Tommy: "We want to make a new album, it's a good time"

[Pinball Wizard]

Tommy was interviewed by the brazilian site iG. He talks about GNR and The Replacements' reunion.

Musician Tommy Stinson talks to iG about Axl Rose, Guns' tours and his comeback to the Replacements

Nicknamed as "the general" by Axl Rose because of his leadership on Guns N' Roses' rehearsals,  the bassist Tommy Stinson is one of the oldest band members after Axl himself and keyboard player Dizzy Reed, joining the group in 1998.

Scheduled to come on the months of March and April this year, the hard rock group will be back to the country for concerts in seven capitals - even without a new record to show since "Chinese Democracy", released in 2008.

In an interview to iG, the bassist talks about the wish to add a new album to Guns' short discography, the band exists for 29 years and only 6 studio records. "I want to do a new album, I think it's a good time for us to get involved."

About the recent reunion of The Replacements, an influential punk rock group in the 80's to which Tommy joined at 11 years old due to insistence of his half-brother Bob Stinson, the musician sums up to say "it was fun". Bob died short after the band's dissolution, in 1991.

The Replacements had been mentioned as influence to bands like Nirvana, Wilco, Foo Fighters  and Green Day e its reunion is nobly motivated by the EP "Songs for Slim", recorded by Stinson and vocalist Paul Westerberg as a beneficent project to help the guitarist Slim Dunlap's treatment, who suffered a cerebral vascular accident in 2012.

Read the interview below.

iG: Does Axl Rose still  call you "general"?
Tommy Stinson: No, today I'm only "that guy" (laughs). The nickname came a long time ago. Nowadays I'm just "Tommy".

iG: What is the importance of Guns N' Roses to you?
Tommy Stinson: It's all very fun. I've been in the band  longer than the other members. It's really good to be able to travel, meet several countries, to play in Japan. I'm looking  forward to be back to  Brazil and I hope it's hot there, because I'm freezing here (in the United States).

iG: Is it hard to stay creative playing with the same musicians for so long?
Tommy Stinson: This is a good question. Guns N' Roses is doing more tours than albums. We want to make a new album, I  think it is a good time for us to get involved. But there are eight guys (in the band)  in several cities and it is hard to gather them all. I am trying to compose and send it over the internet, I want to make it happen. We talk about doing a new record, but we don't know to when it is going to be.

iG: And the reunion shows with The Replacements after 22 years apart, how have they been?
Tommy Stinson: The  reunion was fun, because we haven't played together for so long.

iG: Do you pretend to do other concerts besides the four already booked in the USA? Do you want to play other continents?
Tommy Stinson: There will be mores hows in the summer, in the States. We could go to Europe, maybe, but it is a lot of headache.

iG: Who have been drawing you attention in music lately?
Tommy Stinson: I haven't been listening to a lot of stuff recently, I've been working more on other's music, but I really like Queens of the Stone Age.

http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/cultura/musica/2014-02-14/guns-n-roses-queremos-fazer-um-novo-disco-e-uma-boa-hora-diz-baixista.html

Thanks Jarmo for letting me know about this interview! 

[BOILER GUNZ]

Nice read, thanks.

[reayj2003]

Ah, slightly disappointing. "Guns N' Roses is doing more tours than albums. We talk about doing a new record, but we don't know to when it is going to be."

Richard, Dizzy & DJ make it sound like there is an album. This does not. Sounds like the band would be happier recording than being on tour again.

[reayj2003]

Where is all the material from the Chinese sessions? I'd always hoped that Dj was working on stuff from then and it would be mixed& cleaned up and become the next album.

[Pinball Wizard]

I know this is like beating a dead horse but...when they say "we want to MAKE a new album" does NOT mean there is no material done that can MAKE THE CUT for a new album.

Is the old discussion of "what would be better: a CD with leftovers or one made from scratch with these guys?"

Since I am one of those who would like to have the cake and eat it too, in an ideal world I'd love to have a new record done entirely by the current line up and a boxset-or-something-of-that-effect with the leftovers, demos and remixes from the Chinese sessions.

But I don't run the band nor do I know what really gets in the way of a new record. There is nothing I can do about it, so why beat my head over it?

[D-GenerationX]

There's no reason these musicians can't write, rehearse, and record new material when they are all together on tour if they all really wanted too.  They'd have the time, the technology, and all the beer, wine n liquor to do it...if they all really wanted to do it and get it done.  It would not take Axl and the Gunners much effort because they are are all musicians at the top of their craft.  They could do it and I think they will...

I remember hearing Bono say that when U2 did 'Zooropa' while on the ZOO TV tour, it was actually a huge pain in the ass.

I could definitely see that.  You really have to be in two different headspaces, I think.  I don't know you can spend the day in the studio, and then put on your Superman outfit and do the night's show.

[draguns]

Disappointment in reading this!

[GNR2014]

Complaints, complaints, complaints

[D-GenerationX]

Disappointment in reading this!

I'm not so sure.  At least he's talking about it.

Personally, I find the most disappointing answer to the new album question to be laughter.  Because, to me, that is all but saying the question is so damn ridiculous they can't believe you are even asking it.

[Ginger King]

Disappointment in reading this!

I'm not so sure.  At least he's talking about it.

Personally, I find the most disappointing answer to the new album question to be laughter.  Because, to me, that is all but saying the question is so damn ridiculous they can't believe you are even asking it.

True, I'm glad they're talkng about it, instead of laughing it off, but do you find it odd on how different the opinions are?  According to BBF, not one note has been recorded.  DJ, completely the opposite, and Tommy now seems to be somewhere in the middle. 

[D-GenerationX]

True, I'm glad they're talkng about it, instead of laughing it off, but do you find it odd on how different the opinions are?  According to BBF, not one note has been recorded.  DJ, completely the opposite, and Tommy now seems to be somewhere in the middle. 

I think it might be semantics more than anything

I do believe Ron when he says they have yet to write together.  But I think when Tommy or Richard talks about a new album, they aren't claiming these are new songs.  That they were old songs they will touch up and put out.

My issue has always been that Ron says even THAT isn't coming anytime soon.

[GNR2014]

We're not knocking ourselves out to release new music. It doesn't matter. We'll go out and play the songs people want to hear. It's not the right time for a new album.

http://www.radiorock.fi/?vt=video&vid=347733

Just give them a break. Let them have their fun. They get to see the world and interact with the fans. Don't overthink it. They're just not that kind of band.

[D-GenerationX]

We're not knocking ourselves out to release new music. It doesn't matter. We'll go out and play the songs people want to hear. It's not the right time for a new album.

http://www.radiorock.fi/?vt=video&vid=347733

Just give them a break. Let them have their fun. They get to see the world and interact with the fans. Don't overthink it. They're just not that kind of band.

I would agree with you, but then if you dare call them your basic nostalgia act, people freak out.  But isn't that the argument you are making?

The argument you can sometimes get around here seems to be an insistence they are not referred to as a nostalgia act, a touring band, or a greatest hits concert type of operation.  Despite all the evidence pointing to just that, and no evidence to refute any of it.

I think if you want to make the "just let them do their thing" argument, you need to be OK with people accurately describing what "their thing" seems to be these days.

Is that unfair is some way?

[Ginger King]

We're not knocking ourselves out to release new music. It doesn't matter. We'll go out and play the songs people want to hear. It's not the right time for a new album.

http://www.radiorock.fi/?vt=video&vid=347733

Just give them a break. Let them have their fun. They get to see the world and interact with the fans. Don't overthink it. They're just not that kind of band.

Don't worry...no overthinking going on here.  This upcoming tour should be a good tell of what's to come.  Just killing some time until it gets here.

[D-GenerationX]

Don't worry...no overthinking going on here.  This upcoming tour should be a good tell of what's to come.  Just killing some time until it gets here.

I agree.

The best case scenario would be even one new song played.  That alone will kill the argument they will never put out another album.  This is what everyone taking the position that its unfair to openly doubt another album will ever see the light of day needs to see happen.  It confirms their argument.

But I think even the structure of the setlist will be telling.  With little to no changes other than maybe one cover song swapped out for another cover song, its probably time to star to accept this might be all we are looking at going forward.

[Ginger King]

We're not knocking ourselves out to release new music. It doesn't matter. We'll go out and play the songs people want to hear. It's not the right time for a new album.

http://www.radiorock.fi/?vt=video&vid=347733

Just give them a break. Let them have their fun. They get to see the world and interact with the fans. Don't overthink it. They're just not that kind of band.

I would agree with you, but then if you dare call them your basic nostalgia act, people freak out.  But isn't that the argument you are making?

The argument you can sometimes get around here seems to be an insistence they are not referred to as a nostalgia act, a touring band, or a greatest hits concert type of operation.  Despite all the evidence pointing to just that, and no evidence to refute any of it.

I think if you want to make the "just let them do their thing" argument, you need to be OK with people accurately describing what "their thing" seems to be these days.

Is that unfair is some way?

I don't think it's unfair.  The facts certainly indicate as much.  The recent tour(s) saw the setlist going more and more towards the hits, and only playing a handful from CD.  I think there's a reluctance to admit it because it's a criticism against the band (and that does not get taken kindly here)...and maybe some band members don't think that way, but the know there's not much they can do about it.

[D-GenerationX]

I said this earlier in the week, but I am so desperate that I would take even a jumbling of the same setlist as progress.

If the first concert has CD-WTTJ-ISE-MB opening the show, I think we will likely be able to pretty much guess the rest of the setlist, in order.

And I think it will clarify once and for all this band is done moving forward.  That is not some crime agaisnt the state, but I think people will need to finally table their anger over those that dare to point it out.

[Ginger King]

I said this earlier in the week, but I am so desperate that I would take even a jumbling of the same setlist as progress.

If the first concert has CD-WTTJ-ISE-MB opening the show, I think we will likely be able to pretty much guess the rest of the setlist, in order.

And I think it will clarify once and for all this band is done moving forward.  That is not some crime agaisnt the state, but I think people will need to finally table their anger over those that dare to point it out.

Agree, but I wouldn't hold your breath for any acknowledgment from here.  It will be countered with (a) you don't know the facts, (b) Axl has never said that, and (c) here, look at these quotes from 2011/12. 

And, for the record, I characterize this discussion as constructive criticism.  Actually, it's really not criticism...so much as just trying to reasonably ascertain what the future for the band is (based on the limited information we have) and manage expectations accordingly. 

[D-GenerationX]

I said this earlier in the week, but I am so desperate that I would take even a jumbling of the same setlist as progress.

If the first concert has CD-WTTJ-ISE-MB opening the show, I think we will likely be able to pretty much guess the rest of the setlist, in order.

And I think it will clarify once and for all this band is done moving forward.  That is not some crime agaisnt the state, but I think people will need to finally table their anger over those that dare to point it out.

Agree, but I wouldn't hold your breath for any acknowledgment from here.  It will be countered with (a) you don't know the facts, (b) Axl has never said that, and (c) here, look at these quotes from 2011/12. 

And, for the record, I characterize this discussion as constructive criticism.  Actually, it's really not criticism...so much as just trying to reasonably ascertain what the future for the band is (based on the limited information we have) and manage expectations accordingly. 

Agreed on both points.

[Ginger King]

Of the whole interview, it's this that confuses me the most:  "But there are eight guys (in the band)  in several cities and it is hard to gather them all."

Why is it hard to gather them all?  It seems rather easy to gather them all for a tour(s).