SLASH 'Looking Forward' To Working On Solo Record

Eric Schelkopf of the Northwest Herald recently conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Northwest Herald: I understand that Japanese immigration officials wouldn't give you visas so you could play in that country. That must have been quite the blow.

Slash: We're trying to appeal that situation. It's nothing that we did since the last time we played there. But for whatever reason, they decided to do that. That obviously disappointed a lot of Japanese fans.

Northwest Herald: Ironically, the name of your latest album, "Libertad", is Spanish for "freedom."

Slash: Yeah, maybe that's it. Maybe Japan is turning Communist. It's a drag. We have a huge fan base there that are being denied concerts and whatnot.

Northwest Herald: There are three former members of GUNS N' ROSES in VELVET REVOLVER, including yourself. As far as the dynamic of VELVET REVOLVER, how do you think it is different from GUNS N' ROSES?

Slash: It's just a different band, that's the only way I can answer that. It's a rock band, and there's a lot of similarities to any of the rock bands I've been in. But it's a whole different group, really. I found that in most of the rock bands I've been involved with, the approach is pretty similar. You get together and listen to different ideas. It's a little bit more smooth sailing and a little bit faster in this band than it was in my last band.

Northwest Herald: Last year at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Sammy Hagar referred to you guys as the best rock 'n' roll band left on the planet. Do you guys see yourselves that way?

Slash: This is definitely one of the few real rock bands out there, as least that is getting played on the radio. The whole sort of rock 'n' roll spirit, and that whole energy and that vibe of living on the edge, is just rare among new groups. It's just the way it is.

Northwest Herald: So does this look to be a pretty big year for the band?

Slash: It's been great so far. We've done a lot of touring. We're definitely not going to tour as much as we did on the last record. That almost killed us. We were out for 2-1/2 years. In April, we are going to start working on the next record.

Northwest Herald: Any other projects you are working on?

Slash: Yeah, there's a couple of things here and there. There's a couple of recordings I have going on. I don't really talk about that stuff until it's out.

Northwest Herald: Any dream projects you are looking forward to?

Slash: I have a solo record that I'm looking forward to doing. But I'm not going to do it until the VELVET REVOLVER record is done. That will be in the next year or two.

Read the entire interview at www.nwherald.com.