Their house is a-rockin' but do come a-knockin'
ANOTHER STRING THEORY
Some people collect stamps. Others collect antiques. Gilby Clarke collects guitars. "I have about 60, which is actually not that bad," the rocker says in his home recording studio.
Although the instruments are usually kept tucked away, he displays a few favorites, including his coveted Tony Zemaitis six-strings.
"He's made guitars for the greatest players of all time," Gilby says. "I saw one on Ron Wood, so I called him up and went, 'Look, I've got to have one.'"
The Rock Star Supernova guitarist flew to England to woo the guitarmaker over afternoon tea. Now he's the proud owner of four custom-made guitars, putting him in the company of George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.
Zemaitis died in 2002, and now "they're worth a ridiculous fortune," Gilby says, pointing out the handcarved details. "You can buy a house by selling one of these."
By Dana Meltzer, Special for USA TODAY
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. ? Like its owners, the Clarke home is a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll.
The Mediterranean hideaway sits high on a hill overlooking a picturesque valley. Shades of red, orange and gold trim the trees in the secluded suburban neighborhood, and the sun is shining when Rock Star Supernova guitarist Gilby Clarke swings open his front door.
It feels like a Norman Rockwell painting when the family pit bull, Chopper, begins to nip at his heels. Except that the 44-year-old former Guns N' Roses axeman, dressed in jeans, motorcycle boots and a tee, isn't the only formidable presence. A life-size knight is standing beside him in the airy foyer.
"That's Henry," says Gilby's fashion designer wife Daniella, who purchased the suit of armor a decade ago. The couple's daughter, Frankie, 12, "used to be petrified. When she was a baby, she thought there was actually a person in there. I would say, 'It's Henry protecting the house. Don't be frightened!' "
Daniella ? whose hipster denim line Frankie B. is named for their daughter ? is passionate about everything in the couple's four-bedroom, 4,500-square-foot home. After losing a lot in the 1994 earthquake, "we didn't just want to hire an interior decorator to set up a house that looks like a hotel," says Daniella, 37, sipping freshly brewed tea in the eclectic, pet- and kid-friendly living room. "We like Spanish. We like Moroccan. We're rockers. But we're also older, so we're a little bit more sophisticated than we used to be."
Take, for example, the distressed leather chair Daniella dubs Gilby's "Archie chair," as in Archie Bunker. "If he comes into the room and somebody else is sitting in it, he asks, 'Would you mind switching places with me?' " she laughs, curling up on a round velvet sofa, custom-crafted to seat 15.
"We don't want a museum, you know?" says her husband of 15 years, kicking back in front of a new 50-inch plasma TV. When the couple bought the house, the living area "wasn't even wired but we were like, 'We're using all of our rooms.' "
Gilby, whose band kicks off a national tour in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve in support of the new CD, installed wireless surround sound and an iPod docking station. He also set up a Yamaha baby grand piano, which he shares with aspiring musician Frankie, underneath an alcove in the dining room.
"Yesterday, our friend was visiting, and Frankie was playing piano like crazy," says Daniella. "She was like, 'It's so cute, your house always has music.' "
Even when Frankie is out of the house, her personality is present. She's the inspiration for the canvas print her dad gave Daniella as a recent birthday present. The reproduction of an original oil by L.A. artist Mark Ryden depicts a young girl playing guitar.
"Gilby and I are always like, 'How do you buy art?' " admits Daniella, who is just starting her collection. Her artist friends told her, " 'Buy what you like,' so that's what we've been doing."
But that doesn't mean the couple, who met in 1985 when Gilby spotted Daniella during a music video shoot, strays far from their rock roots. The boom-boom room, a grown-up playground equipped with a mint-condition Guns N' Roses pinball machine, a billiards table and gold records, is just down the hall. "This is my hang room," says Gilby.
With three Harley-Davidson choppers in the garage, Gilby confesses he still feels the need for speed. But life is definitely slowing down for these rock 'n' roll lovebirds.
"We really wanted this house to be comfortable," says Daniella, whose previous digs were filled with black velvet and framed rock posters. "Our tastes are maturing but it's still us.
"People never go, 'Wow, I didn't expect this.' They always walk in and say, 'Yeah, it looks like you.' "
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http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-12-28-gilby-clarke_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA
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