How Longtime Guns N' Roses Member Got The Gig

Official Announcement | Published: Feb 22, 2026 3:02 PM EST

(MS) Longtime Guns N' Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed joined Mark Strigl live on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard ch 38 from New York City for a wide-ranging interview covering everything from Guns' intense rehearsal schedule to his latest solo work and his recent absence from the band's tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

Reed discussed his latest solo album, Rock 'n Roll Chose Me, working with Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative, and activity with his band Hookers & Blow. He also reflected on his upbringing, early musical influences, how he first met Axl Rose, and why he did not participate in the recent Guns N' Roses Back to the Beginning tribute performance honoring Ozzy.

When asked how much rehearsal goes into preparing a Guns N' Roses Tour, Reed made it clear the band practices a bunch: "More than most people would even know. We rehearse a lot. It is a huge repertoire. There is probably 5 or 6 hours' worth of songs that we turn into 3 or 3 and a half hour sets. So there is a lot of rehearsal. We still rehearse 'Welcome to the Jungle' and all that stuff, man. And, also, I am sitting here in the middle of my studio and when this is done (meaning the interview), I will get into rehearsing on my own to prepare for the rehearsal, then there is a big rehearsal on the stage and then the tour starts."

On how he joined Guns N' Roses: "We all met when I was in another band called The Wild. We had rehearsal studios right next door to each other, right off of Sunset Blvd and Gardner Street, down there. That is where we met. Axl liked the way I played the keys and when I played the piano, which is more of a bluey based rock thing that I do as oppose to... ya know, there weren't that many keyboard players in Hollywood at that time but the ones that were playing were more classically influenced so it was kinda of a no-brainer for Axl, he wanted a keyboard player in the future and he heard me and he said "that is going to be you" and 5 years later he tracked me down and he kept his word and I've been blessed and fortunate ever since to be able to do this gig. I am so happy I get to do it and looking forward to doing it some more."

The full interview with Dizzy Reed is available now on the SiriusXM app here