2000.10.15 - The San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle - Q&A With Slash

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Q&A WITH SLASH

By Aidin Vaziri
Special to The Chronicle

Slash is a natural-bom rock star. He was Axl Rose’s dependable sidekick at the height of Guns N’ Roses’ short but illustrious career, and since quitting the hard-rock band in 1996 has played alongside everyone from Lenny Kravitz to Tom Jones. His new outfit, Slash’s Snakepit, released its second album, “Ain’t Life Grand," earlier this month, and just wrapped up an extensive arena tour with AC/DC. Now, with his trademark top hat and dangling cigarette in tow, Slash, 35, is bringing his crew back around for a headlining club tour that reaches the Maritime Hall on Friday.

Q: How's everything going?

A: Cool, man. I’m on a cell phone. I’ve been carrying this stupid piece of s- around with me for the whole tour. I’m so not into it, but it does come in handy sometimes.

Q: Slash doesn't use cell phones.

A: Yeah, it’s just not my thing. It’s got a cracked face and I’m waiting for it to die. The whole screen is smashed and it still works. It’s plaguing me.

Q: What happens to all your animals when you’re on tour?

A: They’re at my girlfriend’s house. I have like 40 snakes, and then I have some lizards and stuff.

Q: Do you name them all?

A: I told my girlfriend to name the lizards because they’ve got real personalities and they’re babies. F— the snakes, they can’t hear. I have one snake named RuPaul, because he was given to me by a transvestite. Other than that, I don’t name them. They can’t hear. It’s not like they’re going to perk up when you say their name.

Q: Didn’t you just have a birthday?

A: Yeah, in July. I had flamethrowers and belly dancers. My girlfriend hired all these people and they came down. I came home and there were flamethrowers, tiki torches, a chick with no clothes on and a snake. I was just like, “Whoa, this is heavy.” 

Q: I picture your life being like that every day.

A: No, it’s not like that every day. Only when I turn 35.

Q: Dude, you're old.

A: No, you know me, I pretty much feel indestructible. I’m the eternal teenager.

Q: Yes, you are Keith Richards' apprentice.

A: Don’t ever let him hear that. He’ll f- with me. I’ve been on his bad side, I know.

Q: What did you do to get Keith Richards mad?

A: Um, I pissed off his f- wife’s parents. I didn’t know who they were. But he’s totally cool as long as he gets to be Keith and I’m just the younger kid. It's a seniority thing.

Q: You can bond on dysfunctional singers.

A: Yeah, right. It’s the subject none of us ever talk about. Even Joe Perry (from Aerosmith) and I don’t talk about Steven (Tyler). That’s too personal. It’s like talking to a chick about your wife.

Q: If being a front man was a mental disorder, how would you describe it?

A: Everybody is different. You have to have a disorder to sell your soul to rock ’n’ roll in the first place. To really be a dedicated entertainer 24-7, you’re already f- up. You have an ego problem or something. When you go out in front of an audience and want people to buy your records, something must be going on in your head. Singers have to go out there without having to hide behind the top hat and guitar, and they have to talk about s-they’re feeling. You couldn’t even get me to write a letter, let alone go out there and do that. Everyone has got their own dysfunctional reality, so it comes out in their public appearance. Hence, you’ve got a lot of whacked-out singers, but they’re all very sweet people. They’re just a little complicated.

Q: A lot of people want to know why you work with losers like Iggy Pop and Michael Jackson and Puff Daddy and Tom Jones.

A: I’m just out there. Puff Daddy was one of those phone calls where I just wanted to go play. It’s very spontaneous. I live for experiences. There are things I would turn down in a heartbeat, but are you going to turn down playing with Tom Jones at the White House? What are you, high? Even though I did put my vodka in an Evian bottle.

Q: Did you also turn your amp down?

A: No, that’s the one thing I didn’t do. We had to turn the amp around. But you learn a lot. If I just sit around and I’m not playing, I’ll be back on dope again. I don’t want to go there. That was nine years ago. That’s why I quit doing that s- in the first place.

Q: Your publicist told me to ask you a lot of questions about Axl Rose.

A: She did? I’m not going to fall for that one. There’s nothing to talk about Axl. I haven’t talked to him for five years.

Q: Don't you hate being known as Slash from Guns N' Roses?

A: I’ll always be Slash from Guns N’ Roses, but I do so much other stuff and work hard at being an individual. Over the years, I’ve managed to get an individual, identifiable persona. I don’t know too many guitar players who have been able to leave their bands and be identified So I’m very lucky.