Buckethead has quit GNR
 

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/148...17/story.jhtml


After fours years as a member of Guns N' Roses, during which time the band canceled more shows than it played and released no original material, guitarist Buckethead has had enough.

The eccentric musician, who wears a fried-chicken bucket on his noggin and talks only through a hand puppet, has walked out before but has always returned to the fold. This time, however, it looks permanent. At the end of last year, Buckethead became fed up with Guns' inability to complete an album or tour and stopped working with them, his manager said.

Buckethead appeared on the green carpet at the Grammy Awards last month and was introduced by Parliament/Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins as a member of Guns N' Roses, but by that time Buckethead had already told Guns frontman Axl Rose he no longer wanted to be in the band, the manager said.

Guns N' Roses are scheduled to headline the Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 30. It is unclear whether the band will have a new guitarist by then. Guns N' Roses' label would not comment on Buckethead's departure.

The guitarist will now focus on numerous projects, including two solo albums — Population Overdrive and Cuckoo Clocks of Hell — which are due this summer. In addition, a group called Col. Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, which features Buckethead, Primus bassist Les Claypool, Guns N' Roses drummer Brain (ex-Primus) and legendary funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell, will release a debut studio album this summer (see "Buckethead's Brains On Hold During GN'R Tour, Claypool Says").

The record was mostly recorded last year in Northern California at Claypool's home studio, Rancho Relaxo, and includes the songs "Buckethead," "Tyranny of the Hunt," "The Big Eyeball in the Sky" and "Hip Shot From the Stab."

"There are slices of all of our worlds," Claypool said. "We're talking about four pretty strong personalities, so you can hear Primus with Buckethead flailing over the top and Bernie Worrell's monster tidbits over the top of what we're doing. It's unbelievable."

Half of the Col. Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains album will be instrumental. The band has played various live improvisational shows, but this will be the first time audiences will hear the band performing structured material.

"It's not as chaotic as you would think," Claypool said. "You'd think, 'OK, here come these four guys and they're just gonna start flailing,' but Brain is a very structured player, so everything tends to be very groove-oriented."

Also on Buckethead's plate are shows and recordings with his recently reunited high school band, Deli Creeps, which features a singer named Maximum Bob, drummer Pinchface and bassist Tony.

And Buckethead will likely join bassist Bill Laswell, Brain and others for a show as Material at this year's Bonnaroo festival, which is scheduled for June 11-13 in Manchester, Tennessee, according to the guitarist's manager. The festival may also feature a reunion of Praxis — a band featuring Laswell, Buckethead, Collins, Worrell, Brain and DJ Flip — who haven't played together in five years.

Buckethead will start a solo tour Wednesday (March 17), opening for Particle in Austin, Texas. Dates run through April 15 in Atlanta.

Aloha !

This has been said before, but I wonder if it's really true this time. If it is, I wonder which guitarplayer will replace him in Rock Am Rio this year, or if they'll even show up. I don't think Buckethead is able to leave as he's got contractualy contradictions concerning the festival.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Um, it's true!

"Buckethead Quits GNR - Official -- It's now official - guitarist Buckethead is out of Guns N' Roses. Apparently, he's become increasingly frustrated with the band's inability to finish their long overdue album 'Chinese Democracy'. No replacement has yet been named.
Posted by MalcolmDome on Thursday, March 18 2004"

haha, you just try stopping him. short of dragging him on stage, there isn't much they can do.

bingo.

he might be contractually obligated but there ain't much he can do.

if they pull out completely though they'll have to fork out for it but the promoter will already be sorting shit out incase of that event.

NO!!!

Whatever.

Axl has been committing career suicide for years. I'm sorry.but he just doesn't have the amount of material to justify all of these delays that you grant an artist who has a proven history of turning out quality material.

If KISS was dimissed by large factions of people simply for not having Peter Criss and Ace Frehley as being invalid (never mind that both of them were no longer what they were known for as contributing to the band long before the Reunion ever happened)....neither should Guns and Roses be given the sort of attention it has when there is only one member left.

Axl isn't Guns and Roses alone. This is the Axl solo band....nothing more. It was one thing with Steven Adler gone....he was a mess. Still Guns and Roses. It was still Guns and Roses even with Izzy bowing out...the rest were still in. In fact collectively...the updated line up was a better live band than the original. But when the only one left was Axl....it was time to stop the BS. Even KISS wouldn't continue on under the name if it was only Gene Simmons or just Paul Stanley and 3 other guys.

The G N R name is worth money, alot of money and if Axl has the right to use it then he will.

I'm not questioning his reasons. His motives are obvious.

I'm questioning the amount of attention given to it by the media and the public. I'm questioning the status MTV granted him on the Music Awards. This is the Axl solo project and enough information has been made public for people to know that he is the only remaining member. I'd understand if we were anticipating Guns And Roses rising from the ashes again with at least the band we were last left with on Use Your Illusion. Once people found out it was Axl alone, everyone should have stopped paying much attention just as they do with any other band.

You don't have MTV giving Tony Iommi's Black Sabbath the kind of Status they are giving Axl Rose's G N R (or any version post-Ozzy for that matter.) You don't have people eating up Motley Crue with John Corabi (don't attempt to justify the difference as being the lead singer, all four members of Motley Crue are very visible and recognizable, not Vince alone...or excuse the change of sound either..G n R's sound will be just as different and it's being eaten up anyway.0

Bunch of goddamn hypocrites. Some of those bands that had come down to just one member released some damn good albums...albums that could go head to head with the work the original line up had produced. But they were ignored PURELY BECAUSE IT WASN'T THE FULL ORIGINAL LINE UP!

That's my issue with this whole freakin farce.

Maybe that is the case, but Axl is a unique character and people are fascinated by him. He really is a talented headcase, therefore people pay attention. I don't know enough about the new lineups you spoke of for Sabbath or Crue. I was never a huge fan of the old Crue, so I could care less about the new one. I think it is the fact that GNR were on the rise when they broke up. Therefore, people always wondered what could have been. Plus, hearing Chinese Democracy, I think Axl made a good album. Still rock, but different from that late 80's stereotype. If only he would release it. :twisted: :(

It's just such a shame that axl cant get his head together to get this album finished :(

Ditto.

Aloha !

According to Dizzy they already had a replacement about a year ago, since Buckethead already left in 2003, just not officially. The Rock Am Rio 2004 show is still on schedule and according to him they're still looking forward to it.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan

Good news! Thanks Seb! :)