Guns N' Roses' Dizzy Reed: Axl could fire me tomorrow

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Guns N' Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed says he doesn't take his gig for granted – and he'll always take Axl Rose's side in a rift

Dizzy Reed
Dizzy Reed (Image credit: Getty)

Dizzy Reed says he doesn’t take his job in Guns N’ Roses for granted – as Axl Rose could fire him whenever he wants.

The keyboardist, who has worked with the band since 1990, also admits he instinctively trusts the frontman’s decisions – and will always take his side in a rift.

He tells LA Weekly: “Axl’s the one that presented me with this gig. It was his idea. He gave me this opportunity. He could fire me tomorrow. I try and give him my best, my all, all the time.”

He adds: “If there’s ever any rift, I’m going to take his side. It’s not even a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. You can formulate all this stuff in your head and get worked up, but I know if I ask him about anything that doesn’t make sense, when he explains it, it sets everything straight.”

When asked whether lineup changes have affected his morale over the years, he replies: “It’s just drama in the workplace. No matter who is playing in the band, we work really, really hard to make it work.

“When Axl picks up the microphone, it becomes what it is – Guns N’ Roses. If you don’t believe that, you don’t have to be there.”

Reed left his band The Dead Daises alongside GNR colleague Richard Fortus for the reunion in January. The guitarist recently described Guns N’ Roses as very “intense” and more “focused” than ever.

It was recently reported that a guitar used by Slash in the early days of the band is expected to fetch $80,000 at auction this weekend.

Guns N Roses Not In This Lifetime tour 2016⁄2017

South America

Nov 08: Porto Alegre Estadio Beira-Rio, Brazil
Nov 11: Sao Paulo Allianz Parque, Brazil
Nov 12: Sao Paulo Allianz Parque, Brazil
Nov 15: Rio de Janeiro TBC, Brazil
Nov 17: Curitiba Pedreira Paulo Leminski, Brazil
Nov 20: Brasilia Estadio Nacional, Brazil
Nov 23: Medellin Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Colombia
Nov 26: San Jose Estadio Nacional, Costa Rica

Japan

Jan 21: Osaka Kyocera Dome,
Jan 28: Tokyo Saitama Super Arena
Jan 29: Tokyo Saitama Super Arena

Australia

Feb 07: Brisbane QSAC Stadium
Feb 10: Sydney ANZ Stadium
Feb 14: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Feb 18: Adelaide Oval
Feb 21: Perth Domain Stadium

Interview: Guns N' Roses Raise Hell In The City Of Angels

Christina O'Neill

Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.