SLASH: 'I'm Not Really Dictated By Other People's Expectations'

August 6, 2012

Daniel Brockman of The Boston Phoenix recently conducted an interview with legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Boston Phoenix: People go on about the volatility of rock and roll, its importance. And your stuff has always come together really quickly: this [solo] band, VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES. How important is it to you to have projects that come together quickly, would you say that that's your M.O.?

Slash: Umm, well, I mean, sometimes you can really sit down and work on something and plan it out. VELVET REVOLVER was something that started from a very quick, uh, sudden and spontaneous thing with Duff [McKagan] and Matt [Sorum] and I, but then it became… um, trying to think of the right word. And then there became a lot of work with the whole vocalist thing. But this new band was very spontaneous. GUNS, actually, there were a lot of different versions or versions of GUNS N' ROSES before the "Appetite" lineup fell into place. This [solo band] wasn't like that;, it really just came out of nowhere.

The Boston Phoenix: Do you find that, with each project, there are a lot of expectations, that people expect all sorts of fireworks for anything that you do, especially to match the insanity of GN'R?

Slash: I'm not really dictated by other people's expectations. It's really about my own, and that's pretty much where all the work is. You know, trying to do something that I A) like and B) enjoy doing. And trying to find something that I agree with, and that's pretty much the biggest pressure; it doesn't really come from the outside.

The Boston Phoenix: On a certain level, as a guitarist, you need a singer, but you're always trying to push your voice through the music. Is that what you angle for, to get your melodic voice in there no matter what group of people you're playing with?

Slash: I'm constantly looking to be turned on. I can do music that is fine, but that doesn't, umm, it doesn't satisfy my musical sensibility, personally. So in other words, I'm looking for things that turn me on melodically, or whatever else turns me on: energy, a groove, emotion. And that's what I'm looking to achieve, so I write stuff every day, come up with ideas every day, and when I start to expand on those ideas, working with the band, I'm trying to achieve something of almost orgasmic proportions. And that's what I do, that's basically it! I'm looking for something that feels right to me, because everything I'm doing is to satisfy me, musically. And it's true when I'm working with people, I'm looking for the right combination of people to achieve that. So that's why I'm really happy now, I love the singer and the drummer and the bass player is fucking fantastic. And they bring me that much closer to doing that which excites me.

Read the entire interview from The Boston Phoenix.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).