21. SEPTEMBER 1997-NOVEMBER 1999: JOSH AND TOMMY JOINS, ROBIN LEAVES, LIVE ERA IS RELEASED

In 2008, Axl would say that after having seen parts of End of Days he wrote a piece of instrumental music called "Daddy Can the Devil do Mom and Me?":




And talking about what an Axl Rose solo record would be like:

Then, in November 1999, Axl emerged for a surprise interview with MTV's Kurt Loder [MTV, November 8, 1999]. One of the first questions to Axl was, "What have you been doing for the last six and a half years?" to which Axl replied:



As for what he's been up to:




He would also mention having a studio at home:



Goldstein would comment upon Axl's decision to stay out of the public eye:



In November 2000, Axl would turn up at a benefit show put on by System of a Down to raise money for Armenian Genocide recognition [Radio Undercover, November 10, 2000].

In early 2000, Rolling Stone would indicate that Axl had also been working with his guitar teacher, Gary Sunshine [Rolling Stone, January 2000]. Sunshine got in contact with Guns N' Roses and Axl in likely 1999:




According to Sunshine, he would involved with GN'R for 6-12 months [see below] and he would also get to see Buckethead's chicken coop [Appetite for Distortion, December 31, 2018], which means that he was with the band at least into 2000.

Interestingly, Dave Dominguez would mention that Axl was taking guitar lessons "up at his house" when Dominguez was involved, which was between January and August 1998 [see earlier chapter]. This would either mean that Sunshine's involvement started already in 1998 and that he was working with Axl longer than those 6-12 months, or that Axl had a different guitar teacher before Sunshine got involved.

Sunshine's guitar would be featured on Oh My God but he would also be involved in adding guitar parts to at least one additional and possibly unreleased, song:



Axl had a desire to move away from blues-based rock and wanted Sunshine to help him with that, more so than simply learning the technical aspects of guitar playing:







Like other people who got to work with Axl in this period, Sunshine has nothing but positive things to say about Axl:




Sunshine would also audition to become the band's new guitarist, but lose out to Richard:





Rob Holliday was the singer and guitar player from the band Sulphur and Curve and he was likely involved with GN'R in 1999:

____________________________________________

On November 23, 1999, the double live album, 'Live Era '87-'89' was released.





Slash's manager, Tom Maher, would discuss the double album:





Slash would also discuss the live album:






And Duff would recount how it came to happen and indicate it was the label who wanted the album out and not the band (Slash confirms this in a quote above, saying it was a contractual thing):




Slash would confirm it was the label who wanted to release the live album:



Being asked if some of the songs were from shows in Tokyo:



Talking about 'Coma' being included on the Japanese and European version of the album:



And the absence of Slash's 'Godfather' solo:



Talking about the record:







The first pressing of the album was "mislabeled, [had] flaws in the accompanying booklet artwork, and [had] a serious 'skip' (which is actually a 'loop'), apparently a factory error", but this was to be corrected in the second pressing [MTV News, December 15, 1999].

Slash would discuss the various mistakes:



Later, Slash would imply that the live albums could have been better if the band had been together when they made it:














In connection with the release of the live album, Geffen decided to release updated music videos for 'It's So Easy' and 'Welcome to the Jungle' [Rolling Stone, November 9, 1999]. The video for 'Its So Easy' "was a mildly modified version of an old but rarely seen video shot at the Cathouse in Los Angeles in 1988, with original footage of ex-wives and naked women replaced with still photos from a Robert John Guns N' Roses photo book" [Rolling Stone, November 9, 1999].

Doug Goldstein would comment on the new video for 'Welcome to the Jungle':

In early 1997 it would be reported that Slash was doing a collaboration with Insane Clown Posse:




The song would be Halls of Illusion from the album The Great Milenko. In 2003, Joseph Bruce from Insane Clown Posse would describe collaborating with Slash in his biography, "Behind The Paint":




Some of the other projects Slash was involved with, but not a complete list: a soundtrack for a Nickelodeon pilot called Fathead, a solo on the song Fix by Teddy Riley and BLACKstreet [MTV News, July 11, 1997], a collaboration with Roger Daltrey, a cover song for an Alice in Chain tribute [Metal Hammer, August 1998], and a collaboration with Graham Bonnett [Guitar, September 1998].

In 1998, Slash was working on a Snakepit pinball machine [Metal Hammer, August 1998].

Talking about his jamming with other artists:



In 2000 he also worked with Rod Stewart:





And played with Tom Jones:



As well as worked on a soundtrack for the movie Rated X [Snakepit.org, May 1, 2000], and guested on Doro Pesch's album [Metal Edge, July 2000].

But by 2001 he still hadn't played with Stevie Wonder, despite "dying to play" with him [Getsigned.com, December 11, 2000; Livewire, July 10, 2001].



In 2005, this finally changed, though:



In mid-July 2001, Slash was working on a soundtrack for a Billy Bob Thornton movie [Livewire, July 10, 2001].

Being asked if he has ever regretted any collaboration:



In late 2001 Slash played with Ron Wood in London and there were rumors about him joining Wood for a March 2002 tour in Japan [The Guardian, December 14, 2001]. The tour with Wood in Japan didn't happen, but they played together again on October 30, 2002 [Launch, November 1, 2002].

In February 2002 Slash was invited to join a supergroup with Sammy Hagar and others, but eventually declined [Melodic Rock, February. 3, 2002; MTV News, February 22, 2002].

Also around this time he added guitars the song God Bless America Again by Ray Charles which would come out on Sings For America (2002):



Right before starting Velvet Revolver, Slash was working with Steve Gorman from Black Crowes:



The death of Randy Castillo and the resulting benefit show would be the starting point for Velvet Revolver [see below and separate chapter].

On November 21, 2005, Slash was one of the artists playing at The Royal variety Show in England, where Slash got to meet Queen Elizabeth [Hawaii Radio, 2006]. Ozzy Osbourne, who had invited Slash over for the event, would later claim Slash had offered him $9,000 to moon the Queen [Blabbermouth, December 12, 2005].

Talking about his collaborations:






Slash would feature in Paulina Rubio's music video for "Nada Puede Cambiarme" [Blabbermouth, January 16, 2007]. And on February 8, 2007, Slash would jam with Black Eyed Peas on "Let's Get It Started" at Avalon in Hollywood [Blabbermouth, February 12, 2007]. In 2008, Slash would also collaborate with Edgar Winter [Blabbermouth, May 22, 2008], collaborated with and appeared in a video by Vasco Rossi [Blabbermouth, June 22, 2008], worked with Jonathan Pease [The Daily Telegraph (Australia), July 10, 2008], and with Alice Cooper for the track "Vengeance is Mine" [Blabbermouth, September 9, 2008] and played 'Sweet Child O' Mine' and 'Barracuda' on a show with Fergie from Black Eyed Peas [The Orange County Register, July 20, 2008]. Slash would also hold a two-night birthday bash in Las Vegas [The Vegas Eye, July 22, 2008; Las Vegas Sun, July 24, 2008; Las Vegas Weekly, July 25, 2008].

In late 2008, Slash had been working on a version of Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise" on "Les Paul and Friends: A Tribute to a Legend," played on Alice Cooper's "Along Came a Spider," Edgar Winter's "Rebel Road" and the upcoming album by Cypress Hill [Billboard, October 24, 2008].

Talking about playing with Cypress Hill:



In April 2009, Slash would do a "Black Eyed Peas medley and Led Zeppelin cover with Fergie at the Cokefest in Detroit" and allegedly comment:



Also in 2009 he would guest Black Eyed Peas as they opened for U2 at the Rose Bowl and play 'Sweet Child O' Mine' with Fergie on the mic:



Also in 2009, Slash worked with Mark Lanegan [Twitter, March 5, 2009; Twitter, March 16, 2009], Diane Warren [Twitter, March 7, 2009] Escala [MySpace, March 14, 2009], Busta Rhymes [Twitter April 15, 2009] and Rihanna [Rolling Stone, November 2, 2009].

In 2010, Rihanna would release a music video for the song, Rockstar 101, with Slash, and dress up as Slash in it:







Slash would also be a mentor for "Rock Week" at American Idol:



After the show, Slash would comment on his participation:







In 2007, Slash would be featured in the computer game Guitar Hero III:









In October it would be reported that a "Slash action figure" would be launched in connection with Guitar Hero III [LA Weekly, October 7, 2008; Artisan News, October 24, 2008].

In 2012, Slash would partner with BandFuse for a competitor to Guitar Hero [Artist Direct, February 22, 2012].




Slash was willing to play and collaborate with many different artists and in many different contexts. In 1998 he turned down an offer to work with Puff Daddy [Guitar, September 1998].



Yet the very next year, in October 1999, he would perform "All About the Benjamins" together with Puff Daddy at a show in New York City [Rolling Stone, October 1999].



As a side note, this rock version of 'All About The Benjamins', had been co-written by Tommy Stinson and released in 1997. When Slash played it live in 1999, Tommy had become a band member of Guns N' Roses.

Later he would turn down an offer from Britney Spears:



Accusations of selling out was levied at Slash in 2000 when he was featured in a commercial for Volkswagen [The Heights, October 16, 2006; The Ball State Daily News, October 19, 2006]:



On January 6, 2008, Slash would play Welcome to the Jungle at the end of Bill Gates' final Consumer Electronics Show keynote speech:



Also in 2008, Slash would be asked if "you feel that doing things like appearing in the VW/First Act commercial and in Guitar Hero III enhances your credibility, or is it a matter of extracting some cash from your established credibility?" to which he replied:



And commenting on the Microsoft appearance:



And on whether his involvement with Guitar Hero III was selling out:



And getting criticism for becoming a mentor on American Idol:



Despite himself having been a mentor on American Idol, he still criticized Steven Tyler for being a judge on the very same show:

Duff was said to have done really well in school as a kid [see previous section]:



Being asked what happened to his plans of going to law school:



In 1997, it was reported that Duff was taking business college courses [Music West in 3-D, 1997].







He would later explain his reasons for attending business school:



In mid-2000, although studying, Duff would state he got no degree, just individual courses [Popular 1, July 2000]. Later he would talk about how great of an experience it had been and how he wished he had known this stuff before to prevent people ripping him off:








In 2003, Duff would write a column for The Stranger talking about his education:



In 2004 Duff would talk about studying business:





Being asked if he finished his degree:



On June 20, 2012, Duff would tweet that he had finally gotten his high school diploma:




And in June 2013, Duff had become a distinguised alumni at Seattle Central [Seattle Central, June 24, 2013].





In early 2006, rumours would spread that the Velvet Revolver tour in 2005 had been cut because Duff needed to go to rehab; Duff would categorically deny these rumours [Blabbermouth, April 5, 2005]. Then in early 2007, Slash would indicate that both he and Duff, and Matt, had gotten into addictions again:



Duff would describe how he had started abusing Xanax pills:






And on how it had affected his family:



To get healthy, Duff went to Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and then to a rehab facility where Matt was also admitted [Rolling Stone, August 9, 2007].

In 2008, Duff would tell about talking to his daughter about being an alcoholic:





In 2005, Duff would talk about how his studying had increased his role in handling his own wealth and the Velvet Revolver's:



And how he manages his wealth:




But as far as his bands go, Duff would claim he was not motivated by money:



In 2011 an interviewer would indicate Duff must be "loaded" with money:



In 2014, Duff would talk about the dilemma of selling his GN'R publishing rights or passing them down to his children:



In 2015, Duff would talk more about his investments and strategies for investing:



In 2019, he would suggest his returns had been exaggerated:





In June 2008, it would be announced Duff would join the Advisory Board of the company nuTsie [Blabbermouth, June 18, 2008]. nuTsie delivered solution for easy transfer of music from iTunes.














In 2009, Duff would have his own economics section at Playboy.com:














In early 2011, Duff would be about to found Meridian Rock, a wealth management company specialized in helping musicians manage their funds, together with Andy Bottomley, a banker and investor [Fortune Magazine, March 4, 2011]. Later in March, Duff was also invited to do a presentation at the SXSW conference called "Duff McKagan is Your Financial Adviser" [Toronto Star, March 17, 2011]. In May, it seemed like nothing was about to come out of Meridian Rock:



In August it was reported the company would be launched in October [The Sunday Times, August 21, 2011] and Duff would explain how it came to be:

Being asked if he is worried that if the new Guns N’ Roses record is ever released - and if it does well commercially - it will validate all of Axl Rose’s musical ideas and kill the possibility for a reunion of the original GNR lineup?





















In September 2001 Slash would state he wasn't happy with Axl continuing with 'Guns N' Roses' at all, and that they might legally contest it:




But later he would dispute having implied suggested he might contest the ownership:



Dizzy would later discuss how the transformation to the touring lineup of 2002 had been a gradual process and that it was still Guns N' Roses:



In late 2002, after the disastrous Guns N' Roses tour, Duff would comment:



Duff is here referring to the fact that he and Slash were still partners in Guns N' Roses Inc. and that they were afraid of damage to the brand name.

As Velvet Revolver was coming together the guys would receive more questions about Guns N' Roses:











Duff being asked if he would go see Guns N' Roses if they had a show that day:



And on the absence of Chinese Democracy:

























In March 2012, Steven would attack the current lineup and refer to it as "Axl and his Hacks":



The very next day, Steven offered an apology through a press release:



A few months later he would apologize for the "hacks" and "scabs" and compliment Axl:



Being asked if he feels resentment towards the Guns N' Roses that was touring in 2012/2013:

Comparing touring with Guns N' Roses to his solo bands:



And solo song writing vs writing songs in Guns N' Roses:





In April 1995 Izzy reconnected with Duff and started writing music again:






Explaining the long period between Juju Hounds and releasing his next album which would be 117°:



This led to him establish a solo band with guitarist Rick Richards, Duff and drummer Taz Bentley [Los Angeles Daily News, March 20, 1998].

Explaining why he changed from "JuJu Hounds" to make it a solo project:




Prominent on the record would be guitarist Rick Richards who also played in JuJu Hounds [Guitar, September 1998], drummer Patrick Taz Bentley from Reverend Horton Heat [Rock & Folk, April 1998], and Duff [Press Kit, January 1998]. The original bassist had been a friend of Izzy's, but Duff was drafted in to re-record his parts [Press Kit, January 1998].



An obvious missing piece from the Juju Hounds was Jimmy Ashhurst who seems to have had a falling out with Izzy [see above]. Ashurst would also claim he was a co-writer of some songs off 117 Degrees:



The record would be titled "117 degrees" and was released om March 10, 1998 [Press Kit, January 1998; Guitar, September 1998].





The record would contain songs from the Ju Ju Hounds sessions, including 'Gotta Say' (recorded in England) and 'Good Enough' (recorded in Trinidad) [Press Kit, January 1998]. In 1996, Duff would indicate that Izzy had a record ready to be released but had been sitting on it for one year - this is likely 117°:



Talking about the new record:







Being forced to go back into the studio to record new songs pissed Izzy off, and resulted partly in the lyrics to the song 'Ain't it a Bitch' [Rock & Folk, April 1998].

But although he had been inspired to create music again with Duff in 1995, by 1998 he was tired of it again:



Izzy ended up doing only a few interviews to promote '117 degrees', didn't tour at all, and "didn't care a shit" how the album did [Expressen Fredag, March 20, 1998]. In 2001, he would describe his exasperation with journalists:




When asked why he did so few interviews to promote 117 degrees:



After releasing 117 degrees Izzy spent more time travelling:





Despite seemingly become tired of music last year, in 1998 or 1999 he would release a new solo album called 'Ride On':








Explaining the limited release:





Talking about his solo records:



Slash, being asked what Izzy is up to:



In April 2000, Izzy would do a four-show tour in japan to support 'Ride On' with Duff joining the band [Japanese Radio, April 19, 2000].




When asked if they had played any Guns N' Roses songs during this mini-tour, Duff responded:






In 2001, Izzy would release yet another solo record, River.





As for Ride On, he struggled to have the record released but eventually ended up on Sanctuary:



For the US release, Izzy would end up using the independent Bilawn Records label and the album would be available on the Bilawn's website [CDNow, August 11, 2001].

Talking about the record:









Talking about his collaborations with Duff:



And Duff would talk about collaborating with Izzy:



And on touring the band in the summer:






In early 2002 it would be reported that Izzy would collaborate with both Slash and Duff on his next record, and that Slash would contribute with three songs he had written himself [KNAC.com, January 15, 2002]. According to Slash, he had written five songs with Izzy in November 2001 [MTV News, January 23, 2002].





But in June it would be stated that Slash would not contribute to the record [Blabbermouth, June 14, 2002]. The record was also slated for an August release in Japan [Blabbermouth, June 14, 2002].

Taz Bentley would later talk about having worked with both Slash, Duff and Izzy, and this was most likely the occassion:







Sometime in 2002 Izzy was asked if the record would be released in USA and Europe:



And when asked about release date and touring:





In June 2003 it would be reported that Izzy had recorded a new album, Like a Dog, that would tentatively be released later in the year followed by a tour [Rolling Stone, June 6, 2003]. Rick Richards and Taz Bentley would be back on the record with Izzy playing guitar and bass [Rolling Stone, June 6, 2003].

Duff would talk about Izzy:




And Slash would describe Izzy's release approach:



Dizzy, though, would be less complimentary when discussing Izzy's songwriting current capabilities:



Being asked about his favorite song among his own:



In 2005, Jimmy Ashhurst, Izzy old bandmate from the Juju Hounds, would express bitterness over Izzy leaving the Juju Hounds and instead release music as a solo artist:



The record was released in October 2005.






In September 2006, Izzy would release the albums Ride On, River, On Down The Road, Like A Dog on iTunes:






Being asked if it bothers him that people can just listen to selected songs now and not albums in their entirety:



Then being asked if it isn't a problem that the artwork of an album is lost through digital music:







And who he likes playing with:





In early 2006, Izzy would say he was working on a new solo album:



He would also be interested in releasing a box set of solo material spanning his entire career:



When asked about a new tour:



And later in the year he would be asked again:



He would later say he might tour depending upon the popularity of his digital albums:







Miami would feature Taz Bently, JT Longoria, Rich Richards, and Joey Huffman, although in contrast to previous albums where Richards would contribute in song-writing, for this album Izzy had brought in the songs in a completed state [Chopaway.com, 2007].







Later in 2007, Izzy would also release Fire, an acoustic album.








In April 2008, Duff would mention he was playing on one song on Izzy's new upcoming album:





On July 17, 2008, Izzy would release another solo album directly to iTunes, Concrete [Blabbermouth, July 18, 2008]. Duff would contribute to the song Concrete [Blabbermouth, July 18, 2008].

In late 2008, Duff would be asked about Izzy:









In December 2009, it was reported that Izzy had releaseed a new solo album, Smoke [Blabbermouth, December 6, 2009].




[/i]

------------------------------


In 1997 it would be reported that Duff was working on a new solo record with Al and Kurt Block, from Wool and Fastbacks, respectively [Music West in 3-D, 1997; MTV News, May 22, 1997].

In the summer of 1998, Duff was working on his second solo album, Beautiful Disease [Allstarmag, June 27, 1988; Guitar, September 1998].



The album would feature Slash and Izzy Stradlin, Faith No More/Ozzy drummer Mike Bordin, Seal drummer Abe Laborio, and Seattle-bred musicians Kurt and Al Bloch, and Michael Berrigan and his band, Plexi [Guitar, September 1998].

Talking about his band which would later be revealed to be called 'Loaded' [Hard Force Magazine, June 1999]:



On why the band name 'Loaded' and not just the 'Duff McKagan Band':






And talking about the record:




One of the songs, 'Who's to blame?', would deal with the break-up of Guns N' Roses [Allstarmag, January 1, 1999].

To support the forthcoming release, Duff was supposed to go on a tour in late 1998 together with guitarist Dez Cadena,  keyboardist Paul Roessler, and drummer Walter Earl [Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1998].

The album which had been scheduled for a January 26, 1999, release, was later delayed to February 9 (international release) and March 9 (US release) due to restructuring at Geffen Records [MTV News, December 3, 1998].



Due to the big music label consolidation in late 1998 [see later chapter], it meant that Duff's album was put on hold [Sonic Net, February 1, 1999]. Duff would recount his feelings when he heard of the consolidation:



In March 1999, Duff would be part of an online chat and discuss the record:



Then it was revealed that the label had decided to not release the album [Hard Force Magazine, May 1999].



Loaded then went on a club tour:



Duff then decided to release the songs as an independent live album:








As for the original album:



Looking back and discussing the status of the record:







In July 2001 Izzy would say that Duff was about to release a new album:



Izzy likely refers to a new Loaded album, 'Dark Days', that would be released in Japan in July and that the band was looking for a US label to have it released in USA [CDNow, August 11, 2001].





The lineup for Loaded would now consist of drummer Geoff Reading (New American Shame, Green Apple Quickstep), guitarist Mike Squires (Harvey Danger and Nevada Bachelors), and bassist Jeff Rouse (Alien Crime Syndicate and Shoveljerk) [KNAC.COM, November 15, 2001]. In 2002 Squired and Rouse left and Stuart Dahlquist and Dave Kushner joined the band [L.A. Weekly, June 21, 2002].

On November 19, 2001, Loaded were joined on stage by Slash at the House of Blues in Hollywood, playing 'It's So Easy'.





And on January 28, 2002 Duff was joined on stage by Matt, Steve Jones and Billy Duffy [Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2002; CDNow/Allstar (Miss Truth column), February 1, 2002].



Loaded would cancel their planned UK tour "for financial reasons" [Metal Hammer, July 17, 2002] while media would speculate that Duff was more interested in the "reunion" band that was brewing. With Duff being part of the emerging new band Velvet Revolver in 2002, Loaded would be taking a break [Loaded Online, October 7, 2002].

Looking back at Loaded after Velvet Revolver had started:





In April 2008, Duff was working on a new Loaded album, to be released in the summer and a tour was being planned [Blabbermouth, April 10, 2008].

With Scott Weiland being fired from Velvet Revolver, Duff returned to playing shows with Loaded:






As indicated above, the band was about to release their proper debut record, and it was planned to be out in early 2009 [Billboard, August 7, 2008]. The band also intended to release an EP in September 2008 [Billboard, August 7, 2008].





Talking about the new songs:



And his voice:



In October, Duff would talk about writing songs:



Comparing Loaded to his other bands:




And comparing playing stadium to smaller venues:



In early 2009 it would be announced that the band would release its next album, Sick, shortly [Billboard, April 3, 2009].







Discussing the name of the album:




In April 2009, Duff would talk about what bands he would like to tour with in Loaded:



Talking about why doing Loaded is healthy for him:



And the history of the band:






And the lyrics:



Gilby, talking about Sick:



And whether Duff had written them all:




And as a musician being influenced by those around him:



Being asked what he expects will happen to Loaded now:





And what songs they are playing live:



On May 19, 2009, Bumblefoot would join Loaded on stage at the Gramercy in New York on the songs Stone In Love (Journey), Tush (ZZ Top) and Living After Midnight (Judas Priest) [Blabbermouth, May 20, 2009].




In September, Loaded's drummer Geoff Reading had to leave the band due to health issues and was replaced by Isaac Carpenter for the rest of the tour dates [Blabbermouth, September 12, 2009],

Describing the band:



Looking back at Sick:

In May 1997, Duff was having a role in the TV series "Sliders" about rock and roll vampires [The Vancouver Sun, May 8, 1997; MTV News, November 25, 1997].

From his home studio, Duff was also producing other studios artists, including Butt Trumpet, Betty Blowtorch, and the Ya-Yas [Guitar, September 1998].

In 2000 he would guest on The Presidents new album 'Freaked Out and Small' [Sonic Net, June 29, 2000] and would also play with them on The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn [Launch, September 19, 2000]. Together with The President's Dave Dederer, Duff would form the guitar-duo band The Gentlemen [North By Northwest, August 26, 2000].

Talking about what he had been doing for the last five years:



He would also play on the album by the band Mad for the Racket (featuring Wayne Kramer of MC5 and Brian James of the Damned) [Billboard, September 29, 2001].



In late 1997 it would be reported that Duff would release a debut EP with his old Seattle band, Ten Minute Warning [MTV News, December 31, 1997] on the label Sub Pop [Guitar, September 1998]. Duff had played with the band back in 1995, too [see previous chapter], but now being out of Guns N' Roses he probably had more time to release something with them.









After returning to Seattle after having quit Guns N' Roses, Duff would play in a due called the Gentlemen together with Dave Dederer of the Presidents of the United States [The Seattle Times, April 17, 2005]. They wore suits and ties and played mellow songs while sitting down [The Seattle Times, April 17, 2005].



In 1998, Duff would be featured as the bass player on Izzy's solo record 117 Degrees [see previous chapter for more information on this].

In 2000 Duff would also tour with Izzy in Japan after Izzy had released Ride On [see previous chapter].

Talking about how it was to play with Izzy again:





In April it was reported that Duff was collaborating with fellow Seattle musician Mark Lanegan [Allstarmag, April 1998]. Together they completed 15 songs and were considering founding a band [Allstarmag, April 1998].









For unknown reasons nothing came out of this, although Duff would feature on some of Lanegan's later releases: the drummer and bassist on the song 'Fix' off the 2001 album 'Field Songs'; together with Izzy as background singers on the song 'Strange Religion' off the 2004 album 'Bubblegum'; and the bassist on the songs 'Deepest Shade', 'Brompton Oratory', and 'Autumn Leaves' off the 2013 album 'Imitations'. It is possible that some of these songs stemmed from their 1998 collaboration.

Lanegan talking about Duff and Izzy contributing to Bubblegum:




Duff would later briefly mention transitioning from working with Lanegan to establishing a new lineup for Loaded:



Talking about musicians overcoming their addictions:





These bands will be discussed in separate chapters.



In April 2006 it would be reported that Duff would join Alice in Chains for live shows in 2006 [Rolling Stone, April 25, 2006].




LOoking back at having played with the band:









In 2008, it would be reported Duff was taking bass lessons:






Looking back at taking lessons:






In early 2010 it was reported that Duff was working with Jane's Addiction after their original bassist, Eric Avery, had recently quit (again) [GN'R Daily, January 24, 2010]. According to Jane's Addiction fansite Xioalo.org, Duff was writing and recording with the band and it as rumoured he would join the band [The Rock Radio, January 29, 2010].

In April, Duff would address the rumours and announce he had joined Jane's Addiction:



Guitarist Dave Navarro would comment:



And Duff would comment upon the novelty of joining an existing band:



When Duff joined, the band was focused on writing new material:




Perry Farrell and Stephen Perkins from Jane's Addiction would comment upon Duff joining the band:




In June, Duff would discuss being in Jane's Addiction:



But in September it was announced that Duff was out of the band:



Duff would tell what had happened:





And on whether he had planned to become a member of the band:



And if questioned if this meant he had left exactly when originally planned:



Still, apparently Farrell seemed annoyed with Duff's decision to leave:



When mentioned that Farrell had stated in an interview that Duff had been annoyed with them, Duff did not believe that quote was correct:



And on how Loaded was his main focus:




In 2012, Duff would be asked what the real reason was and the interviewer would say Duff had previously explained it with "creative differences":

Immediately after leaving Guns N' Roses Slash would return to playing with his blues band, Slash's Blues Ball and would embark on a five-date tour [Associated Press/The Daily World, November 13, 1996]. Slash would describe the band as "really just a good-time band" and:







Slash would be occupied with Slash's Blues Ball throughout 1997, touring the USA.

Looking back at Slash's Blues Balls:







Immediately after the announced break between Slash and Guns N' Roses it would be reported that he would now focus on Snakepit [Philadelphia Daily News, November 1, 1996] and that he would be rehearsing new singers for the band [The Orlando Sentinel, November 1, 1996]. A source "close to Slash" would say that Slash wanted to "collaborate this time, instead of the way he made the first Snake Pit album with Eric [Dover], where Slash basically laid down all the music and then Eric came in and sang afterwards" [Addicted to Noise, January 13, 1997]. Early in January rumours were spreading that Sebastian Bach would join Slash's new band, after having jammed with Slash at a Slash's Blues Ball gig in Philadelphia on December 7, 1996 [Rolling Stone, January 12, 1997].

Sebastian Bach would seem exciting about the prospect:



But then a source "close to Slash" denied that Bach would be involved [Addicted to Noise, January 13, 1997].

It would also be stated that Slash would likely change the lineup and moniker of the band [The Hollywood Reporter/The Record, November 2, 1996].

In 2018, Slash would shed light on why the lineup was changed:



He intended to release the second Snakepit album as soon as his home studio was finished [Addicted to Noise, January 30, 1997].

Slash would later say that Soundgarden's singer, Chris Cornell, had an open invitation to play with him:



In August 1998 it would be reported that Slash was coming closer to find a singer and that he was now working with guitarist Ryan Roxie:



The other members of the band at this time were drummer Matt Laug and and bassist Johnny Griparik [Guitar, September 1998].

Then, in late November 1998, Slash debuted his new band, including the new singer Rod Jackson, at the club the Barfly in Hollywood [MTV News, December 2, 1998]. The new record was expected to be out by the summer of 1999 [MTV News, December 2, 1998].

Talking about the new band and record:




In February 1999, it would be reported Snakepit was without a record contract [Los Angeles Times, February 15, 1999]. In December the name of the album was revealed as "Ain't Life Grand!" and that it would be released on February 22, 2000, on Geffen/Interscope [MTV News, December 15, 1999]. In March 2000, Slash would say he had broken ties with Geffen/Interscope and would release the record on another label [knac.com, March 7, 2000]. That label was later confirmed to be Koch Records and the release was scheduled for September 2000 [Billboard, June 30, 2000], then delayed to October 10, 2000 [Los Angeles Times, July 16, 2000]. In July 2000, it would also be reported that Slash's Snakepit would open for AC/DC's US tour from August 1 to September 23, 2000 [MTV News, July 14, 2000]. To be accepted on the tour with AC/DC, Angus and Malcolm Young had to approve of Snakepit's new record [The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, August 23, 2000].

The producer of the record, Jack Douglas, would describe working with Slash:



While recording Slash would have to work with ProTools:



Going on tour and opening for AC/DC:




For the touring in support of the record, Snakepit would play two Guns N' Roses covers, 'It's So Easy' and 'Mr. Brownstone' [Toronto Sun, August 14, 2000].





In May 2001 Slash would talk about his next record:



Sometime in 2001 a fan would also ask Slash why there was little publicity for Snakepit and Slash would blame that on the label:



Discussing fans who only wanted Guns N' Roses merch signed:



Discussing how Snakepit came to be:



In the quote above, Slash doesn't mention the first lineup and record at all. When the interviewer asked about the first lineup, Slash responded:



In early 2002, it would be reported that Slash had disbanded Snakepit and was without management and label [CDNow/Allstar, January 8, 2002].



Later he would be critical of the last incarnation of Snakepit and his own drinking during the period:






Around the same time an interviewer would refer to Snakepit as a "big flop" (translated from French), prompting Slash to respond:

As previously discussed, initially Slash considered the breakup between him and Axl to possibly only be temporarily. And interestingly, in late 2000 Slash indicated he had briefly returned to the band 2-3 years ago:





And in early 1999, Slash would again reiterate that he could join Guns N' Roses again if Axl would just ask him [Sonic Net, February 1, 1999]:








And Slash would say he was open to a one-off but claim that Axl would never do it:



In July 2000, Slash would be asked if he would be willing to play on one song on Chinese Democracy and not rule it out:



And respond to rumours about the Appetite lineup being back together and secretly working on a new album:



They had already been offered millions to reunite:



























Jack Douglas, Slash's producer on 'Ain't Life Grand', would also comment:



In late 2001 Slash would try to attend a Guns N' Roses show and say he would be happy to play a song with the new band [see later section]. This happened around the same time it would be reported that Slash had disbanded Snakepit, and it is hard to not interpret this as Slash making a move to possibly reunite with Axl.

In mid-2002 Slash would again reiterate that he would do it with the original band:





With Velvet Revolver becoming a reality and Axl having moved on with his new version of Guns N' Roses, Slash closed the door to reuniting:
















In June 2005, Gilby would suggest that Slash wasn't as into Velvet Revolver because he really wanted to be back in Guns N' Roses:






When asked about a reunion, Axl would imply it was unlikely but take the opportunity to say nice things about Slash:



But in 2009, Axl would state that he had been misquoted and that he had said he had "loved" Slash before:



In the first half of 2006 there was numerous rumours about Slash rejoining Guns N' Roses, with Slash having shown up at Axl's house in Malibu, Axl and Izzy hanging out, and Izzy allegedly checking out the state of Steven, and it is likely that Axl did look into the opportunity to do at least a few shows with a reunited lineup [see later chapter for more details and information].

In early 2007, with Velvet Revolver about to release their second album, Slash would talk about a reunion:



But a few shows would be cool:



In 2007 there would again be rumours about the band reuniting the following year (2008) but Slash would again deny this was happening:






He would also be confronted with apparently going back and forth between saying there is a possibility for a reunion and saying there isn't:



After Scott Weiland was to reunite with Stone Temple Pilots:



In mid-2008, a reunion was unlikely:



Although it would be cool if done correctly:












And after Axl had referred to Slash as a "cancer" and derided his playing after he left Guns N' Roses:



And discussing whether questions about reuniting with Guns N' Roses had ended after he discussed the topic in his autobiography:



Later in May Slash would compare the situation in Velvet Revolver with Guns N' Roses, and refer to the latter as "fucking deep and nasty":



Angry Anderson from Rose Tattoo, who was friendly with both Axl and Slash, would talk about Axl and Slash reuniting and suggest how that could be achieved [Triple M, June 7, 2010]. Unfortunately, Anderson's thoughts on the matter have not been found, but we have Slash's respond to them:



After Duff reconnected with Axl in October 2010, Slash was again asked about a reunion:



In early 2011, Slash was asked what he would do if Axl called your cell tomorrow morning and apologized for everything and promised to do whatever it takes to make a reunion work:

After Slash left Guns N' Roses a public spat between the two former friends would develop.

In Axl's first interview since Slash left in October 1996, Axl would criticize Slash:



Slash would follow with by pointing out that they never had much of a personal relationship:





And that Axl held sole responsibility for the dismantling of previous lineups:






Being asked when thing fell apart between him and Axl:



Slash would also repeatedly take swipes at Axl when talking about his new bands:



Yet Slash would consistently compliment Axl as a musician:





And defend Axl against other people:




By the year 2000 it would be five years since Slash last talked to Axl [The Howard Stern Show, June 7, 2000]:



Slash would also continue to put the blame for the break-up squarely on Axl, and indicate that it was Axl who didn't want to continue with the band:



And he would put the blame on the riot in Montreal on Axl's shoulders:




At the time of these last two quotes, Slash allegedly was not allowed to name Axl in interviews:



Talking about whether he is at peace with Axl now:



In October 2000, NME would ask Slash about his "heroes and villains", and Slash would list Axl as a "villain":



A bit later he would discuss bumping into Axl at a club like the Cat Club:



Talking about singers in general:



In November he would say the fans got fucked over by the band's break-up and indicate that he was carrying the torch and playing the type of music that GN'R should be playing:



In December he would recount a warning he had received from his father when things got crazy in Guns N' Roses:



At another time in 2000, Slash would call this the best advice he ever got:



In early 2001, Axl would claim that Slash had been fighting with Izzy over control of the band:



And that Slash was all about negativity:



Slash, on his side, would say that his problems with Axl started with the 'Sympathy for the Devil' recording in 1994:



Beta Lebeis would say it started when Slash wanted the band to release the music he had written [and which ended up on the first Snakepit album] and that Slash didn't go to rehearsals:



Beta is likely pointing to the period 1994-1996 when she says that Slash didn't go to rehearsals, this was a time when Slash was more focused on Snakepit [see previous sections]. Whether she is conflating Steven's drug problems here or are suggesting Matt was always drunk, is unclear. It is also interesting that she claims Slash was suffering from a drug problem in this period, this is not likely and she could be thinking about the drug problems earlier in the band's history which caused a rift between Axl and Slash [see previous sections].

Being asked what he would say to Axl if they got trapped in an elevator:



In 2001 Slash would again talk more about his relationship with Axl:



And in July 2001, Fernando Lebeis would discuss the relationship: