OFFICIAL Questions for Dexter Thread: Post Your Question Here

[Max_Power]

Did your musical direction change because of the band members, or is it something you've always wanted to do?

To add on to my question, are you considering going back to the older, more blues infused hard rock style? Will any of your future work be like that?

Second, what is your favorite released and unreleased Guns n' Roses songs? And could you state the reason why and give us a preview for the unreleased song if you don't mind?

[Chunga93]

On Sorry
1. What point of view (if any) is Sorry sung in? 1st, 2nd, 3rd?

On Catcher in the Rye
1. In my opinion, this is an amazing phenomenal song, possibly my favorite (it's so hard to choose though!). In your opinion, do you think that this song sounds the most like "old gnr"?

[TIGRE]

I noticed that in  many concerts  , When you play November rain , in the middle of the song ,  you don't sing this part :

 "Sometimes I need some time...on my own
  Sometimes I need some time...all alone.........."

Instead of that you sing again the first part
  
"Do you need some time...on your own
 Do you need some time...all alone"

What is the reason for that????

[Faridbak]

I noticed that in  many concerts  , When you play November rain , in the middle of the song ,  you don't sing this part :

 "Sometimes I need some time...on my own
  Sometimes I need some time...all alone.........."

Instead of that you sing again the first part
  
"Do you need some time...on your own
 Do you need some time...all alone"

What is the reason for that????

he responded to that in mygnrn.com
I probably just fucked the song up, wish it had deeper meaning.

[Dagger]

I thought of this one at work. What is the "glitch" (for lack of a better word) in the beginning of the second verse (The word "My") of Scraped. I assume its intended, but I can't figure out what the purpose of it is. I love the song, but I'm a stickler for perfection and it sticks out to me like crazy. Can you shed a little light on this?

[redhead]

hai Dexter/Axl,

when are you planning to come to Holland? If you do I give you a tour around Amsterdam and we can smoke a "joint" at the Bulldog (it's legal in Holland) and have some fun at the Red Light district. 

[Axl_Duff_87]

I thought of this one at work. What is the "glitch" (for lack of a better word) in the beginning of the second verse (The word "My"). I assume its intended, but I can't figure out what the purpose of it is. I love the song, but I'm a stickler for perfection and it sticks out to me like crazy. Can you shed a little light on this?

of which song??  Scraped?

[TIGRE]

Have your ever desired to play "Live and Let Die" with Paul McCartney , That would be amazing ¡¡¡¡
Is there any possibility for that ??? P.S thanks for coming to Monterrey Mexico

[MattyHarris]

Hey Axl,
Hope You're Well,

I Think This Whole Thing Is Fantastic By The Way!

Thanks For Letting Us Know The Answers To Everything Else So Far.

I Was Wondering;

 - What Are Your Guilty Pleasures?

 - Did You Know Adriana Wrote A Song Dedicated To You? With You In Mind, Called 'Come Find Me'.

Alot Of Questions Have Been Asked, So Im Happy To Know The Answers To Them.
Hope To See You Soon. You're My Hero.

And You're Old Outfits? *Cough* Auction. *Cough*

x

[alegunner]

Hey! Axl:

-Have you read the declaration "No more Leaks"? What do you think?
-Do you still think of working with Trent Reznor? What do you think of him as a musician? Anyone could suggest that he's always ironic to the environment of GN'R and their fans? am I right? 
-A Top 5 of the best movies you've seen.

Thanks Axl for answer all the questions, thank you and the boyz for the magnificent and exquisite music....thank you for all  ......hope to see you soon in Argentina!! (sorry for my bad english)

[anishnabe]

Sorry, the old thread got lost, but we have all your questions in the first post, no need to re-post.

Dexter, please take a moment to anwer the questions form the spanish forum posted here

Personal

• please read misterbrownstone's open letter to you here
  
• How does it feel to know that so many people love and admire you? Is it a blessing or a burden?
• What are your thoughts on religion and/or spirituality? Have you read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins? What are your thoughts on Atheism?
• Do u have a Blackberry or iPhone, or whatever?
• How do u feel since the albums been out?
• have you ever played Guitar Hero or Rock Band?
• Are there great songs that we will never hear because it's just way too much to put out there and do you ever hold yourself back?
• How would you order GNR albums in terms of your favourite ones?
• What has always been your favorite car? And what's your favorite car that you own? Also, what do you look for in a watch or a pair of sunglasses?
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
• You mentioned you're into art. Can you elaborate - modern art, paintings, photography, ...? Also, have you seen Chris Pitman's artwork (on his homepage)?
• Do you practise any instruments at the moment (such as the guitar or drums)?
• What is the best and the worst ( hardest ) of leading a big rock band?
• You said to a fan recently that the best way to meet the band is to find out where they hang, with that in mind, what I'd like to know is; in Australia, Melbourne specifically (but I'll be at all your shows if you come tongue ) WHERE could that possibly be? And would you allow ME to buy YOU and the rest of the tribe a BEER?
• Axl if you weren't a rockstar what do you think you would be doing?
• what vocal training do you do to keep your voice in good shape and to improve it?
• what would the 2008 Axl tell to the 1994 Axl?
• as i come from Greece i 'd be very interesting to know your thoughts about the political crisis in Greek system those days and the fact that so many people and students(mysef too) were heavily motivated!! I think we have a serious deficit in our Democratic Constitution!
• Where were you during 1994-2001? There are no pictures or anything about you from that time. How did you spent all that time?
• If you have to choose one thing, what would it be, Music or Sex?
• Are you a wrestling fan, if so, what is your favourite wrestling match of all the time?
• What do you think about movie "Body of Lies"?
• What is that tattoo  on your leg of ?
• how you come to meet bubbles and the rest of the guys from the trailer park boys?
• Axl, what's your favorite cologne?
• when "DIMEBAG" got shot by an psyched fan on stage in 12/2004, doesnt this scary stuff make an artist think about how to stay much more safe when playing live or going public?
• do you physically train or work-out frequently?
• Who do you consider to be your all time favorite sport team and do you have a favorite or admired athlete?
• Do you really have that cross with Jesus on it  in your living room from the Estranged Video?
• Do you like soccer? If yes, which team do you support?
• Do you speak any other languages? What did you do in China when living there?
• If you could define yourself (as a human, as a soul, not as an artist) in three words, what would you say?
• Are you a Purdue fan?
• Did you ever grab late night munchies at the Tripple X in W. Lafayette?
• Have you ever been to Katana's, the Japanese steak house on the Sunset Strip?  Neptunes in Malibu?

Music (in general) and Axl:

• how much influenced did the 90s alternative movement (Pumpkins, Nails, Radiohead, Nirvana, etc.) have on you and your writing?
• What are your views on Chris Cornell and Myles Kennedy?
• What do you think about the music industry right now? What do you think about P2P networks and sharing/downloading music for free? What do you think about the way NIN, Radiohead and other bands have been using internet and technology in their own benefit instead of fearing it?
• Who are some of your favorite hip-hop artists?
• Did your musical direction change because of the band members, or is it something you've always wanted to do?
• How would you go about performing "Scraped" live? Would you actually be able to do vocally what you do on the album? That would be incredibly impressive, but it seems like it would be extremely difficult. So I just wanted to know how you think you'd do it, be it choose one of the ways and sing the whole thing that way or sing some of the song one way and then after the solo the other way?
• How do you put lyrics together?
• any thoughts on Queen + Paul Rodgers?
• What do you think of George Lynch?
• how long do you think you'll be able to pull off such energetical songs as Nightrain or You could be mine live in concert?
• Are you a Phantom of the Opera/Andrew Lloyd Webber fan? (This I love reminds me so much of POTO)
• have you heard Bfoot's Abnormal? what do you think of his solo work? did you break his foot guitar?
• have you played with Steven Tyler since paris '92?
• Do you still listen to NIN, have you met Trent Rezor or worked with him in any fashion, and what do you think of Trent Reznor's decision to leave the record labels behind and release his material through his web site?
• any tips to keep my voice consistant and what kind of vocal warmups do you suggest?
• have you ever considered to sing no rain by blind melon?
• How did you discover your high voice?
• we're you ever a fan of Ratt back in the day when they were big?
• i'd like to know how it feels for you to be compared to Jim Morrison (just about the only other artist to have a similar effect on me as you), and who is the Doors fan in the current band?
• And it made me wonder do you have a really wide range of musical taste in general? Is there any type of music that you don't like?
• Where's your favorite place to compose your songs?  there has to be some kind of atmosphere o something?
• What qualities do you look for in musicians and bandmates you play and record with?
• Who is your favourite Beatle? and Why?
• Have your ever desired to play "Live and Let Die" with Paul McCartney ?

Old Gn'R

• What are your views on that story about Slash coming to your house to talk about Weiland and company?
• There has been a ton of speculation among forum members as to what the symbols on "The Spaghetti Incident?" mean, if anything at all, could you shed some light on it?
• I've always been interested in the beginnings of Guns N' Roses, what can you tell me about Tracii Guns, Ole Beich and Rob Gardner and their time in the band, if anything?
• I have a really old demo type thing called, "Too Much Too Soon" and was just wondering why that was never released because it's catchy as hell.
• I remember when I was watching "Estranged" music video and the is a scene that you're sleeping but something like your ghost wakes up and goes and takes a shower. what's your expression about that particular scene and did that ever happen to you in reality?
• Have you read Slash's autobiography, and is it mostly truthful?
• Was their an exact moment when you new the old band could not carry on any more?
• What was the last thing you said to Slash, Duff and Matt if you can remember, and are you still angry or do you have any bitterness towards them
• what would happen if you accidentally bump into Slash?Would u avoid him or talk to him or what?
• Do you miss Slash, Izzy, Duff and the guys?
• A year or two ago in Classic Rock magazine Tracii Guns said something to the effect of him emailing you or someone close to you offering his help and services for the record. He then said he got a reply saying, 'that made Axl laugh, thanks' - or something similar. Is this true and what feelings do you currently have towards Tracii? Would you give him a spot in the band if he asked?
• If Slash came to u saying he was truly sorry for everything, would u forgive him?
• why did you leave the stage after ~20min/after the song "Live And Let Die" [in Mannheim, Germany, 1991]?
• How far along in the production process did 'Perfect Crime'-movie get before the project was dropped and why it never has been released back then?
• from the start of Guns 'n' roses to it's current state, how much influence do/did you have on all the instruments within the band? Have you ever asked Slash or other members to rewrite solos' or guitar sections?
• when Izzy returned for a few gigs in 1993 and left again you dedicated "Double Talkin' Jive" to him very directly for about the rest of the illusion tour, why was that?
• your first band "Rapidfire": guitarist Kevin Lawrence was about to commercial release 5 demo songs with you singing on there 1983. what ever happened to this?
• Marc Canter's pre-AFD book: thoughts?
• are there any old Guns songs finished but never released?
• [on Chile] what can you remember about your first and last concert here, in 1992...? when was the last time that you came here, 2001 or later?

New Gn'R & Chinese Democracy

• How much has Richard Fortus contributed to the other albums?
• have you received threats from Chinese politicians or activists and if so, how did you deal with political pressure?
• What was your original aim when you started work on the album? What did you set out to achieve?
• You called VMAs 2002 a 'catastrophe'.  Was there a reason for that?
• Aside from This I Love, are there any songs that date back to the days of the old band?
• Is This I Love related to the trilogy of Don't Cry, November Rain and Estranged?
• Which Buckethead album was crucial to decide he'd fit in GNR's new sound?
• There are some lyrics which are missing or incorrect in the booklet.  Would you please help us with them?  I'll post the questionable lyrics here. This part was missing completely:
• Also, some of us can hear the words 'I love you' or something similar being whispered at the beginning of Prostitute.  Is this correct?
• What's the biggest compliment you've had about the album?
• Which song was the last that was incorporated into the album?
• What was the Intro before You started to play WTTJ during 2006 and 2007?
• Did you ever consider not using the name Guns N Roses for Chinese Democracy? Have ever consider releasing material under another name or under your name?
• Was the album released the way you wanted it to be released or did the leaks and the posibility for maybe more leaks influence the tracklist and/or release date?
• What prompted the change in "Street of Dreams" from the version you played live in '02 to the final recording? Specifically, removing the guitar riff in the intro/chorus and the synth in the chorus.
• how did you decide to bring guitar virtuosos (Bucket, Thal) to GnR, was that something you had in mind or just happened?
• When you are experimenting with music, trying new sounds and stuff. How far did you go? What was the most extreme experiment you did?
• You said that we have heard parts of The General somewhere. Meaning the piano intro of November Rain in 2002?
• Why do you continue to work under the name Guns n' Roses?
• Why did the management decide to go with the best buy deal
• How close to completion is Chinese Democracy II?
• What made you keep on going with the album after all the problems the album and u been through? (With the CD)
• what was the worse part while you were making chinese democracy?
• Do you think [ChiDem] is your best work?
• which is the current concept of the band. Is it an opened band? Without fixed members? Is it a project soloist?
• Why did you decide to respond our questions instead of doing some high profile interviews (like Oprah, Letterman, etc.)?
• What does "you took our innocence behind our stares" in CITR exactly mean?
• What do the Chinese Democracy, the album cover, mean to you?
• What are your views on GNR being inducted in 2012 in the Rock and Hall of Fame?
• How much did you “arrange” your voice at studio? And who was the person that helped you with the higher tones in the background vocals (in case that you didn’t double your voice), Dizzy or Stinson?
• the light show with the new band is stunning, did it take much time and effort to create that?
• you're pyros are louder than Manowar!! doesnt that hurt on stage?
• "This I Love" documented being written in 1992....what have been the main changes since? are some vocals on the released version still from back then?
• Would there be any credence to you performing those songs (IRS, Better, TWAT) live to give a proper representation to the songs after unfinished mixes spread?
• was there ever an industrial sounding chinese democracy going on like they reported back in the 90's? and if so did you just change the songs to what we know them as today or are they still to come out?
• Is there a fairly complete version of Madagascar with higher octave vocals in the first verse? And why have you never sang it live like it is on the album?
• For what reason(s) if any in particular was Madagascar selected as a song to play during the medley at the MTV music awards in years back?
• Was working with Bucket ever difficult in terms of verbal communication? Would he speak with his actual voice or would everything be communicated through hand puppets and such? Was he always in full attire?
• What song was the hardest to record vocally, or took the most takes / encountered the most hurdles either technically or physically?
• Were any songs on CD completely scrapped and re-recorded from scratch at any point?
• What is the biggest initial mess-up that inadvertently ended up as a final element/product on Chinese Democracy?
• Why did you come up with the idea of playing Don't cry in Tokio? how did you feel while playing it? and are you thinking to play it again live?
• how many promo vids will there be from chiense?
• CD is a very complex record, so much goin on there musically that there could be like 100 versions each song. it must have been taken very long just to get only one final version of a song. would you still like to work on more "simple" music to get things done some faster?
• CD and audio frequencies: you won the "loudness war", killer! how much was your influence in this?
• Could you say something about the phrase “I tell ya I’ve seen the lightning... I've heard the thunder roll!”?
• Do you remember the first studio session you did? Any cool stories from these early days of chinese democracy?
• Is there a practical joker in the lineup? I could see Tommy and Robin getting up to all kinds in the studio and while on tour...
• What are Richard fortus and the rest of the guys favourites out of the new songs?
• Any special memories of the June 5th '07 Mexico City concert?
• what was the meaning behind the  song sorry about?
• What is the "glitch" (for lack of a better word) in the beginning of the second verse (The word "My") of Scraped. I assume its intended, but [...] Can you shed a little light on this?

Future Plans

• Is there any truth to you working with Kid Rock on his upcoming CD?
• Any chance you'll play St.Louis again?
• I know we just got the new CD but when do you think we can hear the rest of the material that you`ve got recorded?
• What are the next singles?
• Do you plan on making a GN'R only GH or RB ala Aerosmith?
• There are a number of bands that let you download live recordings or sell flash drives after the show at merch tables once the show is over of the concert they just attened.  Are there any plans that GNR will do this for future tours?
• Are the bandanas long way gone? We want them back!
• Are we ever going to hear "The Asshole song" in studio quality?
• Will we see a deluxe edition of Chinese Democracy with bonus tracks and/or a "Making of", or is that just not your cup of tea?
• Is there any chance we could ever see an Axl Rose [action] figure?
• Have you written anything with Izzy recently? and if not, would you in the future?
• after all the legal shit you had to get through to bring out chin dem does that mean future releases will come easier and how many singles/music vids do you plan on releasing.
• There are many biographys out there about you, but one day will you officialy write one yourself and let the truth out about eveything that has happened over your life?
• Since Dizzy said there were about 4-5 versions (mixes) of every song, is there any chance for a box set in the future with the chinese democracy sessions, with maybe a few b sides thrown in like the remixed oh my god and songs that wont be used on any albums?
• I wanna know if u are interested in do the same thing (for the upcoming tour) that metallica is doing with their live shows (release an audio source of every gig on the tour for download to all their fans thru livemetallica.com)
• Fortus plays the cello, doesn't he? Ever considered having him playing it for a piano moving jam, solo spot or something? Or even have cello parts in a song for him?
• Any chance of Chris Pitman´s Sextapes opening for GNR in a future tour?
• Have you ever considered recording a MTV unplugged show?
• any plans for you and bach to work together again in the future?
• What are the odds that any of the GN'R video recordings [from the Illusion tours, but also earlier / later performances] will become commercially available on DVD or Blu-Ray in the long run/over the years? Please see full question here.
  
• Is there any chance we could ever see a feature length musical film based on and using the music for Chinese Democracy? Something similiar to say Pink Floyd's film of the wall. When listening to CD I do feel sometimes like I'm listening to an epic film and think such a project could turn out really great.
• do you have plans to make an epic video clip like november rain or estranged for a new song?
• Would you like to make a song in another language?
• Would you like that GN’R was like The Rolling Stones and you were still playing together with 70 years?
• Any chance of an 5 song EP between Chinese Democracy and Chinese Democracy II?
• Do you still have the white leather GNR jacket and is there any chance it will ever be worn on stage again?
• Do you have any idea's for what you are going to call the follow up to chinese democracy?

Axl ...Have you ever wondered in your time of introspect and influence envisioned any form of writing about the native's from this continent (America). There is a story that hasn't been told and as coming back to the future man you are the main deal these days as for my view as a loyal fan to your music and your downside of the fall you've had to endure of false publicity and mainstream flow of unjust outcomes of it . Welcome back to the world of illusions and may your guidance persuade another generation of desperately seeking people for a new dimensia of truth , loyalty and respect for your beliefs . I grew in your steps had my fine wine and now is trying hard to comprehend the illusions of our leaders and what program they have next for us on the menu of the new-tear to come. I am from Canada .

[Metal Znake]

Guys, I'm sure Dexter appreciates that you take time to write this, but for the moment, I'm going to lock this. Over 130 questions is plenty for him to answer. If/once he's been here, we'll open a new thread for more questions. Hope that's cool with everyone.

Thanks. Znake.

[sladdi]

We've gathered more than enough questions, so we're locking this thread here.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and thanks to Znake & Misterbrownstone for compiling the questions!