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| Axl Rose interviewed at The China Exchange in London (photo: China Exchange via Twitter) |
Axl Rose says he is planning new music with Guns N’ Roses and, possibly, AC/DC as well.
Rose discussed these and many other topics as the featured guest for a rare, hour-long interview with Sir David Tang before a packed house at The China Exchange in London, UK on June 7.
"We are working on new stuff,” explained the rocker. “I've got a lot of stuff together, and I played some stuff for Slash and Duff and they liked it. And Angus and I are talking about working together. So we’ll see."
“I hope to keep this going for a quite a while,” said Rose of his partial GNR reunion. “Right now, it’s all good. I mean, obviously that could just explode. I do want to put out more music with Guns N’ Roses, and I don’t know if that has to do with Slash or not….if he wants to play on something, that would be great. I’ve been working to get kind of where things are. The Guns N’ Roses reunion didn’t happen by chance or whatever. It was always looked at as a possibility, but it never seemed right or felt right.”
What did feel right to Rose was approaching AC/DC following news that Brian Johnson was sidelined from live performances due to hearing loss issues, and the singer stepped up his game to prepare for the gig, bringing in a vocal coach for the first time in decades.
“I do a lot of vocal exercises,” he reveals. “The Brian Johnson ‘Back In Black’ stuff is really demanding. Sing it wrong and you might not be signing again.”
Rose made his AC/DC debut in Lisbon, Portugal on May 7 to rave reviews and shared some insight into working with Angus Young.
“It’s great. I can’t really explain it,” he says. “I feel protective, I feel I do not want to let this guy down, more than almost anybody I’ve ever known. And I don’t know why. And he’s very responsive to me. And they said they hadn’t seen him this happy, they hadn’t seen him moving around [this much]. In between songs, he’s playing other stuff [that has inspired potential new song ideas]. So that’s kind of a neat thing between musicians.”
Rose is currently in the UK capital after performing with AC/DC at The Stadium at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on June 4 and will next appear with the band in Manchester on June 9 as part of the Rock Or Bust world tour.
Rose addressed a wide range of topics in the rare, extended interview session, covering everything from his love of Queen (“Queen has always been my favorite band. Freddie is the greatest singer ever is the way I look at it. The other thing about Queen for me is they embraced so many different styles.”), his interest in working on film soundtracks {“It’s something that I’ve wanted to do. I have a lot of respect for people that do that.”), the effect Google and YouTube have had on the music business (“They lobby very hard to pay minimal royalties, and I don’t think that’s right.”), and more, including plans for an autobiography.
“I think so, possibly yes,” he explained about writing a memoir. “But it’s tough because I haven’t figured out a way to word things that doesn’t just look like I’m being negative to everybody else, or calling them a liar. Slash and I hadn’t talked in 19 years, and when we did talk, I was like, ‘You know, you wrote about a lot of stuff that didn’t happen, that just … is not real.'”
When AC/DC’s spring run wraps up on June 15, GNR will launch a summer stadium tour of North America at Ford Field in Detroit, MI on June 23. Following the summer run, Rose will enjoy a 4-day break before regrouping with AC/DC for ten US dates that were rescheduled from spring, with shows starting in Greensboro, NC on August 27.
Watch Axl Rose’s full interview session at London’s China Exchange below.
See also:
REPORT: Axl Rose demands Google remove fat picture from internet
VIDEO: Duff McKagan recalls meeting Axl Rose in documentary preview
Guns N’ Roses: Duff McKagan documentary coming to theaters
Guns N’ Roses announce first opening acts for summer stadium tour
Search Guns N Roses at hennemusic
