By Kreig Marks, November 2023

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KM:  Hi Slash.  Welcome to our Tru Rock Revival Magazine's Rock 'n Roll Roulette.  I'm going to toss about 10 or so questions at you and it's your job to catch them and throw back your best answers.  So, let's get this moving!  Ready?

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Slash:  LOL  Yeah, I suppose.

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KM:  GNR, Slash's Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, Slash and Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, tons of collaborations.  What's left for you to do that you haven't done musically?

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Slash:  I just really enjoy music; writing, and getting to be out there performing, whether it's with my band or with Guns, it's all meaningful.  As far as what's left for me to do?  I don't know.  We'll just have to let the planets line up and see what happens, I guess.

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KM:  When you first started out with Guns N Roses, you seemed pretty shy on the stage. What changed?

 

Slash:  It wasn't really shyness as much as stage fright.  I've been dealing with that my entire career. Right before I go out on stage, I'm pretty wound up, pretty nervous. It's always been that way, although I guess not as bad now as it has been.  But, it's still there.  But, having Axl or Myles up there takes a lot of the edge off. 

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KM:  Glad you have their support and nerves are part of performance for so many. How have you matured as a person over the past 30+ years that's made you a better musician and a better man?

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Slash:  Sobriety man!  Sobriety!  I've learned that there's a lot more I can accomplish when I'm 100% focused, whether it's with music or being with my family, which is much more important and much more rewarding than being on stage.  

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KM: That is a big one. Looking back at all your accomplishments, is there one that really stands out or one that you're most proud of?

 

Slash:  Yeah, I just mentioned it.  Getting sober.  I'm very proud of that.  That was not an easy task for sure.  It's still a daily battle but not as much as it was.  

 

KM:  Sobriety is huge and it takes daily work. I'm so glad you are accomplishing that every day. What bout lessons or just the biggest disappointment in your life?

 

Slash:  Not being sober enough at the time to maybe have helped Scott [Scott Weiland, former lead vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots and later, Velvet Revolver] get the help he needed.  

 

KM:  Aw man, it's always up to the person, yet I'm sorry you feel that regret. The Guns N Roses reunion.  Do you think if you guys had gotten back together 20 years ago, rather than waiting to do so in 2016 it would have been as successful as it has been?

 

Slash:  LOL.....No way!  None of us were ready to get back together 20 years ago. There was still too much anger inside of us to work through, us being me and Axl.  We couldn't get our shit together.  Duff was ready to get back together, he's always been the calming influence.  We were all still battling our own demons and egos. We had to grow into our own maturities and get away from ourselves and look at the big picture called life. By 2016, we had all grown so much more emotionally, that it was a natural decision for us to jump back in. We're all now able to communicate on a more or less even and calm level, and it's been pretty cool. It definitely would have been cool if we had been able to work through our differences and get back together 20 years ago, but it wasn't the time.  It was in 2016. 

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KM:  Glad you were able to do, some bands never do. Great music and great vibe when you did. You and Myles are going to be here in Asheville in December for Warren Hayne's Christmas Jam.  You have a lot of fans here in Asheville.  After this show, how about you guys doing your own show in Asheville?

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Slash:  Hey man, I'm up for anything.  I leave that up to our booking team.  Give them a ring and make it happen! 

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KM:  Very interesting, hm...we are kicking up some things here. Who is the best singer you've collaborated with?  

 

Slash:  The best?  That's a tough one.  I've been fortunate to be around many.  Axl, Myles.  Ray Charles was very cool.  Carol King has a great voice.  She's a legend.  Hmm.  Who else.  Man, this is tough.  Macy Gray.  Great voice, and so much soul.  Beth Hart, is another great singer.  

 

KM:  All great vocalists. Now, I'm gonna put you on the spot.  Who's the better singer, Axl or Myles?

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Slash:  You know what, I'll answer that, kind of.  For GNR songs, there's no one capable of doing what Axl has done and continues to do.  Yeah, Myles sang with us during the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame thing and he's done some acoustic stuff with me, doing Guns songs, and he's done a hell of a job.  He's got an incredible voice.  But for GNR, it's Axl.  Now, for The Conspirator's songs, that's all Myles.  20 or 30 years ago, Axl's vocal range was untouchable.  He still has great range though.  

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KM:  Playing it safe, yet I hear you. The GNR sound and the voice to front the sound is Axl. I love how Myles sounds usually, be it he Conspirators or Alter Bridge. The hat.  I have to raise this question.  We all know the story behind the hat, you were playing a gig at the Whiskey and you were looking for something to wear to complete what you were going to wear on stage for the show. You went into a store called Retail Slut and found the top hat.  Let's imagine the only hats they had there were fedoras.  Would you be wearing a fedora today?

 

Slash:  Man, I could so rock a fedora!  Seriously.  I'd rock it!  You know what, after I finish this talk with you, I'm gonna go buy a fedora and I'm gonna wear that on stage for the Christmas Jam, and I'm gonna give you all the credit.  LOL

 

KM:  LMAO! You know, stick with the top hat.  What have I started here? LOL

 

Slash:  No way.  Kreig, I think you're onto something.  I've been wearing the top hat for a long time.  Let's try something new.  

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KM:  Alright, you got me.  LOL. Slash, thanks for the chat.  This has been pretty cool.  But, if you do show up for the Christmas Jam wearing a fedora, and the next thing you know, there's a huge sale across the country of fedora's, I'm expecting a shout out.

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Slash:  Kreig, you got it, man!  Thanks for this interview.  This has been cool.  Cool format, this roulette.  I like it.