VHS Archives #99: Duff & Matt from Guns N’ Roses backstage in Toronto – with an Axl Rose cameo (1991)

Use Your Illusion wasn’t even out yet, but Guns N’ Roses were two solid weeks into a tour chock full of new and old music.  MuchMusic’s Dan Gallagher talked with Duff McKagan and new member Matt Sorum before their show on June 7 in Toronto.  Was there an album really coming?

MuchMusic was into adding strange visual effects to their videos in the early 90s.  That choppy visual is not mine.  That is from the source broadcast.

Axl Rose had hurt his ankle and was giving the injury a stretch, riding around backstage on a bike.  Stay tuned to the end!  I hope that was gum.

Topics discussed:

  • “Popping the question” with Matt Sorum.
  • The broad appeal of Guns N’ Roses.
  • Unexpectedly playing “November Rain” for the first time in a year in front of 20,000 people.
  • Rock In Rio.
  • Punk covers recorded for a future album.
  • Tattoos.

 

34 comments

  1. Yeah yeah, bloat. Yeah yeah excess. Yeah yeah overproduced, overcooked, too overdubbed, too many songs, not enough Izzy, missing Steven Adler’s swing, etc, etc etc.

    I still love the Illusion albums in spite of everything, and I’m glad they gave us everything instead of congealing it into one album. It’s not as streetwise of infectious as Appetite, but the songwriting is there.

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      1. I just felt like defending UYI after seeing a 1991 GNR interview from right before said albums. Especially since they talked about their wide appeal which was changed by the UYI albums. Their straight ahead rock fans felt betrayed, but they captured legions more with variety.

        A swing and a miss again. :(

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        2. I remember those legions. I remember a girl I knew who went to one of the Toronto shows (it was a multi-nighter). She came out complaining “They played for 3 hours and I didn’t know any of the songs!”

          Well duh!

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    1. What an odd transitional year. Nirvana hadn’t shifted public tastes yet, but it was definitely different. Stuff was becoming earthier and more stripped back. Alternative bands like Jane’s, FNM, RHCP, R.E.M., were picking up steam. We should have seen the revolution coming. I just wish a better band would have been the one to change everything. Badmotorfinger is a way better record than Nevermind. Just about every album the aforementioned bands had put out top Nevermind.

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        3. All right. I’ll PM Harrison to get it out of my system.

          I do wonder what would have happened had they not gotten so big. ’80s metal was basically over anyway. Where would rock have turned?

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        5. For a brief moment I was confused and wondered if I had somehow missed a massive band called Trash Titans. But then I realized you meant thrash. Typo, or Freudian slip?

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        9. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the song. I just read the title and thought they were going full Spinal Tap. I’d help you out, but I kinda want to keep my ears clean of it.

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  5. Jeez. Matt Sorum had never rehearsed with Axl at that stage. That’s telling, eh? Dare say he never did rehearse with Axl, right enough. Also, Duff is great – even when he’s clearly had a couple of drinks he’s so well spoken. Anyhoo, I’m away to revisit your “The Spaghetti Incident?” and Use Your Illusion reviews that appeared at the bottom of the page.

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  7. Great interview and I respect the interviewer for dropping Steven from the discussion when Duff didn’t want to talk about him. I’m glad Duff and Slash are back in the band, but I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if the classic lineup stayed together after all these years!

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