GUNS N' ROSES Guitarist DJ ASHBA: 'I'm Not Coming Into This To Try To Replace Anybody'

November 10, 2011

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist DJ Ashba, who joined the band in March 2009, tells Christina Fuoco-Karasinski of Soundspike that he's happy for the opportunity to prove his mettle to the group's longtime fans.

"I didn't really think about it too much in the sense of I didn't realize you have to win these people over," he said. "They're hardcore, and you go up there and you have to give 300 percent or you won't gain the respect. To me, I like that. I would rather get somebody's respect by going in and kicking their ass than to have people go, 'Yeah, I've heard of him. He's cool. It's fine.'

"My whole thing is I'm not coming into this to try to replace anybody. I am my own person. I want to do what I can to do the job justice. I'm a fan of the band, too. I'm trying to give the crowd what I would want to hear if I was standing in the crowd if some new guy was on stage. I don't want to sway too hard off the original vision. People come out to hear those old songs, and they're classics. They take you back to certain memories in life. I'm trying to stay as true to those parts as I possibly can on this stuff."

When asked if he thinks GUNS N' ROSES will record another album, Ashba said, "Yeah, I absolutely do. I'm writing around the clock, obviously. Axl [Rose, vocals] has tons of songs up his sleeve. The main goal is to regroup, put our heads together and figure out what Axl would feel would be the next best GUNS N' ROSES record to put out."

Regarding how important is it for GUNS N' ROSES to be nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ashba said, "I just pulled Axl aside the other night and congratulated him. I think it's a huge honor for him. I'm really happy for Axl. There's nobody out there who deserves it more. I'm talking me stepping away from the band and looking at it for what it is I think anybody who gets nominated, it's a massive honor. I wish him nothing but the best."

Read the entire interview from Soundspike.

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).