AN INTERVIEW WITH BETA

Who is this woman? Up to januaary 14 she was a simple womaan from Sao pAulo of 45 yearas old
living in Californiaa, divorced and mom of three children. After this date she is also known as
"The Mom" of Axl Rose. And she was called and praised in the stage she suddenly became a big
celebrity. Her picture appeared in the headlines of many brazilian newspapers.

In the bar at the Intercontinental Hotel she gave us this interview where she speaks about her
personal life, her children aand reveals that Axl is an eternal romantic person.

He is so passionate that at the time he was with Stephanie Seymour, he "went to her house riding
a bg horse and carrying flowers".

So this is Axl Rose according to Beta...

Q: Mother?

B: I always cook and take the meals to the studio, I make cakes, pies and I call before a show
to wish them "good luck". I even light caandles for them. Its like im the mother of Guns n'
roses.

Q: Did Axl composed any song for you?

B: I dont know, i dont think so. He says that one of the new songs is dedicated to me and my
family.

Q: When did Axl left his home?

B: He left home when he was very young, his stepdad used to beat him hard and he even abused
him sexually. This being the main reason for him to be so shy. I think he left Lafayette, im n
ot quite sure, at 14 or 15 years old. Now he is 38 years old.

Q: And he is now discovering maternal love.

B: He has nothing against his mom, the only thing he could not understand is why he did not
receive her maternal protection. This is what he sees now in my relationship with my children.
Today he understands that a mother should be protective and he never felt protected.

Q: And that influenced a lot, right?

B: I think that who we are is aa reflection of how we were raised, how our family behaves at
home, how we relate with our parents. We are a mirror of our family.
The basic level comes from our home, and Axl never had that. That feeling is much more d
ifficult to grow in an adult's head. We when are growing up we see this exemples in every day
life, this love, the kiss goodnight...he never had that. Therefore, he doesnt know how to show
this type of love and this is very hard for a grown up to handle, right?

Q: And his music reflects this lack of love.

B: Yes, right. Old songs do reflect that, new songs are different.

Q: Is he in touch with his mom?

B: She passed away 5 years ago.

Q: Who lives with him in Malibu?

B: Me and him. My younger son lives with us every now and then aand in my house too.
I own a house in California, too but in another neightboorhood. But its very close to Axl's
house.

Q: I feel like you are a housekeeper for him, do you organize everything?

B: (laughs) That is the correct word, coz everyone asks, what do you do??
OK, I am his personal assistant. And I also organize his house, I coordinate the personel.

Q: Do you advise him?

B: I give him my advice whenever he asks. He accpets my opinion very much, you know. He never
took it bad. I have to see the person in every possible angle. You have to see in 360 grades,
there is always something good in a person. So, if he performs any contracts
with the new band, that is his decision. He only asks me what I think about it.
He wants to know if he should do that or not, he asks if he is being fair. He is worried about
being fair, he doesnt like to do anything which is not true. He always wants to do everything
right coz he gets worried of what they may say about him.
He wants everything to be clear. So I think that I influence him pretty much. But at the same
time this worries me, coz im afraid of this resonsibility.

Q: How did you enter into his life?

B: I was the babysitter of Stephanie Seymour's son. She was a Victoria's secret model, this was
11 years ago.
I started working with Stephanie in February and in May she started going out with Axl Rose. It
seems that
they had something before this.

Q: Do you believe in past lives?

B: Yes, i do and Axl believes in them also. As a brazilian i believe in this. I find it
impossible for two persons who never met to get along so well.
When I opened the door and he was there, I felt like I had known him for years.

Q: Do you know what Axl says about Queen?

B: He likes Queen very much, its his favourite band. Freddy Mercury liked Axl very much. Axl
even made a tribute to him the second day of Rock in Rio. Axl is still Brian May's friend. He
playes the guitar in one of the new songs.

Q: So after the breakup you stayed with Axl?

B: He asked me to stay with him when they brokeup. But I was the child's babysitter so I was
worried about him.
He was only two years old and Stephanie was always travelling, she was never at home.

Q: What was the reason for Axl and Stephanie to breakup?

B: Because she used to bring many people at home and Axl found out. He adored her.
She moved to New York and Axl called me to work with him. And I accepted coz between Axl and
her, i was always sure i wanted to be with him, he beats her 100 to 0. Even though he is a man
our friendship
is amazing, I really trust him. He is what he says he is, Stephanie was in a certain way with
me and in another with others. He values me much more than her.

Q: Can you talk about his depression?

B: Axl is a person who wants to do everything right. I think he was the man in love that many
women would have wanted to have in their lives.
He was like an enchanted prince. All the things he did for her where the type of things you
caan only find in a romantic book.

Q: So he was an old fashioned lover?

B: Yesss, of course. When they were about to breakup, he went to her house in a white suit,
riding a horse and carring flowers.
The things he did for her can only be read in history books. This does not exist in real life.
I think that many women would have liked to be in her place. I would never have left this man
walk away. But as Stephanie is very beautiful and sexy, she can have any man she wants. She uses
men like toys. Have you seen a child with a new toy? She plays with it and then she doesnt want
to play anymore.
I have always told her that she would hurt Axl more than she thinks. Other men that dated her
had not suffered the way Axl did, that is why he suffers so much.
He wanted to do everything right and he thought he was doing everything right.
He took this relationship very seriously. She practically killed him. When the band finished he
thought he would have his family, he would get married and have children.
He thought this would be the second part of his life, he had earned enought money and now he
wanted to dedicate his time to a family.
His dream was to have a family, children, and everything he never had. I think that when I
entered into his life he started realizing that someone cares about him and loves him.
Im a patient person, i trust him and he did not trust himself. Im not a psicologist but he needs
someone to listen to what he has to say and im here for him.
When i have to be his friend im here as his friend and when i have to be his assistant im here
as his assistant. I dont mix things. When i have to be his assistant i leave our friendship
behind and i work. He doesnt take advantage of our relationship.
I respect him as if he was my boss and it becomes an emplyment relation.

Q: Is he happy he played for 200.000 people?

B: His dream was to come back to Brazil. When we first met, our first conversation was about
Brazil. He spoke about the poor people, the "favelas", and how he wanted to build a hospital
where everyone could be treated no matter their condition.

Q: I have the feeling that brazilians liked the new band.

B: Yes, very much, its amazing. We are very surprised, this generation is not so Gnrs and yet
they love the band.

Q: How is the new record going to be?

B: SO great. Im emotionally related to them but i think it will be amazing.
It will be realeased in June or July. They already have 48 songs and the record company is
selecting the material.

Q: Is Axl out of drugs?

B: Totally. I have known him for 10 years and i have worked with him for 7 years and a half and
he never had drugs. He even quit smoking.

Q: Any drinks?

B: Yes, every now and then.

Q: You must have been in touch with people who were addicted to heroin, is it hard to quit all
that?

B: I have never seen it.
Axl does not admit it in his house or in his group. Not even smoking is allowed in the studio,
never close to him. You have to go out if you want to smoke. So I have never been around someone
who is doing drugs.

Q: Does he have an studio at his Malibu home?

B: Yes, he does.

Q: Werent drugs one of the reasons of his fight with Slash?

B: There wasnt any fight, the problem was that Slash said he had alreaday had Guns n roses
records at that time.
Slash last records were terrible, and Axl wanted to do something more advanced for the new
generations. You cant remain in the same music style you were 15 years ago.

Q: There is an electronic business behind this music.

B: In this current year 2001, music is more electronic but its not all electronic. Slash wanted
to stay in the past... and then there was this problem with drugs.
Axl could never count on Slash coz he never showed up in rehearsals and he was never OK.

Q: Does Axl have a routine nowadays?

B: We have a doctor that tells us what to eat. Axl does gym all day long.

He runs up to 5 miles every two days. His exercises last for about 4 hours.
He doesnt go out much, we go to the cinema coz he likes watching movies very much.

He doesnt like bars.

Q: Does he go to sleep late?

B: According to his grandma he never lived the day very much.
He writes very much at night. He doesnt have a phone or anything that may interrupt him, he is
more creative late at night.

Q: Does his grandma still live?

B: His grandma on his mother's side is still alive. He never met his father.
He thinks that nobody in his family ever protected him. He's got a huge sorrow inside. Her
sistes was abused by his stepfather and his mom continued living with him.
Nobody did anything, not even his grandma.

Q: And what does he like to eat?

B: He eats plenty of healthy food, many fruits, water and salads. He also likes brazilian food.

Q: How old are your children?

B: 24, 23 and 22.

Q: Did you raise your children by yourself?

B: I got divorced 15 years ago so i practically raised them by myself.

Q: Are you a protective mother?

B: Very protective (laughs) I should be that much.

Q: Are you a rocker mom? I can see you have a tattoo.

B: (laughs) I wasnt a hippie. I actually came to the first Rock in Rio to see Queen.

Q: Were you a secretary before moving to the United States?

B: I worked in Quaker, in Itajai, Santa Catarina. I was an executive secretary.
I moved to the US coz the situation in Brazil was very hard aand i was divorced and with three
children. I thought that i wouldnt be able to raise my children the way i wanted to raise them
here in Brazil. They were three little children.
I raised some money and i left by myself leaaving the children with my mom and I have brought
them one by one.

Q: You went there with courage?

B: Right, i sold everything i had so as not to come back. After a year i took one of my children,
then the ohther and finally the other.

Q: You said that everyone is phoning you. What do think about this?

B: I never thought this could happen.
I was translating what Axl said and he suddenly called me to the stage.
I thought he was just going to thank the public. Then he said "Seven years ago.." and i started
to choke, i didnt know anything else.
Then his manager took me to the stage, there he was translating everything wrong as i was didnt
know anything.
It is very hard to translate a person who is talking about you. I was very nrevous, i cant
explain what i have been through thaat moment to face all those people.

Q: What is it that you must always carry in your bag?

B: the cellular phone and the pager. I dont go out if he cant he in touch with me 24 hours a day.

Q: Talk about your loving life.

B: I lived 12 years with the father of my children in Santos. In the last four years of our
relationship i didnt know he had married to another person. It was a great shock.Today he is the
owner of Santos Nave, aa company. I suffered a lot with his family.
I moved to the US and i remarried an american. After six years he said he was not ready to be
married and as he didnt know how to say this to me, he took his stuff, put them in the caar and
left.
This was my second separation. I always get in too deep in a relation and i want everything to
be ok and then i suffer a lot.
Now i think i have a goal, either i finish my mission with my children or i dont do anything
else.
Im afraid of getting involved with someone again and then get hurt. I have placed a barrier in
my loving life and i have noone. I work and i take care of my children.

Q: Do you spend some time with friends?

B: Axl's friends are my family. The guys in the band call me the BIG MOM.

Q: Do you come to Brazil very often?

B: I visited Brazil six years ago.

Q: What do you think about abortion?

B: Im pro choice, it is necessary in certain situations, are you against it?