Gilby talks about Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose, Slash and Chinese Democracy

[SoulMonster]

I recently did an interview with Gilby and got him to talk about Guns N' Roses, Axl and Chinese Democracy. Read the whole interview here: http://gnr-afd.forumotion.com/t790-qa-with-gilby-august-10-2011#1707. Next up in my interview series will be Poc, and then, hopefully, a current GN'R member.

Here is an excerpt:

Q: You played your first show with Guns N' Roses on December 5, 1991 (Worchester, MA). What can you remember from this gig?

yes, a lil... i was hungover. i met up with some friends the night before & had a yager party. it took the edge off.

Q: Guns N' Roses had been on a half-year break (last concert in August 1991). How were the rehearsals with the band leading up to your first gig? Did you feel welcomed by all the members in the band?

well there wasn't much rehearsal... the band knew the songs. so i had to learn them on my own & hope they would run through them with me. & yes, they all made me feel welcome & a part of the band.

Q: Are you saying that when you hit the stage for the first time you hadn't rehearsed the songs with the rest of the band?

oh yeah i did rehearse some, but not all the songs. the band wanted someone that could do the gig. they had already done a couple months of touring with Izzy & they weren't into rehearsing at that time.

Q: How was the reaction from the fans, both by having Izzy replaced and by your performances in 1991 and the rest of your tenure with the band?

the fans were great... at that time GNR was getting huge, so their were a lot of new fans & we grew together.

Q: It has been said that Izzy was functioning as a pacifier in the band, being the only one that could reach Axl Rose at times and calm him down. Did you have to do anything specific to keep on Axl's good side?

i don't know if that's true, but it was before i was in the band. i remained true to myself in & out of the band, axl treated me with respect while i was in the band. it was when we were off the road when things went wrong.

Q: The downtime between tours was always hard on GN'R. What happened after the touring?

that was the hard part cuz there was no direction. we started recording the spaghetti incident, but there was no tour. i started my solo record "pawnshop guitars" cuz i knew it was gonna be a long break.

Q: How do you think it was possible for Axl to get so much control of Guns N' Roses that he could call the shots, both by deciding the direction of the music and firing members?

i dont know, i wasn't in that meeting.

Q: What do you think of Slash's recent solo record? Has he still got it as a guitarist or has he stagnated as he's grown older?

i think he's been pretty consistent in all his records. i like the way he used different singers on his last, that was a nice change.

Q: He will only use Miles Kennedy on vocals for his next solo record which is due out in 2012. I would love to see you play with Slash on the next one, you guys share a lot when it comes to musical interests, you are both pure rock and rollers. Have you considered doing any collaborations together, either as part of your projects or his?

no actually i haven't thought about it, just cuz' i've moved on & i know he has also. but i do agree, we do play the same kinda music.

Q: Guns N' Roses during the Use Your Illusion tours was quite bloated and excessive. Did it ever feel like being part of some rock and roll parody rather than a real, serious touring band?

no, it was a serious touring band. it was axl's vision to have the back up singers & horns. on stage we were a great band that played loud & proud.

Q: Was it hard to cope with the drinking and drug use in the band?

no, when we wern't playing, we were partying. just like young fella's enjoying their youth should be doing. we had no responsibilities at that time. travel, gig & party.

Q: Guns N' Roses allegedly started falling apart years before you entered the band, and many consider it miraculous that it lasted so long at all with that much material released. With the tension between Slash and Axl steadily increasing, how was it to be attached to a ticking time bomb? Did you realize that it wouldn't last long before the band would implode?

i don't think the band started to fall apart until the tour was over & axl started to put the new plan in place. i thought the tour was very successful & obviously the illusion records sold well. but u can't have a dangerous band & not have the threat of implosion over your shoulder.

Q: Yeah, many insiders say it is amazing it lasted as long as it did. The strange thing is that it disintegrated slowly more than just blow apart, starting with Steven being fired, then Izzy leaving, then you, and so on until the almost anticlimatic moment when Slash and Duff silently walked out the door. There were no explosion when it all fell apart. And still it exists, although in a complete rewarped form. Do you have any comments on Axl both touring and releasing music under the name "Guns N' Roses"? Would it have been better for the legacy of GN'R it it had just exploded and completely died in 1994?

i said it before & i'll say it again... to me, what made GNR great, was the tension. the rythym of the guitars, axl's vocals, the groove of duff's bass & drums, & the songs. that relationship was magic... the new GNR is axl's band & it sounds like his vision. it's good, cuz he's talented, but it's not a band. GNR is a victim of what's happened to all of todays music: we'll never have another beatles, stones, GNR, metallica, etc.. cuz great bands need great people working together on a common vision. nowadays, it's always one persons vision & key pieces to accent that. if the beatles started today it would be 4 different bands, cuz they all can write. no one wants to collaborate, cuz people are selfish & want the glory to themselves & don't want to admit that they need anybody. it's just evolution, it's not american idol's fault.

Q: Did being in Guns N' Roses open up new opportunities for you?

yes & no, yes i was in a popular band & people wanted to be associated with it. no, that i was just a rhythm guitarist.

Q: Have you ever come to terms with the song 'Since I Don't Have You' which you didn't like at the time of its release?

of course... i'ts a good song. i just didn't think it fit with the original idea of songs that influenced the band. it didn't rock.

Q: Do you keep in touch with any of your former Guns N' Roses colleagues or Izzy?

some... i see duff & his family a lot. i see & talk to matt. & i jam with dizzy every now & then.

Q: Have you seen Guns N' Roses live since you left the band and if so, what did you think?

no, i'm not making a statement, just haven't seen them.

Q: Were you surprised when Chinese Democracy saw the light of day and would you have liked to been part of it?

no, i knew it would come out eventually... & no, i think it's better i stayed out of it.

Q: If you were to offer any advise to Axl, what would that be?

not like he'd take my advice, but start over & call the band axl "fucking" rose & move on like everybody else did...

Q: I am hoping for GN'R's to still release their equivalent of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours", you know, a new record with a new band incarnation playing new style of music (compared to their blues music with Peter Green, which was also great) which will be so great that people will stop comparing everything they do to the Appetite and Illusion era. Do you see it happen? Is Axl such a musical genius that he will be able to create an epic album that put all criticism to rest?

yes, but he would need to let his bandmates contribute & trust them.

Q: Some fans keep dreaming about a reunion with the classic lineup, perhaps with Matt if Steven is too unstable/alienated. Do you ever see that happen and would you accept if you were asked to join?

maybe, it's a great idea & while everybody's alive & can still play. yes, they should & i would if they asked.

Q: The 1992/1993 lineup of Guns N' Roses with you is considered one of the best the band ever had by many fans. Two brilliant guitarists and a competent drummer. Are you bitter that you never got to record another album with the band and leave an even stronger mark on the band's history?

i'm not bitter, but i thought we could still make some great music together. it's rare that 5 guys have the same musical vision & the chops to back it up.

Q: But that shared musical vision ended after the tour?

apparently while the tour was happening, i just didn't know it.

Q: You've said earlier that you, Slash and Matt were writing songs for a new record in 1994 but that Axl and Duff rejected them and wanted to take the band in another direction. Can you tell me what music you guys were working on? Was it the songs that would later end up on Slash' albums or were this songs that have never been released?

yes, it was what ended up being the snakepit record. not all the songs, but some. i thought the were good ideas that axl & duff could really help develop.

Q: Did they reject them because they wanted to create a different style of music or because they felt they just weren't good enough to be on a GN'R record?

i don't know, but assume not good enough. axl never personally said anything to me. slash told me axl, didn't like em.

Q: What musical direction exactly were Axl and Duff heading in?

i don't know, chinese democracy ?

[Johan!]

Like i wrote at AFD. Good work, sir 

[SoulMonster]

Like i wrote at AFD. Good work, sir 

You did? Are you and Pawnshop the same guy?

[Johan!]

 

[slashthe2nd]

Thanks for that soulmonster, great read

[Exitus]

Thanks. Good questions, informative answers! 

I would love to see you play with Slash on the next one, you guys share a lot when it comes to musical interests, you are both pure rock and rollers. Have you considered doing any collaborations together, either as part of your projects or his?
no actually i haven't thought about it, just cuz' i've moved on & i know he has also. but i do agree, we do play the same kinda music.

Apparently he's gonna play a benefit honoring Slash in Sept.!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/slashbenefit.jpg/
(Inserting image did not work. It says "honoring Slash with Duff, Matt, Gilby, Wayne Kramer a.o."; gonna play a benefit gig at Best Buy Theatre, New York on Sept 13th.)
http://www.wqut.com/rssItem.asp?feedid=160&itemid=29706684

[rocknroll41]

good intterview

[fan]

Gilby's always been a decent guy but here's my two cents.

He's implying people today are selfish and want the glory for themselves - meaning they don't want to collaborate and write songs together. Apparently Gilby never checked the writing credits on Chinese Democracy as they are very very diverse. It's not like Axl wrote the songs and said "this is what we gonna put out." Again false propaganda is spread on Axl's account.

The second thing. He said Axl should have moved on like everybody else had done. Wasn't Gilby Clarke the one who re-mixed 5 tracks on an album called Hollywood Rose: The Roots of Guns N' Roses? Yes he was. It would seem Gilby is the one who still very much dwells on his one time stint with GN'R. It will always remain his biggest accomplishment and I have no doubt Gilby would fail to get any kind of record contract if the ex-Guns N' Roses moniker wasn't present at all time.

[antonyrose]

Gilby's always been a decent guy but here's my two cents.

The second thing. He said Axl should have moved on like everybody else had done. Wasn't Gilby Clarke the one who re-mixed 5 tracks on an album called Hollywood Rose: The Roots of Guns N' Roses? Yes he was. It would seem Gilby is the one who still very much dwells on his one time stint with GN'R. It will always remain his biggest accomplishment and I have no doubt Gilby would fail to get any kind of record contract if the ex-Guns N' Roses moniker wasn't present at all time.

The dude still wants to get paid as a musician, and i'm sure the opportunity to remix Hollywood Rose presented itself and he took it to get paid I don't see that as dwelling on his GnR stint.  He could be out there touring and playing nothing but GnR tunes.  And I agree with him saying Axl should have moved on, Rage against the machine turned into Audioslave and it worked they did not keep calling themselves Rage and they could have seeing as there were still 3 members left as opposed to Axl being the only one.   I think Chinese Democracy would have been more successful if it was call W.A.R or something..

[fan]

The dude still wants to get paid as a musician, and i'm sure the opportunity to remix Hollywood Rose presented itself and he took it to get paid I don't see that as dwelling on his GnR stint.  He could be out there touring and playing nothing but GnR tunes.  And I agree with him saying Axl should have moved on, Rage against the machine turned into Audioslave and it worked they did not keep calling themselves Rage and they could have seeing as there were still 3 members left as opposed to Axl being the only one.   I think Chinese Democracy would have been more successful if it was call W.A.R or something..

I disagree. I think it has everything to do with him once being a part of the band and he will take any job associated with the name in a heartbeat. That's the way I see it.



Just a random advertisement, but you can see what I'm talking about. I'm not trying to discredit Gilby, all I'm saying is that a guy who never wrote one song in GN'R and was lucky enough to play a massive tour with them should refrain from critisizing Axl for using the name, while that same name is the only thing that kept his career alive.

Calling it W.A.R would be almost childish and a very poor choice. 

It depends on how you look at Chinese Democracy being successful. Records that sell millions and millions need to have singles that stand out. Those singles need to be accompanied with videos and if you have a major hit song the albums sales explode. Here's what I'm talking about:

AFD - Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O'mine, Paradise City
GN'R Lies - Patience
UYI I - Don't Cry, November Rain
UYI II - Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Estranged
"SI?" - no hit single.
CD - Better would be a contender but the marketing strategy never fully started

My point being, around those songs the legacy of the record is built. Chinese Democracy is not radio friendly. It's not MTV friendly. It's the opposite of that, hence it could never be as successful as its predecessor.

[antonyrose]

I disagree. I think it has everything to do with him once being a part of the band and he will take any job associated with the name in a heartbeat. That's the way I see it.



Just a random advertisement, but you can see what I'm talking about. I'm not trying to discredit Gilby, all I'm saying is that a guy who never wrote one song in GN'R and was lucky enough to play a massive tour with them should refrain from critisizing Axl for using the name, while that same name is the only thing that kept his career alive.

Calling it W.A.R would be almost childish and a very poor choice. 

It depends on how you look at Chinese Democracy being successful. Records that sell millions and millions need to have singles that stand out. Those singles need to be accompanied with videos and if you have a major hit song the albums sales explode. Here's what I'm talking about:

AFD - Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O'mine, Paradise City
GN'R Lies - Patience
UYI I - Don't Cry, November Rain
UYI II - Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Estranged
"SI?" - no hit single.
CD - Better would be a contender but the marketing strategy never fully started

My point being, around those songs the legacy of the record is built. Chinese Democracy is not radio friendly. It's not MTV friendly. It's the opposite of that, hence it could never be as successful as its predecessor.

I said W.A.R. or something else, don't really care what just not GnR.  As for that poster of course promoters are gonna put the bands those artists are most known for it helps sell tickets. And Spagetti Incident had "Since I don't have you" and 'Knocking on Heavens door was never a single. And it doesn't have to be MTV or radio friendly to be successful, I guess I worded it wrong maybe I should have said respected.

[Catcher88]

I wouldn't say Axl' s voice and likes are the only constant that made Chinese Democracy. I think the guitar riffs and Dizzy's piano bits remind of earlier tracks. I see they have moved on, but don't see very convincing reasons for a name change. On the contrary, if Axl didn't hold on, the band would've ceased to exist and no one would be happy. So, I don't agree with Gilby on that matter.

Still: Gilby's a great guy, love the interview  .

[fan]

I said W.A.R. or something else, don't really care what just not GnR.  As for that poster of course promoters are gonna put the bands those artists are most known for it helps sell tickets. And Spagetti Incident had "Since I don't have you" and 'Knocking on Heavens door was never a single. And it doesn't have to be MTV or radio friendly to be successful, I guess I worded it wrong maybe I should have said respected.

Talk about predictability.... Haha. The minute I wrote there is no hit single on Spaghetti I knew you were gonna mention Since I Don't Have You. But what you failed to mention is that Ain't It Fun was also a single. Now go back, reread my post and think what I meant when I said HIT singles.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door reached a very high position on UK Singles chart, therefore it was a single.

[rocknroll41]

The "Chinese Democracy" single hit #9 and was the band's first top 10 hit since "November Rain" hit #2 way back in 1992. "Better" only made it to #18, so not so much a hit. "Street Of Dreams" only made it to #44 so forget about that one.

I would consider the most "successful" song on Chinese Democracy to be the title track, but it's definitely not the strongest song on the album.

[Chaser™]

Good interview! He definitely seems to stay busy. If I could've added a question it would've been about his producing career, the question being if he considers it his main job now. He's produced/mixed a Vains of Jenna record (The Demos album), the debut single by Hotel Diablo as well as his solo albums just to name a few. He's also active in the tribute album business.

He doesn't really dwell on the "GnR years" and doesn't typically use it as a advertisement. The show/label promoters are the ones who use the "ex GnR member" tag.

Regardless, good interview