GILBY CLARKE: I Have No Problem Playing With Any Of The GUNS N' ROSES Guys Again

Members of the HereTodayGoneToHell.com and GunsNRoses.gr forums recently conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current SUPERNOVA guitarist Gilby Clarke. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Q: In 1993, did you expect to be making a new GUNS N' ROSES record with the band as it was at the time?

Gilby: Well, did I expect it? No. (Laughs). I knew. The reason why I made my solo record was 'cause I knew the days were numbered. I could tell from the way Axl [Rose] was on the road, and the conversations we had, that he was going somewhere different. So I gave a bunch of guitar songs to Axl and Slash, and they passed on them. So, that's when I decided to make my record. But, yeah, I could pretty much tell that it was going to be hard to keep it together.

Q: Do you ever invision yourself in GUNS N' ROSES again, or is it something you have left go of?

Gilby: I haven't closed the door on it, because no matter what happens, number one, I love the music of GUNS N' ROSES, number two, I still think it's a powerful band. But I just think what Axl is doing right now he needs to do. Whether he wants to continue with it, it's really up to him. I have no problem playing with any of the guys again. So, I'm just gonna leave it at that. You know, it's not about money for me, I hope it's not about money for the rest of the guys too. It's the same thing why we did the MC5, you know, being able to bring that music to a generation that never got to see it the right way. And that's why also I've been playing more GN'R songs in my set. I used to never do it. And I just think it's important for them to see it being represented the right way.

Q: What direction was GN'R going before you left the band?

Gilby: Well, there was no direction. That's really it.

Q: How would you imagine a possible GN'R reunion? With the "Appetite for Destruction" lineup or the one from the "Illusions" (with you)?

Gilby: I think if it did ever happen, obviously we're all just talking crap (laughs),everybody would wanna see the original lineup with Izzy [Stradlin] and Steven [Adler], but the fact is that Steven couldn't do it anymore, he's just not capable of doing that set, playing the songs that Matt [Sorum] has recorded as well as the ones he has, so probably Matt would be the drummer. Obviously I'm sure they would ask Izzy before me. If Izzy wanted to do it he would do it, [and] if he didn't want to do it, then they would probably ask me, I would hope (laughs). It would have to come down to what the circumstances were. Like I said, I still love the music, I still love performing. We would just have to see. It's a fun question to talk about, but we really don't have that answer.

Q: So, what are your expectations with SUPERNOVA?

Gilby: I hope it's huge, I hope we sell a million records so we can play stadiums. I mean I do. Look, it's a dream band. You know, Tommy Lee is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll drummers, Jason [Newsted] is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bass players. This is an opportunity that doesn't come along often. And also, they could have had anybody, but I got picked. You know they could have picked anybody, and they picked me. You know, Slash could have the gig, but they wanted me. So I feel really good about that.

Q: So, why did you choose a reality show to find a singer? Is that move showing signs of the modern music industry?

Gilby: Yes, times have definitely changed. We didn't have the power of television back then. If we did, we would have used it. Believe me, we all used MTV. Reality TV is reality TV. It's part of the future, 'cause people are tired of watching crappy television shows that were written by the same five guys. Reality TV is unpredictable to a point. So, this is more about a band. The three of us, myself, Jason and Tommy we only think about the band, we don't care about TV. TV is TV. Let the TV people do their thing. It's a great way to find a singer. If we knocked our heads to find a singer, we wouldn't have anybody. So, it's great to see a lot of people, that we would have never seen before, in perfect circumstances. I wish everybody would have this chance. Believe me, VELVET REVOLVER wished they had this chance until they found Scott [Weiland]. So, it's great.

Read the entire interview at this location.