2020.06.27 - Sweetwater GearFest 2020 Online - Interview with Slash

That was a marathon live stream with many musicians.
I transcribed part of the Slash interview.



[...]

Nick Bowcott: [...] How have you been dealing with this lockdown? You’ve been keeping busy?

Slash: I’ve been... It’s frustrating because we would be on the road right now - and you know I’m a touring guy. So the whole tour from March all the way through September is obviously canceled until next year, and then we don’t even know for sure what’s gonna happen next year. So that was frustrating. I had a cat who was really sick and it was sort of a blessing that I was home to be there for her, you know, the whole time that she was sick. I just had to put her down, actually, a few days ago. But it would have been horrible if I’d been gone and Meegan was left to deal with her on her own. So there was somewhat of a blessing there, and it’s been good to be with the kids, and just sort of, you know, be around. So those were the small blessings. So I try not to complain, I just sort of deal with it. The frustrating thing, the frustrating part about it, was being home and doing nothing but housework (laughs).

Nick Bowcott: (Laughs) Yeah, because, along with Zakk Wylde, you’re probably the hardest working guitarist in rock. When you’re not touring, you’re recording, you’re collaborating with people often from different genres, like Nile Rogers, B.B. King, yada yada... Have you been able to do any of that biotechnology in the lockdown or you’ve just home-bodied?  

Slash: I’ve been pretty much a homebody, but I’ve been back and forth between my studio and the house and doing a lot of writing and recording on my own. I’ve been jamming with Duff, and I’ve been jamming with Axl, and I’ve been doing stuff like that; so we’ve been getting some work done that way. But I haven’t been doing much else. I haven’t been doing any collaborations with the odd artist and whatnot. I’m basically just focusing on writing new music, and recording demos, and recording guitar stuff for Guns and whatnot.

Nick Bowcott: That’s nice to hear. I’ve got a question for you, like, you’re such a road rat, and I mean it in the nicest possible sense, keeping up your chops is not an issue (?). When you’re on the road, you’re playing two hours a day. Just to keep your chops up must take some time and discipline - how do you do that? I guess if you’re recording, those recordings keep them up or you have to work separately to make sure you’re on...

Slash: Yeah, recording is a good tool for keeping your chops up, because, obviously, whatever it is that you’re playing has to be good enough to be able to be permanent, right? So that really helps to keep your chops up. I play a lot anyway, and I’m spending a lot of time writing, so it just keeps me on my toes. It’s not as physical, or as fast-paced, or by the seat of your pants, so to speak, as playing live is, but I do manage to keep it all going.

Nick Bowcott: Do you have any sort of routine for, like, warming up or keeping up to your speed, for instance, or just playing a lot does that for you?

Slash: I don’t have many what you’d call set routines for practicing or anything. I just pick up the guitar and, if I got an idea, I explore that. And I think about stuff, maybe it might pop into my head, and I’ve got ideas here and there, and so I go after them. And if I’m just noodling, then I try to come up with an idea to focus on just for whatever it is that I’m trying to do - you know, just keep everything sort of fresh... I don’t know, I just do whatever. It’s hard for me to really describe it. It’s definitely not a set routine.

Nick Bowcott: Right. It’s just what happens, happens?

Slash: Yeah, yeah.

Nick Bowcott: I was doing some research into, obviously, talking to your good self by the phone – thanks for doing it, by the way – and one thing I did find was an interview with some French chap on youtube, where you actually said that you didn’t like going out much and you were a homebody. So I guess [...] it must have been a lot easier for you to deal with the fact that you’re a homebody at heart when you’re not on the road.

Slash: Yeah, I think I’ve always been, and this is an interesting experience for me at this particular moment in time; because, you know, rewind twenty years ago I wouldn’t have handle this well at all (laughs). So I sort of learned how to keep myself busy and, you know, not working when I’m forced into a situation where I can’t tour or whatever. And I learned how to sort of work it. But back in the day, man, this was the catalyst for all my drug problems (laughs), so I’m glad it didn’t happen back then. But at this point, you know, it’s definitely, like, a lot of things that you would just normally do, as far as errands are concerned, are sort of out of the window. But other than that, I’ve never been somebody who goes out socially.

[...]

Nick Bowcott: Thank you so much for taking the time. Hopefully I will see you in one of your natural habitats, which is on stage very soon. I’m sure I will want to see that again. But thanks for taking the time, and I’m glad everything is good despite what we’re going through.

Slash: Yeah, yeah. It’s a crazy, crazy time, definitely one for the books. But definitely it’s been a good creative time, so that’s another one of the blessings about it, just sitting down and be patient about actually, you know, writing, and not feeling rushed about it and not doing it so much on the fly, which I normally do. So it’s been a good creative period and something good will come out of it.

Nick Bowcott: Time to make lemonade out of the lemon.

Slash: Exactly (laughs).

Nick Bowcott: And it sounds like you’ve done it, so I’m looking forward to hearing what you’ve created and, like I said, my friend, thank you for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

Recording for Guns and jamming with Axl. Sounds promising

Thanks to share it !