Post by Gilby Admirer on Sept 17, 2002 6:29:48 GMT -5
www.hostingtech.com/enduser/02_05_paradise.html
Tales from Paradise City
may 2002
Gilby Clarke tells HostingTech about touring with Guns N' Roses, being a closet geek, and staying faithful on the road.
Irwin Soonachan correspondent
In 1991, singer/guitarist Gilby Clarke found himself about to get a day job. He had been in a couple of major label acts that never quite took off, such as Candy and Kill for Thrills, and he was struggling to make a living. Then the phone rang. Overnight, Clarke went from obscurity to stardom as the newest member of Guns N' Roses, the era's biggest, baddest, and most out-of-control rock band. Since the band's final implosion in 1994, Clarke has made a string of critically praised solo records. His latest, "Swag," subscribes to the theory that rock and roll should not be listened to while standing still. It features 10 Clarke originals and a butt-kicking cover of the David Bowie classic "Diamond Dogs." Visit Clarke at www.gilbyclarke.com.
HostingTech: What are your favorite websites?
Gilby Clarke: Actually, what is strange is that I treat the Internet like television. I like a lot of sports things. I go to NBA.com and ESPN.com a lot to get sports scores, because whenever I want the scores they're not on TV.
HostingTech: Do you ever download video clips?
Gilby Clarke: No, I never go that far. I mostly use the Internet for scores and e-mail. I do a lot of my business on e-mail.
HostingTech: What kind of computer do you use?
Gilby Clarke: I have an iMac at home, an iBook for the road, and a G4 in the studio.
HostingTech: Do you ever feel like a computer geek lying under a hotel room desk hooking up your computer?
Gilby Clarke: I always laugh about it when I'm around my house. My recording studio is all in Pro Tools, so it's all computerized, and I can work it with the best of them. I can get around the Internet and e-mail with no problems, but I still can't operate my damned cell phone. I think I'm just like everybody - you know how to use it, but you really don't know how it works.
HostingTech: You were part of a famous rock band, have a well publicized love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and make records for a living. Do you ever have any trouble meeting girls?
Gilby Clarke: Actually, I have a wife of 10 years, which is probably harder in rock and roll than picking up chicks. We have a seven-year-old daughter. My wife is a fashion designer and does pretty well herself. Things are pretty good on the Clarke front.
HostingTech: Do you read your own reviews?
Gilby Clarke: All the time. I try to keep a sense of humor about stuff like that. If I have a bad review, then I go, "Well, that guy doesn't know anything." If I have a good review, it's like: "That guy is a genius." That's the way I look at it. What I don't like is when somebody who doesn't enjoy your so-called "style" of music, or your genre, reviews your music. It's like, don't give me a hip-hop record, because I have no opinion either way. That's the only thing that bothers me. If somebody who bought all of the Stones and all of the Beatles albums panned my records, I'd probably be a little bummed and say, "Well, I must have [messed] up."
HostingTech: Which Rolling Stones album: "Exile On Main Street" or "Let It Bleed"?
Gilby Clarke: "Let It Bleed." That's a hard choice. But strangely enough, my favorite Stones album is "Sticky Fingers."
HostingTech: What was the wildest night you ever had on the road with Guns N' Roses?
Gilby Clarke: Wow. Every day with GNR was wild. For all of the training you could possibly get in rock and roll, you could never expect the things that would happen with GNR. We went through riots, gigs being cancelled, gigs being cancelled while we were playing, everything. Every day was wild, and it's hard to pick out one thing without incriminating anybody.
HostingTech: What is the best name under which you ever checked into a hotel?
Gilby Clarke: I've had a few. Haywood Jablomi was a good one. That was in the Guns N' Roses days. I've also been Maxwell Smart and Ziggy Stardust.
HostingTech: What is it like to play music in front of a sold-out football stadium?
Gilby Clarke: When we did it with GNR, it was a strange experience. I mean, it was incredible. For me, the only thing that was a little strange was that it wasn't my music. I was in a band playing music. I did get to achieve it when I did a run with Aerosmith in South America, after I put out my first solo record. The record did very well there, and I go back every year. I stepped on a stage, started playing my songs, and they started singing them back to me. That was one of the most incredible feelings ever. It's the ultimate high as a musician.
Tales from Paradise City
may 2002
Gilby Clarke tells HostingTech about touring with Guns N' Roses, being a closet geek, and staying faithful on the road.
Irwin Soonachan correspondent
In 1991, singer/guitarist Gilby Clarke found himself about to get a day job. He had been in a couple of major label acts that never quite took off, such as Candy and Kill for Thrills, and he was struggling to make a living. Then the phone rang. Overnight, Clarke went from obscurity to stardom as the newest member of Guns N' Roses, the era's biggest, baddest, and most out-of-control rock band. Since the band's final implosion in 1994, Clarke has made a string of critically praised solo records. His latest, "Swag," subscribes to the theory that rock and roll should not be listened to while standing still. It features 10 Clarke originals and a butt-kicking cover of the David Bowie classic "Diamond Dogs." Visit Clarke at www.gilbyclarke.com.
HostingTech: What are your favorite websites?
Gilby Clarke: Actually, what is strange is that I treat the Internet like television. I like a lot of sports things. I go to NBA.com and ESPN.com a lot to get sports scores, because whenever I want the scores they're not on TV.
HostingTech: Do you ever download video clips?
Gilby Clarke: No, I never go that far. I mostly use the Internet for scores and e-mail. I do a lot of my business on e-mail.
HostingTech: What kind of computer do you use?
Gilby Clarke: I have an iMac at home, an iBook for the road, and a G4 in the studio.
HostingTech: Do you ever feel like a computer geek lying under a hotel room desk hooking up your computer?
Gilby Clarke: I always laugh about it when I'm around my house. My recording studio is all in Pro Tools, so it's all computerized, and I can work it with the best of them. I can get around the Internet and e-mail with no problems, but I still can't operate my damned cell phone. I think I'm just like everybody - you know how to use it, but you really don't know how it works.
HostingTech: You were part of a famous rock band, have a well publicized love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and make records for a living. Do you ever have any trouble meeting girls?
Gilby Clarke: Actually, I have a wife of 10 years, which is probably harder in rock and roll than picking up chicks. We have a seven-year-old daughter. My wife is a fashion designer and does pretty well herself. Things are pretty good on the Clarke front.
HostingTech: Do you read your own reviews?
Gilby Clarke: All the time. I try to keep a sense of humor about stuff like that. If I have a bad review, then I go, "Well, that guy doesn't know anything." If I have a good review, it's like: "That guy is a genius." That's the way I look at it. What I don't like is when somebody who doesn't enjoy your so-called "style" of music, or your genre, reviews your music. It's like, don't give me a hip-hop record, because I have no opinion either way. That's the only thing that bothers me. If somebody who bought all of the Stones and all of the Beatles albums panned my records, I'd probably be a little bummed and say, "Well, I must have [messed] up."
HostingTech: Which Rolling Stones album: "Exile On Main Street" or "Let It Bleed"?
Gilby Clarke: "Let It Bleed." That's a hard choice. But strangely enough, my favorite Stones album is "Sticky Fingers."
HostingTech: What was the wildest night you ever had on the road with Guns N' Roses?
Gilby Clarke: Wow. Every day with GNR was wild. For all of the training you could possibly get in rock and roll, you could never expect the things that would happen with GNR. We went through riots, gigs being cancelled, gigs being cancelled while we were playing, everything. Every day was wild, and it's hard to pick out one thing without incriminating anybody.
HostingTech: What is the best name under which you ever checked into a hotel?
Gilby Clarke: I've had a few. Haywood Jablomi was a good one. That was in the Guns N' Roses days. I've also been Maxwell Smart and Ziggy Stardust.
HostingTech: What is it like to play music in front of a sold-out football stadium?
Gilby Clarke: When we did it with GNR, it was a strange experience. I mean, it was incredible. For me, the only thing that was a little strange was that it wasn't my music. I was in a band playing music. I did get to achieve it when I did a run with Aerosmith in South America, after I put out my first solo record. The record did very well there, and I go back every year. I stepped on a stage, started playing my songs, and they started singing them back to me. That was one of the most incredible feelings ever. It's the ultimate high as a musician.
