Jump to content

Gilby Clarke interview - 'I don't know if you can call this a reunion'


Recommended Posts

21 hours ago, maynard said:

Aside from Slash and Duff who were always great professionals (after Axl finished GNR to create a solo project also called GNR) these guys were never really functional. It took years for Axl to accept starting the shows earlier with his solo band. Izzy likes to remain quiet in the shadows, Steven always had drug problems. It's a miracle the original 3 are together again and just about to finish a successful US tour. I knew since the beginning this was the closest to a reunion we would ever get. It's an aspect of this band I can't really complain. It's about being realistic.

There's really nothing about what we know about Izzy that suggests he'd want to do a tour like this. Too big, too much of a commitment.

Edited by Modano09
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love all the Gilby love in this thread.. I just thought the "We'll do it right part" was kind of out of place..

But as awesome as the tour has been it would have been even better with Gilby over Fortus.. And no, not for nostalgia.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

An old head I am, it seems. I saw Gn’R in ’88 and again in ’91 before UYI was released.  The latter show was prior to Izzy selling his equity share.  I was not, though, of legal drinking age when TSI dropped to the silence of irrelevance.  Draw your own conclusions about my objectivity.

I associate Izzy’s first replacement with everything post-Gn’R.  Like way (to steal the Smurf anime raver’s language) past the heyday that was Gn’R.  He was the first Izzy look-a-like.  I am uncertain how many subsequent Izzy wax figures Axl retained in his solo band, but I can be certain that there is a current Izzy look-a-like on the S/D/A GP payroll.  An Izzy look-a-like that’s made a two-decade livelihood as a work-for-hire yes man, replicating guitar parts that he had no hand in writing while enamoring Nsync and Rihanna with his techno pop playing.  RnfR, right?

Izzy’s first replacement had no hand in Gn’R’s demise any more than the nunchuck guy, but if I had my druthers, I would prefer the chicken bucket or goth guy playing Izzy’s parts in the reconstituted p’ship with its replacement players, which includes Adler’s fourth replacement drummer.  Why?  They’re too far removed to be considered scabs.  When I think Gilby, I think yawner piano pieces, million dollar Axl-bloat videos that awed and still reign in third world countries, gospel singers, keyboards for days, gospel backing singers, spandex shorty-shorts and Liberace-studded blazers.  This bloat and absurdity, granted, had nothing to do with Izzy’s first replacement.  Unwarranted guilt by Axl association.  And at least he was fired, rather than languishing for a decade or more before quitting with heavy pockets like the busload of revolving door mercenaries that followed.

To the point:  Izzy’s first replacement would be no more privy to the specific terms of the new or mod’d p’ship agreement than I, yet he conflates retention of the brand name with undisclosed p’ship terms—terms which are assuredly protected by a NDA under penalty of damages if disclosed—as if he is reliant upon the misinformed supposition from internet fan boards.  He is, perhaps coincidentally, recording and releasing new material.  Just like Izzy.  Izzy with his newfound appreciation of Sorum.

P’ship terms simply do not see the light of day, be it a mom-and-pop store on the corner selling Keds or the hundreds of millions of dollars, beating red enterprise that is the reconfiguration of the Gn’R biz entity.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This most certainly IS a reunion. Not a reunion of the entire original 5, of course, but still a reunion among AXL, DUFF and SLASH (and even Steven on a limited basis) while under the Guns N' Roses brand -- who had been "estranged" for nearly 20 years. The AXL and SLASH reunion is the most noteworthy and least likely given prior circumstance and history.

Most, if not all, fans may have wanted a reunion of all 5 original members -- and possibly even Matt and Gilby -- but you can still have a reunion without every band member being included. It's like suggesting that a high school or college reunion isn't really that unless ALL members of the class attend. That's simply not true. Not only was this a reunion, whether they referred to it as such or not, 70% of the regular setlist was from the 1987 - 1991 era AND even Steven Adler was brought into the mix. It is a reunion and nostalgia tour. Plain and simple. It just wasn't attended by ALL members of the original band.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He is just reiterating what has been said here, basic facts,

A/ This is not a reunion but a hybrid. It is not called a 'reunion tour'.

B/ This is Slash and Duff joining Axl's solo thing. They even play four-five Chinese clunkers.

Edited by DieselDaisy
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, EvanG said:

Yes, this. I think that's all he was trying to say in that interview and that a scenario like that would be a real 'reunion', because he probably gets asked about this so-called ''reunion'' constantly now. I don't understand why some people get their panties in a twist over what he said because he was right on the money.

Some people think anyone that was ever involved with Axl somehow has a duty to never say anything that he might find displeasing. Like you should spend the rest of your life doing PR for Axl and his projects, so if someone asks you about the NITL tour you say, It's great! They're better than ever! Axl is killing it every night!  If you don't then you're delusional, jealous, a  hater etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, bigpoop said:

Some people think anyone that was ever involved with Axl somehow has a duty to never say anything that he might find displeasing. Like you should spend the rest of your life doing PR for Axl and his projects, so if someone asks you about the NITL tour you say, It's great! They're better than ever! Axl is killing it every night!  If you don't then you're delusional, jealous, a  hater etc.

No, it's not the case. Gilby can say whatever he wants about Axl, if he calls him an asshole, fine, it's his right, he knew him, he worked with him, I don't mind. What I do mind, or, rather, what makes me laugh real hard, is how Gilby considers himself so important to the reunion that the reunion cannot be right unless he's in it. Well, that is ridiculous, the level of self-importance in the head of a guy who played somebody else's parts for two years and contributed nothing (recording-wise or in any other way). He just portrays himself as laughable asshole saying that.

In Guns N'Roses the real deal is Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steven. All the rest are hired hands, who can be in or out and nobody gives a damn or nobody ever will and they should damn well know it. Why? The answer is obvious - because they had absolutely nothing to do with the composing of any of the songs that became the unforgettable rock n roll classics and because they had nothing to do with working this band up into the top.

These people are accapted while they're there (someone has to play those parts, after all) but they have no meaning to anybody. And trying to suggest that just because he was there playing Izzy's parts in GNR heyday, then he's an all-important member of the band is a huge LOL. Truth is he was just a lucky bastard, that's all.

Edited by Asia
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, thunderram said:

This most certainly IS a reunion. Not a reunion of the entire original 5, of course, but still a reunion among AXL, DUFF and SLASH (and even Steven on a limited basis) while under the Guns N' Roses brand -- who had been "estranged" for nearly 20 years. The AXL and SLASH reunion is the most noteworthy and least likely given prior circumstance and history.

Most, if not all, fans may have wanted a reunion of all 5 original members -- and possibly even Matt and Gilby -- but you can still have a reunion without every band member being included. It's like suggesting that a high school or college reunion isn't really that unless ALL members of the class attend. That's simply not true. Not only was this a reunion, whether they referred to it as such or not, 70% of the regular setlist was from the 1987 - 1991 era AND even Steven Adler was brought into the mix. It is a reunion and nostalgia tour. Plain and simple. It just wasn't attended by ALL members of the original band.

 

No it's not.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, RussTCB said:

Ron didn't really thank the RRHOF for the induction, did he? If he did, then I totally missed it 

As much as it pains me to say as I love the guy, he did. It was immediately after GnR was annouced for induction, there was no roster for who would be inducted yet...but still :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 23.8.2016 at 11:55 AM, Asia said:

Actually I don't even see any reason for Gilby's guest appearance. He contributed absolutely nothing to GNR. If he's to have guest appearance, then why not the lighting specialists or sound enginners or stage cleaners from the 90s?

He has contributed as much as 4tus. But his style fits much better with Slash's than 4tus. I don't get you people...music is more than playing technically fine...the vibe of their music and their charisma is also very important. Just look at Steven. When he appears on stage its like switching the lights on in GnR. The same is with Gilby. Has 4tus ever got such a warm chanting? Well...i don't think so. 

 

 

"Basically, Slash and Duff have joined Axl's band. "

This is a perfect analysis by Gilby. This "reunion" is not perfect at all so far.

 

 

 

Edited by maxpax
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Asia said:

No, it's not the case. Gilby can say whatever he wants about Axl, if he calls him an asshole, fine, it's his right, he knew him, he worked with him, I don't mind. What I do mind, or, rather, what makes me laugh real hard, is how Gilby considers himself so important to the reunion that the reunion cannot be right unless he's in it. Well, that is ridiculous, the level of self-importance in the head of a guy who played somebody else's parts for two years and contributed nothing (recording-wise or in any other way). He just portrays himself as laughable asshole saying that.

 

I have no idea how you can interpret it that way. Every interview I've seen with Gilby talking about GnR he was more than humble and knew exactly where he stood, and now you interpret one sentence that was taken out of an interview in some article this way. That's impressive.

As I already said on here, he probably responded to the question about a 'reunion' for the 100th time this year. And he's right, you can call this a reunion, but this isn't a reunion doing it the right way without Izzy (who he mentioned) and yes... technically even Matt and himself. Because no matter what anyone thinks about them, they were part of the band during those hectic years before the band fell apart. Never has he considered himself so important that the reunion cannot be right without him, as you imply he said. He knows it's all about the original AFD line-up to be on stage together, but with perhaps guest appearances on a song or two by Matt and Gilby, the UYI tour line-up. Then it would be indeed a reunion doing it the right way and I really believe that's all he meant to say.

And to GnR's credit... they never even called it a 'reunion', it's just been something the media has been running with and now people like Matt and Gilby probably can't go one day without someone asking them about the reunion so he finally gave his thoughts on it and he's completely right.

Edited by EvanG
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

Because no matter what anyone thinks about them, they were part of the band during those hectic years before the band fell apart.

And so what? The person who made washing for them was part of it all as well. It just doesn't matter at all. Gilby contributed nothing, also image and stage presence-wise, he was just there like a sore thumb, as far as I'm concerned, plus I guess Axl never even liked him. Matt was another hired hand but at least his playing made some difference in the overall sound whether for better or for worse is for everyone to decide. Gilby's didn't really.

I don't care what the guy said in other interviews, I'm commenting this one, and in this one he sounds as if he lost his senses somewhere on the way.

And as for this being a reunion or not I don't understand the discussion. Slash and Duff are back, we have as many original members as we had in 1992 and 1993, plus Steven at times. So no doubt this is real Guns N Roses for the first time since 1993. So the situation is as follows: 1985-1993 we had real Guns, 1993-2016 we had Axl solo band with one original member of meaning and now we have the real Guns again. If that isn't a reunion then I must have some other understanding of this word.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, PsychoKiss344 said:

The only reason anyone likes Gilby is cause he was around during the golden years...

If Gilby played in Guns between 2001-2014 people would hate him.

I wouldn't. Don't speak for other people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Asia said:

And so what? The person who made washing for them was part of it all as well. It just doesn't matter at all. Gilby contributed nothing, also image and stage presence-wise, he was just there like a sore thumb, as far as I'm concerned, plus I guess Axl never even liked him. Matt was another hired hand but at least his playing made some difference in the overall sound whether for better or for worse is for everyone to decide. Gilby's didn't really.

I don't care what the guy said in other interviews, I'm commenting this one, and in this one he sounds as if he lost his senses somewhere on the way.

 

You just don't get it, it's not about subjectivity... I don't give a shit what you think of the guy or anyone else for that matter. I'm only reacting to what he said, and he said nothing wrong... technically he was right on the money with his comment as I already explained. And that's all. For you to be offended about that, as you clearly seem to be, is kinda laughable to me, because he didn't say anything that isn't true. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing him doing a guest appearance but I could live without it. As most fans, I'm really just excited about the idea of the AFD line-up to hit the stage together one day.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, EvanG said:

You just don't get it, it's not about subjectivity... I don't give a shit what you think of the guy or anyone else for that matter. I'm only reacting to what he said, and he said nothing wrong... technically he was right on the money with his comment as I already explained. And that's all. For you to be offended about that, as you clearly seem to be, is kinda laughable to me, because he didn't say anything that isn't true. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing him doing a guest appearance but I could live without it. As most fans, I'm really just excited about the idea of the AFD line-up to hit the stage together one day.

No. He did something that isn;t true which was that the reunion done right would include him. It wouldn't. There's no sense and reason to this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Asia said:

No. He did something that isn;t true which was that the reunion done right would include him. It wouldn't. There's no sense and reason to this.

Depends on your definition of the word reunion, then. Maybe you should look it up. I agree with him, a reunion done right would indeed have Izzy onboard, as Gilby put it, and even Matt and himself onboard in some way (like I said, perhaps a guest appearance). That would be a reunion done right in my book. And then your personal feelings on the guy, and what he did or didn't contribute has fuck all to do with it. But I guess you don't understand that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...