#GnRWeek continues with a look at some cool YouTube links of interviews and performances by the band. I got sucked down the rabbit hole that is YouTube and found a few gems. There’s a lot of stuff here.
Guns N’ Roses are one of those bands that can be a bit mysterious. That’s part of the appeal I think. Axl is a bit of an enigma, Izzy hardly ever speaks, Slash and Duff were often drunk during interviews, so I do love just getting lost in YouTube watching little interview clips of them and trying to get to know the band better. There are some great clips here of interviews, documentaries and I’ve thrown in a couple of legendary shows too.
Apparently they had a film crew documenting all of the Use Your Illusion Tours but the footage got locked away when the band starting having their bustups. I’m not sure who has control of them now but they would probably need consensus from the whole band to ever do something with them. Not sure if that will ever happen. Fingers crossed it might after this semi-reunion tour and also talk about a James Franco movie.
I apologise if you’re not a fan of Kurt Loder from MTV, by the way, because the majority of these interviews are led by him!
DOCUMENTARIES
A Night In the Jungle (4 parts)
1989 Rockumentary
VH1 Behind the Music
This is a pretty good summary of the band’s full story actually with some good interview snippets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nch2UFUNv1g&t=237s
Metallic tour interviews
Quite a few interesting interviews here with Axl, Slash, Lars Ulrich and a fun look backstage with Duff
INTERVIEWS
MTV Band interview
I think this is from the Headbangers Ball show (that logo appears right at the end) and it must be from about 1988. I love Slash’s sigh at 2:29. Like he either really doesn’t want to be there or he wishes Axl would just shut up. Awkward presenter moment when he asks them all to say ‘Let’s rock’ at 2:54.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgTZMFIjnXQ
1993 Athens – Interviews on their yacht in Greece. Lots of band talking about Izzy leaving
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amO4t2ROuKc
Slash – about Interview with a Vampire – Toby Anstis (yes Toby Anstis) asks Slash about whether or not he’s leaving Guns
Slash and Duff – about Axl – This is an example of Slash not wanting to badmouth Axl too much. Duff also highlights how the band was as it’s best during Appetite when they were gang. Before things got bloated.
Slash – on Steven – around 1992 maybe – talking about Adler’s attempted Road Crew project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eyFVk01HkI
Slash – on playing with Steven again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRYdRH8EwO8
Slash – on Izzy – Mentions how the band hated Izzy at one point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pyLagREpmc
Slash – MTV 1992 – Nice relaxed two part interview where Slash actually backs Axl up being slightly late and also touches upon how he can’t handle life off the road.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT20-XoLn58
Slash – before the Illusions Tour
Slash on Howard Stern – I’ve not managed to watch all of this interview yet but I’ve watched chunks. I think this was when Slash had been in Velvet Revolver for a while, and again he seems to be pretty complimentary of Axl, and pragmatic about their issues, when asked about their relationship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In4_PhUWDtg
Axl – Famous Last Words – It appears Kurt Loder didn’t know why Steven had left the band at this interview
Axl – before the Illusions Tour
Axl and Slash – 1988 Headbangers’ Ball
Izzy – Post-GnR
Izzy audio interview – Really great interview here with Izzy from 2006. Very open and honest interview about his whole story from pre-Guns to post-Guns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pn1ZsnvfTk
Slash, Duff and Izzy – Early part of Ilusion tour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1D0m3nkkic
LIVE SHOWS
Live at The Troubador 1985 or 1986
This is a really early gig. It says 1985 in the title but the consensus is that it’s probably actually 1986.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6eQcMSMBoA
Live at the Ritz, New York 1988 – This is a great gig to have filmed. It’s them at their Appetite best, including Steven on drums. Slash has been on record saying it’s a bit sloppy in places, but it still sounds pretty awesome to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOLhYzy0jd0
Early Illusion tour – Jungle – This must be an early Illusion gig because Matt’s on drums. Axl gives a speech and Slash looks pretty wasted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc2kClEsF6E
Tokyo 1992 gig – A great example of the Illusion tour gigs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKw4HWNFN2Y
Paris 1992 gig – Another great one. This was a pay-per-view which included special guest Lenny Kravitz and Aerosmith. I think it was also meant to include Jeff Beck but I believe Matt Sorum accidentally busted his ear drum or something. I remember watching this show on Sky TV and I still have a VHS of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_SQCl7cH3E
By the way, Guns N’ Roses Central is a great YouTube channel for GnR clips – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVJOhLYPKzof5MSZGA9h7ZQ/videos