2006.06.DD - FHM - Metal Madness (Gilby)

METAL MADNESS

THESE LEGENDARY ROCKERS HAVE ONE GOAL IN MIND: BRINGING ROCK 'N' ROLL BACK TO THE MASSES

They both played for two of the most legendary rock bands of all time. Now, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted and former GNR guitarist Gilby Clarke are teaming up with Tommy Lee for the new season of Rock Star—and what could be the next great rock band.

By Devin Pratt

GILBY CLARKE

The whole premise of Rock Star: Supernova is to find a lead singer for your band. Who do you want that person to sound like?

I always like guys who sound like Rod Stewart or Robin Zander from Cheap Trick. Steven Tyler is the ultimate rock singer too. But, with Supernova, it’s different. We’re looking for the intangible. We’re looking for a personality. We want somebody who'll bring something new to the table.

What's it like being a rock star?

There are no rules. It’s like a license to be a fuck-up—it’s perfect.

What’s it like to be up there in front of thousands and thousands of screaming fans?

We take it for granted. Everybody wants to be applauded for what they do, but that becomes addictive after a while. It’s like how come my wife doesn’t clap when I make a sandwich?

What would you have done had you not become a rock star?

If I weren't a musician, I’d probably be one of those guys who rides a motorcycle all over the place. Just going from town to town looking for adventure.

That actually sounds pretty good too.

That’s the thing about being a musician—you’re a gypsy! You get to go to places you would never get to visit, and there’s a lot of freedom to it. I think that’s why a lot of people say, “Oh, I wanna be a rock star.” If I weren't a musician, I’d be an outlaw biker.

You love motorcycles. Ever been to Sturgis?

As a musician, I’m always touring during the summer, so I never get to go to Sturgis. But a couple years ago I woke up one Sunday, packed a couple pairs of pants and I got on my bike by myself and did 3,000 miles. It was one of the best experiences of my life. There’s nothing like it when you’re on that road all by yourself and you’re really in tune with everything around you.

Motorcycling sounds like a religion for you.

Yeah, the best thing is really the ride. It’s kinda like life—it’s all about the journey. Some of the best parts about that trip were stopping at gas stations and talking to the other guy filling up his bike, going, “Oh yeah, man, I’m on like my 10,000th mile.” And he would say, “Oh, dude, don’t take the highway. Take 29 out there.” I found the most incredible roads, and the most incredible scenery by talking to people.

What are some of your favorite motorcycles?

I’ve got a ’65 Panhead that’s the classic ‘60s hippie chopper. Car-wise, I got a ’69 El Camino which is my baby. I drive it every fuckin’ day.

How did you end up playing for Guns N' Roses?

I knew the guys from GNR from playing around Hollywood, and when Izzy split, I was the first one Slash called. I ran down there and played and I didn’t leave for about four or five years.

And you were there for the Use Your Illusion tour, right?

Yeah. I joined the band pretty much a week after the Use Your Illusion records came out, so I did all the touring for Illusions. It was a two-and-a-half-year tour, so it’s like you’re in the band and you ain’t coming home for three years.

The Illusion tours must have been legendary.

It was the best—one of the greatest experiences ever. As a kid, my dream was to play in a loud rock-'n'-roll band and it didn’t get any better than that. GNR was perfect loud rock and I loved their music. I wasn’t trying to be Izzy. I got to be myself, and I played exactly the way I play. Nobody told me to do anything a certain way. It was perfect.

What were Guns N' Roses groupies like?

Unbelievable. GNR was the ultimate decadent lifestyle—we were expected to fuck up. I saw some pretty crazy things. GNR had a reputation for being a little tardy when we were playing, so there was always a couple of hours from the opening band until we took the stage. We had cameras that would show all the girls lifting up their shirts—they were just cameras that scan the audience before any concert, but what they didn’t realize was we were sitting in the back with walkie-talkies directing where the cameras went.

So you guys hand-picked the cream of the crop?

There’s nothing funnier than seeing some chick with a nice rack on camera with thousands of people screaming around her and our guys slapping backstage passes on them. We definitely enjoyed ourselves.

Do you miss playing with those guys?

It was like anything in life—it had a beginning, middle and an end. I have great memories and, as the years go by, I tend to forget the crap. The band was great, and we loved playing. But you know what? It doesn’t exist anymore. We’re not the same people, so even if you put us all in a room together and say, "Go play Welcome to the Jungle," it’s not the same. I don’t wanna do that anymore. I did it and it was great, but I don’t really need to relive that. I’m way more excited about Supernova.

Jason Newsted said it was perfect timing for Supernova because rock is making a strong comeback.

Yeah! Dude, I’m doing a show tonight in Budapest, Hungary, with my solo band, and there are kids who never saw Guns N' Roses, but they’re rock fans. They’ve all got their Guns N' Roses shirts on but they’ve never seen the band, so they’re gonna see one of the guys from the band tonight. There’s a whole new generation of rock 'n' rollers, man, and Jason was absolutely right. This is the perfect time.

To get back to Guns N' Roses for a moment, do you think Chinese Democracy will come out this year?

I certainly hope so because I’m so over talking about it. This anticipation is ridiculous. Just get the fuckin’ thing out! Every interview I do I get two or three questions about it and I haven’t even been in that goddamn rehearsal room in 10 years.

Does Axl still have what it takes to create great rock?

I’ve always said he’s an incredibly talented guy. The things he writes about blows my mind. The music probably isn't going to have the same angst that it had, but there’s probably gonna be some really great stuff on there.

Who are some of your all-time favorite bands?

The Beatles are the greatest band of all time. It doesn’t get any better than that—they could rock, they could write, they could do no wrong. The Stones are the band that stood the test of time. The Stones are the band I wish I was in. I’m sure all guitar players say that though.

What are some of the craziest things you’ve seen while touring?

In GNR, we were playing in Venezuela and at that time Venezuela was going through a lot of political changes. Well, it just happened that the daughter of either the president or the general was a GNR fan. Strangely enough, after the concert, there was a military coup in Venezuela. But they were actually waiting until the band left the airport! The country went into chaos, but they waited for the band to leave—they didn’t want us to get caught in the crossfire!

Who’s the sexiest woman in the world?

I’m gonna have to say Brooke Burke, our co-host of Rock Star.

You and Jason are good, man, you’re good.

Really? Did he say the same thing? Well, he’s got ulterior motives.

Watch CBS Wednesday, July 5, at 8 p.m. ET/PT for the season premiere of Rock Star: Supernova. And don't forget to check out Rock Star: Supernova's website for more on the show!

https://web.archive.org/web/20060628231744/http://www.fhmus.com/articles-1295.asp?page=2

From the interview with Jason Newsted in the same feature:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[...]

Do you think Axl Rose will release Chinese Democracy this year?

Yeah, sure. Whatever. Supernova's album will be out before his.

You've crossed paths with Axl. Is he crazy or is he a genius?

I haven’t spent enough time with him to give a judgment like that. As a fan coming out to see their favorite band, and having the singer walk offstage or throw the mic down in frustration because the monitors were funky, it’s not professional and it’s not giving the people what they came for. Man, we did like 50 shows with Axl. We used the same monitors every night. I don’t remember James or myself complaining once about that kind of stuff. The dude recorded some great vocal on some great rock songs, but you don't sell 50,000 tickets and walk off the stage. Fuck that!

[...]

https://web.archive.org/web/20061017125820/http://www.fhmus.com/articles-1295.asp?page=1