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> Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby
>   Clarke is finding a new path
>
>   By Clay Marshall
>   Daily Trojan (U. Southern California)
>   04/14/1999
>
>
>
>   (U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- For former Guns N' Roses guitarist
Gilby Clarke, life really is a journey. In
>   the last 15 years, he has toured as part of four different bands,
including one of the most popular of all time. Then
>   there are his three pop-meets-punk solo albums (the latest is
Rubber), all of which he has toured to support.
>
>   "(I) love being out on the road," he said. "I usually like to do a
good road trip at least twice a year."
>
>   Clarke's latest touring formation includes two famed musicians:
ex-Kiss drummer Eric Singer and L.A. Guns
>   guitarist Tracii Guns. The three mesh well, Clarke said.
>
>   "It's awesome," the 36-year-old said of his current band. "We all
grew up liking the same kind of music. Now that
>   we're a little bit older, we don't argue about silly things
anymore. We just want to get together and play - it's purely
>   for fun.
>
>   "As you get older and have responsibilities, you tend not to do a
lot of things for fun. That's what's great about
>   playing with the guys - we get together and screw around with all
the music we enjoy."
>
>   In the past three months, these "get-togethers" have taken place at
several area clubs, including 14 Below, the
>   Whisky and most frequently, the Baked Potato Hollywood. These
"small, intimate" venues contrast sharply with the
>   stadiums and large arenas Guns N' Roses used to frequent.
>
>   "I like a lot of the smaller places," Clarke said. "They're
definitely more fun (because) we can be a lot looser.
>
>   "I don't think anybody would ever say, I love the intimacy of a
club, (but) I like it better than stadiums.' I would
>   rather stand up there playing a stadium, singing my songs, than
playing a club. But the intimacy (of a club) is
>   awesome. When you play a stadium, the people are so far away."
>
>   Even so, Clarke loved every minute of playing before huge crowds.
>
>   "It was quite a trip," he said. "Since (I was) a kid, I always said
I wanted to play guitar in a rock 'n' roll band. Every
>   time (Guns N' Roses) walked onstage, I appreciated it. It was great
- it was everything I ever wanted."
>
>   Before joining Guns N' Roses at the height of its popularity in
1991, Clarke, who moved to Hollywood from his
>   hometown of Cleveland at the age of 15, was part of Kill For
Thrills, a band which quickly earned recognition on
>   the Hollywood club scene. He was also in a group called Candy for a
while.
>
>   "Back in the (late '80s), even though there were a lot of bands, it
was still a small scene," Clarke explained.
>   "Everybody pretty much knew each other. I knew (Guns N' Roses lead
guitarist) Slash."
>
>   Because of this acquaintance, after Guns N' Roses' original rhythm
guitarist, Izzy Stradlin, left the band, its
>   members called on Clarke as a quick replacement.
>
>   "When they needed a guitar player, they called me and I was the
only guy who went and physically auditioned with
>   them," Clarke said. "I didn't have time to really learn anything -
I had to do it by ear. We played two or three songs,
>   and (Slash) says, Come back tomorrow.' I did that for like five
days in a row, and they said, You got it. We're going
>   on tour.'
>
>   "It's really odd," Clarke admitted. "Sometimes I look back and go,
God, if I didn't get that GNR gig, where would (I)
>   be right now?' It definitely was a boost for my life."
>
>   Clarke immediately joined the band on a tour that lasted through
1993.
>
>   However, there were some comic and difficult moments along the way.
>
>   "My amp blew up everywhere," Clarke laughed. "I use amps that are
not really meant to be played heavy metal' on.
>   Every night, the abuse from the volume - one would blow every
single night. I used to have to keep 15 in a row just
>   to keep two working. With GNR, every day was Spinal Tap.'"
>
>   The black-haired, blue-eyed Clarke and the rest of Guns N' Roses
also had to tolerate the notorious antics of singer
>   Axl Rose.
>
>   "I'd say every one out of four shows, something happened where he
would walk off stage and leave the five of us
>   out there to fend for ourselves," Clarke said.
>
>   When the tour ended, Clarke, whose hobbies include sports and
classic cars, embarked on a solo project, on which
>   he hoped to combine a variety of styles he liked.
>
>   "I've always said that I want to use the melodies of the Beatles,
the rock 'n' roll in the guitars of the (Rolling)
>   Stones, but played with a punk rock edge," he said. "I like pop
songs, but I want the guitars raunchy, and I want
>   them played aggressively."
>
>   The 5-foot-9 Clarke said coming up with enough songs for a record
after being on the road for two years was not a
>   problem.
>
>   "I had a backlog of songs that I had ready to go," he said. "I
brought those songs to the band, because we weren't
>   sure if we were going to make a new record. Nobody was really
interested in them, so I just said, You know, I'm
>   gonna put out my own record. If anyone buys it, they buy it; if
they don't, they don't.'
>
>   "(It was) something I'd always wanted to do," he continued. "It was
the perfect time - I knew that the band wasn't
>   going to do anything for a long time."
>
>   The resulting album, 1994's Pawnshop Guitars, featured many guest
musicians, including many of Clarke's Guns N'
>   Roses bandmates. The album's biggest hit, "Cure MeSOr Kill Me,"
which features an infectiously catchy guitar riff,
>   almost came about by accident, he says.
>
>   "Actually, it was the last song for the Pawnshop record," he
explained. "The record was really ready to go, and I
>   always had that riff sitting around. I actually had it in the key
of G, and it wasn't the same.
>
>   "One day, we kept jamming the riff, and it wasn't going anywhere. I
just go, Let's pop it in E.' We put it in E and it
>   took on a whole new life. My A&R guy came down, and I go, Hey, I
got this new song - check this out,' and I
>   played it. I didn't really have any words or anything, so I just
started mumbling through it, and he goes, That's the
>   song!'
>
>   "When we put it on the record, it was the only song that was never
demoed before," he said. "I think that helps the
>   freshness. That's still my favorite song I've ever written. To me,
it has all the elements of music that I like: It's got a
>   good rock riff, it's got a good chorus and it's fun to play."
>
>   After a year of touring in support of Pawnshop Guitars and then
accompanying Slash on the road in support of his
>   side project, Slash's Snakepit, Clarke realized his future plans
did not include Guns N'Roses.
>
>   "I had known for a long time that Axl was going to change the
direction of the band. I knew the end was coming,"
>   he said. "That's why I dug deep into my solo career. There were
days when Axl would call Slash and go, Fire Gilby
>   - he doesn't fit in with my plan,' but he would never tell me. That
was going on for a long time.
>
>   "One day, the money stopped, and that was my clue," he continued,
laughing.
>
>   "But I knew what was going on so it wasn't a shock. I was never
officially fired or anything."
>
>   Clarke then took a six-month vacation, during which his striking
wife, Daniella, gave birth to the couple's only
>   daughter, the now 4-year-old Francesca ("we just call her Frankie,"
Clarke says).
>
>   He then recorded a second solo album, The Hangover, released in
1997.
>
>   However, because he only briefly toured in support of the record,
he wrote and released another album, Rubber,
>   only a year later.
>
>   "I think people get a little too clinical about their records,"
Clarke believes. "As an artist, when you have the songs
>   that you think you're ready to make a record with, go make the
record. You've gotta put it out."
>
>   The album includes "Kilroy Was Here," a song of which Clarke is
particularly proud.
>
>   "I wrote it about a friend of mine (Jim Ellison, a musician in the
band Material Issue) who committed suicide, and
>   (the song) just worked," Clarke said. "Sometimes, you write a song
where you don't get out what you were trying to
>   say, or it just doesn't work. That time, it worked. I sat down to
write a song about something, and I did it, and I was
>   really happy with the result."
>
>   He also says he is really happy when playing live, which he will do
in Portugal later this month and in Europe during
>   the summer. He also plans to release a live album soon. In the
meantime, he can be seen jamming with friend
>   Teddy Andreadis on occasional Tuesdays at the original Baked Potato
on Cahuenga Boulevard.
>
>   "We make records so we can play live," he said, adding he "never,
ever, ever" tires of performing some of his older
>   songs live. "I love playing. I don't ever sit there and go, No, I'm
not going to play a song. I don't like it.'
>
>   You'll never hear me say that."