Metal Sludge The Power and the Glory
Tracii always looking cool, even with a half a head of hair!
Tracii is currently on the road with Brides of Destruction in support of their 2nd release. So we figured we’d take a look back at some past Sludge interviews with the former Hollywood Rose, founding LA Guns member, Ex. Killing Machine / Contraband and current BOD guitarist.
To read these interviews in full go to:
20 Questions from September 1998
Re-Wind from February 2000
3-Wind from November 2002
Back 4 More from June 2004
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February of 2000 Tracii did his Re-Wind and said the following!
What are you doing since we last talked to you?
Well, Ive just been asked to join POISON in recording new songs and touring this year. LA GUNS is about to rerecord some old stuff again for Cleopatra records. I am always doing plenty of silly tribute records which, aren’t that silly to me cause they pay better than anything else I am doing most of the time. LAGUNS is gearing up
for another club tour this March. LAGUNS is also working on new material for a studio record for Cleopatra records. Gilby Clarke, Chuck Garric (LAGUNS,DIO bassist), Kris Kohls (Drummer for Videodrone) and myself have a new band called Kilowatt that is actually really really good and is the only project Im doing that has actual genuine Major label interest. Other than that I try to find time to eat and sleep a little.
So what is the dilly with L.A. Guns right now? Where do they stand?
L.A. Guns is my baby and I love it. The guys are really supportive of my involvement with POISON and they understand that I have been doing LAG since I was seventeen and a little time off would probably do me and the band some good.
Have you talked to Jizzy Pearl since he left L.A. Guns, and if not, why?
I tried a couple of times to get a hold of him. He e-mailed me saying that there was no point in remaining friends. Then he e-mailed and said that he was over it cause he wanted me to check
out his webcam (wow). Hes kinda that guy unless you are praising him, or listening to him praise himself he has no time for you. I
love Jizzo and wish him success. He could be a star.
Rumors have floated around about Rikki & Bobby (from Poison) saying they might be interested in penises. Of course this is purely speculation and there is no proof of any of these claims!! But are you nervous that they might wanna fiddle with your schlong on the road while you are sleeping in your bunk?
DONT THREATIN ME WITH A GOOD TIME!!!!!!!!!
Answer this question, "The biggest misconception about ___________ is…? For example, "The biggest misconception about Chris Van Dahl is that he can sing." You get the idea.
Bret Michaels is that he is a dumb, bald blonde. Quite contrary.
L.A. Guns is a hair band. We dont have any hair!!!!!!!!!!!
Hollywood is that it rocks DUDE!!!!!!
David Lee Roth is he isnt a rockstar anymore. I think he is still the best rockstar ever.
Warrant is that they suck. That motherfucker can sing!!!!!!!!
Don Dokken is that he is very serious. Hes not, hes got a great sense of humour.
Strippers are great in the sack. BULLSHIT, either are lead guitar players.
Paul Gargano is that hes a kiss ass. HE IS MY FUCKING IDOL. He should be partners with Metal Sludge cause he can sling the mud better than anyone.
Nikki Sixx is that he needs T-BONE. Sixx doesnt even like me but, He doesn’t need T-BONE
Vampires are GAY
Phil Lewis is GAY
Do you think you would have had more success if you were normal height?
Actually, most guitar players are around my height 5 ‘8". I dont think thats the problem. The problem is that I SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!
Tracii you do NOT suck.
But this farmer brown outfit does.
Ok, time for Metal Sludge’s Word Association. When we first talked to you, we weren’t doing this yet, so you lucked out the first time. But not now, so don’t avoid this. You know how it works, so here we go…
Ralph Saenz = Hot Wife, Great Voice. Identity problem.
Jizzy Pearl = Great writer, Great singer, needs a band
Dana Strum = Yosemite Strum. He knows everything, just ask him.
Lars Ulrich = We share the same surname. He was very brotherly to me one night at the Rainbow one night when I was ripped and offered to drive me home. I like him
Nikki Sixx = Johnny Thunders did it better. But Nikki made more money at it.
Kevin DuBrow = Used to say mean things, Now hes very nice. Great singer. Says pussy too much on stage.
Tommy Lee = Following his heart
Juan Crouicer = Friendliest rockstar Ive ever met
Jani Lane = GUY CAN SING GUY CAN SING
Limp Bizkit = Great Record, Great sense of today
Sy Sperling = To detectable
Tracii with a double neck and Ralph Saenz (Metal Skool
And Atomic Punks) back when he fronted LA Guns.
In November of 2002 Tracii had this to say in his 3-Wind.
"I’ve just been asked to join POISON in recording new songs and touring this year." That was your quote in your Rewind and unfortunately for you, never came to be. Will similar words be used to describe your project with Nikki, along with a similar outcome?
Well, the Poison thing was an established band. The Brides are something that Nikki and I put together. Actually i kinda willed this band to happen so, Unless my band mates all walk out on me, I feel better about this than the Poison adventure. who knows, if CC hat not returned to Poison I may still be doing that. those guys were very nice to me and I had fun with them too.
Phil recently said, “I hope Tracii decides NOT to show, We are supposed to shoot a DVD at the Key club and he’s demanding all the advance money or he won’t play. I’m so sick of this blackmail and walking on eggshells around him. He won’t return my call. As far as I’m concerned Traci is no longer in our band. All the stuff about LAG needing a break in ridiculous beyond belief, damage is already done.” Your thoughts, sir.
He didnt want me to show so, I didnt. I didnt return the apology phone call because, the damage had been done and ya know what? I dont have anything to say To Phillip. He hurt my feelings and lied to our fans and proved all those things i said about him years ago so,, ya know what??? fuck him!!!!! as far as hes concerned Im not in their band, ,,, Bummer dude.
Brides of Destruction with Ginger from the Wildhearts!
Rate the following guitarists on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being a hack and 10 being a virtuoso.
Chris Holmes = Goddamn,,,, what a motherfucker guitar player. very underrated.One of my biggest influences. There is only one Chris Holmes. He Rules = 10
Mick Mars = Fuck man,, Motley probably wouldnt have been a heavy band if it wasnt for Mick. Hes Loud,Rude, Ugly,aggresive and most of all,,,, Memorable. There would be no Tracii Guns without Mick Mars. He Rules=10
CC DeVille = Definately unique and perfect for Poison. Admits hes not the greatest, for that alone he gets a 10
Keff Ratcliff = Excellent pop guitarist, great roommate, great guy, I always recommend him when I get offers i cant do. 10
George Lynch = He wrote and played the solo on Tooth and Nail. First wave of Eddie followers. I never heard him play the blues though 9
Wes Borland = I am not sure how to rate Wes. With LB he did some cool stuff.Never heard him play a solo. Great texture player. Always got dressed up to play ( I like that). He has a great personality on and off stage. I have to respect him for jumping off the titanic before it sinks.I dunno, somewhere between 6 and 9.
DJ Ashba = Nikki and I actually asked him to join the Brides and he turned us down to follow through with solo career. Chicks dig him, hes got great tats. he tears shit up on the guitar. Its yet to be seen where he ends up as a guitarist. Definitly has the potential to be a 10
Gilby Clarke = Used to be my best bud. Great team player in a 2 guitar format. Not technically proficient at all. he went from a 6 to an 8 in the 2 years I played with him. he fucked up his wrist in a motocross accident. very skilled soundman and studio engineer.very oldschool approach to songwriting and guitar playing. I give him a 7 as a ripper and a 10 as an old school Ronny Wood type. The sweetest daughter you could ever imagine.
Dave "Snake" Sabo = Id give him a 10 except he owes me a Pink Kramer guitar so he only gets a 9. His band tore my face off live when we toured europe together in 91. what an amazing live band.Scotti is great too.
Slash = Plays the fuck out of that penatonic scale. Great feel.great riffs. Great image. not the easiest guy to get next too( Known him since I was 11) . I have seen him tear my face off and I have seen him play out of key all night. definitly a star. very old school.Fun too jam with.As cool as Joe perry, But I am afraid he needs AXL to be big again, lets hope I am wrong. 10.
Old skool best buds Tracii Guns & Gilby Clarke with a fan.
Phil Lewis also said in his rant a few weeks back that you auditioned for Limp Bizkit. Is that true, and if so, what exactly where you thinking and what songs did you play with them?
I did not try out for Limp Bizkit but, i think Phil may have been thinking about the peppers. That was fun. Chad and Flea are sicko musicians.
You said the following about Nikki Sixx in your Rewind: The biggest misconception about Nikki Sixx is "that he needs T-BONE. Sixx doesnt even like me but, He doesn’t need T-BONE." Why did Nikki not like you, and how did you come to be in a band with him?
Well Nikki is a snotty punk boy and he is gay so, I guess i just read him wrong.The Brides came to be after a conversation i had with Taime on the way to Vegas to do a Pussycat gig. I told taime about an idea i had for a band called DEVIL. Taime, Tracii, Nikki and some spooky drummer we would have to find. Taime said he would get a hold of Nikki for me and, he never did.So anyway when I get an idea I wont stop til I get an answer.I was on tour and I was drunk and i was talking to Cherie Kress our webmaster for the LA GUNS site.I told her my idea and she said she would run it by Nikki. I didnt think i would get a reply since I also thought Nikki didnt dig me but, the next day she e-mailed me,,, Nikki would love to talk to you. So we just did e-mail for a few days and i guess he liked what i was saying. we talked about all sorts of players. he was already kinda trying to put a supergroup together and i wanted to just put a great band together.So we comprimised and figured that we were kinda super enough so now we needed to find someone young and freaky who was into old school metal but, who was also not stuck there,,,, and obviously had to be able to really sing and not be intimidated by fronting a band with guys like Nikki and me. Well Adam Hamilton turned me onto London. I first saw pictures and thought ,,, man this is the biggest rock freek i had ever seen,,, can he sing? Yes ,,, the guy can sing anything from Mary Had a little lamb to AXL to Phil Anselmo( doesn’t mean he will sing like either of them). So we did a demo of "No You Dont" by SWEET and the guy is just natural as hell, so we decided on London.Crab was tha natural choice for the other guitarist because he can also sing and looks like a serial killer.Kris Kohls was our first choice for drummer because he looked the part , played the part and hes a funny motherfucker but, we needed a 100 percent commitment and he couldnt commit so, now we have Scot Coogan is absolutely the best drummer LA has to offer, and we lucked out because he is also funny as hell.So anyway thats how the band got together. YOU CAN BLAME IT ON CHERIE FOR MAKING IT A REALITY.
Does Nikki have you all brainwashed into thinking BOD is going to be the next big thing or are those your own delusions?
The Brides is MY next big thing and yes Nikki does believe that is his next big thing too. Delusion? Only time will tell.
Time for Metal Sludge’s Word Association. We give you a name, you give us your thoughts.
Paul Gargano = I would take a bullet for the man.
Fred Durst = Dunno, I like some of the songs
John Kalodner = Ducked the last time I tried to hug him
Gene Simmons = Pays my friend Eric Singer to be Peter Criss
Alice Cooper = Muscle Of Love
Kid Rock = DAVID LEE EMINEM
Don Dokken = My Friend
Gilby Clarke = Will always be my friend….Only he doesnt know it
Muddy = SAUSAGE MAN, SWORDFIGHTING PARTNER, LAY OFF THE DRUGS BRO!!!!!!!!!!!
Adam Hamilton = I cant say enough good things about this guy.Friend, Muse,Muso,good listener, True gentleman
Steve Riley = My Brother, The Guy I said yes to for 14 years and now I am sad I have to say no too.
Obi Steinman = Still has a long way to go to become part of the real music biz but, I like him as a friend.
Tracii says "gear is good."
Tracii also did a Back 4 More in June 2004.
What are you up to?
Wow that Jizzy Song was great!!!!!! Sitting around wondering if Axl would like to meet me for a beer and a sandwich . counting my paxil tabs, making sure I have enough to take with me too Europe. Kris is making sure I have clean undies, socks and PJs. Kris is also making sure my cock is brutally chaffed and swollen for the next month,,,I am not complaining. : )
If it was your band and you had 100% say, would you have done the Kiss/Poison tour?
Well,,,, I could have insisted we do that tour and we would have done it but,,,, The original offer was Kiss, Darkness and Brides with a possibility of Poison instead of Darkness. We agreed with Doc Mcgee that if Poison were to do the tour that we we’re not interested. A month later we heard that KISS/POISON/BRIDES were confirmed to tour this summer. Naturally we freaked out because we had already said we were not interested if POISON or any other nostalgia act was on the bill. ( Not a personal thing at all )
The last of Tracii Guns:
Last time you went skateboarding = Over a year ago with Rikki rachtmen at a free park in OC somewhere
Last meal you served Nikki = Nikkis like a dad,,,, he loves serving the chow or should I say Donna makes insane Shrimp Scampi
Last fight you got into = Last Night with some fuckface security guard that spit on my vette,,,, I guarentee he wont do that again…
Last book you read = The Four Agreements
Last time you had a beer and a sandwich with a fan = With,,,TENN and VIC in SF last week
Last CD you purchased = AUDIOSLAVE
Last time you loaded Nikki’s gear into the truck = I loaded a bunch of his gear in my truck 6 mos ago when i started my EBAY store….. www.geetarshop.com
Last concert you saw from the crowd = AFI- Art Of Drowning Tour at the Palace
Last song you heard on the radio that you liked = Jizzy Pearl,,,, Wanna get High
Last movie you saw = The Last Samurai
Do you think it’s funny that you were the guitarist in Poison for about 5 minutes a few years back while Nikki can’t really stand them?
Nikki says,, " that was the only 5 minutes Poison were cool"
Time for Kill, Fuck, Marry. Which of these 3 women would you kill, which one would you fuck, and which one would you marry. The 3 women are Donna D’Errico, Paris Hilton, and Sharon Osbourne.
Kill = Paris
Fuck = Sharon
Marry = Kristen
Donna = My sister
How’s London handling the pressure of everybody saying he sucks? Is he holding up well?
Guys like me,,, only remember when people say bad stuff,,,,, Guys like London only remember when people say good stuff,,,,,,, hes doing fine,,,,, LONDON IS GOD 
When Nikki is walking and suddenly stops, are you ever worried about breaking your nose from having it so far up his ass?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,,,,,,,,, I am actually more worried about choking on his nuts,,, if you are looking at it that way.
Time for Metal Sludge’s Word Association. You know how this works.
Michael Monroe = The Guy I talk about just so i can get Press,,,,, I wish Andy would just Knock that Fucker out.
XM Radio = The Future,,,,,,, I got to visit when I was in DC,,,, outrageously impressive layout they have.
C.C. DeVille = I like CC as a person,,,, hes a nut and a good pop song writer
Velvet Revolver = So far, So good,,,,,,, Go Slash GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trixter = Brides of destruction
Blackie Lawless = AXL and I listened to that first record like it was our bible,,,,,, We always tried to be friendly with him,,,, and he never even acknowledge our existence,,, I also accidently fucked some chick he was living with in ’90,,,, ooops!!!!!
Sanctuary Records = Nick is cool,,, I like him
Rikki Rockett = I truely love this man,,,,,,, He is very good to himself and others around him,,,, very artistic and intelligent,,,,, was the funnest part of being in Poison
Anthrax = The last record was just unbelievable,,, a great rock album,,,,,, Scott ian is my jewish metal brother
Vince Neil = I just met him for the first time,,,,, was a lot cooler of a person then i expected,,, sang alot better then I expected,,, hes really gettin his shit in order right now,,,,,,,,,,,, He took Roth and made it Evil.
For more info on Tracii and Brides Of Destruction, you can visit www.BridesOfDestruction.com. You can also visit his guitar shop at www.geetarshop.com, or just go to www.TraciiGuns.net!
Tracii has always been more than down with the Sludgeness, so go see the Brides, visit his sites, and tell him we sent ya.
Metal Sludge
Sludge Action
Tracii with a legend Dimebag.
