2008.09.05 - VanityFair.de - Slash Talks About 'Chinese Democracy' And His Autobiography

"It's a great statement by Axl"

Slash, former Guns N' Roses guitarist, talks about "Chinese Democracy" and his autobiography

VANITYFAIR.DE: An autobiography often marks the end of a certain period. What kind of period was it in your case?

Slash: The era of Guns N' Roses. I often struggled with the concept of writing a book, but I never did, because I didn’t want it to sound like I reached the end of my rope and was planning my retiring. But I really needed to put a cap on all the Guns N’ Roses rumours which were inaccurate. There are too many people who write books about us and have no idea what the truth was.

VF.DE: You don't do any dirty laundry however...

Slash: No. I didn’t want the book to be a vehicle to vent my frustration. I just wanted to be fair and honest, because I realized that my point of view is only one point of view.

VF.DE: Let’s imagine “Appetite for Destruction" would be released today. Do you think it could still have the same impact as it had in 1987?

Slash: That’s a fucking good question. I think if "Appetite for Destruction" came out right the second, it would have as much or even more impact – in this abyss which this industry has become. If there was ever a time you needed a record like “Appetite…”, it would be now. And that’s why it was so popular back in the eighties, because kids were given very few options as far as rock’n’roll was concerned. It was all becoming very corporate at that time. And Guns N’ Roses was the answer to that, the antithesis of what the 80s were about. So a band like Guns N’ Roses with its genuine angst and greediness would be exactly the shot in the arm everybody needs right now.

VF.DE: What do you think “Chinese democracy” - the album your former colleague Axl Rose has been working on for ten years now - will sound like?

Slash: To tell you the truth: I already listened to it. At first I thought that I would never listen to it until it’s released, but someone handed it to me and I was in my car and I was like “Okay, let’s give it a try.” So I listened to it: It’s a really good record. It’s very different from what the original Guns N’ Roses sounded like, but it’s a great statement by Axl. Now you understand where he was heading all this time. It’s a record that the original Guns N’ Roses could never possibly make. And at the same time it just shows you how brilliant Axl is. So it was a relief for me to actually hear it.

VF.DE: Many of the songs already leaked to the internet and a blogger was arrested by the FBI recently, because he published the material on his website…

Slash: All the Napster stuff and all these people who talk about illegal file sharing killing the record business and taking money out of the artists’ pockets! It may be true. But Napster was just a reaction to the record business not catching up with the development of the internet. Napster was inevitable. But when somebody takes somebody’s work and releases it prematurely just to become famous, it’s an incredibly selfish and criminal thing to do. A record is a piece of art. And it shouldn’t be released until the creator decides to release it - and I don’t care how long it took to make it.

VF.DE: Do you use the internet yourself?

Slash: I’m an old school guy. I only got a laptop within the last five years – and I hate it. The only new piece of technology I use on a regular basis is my Blackberry. I became addicted to it. No wonder it’s often called “Crackberry”.

VF.DE: Your addiction to alcohol and drugs – which played a huge role in your life – belongs to the past now…

Slash: Yes. I got fed up with all the stopping and starting and stopping. I’m bored with it.

VF.DE: You seem to be bored quite easily.

Slash: I think my whole existence has been a struggle with boredom.

VF.DE: What are your next plans?

Slash: We’re still looking for a new singer for my band Velvet Revolver which we are pretty diligent about, because we don’t want to make any compromises this time around. And I’m working on my solo record and a couple of other things which I’m quiet about.

VF.DE: Thank you for the conversation.

Slash: You are welcome. I'm still thinking about the question regarding "Appetite for Destruction“ ...

VF.DE: Why?

Slash: The artists used to have something to say. But now everybody’s conforming to the industry standards. There’s nothing rebellious about it, there are no real statements, not even political ones. They’re just trying to be famous. So I don’t see a lot of artists coming out of this. But there are artists out there and eventually they are going to take over again. Things will change dramatically. It takes all this negative energy to build up, before anything happens.

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