Gilby talks about Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses, 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 ?

Edited August 10, 2011 by SoulMonster

[hbkhbk]

This Guitar QUIT Of GN'R, Ex.Member Section.

Thanks

Pd. blahhhhh, blahhhhh

[Guest Len B'stard]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

[GNR123GNR456]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

I have heard that Duff and Axl were both not interested in Slash's pre-Snakepit demo's he gave to them.

[SoulMonster]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

I have heard that Duff and Axl were both not interested in Slash's pre-Snakepit demo's he gave to them.

I was thinking about a question where I asked Gilby if Duff really was against the music Gilby and Slash and Matt were working on because he didn't like the music, or more from a strategic point where he wanted to side with what he considered the strongest side and the future of GN'R. I didn't ask this question, I'll prefer to ask it to Duff directly if he doesn't touch it in his biography. But keep in mind that Duff, contrary to Slash and Gilby, was quite ready to experiment with other musical directions as evidenced on 'Believe In Me'.

[Olorin]

Its annoying how everyone blindly labels Chinese Democracy an Axl solo record and has no contribution from anyone else, when you read the production notes its clear its anything but and theres practically an army of contributers.

[Cosmo]

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...

haha start over :xmasssanta:

[Guest Len B'stard]

awww, how cool is that? I suppose Duff did have less ridgid sensibilities, being a Prince fan and all, hey, thats cool, i learned a bit of GnR history i didn't know about

[sleeper]

Slash stated in his book that both Axl and Duff rejected the songs that later became Snakepit.

[SunnyDRE]

great interview. interesting stuff.

[Lines&Noses]

great interview. interesting stuff.

2nded I am suprised Gilby hasn't spoken so openly about his time in GnR before

[Snowmass]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

It's a fact Axl and Duff were on the same page musically.

In regards to not wanting to do those Slash songs, clearly something changed over the next couple years and Duff and Slash eventually proved to have more in common since VR exists... existed? lol.

VR is not Saul's band...that's the difference. Saul wanted to run GNR back then. Thank the lord he left.

Saul? Well your right, William runs the "band" now with employees Darren Jay Ashba, Ronald Thal etc....doing as they are told.

[Bumble's Bridge Pickup]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

It's a fact Axl and Duff were on the same page musically.

Really? then why did Duff quit on Axl and why does Loaded sound similar to what Slash and Izzy have been doing which is basic RnR......and if Duff was so aligned with Axl why did he form VR with Slash and Matt?

It is far from a fact tht Duff was on the same page as Axl and it is all speculation until Duff tells his side of the story.......if he ever does...........

I think Duff would have been open to Axl's idea of trying a different sound with GN'R, but quickly got bored with nothing happening and left. I vaguely remember a quote in which Duff said that one of the major reasons he left was that Axl wanted to keep the band rehearsals at 2 am or something.

Regarding Loaded and VR, I think Duff just never abandoned his interest in making that kind of music.

[Nick85]

Meh, whatever. If Axl simply released more music I'd have no problem with him calling this band Guns N' Roses. It's the fact that he fought so hard to retain it and has only released one album in 20 years under the GNR banner that bothers me.

[sleeper]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

It's a fact Axl and Duff were on the same page musically.

In regards to not wanting to do those Slash songs, clearly something changed over the next couple years and Duff and Slash eventually proved to have more in common since VR exists... existed? lol.

VR is not Saul's band...that's the difference. Saul wanted to run GNR back then. Thank the lord he left.

I agree thank the lord he left. It was the best thing he ever did. Saul never wanted to run GNR he wanted to make music he could not get Bill to do it. BTW what do you think of this answer from Gilby?

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...

[sleeper]

I wonder what Gilby meant by new plan?

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.

Edited August 10, 2011 by sleeper

[packersnroses]

Please tell me you're not going to ask Poc a bunch of GNR questions.

Edited August 10, 2011 by packersnroses

[realpoti]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

It's a fact Axl and Duff were on the same page musically.

In regards to not wanting to do those Slash songs, clearly something changed over the next couple years and Duff and Slash eventually proved to have more in common since VR exists... existed? lol.

VR is not Saul's band...that's the difference. Saul wanted to run GNR back then. Thank the lord he left.

You keep bitching about cupcakes but you're always the one causing. Was this necessary ? You weren't there to say that.

[moreblack]

VR is not Saul's band...that's the difference. Saul wanted to run GNR back then. Thank the lord he left.

You keep bitching about cupcakes but you're always the one causing. Was this necessary ? You weren't there to say that.

just the usual half truths and twisted rewriting of history...

[SoulMonster]

Please tell me you're not going to ask Poc a bunch of GNR questions.

Of course not . If you've read the complete Gilby interview you will see that GN'R questions were only part of it, and if you check out my other interviews with non-members you will see that I don't ask about things they have no relation to. Check out the rest of my interviews here: http://gnr-afd.forumotion.com/f14-the-afd-interviews

[moreblack]

Learn your revised GNR history.

hidden mesages, not so hard to see

[Ali]

I never knew it was Axl AND Duff that were anti-The Slash Way of doing shit, i dunno if i've not been paying attention or something but i was led to believe it was Axl down one end and The Roman Empire across the street.

It's a fact Axl and Duff were on the same page musically.

Really? then why did Duff quit on Axl and why does Loaded sound similar to what Slash and Izzy have been doing which is basic RnR......and if Duff was so aligned with Axl why did he form VR with Slash and Matt?

It is far from a fact tht Duff was on the same page as Axl and it is all speculation until Duff tells his side of the story.......if he ever does...........

Loaded does not sound like what Slash or Izzy have been doing to me. It sounds far more punkish to me.

Ali

[sleeper]

I wonder what Gilby meant by new plan?

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.

New plan was Axl's completely legit contracts where everyone got a new, fair share of the money. Axl, being the best, got the most and also got complete control of the decision making for the band unnder the name "guns n roses" which he legally controlled by then. The others decision making roles got downgraded and the partnership completely changed; for the better! He wanted to make sure things ran smoothly, his way being smoothly. A new direction musically was also part of the new plan which had Axl telling the other guys to make a certain type of music they stupidly didn't want to make. Axl would even listen to the music they wrote when they were all together jamming without him and tell them he didn't like it for them. I have no idea why they didn't listen and make the music Axl was hearing in his head, fools the lot of them!

[Ali]

I wonder what Gilby meant by new plan?

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.

New plan was Axl's completely legit contracts where everyone got a new, fair share of the money. Axl, being the best, got the most and also got complete control of the decision making for the band unnder the name "guns n roses" which he legally controlled by then. The others decision making roles got downgraded and the partnership completely changed; for the better! He wanted to make sure things ran smoothly, his way being smoothly. A new direction musically was also part of the new plan which had Axl telling the other guys to make a certain type of music they stupidly didn't want to make. Axl would even listen to the music they wrote when they were all together jamming without him and tell them he didn't like it for them. I have no idea why they didn't listen and make the music Axl was hearing in his head, fools the lot of them!

Wow, such a detailed knowledge of the "plan". It's almost like you were there!

Ali

[D..]

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.

This part of the interview is very interesting, it's very true, nowadays we've got a lot of ways to control everything be it doing movies, making music, etc, and it's very temptating to do everything by ourselves and not listening to any advice. I don't agree with his "evolution" theory, I just think it's the way the human being is. When you are given the choice to control 100%, you'd be fool to reject it, because somebody else could try to control 100%, I think Axl was afraid that Slash would take over.