2014.05.12 - SRO Magazine - Interview with Dizzy

Transcript:

Voice-over: Guns N' Roses is one of the most iconic bands in rock and roll history. And Dizzy calls in to [?] studio to talk to Ferg about the new Sin City residency, Rock on the Range, new Guns N' Roses music, so let's get ready for Rock on the Range with Dizzy Reed.

Ferg: Thanks Johnny [?], this is Ferg SRO Magazine and we are proud to be able to talk to musician, keyboardist, Dizzy Reed of the band Guns N' Roses. As we all know, Guns N' Roses is one is one of the most recognized names in rock and roll history. They are musical majesty. You've heard his keyboards, piano and backing vocals on some of the greatest GN'R songs from Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 to Chinese Democracy. Mr. Dizzy Reed, thank you for taking the time to talk to Ferg.

Dizzy: Thank you, man. It's my pleasure.

Ferg: Well, you guys have got Rock on the Range coming up and then you've got the Sin City residency and you guys are headed back to Vegas. Tell us about it.

Dizzy: You know, we were there a few years ago and we had such a darn good time and they treated us so well and the band was so appreciative that we said, "Let's go back, let's do it again." And so we are. And it's gonna be a really, really good time.

Ferg: So can we expect, you know, the live show, all the awesomeness that is Guns N' Roses and the spectacular production value of Vegas?

Dizzy: You know, that's the plan. That's what we intend to bring. So awesomeness it shall be.

Ferg: Well, you guys are gonna be a Rock on the Fange Friday, May 16th, and then you're going to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino from May 21st to June 7th. And, might I add, that has one of the best pools in the nation.

Dizzy: It sure does. It's definitely a good place for young single people to hang out and have a good time.

Ferg: It really is.

Dizzy: Or pretend they're single. I have experience in the pool but, you know, I just stay out of the sun, for one thing, and there's a shitload  out there.

Ferg: Oh, there is.

Dizzy: But it does have one, the pool is amazing. It's just like, it's like a huge party,

Ferg: It really is. It's one of those things that if you're going to Vegas, you might as well just go by and just take a look, even if it's through the window because it is a sight to behold.

Dizzy: Yes, it's a phenomenon.

Ferg: Into itself, yes, it is. Touring's a blast. I mean, you guys tour and you've toured throughout the years, but is it kind of gonna be cool to be able to play all the same gigs at the same city for a little while?

Dizzy: You know, that was one of the things that.... It depends on who you talk to, that's one of the things I liked about it. It was just, you know, it was sort of eliminating the travel aspect which can be tiring sometimes. Sometimes that can be like the hardest part of touring, is getting up to catch a plane or jump out on the bus right after the show to drive 800 miles. And obviously it is easier for the crew. But you have to be careful not to get sucked into because, you know, every night. That could have a negative effect and it can get a little depressed. Although it is fun and would you like to get the tables and mix it up with the people? That's another great thing about doing that there is, you know, we're a little more accessible and, you know, we can hang out with some, you know, some of the fans [?] in the casino. And we'll be bringing my truck this time so that if I need to, I can go see some of the other great stuff that Las Vegas has to offer.

Ferg: Cool, you guys are gonna be playing Rock on the Range and of course in the Vegas show, is there any chance we're going to hear some of the new Guns N' Roses music, a little teasers and such?

Dizzy: There's always a possibility, with GN'R you never know. So yeah, it's definitely, definitely a possibility.

Ferg: Oh, man, that'd be great. Hey, we caught your performance on the Golden God Award. It was really good to see you guys out there jamming and getting at it.

Dizzy: Yeah, that was, you know, that turned out really great, it was great night, a great night for Axl, a great night for everybody. So many great bands. They did a great job with the show, and I'm always a little nervous about doing live TV, but that went off without a hitch, and it was really cool to see a Jim and Don and Eddie there hosting. And just, yeah, it was just, it was it was a great night. It really was. We had a great time and I haven't seen it yet, but I heard it sounds great. And you know, it's great for Ax to get the Lifetime Achievement Award. And yes, we're all very proud, very happy and they have a good thing going down there so it was great to be a part of it.

Ferg: How was it to have Duff back for a few shows?

Dizzy: It was such a treat, it was a blast, you know. It's just good to see him and to be able to hang out with him, you know. And just to, you know, tell a few stories to some of the guys that weren't around back then and... but just, it was a treat for all of us and for the fans. It was just really cool that he was able to, you know, he was available and willing to to come help us out because, you know, Tommy had some commitments with The Replacements that he had. And so we... you know, it turned out really cool.

Ferg: I read some interviews and you guys are all songwriters and you all have your own studios and then when you get together you put it all together. Are you going to be able to do that, spending that time in Vegas, put some of the new music together?

Dizzy: [?] songs and recording?

Ferg: Yeah, recording, and songs and songwriting.

Dizzy: You know, I think most of us, myself especially because I'm always writing, I'm always working, matter of fact, before we got on the phone, I was actually sitting in my studio doing a little editing. So that's something that, you know, you always try to do and just the fact that these days you can have such a high quality-

Ferg: [?]

Dizzy: -recording music in your apartment or in your hotel room is amazing because, you know, I come from a time when only you could record your music [?] on any level that was [?] was to save up your money and going to recording studio.

Ferg: That's exactly-

Dizzy: -how you can do it. You can do it yourself in your car, in the subway station, in the bathroom, wherever, it's amazing.

Ferg: I mean, it really is. That's what we're doing right now, I mean, we're recording it in the studio through Pro Tools, all of that, just, you know, in the home studio. And I am-

Dizzy: That's incredible, man.

Ferg: And I'm very well at that time frame where if you wanted something recorded, you had to save up, pay somebody to do it or it didn't get recorded.

Dizzy: And you had a limited amount of time and if it didn't sound right, you got what you got. I mean, I think it looks like it's... There's good and bad about all that, obviously. I think for a lot of us, that's how you became good and that's how you became good at what you do, your craft. That and playing in front of people, obviously, which is what I tell everybody now that if I didn't have to go through that, that just you know that are able to [?] the ProTool system where with Logic or GarageBand or whatever it is. You still have to play in front of a lot of people at the end of the day. But yeah, it's amazing. But, you know, what's next? Maybe straight from our brain waves and onto MP3 format. Who knows?

Ferg: Wow, that would make life a lot easier, wouldn't it? It also makes for some crappy music for some people, but it makes-

Dizzy: It would make for some insane music, especially for me. "What the hell is that?" "I don't know, it was going through my head [?]"

Ferg: When you write, do you have a certain genre or do you write country or pop or rock or do you have something that you focus on?

Dizzy: I've always tried to stay as well-rounded as possible and as open minded as possible. Opportunity can come knocking in many different forms. And expression can, you know, ideas, creativity can be expressed in many different forms, and there's no point limiting yourself. And it's always good to grow and not take any quote/unquote genre, not to take it seriously would be [?] yourself. So I try to listen to as much as possible and, you know, at the end of the day I'm a rock and roll guy. I love the old, that sort of mid 70s sort of style of music is kind of where where I come from. But I understand making it sound modern or, you know, doing different versions of songs. I've certainly had my fingers in a lot of different projects over the years. So but, yeah, you know, when I write most of the time it's, you know, sort of blues based rock'n'roll music.

Ferg: When Guns N' Roses starts putting stuff together and you've been, I mean you've been around since, you know, 1990s, so you've seen it all. When you guys put songs together, is it a lyrics, you know, melody or melody/lyrics album kind of thing or is it Frankenstein-y pick and choose, "this part, this part, let's put them together," and then make it work? Or is it a little combination of both?

Dizzy: Definitely a combination of both. [?] Frankenstein-y, I understand what you're saying with that and I think you know with Axl's case, with him, it's like he thinks that, you know, he believes in, and I agree, that if you don't try certain things together and start mixing things around you're gonna sell yourself short, you're gonna cheat yourself, and you might not have a.... you know, come up with a... makes the song the best that it can be. But, you know, songs can be born from so many different things. It can be a riff that's in your hear, it can be lyrics, it can be a melody, it can be a beat, it could be anything. Or a piano part that you have, that you want to turn into a song. But yeah, I think a lot of times, you know, if you think that a chorus of one song works with the verse of another, you should try it. And again, these days, that's pretty easy to do. Just take that file and stick it with the other one and let it roll. See how it sounds. But, you know, also it's very important to be able to sit down and play that on the guitar, on the piano and sing it, because a good song at the end of the day is a good song. So it should be something you can play on acoustic or on a piano and sing and do with the band.

Ferg: You once called Axl's work ethic in the studio unmatched. Is he trying to get the perfect sound? I mean, we all are, but is that what he's doing? Is trying to get the best sound possible and sometimes trying to get, you know, you see better than the best sound possible?

Dizzy: Yes, but he's also, you know, like most of us, myself especially, you've gotta have that input too, you have to have someone, you know, someone that you can trust to say, you know, "That's it," you know, "Stop, you've got it, you got the cake" [?] .You have to have that. One of the issues I have, like, working, you know, by myself, I never know when it's good enough. I'm always trying to make it better. And then you know, three in the morning my wife come and go, "It sounds fine. What are you doing?" But yeah, I think his work ethic is [?] It's made me better over the years, by far. Leap and bounds. So, yeah.

Ferg: Alright. Well, I've only got a couple more. I wanna try to fit them into the time frame, but I do appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, man. OK, one memory from you. You joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, but you knew them beforehand. You were a member of the band The Wild out in LA. So when they brought you in, tell me about that, that first stage, that first time you're playing in front of all those thousands of people.

Dizzy: I was a little nervous, a little numb. A lot of it was surreal for a lot of reasons. I had, you know, I had known, I had met everybody, you know, the whole band and Axl before, you know, before they signed their record deal. They were pulling a lot of people in the clubs around LA and they definitely had the buzz going. So I sort of watched them go from that to the biggest band arguably at the time in the world. And then they brought me along. A lot of people say it's an overnight success thing, but you know, it wasn't. Obviously, it never is. But I did have a little bit of time to prepare for that because we've been talking about it for so long. But yeah, I mean, I had to pinch myself a few times just times and I think, you know, one of my greatest memories, most exciting memories I could think of, was they hadn't been on tour yet, but I had recorded some tracks on the song Civil War and it came out long before Use Your Illusion for a benefit record I think. And I had just been told I was in the band and to go down to the management office and get my first check, I wasn't living anywhere so I needed a check to pay my rent for this apartment that I had been squatting at. I was driving down La Cienega and Civil War came on the radio, and I'm like, "This is awesome".

Ferg: Oh man, that must have been cool. I mean really.

Dizzy: Yeah.

Ferg: Mr. Dizzy Reed of Guns N' Roses. Thank you very much for taking the time out to talk to Ferg and SRO magazine. We really do appreciate it. Thanks for sitting through the cheesy stuff, that beginning.

Dizzy: There's no cheese, man, if it's necessary it ain't cheese.

Ferg: OK, excellent. And if there's ever any time that SRO Magazine or myself, Ferg, can help you out, you've got a story to tell, come to us, we'd be honored.

Dizzy: Great. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Ferg: Thank you. Have a great day.

Finished with this.