Dj Ashba: 'My Motivation Is To Stay True To Slash's Sound'

[FunkyMonkey]

Interview: Guns N' Roses' Dj Ashba

I recently had a few minutes with Dj Ashba, the newest member of the group.He spoke with me before a recent Canadian stop. Ashba was born in Monticello, Ind. and earned money for his first guitar in a truly Hoosier way -- by detasseling corn as a teenager. He eventually made it to L.A., where he joined The BulletBoys.

In the 2000s, he formed Beautiful Creatures and then hooked up with Nikki Sixx in Sixx A.M. Ashba also penned most of Motley Crue's last album, Saints of Los Angeles. Outside of his tenures in Guns N' Roses and Sixx A.M., Ashba also runs Ashba Media, which, among other things, is responsible for thedesign of Virgin Megastores and Ovation guitars.

NUVO: How's it feel to be coming home?

Ashba: It feels great. I love coming home.

NUVO: You've come a long way from the cornfields...

Ashba:Yeah, but those corn fields are where I learned a great set of values and mores that have sustained me. I learned the importance of hard work in making dreams come true.

NUVO: Your first concert was with Motley Crue and now you are bandmates with Nikki Sixx. How did that first show affect you?

Ashba: It made up my mind for me that I was going to be in the rock and roll business. There was nowhere else to go at that point. From then on, I set out to make my dreams happen.

NUVO: How did you get the call to join Guns N' Roses? Did your Indiana ties help?

Ashba: The management called me up. I'd met Axl a few times at that point, but I think I was asked to join because of my involvement in the Hollywood scene.

NUVO: Tell me about the current tour.

Ashba: This tour is amazing. The production is killer and the band just sounds incredible. We are doing stuff from all three periods of G n' R. I don't think anybody's going home disappointed.

NUVO: How long are we going to have to wait before the show starts?

Ashba: Actually, we been pretty good about starting on time during this tour. But, y'know this is Guns N' Roses so you can never be certain. [chuckles]

NUVO: What do you do when you see Slash?

Ashba: I've actually had dinner with Slash, and y'know, it's cool. I always put myself in the fans' shoes. They come to see all of those great Appetite songs, and who am I to change it up? I'm a fan too, so my motivation is to stay true to Slash's sound.

http://m.nuvo.net/indianapolis/interview-guns-n-roses-dj-ashba/Content?oid=2386081

[new gnr fan]

Great interview. But the biggest question would be, when he had the dinner with Slash?

[HBK]

Me Respect Dj !@

 

[zihuatenajo]

Great interview. But the biggest question would be, when he had the dinner with Slash?

Agreed!! it seems weird to think they could just .. do that haha twilight zone shit, right there. 


I like DJ's view of how the songs should be played.. I definitely agree and am glad a guitarist finally took that stance on the issue. play your own songs brilliantly and 'virtuso-y' like you do. but keep the classics close to the original. 

edit: grammar mistake. added "am" to " and am glad a guitarist...."

[slashsbaconpit]

He really won me over during the SLC show. Just a great player, lots of fun personality, great contributor to this band.

[Bridge]

Ashba also penned most of Motley Crue's last album, Saints of Los Angeles.

D.J. is cool as always, but this part is untrue.  Ashba did indeed have cowriting credits on most of those songs, but Nikki Sixx, James Michael, and Mick Mars also contributed heavily to their writing.

[Fingers]

It will kill all the Slash haters to know that he likes SLash and had dinner with him-D.J is a class act

[zombux]

Great interview. But the biggest question would be, when he had the dinner with Slash?

in 2008 I guess

[Fingers]

D.J and Slash are pretty easy going-this isn't brain surgery (music).

[FunkyMonkey]

Great interview. But the biggest question would be, when he had the dinner with Slash?

in 2008 I guess

So it was probably in 2008, I guess that makes sense.  Thanks for the photo.

[Bridge]

Great photo.  Those are four great rockers there!   

[russtcb]

He really won me over during the SLC show. Just a great player, lots of fun personality, great contributor to this band.

Me too. Over the course of the 3 shows I saw, the dude won me over.