1988.10.DD - MTV - Interview with Slash and Duff

Tell us about "Patience". It's a ballad, right?

Slash: Yeah. It's a ballad. It's mainly pinned by Izzy Stradlin. [laughs] It's just a ballad. You'll get it when it comes out and you'll hear it. Take it for what it is, I suppose.

You said to me last time that, although there was only one ballad on the first album that you really have a lot of ballads that you wanted to do.

Slash: Yeah, there's a little bit more slow stuff, I think, going into the next record, the next album. Last time we had so much material that we wanted to get out, that we just did one, you know, "Sweet Child O' Mine". But there was actually other songs that were around at the time.

"I Used To Love Her, But I Had To Kill Her".

Slash: It's pretty self-explanatory.

You guys are really known for controversy, and I wouldn't say this is trying to side step it. Why? Why this song? Tell me about this song. It's about wife beating?

Slash: No, it's a joke.

Duff: It's very tongue-in-cheek, you know. It's not to be taken seriously, you know. It's a joke. I don't condone wife beating. I understand it, but I don't condone it, you know. So, it's very tongue-in-cheek. You'll hear it when it comes out.

Do you think this gonna 'cause problems?

Duff: Who cares?

Slash: I doubt it. I seriously doubt it.

Duff: What are they gonna do? Ban the record from record chains? It's already happened to us so, I don't think we really care, you know. At this point... If somebody's gonna be... so disturbed by it, that just means they don't have a sense of humor, and that's their problem, not...

The core of our fans will understand it. We've played it live many times and people...

Slash: The EP's not meant to be taken all that seriously. It's not done... It wasn't done expensively. It's not like, a major album. It's not anything... It's just like, a sort of filler.

Duff: The acoustic stuff we did in like, a day, right. So, I mean, we didn't... It wasn't a huge project or anything like that. It's just, I think, to show another side of the band, sort of. And also, you know, our next album is not gonna be out for a while. So, there's a huge void space then we'd like to fill in a bit.

Somebody said to me that you wanted to get this off your chest. That these are songs... Now that you've gotten so successful that you feel like, you wanna put this out. You got some other things to say. You wanna go into a little softer direction on some songs. Do you feel like you have this on your chest. You wanna get it off your chest?

Slash: No, we just... I didn't think should go on the actual album. And we needed something to put out to fill the gap between the first record and the next one. It's really not that big a deal.

Calling it "Lies. The drugs, the sex, the violence, the shockin' truth"...

Slash: You know, that's pretty self-explanatory as well. It's like, the band's just sorta like, the center of attention, as far as, you know, sort of controversy in rock n' roll and stuff like that. And they make up all these stories. I found out today that I died again today.

Duff: Oh yeah?

Slash: Yeah. And, you know, Axl dies all the time. There's all this crap going around. People love to make up stuff about you. I don't know why. We're the band that seems to be the center of all that attention.

Duff: So, what they...

Slash: Sort of a parody of our whole existence.

Duff: It's just like, us saying "Ok, you guys wanna blow this out of proportion? Let's totally blow it out of proportion". If you're gonna get that ridiculous about it.

Slash: Yeah. The artwork on the EP is done like a British tabloid kind of...

Duff: Yeah. Like the Inquirer or something.

Slash: Yeah.

Right, so we'll make up the stories for you.

Duff: Sure. Go ahead.

... and throwing this song "I Used To Love Her, But I Had To Kill Her" so that...

Slash: There's actually another song called "One In A Million" that's got some lyrics on it, that are a little bit more... hrmm... controversial than "I Used To Love Her, But I Had To Kill Her".

Oh really?

Slash: Yeah. I won't get into it. I don't wanna... Sort of, let the stuff out of the bag.

So we have to look forward to that. "One In A Mellion".

Slash: No...

"Once In A Million". What is it?

Duff: "One In A Million".

Slash: "One In A Million".

Duff: What it is... Yeah, with that.

Slash: I wouldn't s... you know.

Wait and see.

Duff: Yeah.

You guys are...

Slash: It's not someth... I don't know. I shouldn't even have brought it up. Never mind. Strike that.

Well, talking about being the center of controversy, right now in Santa Cruz... You know about this, right? They're picketing the record stores. Do you know...

Duff: For what?

There are women who are picketing record stores, who say that the Guns N' Roses album should be taken out, because the innersleeve is sexist and pro-rape.

Slash: Oh now it's the innersleeve? It wasn't good enough when we took it off the cover and put it on the inside. You know, that's... That blows. They can't...

Duff: I mean...

Slash: They can't do anything about it.

Duff: Exactly. I mean, for people to look at that sexist, or anything, I guess I can see what they're saying, you know. But we don't look at it that way, and that's the most important thing.

If we don't look at it that way, we're not trying to make the sexist statement at all. And I think that's the most important thing. We didn't do that for any reason against women or whatever. And it doesn't matter. It's just artwork.

Slash: I don't see anybody hassling Robert Williams about it.

Duff: Yeah, the guy... The artist.

They are, actually. I mean, he's been quoted now for saying what it represented to him. And I was curious what it represented to you. He said that it repres...

Slash: To us it was just a picture that looked sorta cool.

Duff: Exactly. I mean, it's that...

Slash: People have nothing better to do with their time than picking things apart and make a big deal out of stuff.

Duff: Yeah. So go ahead. Let them do that, if that makes them feel... If they think they're doing something, then fine.

You don't worry about being picketed.

Slash: No. I mean, it would be a drag if they take the record out of the stores. I don't think that'll happen.

I think he said it represents the rape of mankind by technology and the media.

Slash: Whatever.

Duff: Oh sure. That's deep.

Slash: That's pretty complicated.

So, talking about all this... Now Guns N' Roses are the baddest boys in rock n' roll. That's what everybody says. What do you guys think?

Slash: It's just another label.

Are you bad boys? Do you think of yourselves as bad boys?

Slash: What is bad? Really?

Not bad in that sense, but, you know, that kind of bad boy.

Duff: Besides real men. We're like 23, 24. I hate that label. It's really silly. It's really stupid. Bad boys. That's like you're talking to a seven-year-old. No, we're a rock n' roll band. We're all...

Slash: We basically represent a lot of the characteristics of what a rock n' roll band is about, or whatever. Or something like it. Just...

Duff: What it was all about when it started... I mean, rock n' roll was something outrageous when it started, you know. It wasn't... It was Elvis and stuff. And they were not priests, you know. They did drugs, they drank, they had lots of women running around, which was really, you know, it was kind of unheard of.

I mean, the jazz musicians did it, but they were so underground, kept under... Didn't come out in publicity at all. So, rock n' roll is about rebellion and doing things against the grain, you know.

So that's what it is.

Slash: [laughs]

The Stones were considered the original... quote on quote, you said you hate that label, "bad boys". But they got that same thing.

Slash: Yeah. I mean, it goes with the territory. Like I said, people have to pick stuff apart, put labels on things, you know.

What do you think of the Stones?

Slash: Stones? I should ask Izzy about 'em. No... the Stones were great at one time.

Does that mean "no more"?

Slash: The old albums are still great. What can I say?

Duff: They're broke up now. So... That's... They were great.

Except I think they're supposed to get back together again and maybe...

Slash: Yeah, that'd be a cool tour to do.

The reason I'm asking is that MTV is doing a Keith Richard special. They'd like to know what you think of his...

Slash: Not much.

Duff: They really didn't think much of us, so...

Slash: [laughs] They didn't think much of us. No, Keith's all right, though.

That's right, he did make a few comments, didn't he?

Slash: Yeah. It's no big deal. He never heard the album, he doesn't know us.

Duff: He basically epitomizes rock n' roll. Like... the screwed-up guitar player, you know. He's like, 45 years old and he's still doing it. He should be dead.

Slash: He's older than that, isn't he?

Duff: Should've been dead like, 15 years ago, or something.

Slash: That is a survivor.

Did he influence your playing particularly?

Slash: I was into the Stones. I'm not so much influenced by Keith as I was Mick Taylor, who used to be in the band at one point. But, I mean, the actual songwriting, yeah. I'm a real Stones freak. I have all the records up to a point.

Up to what point? When did they stop...

Slash: I think "Some Girls" was the last one. "Emotional Rescue" was OK, and that was it.

Did they get too...

Slash: They got too commercial and sort of like... I don't know, too polished or something. You know, even though they were trying to keep the grit there or something. I mean, it's no big deal. I don't think anybody's interested in my opinion about the Rolling Stones. [laughs]

Duff: [laughs]

We are 'cause we asked. But what about his solo album, have anyone of you heard it?

Slash: I heard it.

And?

Slash: I don't think anybody's concerned about my opinion about that either.

[laughs] OK.

Duff: The drummer's good.

When will we see the "Paradise City" video?

Slash: It's done. It's really cool. But... It'll come out when it comes out.

Does anybody have a...

Duff: Probably in December.

Slash: Yeah. That's what it looks like.

Why has it taken so long?

Slash: It's sort of a business thing. Some other stuff going on in the actual inner-workings of the band and stuff. The band and the company... You know, all that. So... It's really... Just personal things.

Can you tell us about making that video? Who's involved, what kind of look it is. Anything...

Duff: It was a... It's live footage of Giants Stadium and Donnington in England. I think it's a pretty good video. And the crowds we're playing in front of are...

Slash: Insane.

Duff: ... insane. I mean, you get the feel of... You get the electricity kind of being at the gig, you know. 'Cause both of those gigs were... These were the biggest gigs we've ever played, and they were only like, four days apart, these two gigs.

What did that feel like? Four days apart to be playing in front of that many people and that kind of energy that you're talking about.

Slash: Well, when you're on the road, you know, people ask that kinda question all the time. When you're on the road, it's like, you're just on the road. You go from gig to gig. And like, you get to a place and go "Wow, this place is huge". It's not something you really think about and analyze. You just go from one gig to the next. You just takes it as it comes.

Duff: Myself, I didn't even realize the size of the audience...

Slash: Until I saw the video, yeah.

Duff: Until I saw the video. I was like "whoooh." That's right.

Slash: I don't... Yeah. It's like, you always got your head down. And I never see anything anyway. It's like...

You don't see 'em because of the lights?

Slash: You don't pay attention. And the lights too.

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: You know, you can only see the... the first ten rows or something.

Duff: But, both these gigs you could see everybody, 'cause they were both daytime gigs. But yeah, you don't... When you're on the road you have like, these blinders on. You know, you're just... It's gig to gig. Hotel, hotel. Bus. This and that. So, it doesn't hit you. Nothing really faces you after a while.

You said you don't pay attention. Is it because you're concentrating on the stage and what you're doing?

Slash: You're playing, you know.

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: I mean, some bands are out there trying to like, soak up the audience as much as they can. So, there's a lot of interaction between the audience and the band. With us it's like, we're heavily affected by the energy the crowd has, energy level of the crowd. But at the same time, we do concentrate a lot on playing, and just being up there and doing it.

You talked about... all this... obviously all is connected to the video for "Paradise City". Will there be other videos for the EP?

Slash: No, I don't think so.

Why not?

Slash: It's not necessary.

Duff: It's... Yeah, it's not a... The EP is not a real big deal. I mean, it's good and it's...

Slash: It's us. And it's our music and stuff and it's important in that way, but... It's just not meant to be, you know... It's not meant to be taken as seriously as, say an album is taken. It's real sloppy, it's got us talking in the background, guitar picks dropping.

You know, stuff like that. It's out of tune at a lot of places. It's just us sort of hanging out, getting drunk and playing.

Sort of a glimpse of the band.

Slash: Yeah, something like that.

Behind the scenes, not quite as... What about video image in general? I mean, do you think you guys have a video image?

Slash: I guess once you do a couple of videos, then you have an image. Whatever it may be.

What is it?

Slash: [laughs]

Yeah, yourself. I mean, you said...

Slash: [caughs] We're just us. You know, just... We do what we think is cool. So, it's just us.

You said earlier, you're supposed to have died today. From...

Slash: Yesterday.

Oh, yeah?

Slash: Last night.

What was it from last night?

Slash: I don't know. Drug overdose, or something.

'Cause... This Axl thing has been going on... This was going on when you and I talked last time. That was what, a few months ago?

Slash: Yeah.

I mean, Axl dies now once a week, or something. But, it's gotten very severe with people calling actually all the newspapers, and calling MTV repeatedly and all sorts of things. I mean, tell me about how you react when continually hear these very weird rumors.

Slash: Pretty negative vibe to have them around all the time.

Duff: Yeah. At this point also... I mean, I don't think that stuff really faces anybody in the band. It's like, "Oh, really?". I'm sure it's kinda weird, you know. It's not true, so how seriously can you take it?

Slash: Starting to be like crying wolf now. It's like, if somebody does die, everybody's gonna go "yeah, yeah". "No really".

Yeah, we heard that last week. I heard that you guys all saw the MTV weekend rock piece with the "Dead, not dead".

Slash: Yeah, that was funny. That was hilarious, actually.

Duff - I didn't see it.

Slash: Oh, it's so funny. It's... Shows a picture of us that says "not dead", then a picture of Jimi Hendrix, "dead", then shows a picture of Axl, "not dead", then Jim Morisson, "dead". And it shows the band "not dead". And the funny one, it shows Elvis, "dead" with a question mark. [laughs] All to the tune "Sweet Child O' Mine". It was pretty funny.

So you enjoyed it?

Slash: Yeah.

Yeah, because I heard it was pretty good. Speaking of "dead, not dead", this quote is one that has gone around a long time, some people in your management, your company have said it. It's now been given to Axl in Rolling Stone, whether he said it or not. "They will be great, as the kids may be, if they live that long".

You've heard it a 1000 times, but what do you think about people saying that? "Oh, yeah. they're really gonna have great potential if they live that long.

Duff: We've also gotten... You know, we first started touring 16 months ago, or something like that. "Oh, they'll be back in a week." 14 months later, straight touring basically... It kinda gives you a reason to prove 'em wrong.

Slash: Sort of fuels the fire for this whole, sort of like, screwy attitude that we have. [laughs]

Do you feel at all like the Who song? You know, the famous "My Generation"...? "I hope I die..."

Slash: No, I think that whole generation this is sort of depleted. I don't think the... I mean, basically, you know... and the society this band has sort of grown, you know, stem from... We're not really part of any generation. We're just sort of like, representing kids in general. But it's not like a... There's no big generation gaps anymore, doesn't seem like.

I was talking about this line in the song "I hope I die before I grow old". What do you think of that? You've guys have been said to have that attitude "what the hell?".

Duff: We have the attitude "what the hell?". I mean, I don't think anyone of us really want to die. It'll happen when it happens, I guess.

Slash: I never thought about it.

Duff: Yeah, it's like, something we never really think about.

Do you plan for the future?

Slash: [laughs] No. Basically, with us it's pretty day-to-day... Day-by-day, kind of attitude [coughs]. Excuse me. Anyhow, so that's just our way we go into everything. It's like, "Yeah, we're gonna do another album." So, that's in our sights, but beyond that...

So the next album is the furthest ahead you think?

Slash: The next crossroad. [laughs]

"They rather burn out that rust", was something I heard a college said about you.

Slash: I always wondered about that phrase. I mean, "burn out and rust", it seems like...

Duff: Same thing.

Slash: ... same thing, you know. But, rather just not be doing it, than burn out, you know.

So you rather just keep going?

Slash: I'd like to be at the same level of whatever that we are now, when the next record comes out, the next one after that. I wouldn't want it like, slowly be going downhill. I've watched a lot bands do that.

You guys really, you have this attitude of "look guys, we're gonna do it. No matter what anybody said, no matter who would tell you". And you met with resistance all down the line. And in the end became the number one band on the singles chart, which you certainly didn't expect, I don't think the top-40 chart. On the album chart... And all these things happening, and all the rumors and all the sales, and all the bigger halls. I mean, how does that kind of success affect you? What do you go through as you start experiencing that?

Duff: Really, I mean, still to this point, I always wondered what it'll affect. You know, when it finally hit you... It hasn't, you know.

Slash: It's great, you know what I mean. I'm just really glad a lot of people dig the band, basically.

Do you feel any differently about anything, about the way you approach your music, about your friendship with each other? Anything at all because of all this?

Slash: Not really. I mean, you know, some people could like, get really analytical about this kinda stuff. It's just not necessary.

Tell me at least that your life-spells have changed.

Slash: The noticeable difference in mine is I have a... you know, supply of cigarettes and booze and stuff. [laughs] I got a place finally. I mean, there's differences.

Duff: I have a car now. Nothing really... I mean, you don't have to worry... basically where your next meal, or next bottle's coming from now.

Slash: I hate to sound ignorant about it, you know, I think one of the things about us is that these kind of... It's just not a priority kind of thing. So we don't really get into looking at it with a telescope kind of thing.

I think what happens to some bands with success is musically, they change. Is there any concern about... you know, doing it again?

Slash: Yeah.

Matching that last one. Selling just as many records. Now you guys are working on the next studio album.

Duff: We're not gonna go to any high schools and a take a survey of "20 songs, pick 10".

Slash: No. Yeah, really. One of the other things is, the thing that this album... The reason, one of the main reasons it's doing so well, I could be wrong but, I think a lot has to do with timing, and just sort of, you know, the gap that we filled, as far as music's going. And I...

You know, the next record will just be us another record. And I don't really know if it's gonna be a successful. It's gonna be, probably 15 bands like us by that time.

You'll still be the first.

Slash: I mean, it'll still come and people be interested in it. I don't know if it's gonna be that like, teenage rebellion hoohaa that this one has been, you know. [laughs]

Have you seen Guns N' Roses clones?

Slash: Yeah, a couple of them.

What do you think of that? Do you think that is flattering or do you dislike that?

Slash: Depends. When someone like, is influenced by a band, it's cool. But if someone rips us off, it's not cool.

Tell me about the Aerosmith tour. Last time we talked you were just about to go out and you were very, very excited about it, because it was Aerosmith. How was it?

Slash: Great.

Duff: It was great.

Slash: It was killer.

Did you watch them?

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: Yeah, we... It was one of those things, that was nice to be respected by a band that's been around that long, you know. They watched us, we watched them. We hung out. We had a really good time. It was one of the best tours we've ever had.

I heard something about you being banned from staying or partying with them.

Duff: Originally that was their managers plan, but there was no need for it. I mean, by the time the second show rolled around, it was that soon, it was like "Come on, let's go hang out". There was no problems.

They thought you were gonna be a bad influence on them?

Duff: Supposedly.

Slash: Something like that. They didn't want us to tempt them, or something. And...

Duff: Those guys are smart enough to...

Slash: Yeah, it was all right. It was no big deal.

So you did whatever you wanted to do by the second show. You said that live shows are dangerous, that the music is dangerous, that you wanted to bring back dangerous music. And then you were talking earlier about...

Slash: No, that's not exactly what we said. That's... not what we said. Basically we just wanted to bring back whatever the rock n' roll element was. And it wasn't like, a pre-conceived notion either. It was just us what we're doing. And we, you know, it was cool to see it sorta happening. And as far as danger goes, it's not really so much the music as it is... just the energy level. You know, the energy level and the chaos and all that stuff.

Is it dangerous? Really dangerous.

Slash: Sometimes.

Duff: It can be. I mean, any guy in a band that plays out in the, what they call the sheds and so on, the outdoor places. Out in the middle of nowhere, where the kids can just get drunk and trash the place. You know, sure. I mean... Anybody that's in a band that's played those places is gonna say the same thing.

Stuff comes flying up on the stage continuously, you know. Bottles and... And the crowd will get out of control sometimes, and you gotta stop the show before somebody gets killed, you know.

It's really not that dangerous. I mean, you're up on the stage, they're there.

You said you didn't talk about each other much. But, you once said "Duff's great. He's my drinking buddy. This is one guy who's like, not scared to die of alcohol poisoning."

Duff: [laughs]

So here you guys are together. Will you talk about each other since you're in the same room?

Slash: Talk about each other?

What do you bring to the... What do you each bring to the band?

Duff: Six pack.

Slash: Six pack. [laughs] We're consistent, you know.

Duff: We start around four, end around three. The drinking thing... I mean, there's no need to go into, 'cause that has nothing to do with the band or anything. I strongly feel...

What's he like as a person?

Slash: Oh, come on! Don't get into that.

Duff: He's a great guitar player, and that's what he brings to the band.

What do you Duff brings to the band?

Slash: He's a good bass player.

[laughs]

Slash: He is one of the most rockiest bass players.

The future for Guns N' Roses. New album...

Duff: Yeah. I would imagine... OK, new album...

Slash: Late summer, hopefully, in a perfect world. And a new tour. Headlining.

Duff: You would imagine doing a tour?

Headlining?

Slash: Most of it will be, I think.

Going to Europe?

Slash: Yeah, Europe. All over Europe. Probably go to Australia. We're going to Japan next month.

Duff: December.

Slash: Is it November yet?

No, very soon.

Slash: OK.

Going to Japan. And that's...

Slash: That's basically it, you know. As far as the band is concerned, yeah. Those are the things in the future that are sort of, etched in stone at the moment.

You have something?

Duff: No, I don't. We hope we're gonna make another record.

Slash: No, we will. [laughs]

Duff: We hope.

Slash: Just kidding, folks. We're working on it now. And then we're gonna go to Japan. We're gonna do another record.

Go to Japan.

Slash: Go to Japan and work on the next record.

Duff: As far as you know.

You've seen the Rolling Stone article, you've read it. So, what do you think, is it accurate? I mean, do you like it?

Duff: There's...

Slash: I mean, it plays on, sort of the, Guns N' Roses's notorious band, yeah.

Duff: It's kinda like, yeah, let's exploit the dirty side, all the dark sides of this band.

Do you feel that that's not...

Duff: Well, he was with us for three days. I mean, I like the guy. He was with us for three days. He saw, basically every side of us. But he kinda exploited just one side, which happens from like, after the gig till you go to sleep on the bus. That side, you know.

Slash: I mean, apparently with us, it's like, the main thing people wanna hear is how bad we are. This and that we did, and so and so did that. That's like, sort of novelty of Guns N' Roses, right. And so that's what... Rolling Stone just printed the stuff that's gonna make their magazine sell, basically.

So what's the other side they left out?

Slash: Well, just the fact that the band is five individual people. It's not just, this sort of like, little group of hooligans. It's not like that.

Duff: Give 'em a bootle, watch 'em go.

Slash: So...

Duff: I mean, there's... any individual... And then there's five individuals. There's lots of different sides, you know. Just like with anybody else.

And you can't really show all that in an article, can you?

Slash: Well, I mean, there's ways of approaching it.

The whole thing about that... "How wild can they be. Give 'em a bottle, see how they go". You can't... I don't believe, maybe I'm wrong, I think you have to have some discipline to be making the music.

Slash: There's a lot of discipline in this band. It's only happened a couple of times we've been like, wasted on stage or anything. I mean, that's very far between gigs like that. I can actually count on one hand how many times anyone of have done that.

Duff: But not even booze discipline. I mean... Just to be on tour, not saying it's the hardest thing in the world. I had a construction job that was much harder than being on tour. Yeah, you have to have discipline. You have to have responsibility. And, you know, you have to be at the gig every day, you gotta do soundcheck, you gotta make sure all your equipment's' working, gotta make sure...

Slash: Gotta keep the whole tour in check, basically.

Duff: Yeah. Like, everything in check. I mean, you know... So... And you gotta do... You know, there's interviews you're doing, and different cities and this and that. So, it's not like, just all of a sudden we're there on stage and playing the gig, and then we're outta there. There's a lot behind that, you know. Helluva lot.

You have to be working.

Duff: Yeah.

It's not just playing around and drinking all the time.

Duff: No.

Getting laid and getting loaded.

Slash: That happens after the gig. [laughs]

[laughs]

Slash: Basically. Or before the gig, but only...

They said that the tension in the band makes the music more explosive. Is that true? Do you think that's true?

Slash: Some ways.

Duff: Sometimes, yeah.

Slash: Sometimes you're pissed off and go out and kick ass. I mean, that happens. And what about other times?

Duff: And other times... What?

I mean, you don't have to get pissed off to kick ass?

Slash: No, it's not a major... It's not like, the band's stipulation, someone goes screwed, one of the guys in the band to make the show good, you know. It's not like that.

I'm gonna read you a couple of interesting quotes I want you to react on. "They are a musical sawed off shotgun".

Slash: That's a cool quote. I like that one.

"With great power, but erratic aim." That's...

Slash: It's pretty...

Duff: That's...

Slash: ... pretty close.

Duff: Yeah, sometimes. Yeah. Again sometimes.

"They are a brutal band for brutal times."

Slash: That one's sort of over my head. I mean, we're just... That's like, looking into what we are as a band. And I don't know... It's an outside view.

And then this whole thing about real names, which apparently has made quite a splash. From what I heard this morning from MTV, Axl being Bill Bailey. Was it supposed to be a secret?

Slash: I don't know. He said it, you know. He likes the article, so...

Duff: It really doesn't... That's not a big point, what our real names are.

Slash: The only reason I don't say my real name is I don't like being called it. Sounds like my grandmother talking.

Duff: That what somebody would do is "OK, they think they're cool 'cause they saw it in the article". My name has been Duff since I was two years old. So, that's my name, you know.

How long have you been Slash?

Slash: Since I was about 13, I think.

And what about all the... the stuff about... the drugs and the booze. Are they exaggerating? I mean, last time we talked, you said it was sorta in the past. You know, the drugs in particular. Is that an exaggeration with this article? Portraits you...

Slash: I... Actually... Well, the drinking thing... I mean... I guess it's a way to sorta like... pass time.

Duff: The drug thing is no big deal. Two years ago, maybe it was.

So, it's a part of the past?

Slash: As far as you know.

Duff: As far as you know.

Slash: [laughs] No, it's really not like, one of those things... The band's really stopped, you know. Like, getting heavily involved in any kind of serious chemicals, or anything like that. It's just not productive.

You said earlier... You know, you gotta go, you gotta do all these things. You gotta work. You gotta be at work. And I assume it's not really easy to work if you're involved in a lot...

Slash: No, it doesn't work. Even alcohol. There's only an extent where you can drink, if you have to play and stuff.

So it's afterwards. Does the band give vague and contradictory signals about violence and drugs? Do you think that, or do you think you have a very...

Slash: We have a very cynical attitude about everything. And that what goes on in life all the time. It's... People like to ignore it and stuff, but... So, with us, you know, we've been exposed to lot of stuff and...

Duff: A lot of the songs are like, "Here. Take a look". It's not really saying anything one way or the other. It's like, you know, "Take a look. See for yourself". We don't condone anything, or do not, not condone.

Slash: Condemn anything.

Duff: Condemn, yeah. So, I mean, in the... We don't do it in the public eye, or in songs. I mean, who are we to do that? And why would we wanna? It's just not us.

So when you're writing a song, you're not giving a message...

Slash: No. It's sort of just like, painting a picture.

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: And all the songs on the album are... It's almost like, hit back, type of things.

Duff: Exactly.

Slash: All is something that's happened to us. Every song represents the band, you know. Our basic existence and stuff we've gone through.

When I think about rock n' roll bands... I think a lot of times they have that attitude, "We're just saying what it is". But, kids sometimes don't get it, you know what I mean. They think "I gotta do what the band does", or "I gotta do what I think the band does".

Slash: Well, some people are smarter than others.

Duff: Yeah. I mean, I've said this before, but I remember being a 14-year-old kid. And just because Sid Vicious died of a heroine overdose, I didn't go and do a huge shot of dope, or anything. You know, it's not... You're smarter than that. Even 13 years old, you're smarter than that. You know.

Slash: You should be, anyway.

Did you think rock n' roll stars were heroes, or? At that time.

Slash: There's people that were cool, people you thought were cool, people that you would go see and stuff like that, but... I mean, I didn't have pictures on my wall and stuff like that. Like most kids do.

Duff: I mean, there are a few people in rock n' roll that are quote on quote, heroes. Just because they've been through a mill. Heavily. And still are. Like Iggy Pop. He is probably... I mean, I wouldn't say heroes is the right word. I mean, that guy you gotta respect.

Slash: Yeah.

Duff: You gotta seriously respect that guy.

Slash: 'Cause he's been around for so long, and so it's like, until... You can talk about this band being this and that and the other, but... I mean, we haven't gone through even a quarter as much shit as that guy's gone through.

But I just wondered if there were types... Some kids... And I agree, I think most kids make their own decisions, and they don't have to do what you do because they love your music. They can love your music and think you're jerks, even.

Slash: Some people do. [laughs]

Duff: [laughs]

[laughs] But... Some kids just take it a little too far, you know.

Slash: Some kids are really depressed. I mean, you know, rock n' roll is an outlet. And then drugs are an outlet, drinking's an outlet, violence is an outlet. And there's so many different people and there's so many different scenarios, that you can't even really get into it. There's too many things going on.

Duff: Yeah. I mean, there's such a huge... I mean, I guess, industry in just outlets. This building, it's here because... for an outlet. [laughs] So, there's many variables in these outlets that you can't control. I'm not gonna like, defeatism. I don't wanna say it like that. But, why even try to... to control that in a song? Why even attempt it?

The year's coming to a close pretty soon. We got like, two months and a few days left.

Slash: Big deal.

[laughs] Now, come on guys, give me a break here, for the year-end special.

Slash: I've never been one of those new years people. [doing a funny sound]

[laughs] When you look back over this year... It's been a really tremendous year for you guys. Do you have a highlight?

Duff: Can't remember.

Slash: Well, I mean, Donnington was both. And the whole... The tours. I mean, there's a lot of shows... I mean, I can pick a gig in like, Wyoming, right. We never played Wyoming... Salt Lake City, right. You know, one particular day where a gig was great. I mean, touring is like, every good gig is a highlight.

What about low lights?

Slash: Those come and go. I don't even notice 'em. [laughs]

How about for the world? I mean, do you think about that? Like, what happened this year that was great...

Duff: For the world? We're on tour. We don't know.

Slash: It's really like, in a cardboard box. You don't see much of anything really. I mean, I suppose if there was like, a nuclear thing happening, you'd know about it.

Duff: You might hear about it, maybe, if the bus driver tell you, or something. Who's president?

Slash: Yeah, right.

What about that? Politically, are you...

Slash: We're not a political band, or a politically oriented band at all. Like, I mean, if I had to get into the candidates for the presidency right now, I could say "Yeah, it blows". 'Cause I'm aware of that. But I'm not gonna say anything about American... Use that... influence anybody or anything like that.

Will you guys go out and vote?

Slash: No.

Duff: I'm going to.

Slash: I can't vote.

Duff: He can't vote. He's not a citizen.

Well, that makes it hard.

Duff: My friend makes a dollar and a half per person he signs up to vote. So... I said "Oh, come on over." So, I made him a dollar and a half. So, I might as well vote. The place is right down the street, you know. I just, like write in... You know how you can write in... for president and all that. I'll just write Donald Duck and Darth Vader.

Slash: Ronald Reagan.

Duff: Ronald Reagan, yeah. Jimmy Carter.

Slash: Nixon.

Duff: Wayne Gretzky.

[laughs] New album...

Slash: Larry Flynt. [laughs]

Duff: Oh man, did you see that?

Slash: What?

Duff: Did you see that?

I heard about it. What happened?

Duff: It was a front... head story on the news. They discovered... The FBI discovered a plot Larry Flynt was trying to assassinate Hugh Hefner.

Slash: No way.

4th person: Bob Guiccione, Frank Sinatra and ???.

Duff: And the guy they contracted out to kill these people died.

4th person: Died of a heart attack. [laughs]

Slash: Are you serious?

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: I guess Larry is in hot water again.

Duff: He's in hot water.

Slash: God.

So Larry Flynt...

Slash: I just got my "Larry Flynt for president" t-shirt.

Duff: Larry Flynt for president, man. I'm telling you, Larry Flynt is a guy...

Slash: He's nuts. [laughs] Yeah, it's funny.

So now he's in definite big trouble. How did they found out...

Slash: Yeah.

Duff: He'll get out of it.

Slash: Somehow.

How did they found out that the guy had a heart attack?

Duff: I didn't hear the heart attack bit. But... He died before he could complete his little contract.

Pretty amazing.

Slash: Must have paid him a lot of money.

Tell me a little about... From assassination to new studio album. There are gonna be more ballads?

Slash: There's just a lot of material. I can't really say... I mean, there's tons and tons of stuff. And we'll just do whatever we really like and you know. I think there's at least gonna be two songs that are slow on the album.

Do you have an idea of the direction you're going? Anything different...

Slash: The erratic one, right. I don't know. It's basically just us, we progress as a band, progressed as musicians. So, it'll just be, you know, sort of life and times kind of thing, I guess.

I think Guns N' Roses one reason, from my point of view, is that you've been so successful, is that you're so different from anybody else. And you said specifically to me, "We stick out compared to everything that's around".

Slash: At this particular point in time, yeah.

Duff: It's like, again, the thing about going to rock shows, and they're so mundane. You know, they have this setlist. And they have like, tapes they put in to help 'em sing. Or like, a guitar part. Or like, a big... you know, full scores behind 'em, or something, you know.

It's like, why do you wanna pay to go see this? Pay to go see the record. They're just standing there, and it's like, real nice and very safe. You don't go to a show to really be comfortable. You go there to...

Slash: You go to like, opera and stuff for that.

Duff: Right.

Slash: Not a rock n' roll concert.

Duff: You go there 'cause it's an outlet for everything you can't do. So, when a band rolls around like us, who... Our set is never the same, our songs are never the same. We never play a song the same way twice, I don't think. We try, but it never works out that way.

But, you know... So... I mean... As... Right back into where it should be, the live element of a band. Kids like seeing mistakes, they like seeing the guy fall down, you know, jump into the crowd, or whatever. It's what it's all about.

So it's very spontaneous.

Duff: To say the least.

How do you know what you're gonna play if you don't know what you're gonna play?

Slash: 'Cause we keep a list on the stage that has all the songs we know.

Duff: We could just call 'em up, but we don't remember all the songs. The list is just there...

Slash: Sometimes, like in the heat of the moment, like, OK, you just do the kick ass song and then you go into the next one, and you can't really just think of the next song you wanna do. It's just... doesn't happen. So, we keep the list there for reference.

Duff: Here's the songs we know.

Do you ever like, started different songs? You start one and you start one.

Slash: We've done it.

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: I mean, everything that can possibly go wrong on a rock concert, we've been involved with.

And that's the way it should be?

Slash: For us.

Duff: I mean, just me as a spectator. I mean, yeah, that's the way it should be.

Have you ever gone to a rock show where the artist has... You go two nights in a row, he said the same things between the songs.

Duff: I've heard of it.

Slash: I've seen it. I won't name names. I know somebody in particular.

Duff: A lot of people do that. And you gotta figure the guys in the band must be bored out of their mind.

Slash: It's like going through the motions. It's like, "What the hell are you doing it for?".

Duff: Yeah.

Slash: Turns into a job.

Duff: It's like, just a moneymaking project. That's everything we're against.

Slash: The whole thing about being an entertainer and so on and so forth is because, I think... Compared to your regular office job, working in a factory, or whatever. I mean, it's one of the greatest careers you could have if you're good at it. And you can be successful, make money and make a living.

Duff: We've been successful not being good at it.

Slash: [laughs] You just have to take advantage of what you're capable of getting away with. And the fun that could be had by doing it. Not make a job out of it.

'Cause you are good at it, aren't you?

Slash: We're all right, you know. I wouldn't say we're bad. I've seen worse bands.

Duff: We have been awful.

Slash: Yeah, we have been.

Duff: We have been...

Slash: We can be really good, and we can be really shitty.

Duff: We can. We can be very average too, at times.

Slash: And we're bummed out when we do a shitty gig. I mean, it means a lot to us to go out and... I mean, a good show is like the biggest....

Duff: Uplifting.

Slash: Uplifting thing in the world.

Duff: Yeah. I mean, we don't ever like... knowing we go out there and go "OK, let's play a shitty gig", you know. It's like, we don't wanna do that at all. We feel like shit after doing a bad gig, you know. You're disappointed with yourself, you're disappointed that you didn't give that kid what... You really wanted to give him a great show.

Slash: Yeah, you have to give the kids, you know, or the people that comes to gigs, you gotta give them their moneys' worth. And you gotta be your best and be conscientious about the whole thing as a whole, and that's real important with us. When we do a crappy gig, we do like, get bummed out and go through...

Sometimes it's funny. There's been funny things happening...

Duff: In Texas, yeah.

What happened in Texas?

Slash: It was so bad, it wasn't...

Duff: It was just... This kid, I don't know if you saw this, it says like... 'Cause we played at like seven. This kid went home and said 10.15 Saturday night. 10.15 PM. He sent us a broken tape of ours. He broke it in half and sent this letter "I just got back from your gig and you guys sucked. I'll never buy a tape or come and see you guys again". OK...

Slash: If he'd known exactly what had gone on... I mean, see that's the things. There's no excuses, you know. If he'd known really what happened, maybe he'd understand.

Duff: Right. It was just the worst circumstances for a band, any band, that day, we went through. And the hurricane was like, 60 miles south. So, we played Texas stadium, where they have the... not a roof, but it's like, open. So the rain started... just pouring rain. And it came up on the stage and we're falling on our ass. The sound just... was terrible.

Slash: The sound was horrible.

Duff: It was horrible.

Slash: The vibe was bad. I mean, we were playing with somebody we didn't really like. And afterwards people were coming and saying "Great concert, man". And I was like, "Come on".

Duff: Give me a break.

Slash: It was like, the only thing about that was like, a bummer 'cause it was the last gig of the tour. And the whole tour had been great. We just played two gigs in Costa Mesa that were killer, flew to Dallas and everybody was like...

Duff: Just like, put a needle in a balloon.

Slash: And the thing is... The main thing about that gig, it was, the ax were so diverse that it just didn't yell. The crowd was confused, the bands were confused.

Duff: And we had to walk like, miles to the stage.

Slash: 15 miles to the stage.

Duff: It was miles, you know.

So, like you said, that kid, that's the only time...

Slash: I wish you hadn't told me that. That's a drag.

Duff: It was a real... I was at the office when the package came. It was like, "OK".

It turned out that one of the CD interviews I bought, the one titled "Truth or Lies"



is the audio of this interview, so I added the audio in the OP.