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Artist News Awards
Axl will be no show at Hall Of Fame night
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 12 April 2012
While one time Guns N Roses bassist Duff McKagan has been saying how much he is looking forward to his former band being inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, hoping that the induction ceremony could go off without a hitch, and fantasising that it might result in a happy on stage reunion for the band’s original line-up, Axl Rose has issued a public statement saying he won’t attend the induction event, and doesn’t want to be inducted in absence either.
Writing in his ESPN column, McKagan said earlier this week: “We are not a band any more, and haven’t been for some time. We are all still alive and well, but there has been some muddy water that has gone underneath the bridge. But water, muddy or otherwise, does indeed flow past and forever away, and I have nothing but the best of memories and highest level of love and admiration and feelings of brotherhood with all of those dudes. Seriously”.
He continued, somewhat optimistically: “I, too, now hope that we can just play a couple of songs there, and just sort of throw the microphone down on the stage and walk off. The rock n roll world would be set ablaze once again and we could make a bunch of fans happy and sated to some degree”. Though he noted that tensions still existed between his former bandmates, so perhaps the best he could hope for was the night going off “without a hitch”.
Well, we know for certain Rose won’t be having any run-ins with his former bandmates, because he won’t be there. In a long open letter published last night, the band’s frontman wrote: “When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced, I had mixed emotions, but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honoured, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing”.
“Of course I realised as things stood, if Guns N Roses were to be inducted, it’d be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation. Since then we’ve listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists’ comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts”.
“Under the circumstances, I feel we’ve been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in ‘our’ induction (that, for the record, are decisions I don’t agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things… no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony doesn’t appear to be somewhere I’m actually wanted or respected”.
“For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It’s their show not mine. That said, I won’t be attending the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction 2012 ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of Guns N Roses”.
So there you have it. Read McKagan’s full column here, and Roses’ full letter here.
