Gilby Clarke Reveals He Was Never Officially Fired from Guns N’ Roses Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke revealed in a recent
interview with Guitar World that he was never formally informed of his dismissal from the band. Instead, Clarke only realized he had been
let go when the band stopped paying him. Clarke, who joined the iconic rock group in 1991 during a turbulent period following Izzy Stradlin’s
departure, reflected on his experience with the band, despite the chaos surrounding them at the time.
Clarke described his time with Guns N’ Roses as a rewarding experience, noting that he had developed a strong rapport with the band
members. “The whole Guns machine surrounding them was crazy,” he recalled, “but I was already in with the guys; they were beyond
cool with me.” He appreciated that the band allowed him creative freedom, with guitarist Slash encouraging him to put his own stamp on
the songs instead of merely replicating Stradlin’s style. After two years on the road during the band’s legendary Use Your Illusion tour, Clarke
offered several songs to Guns N’ Roses, but Axl Rose was uninterested in using them. This led to the release of Clarke’s solo album, Pawnshop Guitars, which featured contributions from his
bandmates. Clarke mentioned that during this time, the band often hung out at a strip club across the street, which provided a convenient
excuse to spend time making music together. The turning point came when Slash called Clarke to inform him that Axl Rose had
decided to take the band in a new direction and no longer wanted Clarke to be part of Guns N’ Roses. Clarke was initially confused and
uncertain about his departure, but a week later, Slash reassured him that everything was fine. However, after this exchange, Clarke’s
paychecks suddenly stopped coming, leading him to realize that his time with the band had come to an end.
Clarke expressed that this lack of formal communication was strange, and he was left wondering what went wrong. “I was never fired from Guns – my checks just stopped coming,” he said. “It was very odd. I don’t know… Axl just wanted to go in a different direction, and that was it.”
He also reflected on his time with Slash’s Snakepit, the band formed by Slash after his departure from Guns N’ Roses. Clarke noted that both he and Slash had numerous songs ready for what could have been the next Guns N’ Roses album. “Between my songs and Slash’s, we could have had the next Guns N’ Roses record if we’d just put a little bit of time into it,” Clarke said.
Clarke’s comments provide further insight into the tumultuous and ever-changing landscape of Guns N’ Roses during the 1990s. While his time with the band may have ended abruptly, his contributions to the band’s legacy, as well as his own musical projects, continue to resonate with fans of hard rock.