Guitar - Lawyers, Guns, and... Roses?

Guitar - March, 1996
by HP Newquist

Lawyers, Guns And... Roses?

Guitarist Gilby Clarke is suing his former bandmates in Guns N' Roses for commercial misappropriation of his name, likeness, photograph, voice, and performance. Clarke replaced Izzy Stradline (remember him?) in 1991 to tour behind the Use Your Illusions albums, and played on The Spaghetti Incident? He is suing the members of Guns - but not Geffen Records - for using his name and performances, because he claims that there was never any contract signed regarding the royalties he was to be paid for his work with the band. Gilby was booted from the band by Axl Rose in 1994, but maintained a working relationship with Slash (see Guitar, April/1995). There's no word as to how this will affect his rhythm-guitar position with Slash's Snakepit, but it doesn't look good since lawsuits do have a way of pissing people off. -HPN