2010.06.02 - TV 2 God kveld Norge - Interview with DJ Ashba

Article in Norwegian:

https://web.archive.org/web/20100604040726/http://www.tv2underholdning.no/gkn/her-faar-guns-nroses-tatovering-i-oslo-3220972.html

Translation:

Guns N' Roses Gets a New Tattoo in Oslo

- I must fly here every time I want a new.

"God Kveld Norge" was there together with Bad Boyz Magazine when guitarist DJ Ashba from Guns N' Roses got a tattoo at Oslo Ink. He had to go to Norway to get inked since his favorite tattoo artist, Dirk, has moved from Los Angeles to Oslo.

- Need to fly here every time.
Guns N' Roses has embarked on a two month tour, with concerts in Oslo and Bergen.

- We are touring and finally I got to see Dirk. I haven't see him since he moved here, says DJ Ashba to "God Kveld Norge".

He is considered a genius and one of the world's best guitarists.

- I am very happy to be here, I love Oslo. I get why you moved here, he says to Dirk.

- I was angry when he moved because now I have to fly here each time I want a new tattoo, but it is worth it, says the guitarist.

- Partying when we are not playing
Tonight they will play in Oslo. And the band will likely start the show a bit late, like in Bergen, in Oslo, too, admits DJ Ashba.

- Sometimes there's 40-70 people in the crew. Then everything needs to be perfect. We don't walk out on stage before everything is safe for everybody and everybody will have a great time.

- We have done South America, Central America, Europa, and then there's Australia, I believe, and USA. It's been fun.

- What do you do when you are not on tour and not playing?

- Drinking, he laughs.

– Nah, believe it or not but we spend a lot of time in our hotel rooms. And I like to get out and see the cities. We hang around at the hotels, goes to the local clubs and bars to be with the locals.

- There's a lot of partying. Of course. We are having fun, he adds.

- Axl drinks the most
But you won't see a hungover DJ Ashba on stage tonight, he promises.

- I usually don't drink the night before a gig. You learn. It is painful to be on stage when you have a hangover. It sucks, he says.

The one that drinks the most in the band is Axl Rose, he reveals.

- A lot of people who don't know Axl judge him by what other assholes thinks about him. But he s one of my best friends. To people who get to know him and are welcomed into his little world, he is the kindest guy in the world. It hurts me to read interviews where people bash him, because they don't know him. He'd give you the shirt off his back, and is a fun guy to hang with.

- So he's still going strong in his 40s?

- Yeah. I can' keep up. He's insane.

Not a shining beacon of journalism, nor literature, but it is what it is.

Soulmonster wrote:Not a shining beacon of journalism, nor literature, but it is what it is.

Hm, yes... This is my favourite part:

He is considered a genius

Blackstar wrote:

Soulmonster wrote:Not a shining beacon of journalism, nor literature, but it is what it is.

Hm, yes... This is my favourite part:

He is considered a genius

The Norwegian word used is "genierklært" which literally translates to "declared a genius" but is often used at someone who excels at anything, really. So it doesn't necessarily mean someone who is very intelligent. It could just be that the music industry has come together to praise Dj as one of their best.