GNR Women's discussion

[Kittiara]

4 minutes ago, Frey said:

I'll interrupt the freak show discussion (not that I disagree with it, I can't stand them either) with this old article I just came across while looking for something else. Has a funny Axl story in it.

Lafayette's strict 'Cone Lady' dies at age 101

Updated: Jan 30, 2009 3:01 PM CET

 

Lafayette - Elinor May Everett Stingley, who served up ice cream and admonishments to locals and celebrities alike during her half-century as the strict "Cone Lady" at a park-side ice cream shop, has died at age 101.

Stingley, who died Tuesday, became a local legend known as the "Cone Lady" for her 51 years of serving up ice cream cones at Original Frozen Custard, a Lafayette landmark that opened in 1932 next to the city's Columbian Park.

She oversaw the store's cone window well into her 90s and was known for telling customers, "We do not mix flavors" and for refusing to serve anything but cones if a customer seeking some other treat appeared before her.

To those customers she would simple declare they were in "a cone line only" - and she made no exceptions, her granddaughter, Aleeah Livengood of Mulberry, told the Journal & Courier.

Livengood recalled that Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose, who grew up in Lafayette as William Bailey and lived with his grandmother near the ice cream shop, returned to the city in the early 1990s at the height of his band's fame.

When Rose paid a visit to Original Frozen Custard, he went to the cone line because the other line was long, Livengood said.

"Finally, it was his turn, and he asked granny for a strawberry sundae. She told him to go to the other line. He said, 'Do you know who I am?' Granny said, 'Yes, William. I know who you are. Now get to the other line."'

Livengood said Rose laughed after getting a rise out of Stingley, who used to yell at Rose when as a youngster he would skateboard through the shop's parking lot, menacing customers.

Stingley died at the Lafayette home of her great-granddaughter, Lisa Yates, according to Fisher-Loy Funeral Chapel, where Stingley's memorial service will be held Monday.

"Elinor was one tough cookie, but she had a soft side as well," said Brice Barrett, who worked at the custard shop as a teenager. "Elinor had an honest interest in seeing that we all made something of ourselves, and was quick to voice her disapproval if one of us stepped out of line."

Granny said, "Yes, William. I know who you are. Now get to the other line." 

Gotta love little old ladies that take no shit from anyone.

Brilliant! She sounds like a fabulous lady!

[Andy14]

6 minutes ago, Frey said:

I'll interrupt the freak show discussion (not that I disagree with it, I can't stand them either) with this old article I just came across while looking for something else. Has a funny Axl story in it.

Lafayette's strict 'Cone Lady' dies at age 101

Updated: Jan 30, 2009 3:01 PM CET

 

Lafayette - Elinor May Everett Stingley, who served up ice cream and admonishments to locals and celebrities alike during her half-century as the strict "Cone Lady" at a park-side ice cream shop, has died at age 101.

Stingley, who died Tuesday, became a local legend known as the "Cone Lady" for her 51 years of serving up ice cream cones at Original Frozen Custard, a Lafayette landmark that opened in 1932 next to the city's Columbian Park.

She oversaw the store's cone window well into her 90s and was known for telling customers, "We do not mix flavors" and for refusing to serve anything but cones if a customer seeking some other treat appeared before her.

To those customers she would simple declare they were in "a cone line only" - and she made no exceptions, her granddaughter, Aleeah Livengood of Mulberry, told the Journal & Courier.

Livengood recalled that Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose, who grew up in Lafayette as William Bailey and lived with his grandmother near the ice cream shop, returned to the city in the early 1990s at the height of his band's fame.

When Rose paid a visit to Original Frozen Custard, he went to the cone line because the other line was long, Livengood said.

"Finally, it was his turn, and he asked granny for a strawberry sundae. She told him to go to the other line. He said, 'Do you know who I am?' Granny said, 'Yes, William. I know who you are. Now get to the other line."'

Livengood said Rose laughed after getting a rise out of Stingley, who used to yell at Rose when as a youngster he would skateboard through the shop's parking lot, menacing customers.

Stingley died at the Lafayette home of her great-granddaughter, Lisa Yates, according to Fisher-Loy Funeral Chapel, where Stingley's memorial service will be held Monday.

"Elinor was one tough cookie, but she had a soft side as well," said Brice Barrett, who worked at the custard shop as a teenager. "Elinor had an honest interest in seeing that we all made something of ourselves, and was quick to voice her disapproval if one of us stepped out of line."

Granny said, "Yes, William. I know who you are. Now get to the other line." 

Gotta love little old ladies that take no shit from anyone.

Haha, this is brilliant . 

But the question is - Did he get his strawberry sundae? 

[andy_rose]

1 minute ago, Kittiara said:

But if you were in a position like that, you'd surely know that it's not real. That those people - whether it's people you personally like, or models who visit you backstage - are only paying you any attention because of your money, and your status. That they'd be gone in a heartbeat if your fortune changed. Which must make for a terribly lonely, empty existence...

I don't think I could live like that. No matter how much it hurt, I think I would break with people like that, and hope to find new friends who cared about me for who I am, not what I am, or what I have.

As for Beta, she became his mother figure, and he then took in all her family etc. And for models, "friends", I think he is aware. But he likes it. Dunno how I would react, but I like to try :-D 

[killuridols]

15 minutes ago, Kittiara said:

I had no idea about all these people surrounding Axl, until I began to read this forum. I still feel very clueless.

I remember a few months ago, when Fernando stopped by. He answered one of my questions - I asked if Axl was doing well - and he seemed friendly. But other people thought he was being sarcastic during that conversation? I don't know. I always have a difficult time spotting when someone is being sarcastic or not.

Beta really put Axl on the spot like that? That would be emotional blackmail. Does this mean that she and her family receive a management cut out of everything Axl earns? The band will be making at least $100,000,000 this tour. If Axl makes, say, $10,000,000 out of that and they receive 20 - 40 percent... that's a lot of money to be earning in unfair ways, if it's true.

I don't know, though. Axl is an intelligent man, and quite business-minded. Would he really be unable to spot people who don't have his best interests at heart? Who just use him for money and status? It all seems so strange.

It will be healthier for you if you remain clueless. Trust me

The thing is no other manager has been able to put up with Axl. Beta and her family, out of necessity or genuine love (I couldnt say for sure), are the only ones who have stuck around so I guess that's where all this comes from.

I don't know what Axl is capable of, in terms of realizing who's there for money and who's not, it must be pretty hard I think. Because at some point you will become so paranoid you will end up completely alone. Sometimes I think about how hard it would be... or he has to have only rich millionaire friends by his side.

Axl values loyalty a lot, that's why I think he's stuck with the ones who've shown him this loyalty. But it must be hard to judge loyalty from people who were basically inmigrants when they met him. I mean, they were in a situation where they had to work hard to stay in the USA, they couldn't betray or make wrong moves. They had to eat!

It's a very complicated situation to judge from one's spot.

[Lumikki]

1 minute ago, Kittiara said:

But if you were in a position like that, you'd surely know that it's not real. That those people - whether it's people you personally like, or models who visit you backstage - are only paying you any attention because of your money, and your status. That they'd be gone in a heartbeat if your fortune changed. Which must make for a terribly lonely, empty existence...

I don't think I could live like that. No matter how much it hurt, I think I would break with people like that, and hope to find new friends who cared about me for who I am, not what I am, or what I have.

The thing is, Beta (and family) came into Axl's life when he was very vulnerable and depressed. Stephanie had left him, GnR was breaking up, his (biological) mother died around that time... just lots of heavy stuff happening to him. They were there for him then and he has clung to them ever since.

And I do indeed believe he is lonely, despite all the people around him. He even said that to a poster on this forum who met Axl and got to talk to him for a little while. That was around 2006 I think, but I thought that guy's entire story and his impressions of Axl were really insightful and spot on.

 

I love that ice cream story, I've read it before. I think it's interesting that she called him William, I always had the impression that most people called him Bill.

And I hope he got his strawberry sundae

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

6 minutes ago, Kittiara said:

But if you were in a position like that, you'd surely know that it's not real. That those people - whether it's people you personally like, or models who visit you backstage - are only paying you any attention because of your money, and your status. That they'd be gone in a heartbeat if your fortune changed. Which must make for a terribly lonely, empty existence...

I don't think I could live like that. No matter how much it hurt, I think I would break with people like that, and hope to find new friends who cared about me for who I am, not what I am, or what I have.

i honestly can't stand people like that. pretenders, hanger-ons, people who say whatever they believe the rich famous guy wants to hear. i'm not that good at acting!

[Kittiara]

1 minute ago, andy_rose said:

As for Beta, she became his mother figure, and he then took in all her family etc. And for models, "friends", I think he is aware. But he likes it. Dunno how I would react, but I like to try :-D 

Aye, I don't know much about it - only bits and pieces I have read on here. I guess there's way more going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. Maybe they do really care about him?

As for the models, to each their own, I suppose. It's his life. I'd feel horrified at the idea that someone might only be flirting with me - or more - because of money/fame, though. I'd worry that they wouldn't even find me remotely attractive, yet still go for it in a "close your eyes and think of Britain" kind of way!

[Kittiara]

6 minutes ago, killuridols said:

It will be healthier for you if you remain clueless. Trust me

The thing is no other manager has been able to put up with Axl. Beta and her family, out of necessity or genuine love (I couldnt say for sure), are the only ones who have stuck around so I guess that's where all this comes from.

I don't know what Axl is capable of, in terms of realizing who's there for money and who's not, it must be pretty hard I think. Because at some point you will become so paranoid you will end up completely alone. Sometimes I think about how hard it would be... or he has to have only rich millionaire friends by his side.

Axl values loyalty a lot, that's why I think he's stuck with the ones who've shown him this loyalty. But it must be hard to judge loyalty from people who were basically inmigrants when they met him. I mean, they were in a situation where they had to work hard to stay in the USA, they couldn't betray or make wrong moves. They had to eat!

It's a very complicated situation to judge from one's spot.

Yeah, it would be a very difficult position to find yourself in. I don't think I would be able to cope. I may not have a lot of money, and I may not have any fame at all, but at least I know that the people in my life like me for who I am. They're not after anything - they just want to spend time with me. That's a nice feeling, and something that everyone should be able to experience and enjoy.

I had a tiny taster of what being in the spotlight can be like when I published some articles. I received horrible threats from completely random people. If I magnify that by the amount of attention someone like Axl receives... I wouldn't like that at all. The bit I received made me close my social media accounts. Being in the spotlight sure comes at a terrible cost! Not knowing who to trust. Not knowing who really cares, and who is loyal for the right reasons...

[Kittiara]

11 minutes ago, Lumikki said:

The thing is, Beta (and family) came into Axl's life when he was very vulnerable and depressed. Stephanie had left him, GnR was breaking up, his (biological) mother died around that time... just lots of heavy stuff happening to him. They were there for him then and he has clung to them ever since.

And I do indeed believe he is lonely, despite all the people around him. He even said that to a poster on this forum who met Axl and got to talk to him for a little while. That was around 2006 I think, but I thought that guy's entire story and his impressions of Axl were really insightful and spot on.

 

I love that ice cream story, I've read it before. I think it's interesting that she called him William, I always had the impression that most people called him Bill.

And I hope he got his strawberry sundae

That's so sad. People will look at you and think that you have everything anyone could ever hope for... and yet you're lonely. Even when surrounded by all these other people.

He does seem happier these days, though. At least from what we can see in the snippets we receive. That photograph of Axl, Slash and Duff was amazing. He seemed so happy there. I hope that those three can become good friends again, if they aren't already.

And I also hope he got his strawberry sundae!

14 minutes ago, AxlsFavoriteRose said:

i honestly can't stand people like that. pretenders, hanger-ons, people who say whatever they believe the rich famous guy wants to hear. i'm not that good at acting!

Me neither. I don't like people who are false. Give me honesty any day! Besides, if everyone always agrees with me, even when I am wrong, how will I ever learn?

[killuridols]

10 minutes ago, Kittiara said:

Yeah, it would be a very difficult position to find yourself in. I don't think I would be able to cope. I may not have a lot of money, and I may not have any fame at all, but at least I know that the people in my life like me for who I am. They're not after anything - they just want to spend time with me. That's a nice feeling, and something that everyone should be able to experience and enjoy.

I had a tiny taster of what being in the spotlight can be like when I published some articles. I received horrible threats from completely random people. If I magnify that by the amount of attention someone like Axl receives... I wouldn't like that at all. The bit I received made me close my social media accounts. Being in the spotlight sure comes at a terrible cost! Not knowing who to trust. Not knowing who really cares, and who is loyal for the right reasons...

That's why I think it would have been very important for him to keep the friendships and relationships he formed in the years when he wasn't this famous and millionaire. Everybody who came after 1992 are suspicious, unfortunately.

 

[Kittiara]

5 minutes ago, killuridols said:

That's why I think it would have been very important for him to keep the friendships and relationships he formed in the years when he wasn't this famous and millionaire. Everybody who came after 1992 are suspicious, unfortunately.

 

Even from before that, sadly. People who sell stories to the press, talking about private, intimate stuff...

[AxlsFavoriteRose]

30 minutes ago, Kittiara said:

I'd worry that they wouldn't even find me remotely attractive, yet still go for it in a "close your eyes and think of Britain" kind of way!

 I love that expression!

[rock4eva]

7 hours ago, dgnr said:

A dedication to Erin at 0:19? 

Now we'll get to my ex or next wife. I think it's ex but I've blasted my eardrum trying to listen but he certainly says "now we'll get to my" first. Damm you Axl come on here & tell us. Or someone at the concert. Or Erin. SOMEBODY

Had to listen again, pretty sure it's ex. I've put the question on youtube for the uploader too. Waking up & finding some of these gifs has sent my brain into meltdown & I probably haven't seen them all. I blame you all for this, I'll be blushing all day.

Edited June 14, 2016 by rock4eva

[killuridols]

12 minutes ago, rock4eva said:

Now we'll get to my ex or next wife. I think it's ex but I've blasted my eardrum trying to listen but he certainly says "now we'll get to my" first. Damm you Axl come on here & tell us. Or someone at the concert. Or Erin. SOMEBODY

Had to listen again, pretty sure it's ex. I've put the question on youtube for the uploader too. Waking up & finding some of these gifs has sent my brain into meltdown & I probably haven't seen them all. I blame you all for this, I'll be blushing all day.

It's been already figured out in previous pages that he says "ex-wife".

[cheesecake]

I'm confused. 

 

So he mentioned ex-wife twice? Once, the future ex-wife reference, and the other one was ex-wife? 

[killuridols]

13 minutes ago, cheesecake said:

I'm confused. 

So he mentioned ex-wife twice? Once, the future ex-wife reference, and the other one was ex-wife? 

That's right.

[rock4eva]

31 minutes ago, cheesecake said:

I'm confused. 

 

So he mentioned ex-wife twice? Once, the future ex-wife reference, and the other one was ex-wife? 

Don't complicate things,   I didn't know he said it twice. Now I have to go listen to the other time he said it cos I love listening to his speaking voice.

Actually I'm pretty sure he dedicates a song to me, he says this is for rock4eva. True, well I can hear it anyway but maybe nobody else can.

@cheesecake I love your pic, isn't it great to see them together again and actually happy about it?

Edited June 14, 2016 by rock4eva

[rock4eva]

44 minutes ago, killuridols said:

It's been already figured out in previous pages that he says "ex-wife".

Yes I can't see there being a next wife, he really needs a woman his own age who doesn't mind being at home, loves his music, loves him, loves horror movies and tv shows, loves animals. Oh hang on........... that's ME!!

[cheesecake]

5 minutes ago, rock4eva said:

Don't complicate things,   I didn't know he said it twice. Now I have to go listen to the other time he said it cos I love listening to his speaking voice.

Actually I'm pretty sure he dedicates a song to me, he says this is for rock4eva. True, well I can hear it anyway but maybe nobody else can.

@cheesecake I love your pic, isn't it great to see them together again and actually happy about it?

rock4eva, I heard the ex-wife thing before he sang YSMANL, but I went over to the AXL/DC thread to listen to SDTF and couldn't hear him saying future ex-fe (maybe the video was taped right after he said that). 

Quote

Actually I'm pretty sure he dedicates a song to me, he says this is for rock4eva. True, well I can hear it anyway but maybe nobody else can.

 

The first time I saw that pic on GNR Social Media thread I totally fell in love with it, had to snatch it before someone got their hands on it LOL...

[rock4eva]

7 minutes ago, cheesecake said:

rock4eva, I heard the ex-wife thing before he sang YSMANL, but I went over to the AXL/DC thread to listen to SDTF and couldn't hear him saying future ex-fe (maybe the video was taped right after he said that). 

 

The first time I saw that pic on GNR Social Media thread I totally fell in love with it, had to snatch it before someone got their hands on it LOL...

Even at the concert it's really hard to pick up what he says into the mic as it's not clear enough. When he tells a story you can hear it clearly but sometimes he comes out with a few words & everyone's saying "what did he say" & as the music is so loud the person you're asking says "what?"

I went to a concert with a girl from this forum & if she wanted to say something to me she typed it on her phone. Smart move. During one concert he puzzles me as all he says is "they put chocolate in the peanut butter" & between it being on video & not understanding the comment it becomes really confusing. I'd like to hear more stories, I know he elaborates & the more he tells it the bigger it gets but it's great fun interacting with the audience.

The last tour when he had the hematoma & then fell & hurt his shoulder he said on stage that Beta beat him up & when he fell she kicked him. The audience laughed & he complained to one of the band that the audience had laughed and said he thought they were his friends. That was in the UK where there's a video of him signing & photographing with the fans.

[killuridols]

29 minutes ago, rock4eva said:

Yes I can't see there being a next wife, he really needs a woman his own age who doesn't mind being at home, loves his music, loves him, loves horror movies and tv shows, loves animals. Oh hang on........... that's ME!!

Im afraid that's not the type of woman he's attracted to, though 

[cheesecake]

11 minutes ago, rock4eva said:

Even at the concert it's really hard to pick up what he says into the mic as it's not clear enough. When he tells a story you can hear it clearly but sometimes he comes out with a few words & everyone's saying "what did he say" & as the music is so loud the person you're asking says "what?"

I went to a concert with a girl from this forum & if she wanted to say something to me she typed it on her phone. Smart move. During one concert he puzzles me as all he says is "they put chocolate in the peanut butter" & between it being on video & not understanding the comment it becomes really confusing. I'd like to hear more stories, I know he elaborates & the more he tells it the bigger it gets but it's great fun interacting with the audience.

The last tour when he had the hematoma & then fell & hurt his shoulder he said on stage that Beta beat him up & when he fell she kicked him. The audience laughed & he complained to one of the band that the audience had laughed and said he thought they were his friends. That was in the UK where there's a video of him signing & photographing with the fans.

Yup that's what I do too, when I need to communicate with someone in an event that has very loud music played on, type it out ha ha... thank God for mobile phones!

 

Love Axl and his humor. 

[stella]

Regarding real friends vs. fake friends and hangers-on with Axl: I think it's something that anyone with money/status/celebrity/influence has to deal with. Even the people who were there before success aren't necessarily trustworthy; plenty of those people go mercenary and try to get whatever they can from their celebrity "friend," sell photos and stories to the press, etc. It has to be very complicated to navigate those waters, and to constantly be forced to evaluate one's relationships. When someone tries to befriend them they always have to worry what that person wants out of them, if they're trying to get stories for the press, or whatever.

 

I think it's why celebrities and politicians so often end up dating and befriending each other - they understand what it's like, they understand the need for privacy, and they have some leverage in the situation (ie, if one person sells a story to the press, the other person could, too...). Plus, if you're well off and famous and the friend/romantic SO is well off and famous too, there's probably much less of a chance that they're trying to grift from you.

 

It's also why I think that anyone in that position has to be very, very careful about getting married. It's putting their finances at risk, especially in a state where there's community property, like California (ie, when you get divorced in California there's a 50-50 split of any income and assets earned during the marriage). Having a fuck buddy or a string of casual relationships is actually probably safer than having someone become legally attached to you, with that in mind.

Edited June 14, 2016 by stella

[Lumikki]

7 hours ago, Kittiara said:

That's so sad. People will look at you and think that you have everything anyone could ever hope for... and yet you're lonely. Even when surrounded by all these other people.

He does seem happier these days, though. At least from what we can see in the snippets we receive. That photograph of Axl, Slash and Duff was amazing. He seemed so happy there. I hope that those three can become good friends again, if they aren't already.

And I also hope he got his strawberry sundae!

I agree that he seems quite happy a lot of the time nowadays, but I remember in 2006 he came across as very happy and confident as well, and yet Slash and Duff are definitely a really good thing to happen to him though.

This is the story from the guy who Axl supposedly told he was lonely. It was a forum user called HisRoyalSweetness (I remember that guy got Axl to hold a "Silkworms" sign ) and it was posted in the "Has anyone here ever met Axl??" - thread:

 

"i got to hang out and talk to him at a party once. he seemed pretty bitter and angry to me. he talked about being so depressed he didn't feel like he could leave the house for years. complained about being alone. complained about fans forsaking and turning on him. complained about the label expectations and his fear that they'd want to make changes in chinese democracy. never mentioned the old band. at the time, he was more hung up on CD. he cracked jokes, though. and was totally aware of the eat my silkworms site, and had a good laugh about it.. del james was with him, and kinda kept him buffered from others. he tried to interrupt axl when he was talking to me several times, until finally axl snapped at him and told him to give him some space and that they'd leave whenever he was ready. all in all, we talked for 20 minutes or so.

my impression overall was that he was sad, angry and lonely. when he complained about fans turning on him, i tried to explain the fan's side... about how deeply artists can speak to fans, and how beyond making music, they're speaking for people who don't know how to or can't for themselves. it may seem silly, but it's a special relationship. so when they feel axl sorta gave up on them, they gave up on him too. but that their 'hate' or 'indifference' was just the flip side of their love and adulation. that one couldn't exist without the other. that haters only exist because they love the guy and deep down inside want to have him back and kicking ass again. he seemed to think about that a little, and told me it was a perspective he hadn't considered before, which seemed weird to me. but then, it's probably not something beta, fernando or del would tell him. after that exchange was when he got a little more laid back and happy. he introduced me to his date and took a picture with an 'eat my silkworms' page.

this was still a year or two before chinese democracy came out, which no doubt was an especially shitty time in his life. hopefully vegas has got him in a much happier place. he was very, very ready to get CD out, and claimed he was extremely proud of it. he was having a good time dancing at the party. it was cool, but overall, i don't think i want to meet my favorite celebrities anymore."

And that guy also made a second post in that thread talking some more about Axl:

"yeah, he was drunk. but no more than anyone else. certainly no more than quincy jones. i think del was trying to keep axl safe, just because his attitude can be so unpredictable, and little things can set him off. i could see how a fan with good intentions could unintentionally create a shitstorm for del and team brazil to have to manage later. baz was there, and i talked to him for a few minutes, mainly about how i wanted to say hi to axl. he warned against it, and for a while i didn't... but after a while i thought, fuck it, i may never get the chance to say hi to that guy again, and for better or worse, i want to know what he's like.

i remember he did strike me as very boyish. almost childlike. and i don't mean that in an insulting way. just kinda sweet. he was having a good time at the party, and had a good laugh about eat my silkworms, which he knew about and thought was funny. but he also talked a lot about being depressed and stuff, which i mentioned earlier. he made a couple of racist cracks about latino help at the party, which i figured was probably par for the course. it wasn't anything especially malicious. just what you'd expect from a small town white boy who grew up in the midwest in the 80's. i would have been disappointed to hear a friend say it, but actually found it kinda amusing considering it was coming from axl rose."

That's probably one of the most interesting "When I met Axl" stories I've come across. It rings very true to me. Especially about him being depressed, and upset about the fans and the label and everything. Those are things Axl later talked about himself.

I also thought the childlike/boyish comment was interesting, because Axl has always struck me that way as well. He does have something strangely sweet/innocent and vulnerable around him in many instances.

 

[MillionsOfSpiders]

9 minutes ago, Lumikki said:

I agree that he seems quite happy a lot of the time nowadays, but I remember in 2006 he came across as very happy and confident as well, and yet Slash and Duff are definitely a really good thing to happen to him though.

This is the story from the guy who Axl supposedly told he was lonely. It was a forum user called HisRoyalSweetness (I remember that guy got Axl to hold a "Silkworms" sign ) and it was posted in the "Has anyone here ever met Axl??" - thread:

 

"i got to hang out and talk to him at a party once. he seemed pretty bitter and angry to me. he talked about being so depressed he didn't feel like he could leave the house for years. complained about being alone. complained about fans forsaking and turning on him. complained about the label expectations and his fear that they'd want to make changes in chinese democracy. never mentioned the old band. at the time, he was more hung up on CD. he cracked jokes, though. and was totally aware of the eat my silkworms site, and had a good laugh about it.. del james was with him, and kinda kept him buffered from others. he tried to interrupt axl when he was talking to me several times, until finally axl snapped at him and told him to give him some space and that they'd leave whenever he was ready. all in all, we talked for 20 minutes or so.

my impression overall was that he was sad, angry and lonely. when he complained about fans turning on him, i tried to explain the fan's side... about how deeply artists can speak to fans, and how beyond making music, they're speaking for people who don't know how to or can't for themselves. it may seem silly, but it's a special relationship. so when they feel axl sorta gave up on them, they gave up on him too. but that their 'hate' or 'indifference' was just the flip side of their love and adulation. that one couldn't exist without the other. that haters only exist because they love the guy and deep down inside want to have him back and kicking ass again. he seemed to think about that a little, and told me it was a perspective he hadn't considered before, which seemed weird to me. but then, it's probably not something beta, fernando or del would tell him. after that exchange was when he got a little more laid back and happy. he introduced me to his date and took a picture with an 'eat my silkworms' page.

this was still a year or two before chinese democracy came out, which no doubt was an especially shitty time in his life. hopefully vegas has got him in a much happier place. he was very, very ready to get CD out, and claimed he was extremely proud of it. he was having a good time dancing at the party. it was cool, but overall, i don't think i want to meet my favorite celebrities anymore."

And that guy also made a second post in that thread talking some more about Axl:

"yeah, he was drunk. but no more than anyone else. certainly no more than quincy jones. i think del was trying to keep axl safe, just because his attitude can be so unpredictable, and little things can set him off. i could see how a fan with good intentions could unintentionally create a shitstorm for del and team brazil to have to manage later. baz was there, and i talked to him for a few minutes, mainly about how i wanted to say hi to axl. he warned against it, and for a while i didn't... but after a while i thought, fuck it, i may never get the chance to say hi to that guy again, and for better or worse, i want to know what he's like.

i remember he did strike me as very boyish. almost childlike. and i don't mean that in an insulting way. just kinda sweet. he was having a good time at the party, and had a good laugh about eat my silkworms, which he knew about and thought was funny. but he also talked a lot about being depressed and stuff, which i mentioned earlier. he made a couple of racist cracks about latino help at the party, which i figured was probably par for the course. it wasn't anything especially malicious. just what you'd expect from a small town white boy who grew up in the midwest in the 80's. i would have been disappointed to hear a friend say it, but actually found it kinda amusing considering it was coming from axl rose."

That's probably one of the most interesting "When I met Axl" stories I've come across. It rings very true to me. Especially about him being depressed, and upset about the fans and the label and everything. Those are things Axl later talked about himself.

I also thought the childlike/boyish comment was interesting, because Axl has always struck me that way as well. He does have something strangely sweet/innocent and vulnerable around him in many instances.

 

The child like comment struck a chord with me too, because that's exactly how he comes across to me too. It's even more evident since he joined ACDC, I knew he would behave himself and go onstage on time etc etc just because that child like side of him, I bet you know what I'm getting at there if I'm not explaining it very well. I think it's blatantly obvious how lonely he is, even now, as well. The only pictures he looks happy in are the ones with slash and duff and with ACDC.

I think this is why most of us are not thrilled when you see people like Andrei and Khan turning up >:( . I get fernando and Vanessa, they've known him for a long time, wish they'd be nicer to fans but oh well. It's the other creeps that worry me more, you look on their social media, they're parasites.