2011.01.24 - Spinner - Slash Ponders Guns N' Roses' Rock Hall Induction

Slash Ponders Guns N' Roses' Rock Hall Induction

By Steve Baltin

This year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, to be held March 14 in New York, promises to be another great evening, with Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Darlene Love and Dr. John set to join the institution. Next year's dinner has the potential to be even more memorable, as Guns N' Roses will finally be eligible for induction.

Yes, 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark 'Appetite for Destruction,' a fact that caught even former Guns guitarist Slash by surprise. "I didn't realize it was so soon," he tells Spinner. "First, we have to actually get inducted. I know we'll be eligible, but with the way that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is sort of hit or miss with rock bands, there is a possibility that we won't get nominated next year."

And if they do? "We'll cross that bridge when we get there," he says. In the meantime, Slash -- who says of himself, "I just do something and I move on. I don't really spend any time reflecting about s---" -- has a lot going on, like a tour with old pal Ozzy Osbourne and more dates planned behind his first solo album. Still, he admits he does think about the potential Rock Hall induction.

"If they're gonna pass you over, I don't think it's worth worrying about too much," he says. "But at the same time it's nice to be recognized by your peers, so yeah, everybody wants to be mentioned. But if they don't mention you, you can't take it too seriously because they miss a lot of really important people every year."

Among those they did miss for years is Cooper, a longtime friend of Slash's. "I definitely got behind him when I found out that he was finally making it in," Slash says. "I had a lot to say about it only because in rock 'n' roll there are some people that you just cannot overlook. And if you do, it takes all the credibility out of the organization and Alice is one of those people."

Now that they've rectified that oversight, who is next for a long overdue induction in Slash's mind? "The one that comes to mind right off the bat -- and it's not even a band that I'm a huge fan of but definitely is eligible -- is Kiss," he says. "And I know that they've been passed over every f---ing year."

Perhaps Kiss and GNR will make it the same year, a pairing that could make for the most talked-about Rock Hall dinner of all time. "Yeah, that would definitely be interesting," Slash says, laughing.

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