Is Slash the Worst Decision Maker in Rock History?

[LongGoneDay]

Izzy made a decision to leave GN'R, which unfortunately killed the band in my opinion. Can't say it was a bad decision though, because he did it for his health and sanity, and he's alive, well and productive today. His records aren't earth shattering, and have become a bit repetitive lately, but overall I probably enjoy his work most of the alumni.

Axl and Slash probably suffered the most from the split because they are viewed as the faces of the band, so good or bad, they are going to take the praise, or criticism.
Obviously no one thought it was healthy to stay, but either way, Axl and Slash were going to, and always will have those high expectation hanging over their heads until the day they die.

Izzy, Duff, Matt, Gilby, Steven can make all the good, bad decisions they want. They aren't held to the same standard, right or wrong.

I buy and have generally enjoyed everything they do, but haven't been overly impressed with anything the alumni has done since. They set the bar pretty damn high, being the greatest hard rock band ever in my opinion. Slash's solo album and Izzy's 117 degrees albums are the most consistent albums that I enjoy. I'm not positive Slash's album will stand the test of time to me, like Izzy's has(I think it def will) but it's exciting to hear something after all these somewhat lackluster releases(compared to gnr) I've been accustomed to. Makes me look forward to what's next, so I'm not worried about a cameo he did with Blackstreet back when music was really going down the shitter with tragedies like Korn, Limp Bizkit and Marilyn Manson taking over the world.

[Ali]

Should Slash check in on this thread to go with what everyone wants him to do, or do what he wants? Maybe he should have gone against his instincts and hired Corey Taylor, just to make headlines and everyone happy.

No, no one is saying any of that.

I'm just curious as to what about Corey Taylor made Slash think it wasn't a good fit.  Would they have been too metal with Taylor in the band in Slash's mind, etc.

Ali

[One.In.A.Million]

Should Slash check in on this thread to go with what everyone wants him to do, or do what he wants? Maybe he should have gone against his instincts and hired Corey Taylor, just to make headlines and everyone happy.

No, no one is saying any of that.

I'm just curious as to what about Corey Taylor made Slash think it wasn't a good fit.  Would they have been too metal with Taylor in the band in Slash's mind, etc.

Ali

Do we know for sure that Slash was the one who had a problem with Corey being the singer?. I know Duff was very complimentary towards him, but Matt hasn't really said much from what I can gather...

In any case, I agree with the person who said that there aren't alot of singers around that are the calibre of Axl and Scott. It was never going to be easy to replace Scott, even with names like Corey, I feel that he's just not the right fit. 

[Bodhi]

yeah it was Slash making his typical bonehead decisions, thats why I started this thread...

COREY TAYLOR On Failed VELVET REVOLVER Singer Bid: 'I Guess It Just Wasn't Working For SLASH' - May 5, 2011

After months of speculation that STONE SOUR/SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was going to become the new VELVET REVOLVER singer, followed by theories about why the band never eventually pulled the trigger, VELVET guitarist Slash admitted in a recent interview that he was the main holdout against Taylor getting the gig.

Slash confirmed to Vorterix.com that Taylor did work with the group, explaining, "All we were doing was just rehearsing with him and trying him out ? auditioning him . . . he did come in and do all that. It just didn't seem to fit right to me. And he's great, and I love Corey, but it didn't seem like the answer to the VELVET REVOLVER problem."

Slash blamed social networks for spreading the rumor that Taylor was joining the group, saying, "As soon as that rumor (got around), next thing you know, everybody is saying Corey's the new singer. It's just an audition process; it's the way that we do it."

During a co-hosting gig on last night's (Wednesday, May 4) edition of the "Louder" radio show, which airs on the Live 105 station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Taylor was asked to respond to Slash's comments. "We got together and we jammed some stuff and I guess it just wasn't working for him, which? He's Slash and he's entitled to have that, and I'm not gonna argue with him," Corey said. "But it was cool to just be able to get together and jam with those guys and I made some really cool friends. Me and Duff [McKagan, VELVET bassist] are really close. It's one more thing I can say I did."

Sadly for VELVET REVOLVER fans, Slash admitted that it doesn't look like a solution to the "problem" is happening any time soon. He said, "Next year I definitely will make another Slash record with Myles Kennedy and go on tour. So at least for the next couple of years, nothing is going to be happening with VELVET REVOLVER that I can see 'cause I'll be focused on this . . . I'm just not really concerning myself with it right now. We had all these different guys try out, all really good singers, but nobody has fit the thing, so, you know, I have to move on."

Duff McKagan recently revealed that recordings exist of Taylor singing with the band. McKagan seemed a little more positive about Taylor than Slash, telling Music Radar, "Whether he's in VELVET REVOLVER or not . . . I think he's the best voice of a new generation. The best rock 'n' voice out there. He's got a lot of positive energy. I'd be proud to do anything with him."

[rebelhipi]

watz up with that 1997 long forgotten thing never heard about it?
 

[One.In.A.Million]

yeah it was Slash making his typical bonehead decisions, thats why I started this thread...

COREY TAYLOR On Failed VELVET REVOLVER Singer Bid: 'I Guess It Just Wasn't Working For SLASH' - May 5, 2011

After months of speculation that STONE SOUR/SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor was going to become the new VELVET REVOLVER singer, followed by theories about why the band never eventually pulled the trigger, VELVET guitarist Slash admitted in a recent interview that he was the main holdout against Taylor getting the gig.

Slash confirmed to Vorterix.com that Taylor did work with the group, explaining, "All we were doing was just rehearsing with him and trying him out ? auditioning him . . . he did come in and do all that. It just didn't seem to fit right to me. And he's great, and I love Corey, but it didn't seem like the answer to the VELVET REVOLVER problem."

Slash blamed social networks for spreading the rumor that Taylor was joining the group, saying, "As soon as that rumor (got around), next thing you know, everybody is saying Corey's the new singer. It's just an audition process; it's the way that we do it."

During a co-hosting gig on last night's (Wednesday, May 4) edition of the "Louder" radio show, which airs on the Live 105 station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Taylor was asked to respond to Slash's comments. "We got together and we jammed some stuff and I guess it just wasn't working for him, which? He's Slash and he's entitled to have that, and I'm not gonna argue with him," Corey said. "But it was cool to just be able to get together and jam with those guys and I made some really cool friends. Me and Duff [McKagan, VELVET bassist] are really close. It's one more thing I can say I did."

Sadly for VELVET REVOLVER fans, Slash admitted that it doesn't look like a solution to the "problem" is happening any time soon. He said, "Next year I definitely will make another Slash record with Myles Kennedy and go on tour. So at least for the next couple of years, nothing is going to be happening with VELVET REVOLVER that I can see 'cause I'll be focused on this . . . I'm just not really concerning myself with it right now. We had all these different guys try out, all really good singers, but nobody has fit the thing, so, you know, I have to move on."

Duff McKagan recently revealed that recordings exist of Taylor singing with the band. McKagan seemed a little more positive about Taylor than Slash, telling Music Radar, "Whether he's in VELVET REVOLVER or not . . . I think he's the best voice of a new generation. The best rock 'n' voice out there. He's got a lot of positive energy. I'd be proud to do anything with him."

My opologies, I just saw it in the other section of the board...

Well, so it was indeed Slash. All I can say is that it seems a tad selfish, that he was the one who rejected Corey. Because he has a pretty big project that he can fall back on, and he also announced that he's planning on doing another album with Myles. ( ... I know)

I know Duff has Loaded, but you gotta feel that both Duff and Matt would have wanted to restart VR as soon as possible, and definitely in less than 2 years time.

It's them I feel sorry for, and I only fear that this might cause some tension between Matt and Slash.  

[Bodhi]

watz up with that 1997 long forgotten thing never heard about it?
 

The point of me bringing that up was that he quit GN'R and his next project following his departure a few months later was playing with Blackstreet! 

[westcoast_junkie]

C'mon. Snakepit rocks. 5 o'clock's an great album.

ANd it's not a bad decision he left GnR. If he didn't leave, Duff probably wouldn't have left. And we probably wouldn't hear VR or Loaded. And we wouldn't have the great members wich is GnR today!

[jacdaniel]

I dont know why people don't just focus on the music.  Slash's solo album and Contraband are 2 very good albums.  Libertad and 5 o clock are not bad either.  Not to mention all the GNR albums! 

I don't really enjoy the Fergie or American Idol kinda stuff myself but its his life, i just ignore a lot of that.  He probably does it cos he loves playing the guitar and gets him out there in the mainstream... attracting more fans.

But these days the majority of "Cool" rockstars are doing this sort of stuff.  You got Steven Tyler on American Idol, Zakk Wylde on idol, Brian May on the X Factor, Ozzy doing the reality TV, Iggy and Alice Cooper doing commercials etc etc etc.

PS: It was a great decision for Slash to leave GNR because the conditions had become unworkable for that line up.

[Limulus]

add that from all the different Slash releases we really do have some great songs and guitar stuff over all the years.

[Axlfanatic]

SLASH has done a terric job of becoming a "stand--Alone" commercial success- which was always his top goal after leaving guns- gotta hand it to him for that. Whether you agree with how he did it is just a personal thing.  I personally would love to see VR get back together- that's where I enjoy him the most ( other than in Guns) there were also many good songs on his last solo record except the 2 songs with Myles Kennedy- they were weak as hell. I know everyone says he can hit all the GNR notes but after seeing them live, he just doesnt have the venom or stage swagger to to pull off GNR songs. He is happy & smilling the whole fucking time & that's not a GnR vibe- to me  is a great front man for a "girl Rock" kind of band like Nickelback or Goo Goo Dolls so I was real dissappointed to hear Slash is doing another CD with him & not VR.

I will still go to see SLASH play live but only to see him play, so IMO continuing to work with Myles is his worst decision for I completely hate his style- so NOT bad- ass!

[LongGoneDay]

SLASH has done a terric job of becoming a "stand--Alone" commercial success- which was always his top goal after leaving guns- gotta hand it to him for that. Whether you agree with how he did it is just a personal thing.  I personally would love to see VR get back together- that's where I enjoy him the most ( other than in Guns) there were also many good songs on his last solo record except the 2 songs with Myles Kennedy- they were weak as hell. I know everyone says he can hit all the GNR notes but after seeing them live, he just doesnt have the venom or stage swagger to to pull off GNR songs. He is happy & smilling the whole fucking time & that's not a GnR vibe- to me  is a great front man for a "girl Rock" kind of band like Nickelback or Goo Goo Dolls so I was real dissappointed to hear Slash is doing another CD with him & not VR.

I will still go to see SLASH play live but only to see him play, so IMO continuing to work with Myles is his worst decision for I completely hate his style- so NOT bad- ass!

I got the feeling that Myles knew his place on the tour. He knew it was Slash's name on the tickets, he was the guy the fans came to see.
Maybe he stepped back a bit because of it. Maybe next time it will be different, since it sounds like it's more of a formal band now. Maybe not. Who knows?

I personally thought he was fine live. That's a lot of material to cover, and I can't think of many other people that could do it.
Sure, he doesn't sound anywhere near as good as Axl does singing GNR songs, but who could be expected to?

He's certainly not a showman like Scott or Axl, and he doesn't have as strong a voice as either of them, but he gets the job done.
Besides, who out there today is a good singer/songwriter/showman and available?

I thought Stockdale sounded amazing with Slash, and he'd probably be my first pick off of the solo record to record an entire album with.
I wasn't real impressed with his stage presence or live performances that I have seen though, albeit youtube.
Unfortunately, aside from the already established, the days of great frontmen appear to be long gone. Gotta take what you can get!

[rebelhipi]

watz up with that 1997 long forgotten thing never heard about it?
 

The point of me bringing that up was that he quit GN'R and his next project following his departure a few months later was playing with Blackstreet! 

ok i just watched it and ... what the fuck was that!? 
and if one of the main reasons leaving guns was that guns was playing a bit different music and it wasent rock enough well why did he do that then?

[faldor]

SLASH has done a terric job of becoming a "stand--Alone" commercial success- which was always his top goal after leaving guns- gotta hand it to him for that. Whether you agree with how he did it is just a personal thing.  I personally would love to see VR get back together- that's where I enjoy him the most ( other than in Guns) there were also many good songs on his last solo record except the 2 songs with Myles Kennedy- they were weak as hell. I know everyone says he can hit all the GNR notes but after seeing them live, he just doesnt have the venom or stage swagger to to pull off GNR songs. He is happy & smilling the whole fucking time & that's not a GnR vibe- to me  is a great front man for a "girl Rock" kind of band like Nickelback or Goo Goo Dolls so I was real dissappointed to hear Slash is doing another CD with him & not VR.

I will still go to see SLASH play live but only to see him play, so IMO continuing to work with Myles is his worst decision for I completely hate his style- so NOT bad- ass!

Good points.  I also think in part of his attempt to stay relevant and in the spotlight post GNR, he had to take a lot more chances.  Thus the more misses.  Not every appearance, collaboration, etc. is going to be a homerun.  People are going to like some more than others, some are not going to go over well at all. 

I agree with Bodhi's original list being far from impressive, but you could pick apart each and every entertainers worst decisions and come up with lists that are equally as unimpressive.  The BIGGEST bad decision Slash made, that led to most of the others, was the decision to quit Guns N' Roses.  BUT, as others have pointed out, there were many valid reasons for him leaving.  The situation had come to a head and the band was no longer functioning in a positive manner, to put it politely.  And it was probably a good decision for him health-wise as well, though he didn't exactly clean up until YEARS later anyway.

So my answer to the question would be that Slash has made a fair number of bad decisions, but who hasn't?  And no, he's not the WORST.  Pete Best leaving the Beatles was much worse.  And to a lesser extent, for any Stern fans out there, Jackie Martling leaving The Howard Stern Show.

[One.In.A.Million]

The biggest problem with Slash is that, he's at he's absolute best with a great frontman like Axl or Scott. 

Slash needs someone who can pull just as much attention from the crowd as himself, and that's the problem with Myles. I don't like Slash's projects where he is the main attraction, like Snakepit, SLASH, and whenever he performs with other artists...

That's why VR came across really well, because it had the same components to original GN'R in a way. Duff was there, as was Matt, and then you had Scott who really became a real presence onstage, and that's what Slash needs. 

It's kind of like a TV show where there's a group of actors, and you really dig the one who's kind of in the background. And when he becomes big enough to brake away and create a show by themself, and he's the lead role. And then you discover that you don't like him as much as you thought, and you wished he was back in the background appearing now and then.

(A bit like the "Friends", and the "Joey" comparrison)

[Axlfanatic]

^^
exactly.

[LongGoneDay]

I don't think many people would argue that Slash and Axl did their best work together, but that's the past and no longer an option.
I liked VR. It was a small breath of fresh air when rock music was almost non existent. Scott's best days were behind him though, his best work was w/the Deleo bros, and even with them he made, and continues to make some doozies. VR to me was an amazing live band, with some good studio albums. Never felt like they totally gelled to me.

Unfortunately, I'm not too optimistic that the guy VR is looking for exists.

I'm curious as to how many listens people have given Slash's solo album. It's pretty amazing, especially when you consider the fact that he plays all guitar parts, besides Izzy's on the opener. How he managed to make a cohesive sounding album, with multiple singers and musicians is beyond me. It's something few bands manage to do today. It's one of the better sounding albums I've heard in a long time as far as production goes as well.

Looking at bands of Slash's era, and bands that have broken up, very few guitarists have been more successful or productive.

I think Axl and Slash would find the Friends comparison to be offensive, haha.
Friends and Joey sucked.

[One.In.A.Million]

I don't think many people would argue that Slash and Axl did their best work together, but that's the past and no longer an option.
I liked VR. It was a small breath of fresh air when rock music was almost non existent. Scott's best days were behind him though, his best work was w/the Deleo bros, and even with them he made, and continues to make some doozies. VR to me was an amazing live band, with some good studio albums. Never felt like they totally gelled to me.

Unfortunately, I'm not too optimistic that the guy VR is looking for exists.

I'm curious as to how many listens people have given Slash's solo album. It's pretty amazing, especially when you consider the fact that he plays all guitar parts, besides Izzy's on the opener. How he managed to make a cohesive sounding album, with multiple singers and musicians is beyond me. It's something few bands manage to do today. It's one of the better sounding albums I've heard in a long time as far as production goes as well.

Looking at bands of Slash's era, and bands that have broken up, very few guitarists have been more successful or productive.

I think Axl and Slash would find the Friends comparison to be offensive, haha.
Friends and Joey sucked.

Just for the record, I'm one of those people who has never watched either Friends or Joey. It was the only comparrison I could think of, and I think it explains the sentiments of the situation between GN'R and Slash pretty well...

It's also abit like the Brian May Band, where he as the guitarist was the main attraction. I don't think Queen fans would dis-agree, that they prefer Brian in Queen where he was in the background, behind a masterfull showman. and where he was able to have his moments of magic, in a traditional band setting. 

[faldor]

I'm curious as to how many listens people have given Slash's solo album. It's pretty amazing, especially when you consider the fact that he plays all guitar parts, besides Izzy's on the opener. How he managed to make a cohesive sounding album, with multiple singers and musicians is beyond me. It's something few bands manage to do today. It's one of the better sounding albums I've heard in a long time as far as production goes as well.

I don't think many people are dissing his solo album.  I've heard a few say they don't like the Myles songs, or the fact that he's doing his next album with Myles, but overall I think his solo album was pretty well received.

I actually think the 2 Myles tracks are 2 of the best on the album, and I dig MOST of the songs.  There are a handful I could care less about, but I still pop it in and crank it every once in awhile.  I did so yesterday driving around in fact.

[DeN]

Slash blamed social networks for spreading the rumor that Taylor was joining the group

maybe he can just blame his brother?