Since releasing the long-awaited Guns N' Roses album 'Chinese Democracy' this past November, Axl Rose
has said very little about it, taking to message boards and e-mails for
the few comments he has made. But if there's one person who could get
him to break his silence it's Del James, Rose's longtime friend, road manager and the man whose short story, 'Without You,' inspired the epic clip for 'November Rain.'
James, a music journalist who has covered G N' R for years, dating back to his days at metal mag Rip, as well as in several Rolling Stone
articles, spoke with Rose and is sharing the results of that one-on-one. Yes, here he is, W. Axl Rose, letting loose
on Slash, answering
whether he was trying to make the best album ever and waxing
philosophically on when the original G N' R lineup really died. Del James: As reported, were you, either in your mind or otherwise, trying to create the "best album ever made"?Axl Rose: No. That's f---ing ridiculous and more negative media nonsense. We were all just trying to do our best for the fans and ourselves.
At any point did you feel or say either you or the band had to make a "masterpiece"?Of course not -- more unaccountable nonsense. Obviously, media, elements
of the public, fans and our detractors had all kinds of things going on
such as high hopes, expectations, pressure, naysayers, etc. I don't
think anyone would mind discovering a diamond mine and I don't think
anyone in any competitive field would get very far if they didn't have
dreams, aspirations or simply hope to do well. That said, these types
of comments are more from our detractors, pulled out of their ass if
not thin air.
Do you feel that your alleged sense of perfectionism has delayed the release of the album?No. Guns in any lineup wasn't going to release anything all that great any
sooner. And no matter how any of us tried, that didn't happen, and
often while any number of us were pushing to try and do so with
whatever we had going at the time. In regard to so-called
perfectionism, I feel that has a lot to do with your goals or
requirements with whatever one's doing or creating. Different levels
may be required for different objectives. If you're making brakes for a
vehicle, what's required? It's all relative, right? You try to make the
best calls you can at any given moment and go from there. Generally,
when this term is used by others in regard to me or how I work, it's
said in a negative way or as an excuse for their shortcomings -- and
again by my detractors. Whether they are open about such or not, some
people love putting others in a negative light; helps them feel better
about themselves. Too many ears and too many stupid comments have
proven that.
Did you break up the old Guns?It is my belief that the commitment to end old Guns came long before the band started in the heart and soul of one man. After that, it became more visible
sometime before/during [the 'Use Your Illusion'
albums], when
the others opted for personal reasons to change our approach, styles
and methods of working together. At the time, I unwittingly chose as a
means of what I felt was both my own and Guns' survival to adapt, and
threw myself into whatever I could get out of that to support and
promote our efforts.
The group shot of the band in front of the
piece 'Dead' was not a coincidence but not something I felt could be
talked about openly, and something I hoped would change. I couldn't
reach Izzy [Stradlin] and couldn't manage or curtail Slash and his
personal objectives to take over Guns anymore than I did at the time,
and I'm lucky to have survived, got what we did out of it and some
still enjoyed the results. But for all intents and purposes, the
'Appetite [for Destruction]' lineup and approach was already dead, and
with the addition of Matt [Sorum], the end of the then-lineup and what
Guns was
really about was only a matter of time. Only heartfelt choices by the others could or would change that. Unfortunately, nothing did.
I'm generally blamed for the time it took to release 'Illusions,' but again
the reality of my fault would be in not finding a way to manage Slash
complete with his addictions and bring both him and Izzy together
either similar to 'Appetite' or in some other progression more
conducive to Guns than how 'Illusions' was accomplished. Unfortunately,
that never truly happened, and both Guns and the public suffered for
it. I'll take the responsibility in the sense that had I known how to
achieve those goals we would have made what I feel would've been a more
effective and powerful album at the time.
See? There's the catch, right? All this time, most thought I changed the direction with 'Illusions.' A lot of nonsense theories, speculation and complete
nonrealities put together by others, based on Slash and others' crap
and off one interview taken out of context I did with Kurt Loder where
I said I hated 'Appetite.' That sentence has been used and twisted in
every conceivable way since to vilify me and purports to prove my guilt
and responsibility, when I wasn't speaking to the music itself but the
overwhelming and at that time seemingly drowning success of our record.
My statement was in specific response to the feelings I had listening to
DJs at the L.A. hard rock station KNAC at the time complaining about
having to play the entire record for the umpteenth time for fans. I
simply wanted to make another record and have it be as good or better.
If you don't think I would've liked to have five 'Appetites' and been
living like the
Stonesat the time, you're high. With that, any other avenue I hoped to pursue
musically would more than likely been available as well. This was
something I could never get through to the others with. Personal need
to dominate in Guns was very important to them. Izzy has to be in
charge or he's not comfortable, same with Slash. Duff [McKagan] tries
convincing himself he's equal partners with Slash. Each to their own.
Why didn't you write 'Appetite'-style songs yourself then?Part of what destroyed Guns was the battle between those guitars that works
so well for 'Appetite.' I have no concept how to duplicate that with
either the old guys or anyone else. I liked it then but can't say I
truly understood their nature as I feel I do now. Make no mistake: That
was a war and the efforts of one man to "successfully" remove another
in his path between him and I. Neither player wants to deal with each
other in those ways again. Those battles have already been fought, both
sides went their prospective ways. Regardless of if they were to work
together or not, the true dynamics of back then aren't something Izzy
has an interest in or would allow himself to actually be in to such a
degree other than for appearances, if that. Also, anything I had
written I felt was in similar directions then, during and after the
'Illusions' tour was more than rejected by both Slash and Duff at a
time, which greatly helped destroy whatever confidence I may have had
at the time.
Why so many guitars on 'Chinese Democracy'?Why not?
Seriously, past Guns records have only two. Why did you feel the need for more on this endeavor?I understand it's for whatever reason a bit of a challenge for most
people to feel comfortable in their minds with any band having more
than two guitarists, but technically, as far as our recording goes,
we're a bit more alike with the older recordings than one might think.
On the older records, though, it's very distinct that there are
generally two guitar parts -- each part is actually performed and
recorded twice, giving a fuller sound, so in effect you have four
guitars. Leads and fills are another pass, and often songs were
originally written and demos were done with other guitarists as well.
On 'Chinese,' instead of having the same player double his part, we chose
to add another voice and either each player's own take on the part or
their take of another's, then there's leads and fills which vary from
one person or a few on a track. Also on this record, though, you may
have one player playing more than one part in a section; they generally
tend to be two distinct parts and not overdubs or harmonizing with
their own leads or fills. No way is better than another; it's just
whatever works for what you're trying to do, what you personally want
or for whatever reason you feel you either need, choose or like.
For this record, I wanted a blend of different-style sounds and approaches;
some at least a bit unique to the individual players and their takes on
these songs. I feel the different personalities and techniques give the
material its own sense of originality. Live, I prefer the more solid
approach of the three guitars now, especially as the performances with
the rhythm are more energetic, consistent and reliable. It was fun
having Izzy on board a bit adding yet another voice to the mix and
seemed to work better for the songs this way, as opposed to having him
by himself.
Would you consider a reunion with the 'Appetite' or 'Illusions' lineups?No.
Why not?A lot more reasons than I'll get into here now. Different reasons for
each version and each individual. The Izzy bit was fun -- and also fun
because we didn't have to rely on him in any way, which is how he
prefers things and works better for everyone. That said, you never knew
if Izzy would be there or not or if he'd remember the song or decide to
leave early. It didn't cause any problems, because we were doing our
show regardless and didn't have to depend on anything, but it did open
everyone's eyes a bit and blow minds.
He called, asked to come out and negotiated a deal with management that it's probably best that none of us knew about or the fun would've seemed a bit more like being used or taken advantage of spoiling the moment. As it was, we had a great time.
It'd be highly doubtful for us to have more than one
of the alumni up with us at any given time. I suppose Duff could play
guitar on something somewhere, but there's zero possibility of me
having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that
wouldn't be pretty. He wrote that whole bit about not having his guitar
in Vegas, I'd assume, to save face. I was told by both the Hard Rock
and different Guns industry people who had come out to be supportive of
the new band and were a bit surprised to see him there, especially
guitar in hand, but just assumed it was a surprise for the show and we
were in on the arrangement.
Steven [Adler] brings assorted
ambulance-chasing attorneys and the nightmare of his mother. One gig,
or even a couple songs, could mean years of behind-the-scenes legal
aftermath.
Wouldn't you make more money?If the music was there, meaning new music, I can't say for sure right now
-- and there have been market surveys, and various promoters have put
together different projections and analysis that in areas where there
could be more, it's not enough to sell your soul and live in hell the
rest of your life for, that's definitely certain. But that's the catch,
right, the music? If I believed in that as a reality which, no offense
meant to anyone, I haven't seen anything in all these years to convince
me or we'd be doing this interview under different circumstances of
some sort, to say the least.
It's not some place I want to be or
have any interest in being. If I believed in it in regard to the music,
not in direction so much but in how it feels and to what degree, then
maybe it'd be another story. I'm in no way trying to be offensive to
anyone here, and I'm allowed to have my own feelings in regard to what
inspires me, not someone else. Other than a one-off or something, I
don't really do songs because someone else likes them.
There is the distinct possibility that having his intentions in regard to me so
deeply ingrained and his personal though guarded distaste for much of
'Appetite' other than his or Duff's playing, Slash either should not
have been in Guns to begin with or should have left after 'Lies.' In a
nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed,
avoided -- and the less anyone heard of him or his supporters, the
better.
Didn't you say you loved him in what -- '06?No. I said "loved," as in past tense. It was a misquote by a writer I mistook as a fan.
Do you think he can play guitar?I prefer listening to others in general, especially those who both push
their talents and infuse them with a level of energy that I've seldom
heard in his efforts over the years. I'm not taking anything away from
the man that are his to claim for his past efforts; it's just that for
whatever reason for me, whether the approach, style or basic hands-on
technique is there, the passion and true dedication to the art of
guitar in his chosen area other than being, in my opinion, a whore for
the limelight has generally seemed absent or lacking with most efforts
for a long time. To me, it's sad. I don't get it. Where does it go? Is
it a choice? Sometimes it's there on covers; I think Clive [Davis,
legendary record executive] fell for that.
It wasn't there with me on 'Sympathy [for the Devil]' or ['The] Spaghetti [Incident?'] and it took years for me to get there again, in my opinion, and in the ways I wanted it to be. Will I keep it? Who knows? I'd like to, but who can
say?
Who's your favorite drummer you've worked with?I've liked elements that each brought in. Josh [Freese], [Brian] "Brain"
[Mantia] and Frank [Ferrer] have been the easiest to work with and get
along with, as well as it being fun to hang out with any of them. I do
feel that all three were the right drummers to make this album. The
rehearsals with [Dave] Abruzzesse and Pod as a duo were really cool; it
was a shame then that it didn't work out but seemed for the best once
we found Josh. In regard to old Guns, I don't listen much and for
different reasons -- more because of the drums than anything else.
With 'Appetite,' for me the parts, playing, etc., timing flaws, whatever,
are perfect, and as a moment in time for me, the whole record is. That
said, the sound of the drums, which at the time in our niche of the
woods was a bit of a bold statement and a somewhat successful effort to
change things from the current flow at the time, and so may have been
necessary but for me sound the most dated of anything there sound-wise.
With 'Illusions' several years ago, something came on the radio and I
realized how the energy in the drums, though solid and consistent,
brought me down in a way I feel damaged the material in the long run,
if not from the get-go. Maybe it's there with some, most or all of us
in ways, but I specifically notice it more with the drums. And when
listening in that sense of analyzing how something feels to me in
regards to its involvement or inclusion in the song, whether anyone
disagrees I'm somewhat capable of removing myself and events from the
picture.
For m,e it's more about certain energies and feel, and
I'm not into what we did there for a good bit in regard to the drum
work. To actually have a drummer that could play at the time, though,
was a bit too overwhelming. The public has no idea what went into
Steven's parts and the notion of getting through songs in rehearsal if
ever, with no exaggeration, was unfortunately a nightmare that neither
I or Izzy could take, and eventually the others as well, though they
lasted longer for other reasons.
What do you think of Steven being on the VH1 rehab show?
I wish Steven the best; unfortunately Steven's given us the spoiler for
that. I hope people are able to find answers and get the help they
need; other than that, I'm not the biggest fan of the show.
Who's in the band?I think we'll go with a combo of who's around and who's on the album for now and worry about that when we get ready to tour.
Is Robin [Finck] in the band?Last I was aware, he had some interest in touring, though I can't say what
that means until then. In our opinion, he's made things a bit awkward
publicly, but that's just his way.
Is Brain in the band?Last I checked. Brain works on several things with Guns either from his home or in the studio.
So you have two drummers? Will they both tour?Yes, and who knows?
When's the next album?Have no idea and don't care. Hopefully, we'll be working 'Chinese' for a
good bit. Of course there's the same idiots that have been around
forever already demanding release dates.
How much material is there?Not as much as Baz [Sebastian Bach] thinks he heard! Really, it doesn't
matter. If things go well enough, we'd like to get another out at some
point in our lifetimes.
Is anything finished?Depends how you look at it.
How do you look at it? Not something we've focused on.
You're not saying much.You got that? What I can say is if you don't like this, then you probably
won't like that. Same people, lots more approaches, bit meaner in
places and darker in some. Robin does a really great Stevie Ray
Vaughan-type solo on one track.
Slash has said that the
sessions they did with Izzy before Velvet Revolver were the best Guns
album ever. What do you think of that?Politics.
In what way?Old Guns promotion.
What happened between you and [photographer] Robert John?Hmmm... I don't know anyone who knows. Last I heard he was allegedly doing a lot of meth and sleeping on his mom's floor. Anyone whose opinions I
trust seems to thinks he lost his mind, lives in a fantasy world and
knows everything.
What's that about, if you don't mind me asking?Have no idea. This is a guy that I got in the business, got him gigs, paid
and treated well, promoted, etc. Helped him get a house, helped him
keep his house, bought his photos, and when Merck [Mercuriadis, former
G N' R manager], for whatever reasons took forever to pay him, Robert
sues me ... but I didn't know anything about it. Next thing, I'm the
Antichrist because I didn't like some photos. F--- if I know.
I called Robert out of the blue back when, because I felt I knew
something was wrong. Finally, he says he was gonna kill himself. I put
up about 60-something-K on the mortgage, got a couple payments, but
that wasn't where the trouble started. It was that the bank was
foreclosing on that money, so he was pissed at our accountant, who kept
on him trying to sort out what we should do and Robert avoiding him --
who was the others' accountant as well. I only learned of any of this
near the end. He and Robert knew each other for years. He's one of the
guys who allegedly saw Slash with his guitar in Vegas. And it seems
genuine because he didn't know anything was going on. He's like, "Why
was Slash there with his guitar?" And the Hard Rock people -- what did
they have to lie about? They deal with all the bands ... friends,
enemies, whatever, so it's just business. As far as I know, we're all
good with that.