For me, the original Guns N' Roses is the embodiment of a certain kind of chemistry that really couldn't be duplicated.

Whenever society gets too stifling and the rules too complex, there's some sort of musical explosion.

Experiencing yourself out of context, divorced from your usual point of view, skews your perspective – it’s like hearing your voice on an answering machine. It’s almost like meeting a stranger; or discovering a talent you never knew you had.

When I was a kid, a lot of my parents' friends were in the music business. In the late '60s and early '70s - all the way through the '70s, actually - a lot of the bands that were around had kids at a very young age. So they were all working on that concept way early on. And I figured if they can do it, I could do it, too.

When it comes to actually writing, I like to write in a full room with the amps blasting, and a big drum set.

When we weren't being transcendent we specialized in self-inflicted disaster.

I always loved rock guitar. I just never put it together that that's what I'd end up doing.