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

[Soul Monster]

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 ?

[HBK]

Thanks, But...

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH... Gilby:

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

Gilby More GN'R What -> ROBIN, BUCKY, CHRIS, BRYAN, RON, RICHARD, FRANK, DIZZY, IZZY, PAUL, TOMMY, Etc  ??

One Moment...

 

[richwoman]

^^ good point how is calling old members classed as moving on? Gilby is a nice guy but you can`t say he set the world alight in the last 15/16 years i love how ex members criticize Axl but they`re always up for playing together again wounder why$$$$$

[HBK]

^^ good point how is calling old members classed as moving on? Gilby is a nice guy but you can`t say he set the world alight in the last 15/16 years i love how ex members criticize Axl but they`re always up for playing together again wounder why$$$$$

  Agree 

Gilby was paid for your work... you only is a nice guy, congratulations.

 

[westcoast_junkie]

I like Gilby, but I don't agree with him....I think Axl is the one moving on here 

Gilby is the one putting out the same record with a new name every now and then.....

[Limulus]

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?

[...]it was axl's vision to have the back up singers & horns[...]

that circus was Axl's vision??

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?

[...]i just didn't think it fit with the original idea of songs that influenced the band. it didn't rock.

agree 100%!!!

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...

bandnamewise Gilby is right here 

[Ali]

I appreciate you posting this interview and I mean no offense, but you asked some really leading questions, injecting your opinions and some conjecture instead of just asking for his opinion flat-out.

Also, Gilby is flat-out wrong about Axl not letting the new band contribute to the writing.  Look at the CD credits.

Ali

[Limulus]

yeah, that came out wrong but he also said: "nowadays, it's always one persons vision & key pieces to accent that"....and thats what it is, Axl doesnt share Guns' name rights with Dizzy or Tommy....even if they're longer in the band than any other old band member has been.

[Ali]

yeah, that came out wrong but he also said: "nowadays, it's always one persons vision & key pieces to accent that"....and thats what it is, Axl doesnt share Guns' name rights with Dizzy or Tommy....even if they're longer in the band than any other old band member has been.

Sharing the rights to the Guns' name is completely irrelevant.  Gilby's comment was "let them contribute".  Axl did let them contribute as evidenced by the CD songwriting credits.  Gilby's comment did not "come out wrong", it IS wrong.

Ali

[chineseblues]

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?

[...]it was axl's vision to have the back up singers & horns[...]

that circus was Axl's vision??

No that was Slash's idea to add horns and backup singers. If you didn't like it blame him. 

[Limulus]

i disagree when it comes to power, the GN'R vision etc.....then the name owning thing is VERY relevant. but lets take a look at that quote:

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?

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

since this is a recent interview and not from pre-CD times he didnt ask for CD but an future "epic" album (equivalent of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"), so actually any CD related stuff with writing credits is irrelevant here.
it comes over wrong when you interpretate that being CD related.....but it isnt. but yeah, though it lets room for your speculation its propbably just is critiques for the 1-person-who-took-the-name-issue thing, smth. which is all over this interview.


the circus end 1991-beginning 1993:
Gilby was in the band back then...shouldnt he know better than you, Soul Monster? 
but i also have read different things from that, anyone got other quotes from former band members regarding this issue?

[Soul Monster]

the circus end 1991-beginning 1993:
Gilby was in the band back then...shouldnt he know better than you, Soul Monster? 
but i also have read different things from that, anyone got other quotes from former band members regarding this issue?

Sorry, I don't understand. "Shouldn't he know better than me" about what?

[jarmo]

i disagree when it comes to power, the GN'R vision etc.....then the name owning thing is VERY relevant. but lets take a look at that quote:

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?

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

since this is a recent interview and not from pre-CD times he didnt ask for CD but an future "epic" album (equivalent of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"), so actually any CD related stuff with writing credits is irrelevant here.
it comes over wrong when you interpretate that being CD related.....but it isnt. but yeah, though it lets room for your speculation its propbably just is critiques for the 1-person-who-took-the-name-issue thing, smth. which is all over this interview.

"he would need to let his bandmates contribute & trust them"

It implies that he doesn't or hasn't in the past.

Which is false. As anybody who can read and owns a copy of Chinese Democracy can see, instead of buying the while "it's only Axl and some guys" bullshit.


Do you think Gilby would say that if he thought Axl did that? Of course not.


You agree with it because you are one of those people who refuses to see it as a band. For some reason.

I bet Gilby wouldn't have been in that classic November Rain video if it wasn't for Axl's vision.





/jarmo

[Ali]

i disagree when it comes to power, the GN'R vision etc.....then the name owning thing is VERY relevant. but lets take a look at that quote:

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?

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

since this is a recent interview and not from pre-CD times he didnt ask for CD but an future "epic" album (equivalent of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"), so actually any CD related stuff with writing credits is irrelevant here.
it comes over wrong when you interpretate that being CD related.....but it isnt. but yeah, though it lets room for your speculation its propbably just is critiques for the 1-person-who-took-the-name-issue thing, smth. which is all over this interview.


the circus end 1991-beginning 1993:
Gilby was in the band back then...shouldnt he know better than you, Soul Monster? 
but i also have read different things from that, anyone got other quotes from former band members regarding this issue?

The name-owing issue is 100% irrelevant to the question of contributions to the music.  Axl is the sole-owner of the GN'R name and yet of the 14 songs on CD, he received sole writing credit on only ONE SONG.  Therefore, you cannot draw any conclusion at all between having a stake in the band name and contributing to the song-writing.  Period.

Ali

[LongGoneDay]

I guess it sounds a bit strange to hear out of his mouth. They undeniably had good chemistry on stage, but we don't know if that translated into the studio because we haven't heard any original GN'R material from the Gilby era. All we have is the cover album which similar to Sorum and UYI, Gilby just rerecorded Izzy's parts. Anyways, even though he was essentially brought in out of necessity to keep the train rollin, he still felt he was a part of a band. Now, 18 years or whatever later, Axl is playing under the same name but all new people, what do you honestly expect his opinion to be?

If I had a choice to see GN'R back in the 80's or 90's, I'd probably choose the 80's, but I thought the backup singers, horns etc was pretty fucking great in it's own right.

[sleeper]

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?

[...]it was axl's vision to have the back up singers & horns[...]

that circus was Axl's vision??

No that was Slash's idea to add horns and backup singers. If you didn't like it blame him. 

You are incorrect Slash did not want any back up singers or horns.

[LongGoneDay]

yeah I remember hearing that Slash wasn't a big fan of the horns, backup singers, or Axl's many wardrobe changes haha.
I thought it was all good entertainment.

[Limulus]

i disagree when it comes to power, the GN'R vision etc.....then the name owning thing is VERY relevant. but lets take a look at that quote:

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?

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

since this is a recent interview and not from pre-CD times he didnt ask for CD but an future "epic" album (equivalent of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"), so actually any CD related stuff with writing credits is irrelevant here.
it comes over wrong when you interpretate that being CD related.....but it isnt. but yeah, though it lets room for your speculation its propbably just is critiques for the 1-person-who-took-the-name-issue thing, smth. which is all over this interview.


the circus end 1991-beginning 1993:
Gilby was in the band back then...shouldnt he know better than you, Soul Monster? 
but i also have read different things from that, anyone got other quotes from former band members regarding this issue?

The name-owing issue is 100% irrelevant to the question of contributions to the music.  Axl is the sole-owner of the GN'R name and yet of the 14 songs on CD, he received sole writing credit on only ONE SONG.  Therefore, you cannot draw any conclusion at all between having a stake in the band name and contributing to the song-writing.  Period.

Ali

the 1-person-name-band-issue is all over the interview, Ali, and again i disagree that this doesnt have anything to do with music contribution. yes, they got CD song writing credits but surely Axl picked the parts being used on it not them! Axl decided what was to be released officially musicwise. but that wasnt the main point, the thing you got wrong in the 1st place was that you've used and still use CD "booklet proves" for your theory when he was NOT talking about CD but an possible upcoming "epic" album, just re-read the quoted question and answer. Gilby agrees that Axl is a musical genius but doesnt seem to think that the current hired musicians are able to create such a thing. hell, we dont even know what Ashba brings to the table for Guns in the studio, that all will be proven in the future not in the past or on CD. and still you all took the room for speculation and implying that he was only talking about CD (Buckethead, Paul, Finck, Brain anyone by the way)?
about oter subjects in this interview it makes you sound desperate that now another old Guns related musician tells his version (similar to many others) aswell but not the one you'd like to have it being told or being accepted by the main public, some frustation to see Gilby jumping on the big wagon with so many others, huh?

[westcoast_junkie]

Limulus: i doubt Gilby know so much more than SoulMonster how things are working in the current GnR line-up. Besides, Ashba has been saying he is writing with Axl. Isn't that contributing?? Finck's epic solo on TWAT, isn' that contributing? Pitman's writing If the World, isn't that contributing?

Yes, Axl call the shot many ways, but that doesn't mean the 7 other GnR members aren't contributing to the song-writing. Anyway, Axl's a brilliant poet and a brilliant musician, that we know. We also know what the other GnR members have been creating (in other bands) before, much of it is really great. To say that theese guys can't create epicness together is just silly.....

[AxlReznor]

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?

[...]it was axl's vision to have the back up singers & horns[...]

that circus was Axl's vision??

No that was Slash's idea to add horns and backup singers. If you didn't like it blame him. 

You are incorrect Slash did not want any back up singers or horns.

Well, he was the one who hired them. Pretty stupid for him to hire people he didn't want.