WAR OF THE ROSES! (Kerrang, May 14th. 1994) What the hell is up with Guns N' Roses?! At the start of 94, Guns Axeman Slash told Kerrang! that the next GN'R album would be out in the Summer - now rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke reckons: There is NO next album! What's more, Gilby doesn't even know if he's in the band or not! He tells all in this shock K! exclusive! Interview by Lisa Johnson When Gilby Clarke joined Guns N' Roses, the most controversial rock n' roll band in the world were in a state of crisis. Guitarist Izzy Stradlin, a founder member and chief songwriter, had quit a couple of months into a world tour. With Gilby, Guns gelled again. The tour finished smoothly, and was followed by the release of 'The spaghetti incident?', Gilby's first recording with the group. Two years after he joined the band, Gilby is preparing to release his first solo album, 'Pawn Shop Guitars'. But not everything is as cool as it seems. Guns N' Roses are again in turmoil - and there isn't a damn thing that Gilby Clarke can do about it! The following conversation happened just last week in Los Angeles... (He starts talking about practicing... about working on Pawn Shop Guitars.. then....) K: What is a typical day for Gilby Clarke? G: It's pretty simple. I start out with my coffee out by the pool (he laughes at himself). I really DO do that everyday! And then I'm always running around town. I got a lot of business and stuff. I always do that in the morning. I'm on the phone for the first couple of hours. Then I get on the motorcycle and go do whatever I have to do. Usually, I'm at Slash's every night. We work on new material and different things, whether it's my stuff, his stuff or whatever. He's got a studio in his house. We're working on some stuff right now- me, him and Matt. GN'R's not gonna do anything, so we just go up to Slash's place and work. Slash doesn't like not working. he has to have something to do. And I'm just the same. So that's it. My wife Daniella and I have dinner together, and then I head up to Slash's. Spend the night there. K: You don't actually spend the night.... G: I do sometimes. We usually work till about five or six in the morning. (then he talks about his first baby who was going to be due in June of that year) K: How is the next GN'R album progressing? G: There is no 'next GN'R album'! K: EVER? G: I don't know about EVER. For now. We started working on one, and it got canned. K: How come? G: Well, it's an Axl thing. He just wasn't into what we were doing, so he's kind of rethinking what he wants to do. He just kind of threw a wrench into everything that me, Slash and Matt had worked to. And the Duff came in. Duff and Axl have an idea what the album should be, and the rest of us have another idea. So, right now, we're not gonna do anything. And anyway, from July to the end of the year, i'm not gonna be available, because i'm gonna be working on my record. If the band decide to make a record during that time, then there's a good chance i'm not going to be doing it K: What about the rumour that you were fired by Axl last week? G: Nothing's happening right now.We're not gonna do anything. We were gonna do a lot of shows, but we're not gonna do them now. Nobody's really getting along right now. Everybody just called everything off, and we'll work on it when everybody feels like doing it again. K: My next question was going to be, how much have you been contributing to the writing? G: For a while there, I contributed a lot. But now, I don't know how much I'm going to contribute. Like I said, Axl pretty much threw a wrench into everything. He didn't like what we were all doing. It's Axl's band, and he runs it the way he wants. And whatever he wants to do is gonna happen. So we can work on songs all year long and come up with 20 songs, but when it comes down to it, if Axl writes 10 songs, he'll go 'I want my 10 songs on the record'. And that's what's gonna happen. So, as much as we work on them, it doesn't mean anything, because they may never get anywhere. Slash and I are working on some stuff right now together. It's stuff that we have put together for the next GN'R record, stuff that isn't gonna make it now. So, we're putting something together. We don't know if it's gonna be Slash solo album or WHAT it's gonna be (then he talks of how much he doesn't like 'since I don't have you', that was coming out the following week, and then....) K: 'The Spaghetti Incident?' was your first recording with GN'R. How was that for you? G: It was strange, because it wasn't like we went to make an album, we did it as different things. they had seven songs already recorded, then I went in and re-did all Izzy's guitars or put on guitars where he didn't play on them. While we were on the road, we'd go and record a couple more songs here and there. (...) We recorded a bunch of stuff over a year, every now and then. It was cool. It's really strange, because the band is like two separate things. There's the guys, except for Axl, and then there's the band WITH Axl. When we're on the road, we're always together. We hang out together, just like a band. But that's not including Axl. And then there's the band with Axl. He just kinda comes in and does what he does, puts the vocals on and all that kind of stuff. So when we're in the studio, it's cool. But, you know, I'd been playing with the band for two years before recording stuff. (then he talks about how it was when Izzy filled in for him) K: The rumours that you were out of the band were flying around at that time G: That kind of stuff, you can never stop it. I've heard so many reports that I got fired - and, you know, I've been in the band for two-and -a-half years, and I've been fired a few times. All kinds of people have been fired. K: For real? G: For real. I've seen more than just me being fired. I've seen other people quit, I've seen other people fired, you know, whatever. It's not a big deal. K: And it's still the same band. G: Exactly. Realistically, in the whole GN'R world, you don't know what's gonna happen. *I* don't know what's gonna happen. From the day I got the job, I didn't know i'f I'd be there for a week, a year, whatever. I think the same can be said about most people around the band. Axl and Slash call most of the shots. The rest of us just kinda go with the flow. You just never know, cuz it's not our call. You're relying on Axl, and he changes his mind quite a bit. I have been fired a few times, and it was for nothing that i did. That was another reason for me making my album - you don't know what's going to happen in GN'R. I don't know if i'm going to be around for the next album. I don't know WHO's going to be around! (then he talks a little bit about his solo thing... and to finish it...) K: Where are you off to now? G: I'm going to Slash's. We're going to hang out on Melrose and go to Leathers & Treasures.