In his first interview in 14 years, GUNS N' ROSES mainman Axl Rose spoke with the United Arab Emirates Newspaper Gulfnews.com while he and the band were in Abu Dhabi's Yas Island performing during Etihad Airways Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this past week. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

On performing live: "For me one of the really cool things is I don't have to get on at everybody in the band. Hey do this, do that, you know. Because they're excited. Everybody takes a certain amount of pride in what they do. Plus they all get on at each other about it anyway. Everybody goes out there and tries to give everything they can. And we stay out there a couple hours more, you know, until we feel the crowd is happy. Or until we feel like we've done a good job. It's kinda like going to the gym or something, you know, you don't leave until you feel like you're supposed to."

On how the audience never fails to amaze the band: "I think it's a lot to do with the material from the past and a hell of a lot to do with the heart that was put into it then. But if we weren't putting the heart into it now, if I wasn't putting my heart into it, the fans, they're not gonna let me get away with it. We have to live up to something, have to work a bit harder because you're living up to the legend or a myth or whatever. It's more pressure when you're playing to live up to myth."

On playing to a multi-cultural crowd: "The diverse crowd aspect is actually the most interesting part for me because I think that pretty much sums up why the Guns catalogue has stood the test of time. It crosses genres, it crosses religious lines, you know. It's music that people can relate to. That there is such a diverse crowd out there it makes it a lot of fun. We've crossed a few lines for certain - and we'll continue that."

Read the entire interview here.

Watch fan-filmed footage of Guns N' Roses' Abu Dhabi performance from December 16th below: