1987.08.17 - Much Music - Interview with Duff and Steven

TRANSCRIPTION:
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Host: ... the Los Angeles band Guns N’ Roses are an 80s version of The Sex Pistols. Well, one of the reasons they are that kind of version is because rumour has it that they walked into David Geffen’s record office, got an $80,000 advance and then proceeded to have some of the biggest parties that Los Angeles has ever seen. What is actually the truth? You’re just about to find out.

[Live footage: You’re crazy]

Interviewer: There have been some stories about the fact that when you got signed, you got a whole lot of cash and it went. What are the rumours and what really happened?        

Duff: We did get a good amount of cash...

Steven: More than we’ve ever seen.

Duff: Okay, more than we’d ever seen.

Steven: A wallet full of cash.

Duff: And, you know, the first thing we did, really, is go out and get equipment. The first second that we had the money, we went to the music store and we got all new equipment, stuff that we could use. I mean, we were all playing on trash equipment, alright? Trash. So we were like, the first thing we got was equipment. Of course, you’re getting a lot of money, you’re playing in a band - you never get any money when you’re in a band – you’re gonna go out and get stuff you’ve never had before. You’re gonna take a taxi to the liquor store, okay, that’s only two blocks away.

Steven: And steak, lobster...

Duff: You know, you’re going to do a little crazy stuff.

Steven: Long Island iced tea till there’s no tomorrow...

Duff: You know, so you’re gonna get into that, because you never had money before, you’re 19-20 years old. Manage money? That doesn’t come into your brain. The thing I really wanna, you know, get down on it, is that we did, the first thing is buy equipment; and spent a lot of money on stuff we wanted. And the rest after that was party money, but...

Steven: Yeah, okay.

Duff: We had the right.

Steven: But the most important thing is equipment. We needed it.

[Live footage: Nightrain]

Interviewer: Alright, let’s talk about the record a bit. First Nightrain. That’s a cooking tune. It’s sort of something that’s near and dear to your heart?  

Duff: Oh, it definitely is. It’s the thing, we lived in the studio all five of us together...

Steven: 8 by 12.

Duff: 8 by 12. Seriously. So we had to build a loft above, you know, cuz, 8 by 12, you can barely stir you equipment, right? As well as practice, so we had to practice on the floor. So we built and stole lumber from a construction site on the street, built a loft up above where we could sleep...

Steven: Our love loft (laughs).

Duff: Love loft. So we lived there and we had no money whatsoever. We had to pay 40 bucks a month for this place, and so that’s what we got from gigs and then... But there was a liquor store down the street that sells this cheap wine called Nightrain, which was a buck...

Steven: (?) a buck.

Duff: Okay? For a bottle. Three bottles, you would be out of your mind, wandering down the street - naked, probably.

[Live footage: Nightrain]

Very bad quality video, no idea about the source.
It looks like it's from a British TV program, probably October 1987?

Definitely after the release of Appetite. The host is Kim Clarke Champniss who worked as a VJ for MuchMusic, a Canadian TV channel, in the 80s. So I suppose the source is one of MuchMusic's shows, either RockFlash or City Limits, both hosted by Champniss.

Thanks, I'll update the title.
So since it's from Much Music, the interview probably was recorded in August 1987, when they played in Canada.

Yes, that makes sense.

I did some comparisons with show audio and I'm 100% sure the footage comes from when they played in Montreal (17th Aug). Seems like it's soundboard audio as well (albeit terrible quality). Maybe this can help date the interview more precisely?

Shackler wrote:I did some comparisons with show audio and I'm 100% sure the footage comes from when they played in Montreal (17th Aug). Seems like it's soundboard audio as well (albeit terrible quality). Maybe this can help date the interview more precisely?

Nice find, thanks!

Thread title changed, thanks @Shackler !

Shackler wrote:I did some comparisons with show audio and I'm 100% sure the footage comes from when they played in Montreal (17th Aug). Seems like it's soundboard audio as well (albeit terrible quality). Maybe this can help date the interview more precisely?

A new higher quality clip of this interview confirms this actually took place in Halifax, on the 14th, and it's likely the interview took place right before or after the show as Duff is seen wearing the same clothes as on stage.