Axl Rose & Duff McKagan talk openly in Brazilian Tv interview
Brazil — Axl Rose and Duff McKagan talk openly about how the band began communicating again.
Below is a (partial) transcript and related youtube clip below.
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Here’s a summary of (part of) what they said…
It started with them introducing TB. They’ve asked what Beta’s role was and she said “Axl’s mom”. They said Vanesse is his secretary and Fernando has the highest position as manager.
They also said everything regarding GnR is full of anticipation, they didn’t know who would show up for the interview and it took hours for them to choose a room to do it.
Interviewer: How made you get back together?
Axl: It started in 2014 when there was a possibility of us pplaying Coachella. I autorized my people to start the negociation. I had Fernando get me Slash’s number. Fernando told his mom and she said “if this is a joke I’m gonna kill you”.
Voiceover: speaking of the brazilian team that works with him, Axl jokes…
Axl: In fact I’ve been slaved by this brazilian family who tortures me and forces me to do things.
Voicover: Like reuniting Guns n Roses?
Axl Rose: Yeah, they whip me.
Voiceover: talking about how the last show took place in 93 and all the fights.
Axl Rose: I called Slash but he was on tour or something so we’ve only met in person last October when he came to dinner at my house. Later Duff joined us and we went to work.
Duff: we didn’t think too much or planned anything we just thought how cool it was to be playing together.
Interviewer: Is there any chance Izzy or Steven might join you?
Axl: Steven has played with us but he isn’t 100%, he’s had back sergery. And Izzy… I dont even know what to say, we make arrangements and then he goes and does other things. With Izzy you never know what to expect
GUNS N’ ROSES members Axl Rose and Duff McKagan were interviewed on tonight’s (Sunday, September 4) edition of “Fantástico”, the Brazilian weekly news magazine which airs on Globo TV. You can now watch the chat at Globo.com.
A few more excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).
On what the driving force was in bringing Axl, Duff and Slash back together after so many years apart:
Axl: “Actually, it had a lot to do with Paul Tollett of [the] Coachella [festival]. He started talking about [booking a reunion of the classic GUNS N’ ROSES lineup for his festival]. It seemed real. So at that point, I just told my people that they could go ahead and start talking to people and see what’s going on. And then as it became more real, I texted Fernando [Lebeis, who is part of the GUNS N’ ROSES management team] and asked for Slash’s number. And then Fernando texted his mom [Beta Lebeis, who is also part of the GUNS N’ ROSES management team], and he was, like, ‘If this is a joke, I’m gonna kill you.'”
On whether they initially thought Coachella was going to be just a one-off reunion gig:
Axl: “No. It started with talking about Coachella, but at the same time that those talks were starting, there were people involved with Coachella — agencies and things — so they were having these conversations about what they could possibly do or not. So it was all being considered.”
On whether they thought from the very beginning that this could turn into a more long-term reunion:
Axl: “We started talking, like, in the spring. Everybody’s people were finding out about possibilities and things like that, and then we started talking together in the spring.”
Duff: “Getting into rehearsals, it was really just kind of one day at a time. I don’t know that I thought too much about how far ahead. It was just really cool to play some of the music with the guys that I was playing it with.”
On Axl’s first meeting with Slash to discuss a GUNS N’ ROSES reunion:
Axl: “Like I said, I had asked for [Slash’s] number. And then I had called him and he was on tour or something, and then we set up when we were gonna see each other, and I think something happened to both of our plans and that didn’t happen. And then eventually in October, we got together and we had a dinner at my house. And then Duff and I went and hung out right after that — like a week or so after. And then it was just kind of talking and planning. We initially were gonna do some kind of promos and stuff, and then other things came up that got in the way of that. And then it was rehearsals. And I went down to rehearsal, and everything just sounded right. And we just went to work. It was time to sing, see what the sound sounded like and stuff and get ready for the show, and it was all working.”
