Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal Reflects on Guns N’ Roses: ‘Grateful for All the Experiences’

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal has gained new perspective as he works on a solo album during some down time for Guns N' Roses, with whom he's played guitar since 2006.

"I am grateful for all the experiences I had with Guns N' Roses -- good and bad, because the bad ones are just the 'unplanned' ones and you still learn and grow from them," Thal told Legendary Rock Interviews, "so they still bring you something good inevitably."

He says the process of recording this project, compared with working for Axl Rose on GNR's 2008 release 'Chinese Democracy,' couldn't be more different. "Axl and I are two different people with two different lives and two totally different sets of hurdles to jump over, which totally affects our ability to release what we create," Bumblefoot said. "I don't even know how to begin to compare the two. For one thing, in my own situation, in 'Bumblefoot' world, I have all the keys to the whole project. I know I have to write an album, record it and release it. In the GNR world, Axl holds the key, and when he decides to do something is when he decides to do it, and it's definitely at a different pace than, say, when I do things."

GNR toured South America earlies this year, followed by a well-received Las Vegas residency in the summer. Bumblefoot previously expressed frustrations with Rose for booking tour dates at the last moment, adding that he'd be "out" if he couldn't pursue a tandem solo career.

The guitarist hasn't released any new music as Bumblefoot since a series of stand-alone singles in 2011. Prior to that, he released a 15th-anniversary edition of his 1995 solo album 'The Adventures of Bumblefoot' in 2010.

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