1991.11.27 - Rockline - Interview with Axl

by **Blackstar** Wed Jul 18, 2018 6:22 pm

TRANSCRIPTION:
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[Intro]

Bob Coburn: Live via satellite from Hollywood, it’s Rockline, the award winning show where you interview the biggest stars in rock ‘n’ roll. Hello again, I’m Bob Coburn. [Mentions the sponsors of the show]. Tonight it’s a 2-hour special edition of Rockline with Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses. So get your questions ready and call us toll-free in the U.S and Canada, 1-800-344-ROCK, that’s 1-800-344-7625, one number toll-free from anywhere in North America. Without a second’s hesitation, I can say Guns N’ Roses is the hottest band in rock ‘n’ roll. I think it’s been a long, long time since anybody has been this hot – or this controversial, for that matter. For years, stories have circulated about the band, some true, no doubt, some of them bs. Tonight you’ll get to hear the story directly from one of the men who has lived it. Let’s welcome the Gunners’ frontman, Mr. Axl Rose. Good to see you.

Axl: Yo, what’s happening?

Bob Coburn: I can’t believe you are here. I can’t believe I’m here. There’s a wreck outside the Rockline studios, it’s a freeway, it’s so unbelievable!

Axl: Yeah, I thought this was just gonna be like a concert and I was going to be late again.

Bob Coburn: (Laughing) Yeah. You start a couple of hours late, huh?

Axl: Great way to start.

Bob Coburn: Oh man! We’re gonna put you directly in touch with your fans. No editing, no remarks taken out of context. It would seem to me this would be a good show for you to do. I mean, what you say is what’s gonna go out tonight.

Axl: Sounds good.

Bob Coburn: Sounds good to you? Let’s start with something easy. Why two separate CD’s? Why didn’t you release a traditional double CD? Why did you put out Use Your Illusion I and II and make it separate?

Axl: So that the people could afford it. You know, they can buy one or buy the other; or they can buy one and a friend can buy the other and they can tape it, and... So that the package, you know, for the price, they could buy one or the other. And it was also competitive with other things out there in the market. You know, if somebody else’s record is 12.95 and ours is 30 bucks, it’s like, that’s...

Bob Coburn: Yeah, that’s true, yeah. And a lot of fans simply can’t afford to buy both at once. I bet a lot of people buy one, wait a month or so for a little more cash to come in, and then they go back and buy the other one.

Axl: Yeah, or tape it off a friend.

Bob Coburn: Or tape it off a friend. And you don’t mind that, huh?

Axl: Not a whole lot new.

Bob Coburn: Yeah? That’s good to hear, that’s great to hear in fact.

Axl: When they’re selling it that’s another story.

Bob Coburn: Yeah, yeah, that is another story. A lot of people want to know about Izzy. What’s going on with Izzy, are you gonna tour again, is he gonna be part of the tour, what’s his situation?

Axl: No, Izzy has resigned.

Bob Coburn: He has resigned.

Axl: Yeah.

Bob Coburn: Just as a touring member? Is he gonna continue to write with the band? What’s the situation?

Axl: At this point, no.

Bob Coburn: “No.”

Axl: At this point, no. And we have our own plans for the next - the follow-up - and then the record after that. And it’s kinda like, we’re going in separate directions, and he’s not really into touring or video or anything like that. And Slash and I are the ones, you know, figuring out the direction that Guns N’ Roses is going, and Izzy is not really part of that anymore, so...

Bob Coburn: Mmm-mmm. Who’re you gonna have onstage and take on tour? Are you gonna have another guitarist?

Axl: Right now we have a guitar player named Gilby Clarke. And he’s been in Hollywood about as long as us. And, you know, he’s doing a really good job. But I don’t know about farther than the touring.

Bob Coburn: Yeah. And he was in the band Kill For Thrills – for those people who don’t know his band.

Axl: Yeah. He was in the band Candy when we were playing the clubs, there was all kinds of different bands.

Bob Coburn: You know, I mean, it’s been a long time between real studio releases for you guys. But I mean, there are 30-some-odd songs or 30 on the nose in this, and the quality is unbelievable. Most bands don’t have this amount of songs in their career - let alone off of one release. Has the band peaked or is there more to come, do you think?

Axl: No, we started with 56 songs...

Bob Coburn: Gee!

Axl: ... you know, and we cut it down to 30. And we decided which ones were important out of that, and kind of put different things on the side, on the shelf, that we weren’t really into, and recorded the most important ones now. And we kinda wanted to get things - we wanted to clean the closet, you know. Because when we set out to make Appetite, we had some of these songs already then, and we wanted to get rid of all those songs so that we could have - be fresh to start, and whatever we do next time is brand new for us.

Bob Coburn: Yeah, yeah. So you have some that didn’t make the cut. Any idea what’s gonna happen with some of those? Will they come out as B-sides? Hang out on them for later? Are you gonna trash them?

Axl: I have no idea. There’s just parts and stuff. And we kinda like took the best things from those. Slash is, though, one who really has a backlog of some material, and I don’t know what he plans to do with that.

Bob Coburn: You know, I know one song in particular, Don’t Cry, was written quite a few years ago, wasn’t it?

Axl: Yeah.

Bob Coburn: You’ve actually had that (?)

Axl: That was the first GN’R song. I mean, there’s Back off Bitch that was written, like, in ’82, but the first GN’R song that we wrote for the band was Don’t Cry.

Bob Coburn: So that’s kind of a lucky tune for you I guess, huh?

Axl: Well, we saved it, cuz we really liked it and it was our most successful song here in Hollywood, on the club circuit. And so we saved it cuz we didn’t know if we were gonna sell five records or a million records of the first one...

Bob Coburn: Yeah, yeah.

Axl: ...So we wanted to make sure we had a good song ready for the second (chuckles).

Bob Coburn: I think (?) the first one ended up being 14 million and counting.

Axl: Yeah...

Bob Coburn: And the sticker’s still going on that one, you know? We’re gonna start with a cover, actually, off Use Your Illusion I. Live and Let Die, the McCartney song. I assume you’re a big Beatle and Paul McCartney fan, is that the case?

Axl: Yeah, I grew up on it, you know, and appreciated it. But one of the main reasons we did Live and Let Die... There’s a few reasons. One, because a critic in L.A. was bagging on all the James Bond songs, and how they were all great, but Live and Let Die was a terrible song. And so we kinda decided that maybe he needed to hear that for another five years (chuckles).

Bob Coburn: (Laughs)

Axl: You know, cuz we knew that if we did it, we did it well; and this person would have to hear it. Another reason was that it was something to shoot for, you know, in quality; and also, you know, if we could show that we could do that kind of song, it would, like, show the quality in the rest of our songs. Another thing is like, you know, it was kind of –not much, but a little bit of a hard pill to swallow- that we consider Welcome to the Jungle 2 is Live and Let Die, and it’s somebody else [that] wrote it, not us.

Bob Coburn: Not you, eh?

Axl: You know, but that’s kinda like a more mature version of Welcome to the Jungle, to at least Slash and I.

Bob Coburn: That’s what we gonna start with tonight. We’re with Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, 2-hour special edition on Rockline. Live and Let Die.

[Live and Let Die is played]

Bob Coburn: Live and Let Die, Guns N’ Roses, from Use Your Illusion I. Have you guys shot a video for that yet? Axl?

Axl: Just got it done.

Bob Coburn: Just got it done, huh?

Axl: Just got it done 2 days ago and we’re really happy with it. We used a lot of shots from our childhood and stuff that we’ve had to live through. I think it will be fun for people.

Bob Coburn: So that’s in editing now?

Axl: No, it’s done.

Bob Coburn: Oh, it’s done, so you’re rolling.

Axl: It’s done.

Bob Coburn: Alright. Look for it, it’s coming your way. We’re taking a brief time-out, and we’re gonna give you your chance to talk with Axl Rose live, nationwide on Rockline. Call us toll-free [gives the phone numbers].

[Commercial break]

Bob Coburn: Back to Rockline, 2-hour special edition with Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses. We’re gonna hit the phones right now. We’ll go to Charleston, South Carolina to begin things. We have Jamie on the line, she’s a listener of 96 Wave FM. Hi.

Jamie: Hi, man, it’s a “he”.

Bob Coburn: Oh, it’s a “he”. Sorry about that, Jamie.

Jamie: (Laughs) Well, first of all, Axl are you there?

Axl: Yeah, I’m here.

Jamie: Yeah, man. First of all, I’d like to say hello, and give you the good word from [mentions two names] and all the cheers in Charleston’s best Rock 96 Wave FM. If you ever get around, check out [mentions a name], the best looking DJ you’ll ever meet, and we all really dig your stuff.

Axl: Thanks a lot, man.

Jamie: Seriously I... It disgusts me if people get real cheesy and over-complimentary, man, but I really think you deserve everything you’ve got coming to you, buddy.

Axl: (laughing) Thanks a lot.

Jamie: Okay, here’s my question for you tonight. It concerns how you deal with your intense popularity. I mean, you go and think back to when you first got the gumption to start the full thing off, right? Inner drive, your ambitions, determination, your musical vision, and just all those inner energies that propelled you to where you are today. How do you retain that original vision that you had, and stay true to your art form, and live out of all this gargantuan fame and fortune that you’ve since experienced? I mean, basically, how did Axl stay Axl, do you know what I mean? And how much of a bitch do you find that it is in trying to do that?

Axl: Well, I consider myself a time broker (chuckles). And everything I do is, like, another way to buy time. And with that time, you can get back in touch with yourself and figure out what you’re doing. And it’s like, with all the interviews, and reacting to interviews, or doing anything like that, you know, it’s like, you’ve gotta space it, so that you can get back in touch with yourself. And after we got really successful and it looked like we were getting overhyped, you know, we just had to stop everything for a couple of years, really, so that we could figure out what we were doing and how we wanted to handle it rather than how other people wanted to handle us.

Bob Coburn: How about just going out, man, and being around town? Can you still do that? Can you still get out and go places?

Axl: Different places, yeah. Different cities or, you know... different places, different cities. Some, like, places here in L.A. that they’re used to seeing all kinds of people. So it’s okay.

Bob Coburn: It’s no big deal, yeah.

Axl: Yeah.

Bob Coburn: Jamie, thanks for starting us off. We’re gonna head to Deal, New Jersey now and talk with Erin. She’s listening to Z Rock 1480 AM in New York City. Erin, you’re on the Rockline with Axl Rose.

Erin: Hi Axl.

Axl: What’s happening?

Erin: Hi. Would you get down with me? Because I’m very nervous.

Axl: (Chuckles) Oh, okay.

Erin: Okay. And I love your music, too. I’m really shocked about Izzy. (?) but I really am, cuz I really like him.

Axl: Yeah. Well, we’ve been together for 15 years, so it’s kind of a shock to my system too.

Bob Coburn: Yeah, I bet.

Erin: Did you go with him in high school?

Axl: Yeah.

Erin: You guys were good friends?

Axl: Yeah.

Erin: Wow.

Axl: Yeah, he was a skateboarder. We hooked up in about 8th grade and started playing around that time.

Erin: Wow!

Axl: He was a drummer then.

Erin: Really?

Axl: Yeah (chuckles).

Erin: Oh, wow. So do you have somebody in your mind to, like, take his place?

Axl: We have a person that we are working with, named Gilby Clarke, who has played around Hollywood about as long as us. But I don’t know about the next album, you know. We’re still talking with other people and stuff as far as that goes.

Erin: Oh, that’s good.

Bob Coburn: What else, Erin?

Erin: Okay. I have two questions for you. I’d like to say that I really love Elton John and I’ve been reading how much you really love him and I was like (?)

Axl: Mmm-mmm.

Erin: And I want to say I was pretty shocked that you weren’t on his new album, which...

Axl: Well, we’ve been asked to do a pay-per-view show with him. But with the Izzy thing, it kind of messed up rehearsals, so I don’t know if we will do that or not. But if we can, we’ve been asked to do some things. And, you know, fitting it into our schedule, we’re trying to do it. So, hopefully, something will happen at one point with Elton.

Bob Coburn: And there is the thing...

Axl: And Bernie is just the greatest.

Bob Coburn: Yeah, Bernie. They both are, they’re both great guys. And I saw a little “thank you” on the CD for those guys, as well.

Axl: Yeah.

Bob Coburn: Erin, thanks a bunch. We’re gonna talk to Rachel, we’re headed to Jacksonville, Florida right now. Rock 105 is our station. Rachel, you’re on the Rockline with Axl.

Rachel: Hi Axl.

Axl: What’s happening?

Rachel: I think you’re the greatest and...

Axl: (laughs)

Rachel: (?)

Axl: I feel like Muhammad Ali.

Bob Coburn: Yeah (laughs). You are the greatest (laughs).

Rachel: First off, out of the two versions of Don’t Cry, which do you like better? And secondly, are you gonna be playing the Monsters of Rock festival in Donnington next year?

Bob Coburn: Let’s start with the festival, if we can.

Axl: Um, Donnington, no, I doubt it. It’s like, I’m not really interested in playing Donnington anymore. You know, we bring about the same amount of people playing Wembley stadium on our own.

Bob Coburn: (Chuckling) Yeah.

Axl: And about Don’t Cry: The original Don’t Cry was, like, the first song written for Guns N’ Roses. And then, when I was in the studio recording it, I started hearing different words and melody while I was singing the old one. And it was one of the last songs we did. And I just... we just put on another track and went for it. And I like the new one better, cuz it’s where I’m at now. It’s kind of where the band is at now. The old one means a lot to me, because of the nostalgia, and the history of our band, and the history of our lives for me. You know, I can see all kinds of things in that song when I sing it or when I hear it. But the new one is kind of where I’m at now. And the video that we just did for Don’t Cry fits even better with the new lyrics than the old one.

Bob Coburn: Let’s play the one with the new lyrics right now from Use Your Illusion II. Guns N’ Roses, on Rockline, on the global satellite network, Don’t Cry.

[Don’t Cry alt. lyrics is played]

Bob Coburn: Don’t Cry, from Use Your Illusion II. We’re with Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses, 2-hour special edition on Rockline tonight. It’s your turn coming up next. Call us, toll-free [mentions phone numbers]. Rockline on the Global Satellite Network.

[Commercial break]

Bob Coburn: Welcome back. And we’re just getting it going here with Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses. I’m Bob Coburn. It’s Rockline, 2-hour special edition. The numbers, toll-free are [mentions phone numbers]. That is the number that Vonnie called. She’s in Indiana, Pensylvania, listening to 97 Rock in Pittsburg.

Axl: (Laughing) Indiana, Pensylvania!

Bob Coburn: Indiana, Pensylvania, yay, yeah. Vonnie, you’re on the Rockline.

Vonnie: Hi, Axl. Happy Holidays.

Axl: Thank you.

Vonnie: I have noticed that at the beginning of the Don’t Cry video, the little baby, (?) it had blue eyes. And then at the end it had green [eyes]. And then there’s the message, “There’s a lot going on”...

Axl: Yeah.

Vonnie: “P.S. thanx Joseph!”?

Axl: Yeah.

Vonnie: Who’s Joseph? And what’s the purpose of the eyes?

Axl: Well, the eyes, it was different babies, and it was meant to be that it was two different people, you know, and it was like birth and rebirth. And it was meant to show that, you know. And we just used green eyes cuz I have green eyes. And “there’s a lot going on” means that there’s a lot more going on in the world than most people think or care to realize. And Joseph was the guy who... You know, Don’t Cry was his favorite song. He’s a DJ out here in Hollywood that keeps a lot of bands alive, and keeps people listening to them - you know, a bit alternative and a bit hard rock - and he works in all the hard rock clubs. And he’d got our song, Don’t Cry, to the record company in the beginning, and I didn’t feel that anybody that he had helped had really thanked him enough. And I knew if I put it on there, it would be permanent, and if I didn’t put his last name – his name is Joseph Brooks – people would be like, “Oh, who is Joseph?”

Bob Coburn: Yeah. Good for you for doing that, and giving somebody else some recognition. Vonnie, thanks for the call. And yes, there is an Indiana, Pensylvania (laughs).

Axl: (chuckling) That’s too wild.

Bob Coburn: We have a call from St. Louis. Terry is on the line.

Axl (laughing): Uh-oh.

Bob Coburn: He is listening to KC95. Your favorite place, huh? (chuckles). Hey Terry, how’re you doing, man?

Terry: I’m good. Hey, Axl, how is it going up there?

Axl: It’s going great.

Terry: Right. My question is this: There is a lot of loyal fans in St. Louis, and it takes a long time to build up that loyalty. So my question is this: Why exactly, the situation at Riverport, why did it happen? And once the fans picked up the latest CD of yours, and they’ve seen the “F.U. St. Louis” in it, they were really upset now. A lot of fans are just basically upset with the fact that they are loyal fans, and they didn’t, maybe, appreciate what you said in the liner notes. And all I’m asking is why.

Axl: Well, I feel that the loyal fans shouldn’t take that to heart. If they didn’t have anything to do with it, then, you know, I wasn’t talking to them. If you look really closely at the Don’t Cry video, I have a 1940’s St. Louis baseball and a St. Louis hat on. And the reason it happened was because the promoter just didn’t really care about the people in the crowd or the band on the stage. And, you know, there were a lot of problems going into the show, and during the show with the way the building was being run. And once I realized we had fulfilled our contract, and I got a contact knocked out in diving after a guy that the security didn’t care to stop, cuz that was their friend, it was like it was over. And I went backstage, got a new contact, came back and it was too late, you know. And my problem with that situation is that... You know there’s a lot of fingers pointed at Guns N’ Roses, a lot of fingers pointed at me, and I’m going to take responsibility for what I did in that situation and why I did it and pay whatever the consequences are. But a lot of people in that crowd that, you know, they tore up our equipment, they tore up the building, and I don’t see anybody going “Umm, I apologize for throwing that chair through your amps.” I don’t see that, and that really bothers me. But then, I also look at it like - you know, Spin magazine said that that was a great show of solidarity with us and the crowd, being sarcastic. At the same time I went, “Well, that’s our audience and that’s what I used to do if things went wrong. I’d just tear something up.” (chuckles) So, I went, “Well, I guess that was our crowd,” you know. And it’s like, the emotions got high, and I think everybody should take a bit more responsibility for what happened, you know; and also respect that it is the artist who has control over a lot of things, and, if that isn’t respected by the building, or the security, or even the people in the crowd, the artist has the right to leave.

Bob Coburn: Now, you felt you were justified in doing that, in that situation. You had another situation here in Los Angeles, where one of the nights that you were playing at the Forum, the limo made an illegal left turn apparently, and you said that you wouldn’t go on unless the ticket was torn up. I found out afterwards, this story came to me, that you were told the night before to turn there...

Axl: No.

Bob Coburn: ... that’s something that a policeman told you. What don’t you tell the story, what happened?

Axl: No. A police officer pointed - on the very night that it happened, pointed for us to turn this way. And then, another police officer didn’t care, and pulled us over. And it’s like, we were running late and we were told by an officer of the law to turn where we were, within the law; and another officer just didn’t care.

Bob Coburn: So it all happened on the same night: One guy said, “Turn here” and somebody else followed you and busted you for doing that, eh?

Axl: Yeah. And it was like, he was taking time and he was messing things up, and it was just kinda like... I just think it was a lack of respect for the crowd, and the band and rock ‘n’ roll in general. And fighting the system is a bit more important to me than playing a concert.

Bob Coburn: Yeah.

Axl: (chuckles) Yeah.

Bob Coburn: Yeah. And if that’s the case and you wanna to take a stand, you know, more power to you and God bless you. You’ve got to realize, when you say you’re not going to play a show or when you don’t though, there are gonna be other repercussions that they are gonna have to be dealt with.

Axl: Exactly. And if we wouldn’t have played the show that night, we would have made it up to those people and their tickets.

Bob Coburn: In another way.

Axl: Yeah.

Bob Coburn: There you go. What do you say, we welcome ourselves to the jungle, Guns N’ Roses, on Rockline.

[Welcome to the Jungle is played]

Bob Coburn: Welcome to the Jungle, Guns N’ Roses, back to Appetite for Destruction on Rockline, 2-hour special edition with Axl. Lisa is waiting to talk with Axl Rose in Penn Hills, Pensylvania, listening to 97 Rock in Pittsburg. Lisa, you’re on.

Lisa: Hi, Axl.

Axl: What’s happening?

Lisa: My question for you is whatever became of the fight between you and Vince Neil.

Axl: Whatever became of that? Well, Vince Neil made his challenge and it was a publicity stunt, you know. And he was pretty much a puppet, who doesn’t really know how he got where he got. But, you know, there’s other people behind him that kinda put him up to something. And the situation I have with Vince Neil is not about a pay-per-view, it’s not about a publicity stunt. So I issued him a challenge (chuckles), I sent him a challenge, that, you know, wherever he wanted to fight to the death in another country, I’d pay for the round trip in a coffin. And I haven’t heard from him since (chuckles).

Bob Coburn (laughs): Man!

Axl: But the real thing is pretty much with the people that are behind him, and they know who they are. And if they’ve got a problem, the offer stands with them too.

Bob Coburn: What about the story that we all heard, that Vince sucker-punched Izzy in the shadows, at an award show, is that what happened?

Axl: Yeah. Yeah, that happened. That happened, you know, and then he ran past me. And I didn’t know who he was, cuz he’d just had his cheeks done, and I couldn’t tell who he was (laughs). It was pretty weird. We don’t need to talk about that situation any more. I mean, they’re doing their own thing, we’re doing ours.

Bob Coburn: Lisa, thanks for the call. It’s Tracy’s turn in Iowa, in 54 Rock, it’s our station there. Tracy, you’re on the Rockline with Axl Rose.

Tracy: Hi, Axl.

Axl: Hello.

Tracy: First of all, I want to say I love you and Guns N’ Roses are the meanest mothers in rock ‘n’ roll.

Axl: That’s sweet (chuckles).

Tracy: Alright. I read in an interview that you did with Danny Sugerman in Rolling Stone mag that you read “No one here gets out alive” [Danny Sugerman’s biography of Jim Morrison] twice. My question is...

Axl: No, I read that seven times and I didn’t really ever do an interview with Danny. Danny and I are friends now, but I talked to him for 15 minutes in a bar and then the story came out in a magazine a few weeks later.

Tracy: Oh. Okay, well, I (?) Rolling Stone mag. But my question is...

Axl: I think that was Spin.

Tracy: Regarding the book that he wrote about the band, was it an authorized biography and are you happy with it?

Axl: It wasn’t authorized, but I proof read it cuz I got a copy right before it was about to come out, and I just went back and changed... And Danny, you know, agreed and worked with me on just changing the facts, [like] if he said “Izzy and Slash” and it was actually Izzy and I. We changed those things. But I didn’t change any of his opinions. I thought it was really - it’s a really interesting book and it’s kind of flattering to be, you know, compared, and have, like, this college thesis written about you, and your place in the world, and rock ‘n’ roll, and Greek mythology. But, other than that, I just, you know, I wish it would’ve been more fun for people to read.

Bob Coburn: Tracy thanks, and thanks for being on the show with us tonight. Axl, we’re not only on all across America and Canada, we’re also on in the Tokyo bay area, which is Tokyo and Yokohama and some other areas there. We have Alan from Bay FM 78. Alan, you’re on with Axl Rose.

Alan: Hi Bob, hi Axl, how are you guys doing?

Axl: Doing alright.

Bob Coburn: You betcha.

Alan: You know, I really think Get in the Ring is great dissing stuff.

Axl: (Laughs)

Alan: What I want to ask you was, are all those rags really that bad?

Axl: The ones I mentioned in the situations that I touched, yeah. You know, it’s like, one of the reasons that I did that was because I remember some of those same mags doing the same things to Zeppelin; and I couldn’t get a decent Zeppelin interview and learn what I needed to do to put a band together right. And when kids, you know, are reading these magazines and they’re getting false stories, or twisted stories, or things saying I’m running over dogs, you know, and everything confused of who is in the band and when and stuff... It really doesn’t help a kid out to know about a band, or his favorite band, and it doesn’t really give this person anything to work with. And they’re paying good money for it, you know. And there’s distribution companies and stuff that are putting out the magazines, and I don’t really approve of their methods and things like that. So yeah, it is that bad.

Bob Coburn: You really whaled on Bob Guccione Jr., and really challenged him. Did you ever hear from him after that?

Axl: Well, you know, I feel about that situation, and I did hit him below the belt with my comments...

Bob Coburn: So to speak, yeah, hehe.

Axl: Yeah, and you know, that’s a problem of mine, but he wouldn’t let up. But this Get in the Ring thing isn’t necessarily literal about getting in the ring with boxing gloves, you know. Otherwise I would be a boxer.

Bob Coburn: (Laughs)

Axl: But to get in the ring, I feel you need integrity, you know, and that disqualifies Bob right off the bat. I don’t know, I’ve heard a lot from him and he’s made certain actions that I know about and he doesn’t know I know, and there’s other problems. But the guy should just, like, shut up and write about rock ‘n’ roll, you know, and forget about Axl Rose and just... If he’s got a problem with Axl he could do something else. I just want him to shut up and print the truth. You know, he’s printed a lot of lies and a lot of things I said that I didn’t say and it pretty much makes me sick. And it creates problems that I have to work with in my life. But we’re doing alright and Bob seems to be the one who’s really upset, so it’s cool.

Bob Coburn: It is a powerful song. It’s one you’ll have to hear in the CD though. You won’t be hearing that on the radio too much, I don’t think. Alan thanks, and thanks for being with us. It’s Sharra’s turn in Fresno, California. Axl is waiting for you, Sharra. Sharra is a listener on 106KK DJ. Hi.

Sharra: Hi. How are you guys doing?

Axl: We’re doing alright.

Sharra: Axl, I’d love to say that I’m your biggest fan, but there are so many GN’R fans on earth that I can’t possibly say that. But I’d like to tell you I have the upmost respect for you. I love you as Axl Rose and as an individual. I love all of Guns N’ Roses. I would give my life for Duff McKagan and I hope (?)

[Axl and Bob Coburn laugh]

Sharra: I love him very much and I saw you guys on the first night in Mountain View, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, over the summer. It was the most emotional night of my life. You guys were so wonderful. And I’d just... I’d like to tell you I love you so much.

Axl (chuckling): Thank you.

Shira: My question is, I’ve read that your stepfather is a Pentecostal pastor. And that you were active in that church as well as a youth. And I was wondering, how has religion affected your life? And how do you feel about God now? And I was also wondering, I see you wear a kilt quite often now, and me and my best friend Cathy seeing that it’ something that you guys (?), we’ve been looking for kilts all over and we can’t find one. Where did you find that?

Axl: I don’t know where I got it. I think Izzy handed it to me somewhere on the tour. But I was wearing a kilt in ’85 that I got from the punk band Exploited, through some girl who just liked to hear it, and, you know, thought I’d look cool in this, and I started wearing one then. What was the original question?

Bob Coburn: Religion.

Axl: Ah, religion. That experience with religion lasted for 10 years and I went to church 3, 2, 7 times a week, you know. And I had to study the Bible regularly for that 10 years. But, you know, the church was pretty hypocritical and they ended up helping to destroy each other’s lives. And it really distorted my view on God, and peace, and all kinds of things for a very long time. And it took a long time to get over, you know. And now I’m just, like, things are cool with God, I guess. “Jesus is just alright with me” (laughs). [Reference to a 60s gospel song that became known from its versions by the Byrds and the Doobie Brothers]

Bob Coburn: (Laughs) Sharra, there you go, thanks for calling. The band shows a lot of range in these two CD’s, Use Your Illusion I and II. And it’s the end of November 1991, and the song is perfect for tonight. From Use Your Illusion number I, this is November Rain, Guns N’ Roses, on Rockline.

[November Rain is played]

[Commercial Break]

Bob Coburn: We’re back, it’s an evening with Axl Rose, 2-hour special tonight on Rockline. I’m Bob Coburn. Let’s go to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Jennifer is on the line, a listener of KMOD. And Jennifer, we’ve got Axl for you here. Hey, Jennifer!

Jennifer: Hi!

Bob Coburn: Turn down your radio, honey, you’re on the air.

Jennifer: Hi, Axl!

Axl: Hi.

Jennifer: What you doing?

Axl: I’m talking to you, I guess.

Jennifer: (Giggles) I want to know what the status is, um... [her voice is echoing]

Bob Coburn: Your radio, you’ve got to turn it down and talk into the phone, sweetie.

Jennifer: Yeah, yeah. I wanna know what the status is with Steven Adler. With his lawsuit against Guns N’ Roses (?)

Axl: Well...

Bob Coburn: Can you talk about that?

Axl: Yeah, I mean, just... Unfortunately, it’s like... You know, Steven can’t handle that he’s not in Guns N’ Roses, and he’s been kinda put up to this by other people. And he said a lot of things that weren’t true to get the lawsuit together, and it’s kind of all coming out. I wish the best for Steven and I hope things work out for him, you know. And I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes, and I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes coming up against us - you know, especially since we have the facts. And it’s a kind of sad thing. It’s like, this is his way of trying to figure out how to get back involved, you know. I’m sure somewhere in his mind, it’s like, “Well, this could all turn around and I could be back in the band”. That’s not gonna happen.

Bob Coburn: Here you go, Jennifer. Straight from Axl. Let’s move on and talk with Heather in Calgary, Alberta is the province, 107 KICK FM, our long time affiliate. Heather, you’re on Rockline.

Heather: Hi Axl, how are you?

Axl: I’m doing great.

Heather: Good. My question is, I wonder if most of the lyrics of your songs are autobiographical. And, if so, is that ever emotionally difficult or painful to sing them every night?

Axl: It’s very emotional and very painful, and very difficult to sing the songs every night. Especially if you don’t want to remember certain things or don’t want to be dealing with it that night. Or if, you know, if you had a really hard week or whatever, and you’ve got to confront certain issues on stage, and the crowd isn’t necessarily coming from where you’re coming from with it. Yeah, it’s really hard. But that’s part of the job, I guess.

Bob Coburn: Some songs in particular, I would imagine.

Axl: Yeah, yeah. I mean there’s been times where, you know, it’s like, “Great. I’m gonna have to sing this song that I wrote influenced by this person, and I’ll have to sing it for another 10 years? Great!” And I don’t know that I would have done it in the beginning.

Bob Coburn: Yeah.

Axl: You know, but then you get over it and you realize that you kinda wrote the song for yourself in the long run and they inspired it.

Bob Coburn: Yeah. And then maybe those emotions are part of why the song is a good one. Heather, thanks for the call. We’ve got Stacey on the line now, in Valley Falls, New York, a listener of 106 in Albany. Hi there.

Stacey: Hi Axl.

Axl: Yo.

Stacey: I was reading the new biography and I was wondering of these lot of comparisons to you and Jim Morrison. How do you feel for being compared to him?

Axl: Well, I mean, it’s like, for me, it’s an honor. But he was a different type of writer than I am. He was much more educated, and I really don’t compare in that way. But Danny sees certain things in Jim and he sees those same things in me. Maybe it’s just the drive, you know, and the intensity. I’m flattered by that.

Bob Coburn: It’s not just Danny Sugerman either. It’s Robert Hilburn and other respected journalists that have drawn this same comparison.

Axl: Well, I think it’s the intensity and how much you stood behind what you were doing, you know. And there was also, you know, a bit of the energy, and the violence expressed, and the way the emotion was expressed that is somewhat comparable.

Bob Coburn: Stacey, good call, thanks. Let’s play some rock ‘n’ roll from Guns N’ Roses. This one is called Yesterdays, on Rockline.

[Yesterdays is played]

Bob Coburn: Is it just me, or is there almost like a Beatles touch on the piano at the end there?

Axl: I don’t know. That’s just - that wasn’t ever in the song until we recorded it, you know. It just happened.

Bob Coburn: It’s just, there’s a slight similarity to A Day in a Life.

Axl: Maybe just the tones and stuff. There was no... I can see it now that you say it.

Bob Coburn: Yeah, it’s just a hint.

Axl: Yeah, it’s just the tones, and what we were influenced by, you know, and trying to get a certain vibe across.

Bob Coburn: Yeah, yeah. Let’s take another call. Saul, in Pasadena, California, listening to 95.5 KLOS. You’re on, Saul.

Saul: Yeah, is that... Is that Axl?

Axl: It’s Axl.

Saul: Axl, this is sort of personal, but I didn’t know how else to reach you. I was... [Axl mumbles something]. I’ve got a stock pile of bootleg shirts, and magazines, and all this stuff that I’ve collected, and I can’t seem to get rid of it. And I was wondering if I could sell it to you.

Axl: What’s happening, Slash?

[“Saul from Pasadena” turned out to be Slash]

Bob Coburn: (Laughs)

Axl: When you said “Saul”, I almost said... I almost said: “That’s like Slash!”

Slash: What’s happening?

Axl: What you doing?

Slash: Just called to say hi.

Axl: That’s cool!

Slash: I haven’t... I was...

Axl: It’s good to hear from you! How did it go today?

Slash: Oh good! It was really good. We went to, like, Breakdown and Estranged, and all this stuff.

Axl: Alright!

Slash: I’m in a good mood. But I just wanted to call and say hi.

Axl: That’s great! And those bootlegs, it’s like (?)

Slash: (Laughs) Well, you gave me the idea. I was cleaning up the apartment today, and I’ve got all this stuff.

Axl: (Laughs) Well, I’m sure you can get money for it.

Slash: Yeah, well, I was selling some of it on the street on my way to rehearsal.

Axl: Bleecker Bob wants you too.

(Slash and Coburn laugh]

Slash: Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt. But I just had to do this.

Axl: That was great. Where were you from again?

Slash: Pasad... (interrupted)

Bob Coburn (talking over Slash): Pasadena, yeah, right. (laughs)

Slash: (Laughs)

Axl: Alright!

Bob Coburn: Hey, Slash, thanks for calling and being on here. I left you a letter at KLOS. I hope you got it.

Slash: Oh you did?

Bob Coburn: Yeah.

Slash: Alright, I probably will, I haven’t gotten it so far.

Bob Coburn: Yeah. Well, actually, I think you did get it.

Slash: Oh. Is this... That’s right, it’s you!

Bob Coburn: Yeah, it’s me.

Axl: (Laughs)

Bob Coburn: Bob Coburn, yeah. Remember? Yeah (laughs). Yeah, I left you a little note a couple of months ago. I hope you got it.

Slash: I appreciate it.

Bob Coburn: Yeah.

Slash: You know, that was cool.

Bob Coburn: Hey, you come back sometime, okay?

Slash: I definitely will, I’ll be down there in an hour this next time.

Bob Coburn: Alright (Laughs).

Axl: Alright.

Slash: Give me a call later.

Axl: No problem.

Slash: Talk to you guys, bye.

Bob Coburn: (Chuckles) Alright. That’s Slash from Guns N’ Roses. We’re taking a time out. We’ll come back and talk some more.

Axl: (Laughing) “Saul”!

Bob Coburn: “Saul from Pasadena”! "Saul is on the line! You can be on the line with Axl Rose by calling toll-free [mentions phone number] on the global satellite network.

[Commercial break]

(CONTINUES IN THE NEXT POST)

by **Blackstar** Wed Jul 18, 2018 6:30 pm

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT CONT.)
-----------------------------------
Bob Coburn: We’re back, 2-hour special edition with Axl Rose, Guns N’ Roses, tonight on Rockline. I’m Bob Coburn. Dominic is on the line, in Hollywood, listening to 95.5 KLOS. Dominic, you’re on the show with us now.

Dominic: Hi, how are you guys doing?

Axl: Doing great.

Bob Coburn: You bet.

Dominic: How’re you doing, Axl?

Axl: I think I’m doing great.

Dominic: Listen, I’ve got a billion questions to ask you, but they only let me ask you one.

Axl: Alright.

Dominic: I’m pretty close to home, I’m here in Hollywood too. And we’ve had a band together and we’re really concerned with Guns N’ Roses, because we just see it deteriorating. And my being the lead man in our band, I’m really curious if, do you feel responsible for that, if it does happen or...

Axl: What...

Bob Coburn: What deteriorating?

Axl: The band deteriorating?

Dominic: Yeah, well, it’s like, the members are fully dropping off, man (chuckles).

Axl: Yeah, well, it’s kinda like...It’s evolving, you know. And certain members necessarily couldn’t keep up with where it’s going, and, you know, we actually ended up being more happy with where we’re at now than where we were. It’s like, we’re glad about the times we had with these people and the songs we did, but it’s evolving, and we’re really happy to be where we’re at right now. And we feel stronger than ever, you know. There’s obstacles every day that seem like the bottom fallout. But we put it back together and we’re usually much more happy with the results of putting it back together than where we were before the accident happened.

Bob Coburn: You know, and somebody said to me one time, “Name a band that formed in the ‘60s that made it to the 80s without any changes at all.” And I couldn’t come up with anybody. I mean, nobody. Not at least that had a record out, say, in the late 60s. Nobody made it to the 80s...

Axl: Queen.

Bob Coburn: With the exception maybe of Queen, yeah. And I don’t think their stuff came out until the early 70s, I don’t think they had a record...

Axl (talks over): Yeah, ’69.

Bob Coburn: I don’t think they had a record in, like, ‘69. They may have formed back then...

Axl: Yeah.

Bob Coburn: Yeah, but I mean... And the J. Geils formed in the 60s and didn’t have a record till the 70s. Things change, and bands change. It’s just the way it is.

Axl: Yeah, I mean, it would be nice to have that togetherness and that loyalty. You know, I’ve watched it over the years, and I’ve watched it with people, and how they react to things. And it’s like, everybody wants to see that togetherness that maybe they aren’t necessarily able to achieve in their own lives, you know, and to relate to it in someone else’s. And it would be nice if we were able to make people happy in that way. But that’s just, unfortunately, how it’s worked for us. And, you know, we’re really happy musically with where we’re going and the directions we’re going.

Bob Coburn: There you go. Dominic, good luck with your band, alright? Let’s talk with Michael in San Marcos, Texas. He’s listening to KOBJ FM 94 out of Austin. You’re on the Rockline, Michael.

Michael: Axl, how are you doing, man?

Axl: I’m doing alright.

Michael: Hey, a big hello from (?). It’s good to talk to you. My question is, in view of Freddie Mercury’s death, and I know you’re a huge fan of his...

Axl: Yeah.

Michael: ...considering your views about drugs and promiscuity and conjunction with rock ‘n’ roll, what do you think about the AIDS crisis, the way it’s been addressed by our government in terms of its dragging its feet?

Axl: I have big problems with the way our government is dealing with the AIDS crisis, you know. And Freddie Mercury’s death was just something I’d actually been preparing for since I’d heard about the AIDS thing. My impression of Freddie was that he wanted this world to be a place where, you know, it was kind of a heaven on earth and you could do what you wanted as long as you weren’t hurting anybody, and that was like a great dream. So about drugs and promiscuity, I guess that’s up to each individual, and if you’re not hurting yourself or hurting someone else in however you’ve got to get through things - you know, whatever you need to survive - I’m not the one to make judgement calls on that.

Bob Coburn: Now, I know you hosted a 20th anniversary special for Queen, about Queen. Was Freddie one of the biggest influences that you had?

Axl: You know, I was raised on Elvis Presley and everybody... Elvis Presley is probably part of everybody’s life in one form or another. But if I didn’t have Freddie Mercury’s words and lyrics to hold on to as a kid, I don’t know where I would be. And that was, you know, probably... I don’t necessarily know what form of influence it is, but it taught me about all forms of music. You know, I’d get a Queen record and hate half of the songs and then... But [I’d] force myself to listen to them, to learn about that type of music, and it would open my mind more and more. And I really never had a bigger teacher, you know, in my whole life.

Bob Coburn: Brian May wrote this next one, but it certainly seems appropriate under the circumstances. It’s from A Kind of Magic. This is Queen, Who Wants to Live Forever.

[Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen is played]

Bob Coburn: Queen was you rock ‘n’ roll school, huh?

Axl: Yeah. That was like, instead of going to school to learn about music, I listened to Queen.

Bob Coburn: You listened to Queen. Rest in peace, Freddie Mercury. We have a call from Hinesville, Georgia, I believe. It’s a listener of 595 in Savannah. His name is John. John, what’s on your mind tonight?

John: Hey, how are you doing, Axl?

Axl: I think I’m doing alright.

John: Hey man, I want to say hi to you from the (?) Vampire here.

Axl: Thank you.

John: Alright. My question is, what was the real story behind the incident that led to the song Right Next Door to Hell.

Axl: Well, the song wasn’t necessarily written about that. It’s just - the incident with my next door neighbor just inspired the chorus. And that chorus was also... Some of the verses were inspired by imagining myself sitting on Steven Adler’s street, and just imagining that I hadn’t – you know, that we hadn’t made it yet, and we were still on the streets and feeling like there was nothing there; I was kinda trying to relate with Steven. And other parts in the verses are me relating with things in my childhood and with our climb to the top; you know, “Not bad kids just stupid ones/ we thought we'd own the world/ and gettin' used was havin' fun.” The situation with the neighbor was just that she just kinda lost it after I realized this wasn’t a person I wanted to be involved with. And she just couldn’t handle the rejection of living next door, you know, and that was, like, her big claim to fame. And she was drunk and swung a wine bottle, and I took it, and now she just couldn’t deal with that. And so her way to be involved was the same as Steven Adler suing us. It’s like, “Okay, let’s make a law case out of it”. You know, the D.A’s threw it out, but now it’s a civil suit and, I mean, she’s trying to tell people that I’m insinuating that she actually emanated from hell (laughs). That’s her case.

Bob Coburn: That’s her case now, huh?

Axl: It’s a really interesting case.

Bob Coburn: Oh, man.

Axl: Another world.

Bob Coburn: As usual, the winners end up being the attorneys in situations like that. John, thanks for the call. From Georgia, Red Clay, to Tokyo Bay. It’s Stephanie at Bay FM 78. Hi.

Stephanie: Hi Axl. My name is Stephanie and sing with a recording act called (?) here in Japan. But, actually I live in Los Angeles. Anyway, how are you doing?

Axl: Doing I’m doing alright. I like the name.

Stephanie (Chuckles) Do you? Yeah, it’s kind of I’ve been with a band for about 6 months and... Actually I met you about a year and a half ago, I don’t know if you remember or not, but...

Axl: Uh-oh.

Bob Coburn: (laughs)

Stephanie: Top of your head (?). No, it’s nothing bad (?)

Axl: (laughing) Okay.

Stephanie: But I know your brother, Stuart.

Axl: Okay.

Stephanie: And he made a really gorgeous dinner one night for about 10 of us at his house, and...

Axl: Yeah, he loves to cook.

Stephanie: What’s that?

Axl: He loves to cook, he’s a good cook.

Stephanie: Oh yeah, he’s a really good cook.

Bob Coburn: What did you want to ask Axl, Stephanie?

Stephanie: Okay, let me see here. The song So Fine, written by Duff, is dedicated to Johnny Thunders.

Axl: Mmm-mmm.

Stephanie: People in Japan would like to know who is he and what did he mean to you.

Axl: Well, when we had the song down, we realized that it sounded a lot like a song that Johnny Thunders would have done. And, you know, he was in the New York Dolls and then had his own band, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. And he’s one of Duff’s biggest influences, you know, in getting involved in rock ‘n’ roll to begin with. Everybody in the band are big New York Dolls fans and Johnny Thunders’ death wasn’t something anybody was very thrilled with. I mean, I actually had problems with the guy, but I really liked his music. And when we realized that the song sounded a lot like something he would have done, we just thought that was the best thing to do, you know. And so the people would ask the question like you are.

Bob Coburn: Stephanie, there you go now. The people in Japan know as well as those here in North America. Good luck with your band too, Stephanie. We are headed to Denver. Calvin is on the line, a listener of 106.7 KAZY. Hi.

Calvin: Hi. Hi Axl.

Axl: Yo!

Calvin: I saw you in July at McNichols arena. It was a great show.

Axl: Thank you.

Calvin: (? 42:14) and very fierce. It was reminiscent of one The Who concerts.

Axl: Ha, that’s fine.

Calvin: You had the electricity and spontaneity, it was just great.

Axl: I got to see The Who once in L.A and it was pretty amazing.

Calvin: My question is, how did you and Don Henley form a relationship and you started working with him?

Axl: He just wanted a background singer on the song, and actually the guy he’s working with, you know, suggested me and it just fit. And I went in. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Don Henley, except that he didn’t really know that I was so into his music. But I used to practice with the Eagles to learn certain melodies. There’s a lot of, I don’t know, street-wise and worldly-wise wisdom in all the Eagles material and I learned a lot from them.

Bob Coburn: Don is a hell of a songwriter, I mean there’s no doubt about it. You sounded good with him on I Won’t Go Quietly. It was like you were working together for years.

Axl: He was somebody I always wanted to meet, you know. I was in there making fun of the tea he drinks, singing Wasted Time [Eagles song] but changing the word to Sunbirds tea, and stuff like that.

Bob Coburn: (laughs) Calvin, thanks for being on with us tonight. We’re gonna play something from Use Your Illusion II right now. It’s called Pretty Tied Up. Anybody got a rope in there?

[Pretty Tied Up is played]

Bob Coburn: Pretty Tied Up, Guns N’ Roses. That’s from number 2, Use Your Illusion II. I’m Bob Coburn with Axl Rose. 2-hour special edition with Axl tonight. We are headed to Minot, North Dakota to talk with Chad...

Axl: Minot?

Bob Coburn: ...a listener of KBQQ. And, Chad, you’re on the Rockline with us here.

Chad: Hi, Axl.

Axl: Yo.

Chad: Can I say hi from [mentions two names]?

Axl: Yeah, you can do that. Tell them I say hi too.

Chad: Okay. I was wondering, how did the song November Rain come about, and is it true that you were going to quit the band if it didn’t turn out perfect for you?

Axl: Well, it wasn’t necessarily quit the band. It was just that, like, to do that song the way I wanted to do it. I knew that we were going to need a lot of freedom and a lot of time to learn how to do things that we didn’t know how to do, or I didn’t know how to do. I mean, there’s, like, 31 different string sections on there, and I had to do them on keyboards, because I knew I didn’t know how to communicate with an orchestra well enough. And just I knew that years ago in starting writing the song that it was going to take a lot for us to pull it off the way I could hear it in my head, you know. And that’s just like, I knew that, like, when I said I’d quit the business, it was because I knew that the only reason that I wouldn’t get this right is if I wasn’t allowed to. And the song came about just out of a relationship and of how I felt in the relationship and, you know, I really cared about this person. And not being with this person made me think about being in Indiana and walking in November rain, seeing the ice on the trees and, you know, it was just - it fit to how I felt about that situation.

Bob Coburn: And the song came out, I would imagine, when you heard it in your head (?)

Axl: I’m very happy with everything on the record. There was a couple of little things like the timing or something, but, you know, we worked on this until we got everything right.

Bob Coburn: Chad, thanks for calling. We’re gonna head north to the border just a little bit, and talk to Chantal in Pine Falls, Manitoba, listening to City FM in Winnipeg. And, Chantal, you’re on with Axl Rose.

Chantal: Hi.

Axl: Hey!

Chantal: I feel like I’ve been waiting all my life to talk to you.

Axl: Oh my God (laughs).

Chantal: (Laughs), okay, I’ve got a couple of things to say before I ask my question. I think you’re just the best, I think your music is the best. I worship the ground you walk on.

Axl: (Laughs) Well, my head isn’t going to fit out of this room now.

Chantal: (Laughs) Really?

Axl: I’m getting a big head now.

Chantelle: Ohhh...

Bob Coburn: Widen the door, you guys, get the engineers in here.

Axl: Yeah.

Chantal: (?) I’m just waiting.

Axl: Oh my God.

Bob Coburn: (Laughs)

Chantal: Um, my question is, is there any women in your life right now?

Axl: Yeah, yeah. But I wouldn’t say “women”, I’d say “woman”.

Bob Coburn: "Woman!" Yeah, there you go. So don’t hold your breath there, Chantal, but you got your point across. And thanks for calling us tonight on Rockline. We’re taking a time out. We’ve still got more to go here. Don’t you duck out. We’ll be back with Axl Rose on the special edition of Rockline in just a moment. We’re talking rock ‘n’ roll on the Global Satellite Network.

[Commercial break]

Bob Coburn: We’re back. We’re gonna hit the phones again here, as we head to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to speak with Amy, a listener of KMOD. Here’s Axl Rose for you, Amy.

Amy: Hi.

Axl: Hi, Amy.

Amy: I just wanted first of all to tell you how great I think you guys are.

Axl: Thank you.

Amy: And I think you look so good, and I love you.

Axl: (Laughs)

Bob Coburn: (Laughs)

Amy: And my question was, recently I was watching the TV show Current Affair...

Axl: Uh-huh.

Amy: ... and they did a segment, “Don’t Come Home, Bill Bailey”, and they showed your old principal, old teachers...

Axl: Yeah.

Amy: ...and school friends. And, basically, they all, I mean, said that you weren’t welcomed back in the town, and...

Axl: Well, everyone except for Ron Campbell. He was the principal of the school and I saw Ron a lot. I was always in his office and he was great to me. He always tried to help me. And Mr. Blind, he didn’t really have much to do with anything except jerking people around. And Mr. Hurt was my coach who, you know, he made me run. You know, I broke my leg and he didn’t believe that I’d hurt myself and I had to run extra miles all the time. And once I mentioned Alice Cooper, and the man almost strangled me. And when he talked about me getting my mouth taped shut, I was at 7th grade, and these guys were in 12th grade, and the only reason they taped my mouth shut is cuz I wouldn’t take their crap. And I don’t miss those people either, you know?

Bob Coburn: Yeah, yeah. Well, maybe if they don’t want your coming back home then you don’t want to invite them over your house.

Axl: They have some good names. Mr. Hurt and Mr. Blind.

Bob Coburn: Mr. Hurt and Mr. Blind (laughs). What a poetic justice, my, my. Amy, thanks for the call. We’re gonna play Estranged right now, which is a personal fave from the CD. And you wrote that on your own.

Axl: Yeah.

Bob Coburn: What led to the song? How did Estranged come out of Axl Rose?

Axl: Estranged started getting developed when I had a relationship with my ex-wife Erin. And, you know, it just got really dark and, basically, writing the song was one of the only things that kept me together. And I really tried to put into words how I felt in the situation and how much I wanted things to work, you know. And, really, the song helped me to get in touch with my real feelings besides all the arguments and whatever was going on. Like when you get in an argument with somebody and you’re screaming, and yelling, and whatever, and then you go sit by yourself and you go, “That’s not what I wanted to say”.

Bob Coburn: Yeah...

Axl: And so it was my way to express to myself how I felt.

Bob Coburn: You know, the song is so passionate, and you and Slash really work well together on this one, on point and counter-point on it. Estranged by Guns N’ Roses on Rockline.

[Estranged is played]

Bob Coburn: Had to wait for the drums at the end there.

Axl: Thank you!

Bob Coburn: You bet, man! (laughs)

Axl: You didn’t want to cut it!

Bob Coburn: Yeah, I got it that it was the end of the song, there. Estranged, Guns N’ Roses. 2-hour special edition with Axl tonight. Davina is on the line, in Springfield, Missouri, listening to US 97. Welcome to Rockline, Davina.

Davina: Hi Axl.

Axl: Yo. I’m chocking here, sorry.

Davina: I want to say I love you guys and I think Guns N’ Roses is the coolest band ever.

Axl: Thank you.

Davina: I’ve got a question: Who is the artist who did the cover and why did you pick that painting?

Axl: Ιt’s an artist by the name of Mark Kostabi. And I picked that painting because I was like, I was really tired and I was having dinner somewhere. And there was an art gallery across the street, and I went like, “Well, I’ve never walked into an art gallery before being able to afford something” (chuckles).

Bob Coburn: (Laughs)

Axl: And I went in, and I happened to know this guy who worked for Billy Idol, and he was working there. And I wandered around, and then I walked into the office when no one was around, and it had all these other paintings. And I had just written Locomotive, where I said “I bought me an illusion and I put it on the wall”, and I found this painting that I really liked. And then I looked at the back and the title was “Use Your Illusion”. And it was just kinda like meant to be. It was, like, the first painting that I’ve ever bought. And I took it home and took everybody by a little while to warm up to it, but, you know... And everybody finally got into it. And Slash decided that it said a lot, you know, and we agreed as a band that it was pretty cool. I also wanted to use that picture because it was art. It was art that has a lot of controversy around it, because of Kostabi’s methods of actually doing the paintings. The background was taken from a very old painting, but it’s still something really nice to look at and it’s - I don’t know how I feel about how it was done, I just know I like it. So to me that’s kinda like with songs, when using a tape or using tape machines to create things. Sometimes that’s a problem, other times it’s just like, “Well, maybe that’s how they need to get it done and you get to hear the song”, you know. So that’s why I like this particular cover, a lot of reasons.

Bob Coburn: Wow, man, there’s...

Axl: Plus, it was, like, a cover to go, to go to people that could go on, “Guns N’ Roses is just obnoxious” or whatever. And I might go on, “Yeah, well, why don’t you put this nice picture in your house”, you know? Sitting there, you know?

Bob Coburn: (Laughs) Try that!

Axl: Yeah, “You didn’t expect that from us, did you”?

Bob Coburn: Davina, thanks for the call. It turned out to be a real good one. We’ve got Bill on the line now, in Milledgeville, Illinois. 97 X in Davenport, Iowa is what Bill is listening to. You’re on with Axl Rose, Bill.

Bill: Hi, Axl.

Axl: Hey, Bill.

Bill: How’re you doing? I like your first name mildly.

Axl: Yeah?

Bill: Old first name, I mean.

Axl: Yeah. Whatever.

Bob Coburn: (laughs)

Bill: (Laughs) I mean your birth name. Whatever. Anyway...

Axl: Yeah, that’s W. because my real father was kind of a jerk, so, you know, it’s just W. legally because I don’t really want to claim anything to that.

Bill: Okay. My question is...

Axl: No offense, Bill (chuckles).

Bill: Oh, no.

Bob Coburn: (Laughs)

Bill: My question was, have you ever written a song about your birth father?

Axl: No, I haven’t yet. But I’ll be talking about him in interviews coming up, and I think whatever song I write, you know, will probably be one of the heaviest things that I ever write. There’s a lot of issues around this person, you know. He is believed to be dead, I don’t know if that it’s true or not. But in a weird way it’s, you know, probably the best place for him if he is.

Bob Coburn: You don’t know if he is or not?

Axl: Not sure. You know, they’ve said that he’s buried in 7 miles of strip mining somewhere in Illinois because of a bad deal he made with somebody.

Bob Coburn: Man...

Axl: (Chuckles) It’s in court, you know, they’re looking for the body.

Bob Coburn: Man!

Axl: (Laughs)

Bob Coburn: Jeez...

Axl: But, you know, the things he did to me, and the things he did to my mother, and the things he did to other people, it’s kinda like, it’s amazing it didn’t happen sooner.

Bob Coburn: If a song comes out of this it ain’t gonna go in a Disney film, is it?

Axl: No, but who knows, it could be in the next Goodfellas (laughs).

Bob Coburn: Bill, thanks for the call. We’re gonna talk to Brandon now, in San Jose, listening to 973 KRQR in San Francisco. Brandon, you’re on the Rockline.

Brandon: Hey Axl, how is it going?

Axl: It’s going alright. How is San Francisco?

Brandon: Not too bad!

Axl: Is it cold there?

Brandon: What’s that?

Axl: Is it cold there?

Brandon: Yeah, it’s getting there. Me and a couple of friends of mine, Janina and Christie, saw you at Mountain View. We thought you guys were great.

Axl: Thank you very much.

Brandon: I’ve got a question for ya. I was lucky enough to get ahold of some imports of yours from England. And on the B-sides, one of the songs was called Shadow of your Love.

Axl: Yeah!

Brandon: Yeah, I was wondering if there are any plans to release something like that here in the U.S.

Axl: Um, not at this time. You know, Shadow of your Love was… I wrote the lyrics kinda influenced by Thin Lizzy. And that was one of the songs that I wrote with Paul Huge, who was original guitarist from Indiana with Izzy and I, and now he’s in a band called Mank Rage. And we just wrote that like in 7 minutes, you know, we did it in 7 minutes years ago, and it is something we're really proud of. You know, and it’s my friend Josh’s favorite song.

Bob Coburn: And that’s unusual for you. You usually ponder the songs a little bit, don’t you?

Axl: Well, I’d pondered the words years before that, and then when the song hit it was just like, “fssst!” It went through the files, the mental Rolodex, "This fits, go!". We had 7 minutes to jam, we didn’t have any equipment so it was like, we didn’t have a choice.

Bob Coburn: Brandon, thanks. We’re taking a time out. We’re coming back for the last segment of Rockline tonight. Our 2-hour special edition with Axl Rose continues in a moment on the Global Satellite Network.

[Commercial break]

Bob Coburn: Welcome back to our special edition with Axl Rose. I’m Bob Coburn and it’s Rockline. Let’s go to Calgary. Tammy is waiting to talk with Axl, listener of KICK 107 FM. Hi, Tammy.

Tammy: Hi.

Axl: Hi.

Tammy: Hi, Axl.

Axl: What’s happening?

Tammy: Oh, god (laughs).

Axl: Is it cold there?

Tammy: Sorry?

Axl: Is it cold there?

Tammy: Yeah!

Axl: That sucks!

Tammy: (?) actually, and I’m inside (chuckles).

Axl: (Laughs) Alright!

Tammy: First of all I want to say I love you and I think you’re gorgeous! (chuckles).

Axl: That’s too sweet.

Tammy: And my question was, I heard rumors that Matt supposedly wants to leave the band because of arguments and that he can’t deal with the hysteria on the tour? Is there any truth to that?

Axl: No. You know, there’s ... It got emotionally high and the tensions got high with everybody at different points. But, you know, Matt is working his ass off and he’s great.

Bob Coburn: Oh, that’s part of touring in a rock ‘n’ roll band. Those things happen.

Axl: Yeah. As Matt puts it, it’s like, you know, now and then you get the road blues.

Bob Coburn: Yeah. You’ve got one solid guy on the drum kit now.

Axl: Matt is amazing, you know. And it’s a real pleasure to introduce him to the world in the way he deserves.

Bob Coburn: Yeah. He’s big league, all the way.

Axl: Yes. It’s like, he’s up there with anybody.

Bob Coburn: Yeah. Tammy, thanks. Let’s talk with Junko in Tokyo Bay, Bay FM 78. Junko, you’re on with Axl Rose.

Junko: Hi, Axl.

Axl: Hello.

Junko: We love you and we want to see you soon in Japan.

Axl: I will play there soon. February.

Junko: Oh, great. I want to ask you, when you try to write a song, what’s the first thing you always do?

Axl: It’s always different. Usually you end up writing a song when you’re either really happy or you’re really bummed about something or you’re really mad about something. And so I’ll just get a pen and paper or I’ll start it on the piano or on acoustic guitar. Everybody in the band writes differently, you know. And it depends. It’s like, sometimes it will only come to you as just the music and you start with the words from how the music makes you feel.

Bob Coburn: Junko, thank you for being on. We’re gonna move on now, as we are about to run out of time. We have Rachel on the line in Annandale, Virginia, a listener of 98 Rock in Baltimore. Hi, Rachel!

Rachel: Hi.

Axl: Hello.

Rachel: Listen, I have a question. I saw you at the Cap Center this past summer. It was really, really awesome. My friend and I got third row somehow for a weird reason I don’t know, but...

Axl: That’s cool.

Rachel: Hey yeah, it was really neat seeing you guys and everything, cuz we’ve been following you since the beginning. But anyway... There was a part at the concert when you were about to get in the ring, and you said something about how some record companies try to speed up processes in writing and stuff, and that you didn’t like it.

Axl: Yeah.

Rachel: Is that something that had to do with Geffen Records or was that, like, just any company in general or something?

Axl: Well, I’m sure any company in general. But, you know, there’s a business and they might not necessarily understand where the artist is coming from. And, you know, they want to do their job and get a record out; and if they’re excited about something, you know, they just might get like, I don’t know, too excited and and try to make it happen too fast. And it was like, there was no way for us to actually put a deadline on trying to achieve a certain feeling with our album. And so sometimes things got a little bit messy.

Bob Coburn: That’s like one of your live shows. It’s done when it’s done.

Axl: (laughing) Yeah!

Bob Coburn: It’s over when it’s over.

Axl: It’s done when it’s done.

Bob Coburn: Let’s talk to Bill. Good name, huh?

Axl: Yeah...

Bob Coburn: Tulsa, Oklahoma, KMOD. Hey, Bill.

Bill: Hey, Mr. Rose, how are you doing, man?

Axl: “Mr. Rose”! Look out!

Bill: (Laughs) Would you rather that I call you Axl, then?

Axl: No, I don’t care. That was just funny.

Bill: Hey, that’s cool. Alright. Okay, I just want to start off saying you’re great, man. You know, all the metal heads in (? 59:15) think you’re just terrific. A lot.

Axl: Thank you.

Bob Coburn: Let’s cut to the chase, we’re out of time here, Bill.

Bill: Alright. My question is, in Don’t Damn Me there the lyrics in here goes: “Don’t hail me and don’t idolize the ink or I fail my intentions”. What exactly do you mean by that?

Axl: It just means, you know, it’s trying to show people to realize their own personal power and their own abilities rather than going, you know, “Axl Rose is God and that’s great”. It’s like, “Whoa, don’t say I’m God”. It’s like, you know, just get your own thing together. And that’s where I say “if I fail in my intentions”. If a person is just idolizing me and not working in their own life, then we fail with things we’re trying to express in that song.

Bob Coburn: There you go, Bill. Right from Axl for you there. Thanks to everyone for listening and calling. If you wanna drop a line, the address is PO box 4383 Hollywood California 90078. Thanks tonight go to Doug Goldstein and to Tom Maher from Big FD Entertainment.

Axl: Look out!

Bob Coburn: Also to Lonn Friend from RIP Magazine, to Bryn Bridenthal and Warren Christiansen of Geffen Records, and to Elen Curtis of the global satellite network. Axl, I didn’t know what to expect coming into the show. I mean, Rockline and GN’R have a history. I had never met you before. I was ready for almost anything! The last thing I was expecting...

Axl: I was hoping there would just be an argument, man. I was like, all psychotic. I was listening to N.W.A. (?)

Bob Coburn (talks over): I was ready for that if that was the case. It’s like, alright, let’s go after each other, you know. I’ve got to tell you that the last thing that I really was expecting was for you to be so nice, and calm, and answer the calls the way you have, and... Seems like you’ve really...really gotten control of your life here.

Axl: Well, maybe a little bit, you know. But we’ve been like this a lot when we’re actually doing an interview. And, you know, sometimes that isn’t shown when the thing comes out.

Bob Coburn: That’s one thing about Rockline, you are live and unedited, so...

Axl: Yeah, it’s been a good experience for me too.

Bob Coburn: I’m glad you came. And I wanna say... I’m lucky, I like a lot of different kinds of music. But I’ve got to tell you: these two CD’s are right up there with Physical Graffiti, Exile on Main Street and the Beatles’ White CD.

Axl: Thanks, you didn’t have to say that to me.

Bob Coburn: I know, but I wanted to. I’m B.C. And I’ll be seeing you. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

Axl: Happy Thanksgiving!

[Outro]

by **Blackstar** Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:39 am

I transcribed this interview.

I couldn't get some phrases/words. Nothing too important, I believe, but I've noted the minute marks, in case someone wants to help Smile