18. NOVEMBER 1993-NOVEMBER 1994: AXL AND SLASH DISAGREES; GILBY IS DISMISSED

After returning to Los Angeles from the massively successful Use Your Illusion touring in 1993, the band weren't only stars anymore, they were superstars, they were celebrities.





This new celebrity status posed more problems to Axl and Slash who were by far the most recognizable and popular band members:






Slash's solution to this, when the pressure from media and people got too high, was to escape to Africa:



Stephen Thaxton, the band's chiropractor, would tell a story which must have happened at a break during the Use Your Illusion touring:



Duff, despite being a less popular member, would also have to cope with the new reality of Guns N' Roses being the most popular band in the world, but would realize that he had remained the same:



In early 1995, Slash would talk more about being famous:



When returning home from tour in 1993, Matt experienced some of the same things the rest of the band had experienced when returning back to Los Angeles after touring in 1988/1989, with people suddenly wanting to be your best friend and take advantage of your good fortune:








Being asked if he was lucky enough to have your money managed by someone who was trustworthy:



After Slash was out of the band in 1996 he was asked whether he still earns money from GN'R back catalogue and guitar endorsements:



And on whether he invests in stocks:

____________________________________________________________

In March 1994 it would be reported that Slash had played with Billy Joel and had intended to play ukulele with Bette Midler but that "there was no place in the show" [Kerrang! March 12, 1994].



When asked if he lost credibility from playing with so many different artists, he responded:



On June 26, 1994, Slash participated at the 'Gibson Night of 100 Guitars' at Wembley Arena, London:



Talking about his collaborations:












In May 1995, Slash would say he was going to do something with Iggy Pop again, but that he might have missed his chance due to being too busy with other projects [Guitar Player, May 1995]. He would later mention that Iggy Pop was his favorite artist to work with after Guns N' Roses [Netscape Online Chat, July 30, 1996].

In 1996 he contributed to a "a couple of soundtracks", including the Beverly Hills Cop 3 soundtrack [Netscape Online Chat, July 30, 1996]. He would also travel to Mexico and play on two songs with Alice Cooper on his June 2 show in Cabo Wabo [Online Chat, October 16, 1996].





When asked what he had been doing while Guns N' Roses were on a hiatus, he offered:



He would also say he had played on what would likely be his mother's record [The Howard Stern Show, September 30, 1996] and would describe the music as "a Sade kind of thing, dance music but with a little more to it than that" [Total Guitar, January 1997].

Among many other collaborations, Slash also played with Bobby Blue Band:





Axl had been supportive of Slash's musical collaborations [see previous chapter], but in early 1995, Slash would indicate that the opposite was now true:



And in late 1999, Axl, admittedly hurt by the "divorce" between him and Slash, would state that Slash was throwing his talent away:

_______________________________________________________________

After returning after the marathonic 'Use Your Illusion' touring and getting 'The Spaghetti Incident?' released, Slash wanted to get back on the road quickly. To him, the period between touring was always hard and he was suffering from "post-road depression" [Kerrang! March 12, 1994].





Despite Duff having said they had grown too big for club shows [Rip It Up, January 1993; Kerrang! January 1994], the Boston Globe would in November 1993 report that Slash had "half-persuaded" Axl to agree to a club tour, which would be "the best way to put the lid" on the Spaghetti Incident-project [Boston Globe, November 26, 1993].

In March 1994 Slash was talking about an arena tour and that he was "just trying to get back on the road!" [Kerrang! March 12, 1994]:



Slash failed to get this tour happening. Eventually it was Axl who didn't want to do it:



In early 1995, he would look back at this dream tour:







In 2008, Duff would state that both he and Slash wanted to tour The Spaghetti Incident? in smaller venues:

________________________________________

The "bad boys" reputation which has started back in the 80s followed the band into the 90s:



Still, Slash would argue that the reputation did not fit him:



Despite arguing that the media was creating a caricature, Slash was clearly creating a brand out of his looks to a point where he would mention he had stopped wearing his tophat in public:




When pointed out that he had chosen to include the top hat himself on the cover of the Snakepit album, Slash replied:



Slash would also be impersonated, including by Kiefer Sutherland at Saturday Night Live, but also more maliciously:



Slash's market value would just increase into the 2000s:



In October 2000, Slash would talk about being proud of succeeding at becoming an "identifiable persona":




In 2001, Slash would be asked he had meant to create such an uproar with his image:



In 2008, San Diego Union Tribune would refer to Slash's image:



And Slash would comment on this image:



Also in 2008, when pointed out that he hasn't changed in 20 years, Slash responded:




And when asked if he wasn't afraid of becoming a caricature of himself:



And about hanging up the top hat:



In 2010 Slash was asked about how conscious he was about Slash the brand contra Slash the musician:



Traciii would comment on Slash's effort to create a brand:



In 2014, Slash would talk about traveling with his top hat:

STALKERS

In January 1994, the second single from The Spaghetti Incident? was released (at least as a promo single) [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 28, 1994].

At 4:31am on January 17, 1994, the Northridge earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck the San Fernando Valley in California. The earthquake killed 60 people, injured more than 9,000 and caused significant damage.





Slash's house was not spared the devastation:








The damage meant that Slash and Renee would evacuate to a hotel for some time [Kerrang! March 12, 1994]. Slash also travelled on a promotional tour for The Spaghetti Incident? [The Province, February 2, 1994].

In December 1994 Slash and Renee were leasing a house in Hollywood:

The third video in the trilogy was for the single 'Estranged'. The video was recorded in 1993, but the label had a problem with two records out and singles from both waiting to be released. Geffen decided that the song would not be released as a single. Mel Pusner, head of Geffen Information, would comment:



Despite this, the song was released as a single on January 17, 1994 [but maybe only in the US?].





Axl would talk about the story of the music video:






The video for 'Estranged' was filmed after Axl and Stephanie had broken up, which lent various challenges to the script of the video and how to resolve story lines from the previous videos:




Andy Morahan would claim the put dolphins in the videos as a substitute for Stephanie:



Talking about the dolphins:



Talking about the water scene in 'Estranged':









Talking about his solo scene:



Talking about the live footage used in the video:

As previously discussed, Axl was a huge fan of Elton John. They had previously sung together at the Freddie Mercury tribute show in April 1992 and at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards where Guns N' Roses performed 'November Rain' together with Elton John.




In January 1994 Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Axl held the induction speech:



In late 2011, Axl talk about being proud over having inducted Elton John:







At the end of the induction ceremony which also included John Lennon's posthumous inducted, Paul McCartney was supposed to sing 'Come Together' with Bruce Springsteen. But supposedly according to jetlag, McCartney decided to opt out of this. On short notice Axl was reined in to do the duet instead together with Springsteen [Hartford Courant, January 21, 1994].





Another version of what happened would later be posted at Bruce Springsteen fan forum and youtube by "Will Hoffmann":



It is impossible to determine which version is correct (that McCartney and Springsteen was supposed to do the duet or Rod Stewart and Elton John), and it is also possible both are correct and that the original plan was for Stewart and Elton doing the song together but when Stewart couldn't make it to the show, McCartney and Springsteen was asked before McCartney pulled out and Axl was reined in at the last minute.

Elton John would later reminisce about the experience:



In 2016, when asked if he considered music and lyrics equally important, Axl would answer and talk about the induction:

In January 1994 it would be reported that Axl was playing the role of the villain's henchman in the Highlander III movie [The Daily Sentinel, January 7, 1994]. The villain was played by the actor Mario Van Peebles.

The same month it would be reported that Guns N' Roses would do the music for the movie, although Slash would say it wasn't decided yet:



The movie was released in November 1994 in the UK and January 1995 in the US. Curiously, in February 1995 newspaper short notices would state that Axl featured in the movie [Press Democrat, February 5, 1995; Northwest Herald, February 10, 1995]. But the movie did not feature Axl.

Andy Morahan, who directed the movie and had directed the November Rain video, would later provide an explanation for why Axl dropped out of the cast, as told by Empire Magazine:



So the movie did not feature music from Guns N' Roses.

After returning to Los Angeles after the massive 'Use Your Illusion' touring in July 1993, Dizzy would start playing occasional shows at LA clubs under the moniker "D-F-R" ("Dizzy Fuckin' Reed") [Kerrang! March 12, 1994].

Dizzy would also work on a solo record, to which Slash would contribute:



It is not clear what happened with this solo record. Dizzy would release a solo record in 2018.

When 1994 came around the band had song ideas for the next record, most coming out of rehearsals at the 'Use Your Illusion' tour but also at least one song from Axl ('This I Love'). See earlier chapter for details. In an interview published by Kerrang! in January, Slash would indicate they expected to record in February:



The same month Slash would talk about what they had done so far:



He would also say he had been recording eight new songs in his home studio:



And discuss the music they were working on:



On a joint radio interview on January 3, 1994, and likely conducted after the Kerrang! interview, Slash and Axl would talk about writing for the next record and Slash would say he had just sent his latest tape [likely containing the eight songs described above] to Axl [Rockline, January 3, 1994].



In the same interview they would be asked about the musical direction of the next record:




Later, sometime in January after the 17th, Slash was up to 14-15 songs:






Also in another interview dated from January but actually recorded later, Slash would talk about 16 songs:



At the same time, Robert John, would indicate the band had only sketches of two songs and that neither of them contained vocals:



Still, in January Slash would say that the making of the next record was progressing quickly:



In early February he would suggest they would start pre-production as soon as he was back from a promotional tour:



In a Q Magazine interview published in March 1994, Slash would talk more about the songs he was making and indicate they had nine songs done, compared to the 14-15 he had mentioned previously:



In a Kerrang! interview also published in March, he would shed more light on the new music:



He would also suggest getting the record done quickly:



And that there would be no covers or left-overs:



Slash would also say that he and Mike Clink was supposed to enter pre-production by now, but that the January 17 earthquake in Los Angeles and Slash's subsequent evacuation to a hotel, had postponed this [Kerrang! March 12, 1994].

In an interview published in July 1994, but likely done March-April 1994, Slash would again say they now had nine songs set for the next album:



In the same interview, Slash would say he had started working on his solo record, and so had Gilby, indicating that there were disagreements over some of the songs they had written and that Axl didn't want them for Guns N' Roses. So maybe only 9 out of the 14-15 songs they had in January were considered good enough for Guns N' Roses and the rest would go to solo projects?

____________________________________________________________________________

As previously noted Slash, Gilby and Matt had been busy working on new material for GN'R's next record.




In May 1994, though, Matt would say that the material was now intended for a "side project" after having been offered up to Guns N' Roses but rejected:



Gilby would confirm:





Slash would later shed light on what had happened:












In another interview, Slash would say the songs were intended for Guns N' Roses, but that Axl didn't like them because he "was going through a Pearl Jam phase at the time" [Associated Press/Greenville News, March 3, 1995].







Gilby would indicate the songs they had worked on might end up on a Slash solo record and that his own 15 songs would go to his solo record:






These songs would end up on Gilby's solo record, "Pawn Shop Guitars" which would be released in July 1994 [see later section].

In June 1994, Gilby wasn't sure what would happen to the songs he and Slash had been working on but would reveal that Slash was now considering a solo album:



In late 2000, Slash would discuss this episode:



In 2018, Slash would claim to not be sure the songs were even intended for GN'R to begin with:



When the interviewer pointed out that Slash himself had stated in his biography that they were intended for GN'R:



Also in 2018, Gilby would look back at the songs being rejected by Axl:

Matt would indicate that the songs that were rejected simply weren't good enough and that it was Slash's songs and that he wanted others to play and sing the way he wanted it:



This claim would later be supported by Doug Goldstein, Beta Lebeis, and Fernando Lebeis:






In late 1999, Axl would finally shed some light on what had happened and confirm that both he and Duff had not thought the songs that ended up on Slash's Snakepit album were good enough for Guns N' Roses. Furthermore, Slash had been unwilling to work on the songs to improve them, indicating that he considered them finished, which corroborates Matt's statement above:



Then in 2008, Axl would again state that Slash had insisted he just added vocals to Slash's songs:

[missing quote!]

Much later, Axl would refer to Slash's claims that they couldn't continue together because Axl wanted to change the music of the band, as "crap", and claim they had worked on blues rock before Slash quit but that Slash had insisted Axl would just add vocals to Slash's songs:





In May 1995, rumors would state that Geffen Records was angry Axl had dismissed the material Slash had presented for him [New York Daily News, May 8, 1995]. The songs had been released on Slash's side-project, "Slash's Snakepit" and "bombed" [New York Daily News, May 8, 1995]. Geffen Records allegedly concluded that the material would have done much better if it had been released by Guns N' Roses [New York Daily News, May 8, 1995].

The sections above describing Slash and Axl disagreeing on how the future record should sound like, illustrates a deeper conflict between Axl and Slash. Axl had always been interested in musical trends and new bands, like when he wanted Nirvana, Faith No More and Body Count to open during the Use Your Illusion touring. He had also expressed a desire to make Guns N' Roses into more than a one-trick pony hard rock band, but expand upon its musical repertoire, similarly to what Queen had achieved. It is also likely that he realized that to remain hugely popular, as Guns N' Roses had recently achieved, they needed to reinvent themselves for their next album. The music scene had changed and alternative rock bands were taking over. This can help explain why Axl had been dismissive to the music Slash had worked on.



Axl rejected the material Slash had worked on in early 1994, according to Slash because Axl "was going through a Pearl Jam period at the time" [Associated Press/Greenville News, March 3, 1995]. Gilby would confirm Axl wanted the band's music to evolve:




As 1994 continued there were further indications that Axl and Slash didn't see eye to eye on the musical direction of the band.









Later, Jim Barber, a former Geffen executive who had worked with Axl and his work on 'Chinese Democracy', stated:





Despite playing with many different bands and artists, when it came to the music he wrote himself, Slash was less adventurous. When asked why his Snakepit record [released in early 1995] wasn't more diverse in musical styles, reflecting Slash's collaboration with other artsts, Slash would reply:



Slash would confirm he wanted Guns N' Roses to go back to their original sound:



Matt would later confirm that Slash had also little interest in changing musical style:



And Zakk Wylde, who worked with the band in early 1995, would confirm Axl was chasing trends:



Despite these differences, Slash would claim to work on Axl's music in early 1995:





Finally, in November 1999, would Axl for the first time discuss what had happened when they tried to make a record while Slash was still in the band [MTV, November 8, 1999]. In this interview Axl would say that he, in contrast to rumours at the time, originally wanted to make an album more similar to Appetite in sound, but that he wasn't "allowed to do that":



When asked who had prevented him from doing that, Axl replied Slash, and explained that he hadn't been able to replace Slash (and hence why new music would change in style):



It is likely these quotes from Axl that Duff would protest against in a later interview:



Axl would then talk about educating himself on new production technologies, and claim:



A few years later, Axl would again deny having wanted to change the style and claim he wanted to make an Appetite-style recording but that he agreed to work on whatever Slash was interested in at the time:



And in 2008, Axl would say the allegations that he insisted the band changed their musical direction was "crap" and repeat that he had been willing to work on blues rock:



But that without Izzy that guitar interplay from Appetite was missing:



He would also again state that the music changed first after Slash left:

In March 1994 Erin Everly, Axl's former wife, sued him for assault and battery, sexual battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress [Los Angeles Times, March 8, 1994; Associated Press/Albuquerque Journal, March 9, 1994; Detroit Free Press, March 9, 1994]. In the lawsuit, Everly would seek compensation for injuries, pain and suffering and unspecified punitive damages [Los Angeles Times, March 8, 1994] from Axl "punching her, slapping her, shoving her, kicking her, tying her up, gagging her, spitting on her and dragging her by the hair" [Associated Press/Albuquerque Journal, March 9, 1994].

Everly claimed that it’s only now, three years after the event and with the help of “considerable” counselling that she has felt able to go ahead with the lawsuit [RAW, March 30, 1994] and "because she feared for her safety" [Detroit Free Press, March 9, 1994].

After one alleged beating, according to Everly, Everly had been injected with cocaine and heroin resulting in her being hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest [Associated Press/Albuquerque Journal, March 9, 1994]. The latter allegation likely refers to the Steven incident as described before and if so it wasn't Axl who was responsible for her overdose. There was also no suggestion in the lawsuit that Axl was the one who had injected Everly with drugs [RAW, March 30, 1994].

Everly's suit would be connected to the upcoming May trial between Axl and Stephanie Seymour, for which Everly intended to deliver a deposition [Associated Press/Albuquerque Journal, March 9, 1994].

The Seymour and Everly lawsuits would not be the first time Axl was accused of violence and domestic abuse. Gina Siler was an early girlfriend of Axl from Lafayette who moved with Axl to Hollywood and stayed with him there for some time. In an interview she did with Spin Magazine in 1991, she implied that Axl could get violent or at least threaten with violence:



As noted before, in September 1991, when the band was filming the video for Don't Cry which featured a fight scene between Axl and Erin Everly, Stephanie Seymour, who played Everly, said the situation was weird because she had never fought with Axl:



This scene was filmed before the Christmas party of 1992 when Seymour and Axl supposedly fought, indicating that in difference to the alleged violence with Everly, the relationship between Axl and Seymour, bar one incident then, had been peaceful.

In July 1994, People Magazine would publish an interview with Everly where she would go in detail on how it had been living with Axl and repeat the domestic violence charges from the lawsuit [People Magazine, July 18, 1994]. She would also claim that she had married Axl because he threatened to shoot himself if she didn't [People Magazine, July 18, 1994]. After they broke up, Axl tried to reconcile with Everly and according to Everly, sent her "flowers, letters and even caged birds" [People Magazine, July 18, 1994]. The magazine would interview an anonymous female friend, supposedly of Axl, who would argue that it had been Everly who was the aggressor [People Magazine, July 18, 1994]. Another friend, this one a friend of Everly, would state she had witnessed Axl beating Everly and act like "a rabid dog" [People Magazine, July 18, 1994]. Axl's former girlfriend, Gina Siler - who had commented on Axl's behavior back in 1991, too - would also be interviewed stating that Axl "could be kind and loving, and at other times he was violent and irrational" [People Magazine, July 18, 1994]. Axl would not give any statements to People Magazine, but his "camp" would state that Everly sued for monetary gains [People Magazine, July 18, 1994].

During the deposition, Everly's friend and Slash's former girlfriend, Meegan Hodges-Knight, would describe encounters where Axl got so angry he would break antiques:



Hodges-Knight also testified that Axl had kicked Everly with his cowboy boots, dragged her around by her hair, and spit on her [Rolling Stone, May 11, 2000]. Everly would also testify that Axl had sexually assaulted her [Rolling Stone, May 11, 2000].

Alan Niven would comment on the allegations:



In the end the case was settled out of court [Rolling Stone, May 11, 2000].

Slash would imply that the ongoing suit with Everly took Axl's focus and was partly to blame for Guns N' Roses not working on music in 1995:



In 2008, Del James would discuss Everly:

Already in 1988 had Axl mentioned a book about the band, but that "the project may take two or three years" [Screamer, August 1988]. Four years later, in 1992, Axl again talked about writing a book about Guns N' Roses:



This friend that Axl mentions was likely Del James, because in the November 1992 issue of RIP Magazine, Del James would talk about writing a biography on Guns N' Roses:



In January 1994, Axl would say more about the book, and indicate it was a biography of the entire band and not just about him:



In July 1994, Kerrang! would report that the book was destined to be released by DEL Books in the following year, that it was written by Del James, and that it contained photos by Robert John [Kerrang! July 16, 1994]. In November 1994, the book's title would be revealed as "Shattered Illusions" and was "understood to be the inside story of the band with a great deal of input from the vocalist's side" [RAW Magazine, November 1994].

Unfortunately this book was never released and its status is unknown.

On May 10, 1994, Duff's alcoholism finally caught up with him dramatically. Slash would be one of the first to allude to something having happened:



Duff would later describe what happened:
























The friend who found Duff was Andy Fortier:



Duff would later indicate that he did go top rehab after the UYI touring, in contrast to a few of the quotes above, but it could be that Duff uses "rehab" loosely and refers to the period after being admitted to hospital for his pancreatitis:



In 2004, he would talk about the rehab he did after having been hospitalized:






Duff would also emphasize that it was the continuous drinking that caused it, and not any drugs [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996], and that the experience had been so bad that he didn't even want to drink anymore, two years later [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996]. Although in a later interview he would imply it was a combination of pills, booze and cocaine that did it [The Howard Stern Show, May 24, 2004].



The burst of his pancreas resulting in third-degree internal bleeds [The Howard Stern Show, May 24, 2004]. Eventually it would heal up on its own:



Interestingly, the doctor who treated him was the son of the doctor who was there when he was born [Music West in 3D, 1997].

Duff's condition, pancreatitis, does not result in the pancreas literally blowing up, but is an inflammation that caused swelling and possibly rupturing.

According to one magazine from 1997, Duff had planned another solo tour when he was hospitalized [Music West in 3D, 1997].

Slash would come and visit Duff in hospital:



And Izzy would call Duff:



After being sent home after 8-12 days in hospital, his doctor told Duff that just one more drink could kill him [Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1998].





The doctors would also want him to go to rehab, but Duff felt it wasn't needed:

___________________________________________________

After his pancreas incident, Duff sobered up.



Talking about how being sober affected his relationship to his friends:





After coming home from the hospital after his ruptured pancreas, Duff took up martial arts in Benny "The Jet" Urquidez's dojo [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996] to keep his alcoholism in check [Addicted to Noise, August 30, 1996].



By 1996, his health had improved vastly:










When guesting the Howard Stern Show in July 1996, Stern claimed to barely be able to recognize a fit Duff [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996]. During the show, Stern would play a phone message of Duff's being wasted [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996]. When asked what Duff wanted them to do with the tape, he replied:



Duff would also confirm that he had sobered up entirely on his own without going to rehab [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996].

In 1995-1996, Duff was still recovering from his serious health issues in 1994, and would continue with kickboxing at Benny Jet's dojo [The Howard Stern Show, July 25, 1996; Hard Rock, August 1996]. By september 1996, he was finally ready to work fulltime on new music with Guns N' Roses:










In late 1994, Duff would also talk about his hobby doing mountain bike racing:








About doing this hobby while being famous:







In 2019 he was asked how his pancreas was doing:

In the first half of 1994, rumours would be spreading that Gilby intended to quit the band. Allegedly, he had informed close friends that he intended to quit his "day job" as soon as his solo record was out [Hit Parader, December 1994]. In May rumours would spread that Gilby had been fired. When asked about this, Gilby evaded the question [Kerrang! May 14, 1994].

Being fired had apparently happened many times to Gilby and was par for the course when being an underling in Guns N' Roses:



In a letter sent from Gilby's lawyer, Jeffrey Light, on April 14, 1994, to GN'R lawyer Laurie Soriano it would be confirmed that Gilby had been fired three times in April/May but not necessarily rehired three times:



In July Gilby would be asked how he could claim to be good friends with Slash and Matt when he got fired so many times:



And it all comes down to Axl's fickle nature:



Tom Zutaut would be asked about the rumors Gilby had been fired:



Kerrang! would also speculate that with no official statement from the band about Gilby being fired, there was a possibility he was back in the band again [Kerrang! July 16, 1994].

As the band splintered and grew bigger, different groups, or "camps", could be glimpsed among the band and its organization. Especially did Axl spend more and more time away from his band mates during the touring in 1990s, and more and more time with his friends and entourage.

As Lisa Maxwell would describe it:



And Izzy looking back:



As usually, James Hetfield would be blunt:



An anonymous spokesman from Geffen Records would say:



Axl were asked if he had people around him who would disagree with him, and he replied:



One of these close friends was Del James:




Slash would imply that there were outside forces making it hard for them:



Tom Zutaut would later discuss that Axl had tried to get rid of "bad people" through reading auras [see previous chapter], but that it didn't work:



And Duff would also blame "yes men" for the downfall of the band:





Duff would revisit the yes-man leitmotif in 2007:

Rumours about Gilby's being out of the band had circulated throughout 1994 [see previous chapter], among rumours that the band was breaking up [see previous chapter]. In an interview with Kerrang! published in late June, Slash would confirm that Gilby had indeed been fired by Axl and was indeed out of the band:



So apparently, this time he had been fired one more time than he had been re-hired as indicated in previous chapters, this ultimate firing had probably happened in May or April.

Still, only a month later, Gilby would dismiss the rumours and claim an article in the metal press has mistakenly indicated Gilby had admitted to being out of the band:



And when the interviewer suggested the rumours about his departure was exaggerated:





As discussed previously, it was uncertain from the very beginning if the band ever intended to write with Gilby or if he was just intended as a touring replacement for Izzy found on short notice. As 1994 came along, Slash obviously wanted to work with Gilby and together they wrote songs intended for the next Guns N' Roses album, but Axl had not changed his opinions and found Gilby's type of rock less aligned with his visions of where Guns N' Roses needed to go to be relevant [see later discussions].







In April 1995, Slash would confirm that the reason why Gilby was fired came down to musical differences with Axl, and also that he wasn't really fired:




That Gilby wasn't fired per se, but just not on a retainer anymore but possible again in the future, also ties in with Axl's more fluid views on what a "band" could be, compared to Slash's more traditional perspective of a band being a fixed number of guys who are friends, hang out together, and play together [see other chapters].

That Axl might be open to working with Gilby in some capacity later is also implied by Gilby when he in 1997 would say he and Axl had planned to discuss the future after Gilby returned from his tour, but this discussion never took place:












But Slash would also imply that he had agreed with the decision to let Gilby go:




The quote above suggests there could have been a misunderstanding between Axl and Slash where Axl assumed Slash also wanted Gilby out. Slash explicitly states that it was likely Axl thought he wanted Gilby out, too. Failure to correct this misunderstanding may have cemented Axl's decision. When Gilby then talked to Axl, it is natural Axl would be steadfast on the decision, thinking he and Slash was in agreement.

Later, Doug Goldstein would discuss the talk between Gilby and Axl and say it was Gilby who had quit the band:



And Marc Canter would try to remember how it went down:



Interestingly, in 1999, Gilby would claim Axl had tried to get Slash to fire Gilby a few times, but that Slash hadn't done it:



If this is correct that would explain why Gilby was so ambiguous about his own status in the band - he simply didn't know he was fired!

The comment about a fight between Gilby and Duff likely implies that Duff had taken Axl's side, too, or agreed that Gilby shouldn't write with the band.

In 2019, Gilby would recount Slash telling him at a restaurant that Axl didn't want to continue with Gilby, but also that Slash then did a 180 a week later and suggested Gilby still was in the band, despite the paychecks stopped coming:




Later, after having left the band, Gilby would on a few occasions talk about his friends in Guns N' Roses and tellingly not include Axl or Duff [The Acron Beacon Journal, January 27, 1995]. This quote also informs us that the firing of Gilby happened before the end of June, since Gilby was still in Los Angeles rehearsing with the band at that time before embarking on his solo tour in July.









These quotes imply that it was entirely Axl's decision and that Slash was against it, and downplay the fact that Slash had "sort of went along with it" as he admitted above. It serves to put the responsibility for Gilby's departure entirely on Axl's shoulders, while the quotes in Metal Edge and The Gazzette indicate that Axl had been under the impression that Slash agreed with the decision (and even initiated it) and that Duff also agreed with the firing. As such, what went down is much more complex than the simple "Axl fired Gilby" as Slash would be pushing in 1995 when he was on increasingly bad terms with Axl. And since Axl had stopped doing press, Slash's "Axl fired Gilby" became gospel in the media. That Slash wasn't "fully informed" about the reasoning for Gilby dismissal, sounds quite unlikely considering the fact that he had talked to Axl about it prior to it happening, that Slash was the one that informed Gilby, and that he talked extensively to Gilby about it afterwards. Again, it seems like Slash is trying to wash his hands of it and put all the blame on Axl. Granted, this interview is translated from Portuguese, and there could be an error in the translation.

In 1996, Matt would also imply it had been all Axl's decision and that the rest of them were informed in a phone call:



Again, this is not entirely true since Slash, and possibly Duff, had been part of the process. And in another contemporary quote from Matt he would imply that Axl, Slash and Duff were all behind the decision:





Later Slash would claim the firing of Gilby was the start to the end between his and Axl:



That Gilby's dismissal became a thorn in Slash's side and would make his relationship with Axl harder in the coming period, will become clear from future chapters.

From the following quote it would be implied that the band had started working with a guitarist called Paul Huge already shortly after Axl had rejected Slash's material, and before Gilby was officially out of the band:



Gilby would also later talk about being opposed to adding a third guitar layer to the band, which could mean Axl were considering adding Paul to the mix even before Gilby was out:







In November and December, Slash would mention that another guitarist had come in to take Gilby's place:




The guitarist that Slash refers to here, and who was an Indiana friend of Axl's, was Paul Huge (also referred to as Paul Tobias) [The Gazette, January 26, 1995]. When Slash mentions they have not reached a "cohesive decision" on Paul, that would be something of an understatement hiding Slash's refusal to work with him [more on this in later chapter].

In October, media would claim the replacement guitarist was indeed Paul Huge ("pronounced Oo-gee") who was described as a "thinner, lighter-haired Axl" [News Pilot, October 7, 1994]. Slash would later say they played with Paul for two weeks [Kerrang! September 14, 1996].



Slash would later talk about trying to work with Paul at his Snakepit studio, but that the rehearsals broke down due to Slash and Paul not getting along:



What is interesting from this is that planned work on the record broke down due to Slash and Paul not getting along, that Paul had been on the band's payroll, and that this conflict somehow caused friction also between Slash, Matt and Duff.

Slash's feelings towards Paul will be discussed in more depth in later chapters.

___________________________________

Gilby had been working on a solo record for a while. By January 1994 Slash would say Gilby's solo record was "pretty much finished" [Rockline, January 3, 1994], and in May 1994 he would report it would be called 'Pawn Shop Guitars' but didn't know what his solo band would be named [Kerrang! May 14, 1994].






When asked, Gilby would say the songs had not been intended for Guns N' Roses:




But later, Gilby would say the songs had been intended for Guns N' Roses, or at least presented to them, but that the band simply wasn't interested in them:






In 2013, Gilby would clarify when asked if he had hoped the song would end up as GN'R song:



Gilby intended to do a tour in Japan and then a tour in the US in July [Kerrang! May 14, 1994], because of his touring plans he had informed Guns N' Roses he would be unavailable from "July until the end of the year" for any GN'R work [Kerrang! May 14, 1994].







Slash, Duff, Matt and Axl would all feature on the record [UG Rock Chronicles, June 13, 1994].








Talking about touring with his own band while GN'R was on a break:





In late 1997, Gilby would summarize what happened:



And looking back at the record:



And the song 'Cure Me or Kill Me':



Being asked which of his solo records is his favorite:

______________________________________________________________________

After a dramatic tour that had held the band together through a collective goal, the band started to fall apart upon returning to Los Angeles in the second half of 1993. Slash would refer to trying to keep the band together in March 1994 when he would say that he was "trying to keep the band together as a cohesive unit so we don't splinter off" [Kerrang! March 12, 1994]. Around the same time, but published in July, Slash would refer to the band as his "family" and deny any rumours of the band breaking up:



So Slash would claim to try to keep the band from splintering. But it didn't work. The material that Slash had worked on was ultimately rejected by Axl and (possibly) Duff around April and then in May, Duff was hospitalized when his pancreas burst due to years of alcohol abuse [see different chapter]. With this disagreement over musical direction and Duff likely being out because of rehabilitation, Slash would continue working on the songs and contemplate another way of releasing them and Gilby would take his songs and start working on a solo record [see previous chapter], while Axl likely had enough to do with his ongoing legal entanglements [Musician Magazine, March 1995]. The result of all this was a break, a band on hiatus.

Duff would later mention Axl visiting him when he was recuperating in Seattle, likely in May and later, and how they had discussed the future of the band:



In May, Matt would indicate that the band had fallen apart, but that it would get back together "when the feeling is right" [The Windsor Star, May 20, 1994].




In June, Gilby would again talk about the future of the band and imply nothing was expected to happen until the end of the year, and reiterate that he would focus on his own solo record:




The same month an interviewer would ask if the process of making a new record hadn't started yet:



And on whether it was delayed:



In July, Los Angeles Times would write an article about the problems within the band, writing "reports are that the volatile rock band Guns N' Roses has divided into two feuding camps, with singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash at war" [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1994], and this story would be repeated in many newspapers [The Winnipeg Free Press, July 27, 1994; Star Tribune, July 30, 1994]. The main problem was the divide in the band between Axl and Duff on one side and Slash, Matt and Gilby on the other, with different perspectives on the musical direction of the band resulting in Slash starting a new band, 'SVO Snakepit' [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1994] more on this in later chapters. Axl and Duff was also said to start a separate project [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1994].

A spokesman for the band's management would also deny that the band had broken up but were officially on hiatus for the moment but intended to start pre-production for the next record shortly [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1994]. Zutaut would confirm that GN'R, or "some part thereof", was supposed to start working on the next record "this weekend" [Los Angeles Times, July 17, 1994].

Around the same time, Gilby would say the band was on a long break:



The Times would also raise the point that the public didn't really care any more about GN'R, and quote Bryan Schock, program director of L.A. hard-rock radio station KNAC-FM:



At the same time as the Los Angeles Times' article was published, Kerrang! would shockingly report that Duff had been fired, after Gilby [Kerrang! July 16, 1994]. Slash would strongly object to the rumors that Duff had been fired and that Dave Tregunna, former bassist with Sham 69, Lords Of The New Church and Kill City Dragons, had replaced him [Kerrang! July 16, 1994]:



Slash would claim the band was working on new music, but that nothing had been put down on tape yet:



Around the same time the band would be pursued to play at Woodstock II which would happen in August 1994 [AP/Press and Sun Bulletin, April 21, 1994]. As usual, there would be protests against GN'R on the bill, especially due to the recently released Charles Manon cover on 'Spaghetti' [Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1994]. Eventually, then band declined the offer to play but Slash would play there together with Paul Rogers and Jason Bonham on a cover of Jimi Hendrix' 'I Don't Live Today' [Public Opinion, August 15, 1994].





Duff would later look back at the reasons the band was falling apart in this period:




In late 1997, Gilby would summarize what happened:



And Slash would discuss it in 2000:





In June 1994, Slash would mention that they already had songs down on tape:



These songs would come in addition to the 25 songs Slash had set aside for possible inclusion on his upcoming solo record [Kerrang! June 25, 1994].

In September The Gazette/Reuter would report that Geffen publicist Bryn Bridenthal had issued a statement saying that all members of the band were now working on new music for the next record [The Gazette/Reuter, September 4, 1994]. But, as stated above and later, with Duff recuperating from his illness and Slash's attention being elsewhere, very little was likely being done.

Rumours would also fly in the media, claiming the band was making music together. One "source close to the band" would describe the new music as "a little bit more moody" than previous material [News Pilot, October 7, 1994].

As for when a new album could be ready, Bryn Bridenthal would respond:

With Axl rejecting the music Slash had written, Slash decided to use them for his own album Snakepit [see later chapter for details on this band and record]. Matt would later speculate this was the beginning to the end:



But Axl still wanted to work on the next GN'R record and this prompted Slash to speculate that he would have to work on both records simultaneously:



But soon Slash would focus exclusively on Snakepit and stop coming to Guns N' Roses rehearsals:





Later Slash would say he wasn't able to write music for GN'R anymore:



Zakk Wylde would first play with GN'R in January 1995, which implies that Slash didn't make himself available to Guns N' Roses for the remainder of 1994, except for the recording of 'Sympathy for the Devil' [see later chapter].

In November, after the recording of 'Sympathy' [see later chapter], the official statement was that the band planned to reconvene in the second half of 1995 - after Slash had toured in support of his Snakepit album - to work on their next record [Raw Magazine, November 1994]. Still, the media was rife with rumors suggesting the band was breaking apart, including a rumor that Matt would join Led Zeppelin for their reunion tour [RAW Magazine, November 1994].

It is unlikely that the band were able to get much work done together as a band in this period. The recording of 'Sympathy for the Devil' happened with Axl coming in separately from the rest of the band [as discussed in a later chapter], and Slash likely recorded new music in his own studio while playing with and rehearsing with Matt and possibly Duff but without Axl. This is corroborated by this quote from Matt in late 1996 where he said they "didn't really work" together:



And Slash would talk about his not being there for Guns N' Roses:




In 2019, Duff would comment on Slash withdrawing from the band prior to leaving:

It is not known who else were potential replacements and played with the band as indicated in the Kerrang! quote. One likely possibility is Dave Navarro, whom Axl had tried getting in when Izzy left [see previous section]:



Media would report that the band was indeed considering hiring Navarro [Hit Parader, December 1994] and Navarro would later confirm that it had been considered:

Slash was a big fan of pinball machines:





Then in 1993, after having returned from touring, Slash got an idea of a Guns N' Roses pinball machine:




In early 1994 Slash would talk about a Guns N' Roses pinball machine that was slated for launch in the summer.








The pinball game would feature unreleased music from GN'R:



'Ain't Going Down' had previously been intended to be released on 'The Spaghetti Incident?' [see previous section].

Talking about the pinball machine after its release:






And about making it different to other pinball machines:





Looking back at the pinball machine:

In 1994, the press would report that there was a big fight between Slash and Axl over Slash's solo plans, including a rumor that Axl had sued Slash over Slash's decision to use the songs he had worked on on a solo record  [RAW Magazine, November 1994]. RAW Magazine would deny that this rumor was true, but state that the conflict between the two band members was very real [RAW Magazine, November 1994].

According to the rumor, Axl didn't want Slash to release all the songs that Slash, Matt and Gilby had been writing, on Slash' solo record, but instead keep them for Guns N' Roses [Kerrang! November 5, 1994] and Slash would confirm this:



This is interesting considering earlier reports that Axl and Duff had rejected the material flat-out. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding or perhaps Axl wanted them, or some of them, for a future release.

Slash would also comment upon this apparent paradox:



This comment from Gilby could also imply that Axl hadn't rejected all the songs, only some of them:



Slash would talk in more detail about how it happened that Axl wanted the songs back:








In 2002 Axl would claim he originally had wanted to make an Appetite-style record but when that wasn't possible to make a "Slash record with contributions from everybody else":



This is perplexing since Slash would in various interviews claim he also wanted to make a Appetite-style record and since we know Axl, at least at first, rejected the songs Slash had written. Taken everything into account, it seems Axl changed his mind after first rejecting the songs, possibly when it became clear Slash wouldn't compromise on a more modern sounding album, and decided to work on the songs Slash had presented but by then Slash had already taken them for for his Snakepit project.



Since Axl was surprised about how quickly Slash had recorded the songs, this realisation likely came before the press started writing about Slash's album and his search for a singer, which could put the fight between Axl and Slash regarding the material to as early as June 1994.



More specifically, the "big fight" included Axl threatening to sue Slash:





Slash would comment on the litigation rumours:




Being asked if Axl really threated to sue him:




Looking back:



In February 1995, Slash would say he and Axl had "come to terms" with the fact that Slash had taken the songs for himself:



Slash would also imply that Axl considered all music Slash makes while a band member of Guns N' Roses as belonging to Guns N' Roses, and that he didn't like Slash's collaborations with other artists:




In an interview published on March 1, 1995, Slash would claim the Snakepit songs hadn't been intended for Guns N' Roses: