2015.05.07 - CBS This Morning - Slash Discusses New Video, Possible GN'R Reunion

Slash discusses new video, possible Guns N' Roses reunion

Legendary musician Slash is taking up a new cause and releasing "Beneath the Savage Sun," a video that showcases his single that raises awareness about the devastating effects of ivory poaching on the elephant population. He's partnering with the International Fund for Animal Welfare to raise awareness about the endangered species.

"My singer Myles [Kennedy] and I went to South Africa a couple of years ago and spent some time there, and were very aware of the ivory trade and the sort of destruction of the whole elephant species," Slash said Thursday on "CBS This Morning."

Seeing the elephants firsthand in their habitat and meeting with poaching rangers inspired the lyrics to the song, he said.

"I thought, you know, the great thing to do would be to try and raise awareness in the U.S. about significant... (American) contribution is to the ivory trade, because I don't think a lot of people know what's going on," Slash said.

The story is told from an elephant's point of view about the death of one of his own.

Rolling Stone and Time magazine called Slash one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

But it all started with Guns N' Roses trying to make a name for itself on the Sunset Strip, shooting onto the Los Angeles rock scene in the '80s.

Their 1987 debut album "Appetite for Destruction" challenged the synthetic pop sounds and heavy metal hair bands of the decade.

As their lead guitarist, Slash created some of the most recognizable riffs in rock music, but the rapid success led to tensions between slash and lead singer, Axl Rose.

In 1996, Slash quit Guns N' Roses.

"[Rose and I] haven't really talked in a long time. But a lot of the tension that you were talking about has dissipated," Slash said. "We don't have all those issues anymore. There's not a lot of controversy. It's something that's more perpetuated by the media than anything."

In 2002, Slash teamed up with two former Guns N' Roses members and built the band Velvet Revolver. Their hit, "Slither," topped the charts and earned them a Grammy.

Slash has spent the last five years playing with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators.

Asked whether Slash wants a reunion with his Guns N' Roses bandmates, he said, "I gotta be careful what I say there."

"If everybody wanted to do it and do it for the right reasons, you know, I think the fans would love it. I think it might be fun at some point to try and do that," he said.

He didn't pinpoint what those "right reasons" would be, but said, "It's really between the guys in the band."

"You know, never say never," Slash said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/slash-releases-video-raises-awareness-elephant-poaching-ifaw/

More excerpts from USA Today:
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Slash on a GNR reunion: "Never say never"

Maeve McDermott | USATODAY

Slash stopped by CBS This Morning to talk elephant conservation, but ended up discussing a different kind of endangered species: a Guns N' Roses reunion.

In between conversations about his past drinking problems and his new video for "Beneath the Savage Sun," a collaboration with the International Fund for Animal Welfare that raises awareness of endangered elephants and illegal ivory trading, Slash revisited the idea of reuniting with Axl Rose and the band's original members.

The former GNR guitarist sounded optimistic in the interview, admitting a reunion "might be fun" and claiming he's on better terms with Axl Rose. "You know, never say never."

On his relationship with Axl Rose:

"Well, we haven't really talked in a long time. But a lot of the tension that you were talking about has dissipated. We don't have all those issues anymore. There's not a lot of controversy. It's something that's more perpetuated by the media than anything"

Whether he wants a Guns 'N Roses reunion:

"I gotta be careful what I say there. I mean, if everybody wanted to do it and do it for the right reasons, you know, I think the fans would love it. I think it might be fun at some point to try and do that, but…it just starts to get into a whole complex thing. But anyway, it's really between the guys in the band."

On staying sober:

"It's a little over 9 years and it's not difficult for me in the sense that I enjoy being sober. I mean it's always a little bit of a struggle. But I don't struggle with wanting to get back into it. I think I burned myself out on it. I did it to such an extreme."

On growing up biracial:

"I don't think I exactly identified with exactly what it was. I knew that I was very different from the kids that I was going to school with...but I didn't really specifically have an understanding of what the racial issue was. I remember going to school and filling out forms with my mom, and it being black or white. And if she put black in there or white in there, it was always like, well yeah, how do you answer that?"

What inspired his new video:

"My singer Miles and I went to South Africa a couple of years ago and spent some time there, and were very aware of the ivory trade and the sort of destruction of the whole elephant species....And I thought, you know, the great thing to do would be to try and raise awareness in the US about significant the US' contribution is to the ivory trade, because I don't think a lot of people know what's going on. And so to raise awareness about it, and so we put together a very telling video from an elephant's point of view about the death of one of his own."

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/05/07/slash-guns-and-roses-cbs-this-morning/70943054/