Axl Rose versus Pet Shop Boys

Jag läste med stor behållning om Guns'N'Roses borta hos Billy Rimgard nyligen, om hybrisvideon som åtföljde "November Rain", och hur mycket han hatade bandet på högstadiet. Jag instämmer naturligtvis till fullo, eftersom jag har kämpat ett helt liv med att försöka förstå svenskens kärlek till hårdrock. Men jag minns även när Axl Rose förvandlades från den stora fienden till...ja, nån sorts kuriositet att ha överseende med, och någon med mer oväntade sidor än tajtsen, bandanan och den gräsliga sångrösten lät ana. Axl Rose kommer nämligen ut som stort Pet Shop Boys-fan i Chris Heaths bok "Pet Shop Boys Versus America" (som nästan är ännu bättre än hyllade föregångaren "Literally"). Plötsligt gick det inte att hata honom längre. Lyssna bara här:

Axl Rose turns out to be unfailingly friendly and sweet. They had assumed that he couldn't know much about them, but the first thing he says is, 'Gorgeous show - why didn't you do "Being Boring"?'

Axl: 'I used to hate them. I was the guy who shouted out, "The Pet Shop Boys suck!" But when I really hate someone I get all their records to try and work out why, and I found I really like them.'

[...] He proceeds to rave about the show - 'that was so cool, "My October Symphony", when they don't even sing'. Then he tells me that there's something in common between "My October Symphony" and this song he's struggling with in the studio at the moment, a song called "November Rain".

Neil Tennant: 'Well, Axl Rose. He was the one who shocked me. But he's seen the light. He told me that when they were recording their album, during the breaks they'd listen to "Behaviour", and he said we were an inspiration to them.'