Rob Carlyle fronts the Compulsions, which features guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer, both of whom have high profile “other” gigs in Guns N’ Roses, among their ranks, along with Hanoi Rocks bassist Sami Yaffa. The singer has gone on record to declare that working with band members who are already committed elsewhere in such a big band is a “real struggle.”

This statement shouldn’t shock anyone, but it’s not for the reasons that you might initially think. Put simply, their time is limited, since GN’R is a demanding gig. They are not demanding people.

Getting together to play a show can be quite the production, and requires more planning than is normal for a band. In a chat with Glide Magazine, Carlyle said, “It’s a real struggle. It’s not easy. I wish it wasn’t the case but there’s really nothing I can do about it right now.”

So why does he put up with the logistical headaches? Because the players are that damn good and they draw fans to the Compulsions shows. He continued, “I’ve had different guys in and out of the band over the years but once I hit upon sticking with these guys, once I got these guys involved, I saw there was a pretty big difference in the level of professionalism and also in how the audience really, really reacts big time when Sami and Richard and Frank are involved. People come out for that show.”

He hooked up with Fortus and Ferrer back in the early ’00s and things were going well. Then the duo got involved with GN’R, leaving Carlyle to “soldier on with other players around town. I tried out a bunch of different guys and I thought each line-up was going to be the definitive Compulsions but things didn’t work out.” It seems like Frotus and Ferrer were “meant to be,” in terms of working with Carlylse, since when GN’R had downtime a few years later, Carlyle buzzed Ferrer and the rest is history!

Since there is such rich chemistry between the members, Carlyle conceded that he has to be patient and wait. That’s not always fun for him, either, and we don’t blame him. He said, “I’m not going to lie, I wish I had access to them whenever I wanted but I’m not in that position right now but hopefully I will be soon.”

Good things come to those who wait, right?

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