2007.11.05 - The Brody Blog - Interview with Slash

Transcript:
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David Brody: Hi, I'm David Brody. Welcome to the Brody Blog, normally home for song parodies and fake commercials that I write that I may or may not have played on the show I work on, Elvis Duran and The Morning Zoo. But today we've got a very, very special Brody Blog. I'm interviewing someone that I grew up listening to, and I'm still a big fan of today, lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses and now the lead guitarist for Velvet Revolver. Of course, I'm talking about Slash. He's got a new tell-all book out called “Slash,” and I got him on the phone right here. Hello, Slash.

Slash: Hey.

Brody: Hey Slash, Dave Brody. Welcome to the Brody Blog.  

Slash: How are you doing?

Brody: I'm doing great. This is a huge honor for me. I'm a big fan of both of your bands. It's really great to have a couple of minutes to talk to you.

Slash: (Laughs).

Brody: Listen, congratulations. You're a rock legend - you know that, I don’t have to tell you that. But now you're an author. What's that like?

Slash: You know, this just started and actually writing the book was a process unto itself. But now that it's finished, I'm just sort of feeling it out, seeing what this is all about, because I've never been around the book business before. I mean, I read books and I don't know how they get there; I just buy them (laughs).

Brody: (Laughs) Well, the name of the book is “Slash” and it's described here as, “From one of the greatest rock guitarists of our era comes a memoir that virtually defines sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.” Someone asked you why you wrote this, and you said: “This is not a vehicle for me to vent. It's not to lambast Axl or talk crap about anybody else. It's just telling the story as I knew it.” So this book is sort of your perspective on the past 20 years, as you saw it.

Slash: Exactly… exactly.

Brody: You said that it was hard for you to make this book, because - and I quote – “I was pretty effed up from 1980 to 2000. I really had to dig deep and try to remember a lot of this stuff.”

Slash: Right. It is a lot of… I mean, if you think of that, there was a lot of partying, a lot of excess going on. So, you know, it was pretty daunting to go back and say, “Okay, can I remember all this accurately?”

Brody: Obviously, your version of the past 20 years is gonna be different than, you know, Axl’s version. Fans of Guns N Roses, fans of Velvet Revolver, why should they trust your version of the story when admittedly you probably don't really remember a lot of it, as you just said?

Slash: Well, I mean, everything that's in the book is stuff that I remember actually happening. It wasn't that kind of a foggy… If there was something I could remember, I didn't remember it at all. But if I did, if I recollected anything, then it came back pretty solid. And, you know, there's a very honest retelling of everything that I basically know about that whole period (laughs).

Brody: Right. There's a lot to know about what happened. In fact, they did a story on the 20th anniversary in Rolling Stone. I don’t know if you had a chance to read the article.

Slash: Um, I remember the article, yeah.

Brody: It was fascinating, because it analyzed every song on the album, what you guys did, talked about and thought about, and just reading that-

Slash: That was really inaccurate.

Brody: Really?

Slash: That’s one of the reasons, one of the inspirations for doing the book in the first place - because I've been approached about doing a book for years and I just was never interested. But because there's still so much attention given to Guns N’ Roses, and all the controversy, the breakup, and Axl’s new record, me and Axl’s relationship, and all this stuff, people have been just taking artistic license to make up whatever they want. Nobody monitors it, there's no control over it, and people just, sort of like, make up what they think would be really entertaining to write - you know, for whatever reason.

Brody: Right.

Slash: And there's also a lot of rumors that are perpetuated by the media, and so on and so forth, and that's what made me go, “I just need to set the record straight from my end,” so that if anybody… you know, because I get asked a lot of questions, especially because of Velvet Revolver, where I have to do so much press, and at least 20% of every interview has to do with some [bleep] that I have to explain all over, and over, and over.

Brody: There's got to be a day where you just go, “Man, I just wish I could play music.”

Slash: Well, yeah. But, you know, the stuff that goes along… when you're in a band and you're promoting a record, or promoting – like in this case – a book, or whatever, you have to go out there and sort of talk to people, and give it your best shot to put something accurate out there. What they do with it after that is something else. But that's sort of what the book represents.

Brody: Give me one thing in the book that's completely the opposite of everything a Guns N’ Roses fan, or a Velvet Revolver fan, or a fan of yours has been thinking all these years.

Slash: Oh god, that's a good question. I don't know if we have time for me to sit and think about that.

Brody: Okay.

Slash: Because everything is sort of doctored up all the time, so pretty much everything in the book is a little bit different than, you know, the way everybody else thinks it is.

Brody: Okay. Which is important, because you guys were… I mean, listen, what you guys did 20 years ago to me, having lived it – I’m about your age.

Slash: Right.

Brody: It seems like five years ago to me.

Slash: Right. You know, same to me, too. I have to say, it doesn't seem as long ago. Rolling Stone, when it came out, I was like, “20 years! Really?”

Brody: Yeah.

Slash: But one of the things in the book that is very important, and I think is one of the catalysts for me writing the book, it explains what led up to me leaving the band and how that all happened. And I put things there that nobody really knows.

Brody: Yeah, there's a hundred different stories. Even researching this interview, I found 15 different reasons why you left, when you left, how you left and how your relationship is with Axl now.

Slash: Right.

Brody: I read interviews where you say you would do a reunion someday, and then I've read ones where you say no chance in hell.

Slash: Well, the thing is, you know, I try to be as positive – I'm not necessarily trying to be optimistic about something that I don't think any of the guys in the band is thinking about. A reunion idea for doing a tour is a great idea, but if you can get everybody together in one room to do that with the right kind of spirit, you know - and without me and Axl having issues, [because] then I never would have quit.

Brody: Right.

Slash: So the concept of Guns playing together is as great now as it ever was. It's just the sort of difference of opinion about a lot of different things, and this and that and the other; and some of the other more private stuff is such that I don’t see it happening. But everybody sort of wants it so bad that is, what do you say?

Brody: Right. I mean, it's sort of like Van Halen took, you know, 22 years to get back together.

Slash: Right. I don't know the entire van Halen story from therein, but from what I can gather knowing those guys, it's still not necessarily as serious as the stuff that went on between Axl and the other guys.

Brody: Right. Well, you guys are volatile personalities.

Slash: Well, as I told somebody earlier, it’s an explosive band, which was also very impulsive. You know, you can’t expect a band that was that savage to just go away quietly.

Brody: Yeah, you can't. You guys aren't gonna be buddies and hanging out to have a catch on the weekends, but-

Slash: But, truth be told, Guns is one of those things that I'm very, very proud of, and it was really one of the greatest - I don't brag about anything, but it was one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands ever.

Brody: It was. And if you think about it, you were really only together creating and making magic for 5, 6 or 7 years, from ’87 to ’95.

Slash: That was, like, the main working period.

Brody: Right. That was gold, you guys, whatever you put out. I mean, right now it's legendary and you think about your band. And, you know, I think, and people that I'm friends with, they think you had ten albums. You only had a few.

Slash: Yeah, right?

Brody: But you accomplished so much. I mean, you listen to November Rain and that guitar solo and…  that still sounds fresh today. That's got to be something you guys are proud of, that you can still put on that record on the radio right now.

Slash: Oh, yeah. No, I'm very proud of all of it. That's probably one of the things that's important, you know, because I think everybody, especially in this day and age with the way that the media is and reality TV and everything - everybody is always looking for the negative in everything. And I'm sort of like going, “Well, you know, it wasn't all negative. It was also really, really cool.” You know, it had its bumpy moments, and this and that and other, and there was some things that I would have liked to have been more in control of, and at the end of the day it didn't totally work out. But I have no regrets about any of that [bleep] – even the bad stuff. You know, it was all part of how the good stuff worked.

Brody: Right. Now, you're on the cover of Guitar Hero 3, which just came out. It's hugely popular. You're also in the game. Can you beat yourself?

Slash: Right now I haven't even gotten to the part where I actually play myself. So I have a little way to go.

Brody: This should be no problem for you.

Slash: But Guitar Hero is a lot different than playing guitar, so it's more of a challenge for me than I think it is for people who don't play guitar.

Brody: Slash, I know we got to wrap this up. The website is velvetrevolver.com, the book is “Slash” by Slash and Anthony Bozza. Now, I've seen Velvet Revolver live and you guys are phenomenal. Looking at how things have turned out so far, Velvet Revolver, another great rock ‘n’ roll band. And unfortunately, your ex-lead singer, he's got about eight years on his new album, so…

Slash: Yeah, I know. He will get it together.

Brody: I hope so, for his sake. But for your sake, congratulations on the success. Thank you so much. I had to wait 20 years, but it was worth it. Thank you. Good luck with the book, Slash.

Slash: Yeah, thanks a lot. It was good talking to you, man.

Brody: No problem. Thank you, Slash.

Slash: All right, too.

Brody: Wow, that was very cool. I hope you enjoyed the interview. Thanks as always for checking out the Brody Blog, and thanks for listening to Elvis Duran in the morning.