My parents live way out in the Crystal Lake area, but we spent a lot of time around Halsted/North Ave.
Cool. I gave serious thought this weekend to moving up there if RM95's Girl and I don't work out. The highlight of the trip was driving by the Cusack family home!
Man, I've been wanting to go to Chicago for years. I'm not a fan of any of the teams, so as a sports fan, it'd be tough to live there, but from what I've seen of the city, it looks awesome. I'm gonna be gone for a few days myself. I may go to dallas from the 30th to the 1st of june, then I'm going to my little sister's high school graduation in Connecticut. Probably won't miss much though.
If I wasn't going to be in Chicago from the 30th of May to the first of June, I'd say we should get together. But I'm going to be!
coma - why do you think this band is going to be so good? I've heard you say that Izzy is going to be writing songs, but I've yet to read that anywhere. Matt Sorum was not a member of GnR. That guy is a hired gun, no pun intendend. What songs has that guy ever wrote? Slash and Duff can't write songs either. Weiland, I don't know. Never heard his solo stuff. I think they chose him just for the name in hopes of selling more records. You mentioned that Josh Todd was difficult to work with, but he's more of a hard rock singer, can write songs, and Weiland is a freaking drug addict. He couldn't be more difficult than Weiland. I'm frankly glad they didn't steal Popoff from Lit, either. That would've killed one of my favorite bands. I heard Butch Walker turned them down! Here's a little something about the topic from the Sludge: A spokesperson for ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has refuted published reports that STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman Scott Weiland has been officially named the singer of the new project featuring Slash and fellow ex-Gunners Matt Sorum (drums) and Duff McKagan (bass). "Scott is not in the band," Slash spokesperson Arlett Vereecke told MTV.com. "The management set up [a live presentation for film studios in April] as a way to get the guys in the recording studio again, to have something going until they decide on a vocalist." "It's pretty darn close," McKagan said. "We kind of set ourselves up for the right singer to come along, and I think so far this is good. It's a step in the right direction [doing these songs] with Scott." Despite reports that Weiland is now the band's singer and has signed a contract, sources close to the group told MTV that there is no contract and that he can't be confirmed as the frontman until he resolves his rehab issues, an ongoing source of frustration for the band. As previously reported, the band recently contributed an original song titled "Set Me Free" to "The Hulk" soundtrack to go with the already announced cover of PINK FLOYD's "Money" for the soundtrack to director F. Gary Gray's upcoming remake of the 1969 British crime comedy "The Italian Job". Though they may be listed in the credits for the upcoming "The Italian Job" credits as THE PROJECT, an official name is still being chosen, Slash's spokesperson said. The bandmembers are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss what to call themselves for "The Hulk" track. The group's contributions will not appear on soundtracks, Vereecke said. "The Italian Job" opens May 30, and "The Hulk" comes out June 20. Sludge wrote this part: This guy is the singer, that guy is the singer, this guy tried out, that guy tried out, WHO ****ING CARES?!?! People talk about this band as if it's the 2nd coming of The Beatles. It's Slash, Duff, and Matt Sorum. It's not Guns N' Roses, it's not going to be Guns N' Roses Part 2, it's going to be Contraband Part 2, ok? Remember Contraband? Well you shouldn't. And does Slash like to work with difficult singers? Does he get off on that? Axl, Sebastian, and now Scott Weiland. The only reason Weiland is probably going to rehab is so he can score more drugs!
Weiland is a far better front man than any of the other names mentioned. Not only does he have the vocal ability, but he has the history and image. And though he's certainly no poet, the boy can write some awesome melodies. Of course, this seems like an odd fit. I'm gonna reserve judgement until i hear the record.
Freak, I've read that Izzy helped on about 10 songs, and will be recording with them. I've read this at snakepit.org & izzy-stradlin.com; two very reliable fan sites that have input from their respective celebs. Why do I think this band is going to be so good. Obviously, how good a band is to someone is subjective. I have a few reasons: 1) Slash - One of the few guitarists out there today that is original. He has a sound about his style that is instantly recognized. He brings such energy and soul to his music, it's a beautiful thing. 2) Chemistry - These guys lived on the streets together, well 3 of them at least. Duff and Matt got along incredibly well. Although Duff plays bass, the guy can play guitar and he's really good on drums. Duff and Matt would spend hours at Matt's house playing on the drums. Weird if you ask me, but there's chemistry there. Although Matt wasn't an original Gunner, he was a lot better than Steven Adler. Interesting sidenote about Matt being a hired gun. On the Live Era release, Axl lists him as an employee rather than a band member. I remember Matt in an interview saying how much that hurt his feelings. But we all know Axl can be a prick. Getting back on track, Slash, Duff, and Matt didn't call each other up one day to say, "Let's start a band." They played a benefit for I forget who know, I think Randy Rhoades or someone like that. They had so much fun and realized a chemistry there, so they called Izzy, he said let's do it, and then began a search for a new frontman. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Weiland. However, as you can probably tell, I'm a huge fan of the rest of the crew. So I have faith that they'll choose someone who they feel fits. I'm very surprised they didn't pick Sebastian Bach. That can belt out a tune like few others can. He's been friends with them for at least 15 years. My personal choice would have been Mike Patton. Damn, that would have been sweet. Joshua Todd has a great hard rock voice and has decent lyrical skills. Something about him kinda rubs me the wrong way though. I don't know, maybe it's all these acting roles I've seen him in lately. Don't ask me to recall the movies, I just know I've seen him. 3) Izzy - Some of my all time fave GNR songs were authored by Izzy. I love Izzy Stradlin. I have all of his solo stuff, and this guy is just great. He's just one cool cat as well. He's coming out with a 6th album as well as a must get biography. The same guy who did the Notorious B.I.G bio will be doing Izzy's. I wish he'd tour with them though. He's supposedly doing fall tour to promote this 6th album. He hasn't done anything as Izzy Stradlin in the states yet. He mostly sticks to Japan. He says he loves it in Japan because music over there is listened to for it's music qualities. Unlike here in the states, everything is pushed down your throat and prepackaged. 4) Perfect timing - For the past 6, 7 years we've been inundated with mindless drivel. No offense to those who like these new bands, but some of the music they put out makes me really sad. I won't go into specific bands, BUT DAMN IT MAKES ME ANGRY! You know, everyone sounds the frickin' same, there's no structure to any of the music, and no one really cares what the words are about. So here you have a band that will be writing their own music, playing their own instruments (very well I might add), and w/ Izzy as a songwriter we'll have some meaningful lyrics. That's why I can't WAIT for Chinese Democracy to return. Which btw, according to a fan who met Dizzy will be this year. A single should be coming out soon. Especially with T3 coming out. Arnold is a huge fanof GNR, and always asks Axl to contribute a song to his movies. I know you can sympathize with me TF, when I tell you that I'm waiting for the return of the super rock band. Give me some 10 minute epics chocked full of solos and thought provoking lyrics. Give me the grand summer tour. Give me the album that I play over and over and over. So for all the reasons above coupled with the fact that I'm a huge fan, I think this band is going to rock.
coma, don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about this project. I just want to hear some good songs too, and that's why I'm glad Izzy is helping out. I'm not a big fan of the main songwriter not even being in the band though. Do you know if Gilby Clarke is still friends with those guys? I'm a fan of his solo stuff. Real good songwriter with some pop sensibilites. I'd be a lot more pumped if a songwriter was a 'permanent member', like Izzy or Clarke. Again, don't know how much Weiland wrote for STP (only a so-so fan of them though), and never heard his solo stuff. It's funny you mention that about Arnold. I thought the inclusion of "Oh My God" on End of Days was supposed to be a precursor to the release of Chinese Democracy....that had to be like 3-4 years ago now! Incidentally that single seemed to do really bad. Did that force the band to rework the material on C.D. and make more of a rock album? Always cool to hear your insight on GnR.
driving without his lights on ... Stone Temple Pilots Singer Arrested May 19, 9:05 AM (ET) BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland was released on $10,000 bail, after police arrested him for investigation of drug possession. Police officers stopped Weiland just after midnight Sunday on a routine traffic stop, said Burbank Police Sgt. Tracy Sanchez. "It was for driving without his lights on," Sanchez said. It was then that the officers allegedly noticed that Weiland had narcotics in the vehicle and arrested him. Authorities did not say what kind of drug Weiland reportedly had with him. The singer was released around 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Weiland has had several run-ins with the law. He was previously arrested for investigation of cocaine and heroin possession. He served jail time in 1999 after repeatedly violating his probation and failing to complete drug rehabilitation programs. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to domestic battery following a fight with his wife at the Hard Rock hotel in Las Vegas. The judge agreed to dismiss the charges as long as Weiland underwent counseling. His wife Mary filed for divorce last fall, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have two young children.
The last I heard about Gilby was he had another solo album coming out. I don't think he interacts with the guys too much. The last time he ran into anyone was back in June 2000, when Axl went to a club after he attended a Roger Waters concert. Gilby has a band called Starf*ckers and they were playing and during a break someone told Gilby there's some dude at the bar that looks like Axl. So as the story goes, Gilby taps Axl on the shoulder and says what's up. Then it was reported that Axl joined Gilby and his band on stage for two Rolling Stones covers, "Wild Horses" and "Dead Flowers." Axl and Gilby do an awesome version of Dead Flowers on Gilby's Pawn Shop Guitars solo album. OMG sounds awesome live. There's not much continuity to it on the album version, but it's a great live song. The few songs I've heard are nothing short of spectacular. Madagascar and The Blues are two that they've played live and they are great. A lot of good sources have told me, they have about 70 songs finished and ready to be released. There are definitely some industrial stuff in there. But there's a lot of AFD style songs there. I've heard it described as a mixture of Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. That's just what I've heard. Personally, I don't think Axl meant and cared if OMG had much commercial success. He wanted to throw a song out there and measure it's reception. There really wasn't much promotion for the song. I'm hoping they will have a single for T3. With being away for so long and leaving on top of their game, there's a lot of pressure on them to release an awesome album. Axl knows this. If it bombs, everything will get thrown at him. There's an unbelievable amount of curiousity and interest in the media for GNR despite of a 10 yr absence. Couple this with the fact that Axl is a perfectionist and have spent a better part of the past decade fighting lawsuits and trying to keep a band together, it's no wonder the album is taking forever. But damn, seventy songs!? More and more lately I'm hearing ppl say that the record will be out by fall. When that album comes out, I'm going to be 16 again. Waiting in line at Soundwaves at 12a, taking the next day off of work, buying 3 copies, etc.. Oh, and I'm always glad to talk about GNR.
