{This transcript was taken from the original gnronline. I have a printout copy of a conversation we had from May 2000 concerning Brian May working with Guns. The person who posted this info was cyllan (on May 9, 2000 at 11:51pm.) Cyllan explains the origin of the interview & then posts the part of the interview where Brian May talks about Axl. I'll type out the other comments just for the novelty of it all.} CHINDEM
1) Speaking of Axl cyllan 09-May-00 11:51 PM This is an excerpt from Brian May's appearance on the Radio 1 Rock Show (Wed 10 May). He was with presenter, Mary Anne Hobbs, for an hour and, below, is a transcription of the part where he spoke about working with Axl.
MAH: Speaking of good singers, we've heard a lot of rumours about the fact that you've been doing some recording with Axl Rose. And, in fact, many of the listeners, people including Louise in Inverness, Charlie Dixon, Ravi and Seth Lubin have sent e-mails in saying you must ask Brian what's he been doing with Axl. What's the score?
BM: Okay, well, I have a lot of history with those guys, as you know, because, well, I was on tour with them for a while. My own band supported them, which was great fun. They also did the Freddie tribute with us and I think I regard them as great friends, Axl in particular. And they just said come over and do some stuff. It's a long story, to be honest, and I won't bore you with all the details. But Axl was feeling that he was in a difficult place because the guitarist he'd been working with on this new album had, sort of, replaced Slash, because they fell out, sadly. I think that is sad actually because they're both brillant talents and great with each other. But the guitarist that'd done most of hte tracks had departed and Axl had a real emotional atachment to what he'd done, and yet he didn't want him on the album, I hope I'm not saying too much here, he didn't really want him to stay on the album becaue he'd disappeared, you know. So, he's sort of feeling a kind of divided loyalty and he said, 'Brian can you come and do stuff which I will like and I won't feel too bad about ditching this other stuff?'. So I did. I went over there and I think I played on three tracks and messed around on various other things. But it worked out pretty well, as far as I can tell. And it's very strange 'cause most of the Guns N' Roses people are not there 'cause Axl's sacked 'em all. So you're talking about Axl and the 'new' Guns N' Roses but, boy, is there a lot of energy there and his singing is outrageous. There's some great tracks on it.
MAH: Now this is really interesting because there has been so much speculation about this new album, 'Chinese Democracy' (potentially it's called) and there are many, many people who've spoken to journalists, who've played with Axl over a number of years now, who have laid claims recently that the only one track that Axl has ever laid down a vocal part for is 'Oh My God' but you're saying that there are more vocal parts then?
BM: Oh yeah, there's a whole album of vocal parts. In fact, there's two albums worth that they've got there, at least. They played me everything. Axl actually sat down and made me listen to everything (laughs) and there's some wonderful stuff there.
MAH: How do you deal with somebody like Axl though, when he sits you down and says listen to all of this? I mean can you really critique him and sit there and say, 'D'ya know what Axl, that's rubbish mate, you wanna bin that one'?
BM: Well, Axl sort of holds Queen and our whole thing in a great deal of respect, so I always figure as long as I tell my truth,he's fine, and it's always held out so far. He's always been very good to me. He will tell you if he doesn't agree with what you say, you know, I mean I went in and immediately Brain May opens his mouth and blab, blab, blab and I told him exactly what I thought of the stuff as it was, and some of it he went "yeah", and some of it he went "I couldn't do that". You know, like some of the suggestions and that's it, and Axl's a very emotionally, kind of, connected person, I mean to the point where he's so intense about every single note that's on there and the solos that I played, he was totally into it, very much in the way that Freddie used to be. You know, Freddie used to go through my solos and say, you know there's this particular note here and, I think, if you did this and this and this. I thought I would go in there, you know, I'd forgotten what Axl is like and I thought I would just go in there and he'd like it. He did like it but he wanted to get into every single take of every single note and, you know, from one day to another Axl would've been in there like from 5 o'clock in the morning 'till 7 o'clock in the morning comping little bits of my solos and saying, 'can you get Brian to try this'. You know, he's utterly meticulous.
MAH: That's amazing. So, what's you position, you've just played this amazing solo, as far as you're concerned, and Axl comes along and says, 'you know what, I really don't like that B flat, or whatever it is, can you just change that?' Do you say..
BM: Oh I'm fine, I don't care because I'm there to deliver, you know, and in this context I'm a session player and people can take what they want, it doesn't bother me. I'll give my best and if someone will make a comment, generally it will be...You know, if someone makes a comment to you about your playing, and it's someone who cares, then it's probably going to do you some good, whether you like it or not. So, I'm always open to that stuff, always. There's always room for improvements.
MAH: Interesting. The other big question on the lips of our listeners this evening, "Would you ever consider touring with Axl, if he asked you to join the band?"
BM: I don't know if I would be up for those long tours anymore, you kow, I did that for twenty years of my life, nine months of the year, and I'm not in that position anymore in my life. You know, I don't feel like I want to have that chaotic lack of balance in my life anymore. I dealt with it, and I loved it, but I'm just not in that place anymore. I don't think I could od that. If it was a short tour, it's possible.
MAH: Even if he promised never to ruin one of your solos again? (laughs)
BM: I'll tell you, Axl is a very persuasive guy. He's magic really, he is, you know, and I think he's not always easy, as genius very often isn't, you know, Fred was not the easiest person in the world to get on with, but someone who has that amount of passion and gives a million percent of themselves, you'll take any amount of stuff from, and I would from Axl, I think he's that good.
MAH: Shall we play one of his records? What have you chosen?
BM: Mmm. It's 'Welcome To The Jungle'. I heard this many, many a night becuase we toured with him all round the States and had a great time and everyone goes 'oh was it really terrible, are they complete bastards?' And I go, no, because they treated us with the utmost respect and consideration and had some very good times.
Plays WTTJ.
MAH: Brian May smiling.
BM: Mmm, familiar sound. They were such a great live band, you nkow, it's one of those moments in time when everything happened in the right way; I think really te last dangerous, magnificent rock 'n' roll band really, so far..
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Re: Speaking of Axl cyllan 09-May-00 11:53 PM
After hearing the interview with Brian twice now, my initial thoughts are of just how monumental a task Axl has undertaken with the production of this album(s). Listening to Brian really brought home to me just how important 'getting it right' is to Axl and also gave me a better insight into the great hole left by Slash's leaving. I had vaguely been aware of all this before, but hearing Brian describe the intensity with which Axl is tackling the material really woke me up to the enormity of it.
It also was an excellent way of clearing up some of the misconceptions held by Mary Anne, and one has to assume other 'professionals' in the rock world, regarding just how much material has already been laid down.
I don't know how apparent itis fromt he transcript but I'd like to emphasise that Brian spoke of Axl with warmth, humour and, above all, love and, when he made the connection between Axl and Freedie, I found it especially poignant and a great compliment to Axl.
Kim
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Re: Speaking of Axl GNR2000 10-May-00 12:59 PM
Thanks a ton! That was great! I want this album so badly...but I also want it when Axl feels it's done! And like it or not...That's when we'll get it! .
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Re: Re: Speaking of Axl Jaz 10-May-00 12:04 AM
Thanks Kim! It's good to see those familiar people who pushed to get these questions up like Louise and Ravi among others. Brian May's always been positive about Axl and the coming record in his descriptions of the past. Definitely makes me hungrier than ever to hear that album!
-Jaz
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Re: Re: Speaking of Axl BiruvianNation 10-May-00 12:10 AM
Thanks a lot for posting the transcript!!!
I was kind of confused in the one section of the interview where he talks about a guitarist leaving. Was he refering to Slash's replacement, Robin Fink, or Slash himself? He said something about wanting to replace verything this person did for the album and I don't think Slash did anything so it leads me to believe it was Robin, but I didn't know Axl felt that way about him. could someone help clear this up?
Anyway, it does make me feel good about the new album, but the anticicpation is killing me.
-Biruv
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Re: Re: Re: Speaking of Axl cyllan 10-May-00 03:00 PM
I agree with you, Jaz, it was good to hear some familiar names being mentioned as having sent in questions for Brian. In fact, I think that all those who e-mailed questions deserve a pat on the back for ensuring that his collaboration with Axl took up a fair part of the interview time. It just goes to show what is possible when GN'R fans pull together...
Kim
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Re: Re: Re: Speaking of Axl Louise 10-May-00 12:45 AM
God my name got mentioned!!!!! my emails usually go unnoticed!! i'd forgotten it was even on...any chance of it being repeated do u thing?! i had reallyw anted to hear the interview...
................................................................... Re: Re: Re: Speaking of Axl Flyguy 10-May-00 12:47 AM
cool!..thanks for posting it!
And i'm sure in that section he was talking about Robin Fink
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Speaking of Axl Slash_Rules666 10-May-00 01:22 AM
Finck. I can't belive they brought in May to replace the tracks. I thought he was just ading to all that there was there. Axl must have really felt betrayed, becaue otherwise that is totally psycho . . .
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Re: Speaking of Axl qfg 10-May-00 01:58 AM
thanks a lot for posting this! any chance you can put the audio of this on a website or something?
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Re:Re: Speaking of Axl deadwd33 10-May-00 11:33 AM
Thanks for posting, some real news! .
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Re: Re: Re: Speaking of Axl _Axlholic_ 10-May-00 12:14 PM
My thanks for posting this too.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Speaking of Axl jimss1 10-May-00 04:43 PM
Thanks!
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Speaking of Axl mymichelle 10-May-00 06:38 PM
Thanks!
Thanks to Chindem