SLASH -

SLASH - "There Were A Lot Of Rumours About GUNS N' ROSES Going Around That Was Really Getting To Me"


The following story is courtesy of CityNews.ca:

He plays heavy metal notes with a passion few others can match. But it turns out those aren't the only notes veteran axeman SLASH kept all those years. He's assembled enough of his experiences as the guitar god for GUNS N' ROSES to put them into a book. And this road warrior isn't afraid to tell all.

The real Saul Hudson's tome, Slash, is filled with tales from his beginnings with G'nR to his new incarnation in Velvet Revolver. The man looks the same - the characteristic mane and the ever present cigarette, hat and sunglasses. But he admits he's changed over the years of seeing so many strange things happening in his life. And it's his only chance to set the record straight.

"There were a lot of rumours about Guns 'N Roses going around that was really getting to me, you know," he confesses. "It was like stuff that I usually, you know, sort of just dismiss and don't pay much attention to, but it got to be really saturating and I got fed up and I said, 'okay, the only way I'm going to be able to get some accurate information out there, from at least the way that I see it, is to actually do the book.'"

Read more here.

View a video interview with Slash at this location.

SLASH Video Interview

www.CityNews.ca has issued the following report:

"He plays heavy metal notes with a passion few others can match. But it turns out those aren't the only notes veteran axeman Slash kept all those years. He's assembled enough of his experiences as the guitar god for GUNS N' ROSES to put them into a book. And this road warrior isn't afraid to tell all.

The real Saul Hudson's tome, "Slash", is filled with tales from his beginnings with G'nR to his new incarnation in Velvet Revolver. The man looks the same - the characteristic mane and the ever present cigarette, hat and sunglasses. But he admits he's changed over the years of seeing so many strange things happening in his life. And it's his only chance to set the record straight.

"There was a lot of rumours about Guns N' Roses going around that was really getting to me, you know," he confesses. "It was like stuff that I usually, you know, sort of just dismiss and don't pay much attention to, but it got to be really saturating and I got fed up and I said, 'okay, the only way I'm going to be able to get some accurate information out there, from at least the way that I see it, is to actually do the book.'"

Read the full story and check out the video at this location.

SLASH On Working With Axl Again - "I Always Say 'Never Say Never’ But It’s Not Going To Happen In The Foreseeable Future"

Metro.co.uk conducted a 60 Second Interview with guitar legend Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) recently. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

www.Metro.co.uk: What was the high point of your time in Guns N’ Roses?
Slash: "The whole thing was a high point. It was the best thing I could have got involved with. I always judged how successful we were by the response from the fans. Towards the end it was overwhelming. The biggest concerts we did were two Rock In Rio festivals, where we played to more than 190,000 people. Playing in front of that many people is a lot to take in so I hid behind the guitar, the hat, the hair, the cigarette – but you can definitely still feel them out there."

www.Metro.co.uk: Will you ever work with Axl Rose again?
Slash: "I always say ‘never say never’ but it’s not going to happen in the foreseeable future."

www.Metro.co.uk: You’ve worked with a variety of famous musicians. With whom did you get on best?
Slash: "I really got on great with almost all of them. MICHAEL JACKSON’s record was a special moment, so was working with IGGY POP, LENNY KRAVITZ and RAY CHARLES. A not-so-great one was with Bob Dylan. That was a huge learning experience. I was recommended for a guitar solo on his track 'Wiggle Wiggle' during one of his darker periods in the late 1980s. I put a solo on there that I was quite proud of and put an acoustic rhythm track underneath it. When I heard it, only the acoustic track was there. Apparently he took the solo off because it sounded too much like Guns N’ Roses."

www.Metro.co.uk: You were dead for eight minutes after a drugs overdose. Did you see a white light?
Slash: "No I didn’t. That would have been awesome. I was too inebriated to recall anything. That time was a oneoff. I’d kept my nose clean prior to that. I stayed away from drugs for a little while after."

www.Metro.co.uk: How did you hit upon wearing a top hat on stage?
Slash: "I just saw it in a store one day and thought it was cool. It just spoke to me and became an item I wore all the time."

Read more here.

SLASH Partners With Epiphone On New Signature Les Paul Standard Top

PRNewswire has issued the following press release:

Epiphone Guitar announced today the introduction of the new SLASH signature Les Paul Standard Plus Top electric guitar. Designed and produced in close cooperation with Slash, this new Epiphone combines all the great design features that have made the Les Paul guitar "the" rock guitar while Slash's own personal touches create a unique instrument destined to become an instant classic.

For twenty years, the spirit of rock 'n' roll has been embodied by one man. When he shot to fame with GUNS N' ROSES in 1987, Slash was the cool cat in the top hat, cranking out timeless riffs like 'Welcome To The Jungle' and 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. And, at the same time setting the standard by which all future guitar heroes would be measured. Now fast-forward to 2008 and he's doing exactly the same with VELVET REVOLVER.

The new Epiphone Slash Les Paul starts with all the basic features of an LP including a solid Mahogany body with a highly-figured, flame Maple top and glued-in Mahogany neck. Standard equipment now on most Epiphone models is the new LockTone(TM) stopbar/tune-o-matic system that secures the bridge and tailpiece to the guitar even without strings while adding as much as 20% more sustain. Unique to the Slash LP are features including, the neck joint which uses a long neck tenon typically found on late-1950's Les Pauls. Extending well into the neck pickup cavity, this provides more strength, more wood-to-wood contact and ultimately, more tone and sustain.

Next, the "Slash Custom" neck profile or shape is patterned after Slash's original Les Paul and his choice of pickups are two Seymour Duncan(TM) Alnico Pro-II open-coil humbuckers. Finally, the guitar features a Dark Tobacco Burst finish, nickel hardware and machine heads with vintage "tulip" buttons.

The new Epiphone Slash signature guitar will make its initial public debut at the upcoming Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA in January 2008. Projected U.S. MSRP is $1,165 and includes a certificate of authenticity. An optional hard case is available for $115. The Epiphone "Slash" will be available at authorized Epiphone retailers worldwide in December 2007. Slash will be making special appearances related to the launch. Details will be announced on http://www.epiphone.com/ over the next few weeks.

Epiphone fretted instruments, amplifiers, strings and accessories are known worldwide for offering the best combination of quality, performance and value. One of Gibson's most formidable competitors through the first half of the 20th century, Epiphone was acquired by Gibson in 1957. Headquartered in Nashville, Epiphone is part of the Gibson family of brands that includes Dobro, Valley Arts, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland, Maestro, Baldwin, Hamilton, Chickering and Wurlitzer.

SLASH Reflects On Book Signings




Former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist SLASH has issued the following blog detailing his recent book signings:

The whole book signing experience was pretty memorable because it was a whole different medium - I was promoting something I'm not familiar with. I'd walk into a book store and meet an audience that was somewhat similar to the live audience that I perform for, but the demographic was all over the place. It went from six and seven year olds, all the way to 60 and 70 year olds, and everyone in between. When I'm standing on a stage in front of a room full of people, I don't really notice any 70 year olds, on the average. The cool thing about the signings was being in a position to actually stand toe to toe with people who are fans - or just curious. I got to look them in the eye, shake their hands, and sometimes even get names. It was a very different experience for me. It was personable and that was really cool. I was there with this piece of material, this book we just wrote and people were really into hearing what I had to say. It's different than putting out a record, which people listen to and then you see them when they show up at your gigs. At a book signing you're much more accessible, and your fans are right there, living and breathing in person. They are in front of you as individuals, not just as crowd you see from a stage.

I knew it was going to be different at the very first signing, at Barnes and Noble in New York City. I had taped Letterman just before it and was wearing a jacket and button down shirt for the show, so at the signing I took off my jacket and was there in my shirt, starting off this whole thing. This girl came up to the table and kind of looked me over and just said, "Slash, this is way too conservative for you." It dawned on me right then what a different element I was in.

All of the signings were fun but the best for me, the one where I was the most comfortable was the one at the Whiskey a Go-Go. We had a bar, and loud music was playing; it was a club environment and there was some jamming and stuff later that night. And it was in LA. I got up and played at that one, but the one that was most like an actual show was the one at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. I was actually on a stage - they built one stage in the atrium there in the biggest mall in America - hence the name. Unlike other places where people were lined up outside the store, they were lined up in front of the stage, like a crowd at a gig, as I sat up there signing books.

I felt sort of naked out there at the table at all of the signings without the backdrop of my band and crew - my gang. I was there with a bunch of people who work in the bookstore and I was in their store, trying to get away with smoking cigarettes. And sober. It was definitely a little bit different. The pressure was really on me to hold up my end of the bargain which was to be able to accept my audience. It was cool to do it; it was almost cathartic in a way. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, just being out there, meeting fans in this way. I have to say that everybody was genuinely really nice. I wasn't expecting anything bad, but I wasn't sure what they would be like. When you're just sitting there signing books at a table, it's possible that somebody can just walk right up you and go "You're a fucking asshole!" Doing a signing is like being the host of a big dinner party with a bunch of people you've never met. You just don't know what's gonna happen. But everybody was really really nice - endearing is the best word I can think of. They were full of compliments, and I don't take compliments that well, but it was really, really nice. Young and old, everyone was very cool, and we did signings for 800-1000 people per event. A lot of people brought stuff they wanted signed, like guitars, Guitar Hero controllers, pictures, all kinds of gifts. The thing was, I'd need to get into a whirlwind pace of signing just to get through that many books in the time period available - some people bought upwards of 40 books a piece that I had to sign one after the other with no break. In that type of situation, all you can do is sign it. Then I'd look someone in the eye as they'd try to hand me something that clearly meant something to them, and ask me, "Can you please just sign this? Please?" I really couldn't, because if I did one, I'd have to do every one. So what ended up happening was that I'd tell them to wait around until the end and I'd sign it later. I'd go outside and sign all of that in the parking lot for another hour or however long it took.

Who would have thought, though? I've never released a book, I've never been to a signing and outside of the library or a book store, knew nothing about books or publishing in general. I'd read them and that's it. I never thought about what goes into writing them or editing them or producing them in general. When we wrote this I thought it was only going to go out to those Guns N' Roses fans who cared - and I knew there were those - and no one else. I had no idea that we'd get a turnout like this, from the many different types of readers to the huge number of readers. I had no idea that the book we wrote would appeal to enough people to get it on top of the New York Times Bestseller list for over a month straight. I had no idea that what we were dong was working toward something that would become this big. Who knows... maybe that's why it's cool.

Slash