Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Former Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash

From: The Courier-Mail May 06, 2010

Former Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist tells Cameron Adams Fergie rocks. Seriously.

Your new solo album Slash features Fergie as a guest vocalist.Howdid that go down with your rock fans?
It certainly raised some eyebrows. She's pretty badass.
She's a rock singer who has made it as a pop singer. She has great rock chops. When the rumours went around Fergie was on my record everyone thought I was going to go pop. I knew what I was doing. I'd heard her sing rock before, no one else had, so I kept my mouth shut and waited until it came out. This is the first rock recording she's done.

There's a cover of Guns N' Roses' Paradise City she's singing on. Discuss.
Ha. That got an interesting response. Some people loved it; all the purists were f---ing devastated I'd covered it. It was just a fun thing I did. I'd been playing that song with Cypress Hill for years, I always wanted to record it. Fergie was around, she's a huge Axl (Rose) fan, she came and sang it. I didn't put it on the album because I didn't want to make it look like it was really serious. So I put it on a Japanese B-side, and of course it trickled down. But it's actually a really cool version.

What did you have in common with Fergie?
It turns out we have a lot of similar war stories from the past. We both come from a chequered past, let's just say.
You're clean and sober now, but everyone always talks about your drink and drug hell - which you didn't really touch on in your autobiography.
I didn't want to focus on all that stuff in the book. I'm over it. The main focus on the book was to get out some of the reality about Guns N' Roses and the reunion.

Have you had offers to turn it into a movie?
People asked me if I wanted to license it for a movie. It doesn't really interest me. It's just a book I wrote to get some s--- off my chest. I couldn't imagine someone playing me in a movie.
Has the book at least stopped people asking if you are going to reunite with Axl Rose in Guns N' Roses?
It slowed down considerably when I put the book out, yes. It really does spell it out. You'd have to be an idiot to not get it, but there's still obnoxious people who insist on perpetuating that myth. All things considered, I'm really flattered the band has this stigma, this ongoing mystique attached. I try not to get too agitated. There's this newer generation of Guns N' Roses fans who never saw the band - it'd almost be nice to get it together to do some shows for them, but it's just not logistically going to happen.

What did you think of Chinese Democracy, the first Guns N' Roses album without you?
It's great. It's the perfect Axl record.
That's very diplomatic.
No, it is. Axl's brilliant. I look at it differently than your average fan, I look at it more from what he's about and what it represents and our relationship. I think it's a great record. It's very much the record I would have expected him to do.

So what's the status of Velvet Revolver - dormant?
It's just in a state of limbo until we bunker down and figure out who the (new) singer's going to be.
Will there be Guns N' Roses songs in your solo tour of Australia?
Yep, Night Train, Civil War, Paradise City, Sweet Child (O'Mine). Myles (Kennedy) sings everything. There's Velvet Revolver and (Slash's) Snakepit songs too, as well as the stuff from the solo album.
The band kick ass. It's not like were trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

What's your favourite Guns N' Roses video?
The only one I like is Paradise City because it's live.

What about November Rain? Your guitar solo on a mountain is a great rockvideo moment.
I haven't seen that in years.
November Rain is still one of the most expensive videos ever made. I hate videos. So that's right up at the top - the epitome of the kind of thing I cannot stand.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/music/former-guns-n-roses-and-velvet-revolver-guitarist-slash/story-e6freqgx-1225862972265

cool thread title considering he utters the line the last sentence of the interview : ok:

If he said in the first question, would it make a difference.  ;)

Slash Talks Fergie, Solo Album, and GnR would be a bit more accurate thread title :hihi:

I could have done Courier Mail Interview.

I didn't realize he felt that strongly about the videos.  It surprised me.

The title could be viewed as a little misleading, but I also found it interesting he hated videos so much.  At least the bloated, big budget videos.  Regardless of his feelings, those videos were masterpieces, IMO.

The title of the thread is misleading (reminds me of the CatHavingFun days of old) and some of the questions he was asked appear in his answers rather than being boldly highlighted as questions.

He said it, I just quoted it.


That's how the interview is posted, I can alter the interview and bold those parts if you wish.

At the link: http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/music/former-guns-n-roses-and-velvet-revolver-guitarist-slash/story-e6freqgx-1225862972265

Hasn't Axl even admitted that he just finds the UYI videos "corny" now?

Personally, my two favorite music videos of all time are "November Rain" and "Estranged." They're like mini-movies that perfectly encapsulate the message of the songs. Music videos are already a forgotten art. We'll never see anything like that again.

but thats "Don't Cry", isnt it?  ;)

Love Don't Cry video


NR is kind of weird how it goes from wedding to death with people jumpin over tables.

i get the metaphor but 99 percent don't.

for the record, i liked the title funky.

Was an interesting interview.
On the subject of the videos, at least they're a bit more imaginitive than another video with a secret show in obscure locations (caves/nuclear bunker under the desert).

I thought everyone knew Slash hated videos.  Axl was the main man in November Rain, Don't Cry and definitly Estranged. 

I like the Don't Cry video but my favourite GNR video is Garden of Eden.  I love all the low budget one's.

I still like November Rain and Estranged, but i must say, they are cheesy.  Especially when Axl gets saved by Dolphins and Slash comes from under the water and then stands on the water like some kind of messiah  :hihi:

^^and thats not even Slash.
the dolphins are to blame for the break-up  ;D

lolslash

The November Rain video is great, even though non GN'R fans wouldn't get the story. It works as a video because the song itself is an epic song.
You can't have those kind of videos now. Most people these days (read kids) have attention spans in seconds.

Same here mate. NR and Estranged are wonderful videos but still I love most The Garden.

I didn't notice that.  Sure Slash, whatever you say.  The Fergie track was probably THE most discussed of all, by him and others.

Oh yeah! how did i forget to mention that one!  amazing video, so trippy.

I love Slash, but come on buddy. give me a break.

the guy that seems to have no limits when it comes to self-promotion and is considered a "sell-out" by many (that's what appearing on Ellen does for you) suddenly has a problem with grandoise videos that he actively participated in??????

sounds like he's being a fraud.

next he'll replace a critical member of his band and continue to call it "VR" even though it's not the "true VR."  :hihi:

sandman

Slash's dislike of videos is not sudden he has always said he did not like them. His dislike of the trilogy was always known.

Since you think being on Ellen is a sellout if it was your music how would you promote it?


I won't even comment on this one.

next he'll replace a critical member of his band and continue to call it "VR" even though it's not the "true VR."

Yeah,Slash hated NR before he even quit GNR