Andrew Dice Clay Shares His ‘Aggressive’ Approach to Trying to Reunite Guns N’ Roses
Though not all of the original lineup is back, there may be no celebrity fan happier to see Slash and Duff McKagan back playing alongside Axl Rose in Guns N' Roses than comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay. In a new piece for Rolling Stone, "the Diceman" shares his efforts in speaking to members over the last few years hoping to see the band get back together.
Dice, who was at the recent Hollywood performance at the Troubadour, tells the magazine, "There was a lot of excitement in the room. I wanted to be at that first show because honestly I really … I don't know how to say this, because I don't want to take credit for anything, but I was very aggressive in trying to help this band get back together."
Over the course of Clay's missive, he calls the band members friends and stated that they've "bonded beautifully" over the years and he's always had pure love for the guys in the band and their music. He explains that his son Max encouraged him to speak to the members when possible feeling that his relationship to the guys could be helpful in trying to get the band to reunite.
"Every manager tried. Every attorney tried. Every agent tried. But the reason I got aggressive about it was because last year, when Axl was still working with the new band, he was at the Hard Rock Hotel, and I opened for him for the last show they did. That was a lot of fun," explains the comedian.
He says he started by speaking with Slash when they crossed paths in Australia. "I said, 'All right, listen. Whatever the problems were 20 years ago, whatever it might have been, we've got to put that to rest, because you guys peaked rock & roll. You're all around and you're the greatest band,'" recalled Dice. "And he was saying really good stuff about Axl, so that was a good sign to me."
Dice says he spoke with McKagan next when the bassist came to watch his son's band play. "I go to Duff, 'Alright, we've got to make a move, because rock & roll is coming back in a bigger-than-life way. The minute the show Vinyl hits, the rock explosion is gonna start. Then there's another show, Roadies. All these bands are getting back together. You guys owe it to yourselves, and all these millions of new fans from the last 20 years, to go out there and kick their asses.'"
Dice says he knows Steven Tyler has spoken publicly about having a role in igniting a reunion (something that the band later poked fun at the singer for) and he doesn't doubt the singer is buddies with the band, but he adds that he felt he went aggressively toward the band members in his talk of trying to convince them to reunite.
In reflecting on seeing their first show back, Dice says, "It was so exciting to see them onstage again. I felt so happy for them. I was like a proud father of them. And they did a kick-ass show. Axl has lost nothing. He's the king of rock & roll. That's it. He's got that thing, that X-factor. And Slash's guitar playing was just beyond belief. These are world-class musicians. These aren't just some rock & rollers. They know their s--t inside and out."
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