Both are pursuing solo careers.
LA Weekly interviewed former Guns N' Roses guitarists Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Gilby Clarke, discussing their absence from the reunion and their future plans.
Bumblefoot, who was in the band between 2006 and 2014, says his departure wasn't amicable and that's why he never expected to be called for the reunion, "I would be an obstacle in that reunion and I didn't want that. Did I think they were going to call? No. Things didn't end well between us, nobody's going to call anybody, unfortunately .
He remembers his work with Guns N' Roses fondly and with pride, but his time with them is over.
As for Gilby Clarke, who was in the band between 1991 and 1994, things ended on a positive note, but his return is just as likely as Bumblefoot's. He reveals that he found out about the reunion the same way everyone else did.
“If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s it then.’ I’m being honest. I have great memories of those years, and I don’t need to relive them ,” he says.
Clarke reveals that when Guns N' Roses was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, he felt strange not being able to go on stage to receive the honor alongside his colleagues, despite having performed with them.
“Being part of something and not being recognized is really disappointing, but that would only be two more lines on my Wikipedia page. Duff [McKagan] called me the day before and said, 'We talked and decided to play. We'd love it if you played with us.'”
Currently, Bumblefoot is pursuing a solo career and plays with two bands: Art of Anarchy and Sons Of Apollo. Clarke is finalizing his fifth studio album, which is yet to be titled and has no release date announced.
As for Guns N' Roses, after their trip to South America, the band returned to the United States to continue their Not In This Lifetime .
