SLASH Talks About Musical Influences, Staying Clean And Sober

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

The List: How did you first get into rock music?

Slash: It's funny you should ask me that because I was thinking along those lines about ten minutes ago. I think when I was a kid, and I was in England and it was all about THE [ROLLING] STONES, THE WHO, THE KINKS and THE BEATLES and that's what my dad was into. My dad was a real rebel tearaway art student, one of those kids, that whole generation. And that's what I was raised on in England, but when I moved to the states it was about THE DOORS and LED ZEPPELIN and everything else that was going on. We had a really vast music collection and I was raised around rock 'n' roll, it's just the way it was. So when I got to be about 13 or 14, I started listening — even though my parents music was way cool — to contemporary hard rock at that time, which was AEROSMITH, CHEAP TRICK, BLACK SABBATH, AC/DC, TED NUGENT and all that, and that's just where I came from. I always loved rock guitar. I just never put it together that that's what I'd end up doing. I had no aspirations to be a musician, but I picked up a guitar for two seconds and haven't put it down since.

The List: What do you think it is that makes you so unique as a guitarist?

Slash: I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm not really sure how I got to the place where I'm at. I have my moments as a player — that definitely translate emotionally — that really come from a sincere place, and maybe people pick up on that, or maybe it's just the riffs, I don't know. But it's been sort of cool to be recognized as a decent guitar player. That's one of the things that I've always wanted to be able to do, to be at the top of my game, for me personally, just to be getting better as a guitar player, being able to communicate with the guitar better and better as I go, and I think that's started to work a little bit. In other words, I have no fucking clue.

The List: How different is it touring now you are clean and sober?

Slash: When it came to touring, it wasn't really about the drugs. I was never much of a druggie on the road — that was always at home when I was off the road I would fall into the abyss through boredom — but on tour it was really about booze, and I just burnt out on drinking 24 hours a day for the last 35 years, so I don't really miss it. Everything's really the same. I still party all the time and hang out with everyone who drinks, but I just don't personally, and don't really have the desire to get blitzed drunk any more. But nothing really seems odd to me. I think the focus for me is all about music at this point, so I'm happy to be in that place where I'm just looking forward to playing and just hanging out.

The List: What's the current status of GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER?

Slash: VELVET REVOLVER's just on stand-by. I've got this tour to do, so when I get done with this I want to get back in earnest to try and figure out who'll do the singing chores with that band and make another record. With GUNS N' ROSES, the status is the same now as in 1996 — really, there hasn't been any change.

Read the entire interview from The List.