“We’re not making money at this but we’re having fun. We don’t have to make records either,” Lewis reveals. In the ‘80s, a video was paramount for a band to be seen and heard, “We don’t have to make them, there’s so few out there. I think it’s a rough concept on what the thing was gonna be about. All the stuff with the girls was done months before. “You probably saw the video the same time I did. The video for The Devil You Know is a grave experience with the band playing in a private cemetery as cultish concubines danced, spellcasting ceremonies. L to r: Scot Coogan, Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis, Ace Von Johnson & Johnny Martin He was the real deal, that old Italian gangster with fedora hat.” Pick a girl, anyone, no, that’s my wife, just kidding. He was always surrounded by gorgeous girls, young enough to be his great granddaughter. I was at The Rainbow he invited me to his table. When I first moved out to L.A., he took a shine to me. Bill Gazzarri, rock n’ roll is my ace in the hole. “It was great, but it was a rinky dink version of The Whisky. Gazzarri’s was another iconic venue where countless up and coming ‘80’s bands applied their trade, appearing in The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years documentary. “Oh, that’s the world famous Whisky A Go Go, made famous by Jim Morrison in 1966, next.” “It really was.” Although the history’s been lost a bit over time, “The places that were there were absolutely hallowed ground.” Now to some, they’re just quick spots and stops on Hollywood tours. MTV and Headbangers Ball romanticized the scene, “Yeah, it was very romantic,” he remembers. I’m glad to be part of it, for an Englishman, so embroiled in the Sunset Strip mythology.” They’ve played there since the beginning, “Probably more than anywhere else, for sure, 50, 60, 100 times even. Lewis says now they do a fantastic job, bringing back credibility to the venue. Since the late ’80’s, the Guns have played The Whisky A Go Go about twice a year, excluding a brief period of booking staff issues. “That’s a compilation,” Lewis said “Scotty, our manager sent a mass message saying anyone that has footage please send it in and put it together for the Rage video.” The record opens with Rage, a screaming banshee ceremony with accompanying performance YouTube video from The Whisky A Go Go. Lewis joked that Going High was Sabbath, but blacker. It’s so boring.” It helps having someone who can multitask as a singer, songwriter and engineer getting things done. Recording vocals is not a spectators sport…people don’t last more than three or four minutes in a vocal session. We track vocals, about three or four songs a day, and it comes together very quickly because he’s an easy guy to work with. I fly out and work in a studio for three or four days.
“I work very close with Mitch Davis in New York.
“They’re talking about doing it live and I’m scared to death,” vocalist Phil Lewis laughed. The new record is a lot heavier and experimental than previous efforts, including the shrieking vocals of Going High. This year they’ve given us The Devil You Know, the next chapter of the Guns reunion. With their 2017 reunion release The Missing Peace, departed guitarist Tracii Guns rejoined the gypsies, reinvigorating their sound and delivery and returning to the road with renewed infused energy. And they can still say they got played on MTV, when it was cool. Guns cemented themselves as soldiers of the Sunset Strip, playing the legendary clubs and helping create the scene, myths, legends and historical aura that live on through DVD’s, documentaries and biographies.