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PHOENIX
03-07-2006, 08:27 PM
W. Axl Rose Response To Lawsuits - Official Press Release
The following press release is the official response from W. Axl Rose in regards to the lawsuits filed by Saul "Slash" Hudson and Michael "Duff" McKagan.

"W. Axl Rose, on Friday March 3, 2006 responded to one of Saul "Slash" Hudson’s baseless lawsuits by filing a counterclaim asking the Federal Court to confirm his ownership of his own creative works. Slash and Michael "Duff" McKagan had previously filed cases both in Federal Court and in the Los Angeles Superior Court making numerous false allegations about Axl. Mr. Rose believes that once apprised of the true facts the Judge or Jury deciding these lawsuits will rule in Axl’s favor on every issue before them.

More surprising to Axl are recent media reports that Slash (Saul Hudson) is claiming that he has always been supportive of Axl Rose and the new Guns N’ Roses. Slash’s actions in recent years have in fact been anything but supportive. Besides the lawsuits filed against Axl Rose, claiming, among other things, that Axl does not own the copyright in the songs that Axl co-authored with his former Guns N’ Roses band mates, Slash has continually made negative and malicious statements about Axl in order to garner publicity for himself.

As an example the Federal lawsuit Hudson and McKagan filed was based on a faulty premise from the start. What Hudson and McKagan attempted to portray as egregious misconduct by Axl was in fact — as Slash and Duff have learned — nothing more than a clerical error committed by ASCAP. Had Slash and Duff or their representatives bothered to pick up the phone the clerical error could have been easily sorted out without the need for filing an utterly baseless lawsuit which one can only assume had been filed for the purposes of self-publicity at Axl’s expense.

The lawsuit also attacks Axl’s integrity as Slash and Duff, in a vindictive attempt to aggrandize their own stature, re-write history through false statements, which have been repeated by the media. Their attacks on Axl stand in sharp contrast to Rose’s conduct. Axl has at all times worked diligently to maintain the artistic integrity of the band by choosing with great care which properties to license Guns N’ Roses songs to and refusing to participate in what he believed were potentially embarrassing projects. He has fought to avoid the release of material that does not live up to the highest of standards demanded by the band’s history and it’s followers. Axl chose not to respond through the media while taking the high road in the face of Slash and Duff’s attacks. Hudson and McKagan, by contrast, have told ever changing - and false - stories regarding the formation of the band and it’s history and believe that the band’s catalogue should be exploited without careful consideration - for the Guns N’ Roses brand and their loyal audience - or Axl’s input as if it were fast food by anyone willing to pay for it.

For over 10 years Slash, a consummate press, photo and media opportunist and manipulator, has attacked Axl Rose on a number of levels. Slash’s actions whether in or out of Gun’s N’ Roses have been a complete betrayal across the board of his alleged friendship and business relationship with Axl and the so called brotherhood and band loyalties that are supposed to have existed. Instead Slash has publicly attempted, by soliciting public and media support, to take credit for something that was not his or anyone else’s to take, notwithstanding that Slash played a major part in the success of the band as Axl has continually acknowledged.

In October of 2005 Slash made an unannounced 5:30 AM visit to Axl Rose’s house. Not appearing to be under the influence, Slash came to inform Axl that: "Duff was spineless," "Scott was a fraud," that he "hates Matt Sorum" and that in this ongoing war, contest or whatever anyone wants to call it that Slash has waged against Axl for the better part of 20 years, that Axl has proven himself "the stronger." Based on his conduct in showing up at Rose’s home, Axl was hopeful that Slash would live up to his pronouncements that he wanted to end the war and move on with life. Unfortunately that did not prove to be the case.

Mr. Rose’s attorney Howard Weitzman commented, "Axl regrets having to spend time and energy on these distractions but he has a responsibility to protect the Guns N’ Roses legacy and expose the truth. Axl believes he has been left with no alternative but to respond to these lawsuits. It would have been Axl’s preference to resolve disputes with Slash and Duff in private. The courthouse is not his choice of forum. However, Axl could no longer sit quietly and allow the continuing dissemination of falsehoods and half-truths by his former band-mates."

If there are further queries regarding this statement, please contact:

Mr. Howard Weitzman, Esq. (310) 201-7450 Direct hweitzman@ggfirm.com

Terry
03-07-2006, 10:07 PM
Wow.

About the only thing I've heard about all or any of this was that at some point during the Use Your Illsuions Tour, Axl had Slash and Duff sign away the rights to the band name to him or some such thing, and Slash said Axl had told them to either sign what he wanted them to or Axl would leave the group. And Slash went on to say that he and Duff did, in fact, sign.

And there was some controversy over a GnR Greatest Hits collection that came out a couple of years ago, inasmuch as someone (Axl or Slash, can't remember which) DIDN'T want it released.

About the only thing Slash and Duff would have a right to sue for, IMO, is failure to receive monies for their percentage on the GnR albums they played on. According to Slash, he and Duff did sign away rights to the band name...Axl may have put them on the spot to get them to do it, but nobody ever had a gun to their head.

Far as what GnR are up to NOW as a band, well, Slash and Duff walked away...they should just concentrate on Velvet Revolver and let the GnR of today do whatever it's gonna do. Let the music do the talking (one of Smiths last great tunes).

But you have to take what Axl says with a grain of salt anyway, because he is, well...a bit looney.

Dirty Duck
03-15-2006, 07:03 PM
Axl knows he's done...

We all know he's a hasbeen...

The guy was a nutcase back in the day....I can see nothing has changed.

Axl rose....once a great frontman...now...a joke.

I hope the boys in VELVET REVOLVER release ANOTHER kick ass album and it blows Axl's so called group out of the water...

Douglas T.
03-16-2006, 08:22 AM
Axl Rose is back, baby! Well, back in the courts, at least. Just weeks after three leaked tracks from Chinese Democracy made the online rounds, Axl is busy protecting his Guns N' Roses back catalog. The 44-year-old rocker has filed a countersuit against erstwhile bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan. Just last summer, Slash and Duff -- who now play together in Velvet Revolver -- struck first, accusing Axl of tricking them out of royalties. Now Rose has an answer for the two axemen: The money ain’t yours.

Rose is asking the court to affirm that he holds the copyright for the Guns N’ Roses back catalog -- and is thus the gatekeeper for any commercial or film entity that wants to get its mitts on “Sweet Child O’ Mine” or “November Rain.” According to a press release issued by Rose’s camp and posted on the Guns N’ Roses website, Slash and Duff have taken the stance that the “band’s catalogue should be exploited without careful consideration,” whereas “Axl has at all times worked diligently to maintain the artistic integrity of the band by choosing with great care which properties to license Guns N’ Roses songs to and refusing to participate in what he believed were potentially embarrassing projects.”

More bizarrely, the press release also recounts an alleged wee-hours visit to Axl’s home in October 2005 by a repentant Slash, who came with top hat in hand to disparage his fellow Velvet Revolvers and admit that Axl had bested him in their ongoing media war. Slash and Duff did not immediately return fire -- though you can bet that they will in good time. In the meantime, a note on the Velvet Revolver website indicates that the band is “in the Throes of Creation” as they work toward a follow-up to their hit debut Contraband.

--The ARTISTdirect Staff

matt19
03-21-2006, 08:17 PM
what a fucking joke lol

Roth & Roll
03-22-2006, 07:00 PM
These guys make Dave and the Van Halen sisters look like one big happy family.

matt19
03-23-2006, 12:21 AM
Originally posted by Roth & Roll
These guys make Dave and the Van Halen sisters look like one big happy family.
ITS SOOOOO TRUE!!