Hyllningstråd: Guns n' Roses

"I watched the video and really don't understand what you're talking about. They're both good players and both did a good job interpreting La Grange. Of course you're not going to like Slash's playing because you don't like Slash (and I surmise this is purely based on Axl's own reflections on his former band mate). That's fine in a sense, but to say that one person is better than the other and treat it as fact is ignoring the subjective nature of music and art. The fact that you feel Mayer performed better than Slash on one guitar solo and thus this means Mayer is a much better guitar player says little about their actual playing ability. I suppose that because Michael Phelps lost one race last week in his Olympic qualifier to his teammate that makes him an inferior swimmer. Your logic doesn't add up Volcano (but then again, it rarely does). Apparently every thread for you has to turn into a thread as to why Slash sucks. I serious don't understand your motivations for this but whatever floats your boat. You may feel like that Slash is an embarrassment on guitar, but just remember who wrote the iconic solos that you cheer on when DJ, Bumble or Fortus play them live. Those guy wouldn't have the jobs they now have if it weren't for the man in the top hat. I'm not a John Mayer fan but I can appreciate the fact that he can play; I just think he writes shit songs. Let me give you an example of how to discuss something in a thread that relates to Axl and Slash that doesn't disparage either:

As for the topic at hand, yes, for Axl it certainly was a double-edge sword having someone so iconic move on from the band. I look at someone like Ozzy who had to replace Randy Rhodes with Jake E. Lee and then Zakk Wylde. No one had too much of an issue with this (especially with replacing Rhodes who died) simply because the Ozzy brand was obviously synonymous with Ozzy. The fruitful beginnings and rise to domination of GNR was associated visually by Axl and Slash. Had Axl moved on from Guns N' Roses his eventual lead guitarist would not have received such a spiteful comparison with the image people have of GNR. Very few people have held much contempt for Slash's lead singers over the years because they weren't Axl simply because he wasn't attempting to change, revise or modify people's perceptions of what GNR is or was. As soon as anyone hears the intro to Sweet Child O' Mine or the outro guitar solo in November Rain they will immediately associate visually that sound to Slash. That's not an association that will easily or ever be changed unless Axl was able to stick with one guitar player and produce meaningful and numerous songs/albums. Buckethead obviously has/had a distinct sound a visual representation. Had they been able to work together for a five to ten year period I'm sure some if not most would have moved on from the associations they have of GNR and Slash. Returning to my Ozzy comparison, if you look at Black Sabbath after Ozzy's departure, the fact that they were able to produce relevant and noteworthy music with Ronnie James Dio speaks to how replacing a band member can be done if that's the route one wants to take. I suppose the same could be said with Van Halen and Sammy Hagar. Fans will come around if you give them a reason to. Apparently the public feels like Axl hasn't given enough to knock their old associations of GNR and Slash.

Remember though, like myself, GNR is a band synonymous with their youth. Youth, and its nostalgic influence, is a powerful force. Slash is always going to be part of my association with GNR as it was his playing, along with Axl's voice and piano playing, that had such a profound effect on my musical identity when I was young. I think for a lot of newer fans who weren't into GNR when they were younger (or weren't old enough to know of or appreciation GNR in its classic formation) have an easier time associating GNR without Slash's iconic look and sound. It's a contextual issue that I think is lost on most people. So I understand why people like Volcano and others who weren't big on GNR's formative years disparage the classic lineup like they do, but they ultimately fail to understand why others like myself substantiate guys like Slash, Izzy and Duff on a much higher level than they do.

Some bands, when drastic change is forced upon them, decide to end it simply because they feel like what they lost was too instrumental to continue without it. Look at Zeppelin, without Bonham's drums the band felt it just wouldn't be the same and decided to end it. Axl obviously felt differently with respect to GNR and Slash's departure. It's a tall order to fill on his part and some respect is deserved in attempting something so ambitious and what many would consider a fool's errand. Like I mentioned earlier, had Axl been able to hold on to Buckethead and produced a meaningful body of work I think he might have been able to achieve what he envisioned when he decided to regroup back in 1996 and 1997 with Slash and Duff's departure. Since that didn't happen and the man is now past the half-century mark, it doesn't seem like he'll ever escape Slash's shadow in the public's eye."