2022.03.16 - The SDR Show - Interview with DJ Ashba

https://gasdigital.com/gdn-show-channels/the-sdr-show

Excerpts from Ultimate Guitar:
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During a recent interview with The SDR Show, the guitarist, songwriter, and producer DJ Ashba clarified his previous comments in which he said Buckethead "took the coolness" out of Guns N' Roses, while also sharing a few thoughts on taking a leap of faith with the creative direction he's been pursuing recently. [...]

While chatting with SDR Show's Ralph Sutton and Don Jamieson, the issue was brought up once again (transcribed by UG):

And by the way, I know it was a little while ago, but I couldn't agree with you more that Buckethead took the coolness out of Guns N' Roses. I never really felt that vibe with that look.

"The media, they twist every headline. I didn't mean that in any bad way. Well, I mean Buckethead could play circles around you [as a guitarist]..."

He's a phenomenal guitarist, I'm not denying that, I'm just saying that the look didn't go with Guns N' Roses.

"That's all I was saying - no discrediting him at all. As a fan that just didn't - that wasn't rock 'n' roll, the reckless rock 'n' roll band that we all grew up on. So, you know, to me it's like I just didn't feel like he personally fit, and that was just my opinion."

Elsewhere in the interview, DJ Ashba appears to know from experience how any noticeable change in an artist's creative direction comes with the risk of causing negative reactions from some die-hard fans.

Last November, Ashba released a unique cover of the iconic Italian protest folk song "Bella Ciao". Ashba's take on the 19th-century song is done in a style he's been pioneering over these past couple of years, and which he calls GDM, or Guitar Dance Music - an innovative blend of guitar playing and electronic dance music.

While speaking of his initial decision to experiment with such an approach, the musician noted how he knew that there was bound to be some pushback from his fanbase, but how the desire to pursue that particular direction no matter the potential critique:

"I knew I was gonna take a lot of bullets. And at this point in my career, I just don't give a fuck, to be honest. I feel like I've been in the game a long time. And what I'm thankful for is I went into Universal [Music Group] and said, 'Everything I've done and accomplished - throw it out the window.' I am starting over in a new genre that nobody knows me [for]. I'm an unknown artist. And I'm starting from step one."

Ashba goes on to note how even though he expected pushback and was ready for such an outcome, the almost universally positive reaction his latest work received came as a bit of a surprise:

"Because I was just ready to literally - not wanting to, but ready, mentally - to lose my entire rock fan base because I knew I was doing something groundbreaking, and something so out of the box. So, to me, I'm just growing as an artist, I'm evolving, I'm inspired, you know, and I'm just following my heart. But, you know, surprisingly, I was shocked that my fan base was so accepting of what I'm doing. And I've gotten very little, very little pushback on it, which I'm even shocked about."

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dj_ashba_clarifies_his_statement_on_buckethead_taking_the_coolness_out_of_gnr_says_he_doesnt_give_a_fck_if_he_gets_critiqued_for_his_new_music.html