1987.06.DD - Unknown French publication - Guns N' Roses (Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff, Steven)

Translation:
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GUNS N’ ROSES
 
A meeting with Axl Rose (vocals), Slash (guitar), Izzy Stradlin (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) & Steven Adler (drums)
 
Interview by Sasha Stojanovic [1987]
 
This interview was originally conducted in June 1987. GUNS N 'ROSES were going to release "Appetite For Destruction", but at the time they had only their self-produced mini-album and a single, "It's So Easy". The band, nonetheless, made its first European foray, notably with its arrival at London’s Marquee.
 
Is your first album ready yet?
 
Duff McKagan: Yes, and we're excited, because we're very proud of it. It's rock as you've rarely heard it before. We had a lot of opportunities to test these songs live and we saw how the audience reacted. This album is killer.
 
Glad to hear you say that, because rock n 'roll has had a tendency to soften lately!
 
Slash: That's the reason we're here. The purpose of our concerts is to show what five musicians are able to do, and that rock shouldn’t be buried so fast. Be patient and you’ll see!
 
Although you live in Hollywood, I suppose you want to conquer your homeland.
 
Slash: In a way, maybe. But I don’t feel so British. I was really very young when my family moved. We came back a few times to visit the relatives, but it doesn’t mean much to me. The truth is that we want to be successful everywhere!
 
That's what you expect from life?
 
Axl Rose: Yes, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. That's what makes us move forward. But nobody else is like us. We are fundamentally different.
 
What do you think of this slogan about you: the 60s had the ROLLING STONES, the 70s had AEROSMITH, the 80s will have GUNS N' ROSES.
 
Izzy Stradlin: It's very flattering. Succeeding AEROSMITH would be a dream, because they’re one of our big influences. But the truth is that this band has been around for a long time. It helped us as a reference, but we have evolved a lot since then.
 
What other influences do you claim?
 
Axl: The ROLLING STONES, the RAMONES and the NEW YORK DOLLS. That kind of thing.
 
What all the bands you mention have in common, is an “attitude” - is this more important than being a good musician?
 
Axl: Yes, it’s crucial. We don’t want to make any compromises about the band. We don’t worry about what’s being done around us. We;re honest in our approach, since we aren’t trying to copy what's fashionable in order to be successful.
 
This attitude is accompanied by another motto: "Live fast, die young".
 
Slash: This is the whole story of rock 'n' roll in the last 30 years, but I don’t think it could apply to us.
 
The philosophy of the band, would it be, "wine, women, music"?
 
Slash: Can I have Jim Beam instead?
 
Axl: That may be the image we project, but, in fact, music is our priority.
 
Many musicians find it difficult to calm down after a show and they abuse drugs. What do you do?
 
Duff: We party. We drink and unload the excess energy.
 
Steven Adler: We are big partiers.
 
Slash: With some girls... Nothing very original.
 
Does the title of the album refer to the state of humanity in general or to the self-destructive tendency of adolescents?
 
Axl: A bit of both. In my opinion, the way the title will be interpreted will be revealing about each one’s personality.
 
Is GUNS N 'ROSES a democratic band or is it led by Axl and Izzy, who are the founding members?
 
Axl: It’s democratic, like many other bands.
 
One of the true tests for the democracy is whether the earnings are split fairly. This is often a hiccup.
 
Slash: At this point, we haven’t made enough money for it to be a problem. And even if we had some, we wouldn’t have time to spend it.
 
Duff: We're only at the beginning of our career and we spend all our time on tour. We like it, and we've often said that this band was made for the stage. It's the only place we feel good, and playing is the only thing we know how to do.
 
At the very beginning of your career, you all lived together. According to Keith Richards [ROLLING STONES], this is the only way a group of friends becomes a band.
 
Slash: We did it and it was hell. It was the most disgusting apartment you could imagine, but we loved it because we could rehearse. It was in an industrial district and nobody came to complain about the noise.
 
Axl, the last word?
 
Axl: Rock 'n' roll is a dangerous profession, but we love it.

This interview is found in the August 1999 issue of Hard Force (French magazine). I'm not 100% sure yet if it was originally published in the same magazine or if it was translated from a UK source for the 1999 issue.
There was a Guns N' Roses feature in the October 1987 issue of the magazine, so it's possible that it contained this interview:
https://hardforce.com/numero/85/hard-force-magazine-n-11-s1
but I'll leave it as "unknown" and June for now.