“Remember, we had a break there for a couple of years, and it was rough on all of us musicians. It was rough. It really was. It’s great to be back out playing live.”  — Gilby Clarke

HIGHLAND, Calif. – Nearly three decades after a three-year stint in Guns N’ Roses, Gilby Clarke is still going strong. 

The guitarist has continued to release successful solo albums, and over the years Clarke has worked with some of Rock’s biggest artists including Nikki Sixx, Heart and Nancy Sinatra.

And Clarke is still a strong live performer, coming through with a couple of successful concerts this past weekend in Las Vegas on Friday, then Yaamava Casino near Palm Springs on Saturday.

“We usually don’t play Casinos because we’re a rock band that’s in your face, so it’s always a little weird,” Clarke said. “The Vegas show was great because our drummer, Troy Patrick Farrell, lives there, so all the locals came out. Sebastian Bach came out. It was a fun, fun night.”

In California, Clarke warmed the crowd with some new songs before finding his groove with a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “I Know It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It).”

Like it, like it, yes we do. 

Clarke, 60, still cuts a strong presence physically, dressed in all black at the California event.

Then the band broke into “It’s So Easy,” and the Guns N’ Roses classic sounded crisp and tight.

“Well, it was so easy – but now it’s getting harder as we get a little older,” Clarke joked backstage afterward, as the band enjoyed oversized cocktails. “But we’re having fun, so there ya go.”

Bassist E.J. Curse chimed in.

“Sometimes Gilby doesn’t play any Guns N’ Roses songs, but I like that one because I get to start the song,” Curse said.

Clarke joined Guns N’ Roses in 1991, replacing Izzy Stradlin. 

The stunning career break made Clarke an instant household name, as Guns N’ Roses was headlining stadiums for the first time.

“As the years go by, you tend to remember the good things. The bad shit goes away,” Clarke said, thinking back wistfully. “When the band was splitting up, we all had bad shit. It’s just a matter of a difference of opinion of how things should be, and Axl Rose wins, it’s his band – and it should be the way he wants it. We just had disagreements. But now? I remember the good stuff because that’s what you choose to do.”

Clarke and Stradlin were tight friends even before Guns N’ Roses had started. In the beginning of the 1980s, Clarke was playing with the hugely popular glam band Candy, and Clarke was a greasy-faced newbie from Indiana.

“I knew Izzy before anybody. I was one of his first friends in Los Angeles,” Clarke said. “There was a small group of people in Hollywood that liked rock but also liked punk rock. We would see the Germs at the Whisky on a Friday, then Snow the next night at the Starwood. You’d see a small group of people that always were at both shows, and Izzy was one of those guys, and I was one of those guys, so we got to know each other back then, and there was a period in GNR when I broke my wrist, and he had to come back and replace ME for five shows, and we got to talk a lot during that period.”

When Stradlin left angrily, Clarke jumped in just as the massive “Use Your Illusion” tour was gaining momentum. 

“The funny thing is, Izzy wanted nothing to do with the band at that point, and they wanted nothing to do with him — so it was kind of a perfect time for me,” Clarke said. “Izzy was OVER it, man. What I did was, I took what he did and then made it my own. You have to be true to some of the really big songs. You don’t change the intro to “Welcome to The Jungle” no matter who’s playing it. You’ve got to play it right. But some of the stuff I’d make it my own.”

“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” was the highlight. Clarke was singing his heart out, Curse was plugging away on the beat, and Farrell was bashing the drums for all he was worth.

Clarke threw in some covers from Kiss, New York Dolls and one or two others.

It’s a strong band with lots of hair, particularly Farrell, who probably could have joined Angel had he been born sooner.

“Troy’s hair? It’s one of those things where, if you’ve got it, shake it,” Clarke said.

With the pandemic and its associated restrictions winding down, Clarke says he is happy just being able to do what he loves to do.

“Remember, we had a break there for a couple of years, and it was rough on all of us musicians,” Clarke said. “It was rough. It really was. It’s great to be back out playing live.” 

Contact Gerry Gittelson at gerryg123@hotmail.com