Guns N' Roses Member Thought Band Was Over After UYI

William Lee | 12-23-2019

Guns N' Roses "Use Your Illusion" era guitarist Gilby Clarke says that he believed that the band "was over" at the end of the epic tour in the early 1990s to support the two double albums.

Clarke appeared on the latest episode of the Riki Rachtman's Cathouse Hollywood Podcast and was asked if he was bitter about how things ended for him and the band. He here, responded, "No. Honestly, not at all. I would tell you if I did.

"I felt on the tour, as the tour was ending, that the band was over. That was my honest, intellectual conclusion: 'The band's over.' Duff, physically, looked terrible.

"The alcohol abuse was so bad that he was bloated. I didn't think he had many days left. Axl and Slash were not seeing eye to eye. Axl saw the band one way; Slash saw it another way; I didn't see them meeting. It's not like I was trying to be in the middle or whatever. It was fractured.

"So, towards the end of the tour, I got an offer to do a solo record. 'Caue before Guns, I had a deal with Virgin Publishing. I was a songwriter, and they offered me a record deal once I got the Guns gig to do a solo record.

"Look, I didn't wanna do a solo record, I'd much rather do a Guns N' Roses record, but the band was not gonna make a record for a long time. So, I got the offer. I asked the guys, 'These are my songs. Do you have any interest in them for Guns N' Roses in the future?' And they said, 'No.' [I said,] 'Is it okay if I make a solo record?' And they said, 'Absolutely. Keep yourself busy.' So I did - I made the solo [record] right after.

"So, when you say was I bitter? I was already on tour doing my solo record. During my break, I made the Slash's Snakepit record with Slash and was gonna go on tour. I was on the road for five years straight."

Gilby also recalled how he discovered that he was no longer in the band. He said, "Basically, Slash said, 'Meet me at Casa Vega.' He goes, 'Axl doesn't want you in the band anymore.' He goes, 'I don't know what it is, I honestly don't. He goes, 'Just go with it. I'm not saying this is permanent. I'm just saying this is where it is. He wants to work on some new music. He doesn't see what we're doing as viable.' And that's also the time when Slash decided to make the Slash's Snakepit record. 'Cause [Axl] didn't like Slash's stuff either, but he wasn't kicking Slash out of the band.

"So, basically, they didn't fire me, but my paychecks stopped. And then, a week later, Slash had this revelation. He goes, 'What the f*** are we doing? Are we gonna replace Gilby?' And he called me. He goes, 'You know what? Everything's fine. You're in the band, don't worry about it.' But my paychecks never came back. And that was it. So, like I said, I never officially was fired from the band, but it just kind of ended. And I was busy, I had my solo record; I had Slash's thing.

"And also, remember, it's not like I was not in the band and the band was doing anything. They didn't do anything ."