Music Mailbag

Scott,

Went back today and was reading some of your reviews for the show Rock Star (which I also loved, by the way - much more fun than Idol and the Voice), and was curious about a few things...

1) Did you ever listen to JD's stuff with INXS? Is it any good? I feel like I listened to Pretty Vegas but never followed up with the other stuff. Looks like that whole thing was derailed by boat loads of coke on JD's part, but he still lasted over 5 years as their lead singer, so that's something.

​In a sense.  JD has basically said that he was nothing more than just a hired gun for one big tour and they never really had plans for him outside of the ones forced on them by the reality show deal.  It was really only the Switch album that he had any active participation on, and it basically sounded like JD Fortune singing over leftover stuff.  It was decent, but Pretty Vegas was the only thing you need to hear on it.  ​

2) In your reviews of the second season, you talk about your love of Butch Walker. What did you think of Butch's most recent record, Afraid of Ghosts? I was a huge fan (the show I saw him do on this tour was amazing), but it doesn't seem up your normal alley.

​Eh, Butch has been a drag ever since his house burned down.  Hey, I can relate.  That being said, his new minions Fallout Boy put out "Save Rock N Roll", which was everything I wanted in a Butch album.  Really, he hasn't rocked out on his solo stuff since the "Let's Go Out Tonites" album and he seems content to produce other bands who do want to rock.  And if that puts money in his bank account, I'm cool with it.  ​

3) If GnR actually reforms for a stadium tour, how much would you pay for a ticket? I'm thinking I'll be well into the hundreds of dollars, just because 16 year old me would be unable to forgive myself for not seeing this. Heck, I paid $100 to see just Axl when I had no money in '06.

​Well I was a huge fan during the period when I COULD have gone to see them in their prime, but they never really played in Western Canada and I would have been too broke anyway.  I dunno, I've seen both Velvet Revolver and Slash​ and I don't really have any desire to hear 50 year old Axl mumble through Paradise City again, so outside of the spectacle aspect there's not much in it for the $300 it's gonna cost, assuming they come anywhere close to me.  Which they won't.