpected always occurs. There’s a lot more to it than showing up, grabbing an instrument, and walking onstage. No one is interested in wasting your time or keeping you waiting, but the band goes on when it is 100 percent ready to go on and give it all that they have for that evening and not one minute before. The show starts when the band hits the stage and ends when the final encore is over.

If, back in the day, Thin Lizzy or Humble Pie or Queen came on at whatever time and gave me two hours of blistering “rawk” like GN’R does every night that would have been a magical evening. A rock concert is supposed to be a celebration where for a few hours people can escape from the pressure of everyday life. Jobs and taxes and homework and traffic are all still going to be there when the show ends so what’s the hurry? I mean, GN’R ain’t some play by the rules, shake hands and kiss babies for public approval type band. It’s Guns N’ F*ckin’ Roses so please feel free to raise your middle finger with GN’R because Axl, Dizzy, Robin, Richard, Tommy, Chris Pitman, Bumblefoot, Frank, and Brain will always stand defiant against conformity while doing their best to thoroughly kick every audience’s ass. As Axl says onstage from time to time, “This isn’t McDonald’s or Burger King - it isn’t ‘Have it your way.’” Anyone who doesn’t get that should really just stay the hell home. I’ve noticed that during our first week on tour, there’s a lot of pissing and moaning on the Internet by people who aren’t even at the shows. This vocal minority are not what I consider real GN’R fans. They are obsessive pests (go ahead and flame) in need of a real outlet other than GN’R chat rooms and posting on fan sites because the real fans are at the shows having fun. When someone overanalyzes something as petty as Robin’s beard, what Axl says to the audience, the set list from one show to the next, or the tuning of Bumblefoot’s fretless guitar, it’s time to get a life. Disconnect from the Internet and reconnect with the real world.

My bus call is a few minutes from now. Time to pack my bags and reconnect with the real world of life on the road with Guns N’ Roses.

SOURCE: www.gunsnroses.com