SLASH Says GUNS N' ROSES Is 'Not Playing' At ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction

Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash spoke to the QMI Agency earlier today (Wednesday, March 21) about the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The 27th annual ceremony will be held on April 14 in Cleveland, Ohio, home to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum. Also scheduled to be inducted are RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, BEASTIE BOYS, THE SMALL FACES/FACES, Donovan and Laura Nyro. Freddie King well enter the Hall Of Fame as an Early Influence, while the late producer and TV host Don Kirshner will receive the Ahmet Ertegun (nonperformer) Award and producers Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd and Glyn Johns will receive the Award For Musical Excellence.

The ceremony will be taped for broadcast by HBO, which plans to air it in early May.

Slash told QMI Agency he had mixed emotions about the honor. "Either it hasn't hit me yet or maybe it's been so long since I had anything to do with GUNS N' ROSES that I just don't really get it," he said.

"And we're not playing. I would imagine that they asked us to play, but I know that we're not playing," he added.

Slash said that he expects former GN'R drummer Steven Adler to be there, too. "I could be positive Steven will be there," he said. "Steven wouldn't miss it." He was less certain of the attendance of the rest of GN'R's classic lineup, specifically the band's lead singer Axl Rose. The two have not spoken in years and Rose continues to hold a hostile stance toward his former bandmate.

"I don't know," Slash said when asked if Axl will make an appearance at the induction ceremony. "I would assume so but we haven't talked about it."

Ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan told RollingStone.com that there has been "no communication" about the original members of the band performing together when the group is inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked if he knew what was going to happen at the ceremony, McKagan answered, "I don't. I know I'm going to go. I can't, at all, speak for anybody else. And won't. I'll be there with bells on." But he added, "There's been no communication about anyone playing. There was probably a day in the mid-1990s where I would have tried to gather the troops, but I'm just not that guy anymore. It's too frustrating to change anyone else . . . I'm not even sure I'd want to change how anyone else sees a situation."

On whether he hoped that the original lineup would perform together at the event, McKagan said, "I think it would be killer. Do I hope to? That's a tricky question. It would be awesome. You have those day dreams like, 'We'll go up and play 'Nightrain' and 'Brownstone' and throw down the microphone and drop off! That'll be killer!' But I doubt that'll happen."

McKagan, singer Axl Rose, guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, and drummer Steven Adler will all be inducted into the Hall, along with later members, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and drummer Matt Sorum.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn