Guitarist DJ Ashba Talks Guns N? Roses Tour (audio)

Nice interview, thanks for posting.

Banana1015: There was a long period of downtime between ?Use Your Illusion? and ?Chinese Democracy? where Axl did a lot of recording and working with a ton of other musicians. Have you heard a lot of stuff from the lost period of Guns N? Roses or does Axl keep it under lock and key?

Dj Ashba: After every show we usually end up throwing a party here or there and it always ends up being moved to somebody?s room ? usually Axl?s room. He?ll sit down and play me stuff then, and it?s good man. He has a lot of really solid, solid songs that nobody has ever heard. I produce and write for a lot of artists and I can?t wait for people to hear some of the stuff he has up his sleeve.

Speaking of new material, when do you think the band will record or at least start getting something together? Is that a conversation the band has or is that a topic that never really comes up?

No, it definitely does ? that?s our main focus. I?m obviously a writer ? I write and demo around the clock. So I have quite a few songs already written and Axl has a bunch of stuff obviously recorded, so it?s just kind of getting together as a band and putting together what we feel would be the ultimate Guns N? Roses record for the next release.

Why do you think people are making such a big deal about late set times, because GN?R has been doing that for years now?

They?ve done that since day one [laughs].

I saw them in 2006, we came in at 6:30p and I went right down, front row and stood there until 2:30 in the morning and I didn?t have a complaint because it was a great show. But a lot of people are bitching about the set times, what do you think is behind that?

This is no disrespect to anybody ? I think in ?91 it wasn?t as big of a deal. Now everybody is 10, 15, 20 years older now too. Of course we have a lot of newer fans because they grew their kids up on them and it?s really cool to see how many young people are in the crowd. But I think it?s that ? people work and people have jobs but it?s been like that since day one. So it is kind of what it is, and I don?t know ? I?m the new guy [laughs].

You?re going to see GN?R you can take a night off or go to work hungover or whatever you gotta do the next day.

Yeah it?s like a once a year type thing, if that. It?s kinda been like that since day one so I just tell people, ?Hey, if you come out, you?re gonna get two and a half to three and a half hours of high energy rock and roll that?s gonna blow peoples minds,? I mean the shows are just incredible so if we go on when we go on?when we do go on. just buckle up. It?s just a great fun night of rock and roll.

There?s not many other bands you can go see and get three hours of rock and know everything.

And that?s one thing, just me as a fan /outsider, I give a lot of props to Axl. Cause he takes a lot of heat for going on an hour late here or there or whatever but what people dont really point out is the guy goes on and sings his balls off for three hours solid?and not one Guns song is easy to sing. So I just think the world of the guy, I think he?s the real deal.