W. Axl Rose

(Listening To: Appetite for Destruction)



I was reading an article last night in GQ about Axl Rose. It was called "The Final Comeback of Axl Rose" It pretty much talked about his recent preformances in New York, then went back to middle Indiana, where he was born, to try and figure out how he turned out the bizarre man he is today.

I have actually been thinking alot about Mr. Rose lately. I was reminded of him when re- reading the book "Fargo Rock City". The author, Chuck Klosterman, discusses how even though Axl Rose and Kurt Cobain hated eachother, they had a lot of similarities.

"Besides strikingly similar facial features and an overlapping audiance, they both offered an image that specifically appealed to lost kids with inexplicable rage. Axl did this first, and his tools were hostility and confusion. Cobain came a few years later, and he used personal angst and sexual tolerance.(ultimately, Kurt's methods proved to be more effective)

Then there is a footnote that goes along with this, that I find to be greatness!

"Of course, Cobain's victory as an icon does not necessarily mean he made better music; at least technically, "Appetite for Distruction" is a stronger album than "Nevermind". They're weirdly similar, actually: Both open with songs that defined each bands aethetic; both track 2s are about testosterone driven males (Nirvana hates 'em, GNR represents 'em), both track 5s are about drugs (one prescroption, one illegal), and both albums conclude with alienated, spacey finales. The difference is that Appetite...always comes across as a tour de force and a classic rock materpiece, while Nevermind will forever be remembered as a vehicle for "smells like teen spirit" and its subversive affect on mainstream culture. It's periodically brilliant, but half the material on Nevermind is filler. There's no doubt about which of these records is more socially important, but there's also no question about which one gets played in my apartment when I want to hear something badass."

There is one more part of this book that i would like to share because I have always thought what he says in the end was 100% true, and was very excited when I heard it come from another person.

""Bono was able to morph himself into whatever his fans needed him to be: He could be angry, brooding, vulnerable, or romantic--and sometimes all at the same moment. Rose is the same kind of shape-shifter, but for a different, less stable audience. He swings from being openly violent and misogynistic (like on the song "It's So Easy") to acting utterly helpless (such as the brilliant closing two and a half minutes of "Rocket Queen", my vote for the finest 171 seconds of 80's rock).

Ok, so back to my own thoughts on GNR and Axl.

Appetite for Destruction was the first album I felt I HAD to have. I can remember way back in 1987, Amanda was spending the night at my house, Kristen Moran was babysitting us. She had the tape, and played us "Sweet Child of Mine". I fell in love instantly. I knew I HAD to learn the words to this incredibe song by the end of the next day, and more improtantly, I HAD to own it. A few days later, I can remember being at Amanda's seeing the video for the first time, and noticing the strange resembalence Axl had to my Uncle Jeff, lol. One more memory, not to be forgotton, is being at rachel's house; it was me, rachel, amanda cameron, and I believe maybe angie myers. We all dressed up like one of the guys in the band, and posed like a picture from the tape cover. Rachel was Axl, amanda was slash, angie was Izzy, and I was Duff (not sure how I pulled that one off). I would kill to see that picture today.

One interesting fact about Axl that I read last night. "The readers of Teen Magazine, less than one year ago, put Axl as number two (behind "Grandparents") on the list of the 100 Coolest Old People. I find this pretty damn fantistic considering Axl hasn't released ay legitimate music in thirteen years, and has pretty much disappeared since then as well, minus two or three public disasters.

I am not sure why i felt the need to share all of this. I have always been a big fan of Axl, and I hope someday he does come out with his long awaited "Chinese Democracy" album, and kicks everyones ass!!!

I will leave you with one more fact you may or may not have known. If I would not have thought of the name Marshall when I did, my sons name would have been Axl. That was my first choice of boy names, until I remembered Marshall.