BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION's TRACII GUNS: 'AXL ROSE Is A F*cking Nut'

Greg Wallace of Arbiter Online recently conducted an interview with BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION/ex-L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Arbiter Online: The press release says Nikki Sixx left the BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION to reform MÖTLEY CRÜE. I have heard of other tensions within the band that may have caused this.

Tracii Guns: "Absolutely not; there was no tension. The only thing we disagreed with was the first single from the new MÖTLEY CRÜE CD, 'If I Die Tomorrow', being written by the band SIMPLE PLAN. Nikki is our brother, and we did not want to see him go out like that."

Arbiter Online: Sixx has three song-writing credits on the new CD. How much was he involved in making this CD?

Tracii Guns: "These songs were from the end of the writing session for the first CD. He was not involved in the actual making of this CD."

Arbiter Online: Is Sixx really completely sober now?

Tracii Guns: "Yes, he is completely dedicated; he is going on five years now. Nikki is one of the most driven people I know, when he is dedicated to something."

Arbiter Online: What is your craziest memory of being on the road with the BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION?

Tracii Guns: "Being on a ferry at five in the morning, after being passed out on the floor, and lighting a cabin door on fire. We were pulling off some scary pranks, and Nikki Sixx was 'the' prankster.

"I remember Scot [Coogan, drums] was going through a divorce, and we were in London in a four-star hotel. He threw everything in his room out the hotel window, literally into Scotland Yard. The police came and the hotel manager got him off by explaining girl trouble to the police. That is going to be my excuse next time I get in trouble."

Arbiter Online: What happened with the GUNS N' ROSES REVISITED tour of Singapore/Thailand you were supposed to do last summer with former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler?

Tracii Guns: "It was originally booked as a tour with ex-GUNS guitarist Gilby Clarke. I agreed to do it because they called and offered me a basket of money, but it ended up being cancelled. "

Arbiter Online: Did Axl Rose's lawyers have anything to say about this matter?

Tracii Guns: "I heard they did, because of the use of the GUNS N' ROSES logo."

Arbiter Online: I have heard about another tour being billed as the original L.A. GUNS. You will be doing in January of next year with Paul Black singing.

Tracii Guns: "Don't know the status of that right now. I am not sure if the rest of the band — Mick Cripps, Kelly Nickels, Nickey Alexander — want to do it."

Arbiter Online: In a sense, will there be two L.A. GUNS, with singer Phil Lewis' band still touring and recording with the name?

Tracii Guns: "It will only be for seven shows. I think the fans will know the difference."

Arbiter Online: Have you talked to Axl Rose lately?

Tracii Guns: "No, I communicate anything I want to say to Axl through Del James [L.A.-based musician and a writer]. I write to Del if I need to contact him."

Arbiter Online: So Axl really has completely shut himself off from the world?

Tracii Guns: "He's a fucking nut."

Arbiter Online: Have you ever thought of rejoining GUNS N' ROSES?

Tracii Guns: "Absolutely; when Nikki had to do the CRÜE thing, I called Del and told him I [had] a year-and-a-half off, but they were not done with the record yet; the timing was not right."