It's a sad day in music history. On this day in 1996, Slash announced that he was no longer a part of Guns 'N Roses. Even though GNR had been inactive for awhile at that point, Slash's announcement crushed the hopes of those who thought the band would overcome its internal problems and continue its successful run.
Since leaving GNR, Slash has gone on to a successful career in Velvet Revolver. Axl Rose, on the other hand, has taken a different path.
I present, a timeline of Axl's post-GNR work:
1996: GNR breaks up.
1997: Axl Rose becomes a recluse, and spends his time working on the band's much-hyped Chinese Democracy album.
2037: Chinese Democracy is released to mixed reviews.
I kind of estimated that last one. There was also some touring, a bunch of song leaks, and some dude named Buckethead who recorded in a chicken coop. And, in one of the funniest music moments ever, the singer of The Offspring threatened to steal the Chinese Democracy title because Axl stole his braids. But those details are irrelevant. The point is, I miss the real GNR.
Let's take a minute to pay tribute to one of the greatest bands of the 80s. Actually, one of these videos is "November Rain," so you'll need at least 9 minutes. Enjoy...
Real GNR
Fake GNR
[PS - The fake GNR is actually pretty decent, and I think you'll all be impressed with Chinese Democracy if you still have your hearing in 2037. But come on, nothing stacks up to the real deal.]
