Gilby Clarke discussed the behind-the-scenes details of being invited to play with Guns N' Roses at the group's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, despite not being added as a band member at the ceremony.
The guitarist told the program Hangin' & Bangin': Artists On Lockdown that he found out about the band's induction through Matt Sorum , the former drummer, and was surprised not to be included. “I wasn’t inducted with the rest of the group, and Matt and Dizzy [Reed] were, along with the original members. I thought that was a bit strange,” he noted (via Blabbermouth ). “I didn’t think they were going to play, or anything like that.”
At the time, rumors surfaced of a possible reunion of the band's original lineup for the induction night show, but Axl Rose backed out and Izzy Stradlin declined. “Two days before the show, Duff [McKagan] calls me and says, 'Hey, we're going to play.' And I replied, 'Oh, well, have fun. Who's going to play?'” he recalled. After the bassist's invitation, Clarke traveled to Cleveland the day before. With Myles Kennedy on vocals, the group only had time to rehearse in the early hours of the performance.
Clarke joined Guns N' Roses as a replacement for Stradlin in 1991, midway through the Use Your Illusion . After the initial surprise at not being included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame , the guitarist realized that several important members of inducted bands were also left out without apparent explanation. “To be honest, I only did the show because Duff asked me to. He’s my friend, Slash is my friend. I only did it for that reason. Honestly, I didn’t even think about the rest,” he explained.
