1989.07.DD - Blast - Responsible Party Animal (Axl)

Responsible Party Animal

Exclusive Interview GUNS N' ROSES
What's the real Axl Rose like? Here's some amazing insights.

Guns N' Roses' resume sums up the band's achievements as follows: one independently-released EP, one album, one EP and four videos. Not a lengthy page to have turned the music world upside down in less than two years. This band, which had trouble finding a manager--even after they were signed to a record deal-- allegedly generated a total of $125 million over the past year- and-a-half, making them not only the toast of the town but the hottest band in the world. Every major music magazine in the world has featured their picture on the cover. 

Whatever the Guns say and wherever they go, they dictate the news. Right now, GNR are in pre-production, working on new material for their follow-up album to Appetite For Destruction, and the band, however difficult for them, is laying low.

The new album won't be released before the end of this year, and as far as touring goes, 1990 is the year! Guns N' Roses' last tour ended in the Orient, and their Japanese tour--followed by three Australian dates and one in New Zealand--closed the books on their first--and last-- small-time tour. From now on, it's major league, and whoever had the opportunity to see the band last year witnessed history in the making.

GNR's first Japanese tour was more than successful. Initially, that tour was scheduled in July, but due to Axl's voice problems and the option to postpone the tour, the tour materialized in December.

Japan is a completely different scene- -culture shock, language problems (not to mention how expensive a McDonald's hamburger can get in Tokyo)--all factors which are not part of the Western civilization.

"As far as the country goes," Axl recalls, "I didn't have time to really get to see much because I was too busy trying to make sure I could sing. It seemed real fast-paced, and everybody is caught up with what big business is doing. The shows were great. The audiences weren't that much different from the American ones, except that they're not allowed to leave their seats. But their response was great!"

BLAST!: The acoustic songs on the GNR Lies EP really seemed to have pleased your fans, as well as opened doors to a new slew of fans.

AXL: It's another aspect of our abilities. We can only put so many songs on one album, and we wanted our first record to be a full hard-rock record from beginning to end. The next record will have other variations. There may be some heavier songs as well as some softer songs. The reason we released the GNR Lies EP was a self-serving idea of having other types of material so that we don't get pigeon-holed into one type of music that people expect, and when, later down the line, we play anything else, we sold out. We like all kinds of music, and we'll play all types of music.

BLAST!: When you sing live, do you feel as if you free yourself of your emotions?

AXL: I really don't feel as if I'm breaking free; I feel like I'm trying to. In my life as a singer, there have been a few times when I've gone into a trance while singing and somewhat came to, like if you were knocked out on the floor, because I was so far into the song. There have been a couple of other times while singing "Crazy"--the slow version--where I'll get lost in the song and then find I was almost ready to fall off the edge of the stage. I really like to throw myself into the song that much and try to every time. It doesn't always happen, but it's nice when it does.

BLAST!: Offstage, you don't seem to mingle with the other band members a lot. Is it because you don't like to party or because you don't like crowds around you?

AXL: A lot of it has to do with singing well onstage. Not too many people around me have really seen me when I'm going off partying because I like to get very rowdy, get very drunk and just have a really reckless time, and I can't afford to do that when I have to do a show the next night because I might not be able to talk because of yelling so loud and doing various substances and drinking and screaming and running down the street, getting into fights and falling on my ass, you know? I have to make sure I can walk, talk and sing properly the next day.

BLAST!: So, who's the worst party animal•you or Slash?

AXL: If you say "worst," I'd say I'm worse because when I go off, I'm going to clear the club if an argument starts off. Slash has a way of working things out a bit and avoiding trouble as much as possible when he's that far gone. He somehow seems to like to slip into other corners and doesn't know how he does it, you know? I'm right in someone's face, saying, "What do you mean, we can't have more beer?" And I go crazy, and I can't afford to have that happen all of the time because I have too much to do. As soon as we're recording our second album, maybe there'll be some spaces where they're recording rhythm tracks, and I won't be so much involved, and I'll be out getting rowdy again like I did a couple of years ago.

Heh, Blast! has just copied Arlett Vereecke's interview which was published in Kerrang on June 10, 1989 (https://www.a-4-d.com/t524-1989-06-10-kerrang-man-with-a-sweet-child-in-his-eyes-axl), and pretends it's them asking the questions.