new alan niven interview - "it is a shame they have been creatively impotent since 1991"

by ludurigan Fri Nov 11, 2022 10:29 am

source = https://www.loudersound.com/features/guns-n-roses-have-been-creatively-impotent-since-1991-former-band-manager-alan-niven

by **Blackstar** Fri Nov 11, 2022 3:38 pm

Yeah, I was about to add this to the interview section (will do it later).

Nothing new from Alan here. I found this bit interesting though:

I have no doubt he has been an impediment to other projects – UMG [Universal Music] will do anything to get something, anything, from Axl, even if that means I get ignored.

I wonder what this means. Maybe he's implying that he has stuff that could have been used on the box sets but Axl/GN'R didn't want to give him money? I've thought that this might be the reason the Pasha demos were missing from the Appetite box set.

by ludurigan Fri Nov 11, 2022 6:46 pm

Blackstar wrote:Yeah, I was about to add this to the interview section (will do it later).

Nothing new from Alan here. I found this bit interesting though:

I have no doubt he has been an impediment to other projects – UMG [Universal Music] will do anything to get something, anything, from Axl, even if that means I get ignored.

I wonder what this means. Maybe he's implying that he has stuff that could have been used on the box sets but Axl/GN'R didn't want to give him money? I've thought that this might be the reason the Pasha demos were missing from the Appetite box set.

Very interesting indeed.

Could very well be something like that.

Just like they didn't record "Beer and A Cigarette" from Hanoi Rocks so Andy McCoy wouldn't make any money from it...

It really looks that Axl would move mountains to make sure that Alan doesn't make a dime out of any GN'R release.

Maybe it is even "simpler" than money.

Maybe they need to ask Niven something like "Hey Niv, where are those tapes**? Do you have them? Can we have them? Do you have the phone number of that guy who has it?", you know, simple stuff like this, with no money involved at all. Maybe they just need Niven signature for something...

** do you remember they asked a fan, if I am not mistaken a guy named Trocolli, for some of the demos they used on the box, because they just didn't have them?

It really looks like Axl dislikes Niven so much that he would never make that phone call to ask for anything and would never allow anyone to make it.

One further indication of that is that Alan says that him and Slash "drifted apart" after Slash joined Axl. That is probably because Slash knows and understands how much Axl doesn't like Niven and decided to keep some distance.

===

What about Arnold Stiefel and Randy Phillips. I don't remember these names in GN'R history. Do you? Has anyone ever interviewed them about GN'R?

You replaced Arnold Stiefel and Randy Phillips as manager of GN’R in 1986. How did that opportunity come about?

Randy and Arnold wanted out in the worst way. They had rented a house in The Hills for the band and it was beginning to show signs of Gun wear. A toilet was dumped outside the front door. There was a python in the bedroom eating white rabbits.

Frankly, I cannot imagine the Sunset style of Randy Phillips ensuring any real connection with the band. Further, they were a typical 10 til 4 kind of operation.

For me, rock ‘n’ roll was a way of life. It’s 24/7/365. So when I rolled up on my bike, [then a Kawasaki Vulcan – I had yet to be able to afford a Hog], the band knew that they would be dealing with someone saltier, with both feet on the ground. No bluster and no bullshit.

Stiefel and Phillips wanted out. Fast. And Tom Zutaut [Geffen A&R] was utterly desperate to find a manager, any manager. (...)

by **Blackstar** Fri Nov 11, 2022 11:17 pm

ludurigan wrote:
Very interesting indeed.

Could very well be something like that.

Just like they didn't record "Beer and A Cigarette" from Hanoi Rocks so Andy McCoy wouldn't make any money from it...

It really looks that Axl would move mountains to make sure that Alan doesn't make a dime out of any GN'R release.

Maybe it is even "simpler" than money.

Maybe they need to ask Niven something like "Hey Niv, where are those tapes**? Do you have them? Can we have them? Do you have the phone number of that guy who has it?", you know, simple stuff like this, with no money involved at all. Maybe they just need Niven signature for something...

** do you remember they asked a fan, if I am not mistaken a guy named Trocolli, for some of the demos they used on the box, because they just didn't have them?

It really looks like Axl dislikes Niven so much that he would never make that phone call to ask for anything and would never allow anyone to make it.

One further indication of that is that Alan says that him and Slash "drifted apart" after Slash joined Axl. That is probably because Slash knows and understands how much Axl doesn't like Niven and decided to keep some distance.

For me, rock ‘n’ roll was a way of life. It’s 24/7/365. So when I rolled up on my bike, [then a Kawasaki Vulcan – I had yet to be able to afford a Hog], the band knew that they would be dealing with someone saltier, with both feet on the ground. No bluster and no bullshit.

Stiefel and Phillips wanted out. Fast. And Tom Zutaut [Geffen A&R] was utterly desperate to find a manager, any manager. (...)[/i]

@troccoli provided the memorabilia for the AFD box set (tickets, flyers etc.) and I think the Mystic Studios demo tape, too (which was hidden inside the most expensive version of the box). He also provided the memorabilia for the Illusions box set.

If Niven's implication is indeed about stuff he has, I think it's mostly over money that he could get and use.

But he strongly dislikes Axl, too, so it's mutual. Very Happy

It seems that in the beginning of the reunion Niven was still in touch with Slash and Slash told him some things. But then Niven started airing that stuff to "insiders" (mixed with his own guesses and opinions), so it's no wonder that Slash doesn't want much to do with him now.

by **Blackstar** Fri Nov 11, 2022 11:19 pm

ludurigan wrote:
What about Arnold Stiefel and Randy Phillips. I don't remember these names in GN'R history. Do you? Has anyone ever interviewed them about GN'R?

Yes, we know some things about them (I don't think they have been interviewed):

https://www.a-4-d.com/t4942p30-06-january-december-1986-getting-signed#18966

by **Blackstar** Sat Nov 12, 2022 7:59 am

Correction: Stiefel was quoted in this article:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t3549-2007-08-09-rolling-stone-gn-r-s-appetite-for-destruction-filthy-sexy-cool

by **Soulmonster** Sat Nov 12, 2022 9:18 am

Blackstar wrote:
ludurigan wrote:
What about Arnold Stiefel and Randy Phillips. I don't remember these names in GN'R history. Do you? Has anyone ever interviewed them about GN'R?

Yes, we know some things about them (I don't think they have been interviewed):

https://www.a-4-d.com/t4942p30-06-january-december-1986-getting-signed#18966

It usually gives me some pleasure to revisit old chapters I haven't looked at in a while, "Hey, this is becoming quite comprehensive, I like this!"

by ludurigan Sun Nov 13, 2022 2:57 pm

Soulmonster wrote:
It usually gives me some pleasure to revisit old chapters I haven't looked at in a while, "Hey, this is becoming quite comprehensive, I like this!"

You should know that I, as a reader, have the exact same feeling!

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