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Re: Q&A with Michael Monroe - talking about Axl, Richard and GN'R
I recently did a Q&A with Michael Monroe. Here are the parts that concern GN'R, but please read the whole thing at Appetite for Discussion:
Q: Being in the music business for quite some time now you must be familiar with many legendary musicians and biz guys. For us GNR fans your connection with GNR is of course of interest. When did you first get in contact with GNR?
I met Axl at the video shoot for my song "Dead, Jail Or Rock'n'Roll" in New York City back in 1989. He just happened to be stopping by and came to introduce himself. We got along quite nicely.
Q: You were featured on both 'Use Your Illusion I' and 'The Spaghetti Incident!?'. How did this come to be?
They asked me to play some blues harp and saxophone on the song "Bad Obsession", which turned out really cool. I had made a compilation tape of the "Dead Boys" for Axl, since he had told me that he wasn't that familiar with the band. While I was in LA for the session, we were driving around Hollywood with Axl one night, listening to the Dead Boys tape. When "Ain't It Fun" came on, Axl lit up and said "We gotta record this song! Let's do it as a duet in Stiv Bators' memory!". They had been working on the "Spaghetti Incident?" album then and this would be a perfect track for it. He called Slash and the guys right away and got everyone together in the studio for it over the next few days. I was thrilled about this, since Stiv Bators was a dear friend of mine and one of my favorite frontmen/singers of all time. We did the song and it turned out magical. Against my manager's wishes - all I asked them for doing the song, was to have a dedication "In memory of Stiv Bators" and to spell my name right on the album cover. I'm still quite proud about that.
Q: Was it obvious when collaborating with GNR on material for Use Your Illusion I that the band was in big trouble? Could you foresee that a crisis in the band was imminent?
I didn't notice anything like that. There seemed to be a good vibe in the studio.
Q: Any comments on the current conflict between Axl and Slash?
No.
Q: Richard Fortus recently mentioned that he has been writing songs with you for an upcoming record. How did you get in contact with Richard and how has the collaboration been?
Yeah, I hooked up with Richard last fall in LA and we did collaborate on a couple of songs. He's a cool guy and a great guitar player. I really enjoyed working with him.
Cheers.
