Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Former GUNS N' ROSES Guitarist DJ ASHBA Says He Was 'Treated Like Gold' By AXL ROSE

Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist DJ Ashba says that he was "treated like gold" by the band's lead singer, Axl Rose, during his six-year stint with the group.

During an appearance on the SiriusXM show "Dirty Sexy Funny" with host Jenny McCarthy, Ashba was asked how difficult it was dealing with Axl on a scale of 1 to "Kanye West," with "Kanye" signifying the most difficult a person can be, Ashba said: "It got difficult here and there. I mean, he's definitely a unique character."


He added: "You know what? I had the best time of my life doing it. I'm grateful. But he's the kind of guy that he has a very tight-knit circle, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of that tight-knit circle. And he's always treated me like gold. So, as far as what I can say, I have not a bad word to say. Although I do know if you cross him, he can turn more into the Kanye side of things."

Ashba, who joined GUNS N' ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck, issued a statement in July 2015 saying that he was leaving the band. His statement read in part: "It is with a very heavy heart and yet great pride that I announce that I've decided to close this chapter of my life and encapsulate the wonderful times that I've shared with GUNS N' ROSES into fond memories. I have reached a point in my life where I feel its time to dedicate myself to my band SIXX: A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me."

Ashba added: "I want to take a moment to thank Axl from the bottom of my heart for not only the most incredible experience of my life, but for truly believing in me. You are a true friend and a champion of mine and I am forever grateful. And even as I move on to pursue other endeavors, I will always remain one of your biggest fans. I also would like to thank each and every one of you fans for your love and support throughout the years."

Ashba said earlier in his statement that working with GUNS N' ROSES was "the most incredible journey I could have possibly imagined."


Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-guns-n-roses-guitarist-dj-ashba-says-he-was-treated-like-gold-by-axl-rose/#P4AFOi7Qm70W1ztd.99

That's a nice summary and supports what others have said about Axl: a great friend and generous human being, but don't cross him. I guess you could say the same about 90% of humans.

right on, good press for our frontman. love him or hate him, djs always got nice things to say about ax.

Nice Ashba

 : ok:

I don't think dignifying a stupid question about the Kanye scale with ANY response is nice at all. Axl and Kanye are 2 very different people.
If the SIXX AM gig doesn't live up to DJ's expectations he can always teach a course about PR and using social media to promote your business at University of Nevada.
Damn he is good.
And there are alot of naive people in this world.
I really tried not to comment on this.
But I took a lesson from DJ himself
I had to RISE UP and speak up for what I THINK is right. :hihi:
The musical Hamilton has a much better song about rising up for what is right.
It 's called the Battle of Yorktown.

Damit, never been a DJ Ashba fan but all these Axl fangirls giving him a hard time for answering GNR/AXL questions from time to time is sooo fuckin annoying  ::) That's some serious Donald Trumping...

So, every time anyone even mentions Axl, the purpose is self-promotion? Or is it just with DJ and Trunk?

I honestly can't see it as clearly as you. He was ? again, asked a question about this, then answered it. So this time the problem was the phrasing of the question, so it shouldn't have been answered... ok.

I'm not even a DJ fan, but still.

I never understood why there were so many fans critical of DJ. Granted he had some big shoes to fill, but he is a class act, unlike some others we may have hard from recently. .  ;)

It depends on the context of the situation. Ice Cube was very classy.. Trunk wants an interview to drive business to his podcast. And he somehow feels entilted to that interview. DJ has a new song coming out today. Kanye and Axl are two of the most polarizing topics in the media right now.
I'm just taking Dj's advice and speaking up.
You don't have to believe what I believe.
Its tough to make it in the music industry these days.
But as Taylor Swift said in her acceptance speech at the GRAMMYS. There are people out there who want to steal your fame.
Axl and Kanye have absolutely nothing in common.

But DJ didn't bring Kanye into the conversation.

He straight out said "I have not a bad word to say". I can't see any problems with this.


As for Trunk, yes he's mentioned GN'R and Axl quite a lot in the past few months. It would be strange if he didn't though, after all he is a music journalist who specifically covers hard rock music.

Looking at his website and twitter, listening to some of his programming, he covers pretty much everything else that's current right now too. The GN'R portions of his shows is what ends up as discussion points here at the board (of course), but that's a small percentage of the work he is doing.

That's not true.

Axl is a fan of Kanye.

Kanye is a fan of Kanye.

Say what you want about Ashba but the guy has been nothing but class since he left the band and has taken the high road whenever asked about the reunion, the original members or Axl.  Good for him.

 : ok:

I agree with this 100%.

DJ was certainly not my cup of tea for GNR... he butchered more then a few live performances... BUT...... he's a loyal guy, and him answering questions about guns when they are put to him is fine. As most board members know i have been a vocal critic of the cloak of secrecy that this band has followed for years.... so when someone speaks.. whether it be a former member or current member, id like to hear it.

I honestly dont understand the accusations of speaking about Axl for self promotion... that notion doesnt fly with me... i tend to think the people who make those accusations are either a little deluded or.. they live in a very nasty world where everyone has an ulterior motive... i am glad i dont live in that world.

Axl does unfortunately live in that world. I don't think DJ taking the high road is sincere. Just my .02.

So going by this logic, Izzy is just using the upcoming GNR2016 tour - that he is currently NOT involved in - to get twitter followers for himself and his own personal agenda?   

Damn you, Izzy!!!  You self-serving attention whore!!!  *gypsy shakes fist in the air @Izzy*

Well these words by SIXX AM inspired me to speak out about the manipulative nature of the media in our society.
Rise is a call to action for everyone to stand up for their beliefs. Throughout history some of the most dramatic changes have occurred when people reject the status quo and demand change, i am sick of the media and the way people use it to shamelessly promote themselves.

IZZY was a founding father. He is letting people know that he does not want to be involved at this time. Quite a different story. He also was sick of the lies and false speculations that were being perpetuated. Izzy was showing true integrity, and people totally harassed him and refused to believe that it was him.

I think that fits much grander subjects than a rock n' roll guitarist mentioning the name of the singer of his previous band in an interview. It's not worth getting worked up about.

The media has become a very shallow and destructive force in our society. It is a multi billion dollar industry onto itself. And the media has always treated Axl unfairly since the 90s

But could you do without it?

Media can be great. We just can't let us manipulate us so much that we are blind to the truth. 

I honestly don't feel manipulated by what Dj said about Axl.

Going by what us outsiders are privy to of knowledge of Axl, I'd say his characterization of him fits right in with that. I think he answered the question he got honestly.

Couldn't agree more Spirit.

Absolutely loved the DJ era of GNR!! What a great lineup, saw them live several times.....

He was a good employee  :P

You only get them to manipulate you if you let them by getting narrow minded by the ones with an agenda. The best way to consume media/press is to get more than one source with different sides/opinions anyways.

This self promotion notion is BS, I'm with Spirit, he gets answered questions into print, and if they are on GnR there is a bigger chance of that happening.  He has a duty to himself and those he works with and those in his personal life to forge a living, but I don't think its done via an agenda. I'd say he'd just love it to be Sixx AM questions only, but is realistic enough to his history will garner questions about his time in currently hot topic band. Face value is often an under-rated or misunderstood notion and I genuinely believe that DJ currently is an exponent of this.

The flip side of all this "self promotion" talk, is the fact that he's asked about Axl and GN'R.
What does that say? It pretty much says loud and clear that people would rather ask at least one question about Axl and/or GN'R, than one more about another subject.....




/jarmo

Yeah, it's only natural he'll get these questions.

Guns N' Roses is without a doubt the biggest thing to happen in DJ's career so far.

he's a cool guy and just answers the questions asked. the funny (and bizarre) thing is, that he's the only guy who was ever a member of GNR, who publicly talks about the band. the rest must have a gag order, or are so tired that they don't want to talk about that anymore? strange.

Very wise words. That being said the new SIXX Am song RISE was not my cup of tea.  I would actually like those 4 minutes of my life back  :hihi:

yeah right. what can he do? well he could say "no GNR related questions please". but why would he?

Look the thing that makes me kinda sad about the whole thing is that he said he was part of Axl's very tight inner circle. I have never met Axl but I do know that he is a very private and loyal person.  DJ could just downplay the questions and not give such over the top answers.  Just my .02 . When  Baz gushes the love seems real. Maybe it's cuz Baz was a huge rock star on his own and their friendship was more of equals.  

Yes he could. He won't say no GNR related questions cuz his music is not in the same league as GNR   If it were truly great and innovative like the musical HAMILTON he wouldn't have to name drop Axl and GNR   I saw the video of where The star and creator of HAMILTON took a huge leap of faith and decided to perform a number from HAmILTon at the White House.  He was supposed to do another song. He was very nervous but EVERYBODY including the Obamas were spellbound.  This was on 60 minutes.

Well, obviously he doesn't have to.

But the fact that these people doing the interviews would rather hear him talk about Axl/GN'R than something else, says a lot about the interest in the subject....



/jarmo

My question is, if he only chose to talk about SixxAM would he be getting as much attention and interest?

Come on!

It doesn't matter if is he's being honest or not - and we will never know that for sure. What matters is that he is a classy guy and even if he had any issues with Axl at some point, he's not saying any bulshit in the media just to make headlines. So it's quite the opposite actually. He's being grateful for the opportunity and of course doesn't want to shut any doors in the future. He also has no reason to not talk about Axl and it's not that he's writing a book about him, he's just answering one question. He was in a band with one of the greatest frontman of all time, of course people will ask about that!

Trunk talks about everything. Because GNR is also a big subject right now he gets a lot of questions about the band, since everyone knows how good his realationship with the guys is. He's just writing/speaking about a subject that is big right now exactly like every other site/magazine. Since when it became a bad thing that the media actually cares about your favourite band?!? I don't get what the issue is here.
Of course he wants to interview them. Every other music journalist wants the same. I would love to do that and I'm not even a journalist for christ sake!

Of course not.

GN'R is a much bigger and well-known name than Sixx:AM. But he was a part of GN'R, it's part of DJ's history as a musician and as a person. It would be different if he name-dropped GN'R or Axl without having any real connection with the subject.



Let's say he chose to say "no comment" to the question he got in this particular interview. Would that be a better solution and fare better with the GN'R fans? We know Axl's got a reputation when it comes to the subject asked about, however real that reputation is ? there is a reputation.

If DJ had said "no comment", this would in my mind have fueled that reputation in a negative direction, even if DJ's intentions weren't so. It suggests there's something you want to hide. Instead he gave a straight up answer that portrays Axl more positively. I can't say I would have preferred DJ to handle this any differently.

I'm sure if he had said "no comment", the headlines would still be there, albeit they would be negative ? "DJ Ashba refuses to answer questions on Axl Rose". It invites the reader to make their own conclusions, and I think we all know where most people would go.... his reputation.

Most people haven't collected different pieces of the puzzle that is Axl Rose over many years ? to know that his reputation is a very unfair one. I think DJ helps with that here, he's giving most people a piece of the puzzle they might not have seen before. It's a good thing.

So by your logic, you are okay with anything Steven has to say about Axl or GNR because he was there at the beginning? But to you, anything DJ says about Axl or GNR is disingenuous and only for him to self-promote because he wasn't original member of GNR?

I think I have made it pretty clear that I despise Stevie.  This is a free country.  DJ can do what he wants.  I'm
Just disappointed thAt  he's not the guy I thought he was.

I'm only chiming in because some people seem to be thinking that DJ is going out of the way to use the GNR name for self promotion.   I won't get into any specifics, but  Sixx:AM has done a media blitz the past week doing several interviews, and a friend of mine was involved in one of the interviews with Sixx:AM.  They were told ahead of time by Sixx AM's people "No GNR Questions."  Hopefully that will put to rest this notion that DJ is going out of his way to bring up GNR.  I can't speak for any of the other interviews they did, but in this instance GNR was off limits.  They want to focus on their new double album and tour, that is what they are promoting.  This is also not a strange thing that people should read into.  It is very common for publicists to give a list to keep the conversation in line with what the band is promoting.

Unless you are willing to say which interview I have to take what you say with a healthy dose of skepticism.   Jenny is a vivacious gal who is well known from her stint on the View.  DJ could have answered her question by saying just that.  I'm
Here to talk about SIXX Am and not Axl Rose.  Just saying ...
Furthermore I think it is kinda callous for someone like Jenny who has a son with autism. And DJ who claims to be all
Against bullying to rate somebody on the Kanye scale   Kinda insensitive and hypocritical. 

I'm actually aware of those facts about most people's incorrect perception of Axl- Thanks!  ::)

Your examples and explanation was so enlightening.

It was a neat trick that they brought up Axl AND Kanye, I'm sure that got a lot of clicks and attention for Ashba.

I don't even know why I respond to your posts... such nice and to-the-point comebacks (see, I can be sarcastic too : ok:). You didn't address the actual point I was making.

Just my take on a hypothetical, sorry if I over-explained it.

I think anyone can concoct "If-then" scenarios to support whatever position they choose, I prefer facts.

Fact is mentioning Axl and Kanye in the same interview was bound to get attention and hits, and it is still funny they are more interested in GNR and Axl more than anything going on in Sixxam.

Your open question posed was:

My question is, if he only chose to talk about SixxAM would he be getting as much attention and interest?



Aren't you inviting people to speculate here? You're asking a question, don't get all evasive if you happen to get an answer.

No evasive action taken- it was actually a rhetorical question- no real need to answer the obvious, Duh.

A rhetorical question is asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real answer is expected. A rhetorical question may have an obvious answer but the questioner asks rhetorical questions to lay emphasis to the point.

My scenario proposed it wasn't obvious.

If Dj had declined to answer GN'R questions on the air, there's a good chance that would've created headlines. And those wouldn't have been positive.

Why would Bodhi lie. It makes total sense.  To most people.
 

I am always wary of posts that are not backed up with. Actual evidence. 

That depends on how he handled the question.  All he had to say was a simple statement.   I am grateful for my time with GNR.  But I want to discuss SIXX am. 

Kids!

Sure, it depends on how he had handled it.

He could still have said "no comment", not thinking much about it.

Saying "I am grateful for my time with GNR" is after all a statement. Pretty good chance that would have generated some articles, and again he's being accused of name-dropping for self promotion.

People do not have to agree with me but I do think in that particular interview with Jenny that DJ was using his past relationship with Axl and GNR for self promotion.  His words rang hollow and insincere to me. Hell I am just taking  INSPIRATION  FROM THEIR OWN WORDS.
A BIG PART of our message is and will always be finding hope in dark subject matters. Taking. Universal messages and rendering them in a way which people can ascribe their own meanings to and relate to their own life experiences.  I hope that people can see the truth about DJ. But I won't lose any sleep if people don't agree with me.
There are people in this world who will do anything for fame. Even if it's just fame by proxy.

The truth you say, but it's the truth in your mind, right?

We have different opinions on the matter, no problem.

I am totally cool with us agreeing to disagree.  Like I saId I was inspired to speak up by SIXXAM themselves.  :hihi:

Point stands that it is obvious that they would rather hear about Axl and GNR than anything regarding Sixxam.

I never disputed that.

I just pointed out that if DJ had declined to answer GNR questions, live on the air, it would also create headlines - probably negative ones.

I agree.  It just draws more attention, invites follow up, and worst case scenario speculation.

People are long conditioned to believe Axl is a tyrant.  They don't need to be given much of an opening for people to say "yeah, not surprised."

Which, frankly, would only lead to some people around here freaking out.  If anything, DJ is not allowing that to happen. 

Isn't that a good thing?

It truly boggles my mind that people can't see that DJ talking about Axl is purely for self promotion. Someone who truly cherished being part of Axl's inner circle would respect that Axl is a very private person and keep comments about him to a minimum. The fact that this interview took place on a day that DJ was releasing a new song is no coincidence.  I am sure that talking about Axl was not forbidden.  Otherwise it wouldn't have come up.  DJ is a master of PR.  The music industry is a cut throat business. And players gonna play play play.  Anything for a pay Day day. DJ has the freedom to do what he wants to further his career.  Even if it means trashing a friendship. Some of us can see behind the veil.   

It truly boggles my mind that you care so fucking much about this topic. I'm saying this as a generalization towards all fans not you so please don't see this part as a personal attack but if Axl walked down the street and found you on fire he probably wouldn't piss on you to put it out, yet you get yourself worked into such a frenzy over an interview (that not many people have probably actually heard or read about) because you think it may hurt Axl's feeling??? Also what does anything DJ said have to do with Axl's 'tight inner circle'? He answered in generalities that everyone understood before the article was published. It's not like he got asked a question about his time in the band and he told some dark secret about something he and Axl did or something he saw Axl do.

This is a person who was in Guns N Roses from 09-14 and paid his dues, he is now promoting his band and is being asked questions which he has every right to answer. He also has the right to make sure he positions his band for the most success, so that is done by him focusing on GnR fans and Nikki focusing on Crue fans.

Don't like it? Don't read it, but pretty please, with sugar on top... stop polluting these threads with your best Kathy Bates 'Misery' impression, we get it, you love Axl and hate DJ and Trunk...

Thanks for the comparison to Kathy Bates.   She is a great actress.   :love:

Yeah, some definite blind spots on those 2 topics, with her.

Or maybe a visionary who sees the truth.  A great actor who worked with David Bowie told me that my writing was amazing.  So hurl all the insults you want.  I stand by my beliefs. 

Possibly, but Ashba's comments did generate somewhat negative headlines- I don't consider Axl being compared to a douchenozzle like Kanye in temperament a positive thing

http://www.inquisitr.com/2847104/forget-donald-trump-its-kanye-west-who-is-axl-roses-real-soulmate-according-to-former-guns-n-roses-bandmate-dj-ashba/

http://www.hollywood.com/general/ex-guns-n-roses-star-axl-rose-is-like-kanye-west-when-angry-60546681/

http://blog.wenn.com/all-news/ex-guns-n-roses-star-axl-rose-is-like-kanye-west-when-angry/

A good answer from DJ on that question would be "who's kanye west?"

Don?t you rail against the media for its click bait headlines and spinning mis-truths?  Now you?re using the media (and their click bait headlines) to prove your point that DJ?s a douche?  I?m confused.   :confused:

Anyone with a reliable internet connection can figure out that Axl (at times) has a bit of an anger issue and isn't always a peach to deal with.  Newsflash:  that's true for 100% of people.  I don't need DJ Ashba to confirm that for me.

Interesting that the click bait headlines were about Axl and Kanye.  Not one mention of SIXX AM or their new song.
Just saying .....

He doesn't write the headlines or ask the questions... he actually responded to it in a very political way. AGAIN, it is not a surprise to anyone paying attention that Axl is capable of holding a grudge if crossed... DJ didn't give up anything earthshattering, and again he doesn't write the headline.

Haha! Would have been a great answer! :D

Who said he's a douche? I called Kanye a douchenozzle not Ashba.

Yup. His new music is far from being earth shattering and innovative.   :hihi: Otherwise the focus would be on the new music and not past connections.  A star has not been born.

I am not sure you understand how this works.  I work in TV/Digital media and have conducted my fair share of interviews with bands over the years.  When producers and writers are preparing an interview they go out of their way to get the artist to say something that they think "will get picked up" by other news outlets.    The band goes out to promote their latest project, the media in most cases doesn't give a fuck about that project and only care about getting recognition for their show.  That is where the publicists come in with their lists of things you can't ask about, in order to keep the conversation on track promoting the new album.  If publicists feel like the band is getting asked repeatedly about something that they don't like, they will shut it down in the next interview.

How many of us knew Jenny Mccarthy had a radio show before she asked that Axl Rose question?  I know I didn't, now I do.  So who would you say benefited most  from that GNR question?  You can even hear how awkward that question was with Nikki Sixx's reaction.  DJ handled it the best way he could.  If he said he wasn't talking about Axl Rose that would have been a DISASTER!  Seriously that would have been spun in so many different directions by different websites.

DJ just answers the questions that are asked.  He doesn't write the headlines.  Guns N Roses and Kanye West are much bigger names than Sixx AM, nobody is debating that.  Of course that is what the news outlets will put in their headlines, they want clicks. 

Also, just how many times did Axl Rose come up in interviews after the Jenny McCarthy one?  Is that a coincidence?

Bodhi Your insight is appreciated.  Great art like GNR comes around once in a generation. SIXX Am is not in the same league.  I still think DJ could have been more subtle but that's  just my .02. Do you remember when Shakira stole the show at the Grammys? Truly innovative artists create their own headlines. 
And why doesn't SIXX am walk the walk of their talk and rise up against the way the media operates?

I wouldn't go there... in the rare case that it happens and a microphone is put in front of Axl for an interview, what do you think the percentage of questions that relate to 'the music' vs. being late, ex members, etc...

Welcome to the media, your problem should be with them and not DJ... so I guess I just set up your valid beef with Trunk.

Not all media people are terrible.  Dean Richards the WGN entertainment reporter always does classy interviews. I have chatted with him a few times when he is covering events in Chicago and he is a really nice down to earth guy.

I'm not so sure about that. Axl has proven himself to be quite the amateur fire fighter in his spare time. Remember those wild fires he took on years back?

^haha awesome response!

Well played! I was actually picturing the twitter post of the wild fire outside of his property as I posted that.

I think we should all celebrate with a nice warm hug. And have some food at Taco Bell. :beer:

+1
Even mentioning Axl and that idiot Kanye West in one sentence is an insult to Axl.

That's not very nice.  Kanye's cool.

No, Axl's cool.  ;)

Axl rocks!  But Kanye's cool too!

Ok I'm gonna have to trust you on this one. But if I ever meet him and find out he's not cool at all, it'll be a real let down!

Like hell.  I'd love to see that bastard jump onstage and interrupt Axl one time.  Axl might deliver a mic stand to Kanye where the sun doesn't shine!

"Yo yo yo man, I'ma letchu finish."   :P

Haha! That was an interesting visual- the first mic stand suppository :D

Kanye is the douche of all douches as should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Axl.

I truly hope I would never see any current or former GN'R members hanging out with Kanye. One exception: Kanye goes on stage to interrupt the show and someone knocks him out. I would actually pay to see this happening.

Rough crowd. 

In some ways Kanye is a cultural phenomenon.  He did give us the term Kanye moment.  That is when you express your extreme displeasure when your pick for an award does not win.  I had my own personal Kanye moment when Kate Hudson did not win the Academy Award for her totally awesome performance in Almost Famous.  I did throw a scrunchie at my TV.

Kanye is trash.

Just reminiscing about Axl's comments on Kanye in '08.

Fan: Axl how do you feel about Kanye outselling Chinese Democracy? Do you like Kanye's music?

Axl: I met Kanye at the Versace awards. He was very gracious. I love Gold Digger and told him so. I'm a big fan of his stage performance as he seems to go for it physically which I relate more to. B4 r release I sent him a msg that any nonsense from the media had nothing to do with us and wished him the best. I'm humbled we've done as well as we have considering.

His kind of music ain't really my bag, and I don't really care one way or the other what Axl or anyone else thinks of him.  I don't hate him or wish him ill, he'd as good as not exist for all he impacts on my life.

Still, you've got a guy that the whole media considers an egomaniac, a douchebag, self-indulgent and generally pretty unlikable... you'd think Guns N' Roses fans of all people would be less bothered by that than some seem to be.

I don't really like DJ's style... good for SIXX:AM, not good for GN'R. I'm more into the industrial influenced sound from the late 90's.

black skinhead is great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q604eed4ad0

Guess who's opening a brand new flagship store at the Stratosphere with a big party and meet and greets the night before the GNR concerts?
I'm just so excited that He and Kim Kardashian are hosting such big events that weekend. Maybe Kanye will come over and say Hi and purchase some swag.

Yeaaahhh, And Axl  :love: BlackMusic

 :smoking:

Kanye West is complete trash. It's bad... real bad.

Seriously? The night before the 1st GNR show?

I'll restrain myself from visiting that establishment, I don't need any swag.

OK... I get the language gap, but really... BlackMusic? That is what I imagine my grandmother called Elvis when my dad listened to him in the mid to late 50's.

But don't you want to build a beanie? :hihi:

Yeah, Music.

 : ok: