Axl Rose owns the name Guns ‘n’ Roses. If he chose to do so, I think that he could prevent the Hall from using the name in their exhibit or prevent former band members from appearing to represent the band. He has not. He doesn’t begrudge the other members their moment of recognition for what was an outstanding album. He just doesn’t want to be formally connected to that iteration. I think he made a proper and dignified choice.
No, this actually makes me respect him less. I might have a degree of respect if there was some principle involved; if Rose were saying the Hall was too commercial, for example, or if he was unhappy about some of the performers who haven’t been included.
But refusing to make a public appearance with his former bandmates? That’s just drama queening.
Well, let’s remember that MANY bands have turnover and end up with very different lineups from what they started with.
SUPPOSE that Motorhead was inducted (hard to picture, but humor me), and the Hall only wanted an onstage reunion of Lemmy, Fast Eddie, and Philthy Animal… well, Lemmy would have every right to say, “The current guys in Motorhead have been with me longer than Phil and Eddie were. I won’t push my current band aside so the Hall can have a nostagia moment.”
Is that just being a drama queen?
Or what if King Crimson were inducted. Would Robert Fripp be expected to play “Schizoid Man” and “Court of the Crimson King” with the original lineup (whom he’s been on the outs with for decades) and push Adrian Belew et al. aside?
These things can get complicated. MAYBE Axl is just a jerk… but maybe he’s doing the right thing. There’s a new G & R out there, even if many fans think it’s not the “real” one.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Axl Rose may be a flaming hole, but he’s got stones (and not rolling ones).
I’ve been to the RNR HOF twice, and it really should just bill itself as a museum. Sports halls of fame are odd enough, even when you can tanglibly measure success, importance, etc. In music, it’s obviously much different, so why bother saying one band is more important than another, etc. So, I’m not bothered one way or another whether GNR is inducted or not, and whether Axl attends or not. That said, Appetite and the Illusion records are rock masterpieces, and GNR changed the game. I like what Axl wrote, and I’m happy that, for the first time possibly ever, I think he’s at peace. Good for him.
So would it be tacky for me to wear my Rush - Counterparts concert t-shirt to the induction Saturday? We’re debating between dressing up, costumes, or other. I was leaning toward other…
I’ll stop there; it would be rude of me to read other people’s mail.
Axl Rose apparently think the ideal of Guns N’ Roses should be Axl Rose and some anonymous musicians playing in the background. Okay, he owns the name and he can make it into whatever he likes. But does he really believe that Guns N’ Roses is being inducted into the Hall of Fame based on its current line-up? It’s the c. 1990 line-up that’s being inducted.
Who wants that ultra-right wing blowhard in the RRHoF, anyway? Oh. THAT Rush. Never mind.
Axl just oughta take a page from his cousin Pete, and bet on rock & roll. Or something.
Truth is, though, that I concur the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is nothing to be taken too seriously.
I disagree, and I wouldn’t recognize his music. He’s the owner of a band business named Guns N’ Roses, which he has the exclusive rights to use. He wants to promote the band he has now, not the band members that are no longer with the band. He has asked that they not use the band name, but it is a far cry from a cease and desist. He has some loyalty to his current employees to promote them as current members of the band, which would be undermined by appearing with the former employees instead of the current ones. If he appeared he would be undermining his own business and its promotion and demoralizing his left out current employees.
What we should do is tell him he needs to go back to the studio and record another album because Chinese Democracy was so awesome. That should give us about 15 years Axl free.
he did go away, about 10 years ago
Ditto.
Axl went way off the rails, but Appetite is such a perfect album that I’d say GNR needs to be inducted.
/And I haven’t really liked blues hard rock/metal for nearly 18 years
//Still have Appetite on my iPod, listen to it once every couple months
Just to fuel some impotent rage among fans, here is a list of some of the biggest stars to have been passed over by the RRHOF.
And how complicated and fraught with emotion being in a band can be.
About 85% of the acts on that list are better than GnR. 
I’d vote for five or six of the people on that list, but it loses a lot of credibility by including The Monkees and Kiss. The majority of the others were popular derivatives of an earlier trend.
The inherent problem of the HOF is that it’s torn between commercialism that will bring in crowds, and actual talent and impact on the genre. Regardless of whether you think Television were innovative and influential, they aren’t going to draw many people in.
I love GnR’s music but I think Axl is a prick with a huge superiority complex. That letter just seemed delusional. If he’s a rock and roll star for the money and the fans, then he should suck it up and play with the original lineup. If he’s an “artist” who doesn’t care about fans than he can continue on with his prickishness and his crappy new GnR.