Although Slash has been a member of some of the biggest bands in rock, it took until 2010 for the legendary guitarist to step out as a solo musician. His self-titled solo debut paired his thrilling guitar work with some of the most famous voices in music (including Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie and Iggy Pop) and reminded everyone what a true guitar hero can do.
I’m a much better guitarist now I’m off drugs and alcohol, says Slash of Guns N’ RosesI don’t wake up and make a cocktail first thing in the morning these days. I don’t have a lot of vices I have to deal with first thing. I was a slave to my addiction, and had to take care of those first, so I don’t have that any more. It leaves more time to be productive.I always have a guitar by my side and I’m always out in circles where musicians hang out, or I’m in situations where I’m exposed to lots of different artists.I did a song with him [Iggy Pop] and Lenny Kravitz back in the early ’90s which was never released that was really cool. So we have an ongoing relationship.
I fuse everything together loosely with a basic rock ‘n’ roll approach, and it fits into a lot of different styles. Although a lot of people don’t do it, I like to take what I do and infuse it into some hip hop, some pop music, and other genres because it works. Most people are too scared to branch out that way, but I think it works really well.
The album flows really well. Did you spend a lot of time working on the track order and sequence?I appreciate that! As soon as I got into the studio and recorded four or five songs, I knew which song would be the first song, and I had a really good idea of which song was going to be the last song. We probably did three or, at tops, four different sequences before I found the sequence that worked. So it wasn’t too much time.
On stage, Myles preserves the initial integrity of the songs but he adds his own flare.
Myles is a godsend. When I was at the tail end of making the record, I had two songs left over that were two of my favorite pieces of music. Throughout the making of the record, I could not figure out who should sing them. The album was actually being mixed, and I realized I hadn’t gotten vocals on those two songs. Myles was somebody I’d never met, and I wasn’t really familiar with his style. I knew he was a good singer though. I just took a chance and called him to see what would happen. [...] Myles is great. Like you said, he makes the songs his own without ruining the integrity of the actual song itself. People dig him.
What’s next with Velvet Revolver? Are you still searching for a singer?Something like that! We’ve actually moved leaps and bounds in the last month. We should be making an announcement one way or another next month.check it out here: http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/slash-on-going-solo-ozzy-tour-making-horror-movies-and-heavier-velvet-revolver/8441875
…fast forward towards the end to hear Slash
via http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/23/conan-jack-black-guitar-off_n_800676.html?ref=tw
SLASH’S NEW AMPThe world exclusive review and a video demo of the Marshall Slash Signature AFD100 head that recreates the classic tone of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction. Find out why our jaws dropped.
Hey Slash enthusiasts,
If youre going to one of the upcoming shows in Omaha, NE on Jan 16; Dallas, TX on Jan 20; Wichita, KS on Jan 21; Las Vegas, NV on Jan 28 or Los Angeles, CA on Feb 1 then you have a chance to win a Guitar Hero signed by Slash. Go to the show and take a cool photo, submit it to SlashContest@gmail.com and the best photo from each gig will win a signed Beautiful Dangerous single. The best shot from the five gigs will win a signed Guitar Hero. (Grand prize winner will be announced on Feb 10th.)