Ex-Guns N’ Roses Member Talks Reunion Snub: ‘Axl Had To Make A Decision’

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Former Guns N’ Roses bassist Tommy Stinson was recently interviewed by Tom Dunne, an Irish radio broadcaster with Newstalk. Funky.Monkey on <a href=”http://www.mygnrforum.com/index.php?/topic/216656-tommy-stinson-on-gnr-reunion-i-had-to-decline-taking-a-few-tours-axl-had-to-make-a-decision-to-do-some-other-things/” target=”_blank”>MyGNR transcribed some of the interview below:

Tom Dunne: You had a long run with Guns N’ Roses and then the reunion of them…that didn’t really suit you, did it? Having Duff McKagan coming back.

Tommy Stinson: Well no, I mean no no because you know what, I’ll be honest with you, I had to decline taking a few tours because of my personal issues back home here. And I think it just got to be a point where, well, if this guy can’t work, I gotta, I think Axl had to make a decision to do some other things. I’m not saying I was part of that decision necessarily, I think they inevitably at some point would have done a reunion tour. For my input I think I had to kind of bow out a little bit because of stuff going on at home here and — a sad thing on one hand but on the other hand I’m glad to see them up doing the thing.

I’m glad him and Slash made amends and you know working it out. I went and saw two of those shows you know this last summer and thought they were great. And a bunch of my friends are in that band, so including Axl, so it was cool, it’s a good thing. I don’t have anything bad to say about that except I’m glad they are out there doing the reunion thing best they can. Ya know.

Tom Dunne: It was a good solid section of your life wasn’t it. I think, how many years…

Tommy Stinson: I was in that band longer than I was in The Replacements. Almost 17, 18 years something like that.

Tom Dunne: It served you well in many ways didn’t it.

Tommy Stinson: Totally. I’ve got nothing bad to say about it. I’m not saying it was always easy but I’ll tell you it was good for me on so many levels, aside from the financial level. There were lots of times when we had a year of so off here and there those were hard to fill up ya know. I think overall I count my blessing and I’m glad that I had the opportunity and glad to know all those guys. I’m glad those guys are my friends…even Duff. I’ve texted with him a few times, I check in with him once in a while because he’s such a gracious human being.