Is Slash the Worst Decision Maker in Rock History?

[m_rated96]

What do you mean by bad decision? Because there's a difference between a bad decision for ME and for Slash.

Look it at from the guys perspective; every decision he's made makes sense, i've never been suprised. You can explain away each one.

He's rich as fuck. he's seriously well loved by mainstreams and die hards. He could go down the path of trying to make millions again, and join a band and brand it and have a comittment to 4 guys and be a member of a team with equal decisions etc.

Stressful but a good payoff.

Or he can just kick back a bit, do what he wants, however much of it he wants and get all the good bits of being in a band and none of the bads! AND still have a chance of making it big Santana style.

I think Slash loves Myles as a dude. They're good friends, and Myles probably kisses his ass most of the time. Slash also thinks Myles has a great voice. So for him, Myles is a low stress, enjoyable time

Now, if VR (and maybe even 2012 Guns reunion possibilities) weren't in the background, I don't think Slash would be so ; because if this Solo experiment falls through, he's nothing; a faded away rock star. That would make being solo VERY stressful.

But in the current situation, I see it as Slash taking a bit of a break from his 'major projects' & experimenting - while still putting in enough effort, so if the Solo thing does take off it could become a major project. I think he wants to not quit the Solo thing before its peak; when he feels that it has run its course, he'll head back to VR.

[Bodhi]

The whole reason I made this thread in the first place is completely justified by...........South Park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6pkdUkupsE

[jacdaniel]

The whole reason I made this thread in the first place is completely justified by...........South Park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6pkdUkupsE

 

I see were you are coming from with the thread but i think most of his bad decisions are not really relative to his music career, which is what I am a fan of.   

Quitting Guns was more of a neccesary decision than a bad one.  That version of the band had run its course.  While Im not a fan of Snakepit, i think that was always just more of a fun thing.
I think starting VR was a good decision and also VR breaking up when they did was a good choice. 

He has done things that I would of preferred him not to do... but i just kinda ignore it.  If he ever makes an album with a rapper or something, then i might get upset.  But i don't mind as long as his albums and main projects are cool.

To be honest i think Perla probably causes more trouble than people realize.  She's the one that tried to get Slash to meet Axl.  Scott seems to have issues with her from the VR break up and even Slash filed for divorce.

[LongGoneDay]

I think he's closer to the best decision maker than the worst.

He managed to form another highly successful rock n roll band when the genre was dead.
VR was a good studio band and an amazing live act.

He managed to get sober.

He put out a successful solo album, in my opinion his best work since Guns.
You definitely get your moneys worth when you go see him and his touring band live.

What more do you really want from him?

Compare him with anyone that comes from a successful band that imploded, and he's doing as well, if not better than any of them.

Jeff Beck, the greatest living guitarist in my opinion has been putting out quality records and tours the last few years, but in the 80's and 90's he was pumping out some pretty forgettable, and some awful stuff. Perry, Taylor, Page etc aren't exactly setting the world on fire these days. Metallica is still huge, but Kirk hasn't played an interesting note in 20 years.

I would try and enjoy the fact that he's out there, because rock n roll guitarists are a dying breed.
Classic GNR may still be dominating the airwaves had they been able to work things out, but more than one member agreed the band had run it's course. Considering the fact that he's been out of the band since '96, and still just as recognizable as when GNR was in it's prime, in an age where rock music is dead and Lady Gaga is all the rage, I think it's hard to argue against the fact that he's made good decisions.

[LongGoneDay]

Maybe off topic, but since I've shot down the Slash argument, I'll give my vote to Mick Taylor, who helped make the Rolling Stones the greatest rock band to ever walk this planet.
Then he left in '74, and has done next to nothing since. I enjoy his solo records, but they are a far cry, as most records are, from Let it Bleed, Exile on Main St, Sticky Fingers etc.

I guess health had a lot to do with it, though he's gone back and fourth with that. Either way, from a musical standpoint, it has to be viewed as a bad decision.
Stones went from great, to bland after he left, and eventually a mediocre at best studio band(after Some Girls).

The next time they would put out good music was when they went to the vaults and used material Taylor had worked on, and released it on Tattoo You.
Plundered My Soul being another more recent example. Guy can still play.

[Bodhi]

Maybe off topic, but since I've shot down the Slash argument,

haha you didn't shoot the Slash argument down at all, not even close. All you said is that you are a fan of Slash.  You made no attempt to excuse his horrendous decisions in which he whores himself out so much that other people like Trey Parker and Matt Stone have started to notice, not just us on the message boards.  By decisions I am not talking entirely about his album releases, VR/Snakepit etc...I'm talking about the Super Bowl, the Fergie nonsense, all of the sell out crap he does.  I've always said I like his work, but he embarrasses the shit out of me sometimes with where and who he chooses to share his talents.

Also Im not sure what world you live in where guitar players are a dying breed, there are guys in their 20's who play circles around Slash and write way better music than anything he has done since GNR.  For example,  Avenged Sevenfold are the biggest hard rock band in the country right now, and Synyster Gates playing is a huge part of that.  He is a modern day guitar hero.  Slash hasn't put out one record since Guns that can touch anything Avenged has put out in the last 8 years.  The one song he did with M. Shadows on his solo album was his attempt at an A7X song, and you could tell it was a notch above his skill level, extremely sloppy, bad tone.  There is a lot of good music out there dude.  The world doesn't begin and end with Slash.

[LongGoneDay]

Maybe off topic, but since I've shot down the Slash argument,

haha you didn't shoot the Slash argument down at all, not even close. All you said is that you are a fan of Slash.  You made no attempt to excuse his horrendous decisions in which he whores himself out so much that other people like Trey Parker and Matt Stone have started to notice, not just us on the message boards.  By decisions I am not talking entirely about his album releases, VR/Snakepit etc...I'm talking about the Super Bowl, the Fergie nonsense, all of the sell out crap he does.  I've always said I like his work, but he embarrasses the shit out of me sometimes with where and who he chooses to share his talents.

Also Im not sure what world you live in where guitar players are a dying breed, there are guys in their 20's who play circles around Slash and write way better music than anything he has done since GNR.  For example,  Avenged Sevenfold are the biggest hard rock band in the country right now, and Synyster Gates playing is a huge part of that.  He is a modern day guitar hero.  Slash hasn't put out one record since Guns that can touch anything Avenged has put out in the last 8 years.  The one song he did with M. Shadows on his solo album was his attempt at an A7X song, and you could tell it was a notch above his skill level, extremely sloppy, bad tone.  There is a lot of good music out there dude.  The world doesn't begin and end with Slash.

The shooting down comment was just busting balls...

That said, you care about all the things that don't matter to me.
I'm a fan of Slash because I enjoy listening to the music he makes.

He has stayed pretty true to what he is since he came into the mainstream, a rock n roll guitarist.
His name ranks up there with legends like Page, Beck, Taylor, Perry.
For that reason, people want him to play on their albums, and make live appearances.

You gotta keep it in perspective.
Synyster Gates doesn't rank among those names.
If I were a betting man, I'd bet my house he never will.
I don't think his cell phone is blowing up in quite the same manner.
If it were, we could very well see him collaborating with artists you'd prefer he didn't.
If he ends up having half the career/staying power that Slash has put together, you might have to make a thread about his decision making. He's got a long way to go before we have to worry about that though.

I've heard the argument many times over about people being able to "play circles" around Slash, or Perry or whomever they are trying to disparage. Thing is, I've never heard these guys play an Estranged, or November Rain caliber solo.
They can play circles around him all the way into obscurity, once the novelty wears off.

If you focus on the music, I don't think there is much to complain about with Slash.
If you're looking for a decision made that you can disagree with, you'll find it with Slash, and every other artist who ever lived.

[Bodhi]

Synyster Gates doesn't rank among those names.
If I were a betting man, I'd bet my house he never will.
I don't think his cell phone is blowing up in quite the same manner.
If it were, we could very well see him collaborating with artists you'd prefer he didn't.
If he ends up having half the career/staying power that Slash has put together, you might have to make a thread about his decision making. He's got a long way to go before we have to worry about that though.

I've heard the argument many times over about people being able to "play circles" around Slash, or Perry or whomever they are trying to disparage. Thing is, I've never heard these guys play an Estranged, or November Rain caliber solo.
They can play circles around him all the way into obscurity, once the novelty wears off.

I don't really care about technical proficiency either, but it is a nice thing to have.  I was saying that Gates is a better songwriter than post-GNR Slash, and some of the stuff off of the last 3 Avenged albums is on par with Slash's GNR work.  Just my opinion.  I wouldn't bet your house on Gates not making it to legend status by the time he hits Page and Perry's age.  The dude is only 29, has several platinum albums, several books and dvd's dedicated to learning his playing style and has the respect of James Hetfield and a lot of the other legends in the business.  Avenged is a pretty big band.  He is 12 years into his career and not even 30 yet.  Guitar World has done several cover features on him already, including this one with him and Joe Perry.  He's certainly on his way to gaining the respect of the guitar playing world.

[Limulus]

i've never heard from that Avenged guitar dude, and i'm a huge music fan. Avenged aint that big in Germany IMO. putting that dude next to Slash is totally out of line.
better songwriter? have seen them 2 or 3 times on festivals.....nothing for my ears.
but Slash did some very cool songs, riffs and solos over the years!
its all subjective in the end 

[jacdaniel]

i've never heard from that Avenged guitar dude, and i'm a huge music fan. Avenged aint that big in Germany IMO. putting that dude next to Slash is totally out of line.
better songwriter? have seen them 2 or 3 times on festivals.....nothing for my ears.
but Slash did some very cool songs, riffs and solos over the years!
its all subjective in the end 

They ain't big in Ireland either.  Maybe its just America... 
Some of their stuff is decent but he has nothing on Slash IMO.   

[Bodhi]

i've never heard from that Avenged guitar dude, and i'm a huge music fan. Avenged aint that big in Germany IMO. putting that dude next to Slash is totally out of line.
better songwriter? have seen them 2 or 3 times on festivals.....nothing for my ears.
but Slash did some very cool songs, riffs and solos over the years!
its all subjective in the end 

Definitely its all subjective, and I didn't put him in Slash's class I said he has potential when he reaches Slash's age.  He has accomplished a lot at a very young age. 

Also David Hasselhoff is as big as  Michael Jackson in Germany, so maybe Avenged not being big in Germany isn't actually a bad thing..

[Bodhi]

They ain't big in Ireland either.  Maybe its just America... 
Some of their stuff is decent but he has nothing on Slash IMO.   

listen to the solo in "Afterlife", "Save Me" or "Buried Alive", give some of those a shot, he seems to evolve on every record.  Guys like Slash and Angus Young haven't evolved at all since their first record.  The guys who I consider some of the best of all time, Eddie Van Halen, Dave Mustaine, Hetfield and Hammett all evolved over the course of their careers.  Slash is definitely up there as one of my favorites of all time, but it feels like he peaked during the Illusions, and most of his work after that is just different variations of what he did from 87-91.  I'm not saying I want someone to go off the deep end as far as being experimental, but subtle changes are cool, which is why i liked his solo album  and really had my fingers crossed for the Corey Taylor thing that never panned out.  The only songs I wasn't too stoked about were the Myles songs and the Ian one, cause just sounds like recycled Snakepit riffs, heard it already.  Now he is doing a whole solo cd with just Myles(which is part of the main reason I started the thread).

[LongGoneDay]

Synyster Gates doesn't rank among those names.
If I were a betting man, I'd bet my house he never will.
I don't think his cell phone is blowing up in quite the same manner.
If it were, we could very well see him collaborating with artists you'd prefer he didn't.
If he ends up having half the career/staying power that Slash has put together, you might have to make a thread about his decision making. He's got a long way to go before we have to worry about that though.

I've heard the argument many times over about people being able to "play circles" around Slash, or Perry or whomever they are trying to disparage. Thing is, I've never heard these guys play an Estranged, or November Rain caliber solo.
They can play circles around him all the way into obscurity, once the novelty wears off.

I don't really care about technical proficiency either, but it is a nice thing to have.  I was saying that Gates is a better songwriter than post-GNR Slash, and some of the stuff off of the last 3 Avenged albums is on par with Slash's GNR work.  Just my opinion.  I wouldn't bet your house on Gates not making it to legend status by the time he hits Page and Perry's age.  The dude is only 29, has several platinum albums, several books and dvd's dedicated to learning his playing style and has the respect of James Hetfield and a lot of the other legends in the business.  Avenged is a pretty big band.  He is 12 years into his career and not even 30 yet.  Guitar World has done several cover features on him already, including this one with him and Joe Perry.  He's certainly on his way to gaining the respect of the guitar playing world.

That's cool, I'll take your word for it. Avenged Sevenfold just really isn't my bag, but I can appreciate the fact that you, and obviously a lot of other people dig em.

[jacdaniel]

They ain't big in Ireland either.  Maybe its just America... 
Some of their stuff is decent but he has nothing on Slash IMO.   

listen to the solo in "Afterlife", "Save Me" or "Buried Alive", give some of those a shot, he seems to evolve on every record.  Guys like Slash and Angus Young haven't evolved at all since their first record.  The guys who I consider some of the best of all time, Eddie Van Halen, Dave Mustaine, Hetfield and Hammett all evolved over the course of their careers.  Slash is definitely up there as one of my favorites of all time, but it feels like he peaked during the Illusions, and most of his work after that is just different variations of what he did from 87-91.  I'm not saying I want someone to go off the deep end as far as being experimental, but subtle changes are cool, which is why i liked his solo album  and really had my fingers crossed for the Corey Taylor thing that never panned out.  The only songs I wasn't too stoked about were the Myles songs and the Ian one, cause just sounds like recycled Snakepit riffs, heard it already.  Now he is doing a whole solo cd with just Myles(which is part of the main reason I started the thread).

Will definitly have a listen   
Myles is a singer that really seems to divide opinion.  Those 2 tracks seem to be people's favourites or least favourite 

I was excited about hearing VR with Corey too, sad that it didnt pan out.

[LongGoneDay]

They ain't big in Ireland either.  Maybe its just America... 
Some of their stuff is decent but he has nothing on Slash IMO.   

lGuys like Slash and Angus Young haven't evolved at all since their first record. 

I would say that Slash evolved a ton from AFD to the Illusions, as did the entire band. AFD is amazing, and I thought they took it to another level on UYI without straying too far from their roots. It's totally up to the artist to choose what direction they want to go in, but there is the reality that they will alienate the majority of their fan base if they get carried away. Some artists care what their fans think, some don't. I can appreciate that. I personally don't want to hear Slash stray to far because there is a shortage of good rock guitarists to begin with(in my opinion). Jeff Beck is one of my favorite guitarists of all time, and he's about as experimental as they come. Some of his records are gold, and some of them are dog shit. I don't mind him trying something different, and I don't mind Slash sticking to his bread and butter. Slash's solo album is pretty versatile by the way. I'm not sure how much Hetfield has evolved. i think Metallica mailed it in back in 1991, and have been putting out pretty cookie cutter sounding stuff for a long time. I'm a huge fan, I think they are the greatest HM band since Sabbath, but not digging anything recent. Death Magnetic was okay I guess. Mustaine is a freak, but not sure he's really "evolving". Endgame is a return to form. Countdown from Rust in Peace was an evolution. Youthanasia was a continuation of that style, Cryptic was a failed attempt to cross over, and then he lost his fucking mind and a lot of fans for a while. Endgame is his best work in years, but is really just a modern day thrash record.

[LongGoneDay]

Mustaine finally finding a guitarist in Friedman's stratosphere certainly didn't hurt either.

[Limulus]

Also David Hasselhoff is as big as  Michael Jackson in Germany, so maybe Avenged not being big in Germany isn't actually a bad thing..

NOTHING AGAINST THE HOFF!!!!!   

listen to the solo in "Afterlife", "Save Me" or "Buried Alive", give some of those a shot, he seems to evolve on every record

thanks, will look out for those songs.

Slash is definitely up there as one of my favorites of all time, but it feels like he peaked during the Illusions

seriously i feel that with Axl aswell, but then again he didnt release a shit over the years. on the other hand AFD already was the peak.

i think Metallica mailed it in back in 1991, and have been putting out pretty cookie cutter sounding stuff for a long time. I'm a huge fan, I think they are the greatest HM band since Sabbath

nah, that has to be Iron Maiden!!

Mustaine is a freak, but not sure he's really "evolving".  Endgame is his best work in years, but is really just a modern day thrash record.

Endgame is technically very nice but it just misses great songs!!

[LongGoneDay]

Also David Hasselhoff is as big as  Michael Jackson in Germany, so maybe Avenged not being big in Germany isn't actually a bad thing..

Slash is definitely up there as one of my favorites of all time, but it feels like he peaked during the Illusions

seriously i feel that with Axl aswell, but then again he didnt release a shit over the years. on the other hand AFD already was the peak.

i think Metallica mailed it in back in 1991, and have been putting out pretty cookie cutter sounding stuff for a long time. I'm a huge fan, I think they are the greatest HM band since Sabbath

nah, that has to be Iron Maiden!!

Mustaine is a freak, but not sure he's really "evolving".  Endgame is his best work in years, but is really just a modern day thrash record.

Endgame is technically very nice but it just misses great songs!!

I think they all peaked during the Illusion albums. Tough to top those.

I love me some Maiden.

I agree about Endgame. The guitars are amazing, but lyrics leave a lot to be desired.
Still refreshing to hear, after a real tough stretch of lousy records.

[D]

I didn't wanna even respond to any of this nonsense, but its Friday night and I am bored


The Censorship police will have a field day with this post but if someone can come on here attacking my favorite guitarist of all time, i think i should get the same opportunity to defend these ridiculous statements.

First off, Slash has written 2 or 3 of the greatest guitar solos of all time.

2. Slash voted 2nd greatest guitarist of all time in Time Magazine 

3. Slash is the sympathetic figure in the GNR breakup and is thought of being the victim therefore he has won the media war etc..

4. Slash is a guitar player... These guys don't get the same level of recognition or fame as frontmen, so Slash HASSSSS to promote and sell himself. He has no choice. If Slash hadn't done some of these things, He'd be a complete has been right now and in the Where are they now pile. he has kept himself relevant even if it required some sell outish crappy things.

5. If u have ever illegally Downloaded a music CD, u have no right to question anything a musician does to make money as their ability to live has been stolen away by thieves. If they gotta do some commercials or this and that. Today its more than ok.. maybe not 20 years ago but today it is fine.

6. EVER MAJOR LABEL MUSICIAN SELLS OUT IN SOME WAY.. so just hush with the nonsense
7.Contraband was out of this world successful, his solo album has been extremely successful as well.

8. If someone turned down the opportunity to perform in front of a billion people on national TV.. they should be shot.. nothing wrong with what Slash did. hell he has helped promote GNR's back catalog

9. Grammy thing was terrible but still, go back to number 4.. if u can get on the grammy's and gain exposure for a cd u self financed... u do what u gotta do as an indy artist

10. its the same double standard hypocritical bullshit, Slash does a video game is a sell out.. Axl does one its the coolest thing of all time... Slash does Wolkswagon commercial Axl lends song for Harley Davidson. Slash does Guitar Hero axl does Rockband... not to mention the tons of movies Axl has allowed GNR songs to be used in.. Slash talks about Axl in interviews and OH SHIT he is using Axl to promote VR and to sell albums.... Axl talks shit about Slash in every interview but no one says Oh Axl is using Slash to promote CD etc...  Slash is a sell out but YET walked away from the biggest band in the world.... so if he is all about the money, why not just stick it out in Guns?

Slash's Snakepit's first album actually went platinum.. do some research

11.  Slash and Axl are the same only different sides of the spectrum... As much as its rock n roll for Axl to not do certain things.. its just as much rock n roll Slash doing them and not giving a fuck what anybody thinks about it.


12. Read ur sig about old band/new band and realize u totally are going against ur whole philosophy.

13. The fact Slash is still relevant and HUGE today, 15 years after quitting GNR proves ur entire post to be ridiculously off base.

[sleeper]

D, that was a great post! I could not agree more.