Slash Responds To "Cancer" Remark

[Bridge]

Hate to knock you off your soapbox, but Slash has criticized Izzy's playing on record in the past.

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=13

During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect!
So, he didn't really refute anything.  At least, accurately.

Yes, I've read that before.  That's one of those issues Slash has seemingly changed his mind about though over time, because he praised Izzy's playing a month or so ago in the issue of Guitar world that paid tribute to AFD.

Also bear in mind Slash said that in 1993 when Izzy first left the band.  Axl also skewered Izzy like crazy from the stage at that time but doesn't do so anymore.  It was during the apparent "let's all bash the guy who just quit the band" phase.  Another article saw Slash criticizing Izzy for leaving the band so abruptly and leaving him with the frantic task of finding another guitarist.  But in Slash's book, he understood Izzy's side a bit better than back then.

[Pine Barrens]

They are probably both full of it, at least to a certain extent. They both probably had a hand in the way things turned out and I'm sick of hearing about it. They both need to act like adults, shut the fuck up and get on with their lives.

[Ali]

Hate to knock you off your soapbox, but Slash has criticized Izzy's playing on record in the past.

http://www.heretodaygonetohell.com/articles/showarticle.php?articleid=13

During Appetite..., Lies and Use Your... I had to put up with Izzy the whole time. I never liked playing with him. It was wonderful to escape him on this record. It sounds tighter and so much cooler than anything we've done before. I always got irritated over Izzy's way of playing. It didn't sound right. Before "Spaghetti", we erased his guitar and Gilby put on a new one. It sounded perfect!
So, he didn't really refute anything.  At least, accurately.

Yes, I've read that before.  That's one of those issues Slash has seemingly changed his mind about though over time, because he praised Izzy's playing a month or so ago in the issue of Guitar world that paid tribute to AFD.

Also bear in mind Slash said that in 1993 when Izzy first left the band.  Axl also skewered Izzy like crazy from the stage at that time but doesn't do so anymore.  It was during the apparent "let's all bash the guy who just quit the band" phase.  Another article saw Slash criticizing Izzy for leaving the band so abruptly and leaving him with the frantic task of finding another guitarist.  But in Slash's book, he understood Izzy's side a bit better than back then.

Yes, I understand the context and timeframe in which those remarks were made.  But, it doesn't change the fact that at one time Slash did in fact criticize Izzy's playing on Appetite.  Therefore, you cannot rightfully state that Axl was misspeaking when he said Slash had criticized other band member's performance on Appetite.  Slash did do that.  In fact, I remember an interview in the 90's in print where Slash had gone so far as to suggest that he had to re-record some of Izzy's parts on the UYI albums because Izzy didn't play them right.

Ali

[Bridge]

Therefore, you cannot rightfully state that Axl was misspeaking when he said Slash had criticized other band member's performance on Appetite.  Slash did do that.

I'll grant you, but if you want to be really technical, Axl's precise words were "distaste for anyone's other than his or Duff's playing", so unless we can find proof that Slash criticized both Axl's and Steven's performances, I can indeed rightfully say that Axl was misspeaking.  And as I also pointed out, Axl's motivation for making these remarks is what I'm questioning more than their veracity.  Axl was more or less using those remarks to disparage Slash, just disguising them (as he's good at doing) as "factual criticisms".

In fact, I remember an interview in the 90's in print where Slash had gone so far as to suggest that he had to re-record some of Izzy's parts on the UYI albums because Izzy didn't play them right.

Yes, I read that too, but you're not remembering it correctly.  What Slash actually said was that he was pissed at Izzy for barely showing up during the UYI sessions (something he remarked in 2010 about AFD as well), and that he had to record a lot of Izzy's parts because Izzy didn't show up to play them to begin with.  So Slash didn't say Izzy's parts were bad, just that Izzy's parts weren't there!  Axl also criticized Izzy in print for this in his '92 interview with Rolling Stone.

[Ali]

Therefore, you cannot rightfully state that Axl was misspeaking when he said Slash had criticized other band member's performance on Appetite.  Slash did do that.

I'll grant you, but if you want to be really technical, Axl's precise words were "distaste for anyone's other than his or Duff's playing", so unless we can find proof that Slash criticized both Axl's and Steven's performances, I can indeed rightfully say that Axl was misspeaking.

In fact, I remember an interview in the 90's in print where Slash had gone so far as to suggest that he had to re-record some of Izzy's parts on the UYI albums because Izzy didn't play them right.

Yes, I read that too, but you're not remembering it correctly.  What Slash actually said was that he was pissed at Izzy for barely showing up during the UYI sessions (something he remarked in 2010 about AFD as well), and that he had to record a lot of Izzy's parts because Izzy didn't show up to play them to begin with.  So Slash didn't say Izzy's parts were bad, just that Izzy's parts weren't there!  Axl also criticized Izzy in print for this in his '92 interview with Rolling Stone.

To be equally technical, Slash said he never criticized anyone's playing on Appetite.  Clearly, that hasn't always been the case.

No, the not showing up to sessions was an aspect, but not the only one.  I clearly remember Slash talking about how Izzy didn't even play his parts correctly on UYI and how he had to re-record some, and then he went on to say how refreshing it was playing with Gilby because he nailed his parts on TSI.

Ali

[Bridge]

To be equally technical, Slash said he never criticized anyone's playing on Appetite.  Clearly, that hasn't always been the case.

I'll grant you that, though I stand by my comments in regards Axl's motivations for making the remarks.

No, the not showing up to sessions was an aspect, but not the only one.  I clearly remember Slash talking about how Izzy didn't even play his parts correctly on UYI and how he had to re-record some, and then he went on to say how refreshing it was playing with Gilby because he nailed his parts on TSI.

I just searched for the interview and couldn't find it, so this one's gonna have to remain in limbo for the time being.

[Ali]

To be equally technical, Slash said he never criticized anyone's playing on Appetite.  Clearly, that hasn't always been the case.

I'll grant you that, though I stand by my comments in regards Axl's motivations for making the remarks.

No, the not showing up to sessions was an aspect, but not the only one.  I clearly remember Slash talking about how Izzy didn't even play his parts correctly on UYI and how he had to re-record some, and then he went on to say how refreshing it was playing with Gilby because he nailed his parts on TSI.

I just searched for the interview and couldn't find it, so this one's gonna have to remain in limbo for the time being.

I don't disagree that Axl was disparaging Slash.  After all, he called him a cancer.  My objection was merely to the claim that Slash completely and successfully refuted Axl's comments considering what he had said about Izzy at one point in the past.

If I can find the interview I'm talking about, I'll scan and post it.  I used to have every interview in print with GN'R saved from like 1989-90 and on.

Ali

[AxlsMainMan]

It obviously had nothing to do with cancer in the literal sense.  And if you're looking for good taste and decorum, I suggest you review the history of Guns N' Roses because that was never what they have been about.

No kidding, I thought I stumbled onto an Adam Lambert message board for a minute there.

[jacdaniel]

Slash hated his own playing on AFD until he got the Les Paul

[Limulus]

Slash's answer > Axl's attack of bitterness

[WTTJ_91]

This is going to sound SO fucking pro-slash but I really think many people are reading WAY WAY into this pulling interviews from so far back. In the general I don't think Slash has ever hated AFD or anything like that. IMO calling him a cancer would be overboard for anyone else but we are talking about Axl Rose here who is known for his vocal opinions and his bad past with Slash, so I'm not saying it makes it any better. It was a comment in the most bad taste however his point got across.

[Ali]

This is going to sound SO fucking pro-slash but I really think many people are reading WAY WAY into this pulling interviews from so far back. In the general I don't think Slash has ever hated AFD or anything like that. IMO calling him a cancer would be overboard for anyone else but we are talking about Axl Rose here who is known for his vocal opinions and his bad past with Slash, so I'm not saying it makes it any better. It was a comment in the most bad taste however his point got across.

Yeah, I think you nailed it.  A big part of why it didn't bother me as much is that it is par for the course for Axl.  But, mostly, I know what he was trying to say.  He may have said it in a brutally honest manner, but he got his point across.

Ali

[Limulus]

hard to get rid of "cancer" when it kinda targets you on a daily basis......thats why i dont see Axl's bitterness healing in any form soon regarding his Slash-issue.

Rodney King quote (also on jungle-live era-videoclip) sums it up to many fans:
"...can we, can we all get along? Can we, can we get along? [.....] Let?s try to work it out!"

[D]

I remember an interview one time where Izzy was always so wasted on stage, he'd play the wrong shit and they'd unplug his amp

so maybe he was talking LIVE and not necessarily on the albums.

[H76]

I have to say that I always had a problem with this since that Axl interview. Absolutely fuckin terrible choice of words. It seems like Slash responded pretty gracefully though.

Agreed love Axl but when I first read his interview that remark made me sick. On a lighter note after Slash's remarks in this article and after some of Axl's posts I think I have figured out what the problems is between them. When they did speak to each other neither one of them could understand what the other one was saying. They both need an interpreter!  

Here's something Slash said about Axl just this year:
"You have to attempt to understand him as a human being and where he's coming from. I see things very black and white. That's just me. And that doesn't necessarily mean that that's right. And he sees things in a very colorful kind of way, and I can't really knock it, 'cause that's just him. So I try not to sit there and say derogatory things about his personality, because it's his personality that makes him so f**king great, and just difficult to deal with."

( source : http://www.starpulse.com)