2012.04.05 - Los Angeles Times - Guns N' Roses Fans Pen Letter Pushing For Original Lineup Reunion

Guns N' Roses fans pen letter pushing for original lineup reunion

Yesterday an email landed in the inbox from die-hard Guns N' Roses fan Chris Gehrt, who sent it to a number of media outlets in hopes of it reaching the eyeballs of one Axl Rose. Pushing for a reunion of the original members during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, which takes place April 14, Gehrt and other fans are admirably blunt in the missive. "This letter is for the original lineup of the band Guns N' Roses. Our reunion hopes are dwindling and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Please post this or forward this letter on."

Here's the letter, in its entirety (with a cuss word excised and misspellings left intact).

Dear Guns N Roses,

On Saturday April 14th 2012 you will be inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. This gave a great hope to every GNR fan on the planet for a one time reunion show. Our one and only chance to see the original lineup on stage together again, if only for five minutes. Something we've been told for years would never happen. Rumors swirled, the band denied, and the fans prayed. It will always be okay because you never promised us anything.

With less than 2 weeks before the induction, the fans are watching as our reunion hopes start to disappear like Marty McFly's family in a polaroid picture. Each day it seems like there is some new story about how there has been no communication, nobody knows what is required of them, nobody's talking, and nobody really seems to care.

We care.

It would be easy for you to just show up, accept the induction, spend a few awkward minutes together at a podium and not talk again until somebody's funeral. But this time we need more.

We are not trying to be selfish, God knows you have given us plenty of legendary songs, spectacular shows, and classic rock moments. You are sincerely the best rock band in the history of the world. All of your solo efforts and reincarnations of the group are awesome too. But I know even the current members of GNR would love to see you guys on stage one more time.

Your music has inspired billions of people. Each one of you is still a fan inside. You loved Elton John, Aerosmith, Queen, Kiss, The Misfits, ELO and more. Please remember how great it feels to see your favorite band play.

We beg you to pick up the phone, grab your instruments, drag Izzy to Cleveland and play together.

You can make music history. Please do it. Give us one more memory. We deserve it.

We will continue to support you no matter what, but at the end of each concert Axl tells the crowd to "Not take ... from anyone." And that means ANYONE!

Sincerely,

Worldwide Guns N Roses Fans.

Indeed, the induction ceremony is less than two weeks away, and it seems increasingly unlikely that anything will happen onstage among the five original members of the band.

When I sat down with Rose in December, I asked him about the potential for a reunion. Here's what he said:

"Well, look, there was talk about this -- Jann [Wenner ] was excited about it 11 years ago. So I was pretty sure he wanted it, because he was very excited in -- when did I do the Elton John thing, was that '93 or '94? He was excited then. And he’s always been a fan. And at the same time, to me Rolling Stone has done some of the worst damage ever.

"I’ve got mixed emotions about what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame actually really is, but at the same time, there’s a lot of people -- the fans -- that it just means something to them, and they’re happy. It’s like you won the Heisman or something. I’ve had people of all ages. In Indiana, I hadn’t been there in 18 years, and you’ve got elderly TSA guys, 100 pounds overweight, come up, and they’re happy. So I don’t want to take that away from them."

Then Rose made a comparison.

"I think about it in terms of Marlon Brando getting up at the Academy Awards and talking about Indians ... or when Michael Moore got up at the Academy Awards and said whatever about George Bush. People don’t want that associated with their awards shows, even if you have a big audience. In one way it might be right, but it usually backfires on whoever does it. So I really don’t want to spoil it for everybody else -- and take the beating. [Laughs and curses Jann Wenner.]"

When it was noted that induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a mixed blessing, because it entombs an artist in a virtual mausoleum, Rose added: "It’s a lot of people making money. Why do they get to decide? But it’s the same with Grammys, or Academy Awards. Who wins? It’s like, ‘Marty’ wins and ‘On the Waterfront’ doesn’t?'"

Granted, this was four months ago, but when asked flat out what the plan was, Rose added this: "We’re still busy with this lineup. We’re gonna be busy. We’re gonna be busy all next year. We’ll be putting out new stuff as soon as we can figure out what our deal is with labels, blah blah blah."

There's your answer. We have a call into Rose's people to see if he's willing to update the news; we will keep you posted.

-- Randall Roberts

https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/04/guns-n-roses-rock-hall-fans-pen-open-letter.html