1988.12.DD - Collage of three different TV footages (Japan, Australia and Donigton) (Slash, Duff, Izzy, Axl)

Transcript:

[first interview from Japan in December 1988]

Interviewer: I said that Slash [?] A lot of the things about Guns N' Roses, a lot of it is sort of more dealing with the negative side, right? Why don't you tell us what Guns N'  Roses is all about?

Duff: In a nutshell?

Slash: In a nutshell we are just a rock and roll band out on the road.

Duff: That's about it.

Izzy: A couple guitars, bass, drums, vocalist...

Slash: We just like to play and we get along playing together and so...

Interviewer: All right. So what about the, like, your musical influences, especially you Duff, since you are, uhm, from the punk era? Doc [?] tells me.

Duff: Yeah, yeah. Musical influence... I think all of us are basically the same, one form or another. I mean, of course, the 70s were... [?] to say weren't influenced by the 70s would be lying. Anybody our age, really, you know. Yeah, and punk rock, old English stuff, and then California hardcore... Fear, The Germs. All of the saints [?], us trying to...

Interviewer: So what life [?] have you done exactly?

Slash: Because... everybody asks us that question, like, "why are you such, you know, why do you think you guys have hit this point". It's a hard question to answer. I think one of the main things is that we sort of, like, filled, you know, a gap in music business right now, because for the last, since 1970-1980 it's been pretty bland as far as rock and roll is concerned, and so at least, if nothing else, the attitude of the band has come over and people are like, "yeah!". I mean, that's sort of, like, what rock and roll is all about. And also that freedom-kind-of-thing.

Duff: It wasn't that there wasn't [interrupted]

Slash: [?]

Duff: Heh. I mean, it was also, Aerosmith and AC/DC were still around, they're great bands, but I think kids, you know, of the late 80s here didn't really have a band who were their peers to cling on to or whatever, you know.

[cut]

Duff: We are hard workers, you know, when it comes down to it. We can have focus and drive [interrupted]

Slash and Izzy: We do!

Duff: We can, but a lot of times, you know [interrupted]

Slash: You know, we [interrupted]

Duff: When we have to, we do.

Slash: When we play and when it comes to playing, we're really diligent about it. We're very...uhm...when it comes to musicality and stuff we're into what we're doing. We want to do what we think is right, you know, what we think feels right.

[cut]

Interviewer: So what can we expect from your live show while you are here?

Slash: Don't expect anything, that way you won't be disappointed.

[laughter]

Interviewer: Thanks very much.

[cut to live TV interview with on Australian TV, Saturday morning (Sydney time), from before they travelled to Australia in late December 1988]

Interviewer1: […] this interview is critical because we have the bird, the satellite above the Australian television networks videos […]

Interviewer2: Alright.

Interviewer1: […] standing by in LAX, we should have Duff, we were actually going to have two members.

Interviewer2: It's Duff "Rose" McKagan.

Interviewer1: We were going to have Slash, but he's on walkabout tour.

Interviewer2: He's gotta a lot of walkabout [?] Are you there Duff?

Duff: Yes, yes.

Interviewer2: What did happen to Slash for all those people who are watching this morning?

Duff: I have absolutely no idea. He is MIA at this point.

Interviewer1: "Missing in action." You've rung his girlfriend?

Duff: Yeah, and he's not at home.

Interviewer1: He's not sort of hiding from John Oh and Dany [?], is he?

Duff: I don't know! He's usually real good about doing these things, but uh, I don't know.

Interviewer1: Duff, we are more than happy at having you here this morning, though, let me tell you.

Duff: Well, thank you very much.

Interviewer2: Listen, uh, it's been said that you guys don't look like you might survive until you, you've actually hit the big time now, but the way you guys party doesn't look like you'll actually live to enjoy your success. Is this true or not, Duff?

Duff: You know, things like that gets blown way out of proportion, but uh, I mean, yeah, we probably do party a lot more than most people. But, you know, I don't see death in the imminent future here. It's a real morbid thought, you know, I wouldn't like to think that any of us are going to die.

Interviewer1: Neither do we, Duff.

Interviewer2: Great publicity, though, Duff.

[laughter]

Interviewer1: That's what the record company's been hoping for.

Duff: Yeah, they'll collect the life insurance they've already taken out on us. No, I mean, we're all fine, we're all in good health, we just had, actually, just all had physicals to get insurance before this trip to Japan and Australia and we're all fine, so Iæm not worried about it.

Interviewer: It's actually very similar to the deal we have here on Saturday Morning, like we have to have a physical every morning before we do the show. But Duff, listen, tell us the Guns N' Roses story. You guys formed in Los Angeles. How did it all happen?

Duff: Well, we'd all moved to Hollywood, you know, to search for that, you know, that "dream" that every musician does but we'd all moved from different parts of the States and just met up somehow through, like, music newspapers, just on the streets, you know, and after a few different formations we came out with us five, and after the first rehearsal we just knew it was going to work. You know, it's one of those things that happens, one out of a million times, you know, so it just happened.

Interviewer1: We're glad it happened.

Interviewer2: Have you always been playing the same style of music, Duff?

Duff: Pardon me?

Interviewer2: Have you always been playing the same style of music?

Duff: Well, style? No. Attitude? Yes. You know, I've been in a lot of punk rock bands and since I started, since like 78, and the attitude is exactly the same and I wouldn't play in a band that had any other attitude, you know.

Interviewer: Yeah.

Duff: I can't just, I can't go out there and dress up like a, you know, like [interrupted]

Interviewer: Like Poison!

Duff: ...like some people do. Like Poison, sure. I just can't do that, it's so fake and it's really asinine to me, you know. There's no real rock and roll attitude in a lot of things I see today, and I'm not trying to say we're better and this and that, just I know we have the right attitude.

Interviewer: We're looking forward to seeing the shows in Australia. When do you arrive?

Duff: We arrive the 11th, which I don't have absolutely no idea what day that is.

Interviewer: Neither do we, but did you have a good time playing with INXS on some of those American dates?

Duff: We just did one date with them and, well, the gig itself was a disaster because it was in the Texas Stadium which has a big hole in the top and the hurricane Gilbert, or whatever it was, was forty miles south of us so it was pouring through the hole in the roof, and we were getting rained on, and the sound was crappy, you know.

Interviewer: Yeah, I'd tell you what, though, Michael Hutchence also said that you guys went through a restaurant a bit like cyclone somebody or other.

[laughter]

Duff: Yeah, they made the unfortunate mistake of inviting me and Slash over for drinks to their table. We had a good time. They're nice guys.

Interviewer: Yeah, and Ziggy Marley was playing with you, too, I believe on that gig.

Duff: Ziggy Marley and Iggy Pop. It was great, man. Iggy Pop, for me playing on the same stage, actually headlining over Iggy Pop, you know, was...he's like a rock-and-roll hero to me, you know. He's not my hero but he is a rock-and-roll hero. And you know, he's been through everything and just playing on the same stage with him that day and getting to know and meet him and everything, was great.

Interviewer: Well listen, thank you very much for being our guest live here by satellite on Saturday Morning Live. We look forward to see you come on, you and when you do find the rest of the members of the band, come on the show live

Duff: Yeah, we'll do it.

[cut to interview with Axl from Donington in August 1988]

Interviewer1: We've interviewed people some crazy places but never on a tour bus. This is new. Many thanks to Axl from Guns N' Roses. How are you doing?

Axl: I'm doing great [interrupted]

Interviewer1, pointing to Axl's kneecap pointing out through a hole in his pants: What is this kneecap doing?

Axl: My knees are history.

Interviewer2: How's it going today?

Axl: Today is going great, one of the best times of my life. I was coming in here thinking it would be the one of the worst times of my life, cuz  during rehearsal my tongue [?] pityful [?].

Interviewer2: Well, it was an odd job for you and you won a lot of fans, won't you say?

Axl: I don't know if we won a lot of fans or not because they knew the words to the song, I mean, they sang so many of our songs that, you know, it was amazing. I was really surprised at the crowd response. I was, like, "Wow, if every one of these people would have bought a record maybe we'd do even better."

[laughter]

Interviewer2: I mean, nothing bad about the first album [?]

Axl: No, not so bad at all.

Interviewer1: We play [?] around the country and play in, you know, albums, and you guys over the last 12 months have really took off in the UK. People's really tipping [?] is like the next type of Aerosmith rock'n'roll band. Just get up there and...

[cut].