Tommy Stinson Comments

[1234-5678 0]

Bassist TOMMY STINSON is best known for being one of THE REPLACEMENTS - start of the band to finish - but he's beginning to be a regular in the metal press given his now long-standing relationship with Axl Rose as part of the aggregate GUNS N' ROSES. If all goes according to plan (and there's no assurance that it will), the eon-awaited Chinese Democracy will be out this fall and GN'R will be touring "for the next year and a half or so."

 

 

 

Stinson was in Toronto recently to promote his new solo album called Village Gorilla Head, a collection of quirky hard and soft pop songs with an appropriately artsy, even Replacements-like flair. "I think the hardest thing was to just finely get it done," says Stinson of the lush yet emotionally edgy album. "I worked on it for about a year, toured a little bit in between, and I wasn't really under any pressure from anyone to finish it in any particular amount of time. But after awhile, after you've done all the instruments yourself, you start to burn out. You get to a point where you go, 'I really wish I were done with this now, because I'm kind of tired.' It got a little much. Because I was recording everything in my home studio, which is basically in my apartment, in my bedroom, in Burbank, California. So the idea of recording and living and sleeping and breathing all in the same three or four rooms was a little bit much after awhile."

 

 

 

Well, rest up, because it sounds like life is gonna get complicated soon. Tommy offers a few elliptical remarks on the looming Chinese Democracy opus.

 

 

 

"Stylistically speaking, if I were to take a stab at it, it would probably be something more focused than Use Your Illusion. I think Use Your Illusion was going in a couple of other musical directions, but not fully realized. I think there were some limitations to where the band was maybe willing to go? That has been taken out of the mix. More focused, but also more diverse. I think the music on the new GN'R record will be a lot more complex, a little more far-reaching probably? As well as there will be some rock there that will be reminiscent of the older records. But for the most part, stylistically speaking, there's a lot more going on. And I would say lyrically, definitely there is a lot more going on than old Guns. There's a lot more introspection, a lot more social commentary involved."

 

 

 

After intimating that most of the lyrics and vocals are Axl's, but that he and Dizzy Reed do a lot of the back-up vocals, Tommy states that songwriting-wise, "there'll probably be compositions that started with each of us and were compiled by all of us, on the whole record, yeah. I would be willing to wager that that is how it turns out, because Axl is the kind of guy who is always looking out for the fairest way to do it so everyone's happy. Because obviously, that's the kind of thing that screwed up the old band. Everybody had songs they wanted to write, and have Axl sing, and then there got to be infighting, I think, with whose songs were going to be on the record. He's really conscious of that, so it ends up being a bit of everyone on there."

 

 

 

Stinson also says that he listened to the final mixes recently and "added his two cents," noting that the songs were mostly quite long and epic, but "mind-blowing and fucking huge."

 

 

 

In closing, I had Stinson reflect on Axl's personality these days, his state of mind, his strengths and weaknesses...

 

 

 

"Wow. I would say his strengths are definitely his heart and his loyalties. He's incredibly loyal and totally has your back if you're straight with him and are loyal back. Which is why him and I have gotten along so well. I'm the same sort of person. I don't fuck around or waste my time with people who waste my time, and I don't really take up people's time if they don't want it. I would say those are his strengths. Other than that, he's a fucking awesome singer and an amazing songwriter. The weaknesses part? Maybe he still thinks too much of what people are expecting of him. Maybe he could try just fucking exist, and not worry about the way people want him to be? Maybe a little bit of that? Might be hard for him, because he's got a lot riding on it. I've got a lot riding on it, but he's obviously got way more (laughs). What I see with the Guns N' Roses thing... you know, I've hung out with him so much to know that it's hard to be him, just because people are rabid. They get pretty weirded out. He's got some crazy fans, and people that have been there for a long time. And I think if he could just exist, if he could get up in the day and go cruise around like I cruise around and see the world in a non-stressful environment like that (laughs), it might do some good for his fuckin'... his self. He's a huge fucking rock star, man. He can barely go down the street without someone fuckin' throwing some curveball at him. It's a bummer."

[jimmy no nose 0]

There are about 100 Tommy articles a day the past 2 weeks. This is the first I've seen this one and it is definitely the best. This is the first time I've heard any mention of the term "final mixes" regarding Chinese Democracy. I don't know about the part where it says "mostly long and epic" songs. I was hoping for and expecting a couple, but I think that the less he tries to do it the more powerful the long and epic songs will be. More focused than the Illusions sounds good. Things are starting to sound good these days.

[haVoc 0]

Axl has a real love for those "long and epic" songs. Estranged, November Rain, Coma, etc,.

 

He better be careful, though. If he wants these songs to be played on radio in this day and age then he better lay off the 8 minute anthems.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Rumours on several GNR boards is that February 2005 is the set release date for the album. Of course, this is after speculation that November of this year was the release month fell through.

 

Just a little patience.

 

UYI

[UZI Suicide 0]

Why does it seem like Tommy says this exact same thing every year?

 

Ohh, because he DOES say this every year.

[1234-5678 0]

Axl has a real love for those "long and epic" songs. Estranged, November Rain, Coma, etc,.

 

He better be careful, though. If he wants these songs to be played on radio in this day and age then he better lay off the 8 minute anthems.

Yeah he does have that habit. Even some of their radio hits, "Paradise City", "You Could Be Mine" and "Civil War" all go over 6 minutes. I am pretty sure every track on Use Your Illusion 2 goes over 5 and a half.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

He's doing his darndest at maintaining whatever interest there is left in the general public in regards to Chinese Democracy. He just needs Axl to actually deliver.

 

UYI

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

In the recent interviews, Tommy said he is going back to rehearse with the band in November-December for an upcoming world tour.

 

So at this point I'd expect a Christmas/New Year's release for the album. Or at the very latest by the end of 1st quarter 2005.

 

And yes, I will be one of the idiots who camps out to buy it.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

BASTARDS OF YOUNG!

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

I don't mind epics, as Estranged is one of the best songs I've ever heard and it's close to 10 minutes long. The problem is, if it's a really awful song then 10 minutes becomes a lifetime. One horrible 10 minute song can tank a whole album just because theres a huge chunk of music that just isn't making the grade.

 

Add onto that the decade of hype and you have something that is probably destined to be a huge let down and failure, but I'd really like it not to be.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

At this point, Axl could release 30 minutes of him making farting noises and I'd still buy it.

 

And love it.

 

UYI

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Tommy has again stated that GNR will be touring the *world* at the beginning of 2005 to support Chinese Democracy.

 

Don't get your hopes up, but at least this is coming from someone in the band.

 

UYI

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

Tommy dropped this bit of info today about Chinese Democracy:

http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2004/09/1406.cfm

 

I would imagine they would start mastering it some time in October, November, somewhere in there

 

Mastering an album only takes a day or two.

 

It's coming out!

 

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

What if all of the songs turn out to be 10 minute pop punk anthems not unlike Good Charlotte?

 

Would the world just spontaneously combust?

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Implode.

[1234-5678 0]

From a new interview with Dizzy Reed...........

 

"What's the status with Chinese Democracy?

Actually, Chinese Democracy is very close to coming out. I've heard a few of the tracks and it sounds amazing. There are a few more things to do then it'll be ready. They were originally shooting for November, but it may be February now. It's gonna be great.

 

How were you the only member of Guns to stay on Axl's good side?

I believe in him, and I believe in what he's doing. I don't know what happened to the other guys. They quit one at a time. That's something I want people to know. They weren't kicked out of the band. They made the decision to leave and they had plenty of opportunities to come back. They walked out on us. And I didn't. I chose to stay, for a lot of reasons. I was at the point where I had put so many years of writing into it. I wanted to see it through. Axl gave me the chance to be in that band, and I am always going to be grateful for that."

 

Link

[UZI Suicide 0]

If they're planning to go on some huge world tour that's going to shake up the music world they seriously need to re-think things. The 2002 tour did so poor in ticket sales, and that one was cancelled, so how many people are going to actually buy tickets for a second go-round?

 

What Axl really needs to do, and I know his ego will never allow him to do this, but he needs to do a small club tour in the U.S. like Velvet Revolver did they first got together, just to show fans that he's actually in it for the long run this time, and to gain a lot of fans he's either lost or never had.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

If they're planning to go on some huge world tour that's going to shake up the music world they seriously need to re-think things. The 2002 tour did so poor in ticket sales, and that one was cancelled, so  how many people are going to actually buy tickets for a second go-round?

 

What Axl really needs to do, and I know his ego will never allow him to do this, but he needs to do a small club tour in the U.S. like Velvet Revolver did they first got together,  just to show fans that he's actually in it for the long run this time, and to gain a lot of fans he's either lost or never had.

They plan on touring overseas first.

 

Most 2002 shows they played in Europe were sold out.

 

But yeah, the American dates sold terribly. I think that had more to do with the VMA performance than anything.

 

Hopefully the album gets a following by the time they get back for the US leg of the tour.

[1234-5678 0]

There were sellouts in New York and Philadelphia (where he no showed, the bastard).

 

I think the tour did poorly because of a lack of advertising and no single or album to back it up. "Slither" made people care about Velvet Revolver, all people had from the new GNR was a mostly awful performance at the VMAs and a little piece of "Madagascar".

 

That being said, I think "The Blues" should be the first single, then follow it up with one of his "epics".

[BUTT 0]

I don't think "The Blues" would be a good choice for a first single. Sure it's a good song, but when people think Guns N' Roses, they think ROCK. If Axl wants to show the world that GNR is "back", then he needs a strong rocker, something that would fit in with the songs on Appetite but still sounds modern.

[1234-5678 0]

The song "Chinese Democracy" rocks, but I think it would fade away like "Oh My God" did.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

^Espicially the wicked guitar intro.

 

I must be one of few people that absolutely loved the VMA performance. Chalk it up to nostalgia, I suppose. Axl sang 'Madagascar' beautifully though.

 

UYI

[PsychoDriver 0]

I would imagine they would start mastering it some time in October, November, somewhere in there

 

I really hope this is true. But I like many many others have been hearing this same thing for over 10 years now. How many freaking "rumored" release dates does this album have? I can remember hearing: Early 95, Summer 96, Fall 97, Middle of 99, Summer 2001, Fall 2002, Nov. 2004, and now Early 2005.

 

Somehow the only way I really think we will ever see this album is if Axl dies and they release it posthumous (like they did with all that Jimi Hendrix material)

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

Think about this for a second....

 

 

 

Tommy Stinson started playing with "the Mats" when he was 12 YEARS OLD! They hit their stride in popularity around the time he was 16-17 or so. Plus, he was the guy in the band that the girls consdiered cute. THAT sounds like a good life my friends. Oh how he must have gotten laid.