Like many of you, I’ve been watching the news about the potential reunion of the original lineup of Guns N’ Roses at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April. There seem to be two questions lingering right now, only one of which actually matters to most GN’R fans.
- Will all of the original members of Guns N’ Roses show up and (gasp) be in the same room together for the first time in over a decade?
- Will the original lineup get up on stage together and play something?
As you might imagine, I care very much about the answer to question number two, not so much about the answer to question number one… unless of course being in the same room together somehow leads to an actual reunion with concerts and/or new music.
After all this time. Can they get back together? Should they? Yes and yes.
We all know that Steven Adler would jump at the chance. He’s been publicly pushing for a reunion for some time. My guess is that Duff and Izzy would also drop whatever it is they’re doing right now for a chance to get back into the limelight. It’s all about Axl and Slash.
Hasn’t it always been about Axl and Slash?
I certainly don’t know either of them, but from watching and reading interviews (Rolling Stone Magazine, That Metal Show, etc.), I’ve come to the conclusion that Slash is a pretty decent guy, all things considered, and Axl is one of the biggest d-bags to ever walk the earth. This means that if a reunion is to happen, it’s on Slash to figure out a way to stroke Axl’s ego to the point where he’ll end his 15+ year temper tantrum.
The problem is that of all the original Guns N’ Roses members, Slash has the least incentive to swallow his pride and kiss Axl’s ass. He has a big enough brand name by himself where he can draw crowds for his solo ventures. The draw for GN’R would, of course, be much greater, but Slash isn’t hurting for attention, at least not at the moment. He’s all over the guitar magazines, both in print and online, and he’s got a new solo album, Apocalyptic Love, coming out in May.
Regardless of the relative comfort of Slash’s current solo situation, however, the fact remains that while his post-Guns work has been very good, it has not been at the level of the towering, immortal achievements of classic GN’R. Yes, there are years and years of grudge-filled baggage to wade through for Axl and Slash, but from an artistic standpoint, there’s no question that a reconciliation attempt would be worth it… not only for the fans, but for the original members as well.
Slash, listen to me. You’re all alive and in (relatively) good health. You’ve all still got your chops. You’ve all obviously still got the drive to make music. This window of opportunity will not remain open forever. Just call him, or email him, or Tweet at him, or have your people call his people. Say whatever you’ve got to say to him to bring him to the table. We’ll understand and we’ll still respect you. In fact, many of us will know exactly what you’re doing. We’ll know that you’re doing it for the music and for the fans, and we’ll love you even more for it.
Just one show, that’s all I ask. Play a couple of songs together at the HOF induction and see how it feels. If it’s still all wrong and it’s not any fun, then you can all still go your separate ways afterward. But at least try.
Watch Braveheart again (or for the first time if you’ve never seen it) and consider, “… dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here…” and play one more show with one of the greatest rock bands of all time… YOUR band… Guns N’ ****ing Roses.
Think about it, Slash. Think about it.