GUNS N' ROSES Keyboardist DIZZY REED: Why I Decided To Skip ROCK HALL Induction

EspyRock recently conducted an interview with GUNS N' ROSES keyboardist Dizzy Reed. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

EspyRock: I want to congratulate you on being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Dizzy Reed: Thank you.

EspyRock: How does it feel to be inducted as a member of GUNS N' ROSES and to see your name in there now?

Dizzy Reed: Well, it wasn't without controversy, as you know, but the whole concept was an honor. It came and went, and it is there, but right now the [current European] tour is the most important thing. I've just been focussing on that and believe me, it takes a bit of preparation for me to get ready to come out and do this. It has been quite a hectic few weeks with that and the tour leading up to when we got on the plane to head out.

EspyRock: I hope you don't mind me asking but considering the honor you were receiving, why didn't you attend the ceremony? Was that due to tour preparations or did you not feel the circumstances were right due to the controversy?

Dizzy Reed: Well, you know, Axl [Rose, vocals] decided not to go because he felt that it wasn't right, and I stand by him. The reasons he gave made sense to me and I agreed with him, so I chose not to go as well.

EspyRock: When you look at it all, the Hall Of Fame induction really just caused more damage than it did good, because while GUNS N' ROSES have always been under fire, it just ignited a new wave of hatred and abuse.

Dizzy Reed: Well, like you said "congratulations," we're in the Hall Of Fame, man, and that's cool. That's all there is to it now, time for people to move on.

EspyRock: Your induction represents what you have achieved throughout your career with the band, which now stands at twenty two years. Do you feel as if your role has changed over the years, especially as you're the second longest standing member next to Axl?

Dizzy Reed: You know, I don't think it has changed a whole heck of a lot, to be honest. [laughs] I just try to add, and I always have, what I can to the music in the studio and to the performance when we are performing live. I think, if anything, I've been given a little more freedom over the years because I've become a better performer. I've been given a little more freedom to do things that I wouldn't have in the past. In the past, it was, "You're not going to play on this song," and that was many, many, many years ago, but now things are different a little bit. Like I said, the most important thing is that I just try to add what I can to make the songs better. In the studio, I just try whatever I can, throw some ideas around and just see what sticks to the wall, but it's all about making the songs better. Live, it is kind of a similar process, but I kind of know what is going to work and what is not going to work. I try not to have any redundancy of sound or tone or anything and visually for the people who are there to see the show.

Read the entire interview from EspyRock.