To celebrate their 100th issue of Classic Rock Magazine, the December issue features a list of "100 Icons of
Rock". The youngest ever World Superbikes champion, James Toseland, writes about Axl Rose and Towers
Of London lead guitarist, The Rev, tells us about his source of motivation, Slash.
James Toseland on Axl Rose
Mad, bad and dangerous to knowAxl Rose is my all-time icon of rock. He has a persona. Just as when I start a race -- when the visor goes
down and I can be who I wanna be -- the same can be said for Axl. No rules, rules!
I used to listen to music before I raced. I used to find it quite motivational. But then it started to get a bit
crazy when I was listening to Who Wants To Live Forever by Queen. I guess that was what you might call a
bit of an Apocalypse Now moment. I'm happy to report that my mental health is much more balanced these
days.
I've been a pretty life-long Queen fan, and my biggest regret in life was never seeing Freddie Mercury
perform live. I've just acquired some footage of him at Live Aid and several other shows, and although it's
not the same it's pretty bloody good.
My current listening is Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, that kind of thing. I also really admire Elton John. I'm
heavily involved in music at the moment, on and off track, and I find that the simplicity in lyrics and music
from Jon, Elton and Axl appeals to me, as I too want to write songs that people come to know.
I'm sure there's nothing better than going on stage and people knowing your songs and singing them back
to you.
The highlight of my year so far off-track has been seeing Guns N' Roses. I thought that the transition from
Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff and Steven Adler to Axl and friends was gonna be really hard. But, come on. I mean,
it doesn't matter who Axl plays with really, does it? As soon as he sang, it didn't really matter who was in
the band.
I closed my eyes a couple of times at the gig and saw the young Axl: no chubbiness, no braids, and I saw a
bloke singing in leather jacket and a bandana, and I was there again on my 125, pratting about on bikes
and listening? to rock music.
Axl may have changed but some things, like his voice and my bikes, stay the same.
The Rev on Slash
A True Guitar HeroSlash was born Saul Hudson in Hempstead, North London on July 23, 1965 but raised in Stoke on Trent. He
became a hero to many a guitarist, myself being one. I was brought up listening to my dad's record
collection -- not the greatest, looking back on it now -- but it featured some classic albums. Among them
was Appetite For Destruction.
I remember the first time I heard that record and not being able to control myself. I was caught playing air
guitar on my bed as a teenager many times by my mom -- very embarrassing -- but having the record
confiscated was just heart breaking. I had it taken off me because I'd become so obsessed with Guns N'
Roses, and Slash in particular, I'd embodied everything they were about. I began to wear black jeans and
leather jacket to school and grow my hair. I just couldn't put my guitar down and stop listening to GN'R. I
got in trouble for not doing my work so my guitar and albums were taken from me. That didn't stop me,
though. I would go round to my friend's house after school, I got my first band together and we'd learn the
songs from Appetite... mimicking Slash. I would watch the Use Your Illusion videos repeatedly. I remember
just knowing that's what I wanted to do.
From the on I would practice every day with my band after school, learning covers and writing our own
songs. The inspiration I got from watching and listening to Slash as a guitarist got me where I am today. I
still use him as a constant source of motivation and I hold him up as the true guitar hero. Growing up I
never thought I would ever get to see him in action until 2004 when Velvet Revolver toured the UK. I went
to two shows, Manchester and Hammersmith, and fought my way to the front of both gigs holding on to the
barrier and eyeballing Slash all night.
Source:
GnrDaily.com
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