2019.09.DD - GN'R Reddit - Fernando Lebeis interacts with fans

September 3, 2019:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GunsNRoses/comments/cyqp5c/another_new_leak_the_general/

another new leak? The General?

Deleted user
A 4 minute track is on youtube right now, sounds legit GNR and listed as The General.

flebeis
Geez, didn’t take long to make what was a great fun channel into sewage.

MrBernabeu
Try releasing something for a change, and oh, stop actively trying to erase the band from history by deleting every single live show about it on youtube or other sites. Then maybe we just might stop clinging to 15 secs of badly recorded snippets of songs when we have the entire fucking thing OFFICIALLY released
tbh I dont even give a fuck if you're the real fernando i just needed this vent.

flebeis
Man, same script; different day.

Deleted user
Fernando, I'm curious on your side of things, what exactly is it about fan footage from shows from 2016 or 2011 or any year, that equates it to being harmful to the band and therefore these past few months getting taken down in large amounts. Do you feel like they harm the band or take away from potential sales, or just simply the monetary aspect of Youtube views?
As a fan, I can say that watching those types of live clips on Youtube are what sustain my love for following GNR in between periods of no new albums. And seeing them all go away lately really has saddened me.
Pearl Jam allows fans to even make "fan DVD's" compiling fan footage of a given show and the official soundboard "bootlegs" they release - they get that this stuff is all about fan bonding and reliving amazing experiences. I, as a fan of many bands, have never seen such actions aside from Prince and his estate, regarding harmless fan footage of live shows
When you say "same script, different day", well with all due respect I feel like removing these great and meaningful videos is doing a disservice to what GNR, and music, should be all about. The previous poster could have been more sophisticated in wording, sure. But I feel like getting rid of these types of Youtube videos is doing nothing but giving the fans who care about the band most, a lot less. So our concerns will be the same day in and day out, the "script", so to speak.

flebeis
Again, these were takedowns taken by a person impersonating part of the management team, i forwarded all information to the label and YouTube to suspend the account which was normally used by GNR. My “same script different day” shouldn’t apply to whatever topic you want to complain about, don’t you agree?

PandyWK
With all due respect, if you have indeed forwarded all the info on, then why is your mother's penpal still issuing takedowns, impersonating Axl to groom impressionable members of the fan community and being allowed to run riot on the official Nightrain forum?
Also, Evader's recreation of what The General may sound like is actually a wonderful and meticulously-crafted gesture to his fellow fans, not "sewage". You're lucky people still care. Maybe if some music got released once in a while, fans could actually pay you money to hear stuff instead of resorting to leaks and fan-made remixes.

flebeis
I can’t even begin to wrap my head around your comment/ question. I think I get it, we are to somehow stop any and all people from claiming falsehoods on the interwebs.

PandyWK
I apologise. I understand you need to focus your energy on selling toy trucks. Thank you for giving us not what we want, but what we need.

flebeis
It’s ok, no need to apologize.
Toy trucks!!!! They are bad ass man! Since you aren’t into it, you could of simply kept scrolling but instead here you are.

[Deleted comment]

flebeis
I at times sit back and watch some of the shows throughout the band’s performances and remember something special about this show or that show. I think that having videos online allows others to reminisce their lives as i do. There are some videos or captures which I agree it should be taken down, because internet is crazy and love to watch people suffer.
Are we to agree that there is no way to stop someone from claiming attachment to the band or it’s inner circle? Me answering these questions opens me up for even more scrutiny.

Skidmark666
No, we're not. You could address all that shit publicly, like you should have years ago, when all this bullshit started. But instead, you sat back and watched it all happen.

flebeis (Sept. 11)
I did my dude. Fans came up to me about this back then and I told them it’s not the band or the label doing the takedowns.
I didn’t know the severity of the takedowns at the time. I thought it was about one of two of the videos that were taken down by us based on our own reasons, but then when someone told me that it was a shit ton of videos I had my then-assistant check the account and the password was changed, we contacted YouTube and killed the account.
We were on tour, regardless of what you or others think my place is on this little GNR world, know that the truth is, it’s a shit ton.

September 10, 2019:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GunsNRoses/comments/d2ezc8/could_someone_please_explain_to_me_what_these/

Could someone please explain to me what these leaks actually are?

BrokenWashingmachine
Okay, so I seem to have joined this sub at a bad time. I only just discovered this subreddit after searching on a whim.
It seems that every post right now is about Chinese Democracy leaks? However I own the cd to Chinese Democracy so could some kind person please explain to me what everyone is on about?
I'm a mid-casual fan but haven't heard about this before. I listen to a lot of their music and have read Slash's Biography but this above my level.

guitarpatch
Executives wanted Slash back in the band, and maybe perhaps said these things to try and force that thought
What’s interesting is the Chinese Democracy title didn’t surface until after the reported rumors of it being torn apart. Axl has said a Democracy in China is a great idea that probably isn’t realistic. Perhaps the title also reflected that thought

LocoComa
They wanted Slash back in the band, and they weren't keen on the direction Axl was taking the music. "It doesn't sound like Guns N' Roses." So they basically forced him to delay it when he initially wanted to release it, and that's when everything started to come unraveled.

flebeis
Lol the amount of nonsense is beyond me.

LocoComa
Feel free to set the record straight then, Fernando. Because the fan base just goes on the information we know.

flebeis
Some of the fans makes up their own stories and try and make it so, much like you are doing.
I get it. Oh my, new music.

MrBernabeu
only with this band you have management going out of their way to insult the fanbase in exchange of nothing...
the dude was just answering a honest question ffs saying basically the bits and pieces that are common knowdlege in the mainstream, but of course, as always, it's the fans that are out ta get you, and trying to ruin the image of precious lord Axl and his team of lacays

flebeis
Well said.
Precious Lord. Lol.

PandyWK
So you're saying the delay was all Axl's fault? Wow, way to throw your boss under the bus. Axl must have owed your mom some serious favours to hire a moron like you.

flebeis
Oh, geez. That’s not very nice of you. I do hope to one day meet you or people like you in the real world and have a honest conversation. Because you can’t really be this way in real life. At least I hope not.
Here’s to hoping.

MrBernabeu
mate, dont´t even bother answering this moron, 90% of his vocabulary consists of shameless insults, and the rest is "lol"
But don't worry, if the word around town is anything to go by, he will soon have a LOT of free time to browse reddit and upgrade his vocabulary

flebeis
Oh, well, I hope he makes it out ok. Should I not hope? I don’t know what the word around town is...

September 16-19, 2019:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GunsNRoses/comments/d5a4kq/who_is_who_full/

WHO IS WHO [FULL]
Deleted user
[Deleted post about the background of the leaks]

Other deleted user
lol at first i thought this was a song

djones13570
Ya me too, damn it haha

flebeis
Same here!

flebeis
Awesome breakdown. However it’s missing a lot of other shit that i suppose you and everyone isn’t privy too, understandable. Only thing wrong on the above is is me standing by watching all of this happen with no intention on stopping it and holding people accountable to what the law allows it to.
Rick has dug himself into a very deep hole. Can’t wait to cross paths.
This week or next should mount up to a lot of loose ends being tied up. (Fingers crossed)

troccoli
Precisely! Everyone isn't privy to so much. And I don't understand that when they are told things they just take it at face value. All this shit gets posted instead of people just asking me.

flebeis
Yeah, whoever you are. Do it up. Get that inside information and damage progress. You are killing it out there.

JeffFarty
Oh so the only thing wrong is the part that makes you look bad? How convenient.

flebeis
I see I see. However from my side of the fence actually knowing what’s happening, yes padawan, that’s the only incorrect summarization from what I read.

JeffFarty
And surely you're a man of conviction who'd never lie to save his own ass from the chopping block.
I hear Axl's pissed. What say you?

flebeis
You are quite boring.

JeffFarty
And you are quite possibly the worst "manager" in modern music history.
Answer the question. Is Axl pissed or what?

Its_A_Wonderful_Lies
Nice, Fernando. You call that management, damage control or just plain 'ol intimidation? Or was it a threat?
You were informed. You didn't listen. You make assumptions but when in reality, its been YOUR Brazilian pieces of trash friends who are responsible for hoarding the most unreleased material and you know it! Yes, keep them safe. Too bad your job isn't.
Just wait until 'The General' slips out. It'll trace right back to them, followed by you.
Forget MSL, Walker, Robert, Zutaut, Rita, Rick.... It's your false sense of entitlement and overall ignorance that led to your pathetic little entourage taking full advantage of your employer's generosity.
Rest assured, the proof is there. So while you go off on some nonsense, wild little goose chase (they actually pay you for this??)
Keep in mind... You are as expendable as Zutaut, Earl, Goldstein, Gilby.... And once Axl is provided with the proper documentation, you will be nothing but a memory in a long, long line of sad ass, incompetent management.
That's a loose end we all can look forward to being tied up.

flebeis
Oh my, do you sit in your dark little world coming up with conspiracies such as the one above all by yourself or please tell me you at least have friends sitting in there with you.

Its_A_Wonderful_Lies
My world isn't too dark, but I appreciate the fake concern. At the time of writing that, I was completely by myself. Ya got me there. I was mostly trolling the situation, yes and apologies for that. I know you, nor your friends had nothing to do with the leaks. I got frustrated with this whole shit show, I took it out on you. Again, I apologize.
Having said that, you aren't seeing the big picture. If you actually want to discuss this, let me know. PM me, whatever. Or don't. I'd expect a response to this as much as I'd expect the remainder of these Sessions to (not) leak.
Oh, good luck keeping this under wraps. I'm in no position, knowledge wise or otherwise, to have this story reach the public beyond a few Reddit posts, Discord and fan forums. But we certainly know who is.
Not just Zutauts continued involvement, Robert selling (still), but the complete disregard for the threats being made in every direction. All for 20 year old songs? Sure, the songs are wonderful but how they were obtained is not.
Understandably, you'd be pissed and would seek out legal action. But how far do you really expect to take this? You and Universal going to ignore the real culprits here, and single out easy targets like MSL? Despite his reputation, he's as innocent in all this as anybody.

flebeis
All I know is what I have been told, researches and information which was sent to me through a number of concerned fans, or it could also be manipulative information to deviate from other persons of interest. It’s quite a lot of hearsay’s and finger pointing, am I mad? Yeah, sucks to go after people that have helped the band in so many ways. But fuck them, some say the people leaking or sharing leaks are entitled fucks, sure I can see that. But whatever, some just want to create chaos and kindness is usually the best way to combat their stupidity.
So, Mr. Bird I still selling? How do you know? Is there a recent transaction that can be validated? I would take any and all information to add on to the pile and forward it to the right persons in my camp.
I would love to see a breakdown on who is who within the fan base, because the handful of loudmouths usually control the messaging within the boards, while holding no real valid source of information.
I still miss that one dude from that one forum... manets? That dude had the best burns.

Its_A_Wonderful_Lies
Check your Facebook messenger

OneLeather
Fernando did u bribe MSL with a laundry bag?

Mr_Perfect_777
No, with toy trucks!!!

flebeis
It’s super cute when you and your friends get together and come up with witty little remarks.
And the put downs? Oh my, they take the cake.

Mr_Perfect_777
In full disclosure I was either going with you bribed MSL with toy trucks or a year's supply of Wendy's. C'mon man, lighten up!

flebeis
You brought the trucks into this. That’s a big (but small) no no.

Deleted user
Yo fernando, these leaks are for us very important because as you know, we havent heard new music in a shit ton of time, at least the old fans as im a fan since 2016, but the ideea is, best protection is what asians people do regarding food? Do u know what they do? They dont get fat so they do not have to lose weight and i think u know what i mean by this. Release god damn music not laundry bags or toy trucks and not overpriced crappy boxes and you could avoid this fucking shit. Why other bands that are not "big brand" like guns can do that and u can't? Why smaller bands actually fucking value their fans? No bro, the best thing to do, is to be responsible that this is your fault as a manager and also Axl's fault. Show that you fucking care about these people, and if you've got balls which i assume you haven't, you proved it throughout your management period, you don't sue the people and not fuck up their lives over some bloody old demos which will never fuck your band's profits anyway. You should be mature enough to understand and be responsible. But i feel like i expect too much With love from a person that would never recommend guns n roses to anyone as a music band but as a cheap shirt company.

flebeis
Breathe my man, breathe.

Deleted user
This sums up what maturity and responsibilty means to you, no personal offence or anything.

murph0228
While you're here..
*.Is there a title for the next Guns n roses Album?
*. You have any general idea of when we'll see it?
BTW.. Perhaps would make a great single

flebeis
Don’t know the title, even if I did I couldn’t share it until the guys did.
Within the next 6 months.

murph0228
Thanks for responding

flebeis
Sorry it took so long.

September 25, 2019:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GunsNRoses/comments/d92haj/who_exactly_are_team_brazil/?sort=old

Who exactly are team Brazil?

Deleted user
[Deleted post about Team Brazil]

beedoubleyou_
It's your classic band manager route. Your Mum gets a job cleaning for a supermodel, the supermodel goes out with a rockstar, they break-up around the same time the rockstar is going through regression therapy, the rockstar realises there's a childhood-shaped hole in their life, your mum moves in with the rockstar along with her family, you become part of a surrogate family, enjoy the spoils of millions of record sales, want for nothing and finally blossom into a band manager without ever having to trouble yourself with inconveniences like experience or qualifications.

flebeis
Lol, geesh. Is that really what you think?
This is quite amazing. Want me to send you a dollar? Feels you need something positive in your life.

guitarpatch
As someone who has worked in the industry, being around that band and it’s business through the years is enough experience to jump from. Being Axl’s personal assistant for that amount of time gets you a pretty clear look at what goes down. There’s a lot of things there you will never learn managing club acts or going to music biz school (which I think Fernando did attend)
Most of it is on the job training and knowing the ins and outs of avoiding to get screwed over and moving things forward.
Artist management is totally dependent on what the artist wants. There are plenty of managers who were long time friends and never had experience. They all start somewhere along the line and learn as they progress.
Since they’ve taken over, there’s been multiple tours that haven’t been cancelled, a live release which needed the original members sign off for synch rights, and finally a reunion. That’s more than what Goldstein, Merck, Azoff had really accomplished (don’t get me started on the Best Buy deal)
It comes down to trust, knowing what the artist wants, following through on those demands while at the same time looking out for their interests. Only Axl can really say if they’ve done well by him and the band

flebeis
Good read.
One of the best reads i have had on the summarization of TB from an outsider looking in.
Really cool perspective.
Thanks.

September 26, 2019
https://www.reddit.com/r/GunsNRoses/comments/d9jmlc/so_i_guess_ill_announce_it_new_guns_n_roses_album/?sort=old

So.. I guess I'll announce it.. New Guns n Roses Album to be released within the next 6 month..

murph0228
[Screenshot of Fernando's response about an album in 6 months]

Deleted user
There's absolutely no proof that account is actually Fernando.
u/Flebeis, feel free to PM me proof that you are who you claim to be xoxo.

flebeis
Believe whatever you want, I think it’s quite contradictory that you or others can take a random person’s perspective on a point relating to GNR as valid and factual and when there is a person with my name trying to shine a light on some topics you find it to be false.

Deleted user
When an account claiming to be Fernando makes claims that Fernando normally tries his best to avoid making and offers no concrete proof, I find it hard to believe that the account in question is actually Fernando.

flebeis
By making claims to points I usually avoid has led to what? More hate, illegal distribution of goods, and further distance between GNR and some of the more difficult fans; I figured, maybe there is more information I can give on points I don’t see being so secretive and make light jokes on some of the very angry posters might help bridge the distance. Hell, if it doesn’t no real time lost on my end.

September 26, 2019
https://www.reddit.com/r/GunsNRoses/comments/d9bpwg/pit/?sort=old

Pit

chancehatchett
[picture taken from the pit at a show]

flebeis
Awesome shot!!!!

TessaIsCold
Why won’t Axl release new music? Why won’t the band mix up the setlist and play new music?
Dropping four cover songs and adding breakdown, hard school, perhaps and the general would be such a huge treat for Axl’s die hard fanbase.

flebeis
You shouldn’t use “die hard fan base” as your platform to spread your hate. I have met a lot of the diehards and they aren’t as clueless as you and most of the people I speak to isn’t as negative either. Maybe the 5 of you can get together and find happiness elsewhere.

LocoComa
So, to be a real diehard fan to you, Fernando, we should all just be pleased to see the band continue to play a setlist that's largely been the same for 3 straight years, with no legitimate signs of new music aside from the same hints and claims we've heard from various band members for the last 10 years? Just mindlessly blow smoke up the band's ass and be forever gracious for any morsel that gets tossed to us?
The sad part is all these "diehards" you turn your nose up at are foaming at the mouth to buy new music. We all would have happily paid for what everyone now has for free. The majority of us still would. Fuck us for following a band for music instead of toy trucks and laundry bags, I guess.

flebeis
You do realize that the items you mention above are limited to something like 200 units, right? If it’s news you don’t like, and/or an email containing information you disagree with, just delete it and go on about your day. And laundry bags? Dude, we made the bags for some of the crew guys on tour and a lot of fans asked for it, so we made them available and timed it with back to school. I mean, c’monnnnnnnn. Is that really this bad? Want me to send you a free bag? You can burn it, bleach it, deny delivery or simply put your dirty laundry in it.

[Deleted comment]

flebeis
Breathe.

PandyWK
Do you actually realise how damaging it is, as the manager of a huge multi-million dollar brand, to just spend your free time trolling fans on Reddit? Like, is your brain cell actually put into use before you say and do the things that you do? Loser.
I'm looking forward to my free laundry bag though!

flebeis
Haha, amazing. So when the tables are turned, y’all can’t stand it. Noted. You spend your entire day talking shit and coming up with some BS stories and personal attacks but somehow, when the roles are reversed you stand on your little soapbox and judge others? Winner.

LocoComa
If they're all made up BS stories, why not step in and clarify? Why doesn't Axl? He used to be involved in the online community before. Are there trolls and assholes on the forums? Sure. There are also many, many of us that still support the band happily and frequently praise them. Do we also critique it? Yes. Just like everything in this world, be it a movie, TV show, etc. Just because we aren't positive over every single thing, we aren't "fans"? I think following along with every single show of the tour, and seeking out fan streams and Youtube videos (before they maliciously get pulled from the site every day) of songs we've seen and heard hundreds of times should qualify us as fans.
We would just like any semblance of information. About new music, when there has been one new album of original material in almost 30 years - and I don't place the blame of that squarely on Axl, either. About why the setlist is so formulaic, when it didn't used to be and the band would frequently change things on the fly and throw in different songs, even during the height of their fame. We're all left in the dark, with no answers, and treated like assholes for even daring to ask. It's almost like everything the band does is a national secret. The band that we all fell in love with was nothing like that.

flebeis
Ok, so I will take your and others advice and go back to say nothing. Peace out.

Alternative Nation article (published Sept. 29, 2019) about Fernando's comments on Reddit:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses have recently had tons of unheard ‘Chinese Democracy’ era material leak, and a mysterious ‘flebeis’ account weighed in on Reddit, with many wondering if it’s Axl Rose’s manager Fernando Lebeis. Axl and Slash are releasing the new GNR album within the next 6 months if this news is true, so Axl has six months to live up to this promise!

The flebeis account posted in a thread about the leaks when suggested that “Perhaps” would make a good lead single if it’s reworked by the current lineup, “Don’t know the title, even if I did I couldn’t share it until the guys did. Within the next 6 months.”

When confronted on if it was really him, the account posted, “Believe whatever you want, I think it’s quite contradictory that you or others can take a random person’s perspective on a point relating to GNR as valid and factual and when there is a person with my name trying to shine a light on some topics you find to be false.”

A fan wrote to the flebeis account, “When an account claiming to be Fernando makes claims that Fernando normally tries his best to avoid making and offers no concrete proof, I find it hard to believe that the account in question is actually Fernando.”

flebeis responded, “By making claims to points I usually avoid has led to what? More hate, illegal distribution of goods, and further distance between GNR and some of the more difficult fans; I figured, maybe there is more information I can give on points I don’t see being so secretive and make light jokes on some of the very angry posters might help bridge the distance. Hell, if it doesn’t no real time lost on my end.”

https://www.alternativenation.net/axl-rose-six-months-guns-n-roses-bombshell/