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"I wrote Mr. Brownstone in 5 minutes" - Izzy uncirculated, just-translated 1989 interview for German magazine [via a-4-d.com]

ludurigan

By ludurigan
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bikka Junior

bikka

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On 3.03.2020 at 9:26 PM, Blackstar said:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t3566-1989-02-dd-burrn-guns-n-roses-in-japan-axl-slash-izzy-duff-steven

My Japanese is no good, but with a little help from google I managed to translate the Izzy part :D The copy is really bad at places so I had to guess at times and some parts I couldn't read at all. I put [...] there - meaning there's some word missing. When I wasn't sure I put comments in []. @Blackstar any chance you have a better copy?

What I find interesting in that interview is that you can already see a rift between Izzy and the rest. He seems to be disappointed that they left the street life and turned into celebrities, while he still tried to be the "normal guy" from Sunset Strip

Edit: filled in the missing parts, thanks @SoulMonster

Quote

Me, I’m the same as I was before. Going to a club with a body guard? No way!

As I pushed the door open, he was lying stretched out on the sofa. He looked extremely tired. With a stubble unusual for him and wrapped in a green leather jacket to keep out the cold, he gave a pitiful impression. Not changing his position, he extended his right hand to introduce himself. A soft hand…

He coughed lightly as if he tried to bring himself back to life, raised slowly to a sitting position and looked into my eyes. Or so it looked to me, but I couldn’t really tell as he wore dark sunglasses.

How is your first time in Japan?

It feels great. Food is good… (laughs)

Laughing lightly he glances at the articles in this magazine. Starting with the basics, I want to know what type of a guy he is.

When did you start playing guitar?

Around 1980… Before that I played bass for around a year. And even before that it was drums. I [threw away?] bass and became a guitarist because I wanted to write my own songs and needed something more melodic. I thought guitar would be [better?] to express myself… in my opinion, that is…

Why did you choose drums at first?

No reason apart from it being fun. There was a guy in the neighborhood who started a band in his basement and we often made some noise. We would play whenever my pals would come… and there were always plenty girls hanging on. (laughs) At that time, drums seemed pretty fine. I didn’t have any special heroes, but I was a TV child: I absorbed a lot of different music that was played on TV.

Do you think that having played bass and drums helps you personally as a guitarist?

Yeah. When I write a song, I can intuitively hear the drum part. As if I had drums in my head.

You mean it made you sensitive to the rhythm?

So to speak.

Some people say it’s harder to play cool rythm than to play complex solos. How is it for you?

How… Well, it depends on the song, but I simply play as I feel, so it is hard to expain what I’m doing. Basically, I try to mesh well with Steven’s drums.

What is the difference between yours and Slash’s style?

First of all, no matter whether he is doing a solo or not, he is more technical then I am, and he has a good phrase. These days we have a good combination. If I play a single line, he starts a riff around that… We manage to make some surprisingly good stuff.

I guess there are other bands that put focus on rhythm and have people in similar position to you, but out of other bands’ guitarists who has been a particular inspiration for you?

Andy McCoy. Playing, songwriting… he’s simply a genius! Once in a while we meet, and we always hang out then.

Don’t people say you’re similar?

Ah… I know we have similar faces. (laughs)

When the first Guns n’ Roses pics and videos reached us, everyone said “Izzy is a guitarist somewhere between Joe Perry and Andy McCoy”.

That’s too homey. (laughs) I was on tour with Joe Perry, and Aerosmith was the band I grew up listening to, the first time I heard their songs I was really blown away. I love Aerosmith…

They also once had that bad boy image, but now they are completely clean. Do you feel there’s now a gap between you?

It’s not like that. I’m glad we could go on tour with a band like them. Sometimes we take off and it can be dangerous. If we were to tour with a similar band, it would be unthinkable. When I wake up hungover after 2 days of drinking, Steven Tyler is happily running around already. And looking at that makes me think “why am I doing such stupid things?”. I think there’s merit just to be made think that way.

Right now there is even a no smoking rule in Aerosmith interview room. Do you think you will be like that in 10 years?

Living that long would be nice! (laughs) I don’t know what will happen. I think there are things to think about as you get older but at this point I can’t say anything.

As people get older, the rock n’ roll lifestyle seems to fade, don’t you think?

Well, there’s a limit to partying. I don’t care if the band breaks down tomorrow or if I’m penniless. I will survive. I know how to survive. Now with a little success that we’ve had, with money coming in, the band are all leaving behind the street life. Becoming normal people. No one is walking the Sunset Strip anymore. But for me, nothing changes. I’m hanging out with the same bad company as before, and I stroll the same places, with the same people. Walking into a club with a body guard? No way!

You mean you don’t want to lose yourself?

Right. I want to stay myself, and I don’t want to lose my songs. Even now, I often go to clubs. By myself… I don’t need to be walked in! (laughs)

The club scene is now full of bands that copy Guns n’ Roses, right?

That is common. But it’s not a bad thing, it’s more like a tribute to us. In a club in Tennessee I was surprised to run into a band covering „Welcome to the Jungle”. They played all parts lower [in lower key?], but it was pretty good. Maybe better than us. (laughs) I never thought other bands would play our songs… I was happy.

You seem to really like clubs, but right now you play big arenas, would you still want to go back to the club scene?

It’s ok now. Sometimes between the big gigs we play in theaters with capacity of 2000-3000 people. But playing a club-scale live gig is a good thing.

When touring with Aerosmith we played a lot of big venues. When playing outdoor stadiums, once you connect with the audience, the feeling is pretty good. Still, the Texas Stadium on the last day was the worst. It was cold. The stage was 15 feet high and it felt like the audience were far below. I hate things like that. And at the Giant’s Stadium – I don’t know why, but people threw tennis shoes at the stage. Hundreds of them.

If we had printed this interview 2 months ago, the Japanese fans might have copied that. (laughs)

Please, no! (laughs)

Changing the topic, you’ve known Axl for around 13 years now, right?

Yeah… it’s been 14-15 years already.

You probably know some things that even other members don’t know, don’t you?

Might be. I might be the person who knows [him] the best.

Because of his attitude, he seems the type of person to be easily misunderstood.

Oh, certainly, he’s a man that invites misunderstandings. But he’s a normal guy. At least for me. (laughs) Me and him, we’re not exact opposites but, how do I put it… we fit together like puzzle pieces. Sometimes he disappoints me, sometimes I disappoint him. If he’s in trouble, I help, and sometimes I need help from him. I trust him. That’s what this kind of relationship entails.

There are bands that sound like you, but what is different about Guns n’ Roses is that you seem to have the position of “spokesperson  for the kids”? What do you think?

Hmmm… I think if you read the lyrics you would understand, we just sing about the stuff that is happening around us. For example, I don’t know how it is in Japan, but in West Hollywood police are the worst. Even when you haven’t done anything, you’re just wandering around, you get approached with a gun ready. Thanks to the cops, we, the general public, can’t walk around in peace. Weird, isn’t it? (laughs)

Once before I happened to be caught with drugs on me… that was the worst. The cop wrote more than 3 pages, making up a bunch of things I didn’t say. I don’t think I should be talking about this now…

By the way, the album has reached No. 1 in the US…

Can you believe it? (laughs)

Ha, ha, ha… Did you expect it?

Not at all! It still seems unreal…

Do you remember the moment when you learned you have reached the top?

Yes, I didn’t think a thing. (laughs) That’s because we were on tour. When you’re on tour you’re all in mess, you know? You hope everything will go well, and you have your head full of things. At that time, I was told “You’re number 1!” but I was like “Great, where is my guitar by the way?” (laughs)

Nobody made a toast or anything. Only later, when you think carefully, you notice the importance of it.

Since the start of the tour, it’s been…

15 months. Long! (laughs)

This band doesn’t seem to be the type to think one week ahead?

That’s cruel… Well, it’s true. (laughs)

Why do you think you have been on tour for 15 months?

I don’t know. Sometimes, I wonder myself how strange… it’s a strange journey. You can’t stay put. When I returned to my home in LA after we finished the US tour, I had like 5-6 days of free time but there was just this one suitcase rolling around in my room and nothing to do. Not even a sound check. (laughs) So I quickly arranged a flight to Germany and flew to my girlfriend there. Then I came to Japan. I don’t know why, but I get irritated when there’s nothing [to do]. I feel restless.

We can play as long as possible, and if we get to visit a few places here and there, it’s enough for me. I like that. That’s why I’m very happy to come to Japan for the first time, and I really look forward to going to Australia after that.

You’re already a tour addict.

That's what it is. I’m not particularly good at German…

By the way, I remember reading a comment that [you] tried to learn from a Japanese text?

Yeah, about that… I had that Berlitz text. It was pretty good. But I lost it and haven’t done anything since then. (laughs) Here, there’s no way to chat in German…(having said that, he says a few words in German)

Finally, I want to ask the simplest and the most difficult question…

What?!

What is Rock n’ Roll for you?

Difficult, for sure. It’s not something you can put into words…

He didn’t say „it’s my life” or “the origin of everything”. This way the interviews with 4 members ended without problems. However, it was still unknown if the tentatively scheduled interview with Axl would take place.

 

Edited by bikka
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bikka Junior

bikka

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Hmmm... The scans are actually worse...? They kinda look weird, this is the first question from the photo:

https://imgur.com/46xvJRb

And here is the scan:

https://imgur.com/JXALRyF

Even the ciphers in the year seem distorted somehow...?

The photo was pretty good, only the page was bent a bit and so some parts were out of focus and turned out blurry. Maybe try taking a separate photo of each page while holding the edges down?

https://imgur.com/46xvJR

 

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SoulMonster LEGEND

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2 hours ago, bikka said:

Hmmm... The scans are actually worse...? They kinda look weird, this is the first question from the photo:

https://imgur.com/46xvJRb

And here is the scan:

https://imgur.com/JXALRyF

Even the ciphers in the year seem distorted somehow...?

The photo was pretty good, only the page was bent a bit and so some parts were out of focus and turned out blurry. Maybe try taking a separate photo of each page while holding the edges down?

https://imgur.com/46xvJR

 

Urk. The scans are actually good, but when I converted to image and uploaded to the net, the image quality was reduced.

Here is the quality of the scan:

uten_n72.png

 

I will fix this tomorrow and send you a PM when it is done :) Or I will just send you the pdfs, if you prefer.

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ludurigan OH MY GOD

ludurigan

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10 hours ago, bikka said:

My Japanese is no good, but with a little help from google I managed to translate the Izzy part :D The copy is really bad at places so I had to guess at times and some parts I couldn't read at all. I put [...] there - meaning there's some word missing. When I wasn't sure I put comments in []. @Blackstar any chance you have a better copy?

What I find interesting in that interview is that you can already see a rift between Izzy and the rest. He seems to be disappointed that they left the street life and turned into celebrities, while he still tried to be the "normal guy" from Sunset Strip

Edit: filled in the missing parts, thanks @SoulMonster

 

 

 

He’s a man that invites misunderstandings

 

 

has anyone ever described Axl Rose so precisely

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