2019.01.07 - Appetite for Distortion - Interview with Doug Goldstein

Transcript:

Brando: Coming up on episode 98 of Appetite for Distortion, our long-awaited conversation with former Guns N' Roses manager Doug Goldstein. We're going to have some fun with him, talk about Axl on Looney Tunes. We're going to get serious. We're going to talk about addiction and what he's doing now to help fight that. And also, he's going to answer your questions, yours. So welcome to the podcast.

[...]

Brando: And welcome to the podcast, Appetite for Distortion, Episode 98, it is Brando, although maybe I should call the show - it was suggested by a fan - Appetite for Emotion. [laughs] He said, "Brando's emo sometimes in a good way." And you know what though, Doug Goldstein?

Doug Goldstein: Yes sir, yes sir.

Brando: I don't know if you would know this, because you're slightly older. There was something called Live Journal back when I was in high school and college. It was like before all the social media stuff, it was just basically a place to write a diary, an online diary, to your friends. And my avatar was Axl, that scene from November Rain with the rain coming down. Axl was emo. I was into Axl's sensitive side. So, but maybe this will be, this might lean more, this episode, towards some emotion. So maybe it might be appropriate. But anyway. It's Brando, episode 98. Thank you so much to everyone joining us, whether you found us on iHeartRadio, which it looks like big news may be happening in the coming months concerning iHeartRadio. Spreaker, Stitcher, YouTube, our friends at AlternativeNation.net and just wherever you found us in Facebook and Twitter. I had somebody reach out to me literally this morning that grew up in one of the towns I used to live in in Long Island who just found us. So finding us in an episode in the 90s is great, and then you can go back and see all the past interviews. And I mentioned his name just briefly. It feels like, how have we not done an episode together, Doug, Doug Goldstein?

DG: I know, Brad, I'm not sure, man. We talk on the phone all the time.

Brando: It's really cool. Of course, former Guns N' Roses manager, Doug Goldstein, and I mean, that's just part of your resume. Somebody reminded me, you know, as I was asking some fan questions or receiving some fan questions for you later on, which are gracious enough to answer, someone's like, "Well, he also used to be manager for Blind Melon." And of course, the Shannon Hoon connection with GN'R. So, but we're gonna talk about what you're doing now. And of course, answer some fan questions. And knowing GN'R fans, you know they're not gonna be light ones, so we'll get-

DG: Yeah, absolutely.

Brando: Yeah, we'll get to those later on, but since some... You know, you're not just my guest for today. I mean, you're also my friend, so you're gonna be a part of Shotgun News.

[intro]

Brando: Maybe I should add that hey in there from Doug.

DG: Hey!

Brando: So I asked you off the air, because I didn't want to surprise you. Axl made a comeback, his first new song in 10 years, and it was on Looney Tunes.

DG: Yeah.

Brando: Did that surprise you at all?

DG: No, you know what? He's always, always, always loved kids. I mean, his famous Halloween parties that he used to do, I don't know whether he's doing them anymore, but it didn't surprise me at all. I loved it. I mean, I loved that if he was gonna do anything, it was great format to come back in. I mean, I don't know that I would do a GN'R song that way, but for an Axl deal, yeah, I thought it was great, I thought it was really cool.

Brando: I love it, cause I'm a cartoon guy. I usually make Simpson references or a SpongeBob or whatever, but I've, I mean, I'm sure like you, cause Looney Tunes itself, the brand has been around for just decades upon decades. But this-

DG: That's different. It's the brand that Axl and I's kind of age group grew up with, right? I mean, we didn't have SpongeBob. You know, we had Rick and Morty, right?

Brando: Yeah, Rick and Morty, absolutely.

DG: Yeah, so we had the Foghorn Leghorn and Bugs and you know, like that. So I thought it was really cool. I thought it was great.

Brando: So it was the new Looney Tunes, which is on Boomerang, because I know a lot of people were asking about where it was from. Because I've actually watched the new Looney Tunes. Like I watched the new Nature Turtles. But for the people who missed it, it was cool. I think a fan really spread this going viral. Someone who's watching with their kids, unlike me who watches cartoons alone, and took a cell phone video of it. So the first clip is just, it's obviously Axl's voice. Before Boomerang came out and said, "Yes, it's Axl." You know, of course, the way GN'R fans are, they dissect it. So this is just a clip of Axl talking to Bugs Bunny and Company.

[clip from Looney Tunes with some commentary from Brando]

Brando: It continues and just so, you know, the trolls out there know and Doug, cause this is our second podcast together, because we were both on GNR Central together, the whole copyright thing. So it's okay if I play 11 seconds of Rock on Rock.

[clip of Rock the Rock]

DG: There you go.

Brando: And I don't know if it's an Axl song, it has the AC/DC vibe, Porky Pig is doing the Angus Young thing going on. But whatever it was, it was pretty badass. It was well received by the fans.

DG: The thing that I love about it, Brando, is, I know a personal side of Axl that a lot of people don't, and that is he's hilarious. He's a really funny guy. I mean, they only see kind of the guy who comes out on stage. And he's smiling now, which I think is great. It looks like he's having a blast touring with the guys. But usually it was all about angst and they didn't realize that he's hilarious. So I liked that he's showing kind of that humorous side of him.

Brando: I like it too. I mean, that's why I enjoy when he tweets, even in the very political tweets, there's some sort of humor to it, whether it's just his use of emojis, but yeah, that's something. That's why, going back to before, I like the emo side of Axl. I like the humorous side. I like the angry side, because that's how I feel like those things describe me. So that's what gravitated me towards the band initially. Second part of Shotgun News. Maybe I'll just interview the entire McKagan clan. We'll see what happens. I interviewed Matthew McKagan a few episodes ago, music teacher out in California. Now his brother, Bruce McKagan. I'll get to a potential interview in a second. But he's doing a charity event, and I gotta say thanks to Dallas Dwight. He's a listener of the AFD show, and he has a band called the L.A. Maybe. And there's a show happening, if you're in South Carolina, and you wanna make the trip, it's expensive, but I'll tell you what it's all about, it's all for a good cause. "Rock and Roll Evening with the Stars", Thursday, January 24th. It's a once in a lifetime event that brings legendary rock band members to York's history McKelvey Center, I believe in South Carolina, and it's a "renew our community" in nonprofit that services the homeless and impoverished of York County, South Carolina. So just great that they're giving back to their community. So it's gonna feature Duff McKagan, Tommy DiCarlo of Boston, Parthenon Huxley, I know he's, I like ELO, but I'm not familiar, because that's a name I should remember, Parthenon Huxley. Gary Green from Hootie and the Blowfish, who are touring this year. And then special guests including Dallas' band, the LA Maybe. So I suggested to Dallas, I'm like, "Hey, you know what? Would you want to co-host the show just like other fans have done? And we can interview Bruce together, talk about this event, maybe get some cool Duff stories out of it. And Bruce seems down." So look forward to that in the future.

DG: I've met all the McKagans. There are certainly, there's a whole slew of them, and they are the best family. People would always ask me, "What's Duff like?" He's like anybody you went to high school with. And his family, just fantastic family. I knew the mother, just a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful lady. So it's nice to see Bruce and Matt get involved and Duff obviously, just really good people. Can't say enough about the McKagans.

Brando: Yeah, and obviously I appreciate just the time that eventually Bruce will give me and learn more about the charity. We got some cool stories from Matt, so you just really don't know it. It's like growing up with someone, like silly stories of just kids being kids, before they were rock stars. But this is a nice segue to you and I, Doug, and, because you were on Facebook, you're still on Twitter, and I hope, many fans hope you do return, because you've... Well, tell us what you're doing now, and, you know, other than sharing animal videos on Facebook, it was like the big thing that you were talking about.

DG: Yeah, you know what? It's the Facebook thing I just shut down because there's, as I call them, cowards ban[?] keyboards. And I'm so focused on what I'm doing currently, and thanks for the segue. Been hired by a guy, Larry Wiedekind, whose son Matthew passed away over three years ago from a heroin overdose. And so I'm running a nonprofit aimed at the opioid epidemic across America. Seventy two thousand people uh... The Center for Disease Control numbers seventy thousand people died in uh... two thousand seventeen alone uh... making it uh... the biggest killer in America, more than guns and car accidents combined in the same time period. More Americans were lost just in two thousand seventeen then the total of Americans lost in Vietnam. It's bigger than the age crisis yet hardly anybody's talking about it. And so I've been in Ohio and I will be in West Virginia. Those are the two biggest areas per capita of deaths. Based in Houston. And so I drive a lot and I don't fly because I like talking on the phone. And so that's when you and I always talk. Brando, I see you're driving from city to city, right? Yeah. But I mean, it's a great nonprofit and we're raising money to put people who can't afford treatment into treatment. We're also taking a look at this from a different perspective, not using kind of the AA model, but more of a long-term model to let the body's natural endorphin process kick back in, which unlike other drugs, it's been artificially synthesized. And what I'd normally like to say is you and I, we look at a sunset, sunrise, something like that, Brando, and we go, "Hey, how cool." And because that drug has been artificially synthesizing and processed, they're unable to feel that or remote. So it takes the body a while to get back in. So that's basically what I'm doing now. Love what I do. It's a tough job. I mean, you get the phone calls from parents who you didn't reach them in time, or, you know, girlfriends, boyfriends. And so that part's tough. But you know, the Facebook thing, again, you get attacked by people for your viewpoint, and I just don't have time for it, quite honestly. I'm trying to stay really positive and focused. And it's a tireless job. I mean, I'm working 20 hours a day, seven days a week. And so, focusing like that, but I did, and I talked to our friends, Jeff and Sid, the part about it that I don't like about not being on Facebook is I like talking to the fans because the fans, I believe without fans, you don't have a band. And so, you know, and that's why I will always continue to come on whenever you want me to, Brando or if Jeff and Sid ever want me back on or. And I certainly told him that because I want to be available to the fans. And who knows, maybe I'll work on some literature to put out there. Maybe I'll finally get my side of the story out. Who knows, Brando?

Brando: Yeah. Well, I have no doubt fans will be chomping at the bit if you were ever to write a book and, you know, you mentioned. And I was surprised. I mean, they did a good job. I think they were doing it, they've been doing it longer than I have, GN'R Central not doing podcasts anymore, but they're still doing, you know, True Stories and just their YouTube channel is still really good as far as getting information. But as far as podcasts and chatting, you know, if right now it's me, if it's just me, that's cool. So I appreciate it. Cause I know you've been on their show a lot. And I'm like, "I'm gonna tire everybody out of Doug Goldstein," you know?

DG: Yeah, right. A couple, actually I've done two with them.

Brando: Yeah?

DG: Not a lot, but yeah, just two.

Brando: Maybe it seems like more, because we all talk off the air. Maybe it seems like more.

DG: Yeah, right, exactly. Yeah, yeah, and because I was in Ohio, I spent a lot of time with Jeff, right? I mean, personal time. Him and I would go out and I'd watch him drink beer. Right, so. So, yeah, but anyway, I digress.

Brando: Well, that's interesting, you said, that's actually, you said something it's a good transition point, you watched him drink beer. So you don't drink now?

DG: No.

Brando: How long is that?

DG: And you know this, Brando, but I started the industry as a bodyguard. So as a bodyguard you can't imbibe or or do any drugs because you're paid to not. And so I didn't drink until I came off the road, 34 years old, but I made up for it back then. And I just, you know, it's inconsistent with being a COO of a nonprofit, doing what I'm doing. So I just decided, I made the decision to just not anymore. And don't miss it, you know.

Brando: Is it one of those things like for me, you know, and I've mentioned on the show when I was, you know, it was cool to talk to the head from Korn about it, because his documentary came about, how it affects family members and everything he went through. But I think it's been three years, just over three years since I stopped drinking.

DG: Oh, congrats.

Brando: But there are... Thank you. But there are people, you know, I still have, you know, I still need therapy and other things. I still have issues I gotta work through. But there are people who can just, cause I can't, I always, moderation is my problem, you know? But I don't know. That's of course, this is all gonna relate to Guns N' Roses. But you can't just go out and have like just a couple of Heinekens or is it just like, you know what, I don't even need it. I'd rather have a strawberry daiquiri or something.

DG: Yeah. Well, not unless they're in kegs. No, I mean, I'm an all or nothing guy and that's with work, I mess with anything.

Brando: Okay. I respect that.

DG: And I know that about myself. So yeah, I just choose not to.

Brando: Okay. This is all, I'm gonna play one more clip from you. This is from our last episode with Gary Sunshine, which thank you to everybody. What an overwhelming reaction. I just think that he's a nice guy. I wanted to talk to him, but he literally played on one Guns N' Roses song, did only part of it. And just everybody, his story was enthralling. The feedback was great. And of course Art Devana, who's been on frequently.

DG: Yeah, we love Art.

Brando: Yeah, we'll get to one of his questions for you later on. He might have the best question of them all. But he said something that really struck me last episode and obviously this pertains to what we're talking about.

AT [clip]: This is important to note. He's the only person who is 100% sober and 100% coherent during the entire Use Your Illusion era, which is probably the most debaucherous era of this band. And everyone else is fucked up in their own way. Axl was not as fucked up as everybody else, but he was partying, he was dealing with a lot of demons, he was fucked up in a lot of different ways, but Goldstein was the one guy who was sober and clean.

Brando: And that's true, right?

DG: Yeah, of course. Wow, I didn't know that, that's awesome. I didn't hear that.

Brando: Yeah, that was last episode, and he said, because that's what you say, and you know, that's so, I like the way that he phrased it though, that it's, how important that is to know, you know, when people, when these rock stars come out with autobiographies, it's like, how do they remember all this shit? That's why I love it, and I hope it's still gonna happen. Steven Adler's gonna write another book about the stuff that he doesn't remember. That was a story at one point, which would be insane to me.

DG: Yeah, I mean, that's why, I mean, I've been prodded by a number of people to write the book forever, because, you know, even past managers were far from sober. And so the recollection that I have is from a different perspective. Mainly I remember everything. [laughs] And so, I mean, I look, no offense to the guys because I love Slash and Duff, I always have, always will. But when I read their books, I just go, "How do you know what happened?" to that, "you don't," I mean, "cause I know what condition you were in." So, now if they wrote books about what they're doing currently. Okay, sure. I mean, there's some validity there, but and I think, you know, and that's why I talked about writing a book, because, you know, in all honesty, I think that the truth should be out there. And it's not about... And look, I will probably give away most if not all of any proceeds that I made towards homelessness, addiction, so it's not like I have a financial motivation to do it. I don't care about things anymore, not at my age. I care about things that are important in life, giving to people that don't have some of the luxuries that I've been afforded in life. So you can take that off the table, I guess, is what I'm saying, because people that have written books, people go, "Oh yes, for the money." Well, you know what, I'll put it in writing. I'll give my money away, I don't care.

Brando: Where does that come from, from you? Because it's one thing just to not drink and do drugs if you're being a bodyguard, and that's, you live your life on and off the field, so to speak. Is that something, when you were younger, did you have? Was it, did it-

DG: Yeah, it's growing up in 500 square feet with five people and your father and mother worked hard and so I was really blessed to be put in position with the guys and had, don't get me wrong, I had a bunch of wonderful things, but it didn't derive happiness, right? Like David Ross said, when I threw it with him, "Money doesn't buy happiness, it sure can't bring a lot of smiles." But in my case, it brought a lot of negativity as well. People that you thought were friends ended up not being. And, you know, there were, when you come from no money, you have friends with no money and you feel guilty that you have and so you share it. And so I just I'm kind of over that aspect. And I've just become more.... And I guess it's traveling the world. You know, you go to Rio and you see people living in cardboard boxes when you're traveling in the back of a Mercedes limousine and you just go, "Hang on a second, what's wrong with this picture?" So I've become just more socially aware, in my later years, but I think I've always been that way. You know, as a kid, you know, our, our elementary school was the one of seven in the area that we worked with special needs. And I spent every single day after school for two and a half hours working with the special needs kids from first grade all the way till middle school.

Brando: That's something else. To do that, to recognize that at such a young age. And it's hard not to be caught up in everything. You can still have your attitude towards keeping straight for the sake of everybody else, but how many stories, I mean, at least what the movies portray, like the manager always gets sucked into it, wanting to be the rock star. And it just seems like, it's funny, because every picture that's online of you back in those days, you always have this stoic look, your hands, you're always looking out. And everyone else around you is all messed, but you can always see you're focused. It's very funny.

DG: I was intensely focused, particularly during shows. I mean, it comes from a bodyguard. I still can't sit with my back to an open space at a restaurant. You know, I have to be able to see the room and it's kind of like, I understand that soldiers do when they come back from, you know, with part of their PTSD. But you brought up a point and most of them on the past manager, my ex partner, Niven, because, you know, him and I maybe don't see eye to eye on certain things, but he believed that, and we had this discussion tons of times, Slash would tell me, you know, "Could you please have a conversation with him? I don't want him partying." And I would tell Alan that and he would say, "You know, Dougie, you have to be like that." And I said, "No, he doesn't want you. I'm telling you, this is straight from the horse's mouth." And so, you know, it was kind of the Peter Grant mentality. Peter Grant partied with the Led Zeppelin guys and I knew from talking to Slash that he didn't respect the fact that Alan did that. And I tried to get that across to Alan and he chose not to hear that. And, you know, but again, there's no skin[?] on Alan, it's just a difference in opinion. I don't say one's right or wrong. It was just for me personally, it worked better for me to not.

Brando: Could be like parents, you know, like you have one parent that lets you get away with stuff and one's a disciplinarian in a way.

DG: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, one's the enabler.

Brando: Well, this is a good way to, well actually, before I get to, you know, because I maybe wanted to sprinkle in some fan questions when they come up, but this thought just came to me, because it was another question actually about how you, and maybe you could be interested on GN'R Central, that's why I wasn't gonna ask, but how you became a manager. How you became a manager, but I'm just thinking about how you took your bodyguard position, you know, to 110%. Is that something that you saw like a manager position is kind of like the next level up to kind of protect?

DG: No, you know what, no, I mean, I never thought that I would be a manager. I always thought I was gonna be a tour manager. And so, I mean, I didn't think that, but I got a call from two business managers and they said, "Your last name's Goldstein, you need to get out of security. There's no Jewish bodyguards, right, so what about being a tour manager?" And so when I started with GN'R, that's what I was. And within two months, Alan made... And this is where like people go, "Okay, Alan was a manager from '87 to '91, and then you took over." Well, no, that wasn't the case. I was made a partner in Stravinsky Brothers, Alan's company in '88, because I was offered a job by John Bon Jovi to be his year round live in road manager. And so Alan, I believe that Alan saw that... He didn't like Axl, Axl didn't like him, right from the start. And I believe that Alan probably saw the one way to hold on to the band was to make me his partner. And so I was a 50-50 partner in Stravinsky Brothers. And again, Alan didn't have to do that. He could have said, "Hey, you're my 25% partner." He was really good to me, which is why I don't like the whole, you know, he says, she says, that goes back and forth between Alan and I. We had our roles. He did a really good job working in the record company, but he didn't know anything about the road. And that's where my forte was. So I was cutting all the deals with the agents and the sound and light deals and, you know, hiring the staff. And so, I mean, we were a great team.

Brando: It had to have been overwhelming at times for you because you didn't expect to do that, right? Or is it not something you ever really aspired to do? You became good at it, but was it like, "Whoa, I'm really over my head here." You ever feel like that?

DG: Never, never did it. No, I mean, you know, I was always brighter than the average bear. You know, I was always in salaried programs as a kid and I never really... The one thing that my parents instilled in me was you can be anything you wanna be, right? And so I never felt overwhelmed and it helped that we kind of grew up together, all of us. You know, Alan started when I met him, he was in a studio with his wife and kid. And you know, and he was kind enough to have put me into a condominium once he moved up on the big hill. And the bands conversely, I mean, they were doing the same thing. We kind of, it was like a partner family. And so it wasn't like, we didn't go overnight success, like some people think we did. You know, it was kind of a... And the one thing that I've always said, one of my credos in life, "The day I stopped learning and laughing is the day I died." So I'm a constant question/asker and one of the people who always helped me in a profession is Peter Mensch of Q Prime. He was always there anytime I needed a professional recommendation or question or whatever, I can pick up the phone and Peter Mensch was always there. And he has this this kind of reputation the industry is being real stoic and hard to approach, and he was just the opposite with me And there was no ulterior motive with Peter. He just liked me and and was been was willing to help. So a great debt of gratitude to Peter Mensch who manages obviously Metallica and Chili Peppers along with Bernstein and Black Keys and a bunch of other people.

Brando: Right on. And I'll give the the manager question credits to both of our friend, Ms. Metal. She asked that on Twitter. And something that you said, and I don't want to, for it to be lost in it, I might get more of Garrett Smith's questions from Texas, but he goes, here's the I'm Jewish segue for the episode. "Is he Christian or Masonic Jew?" I'm not even pronouncing that right. He's like, "I heard Jewish before, but probably because someone assumed it from his last name. I noticed he posted something about being Christian recently, not something you expect to hear from someone who went through the Use Your Illusion Tour."

DG: You know, and that leads into another question that I know was asked, you know, about Axl's spirituality and faith. I mean, look, I would go to synagogue, but I would also go to my mother. So traditionally I'm not, I mean, historically I'm not Jewish because my mother was Malini[?]. So I went to catechism, and then we went to a non-denominational church, a Christian church. And so I have my Christian faith, I have my lineage in Judaism, but at the end of the day, aren't we all worshiping the same God, I hope, right? So that's the long answer to a short question.

Brando: Okay. Now, it's just, I mean, obviously the Jew joke being funny, like Jewish bodyguard, that's just, you know, I'm usually used as like the defense stick, like as my own, my body. Very cool. Yeah. So to go back to before, because obviously the subject, it's important to me, with sobriety and addiction and something we've talked about on this show, on Appetite for Emotion, or whatever you want to call it. Jeff Fisherman asks, and answer this however you want, if you can, "Ask him how the band would travel with drugs. Because you see this a lot now with bands. How they would get away with it. They smuggle them on the road. I met Slash in 1997 at Mama Kin, Aerosmith Old Rock Club in Boston. I gave him $20 to use as a coke straw. The guy was a total mess. He went to the bathroom and he and Teddy Zigzag watched the door and didn't let anyone in when he snorted. He was drinking Jack mixed with fruit punch." So it's Jeff Fisherman.

DG: Hey! At least he went to fruit punch. He's cutting it with something, how about that? You know, it's a good question, it's a good question. To be honest with you, most of, not most, a lot of what my job was, was trying to keep the dealers and fans away. Who would use that as a way to get close. "Hey, here's some blow," "Here's some jump," whatever, "what can I do for you?" right? So, some of them had some rough landings outside of hotels. The fans and or dealers would show up and then other members of the band I'd give them the room key and they'd be gone. You know and I was seeing them at sound check and I know where they're going. As far as carrying it around, I don't I didn't see that, and I think that they wouldn't do that knowing the laws of picking stuff around with them. I mean not the harder stuff. Usually they didn't have to. You know, it's kind of funny, Slash [?] to Dougie, me, put us in golf resorts so that he could play golf. Well, one, I'm teeing off at 5.30 in the morning when they're just going to bed. It's not the truth. I mean, I'd be done in two and a half hours. The reason I booked them is good luck scoring heroin on the 15th hole of a private resort. And so that's why after touring on Appetite, I knew that we shouldn't be staying in downtown areas. And so that's why I was booking the golf resorts. I mean, because they're way out of town and they'd have to stay, back then there was no Uber, right? Yeah, so I was hoping to preclude them from going to certain areas that they'd get into trouble.

Brando: Okay, that's a... I mean, as a manager, who's protecting them, not just for their financial interests, but for their wellbeing, you have to make strategic moves like that. You know, especially if you're telling the other manager, you know, Alan, not to participate. You know, I like to think, that's how I am too with my younger brothers. Obviously very different from being Guns N' Roses to just being one or four brothers, regular nobody people. But it's like, it's hard for me to be a hypocrite, you know. For me to, the times where I was smoking a ton of weed and tell my brothers, I don't want you smoking weed. I can't do that. You know, so I-

DG: Right, exactly. Well, and yeah, that was a part of it too. It's like, "How can I tell these guys not to do blow or junk when you're doing blow and ecstasy with them?" Right? And that was a part of my great frustration.

Brando: I can't even imagine. So you know what, then how do you feel? And we'll get to our friend Art Tavana's question just for shits. Should John Jones be banned for the sport of MMA for being a steroid abusing thug?

DG: You'd have to ban half of the USC. So that's the short answer to Mr. Tavana's question.

Brando: Is it true he told me you challenged Tito Ortiz to a fight?

DG: No, no, it wasn't Tito Ortiz. It was BJ Penn and it was more than a challenge. I didn't challenge him. He challenged me and it didn't really go his way.

Brando: Oh, okay. I like Art's story better, but that's still...

DG: Yeah, yeah. No, BJ, I really liked BJ a lot and he just, somebody had told him that I could fight and so he just thought he would try that out. And so, didn't go too well.

Brando: Fair enough. And we can also give credit to the, cause you mentioned before that you saw it on Twitter, Sean Adams asked about, "Does Axl still have a faith and spirituality?" But I'm like you, I feel like we're all kind of praying to something, something that we don't know.

DG: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I always have known Axl to be, I don't... Look, I'm not in his room, I don't see him getting down on his knees praying to whomever, but he's a good guy with good morals. He doesn't harm people intentionally, ever. He always has people's best interests at heart. And to me that's somebody who's spiritual, you know, I mean, that kind of defines, you know, the golden rule stuff. You want to be treated like you treat others. And I've always experienced Axl to be a really God fearing person, at least in terms of how I would, you know, kind of frame a God-fearing person. He never denounced the existence of a creator with me, put it that way. I mean, you know.

Brando: Yeah, I find it interesting, and I love Alan Niven. I mean, he's come on twice, he's been very nice. I mean, he's quirky, but so am I. But he feels weird that Axl's singing AC/DC songs, because... It's not like the devil, for me, it's like a cartoon devil. It's not like Dimmu Borgur or Cradle of Filth, it's not like you're worshiping anybody, but no, he seems to have good morals.

DG: There's a bit of, maybe Alan has found God, and that's great, I hope so. But there was a time where he was not that. And, you know, he had this fascination with going to New Orleans and black magic. And, you know, and I don't know. I mean, I hope that for Alan's sake, he has changed that. But it's slightly hypocritical to me, you know. That being said, it's kind of funny. I'm just, for me personally, I don't live anybody else's life. I live Doug Goldstein's life. I have too much difficulty with that. But for me, I could never listen to [?] "I'm burning. I'm burning for you." I just, I can't do it. Never have been able to since high school. That would come on KGB FM and San Diego. I would turn it off, I just couldn't do it. And that was the way I was raised. [?] But I would listen to Highway to Hell, right? So I don't know. I mean, but unlike you, I guess when it comes to that, I guess is what I'm saying, Brando it's, I never looked at AC/DC, I never took that serious, right? Certainly not as serious as Jimmy Page and the Alistair Crowley connection or whatever. Which I think it was real.

Brando: The black magic and dark magic and all that stuff?

DG: Yeah, yeah, which is what Niven was into. And like I said, I pray and I hope that he's not anymore.

Brando: No, what he says is he's of the light. He's of the light. That's where he goes.

DG: And I think that's fantastic. And like I said, I hope and I pray that that's the truth. All I'm saying is that it's slightly hypocritical that he doesn't at least acknowledge that he had or possessed that side.

Brando: Maybe I'll ask him. I think at least Mitch Lafon says he's gonna try to get Alan on the show again, so we might have another Mitch, you know, a hockey conversation before we talk about the devil and all that stuff.

DG: [?]There you go, New Jersey Devils.

Brando: Yes, there you go. You know, I may ask that, "Would you ever wear a New Jersey Devils?"

DG: He's probably say, "Only in New Orleans."

Brando: I'm gonna ask him. That's funny So obviously that relationship was complicated. Another relationship that was complicated, misster sunshine asked on Twitter, "What's the key for understanding the relationship between Izzy and Axl? In your opinion of course."

DG: Boy that's a tough one. I think there's so many years of just being misunderstood .I think that they both love each other, having grown up in the same small town, but it's become complicated. And I think that through the years, it always was complicated. You know, I think that they've hurt each other's feelings through the past. And I would love for those guys to at some point be able to sit down with one another and just go, "Okay, grievances on my side, grievances on your side, let's put them in a big chest, wrap some steel around that chest and collectively throw it into the ocean and start again. See, where are we today." I think that'd be very healing.

Brando: This perfectly segues into another question. This is from Michaela. She said, "When I asked Mark Canter what would happen if the original five," of course,
well, we should say, "the Appetite five," because we've had Rob Carter on the show, Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy and Steven, "were ever able to be in a room altogether again after 28 years and counting. He said, I think they would hug each other and cry." So she asks you, "Do you agree? And if not, what do you think would happen?"

DG: I don't think so. Yeah, I don't think so. I mean, yeah, I think it's way too much water on the bridge, too many hurt feelings. I think, you know, Tim Collins did a great job with the Aerosmith guys about bringing in therapists and okay, doing just basically what I talked about, air grievances. I think it would take more than just put the five in a room and with no other professional help. Kind of, I think what Steven's saying is kind of that, right? I don't see it going down as Michaela said, I love Michaela. She's a great gal, but I don't see it as being that simple.

Brando: Yeah, that's a very, you know, even me, I feel like I would want that, because it's so romanticized. That's like fairy tale. They'll hug each other. They release Appetite for Destruction II. They take over the world. I mean, it's just, yeah, but we'll see if that happens in one way, shape or form. If they do the Metallica route and hire a therapist and do a movie that just makes everything awkward.

DG: Yeah, right. Yeah. No, I think it's kind of altruistic in its framework. I just, I don't see it going down that way. But like I said, I love Mikaela and I love that she thinks it would go down that way. I just, I know too much has transpired. I think to lack[?], you know, somebody else in the room to kind of be a referee.

Brando: Carly asks, "What is your favorite most cherished memory with Guns N' Roses or just Axl?"

DG: Two separate ones, the favorite memory would be the Freddie Mercury tribute, because I kind of felt like, "Wow, this is it, this is the pinnacle." That or playing Rock In Rio for two shows, right? Where you're standing in front of 225,000 people both nights and they're the only band to play the two nights, at least in those years as a headliner. The Axl personal one probably, and I wasn't there, but when my contract was up and I'd heard it from the attorney involved and two other witnesses, the band was gonna cut my percentages down and he said, "I got a different idea, I'll take the percent that you want to cut them down from each one of you guys and give it to him because he works harder than any of you guys." So, I mean, he was sticking up for me and, but yeah, I mean, we had a great relationship. He was my best friend. And we went through a lot of very heavy stuff together. And I love and miss him and always will.

Brando: So then this will be, I'd rather give the credit to the listeners and instead of me just asking, this is from Eric Bramowitz. Another Jew, maybe?

DG: I know Eric, by the way. I know Eric. He's a good guy.

Brando: "Then what were the circumstances by which you were no longer Guns N' Roses manager? When did that happen?"

DG: Yeah, it was from 2002 to 2004, I was traveling every Friday night over to Hawaii to be with my kids. And I asked Axl if I could just work from Hawaii because Shep Gordon had done it for years. And he said, "No, I need you here." And I said, "Well, then you tell my three and a half year old that I can't do that." So it was more quitting. I mean, I read on the internet where I was fired and I don't, there was nothing. I was never terminated. I just, I wanted to be a dad. And I've never really looked back and said, "Gee, that was a bad decision." Quite the antithesis. I mean, I love my children, Jake and Eli. And, you know, to me, that's the best job I've ever had in my life. [?] And so I've never looked backwards. You know, you leave the biggest rock band in the world. So what?

Brando: I mean, that's incredible. I mean, I like to think that if they're your kids, they appreciate that. I don't want to say give up your dream job because you made an active decision. But that was my impression all these years was that you got fired. So that's why-

DG: Is that right? No, I never got fired.

Brando: The truth, I mean, that's Guns N' Roses, right? Like everybody gets fired except for Axl. Isn't that the whole aura of the band?

DG: [?] fired. I mean, he was upset with me during that time period over something that went down that was pretty interesting. He was upset with me and didn't want to see me. You had 150 photographers who were coming towards his limousine as it was approaching, and I stopped them. And so he didn't want to see me, but that was very short. He didn't fire me over that. And no, really the condition upon where we parted ways was what I just mentioned. And I just wanted to be a dad.

Brando: Well, that's awesome. There's a lot to, prior to this conversation where some people were hearing you talk for the first time, just between us. I mean, you just have all the makings of just, "Yeah, Doug is," I don't know, you've got like things set straight. Like your priorities is really together. It seems as family first, you know, sobriety first, as things that don't exist in the rock and roll world.

DG: I think it's important, Brandon, even though I mean, I don't want to discount the fact that like my relationship with my first son is fantastic. He just got signed. He will not let his father help him at all because he doesn't want to be the kid that rode the Guns N' Roses coattails. But his band Hunny, [?], H-U-N-N-Y, he just signed a deal to Brett Gerwitz label Epitaph with zero help from his dad. So I'm real proud of him. But like we all go through in life, the baby boy Eli, he's gone through about a two year period where he doesn't talk to me because, well. I think he sides with my ex-wife, his mom. It's not like I'm without problems. I don't want anybody to misconstrue that.

Brando: Well, that's impossible, not to have any problems, but it seems like you're really just, you're trying to put your best foot forward each time.

DG: Yeah, but I think it's important for people that listen to this to realize that it's not like I have this life without problems. We all have problems and I think it's imperative to know that. I deal with the sadness of not communicating with my baby boy who I love more than life itself. And so we all have things in our lives that we deal with. And so I just, I just want people to realize that, you know, it's not a woe is me moment. I feel for you as well because I too go through stuff.

Brando: Right. Yeah. Absolutely. Cause, you know, there are certain family members that I don't talk to anymore and it really bothers me, things that I believe are out of my control, and how important this stuff is. And that's why I think when, you know, in a way when bands reunite, especially with Guns N' Roses in this community, it's like a family got back together again, in a way. Because sometimes they're like you or me that have family problems. And for some silly reason, Guns N' Roses, we look at it as like a family, you know, cause people get so invested.

DG: Yeah, I'll speak to that as well, Brando. I think that like, I've heard Slash make comments that, you know, that I'm the bad guy who kept him and Axl away. And to address that, you know, the reality is if I had told Axl back in '91 how Slash really felt about him, we'd be home. We'd have been home. So it's not like I was trying to not let them communicate but then to this is I was trying to keep everybody out doing what they wanted to be doing, which is find in front of 72,000 people. And if you want to fault me for that, then I, gee, I guess I screwed up, you know? But I think for them to get back in a room and work out their reunion, somebody had to be the fall guy. And I'm okay being that. I know the truth. I know what I did or didn't do for that band. And at the end of the day, that's all I care about.

Brando: Right on. Part of that is in these... When I ask weird questions, I love when people just gave me a ton of questions for each person. So Jason Bork, we'll get to... What did he say? "So for you being blamed for things, have you kicked the fuck out of that dude that gave Slash and Duff that contract and left the blame on Doug all these years?"

DG: I wanted to. That guy, former tour manager, everybody's afraid of him. He's a big stoic, mean guy who comes off as a badass and he knows and I know that he should never cross that line with me. And I had a recent conversation with him within the past year and I just said, "We will run into each other and I'm gonna take you out." So, but you know, I mean, that being said, I won't. I mean, it is what it is. You can't put the genie back in the bottle. And what, am I going to go to jail for beating up somebody for what they did in '91 or '92? That wouldn't make any sense. At least I certainly wouldn't announce it on the show.

Brando: I understand, I understand. So another relationship we've heard about there being friction, that being between Paul Tobias and Slash. I think people don't realize how late you were with GN'R. It wasn't just the Illusions, but you were there at the beginning of, what were, Chinese sessions or?

DG: Yeah, yeah, I was there until 2004, yeah. So I was there for Slash's departure and yeah.

Brando: So how did Paul Tobias come into the band and then how did he leave? Do you know that?

DG: Well, yeah, sure. Gilby was only promised by Axl to be on tour and so when the tour was over, they started rehearsals and Axl said, "Hey, I'm going to bring my friend in, Paul," just realizing this, this is a part of great frustration for me, "Just tell Slash and Duff." He's only there until they find a replacement. That's it. No more. And I told those guys 50 times. Cause they'd call me, you know, "Screw Paul. We want him out of here." "Guys, I've told you now, this is the 30th time, just bring somebody else in." And they never did. Paul knew that he didn't have a permanent gig.

Brando: Why did they... Because, I mean, I've reached out to Paul, you know, do you know why there was friction there? Was he, you know, did he smell? Well, like, what was it?

DG: No, he was Axl's guy, right? I don't think that they thought that he had the chops, but I, you know, I never got involved in what they did musically, because what, you're gonna repaint the Mona Lisa? It just doesn't make sense. And I saw that cause friction when Niven brought lyrics back into the back of the bus for Axl to check out and that didn't go to, that wasn't formally received. So I never really got involved unless I was asked my opinion, which is very seldom.

Brando: Fair enough. And I'll give credit to, that was from my Gareth O'Neill and he, "Why did you book a tour?" He continues from that Tobias question, "Why did you book a tour in early 2000s that wasn't agreed with Axl?"

DG: Let's just say that it was agreed to, and then the person said that it wasn't. So I was asked publicly to clear that up in the way that I did. But Axl knew that that tour... he asked us to book that tour.

Brando: Okay. "How come Josh Freese left before the touring began?"

DG: Josh is a working guy. He loves to be out and playing and it was the process was dragging a little slower. I love Josh. He's one of my favorite people on the planet. And by the way, another one of my favorite people on the planet who doesn't get near the credit that he should is Richard Fortus. I mean, the guy has been with Axl for how long? And he's a great human being, just a fantastic guy. Love Richard. I mean, I never talked to Richard, but he's in St. Louis, and I was in St. Louis, and I'd run into people that knew him, I mean, he could run for mayor in St. Louis and win. I mean, he's so loved.

Brando: All right. More to continue with that mystery era, and I think that's why people like the interview we did last episode, you know, talking about like, Oh My God, before even Chinese came out. Dean Reynolds wants to know, "What can you shine on during your tenure? Cause we can talk about some of the musicians being brought in, like Paul and Josh Freese. Were you there with Brian May during those recording sessions?"

DG: No, I wasn't there with Brian. I'd met Brian a number of times. Great guy, just a wonderful man, really sweet, but I wasn't there for the recording sessions with him.

Brando: Okay. Yeah. What kind of material did you hear at that time? Like, was it the stuff that ended up on Chinese Democracy? Was it material that-

DG: Yeah, pretty much. Early stages of the stuff that ended up on Chinese.

Brando: Okay. But nothing like you heard that didn't end up on there? Nothing like that?

DG: No, not really.

Brando: Okay. Cool question here from a Johan Batista. "I always wonder the real reason why GN'R didn't play Woodstock 1994. Woodstock just announced their 50th anniversary concerts. I think no one's named yet." He goes, "Slash did with Paul Rogers, but not with the band." He's like, "I'm guessing due to Duff's pancreas." Before I go into his next question, so.

DG: Yeah, I don't remember getting asked to play Woodstock, quite honestly. Yeah, I mean, and we had just done two and a half years of touring and we were just kind of, just breathing again.

Brando: Okay. And a fan that I know that you know, I feel like anyone who's on these GN'R forums, Alex, where'd he go, Alex Mendoza, he sent me a picture and he's like, "Ask him about this." It's like a picture of all these tapes and binders. You had a handover?

DG: I don't know anything about it.

Brando: You know what, I'm gonna send you right now, we're gonna do this live.

DG: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Brando: Are you... hold on, I'm not trying to do it through my messenger, fucking Facebook. I probably should have sent it. I'm gonna text it to you and see if you know what I'm talking about here. All right, it's just sent. Because I was like, "Is Doug a silent film movie buff?" I didn't even know what it was. And he's like, "No, look at the writings on the binder." And it's all this, lots of old recordings. That's what it is. And this is from-

DG: I never possessed these.

Brando: Okay, all right. So it just says, "a GNR demo reel". So you have no information about-

DG: No, I never had him.

Brando: All right. All right. Fair enough. Well, I asked Alex, so there you go. What else, because you have so many questions, but I don't want to keep you here forever.

DG: Not a problem, bud.

Brando: Let's go to Anderson. He wants to know, "When did a recording actually start? '97, '98? Was Robin returning in 2000 a surprise? Were there any shows discussed before 111, like Woodstock '99?"

DG: Oh boy, you know what? To all of that, the timeframe just kind of melds together. I'd have to look back at notes and I don't really remember when the recording started. I just remember that, you know, it was a 10-year process when I left, I think. So it would have started really in '94, you know, cause I kept being... No, I'm sorry. No, no, I take it back. No more like seven years when I left. So '97 would have been when it started. Robin coming back. I don't think that was a real surprise. I mean, I also really liked Robin a lot personally and as a player, a lot, a lot, and you know, he split to go do the Nine Inch Nails stuff. And when he came back, I mean, again, you mentioned that, you know, "Everybody gets fired for Guns N' Roses," and then that's it. You know, I was surprised that Axl actually was okay with Robin coming back. I was happy, because I like Robin, and I do like his playing, but usually if somebody leaves, it's the same thing. Axl's like, "You left, you're not coming back," right? So.

Brando: Yeah, that makes sense. Another one, we're just messing around here. This is Ken Begora. "Did you think it was a good idea to release Use Your Illusion as a set or did you want to hold one back?"

DG: Yeah, no, I've actually spoken about this and I think I told Ms. LaFleurne this. It's one of the only big arguments that Axl and I ever had. I certainly felt like release one and tour on it and then a year, year and a half into the tour release another one for the strength of the tour, right? It ended up kind of being a moot point as far as ticket sales because every ticket was sold, on the Use Your Illusion tour, but I kept telling Axl, everybody knows that the guy's genius mentality, and my response was always, "Yet again you're assuming that Johnny Q Public[?] is as bright as you and that people are going to be able to disseminate all of the info that you're giving them." So there are songs like Double Talkin' Jive, Pretty Tight Up, that really never got their due, in my opinion, because there were just too many songs dumped-

Brando: That's a fair point.

DG: -at one point. I mean, you know, Double Talkin' Jive's one of those songs like Her Majesty by the Beatles, you just wish would go on and on and on. But it's short, right? Slash's lead going into the flamenco is, I mean. You know, I find it every time I listen to it, which is often, it just is mesmerizing and how brilliant it is. The guy's just an amazing guitar player, just amazing. And I used to watch him live and I swear to you, he didn't know whether he was playing in front of, or he probably knew, but it didn't matter if he was playing in front of one person or a hundred thousand. I used to comment that you couldn't tell where his body stopped and the guitar started. It looked like just everything was married together. Just such a command of the instrument. And still, I mean, I don't know about today, but when I was working with him, he was on top of the game and he still shuts his phones off and locks his door and was practicing for three hours a day. And to rest on his laurels, he continued to practice, which I thought was just awe inspiring.

Brando: I think that's what London said in our interview with him, that he's just practicing all the time, he still gets nervous, he still seems to be the same guy that you remember him as, and no matter the heights that he's gone to, he's still that guy, which is pretty cool.

DG: In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he still shuts the door and plays for three hours.

Brando: There you go. Another loyal listener, Ken Bigora. "After," well to continue on the Use Your Illusion question, "after that was released, Axl mentioned a punk cover's album, of course, The Spaghetti Incident, and a soundtrack for Terminator 2. Was there ever a Terminator 2 soundtrack or a song other than You Could Be Mind that was intended for the movie?"

DG: Yeah, no, the You Could Be Mind thing was, got a call from Tom Zutaut saying, "Hey, I met with Bobby Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger and I've convinced him to put Jungle in the video," and I said, "I don't understand. It's four years old." We're releasing Use Your Your Illusion. Let's put the first single in that." So that's how that came about. But no, there was never anything other than You Could Be Mine that was in that.

Brando: Oh, that's still cool that it could have been Welcome to the Jungle and you rightly said, "Well, we have a new album coming out. Why not play?" I still remember that scene very, very vividly. That would be a get. I want to get Arnold on the show. Cause that's tangible. I'm sure I can make that happen.

DG He's a super nice guy. We all went to his house and he knew that, you know, that I liked Cuban cigars and the Slash liked jack, and Duff liked like Stolis[?]. And I mean, he knew everything. He did his homework before he showed up.

Brando: So then talk about that then. Where was this? Before the movie came out? After the song?

DG: No, it was before we all went to his house to talk about, you know, putting him in the video. And I got the production company to pay for the video, the film production company. So that video was free for us.

Brando: Nice, that's what a good manager does.

DG: I try.

Brando: Speaking of which, Hillbilly Herald, are you familiar with Hillbilly or Jimmy Herald?

DG: No.

Brando: Okay, so they're a former guest and he asks, ask him if I manage Hillbilly Herald. How's that for a question? So he's got an awesome story. He's become friends with Slash and I guess when he was out in LA and he's hustling, he's waiting tables and all that, and I think when he was 35, he's in his early 40s now, Slash is like, "Just do it." Just make your, essentially just make your dreams come true. And that's what he's been doing since, because of Slash. And one of my favorite things, because he's just an awesome dude, is that his mic stand is all Paps Blue Ribbon cans.

DG: That's great.

Brando: He just plays it up. Yeah, and they've opened up for shows for the Conspirators. So, well, if you decide to go back to the managerial ring.

DG: Yeah, right. Well, you know what? Send it to me anyway. I'd love to listen to it.

Brando: All right. There you go, Jimmy. I want a percentage if it happens.

DG: I do want to say to Eric Bronowitz and to Johann Batiste and to Alex Mendoza, I'm very familiar with you guys and honored that you guys would write in questions. And thank you for your support of the band and of me personally. I know those guys, you know, and obviously Tavana. But I know Art on a personal level.

Brando: Sure, and so do I, and I appreciate including Art to submit these questions. That means people actually have to listen. I had somebody write in, "I don't know if you would even ask my question." Why would I not do that? Unless we, I mean, I can't stand here now. I'm not gonna ask you 50 questions, because you're gonna come on again. We're not cutting it short, I think, so to speak. Let's end here with maybe hopefully a fun story. This is from Dirk. "Ask him about his favorite Zach Wylde story, and maybe if he has any heated discussions with Sharon Osborne?"

DG: I've never had any heated discussions. I love Sharon. Her and Ozzy used to send me Christmas cards every year. And probably my favorite Zach story is he gave me the Sweet Jesus, which was on Pride and Glory, the music notation framed, signed by him as a Christmas gift one year. He's a wonderful guy and talk about a monster player. It was frustrating because I loved Zack personally, but I was trying to work the Pride and Glory record, which was southern rock, when Geffen was only interested in selling Nirvana records. And trying to get anybody to pay attention at that time was really difficult. It felt like a personal failing to me. And I felt like I let Zach down. You know, I certainly would... Oh, I do want to make a mention also, if you don't mind, Brando, and I apologize for not telling you this, but we just lost somebody in the Guns N' Roses family, who was very near and dear to all of us. He also managed Slash personally, Tom Marr, just lost a battle with cancer on Christmas Eve.

Brando: Oh, awful.

DG: And, yeah, it was kind of a tough loss. He worked with me at Big FD and his beautiful wife, Danelle, who they've known since college. I did speak to her and they have two daughters, 23 and 21. And Tom was just a wonderful, wonderful man. So I did want to put that out there.

Brando: I appreciate you doing so because it is a Guns N' Roses family and all the people that you mentioned just submitting questions are people that I wouldn't know if it wasn't for this Guns N' Roses ask podcast. And you don't wanna see anyone go through that. I've lost people to cancer. I mean, it's awful.

DG: Yeah, he worked at KNEC[?], which is how I found Tom. The famous KNEC, right? The rock station.

Brando: All right. And I'll continue the good vibes and life's two short vibes. This is from Dan Lutzka. He would like to offer you an apology, Doug, for how he reacted towards the box set, "and the language I used towards him. It was way out of line." So he wants to apologize to you. Because that tweet that you sent Fernando that unfortunately went viral. So I don't know, maybe.

DG: The very sweet apology accepted, Dan, life's too short not to accept apologies and to hold on to crap. It's greatly appreciated.

Brando: There you go. This is all cool. I feel like I'm just talking to you like my friend and this has become, you know, this is-

DG: [?]

Brando: Well, yes. This is, you know, officially in an interview. I mean, I don't always record my conversations with my friends. I don't think I would have, I wouldn't have too many friends left if that were the case.

DG: Yeah, exactly.

Brando: But of course there were other questions submitted that came in, but we'll get to them next time you're on, Doug.

DG: Anytime. Anytime, bud, you know me. I mean, I'm an open book, man. I love talking to my friends, especially Brando, so. Anytime, anytime, buddy.

Brando: Well, I appreciate that. We'll see what happens, because we've been saying episode 100, but you and I, we just got too eager. We had to do episode 98. So we'll see what happens. I want Doug to play co-host, and both of us interview someone together, because if you haven't noticed it already, Doug certainly has a gift for gab, and knows his way around a conversation, so look forward to that.

DG: You know who we need to talk to, you know who we need to talk to also is Craig Duswalt. Who has turned his time in the Axl Rose business into an incredibly successful career as a public speaker and author. And Craig's a great guy. Him and I worked together on Air Supply in 1982, yeah.

Brando: All right, so set it up, we'll do it.

DG: I'll do it, bud. Hey, and anybody who's interested in the Matthews Hope information. If you have anybody who's battling with the opioid addiction, please, please, please go on www.matthewhope.org. We are going through some website changes, but it is up and running. It'll just be improved in the future. [...] And thank you for that, Brando.

Brando: Of course, you beat me to it. I was just about to ask because, you know, whether it's, and it's an important conversation in itself, but it's so, sometimes it's just so interesting how we were all looking for, I mean, at some sort of reunion. It's like, while they're all still alive, while they're all still, I mean, they all are still alive. It could so, they all could have died so easily. And I, sure, I say that from just such a far view where you know that firsthand, that all these guys could be, or could very well not be around today and for-

DG: No question. We were close to losing all of them at any given point in time in our careers, yeah.

Brando: Yeah, and it's just, it is scary, whether it's opioid addiction or addiction of any type. It's just, it's frightening. So it's wonderful that you've given your life to that. And, you know, it just speaks volumes, and traveling around and I just hope more and more people listen because we're doing it to ourselves. You know, we get away the people who sell you stuff that's laced with something. Yeah, there are all these different reasons why people may OD, but it was last year, a friend of mine, Don, who was off for a while, had one bad night with his girlfriend, accidentally OD'd. I mean, it didn't expect it at all. It's just very, very frightening. And he had a rock band. It's very scary. And I know there are a lot of Guns N' Roses fans out there that not only are suffering themselves, but know somebody. So that's why it's important. All these fun GN'R questions, your opinion or facts, dates, all that stuff is great, but it is important here whether you wanna say it on the Appetite for Distortion, Appetite for Emotion, whatever you wanna call it, it is important to get out there. So I appreciate you doing what you do and then, you know, you know, sharing your stories with us and then in your vision with us. So it's a much appreciated.

DG: Thank you my brother.

Brando: So until next time, Doug, I can't thank you enough just for your time and your friendship. Cause this is, it's so funny. Cause you've called me, I always have to tell my girlfriend cause I don't like talking on the cell phone in public. I'm just not one of those people, you know, that's like. Like you called me when I was out and when we visited Woodstock, we had a breakfast. I'm like, "Hold on. I'm sorry. This is a former Guns N' Roses manager." She's like, "I understand. Don't worry." You know, one time I actually, I think it was right before I was about to see Bohemian Rhapsody, we talked about Brian May. You called me. So, you know, your timing may not always be great, but I always appreciate it. I always answer it. And then of course, the fact that you answered these fans questions, I know we didn't get to all of them, but we got to a lot. We spent 98 episodes talking about how this band with communication, or lack of communication, or misunderstanding, you know, so it's really appreciated when people are open books and you know, I obviously didn't want to overwhelm you with anything. So you were a good sport. You were a good sport. All the listeners who are sending questions, I can't thank you enough, again, whether you found us on iHeart radio, Speakrer, Stitcher, SoundCloud, iTunes, YouTube, if you have one that's your favorite, just make sure you follow us on all. Because it just, it makes us look good. It makes us look good. And same thing for Facebook. Facebook.com/theAFDshow on Twitter @theAFDshow. You're still on Twitter though, right? Is that okay?

DG: Yeah, pretty much, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Brando: What's your... because it's not just Doug Goldstein.

DG: Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's a great question. I don't know, maybe [?]. Or maybe, I don't know. Yeah, I'll let you know.

Brando: I'll tell you right now, it's so funny. It's Doug B.F. Dink. So yeah, Doug B. as in boy, F as in Frank, Dink. If you want to talk to Doug, and who's obviously extremely fan friendly. So yeah, so until next time, obviously, we mentioned Bruce McKagan, future episode. We're gonna talk to Rob from Volbeat, future episode. I know we're also gonna talk to Billy Rowe again from Jet Boy, future episode. So a lot to look forward to and of course more Doug Goldstein on the future episode. Looking forward to it.

DG: Thank you very much, Brando.

Brando: Thanks, Doug and until next time.

I'm on a roll. Did this, too.