2007.06.03 - Rockpalast (German TV) - Interview with Slash and Duff at Rock am Ring

Transcript:
---------------

[Interviewer talks in German]

Interviewer: So this is the nicest backstage area that I ever saw before, because usually quite ugly. So you’ve made it your own style. So it’s always the same that you try to put these things with you?

Duff: Well, Slash and I get here usually about 45 minutes early, and we get out some tape and we put up all these things all around. Then the rest of the band shows up and we say, “Look, see…?”

Slash: Yeah, we go to the flea market to buy these in every city.

Interviewer: Okay. It’s a little bit India hippie style. I think it fits good.

Slash: We have the incenses and the candles… We do an Indian ritual before every show, in which we burn off the big incense blocks and get it all smoky.

Interviewer: Fine. So you’ve been in Italy yesterday. Is it right? You played there with the band?

Duff: Yeah, we stepped in Italy yesterday. Instead of the Indian ritual - before the gig - we did sort of like a pagan Sun worshiping ritual.

Interviewer: That might look fantastic.

Slash: (Laughs).

Interviewer: So is it a different setlist concerning to what you’re doing here on Rock am Ring. Is it changed in a way?

Duff: What, since the last time we played?

Interviewer: No, since yesterday, if you differ it a bit.

Slash: We have a shorter show today, so we have to take some songs out.

Interviewer: Okay. What can you tell us about the favorite songs, the “must” songs that have to be in the setlist of Velvet Revolver?

Duff: Well, Slither is a big song for us, and Fall to Pieces is always a “must” song for us. You know, our first song and our last song is usually or always a must for us, and some songs in the middle.

Interviewer: What is your favorite and what you like to do on stage with your guitar for solo parts, for example?

Slash: The Sound of Music. I get a great rendition. I don’t know if we’re gonna do that today, but that’s my favorite to play (laughs).

Duff: We should. We should.

Interviewer: The last time I talked, for example, to Stone Sour, we had an interview…

Duff: Yeah, they are great.

Interviewer: Yesterday was the metal and hard rock day, so it was quite good.

Slash: Who is today then?

Interviewer: The lineup for today it’s you, and it’s Die Ärzte in the end. It’s a German punk rock band, maybe you know them.

Duff: Yeah, they’re big, right? They headlined the last time we played here.

Interviewer: Yeah. They’re big rock fans - and especially Bela B, the drummer, and singer sometimes, he’s a big fan of your band, as well. So what I want to know is, what can you tell us about the German audience in a way? I talked to some other bands like Stone Sour or other bands that they’re talking about the respectful behavior concerning your band. What are your experiences in Germany or in Europe?

Slash: Respectful behavior interpreted from what word you originally heard? (laughs)

Interviewer: Sorry? No, I mean it’s the way they respect the music and they’re truly fans.

Slash: I don’t know. All the German audiences are different, so, you know, we played our first show on this tour in… what was it, Nuremberg?

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: And that was a certain kind of audience. I don’t think they really were very interested in us, in that gig. Then this one is in a completely different town and it’s such a drastic difference between each city. So we’ll just see what today’s like.

Duff: Although I remember the first time ever playing in Germany back in, like, 1987, and it was a culture shock to begin with for us.

Slash: Do you remember the gig in Hamburg?

Duff: Yeah, I do, and it was pretty…

Slash: Brutal.

Duff: Yeah, pretty brutal. But it’s always been a big place for us to come and play. It’s very… they’re into their rock, they take it very seriously here, you know? They take it very seriously. And if you’re not good or up to what they think you should be, then you’re in a whole heap of trouble. In some other places, you wouldn’t be in a whole heap of trouble, but you get looks like they’re very disappointed in you, very extremely disappointed in you - as opposed to just kind of like, “Ah, oh well, they’re having an off day,” you know? It’s like, they’re very disappointed. But when they’re into you, of the flip side-

Slash: It’s the best crowd in the world.

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: Yeah, I mean, Germany’s a big place, and it takes a lot of work to get everybody on your side. So we usually do pretty well, but, you know, it takes a while. You keep sort of having to massage it. Then, all of a sudden, they love you, and then you’re cool, you know?

Duff: Yeah, yeah. That’s what I meant. What he said.

Interviewer: Okay. May I ask you one question? Is it still the thing that some fans or some people try to compare you to the time that you’d been on tour with the Gunners-

Slash: Next question.

Interviewer: … and doing music? Okay, next question (laughs). No, it was interesting to see the way that you work on stage and that you’ve got the fans on your side the last time. So what are your expectations concerning to the show today?

Slash: It took a lot of work the last time, too.

Interviewer: Sorry?

Slash: It took a lot of work the last time around. It took a while to develop that fanbase that we ended up with. So here it’s not taking as much work as it did back then, but you still have to work it.

Interviewer: Just for you, the situation from last time playing here to now?

Duff: Well… What do you mean by that exactly?

Interviewer: That you think that your expectation concerning to the show today.

Duff: Well, what I remember mostly about the gig last time, is that it was fucking cold. It was really cold. I remember I layered about… I think I even wore, like, gloves for the first four songs, which made it really hard to play.

Slash: (?)

Duff: No.

Slash: (Laughs) I am a sucker.

Duff: But it was really cold and it seems it was warmer driving in today. I think we’re gonna have a really good gig tonight. You know, all joking aside, German fans are… they’re honest, it’s all I mean to say. And we’re playing really good right now; the band’s playing fucking awesome. We have new songs that are set from a record that’s not gonna be out for another 30 days, so people aren’t going to be familiar with the songs, but we’re just blazing right now and I think the passion that we play our music with will be felt by the crowd out there.

Interviewer: Yeah, thank you so much. And may I ask you for playing a tune with this guitar?

Slash: No, no.

Interviewer: You don’t want to?

Slash: I can’t play before we actually have to play. Because it’s taboo.

Duff: Ju ju.

Slash: Yeah (chuckles).

Interviewer: Taboo?

Slash: Don’t play acoustic guitar before you have to play hard rock music, electric.

Interviewer: Okay. The same for you?

Duff: Well, I’ll tell you a little secret I have: I play – do you know what a didgeridoo is?

Interviewer: Yes.

Duff: Yeah. I play that for about 45 minutes before we play. It warms up my vocal cords, too.

Interviewer: Okay.

Duff: Yeah.

Interviewer: So, thanks a lot for having us in your backstage area for Rockpalast.