2018.09.25 - Triple M Brisbane - Interview with Slash

Transcript:

Interviewer: Hello Slash, how are you?

Slash: I'm good man, how are you doing?

I'm well brother, thank you. I should say congrats on the new record, Living the Dream. It is out right now. All these years later, is it still nerve wracking putting new stuff out into the world?

Slash: Well, you know what? I mean, in this particular case, I mean, usually it is, but we finished this record in May. So it's been how many months? Four months. So I'm pretty glad that it's finally out.

I: Which is fair enough. We've been spinning the hell out of Driving Rain, which it's got this great, really polished melodic chorus. Where in the writing process did that happen? Was that at the start, at the end?

Slash: Well, you know, what happens is like, we work up the music part of it, right? And then Myles starts thinking about these different melodies and so on. And you know, the more we jam the song and rehearse it, the more ideas he starts coming up with. When we actually go in the studio to record it, all of a sudden he's got the lyrics. And then, you know, and then Todd starts singing the backgrounds with him and it's just sort of all of a sudden materialize with us, you know? So I don't even really, I mean, I get the idea of the melodies and stuff when we are rehearsing it, but I don't know what all the words are going to be because he writes them mostly when he's in the studio and doing the vocals. So, you know, it's whole thing's sort of a little bit of a surprise.

I: The longer you're in the music industry, you're finding that, you know, the process of recording a record is getting easier? Is it getting harder?

Slash: Well, you know, what's cool about this particular lineup is that we do everything in really sort of simple, very straightforward approach. We don't overthink anything. I mean, it's really funny because at the industry, as it stands right now, it's gotten way complicated. Even though we have equipment that makes the recording process is a more efficient process, it's actually become much more complicated. So the way that we do stuff is we just sort of jam something, if it sounds good, we keep working on it until it becomes an arrangement and Myles comes up and we sing and we just go in the studio and record it. And it's probably one of the easiest, most laid back situations I've ever been involved with.

I: Which is, you know, what you want when you're making music. And the first thing you notice about Driving Rain is, you know, the driving riff. And of course, you know, you've got Myles Kennedy's sweeping vocals, they came in afterwards. But I mean, you've been making catchy, iconic riffs and licks for years. Is there a secret, is there a process? Is there a science to it? Is it just, you just sort of fuck around and it happens?

Slash: Yeah, you just sort of fuck around. [laughs] That's basically it. I mean, you know, sometimes you hear something in your head, you pick up the nearest guitar and you know, execute it on the guitar and see if it sounds, you know, if in reality it sounds like what you heard in your head, or if you could try and make it sound like what you heard in your head. And that's cool. Other times you're just messing around on a guitar and you hear something and then you try to pull that out and see what that is, or you stumble across something. There's no like real sort of rule of thumb for this. It's just sort of... the most important thing is to always have a guitar handy, you know, or be working on it all the time. And that's the only way that you're going to sort of come across cool new stuff is just to be always playing.

I: That's a wonderful mantra to live by. Is there something you've been battling with for years? Like I'm talking decades, you've got this riff or something you want to get away and you've never found the exact right way to do it or a song to put it in?

Slash: Well, you know, there's been times, a good example of that was, you know the, the Lenny Kravitz song, Always On The Run? That was something I wrote with Lenny back then. And that was a riff that wasn't going to see the light of day in Guns N' Roses at that time and I had no idea where that riff was going to go. And then I was doing a session for another song on that record called Fields of Joy, for Lenny. And while I was in the studio at some point just noodling around, I was playing that riff and you heard me playing and you say, "Hey, what is that?" You know, I said, "Oh, it's just this thing." And he goes, "OK, I'm going to make a song." And so we went in the studio again later on and went in and recorded that song. So that was a like a case of a riff that you got that you don't know what's going to happen with it, but you think it's cool. And, you know, so interesting things do happen with bits and pieces that you come up with that might not find a home in a place that you most might expect it to.

I: That's an incredible, I didn't know that. That is a funky, funky groove as well. So kudos to you on that one. It'd be remiss of me not to mention your return to Guns N' Roses. Was that a cathartic experience for you playing those shows again with the band?

Slash: I think, yeah, it was very cathartic. Axl and I had had this ongoing rift that went for like twenty years and he and I didn't speak and then finally all of a sudden... You know, he was actually the better man of the two of us and he gave me a call at some point, I was on the road with Myles and the guys, I think in South America. And so that was the first conversation that we've had in twenty years. So that sort of broke the ice and then we got together when I was back in LA and we talked about, you know, talked through a bunch of stuff and so on. And so finally we came to a point where we, you know, thought we'd take advantage of the offer to do the Coachella Festival and just for the fun of it, and I thought that would be a great idea and so we booked that and a couple of warm up shows and we rehearsed and did all that and had a great fucking time and the shows were great. And then so to go back out and then just, you know, it sort of snowballed into what ended up being a tour that isn't actually over yet. And so it'll be over two years. When the next run we're doing a bunch of shows in Asia and South Africa and Dubai coming up. And so when that's over, the tour will have exceeded two years. And it was probably one of the most fantastic experiences of my professional career was doing this Guns N' Roses Not In This Lifetime tour. And, you know, I would have been the last person to ever see that coming, you know, go back three or four years ago.

I: Yeah, of course. Well, it would have been 20 years in between gigs for you, 1996, you finished up and then 2016 you rejoined the band. Has the experience changed much from what you remember personally and on stage?

Slash: Yeah, I mean, it's been on stage as well as personally, I mean, just the whole thing, you know, on a personal level to looking over, you know, on stage right and seeing Axl over there and just that feeling of a camaraderie that goes back 30 years. And just all that stuff. It was all such a positive and just really fun kind of a thing. There was just so many, on so many different levels, on emotional levels, on professional levels as far as just that chemistry that has always existed with us ever since, you know, day one back in 1985 or whatever. So, you know, all those things sort of come into a head at one time and it was very explosive.

I: Slash, how do you feel about the future of traditional riff based rock and roll, is it alive and well or is it a dying art you reckon?

Slash: I mean, it's been going through an interesting thing, really since, you know, the mid nineties. You know, I think that the spirit of what I consider, at least what about rock and roll that turned me on as a kid, I think that's something that, you know, the reason why so many people showed up at Guns shows and so many people show up in Metallica shows and so many people show up and all these different artists that sort of are a little bit old school, is because these are bands that, you know, have a certain kind of integrity and a certain attitude that people relate to and are attracted to, and that's a rock and roll element that I think people will always be into. But there's so many, you know, the commercial world sort of music business has gone through so many changes and there's so many trends and there's so many different things happening. And hip hop is really huge and so on. So I think right now, rock and roll, as far as any kind of commercial viability is definitely the underbelly. But that said, there's a whole bunch of kids that are really into picking up the guitar or the drums or vocals or whatever and putting bands together and inspired by a certain spirit that's not motivated by money. It's not motivated by rock stardom. And it's not motivated by, you know, Lear jets and limos. It's about the actual music. And I think that's going to be interesting to see how that develops, because that's like very much against the grain. And I think that's that's really what rock and roll is all about. So we'll see what comes out of that.

I: All right. Well, Living the Dream is the album, Driving Rain is the single and that album is out now. It is a banger. Make sure you grab it. It is always a great thrill to catch up with you, brother, and really appreciate your time today.

Slash: Oh, well, it's good talking to you.

Triple M article:
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Slash Opens Up About Making Up With Axl Rose And Talks About His New Album
He was actually the better man

Talking to Brendan from Triple M Brisbane’s The Big Breakfast off the back of the release of his latest record Living The Dream, Slash opened up about reuniting with Guns N’ Roses.

The world famous 20 year riff between Slash and frontman Axl Rose had the music world thinking a Guns N’ Roses reunion was impossible.

Discussing the reunion, Slash said: “He was actually the better man of the two of us. He gave me a call when I was on the road with Myles and the guys and it was the first conversation we’d had in 20 years”.

The ice breaking conversation lead to the point the band reuniting for a one off Coachella Festival appearance, followed by a massive world tour, which Slash said: “(Guns N’ Roses) is one of the most fantastic experiences of my professional career, I would have been the last one to see that coming”.

https://www.triplem.com.au/story/slash-opens-up-about-making-up-with-axl-rose-and-talks-about-his-new-album-110822

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