Oops, something wrong with my post. I wanted to say that it was a sad thing to see Buckethead's talents go to waste.
John 5 is known as a session guitarist (David Lee Roth, kd lang, Marilyn Manson). According to a tour journal by Disturbed, the guitarist Dan gathered with John 5 and Tom Morello. They had a little friendly competition backstage to see who could play famous rock tunes. John 5 floored them all. This probably happened a long time ago, though...
Regarding Bumblefoot, this is from a thread in
www.chinesedemocracy.com, here you go:
The guy (Bumblefoot) just responded to ongoing rumors to inform his own fanbase, informing each and everyone involved before he did so (including the gnr camp), who then screwed him over in the media, reminscent of the communication-strategy they have been exploring since the mid-90's; denial, finger-pointing and bad-mouthing.
Take a look at this interview with Ron, the statements Ron makes were backed up by Satriani, who witnessed the whole thing.
Interview with Ron:
Nightrain: Do you like the old GN'R?
Yes, "Appetite" was a classic. My friends and I would jam to GN'R covers at local bars - great stuff.
Nightrain: What's your favourite GN'R song?
Hmmmmmmmm... Rocket Queen, Mr. Brownstone, Don't Cry... hard to say, I like all their old stuff... SLASH KICKS ASS.
Nightrain: Have you ever heard "Madagascar", "Chinese Democracy", "Rhiad and The Bedouins", "Oh My God", "Silkworms" or "The Blues"? Do you like them?
I heard "The Blues" and liked it a lot.
Nightrain: The studio version or the live one?
Studio version.
Nightrain: Can you tell exactly what happened after you posted that message in your site? Why did you decline to join the band?
About that post... my post wasn't a press release or major announcement, just something on my site for people that know me - I never expected any other websites to copy the post off my site and act like it was big news. Especially without checking with GN'R, or me. I was clearing up false rumors (that I was *in* GN'R and touring with them), certainly not making a big public announcement. I even sent a copy of the post to GN'R's manager, thinking he'd appreciate me being straight and not letting the rumors build. Instead he got pissed and changed his tune about our relationship, denying that it was presented to me as an offer to replace Buckethead. I reminded him of all our conversations and emails, things in writing and things said, how they were looking to replace Buckethead, there would be a few solos left to finish the CD, then start touring, asking if I'd be into it, wanting me to start recording in early September, just waiting for the final word, there would be contracts to sign, mentioning the salary of the person I'd be replacing, in two months of contact there was never any mention of this being just an audition or them considering anyone else - they presented it like I was the one they wanted, and I had believed that the people proposing these plans had the authority to do so. Was feelin' misled. Then I was told that if I compliment Slash or Velvet Revolver, it will hurt my chances of being in the band. That's when I knew this wasn't for me. I gave it a few days to settle, then contacted them and said thank you, but I'm not the right guy for GN'R, and I'd be happy to help them find the right guy and give them contact info for some great guitarists. Two days later, they sent out a press release suggesting that I lied just to get publicity. Sending a press release on something so un-newsworthy... do they have time for this? I don't - I'm working on a dozen albums as a producer, plus my own music, I gig, my music is on MTV nearly every day and I correspond as an artist and producer with the same entities that GN'R does. I'm not interested in being a celebrity, I'm interested in making music - if I sought publicity I'd be sending press releases every week for things I'm involved with, and I would have sent one out the minute GN'R contacted me. I didn't mention anything about GN'R for two months until it looked like people knew something and a comment was needed on my end - (edit: Do we see the parallels with the way Buckethead was treated? Just to point out to those people who were so outspoken and convinced about Buck's false motives in the "did Buckethead use Axl thread") the posting on my site was something regarding my own life and career, and I have a loyalty to my own fans to communicate with them honestly - they deserve that much respect, and much more. I just hope GN'R's management can get over it and move on.
Nightrain: That's something they don't seem to like: communication.
I don't know... maybe that's why the posting was treated like such a big deal... People are starving for information, and when they saw something that looked like a crumb, they jumped all over it. The fans just want a connection - my feeling is that bands should realize they are blessed to have fans that care so much, and should have members of the band that want to connect to the fans. I'm usually that guy, lol. I just returned from doing a three-day festival in Moscow, did a full concert the final night but also played little 15-minute shows each day - I'd bring people from the audience onto the stage so we could be closer, they'd be a foot away, would have someone hold down part of the guitar neck and play off their fingers, things like that. I don't want to be above the fans, I want to be face to face as friends, whenever possible. That's just my way.
I should add... there was no talk about confidentiality or signing a confidentiality agreement, which I've done in the past for other things. Regardless, I wasn't telling the world anyway. Joe Satriani was the first to tell me I'd be contacted by GN'R back in July - point being, people knew about it from the beginning, and of course stories would evolve after months...
Now I'd like to address the GN'R fans about some confusion on GN'R fansites... I *tried* to stop the wrong info from getting out of hand, maybe too soon on GN'R's end but at the right time on my end. I was getting calls and emails - ya may not have heard the rumors yet, but ya would have. I thought it would be worse if I did nothing and let people go around saying "did ya hear, GN'R recruited Bumblefoot..." I regret that it caused confusion with GN'R fans - for that I'm really sorry guys.
GN'R management had a problem with me using the term "join the band," which for me meant the same as "being hired," or "replacing Buckethead," which IS what I was approached with. But that's why I had changed the wording on my site, on management's request, taking off the word "join." Recently, I took all info about GN'R off my site's news page because it's *over*.
GN'R fans (probably most) never heard of me - I never heard of any of the guys currently in GN'R until I was contacted. I never heard GN'R rumors. GN'R fans never heard anything about me. GN'R does it's thing, I do my thing, our paths never crossed before now. If I was out to promote myself, I would have posted a long time ago on every music forum that exists (including this one) and said "Hi, I'm XXXXX, come check out my music..." - people do that all the time. I even keep a spot on my forum where people can do that. I NEVER sent out press releases, contacted any other sites or did anything like that. For people visiting me, they'd check my news page and it would end there. The last thing I ever wanted to do was make GN'R or fans feel violated. For anyone that did - again, VERY sorry.
Some people think I ruined the relationship by saying anything at all. Some are grateful that there was someone that wanted to connect and talk with the fans. Some think GN'R's higher-ups overreacted and killed the relationship. Some think the whole thing is no big deal and doesn't merit all this attention. All of the above. Was it simply miscommunication, misunderstanding, or was I being disrespected by them having me wait on the side and not telling me what was really happening? I'll never know. All I can say is, I wish I was writing to GN'R fans under better circumstances, and hope y'all forgive me for any confusion that came out of this.
And just to clear up some other rumors...
I am not a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I am not the new guitarist in Loverboy.
I am not the lovechild of Meatloaf and Michael Bolton.
I am not Buckethead.
I did not have a "vandalism kit" consisting of toilet paper, a water bottle, plaster mix, and eggs that were hollowed out and filled with paint, in a suitcase with a big "V" on it, hidden behind my mom's pool when I was 12.
I am not joining Rush.
I hope this clears up EVERYTHING with EVERYONE and we can all move forward and look forward to all the good stuff GN'R will have coming your way.
Thanks for listening.
Nightrain: What do you think about Axl, after the whole GN'R thing?
I have nothing but respect for Axl and his bandmates. Plans never got far enough to have any interaction between Axl and I. If we had ever spoken, I would have accepted him as who he is, and hoped he would do the same for me.
