1988.10.DD - 102.7 KIIS FM - Interview with Slash

Transcript:
-----------------

Interviewer: Ladies and gentlemen! Oh! My god! Please welcome Slash from Guns N’ Roses!

[Recorded applause]

Interviewer: Yeah! The crowd goes berserk for you, Slash!

Slash: Hey!

Interviewer: How are you doing, baby?

Slash: Doing great. What’s happening?

Interviewer: First of all, I want to say, so many calls. I’ve been receiving, what, hundreds of calls. We must have received 500-600 calls. And I… go ahead.

Slash: We drove up and there’s these chicks sitting outside (laughs).

Interviewer 2: Don’t use that word, please.

(Laughter)

Interviewer: All right now, first of all, Slash, I must have had everybody in here. I’ve had every star I can imagine and the response has never been so big than you sitting in that seat right now. I just wanna thank you for coming by.

Slash: Oh yeah! My pleasure, dude.

Interviewer: All right. First of all, let’s get to the bottom of this. I’ve been getting nothing but rumors-

Slash: Okay, yeah.

Interviewer: About the O.D.

Slash: Right.

Interviewer: Talk to me about that.

Slash: Okay. Axl’s not dead. Axl – I don’t know where this stuff stemmed.

Interviewer: No, you too. It was you and Axl. Four nights ago.

Slash: (Laughs)

Interviewer: Talk to me. Talk to me about it.

Slash: Well, here I am. I mean, what can I say, you know…

Interviewer: All right. So Axl is alright.  

Slash: Yeah. We’re fine.

Interviewer: All right, all right.

Slash: We’re fine.

Interviewer: You just got off a tour?

Slash: We’re holograms, actually. We’ve been dead for years (laughs).

Interviewer: Okay. You just got off a tour with Aerosmith.

Slash: Yeah.

Interviewer: And obviously you weren’t headliners, but now…

Slash: Well, I mean, the Aerosmith tour was a big thing for us, because, you know, it was like the kind of band that we grew up with, and so on and so forth. Next time we go out, we’ve been contemplating going out and doing a headlining thing.

Interviewer: Right, right.

Slash: So we’re trying to just figure it out and rethink of the schedule.

Interviewer: A couple of you guys, I know Adler was in the Bahamas, because his brother calls every night for requests-

Slash: Does he? Really?

Interviewer: And he’s in the Bahamas. You guys are all taking it easy now, you just got off the road…

Slash: I’m not. I’m here (laughs).

Interviewer: What are you doing lately? I mean-

Slash: I’m just trying to keep myself busy and… you know, I go clubbing every night, and so on and so forth.

Interviewer: Right.

Slash: I’m pretty active.

Interviewer: You bought a new home, from what I understand?

Slash: Me?

Interviewer: Yeah.

Slash: No, I got some cheap little apartment in Hollywood (laughs).

(Laughter)

Interviewer: I love this guy! I knew I was gonna love you! And the tattoos!

Slash: Yeah.

Interviewer: Which one is your favorite? What do they mean?

Slash: This one. I just got it.

Interviewer: Why? Where?

Slash: Do you really want to know?

Interviewer: Yeah, I want to know. Okay, go ahead. You can say anything you want, go ahead.

Slash: All right. Well, this one is an old one. It’s like a cartoon from-

Interviewer: With the breast.

Slash: Yeah.

Interviewer: The woman with the breast, with the rose-

Interviewer 2: Oh god!

Slash: Yeah (laughs).

(Laughter)

Slash: I made this up a long time ago, like in high school.

Interviewer: Right.

Slash: And I finally got a tattoo later.

Interviewer: Now the other one with the skull, with of course the hat that you’re wearing-

Slash: With the top hat…

Interviewer: The top hat that you’re wearing.

Slash: That’s, like, half mine and half Robert Benedetti. He’s the guy who actually did it, right?

Interviewer: Right.

Slash: And then this banner on the bottom with the “D.T.U.D,” you know?

Interviewer: Right.

Slash: (?) That’s so stupid, it’s like, “Drink till you drop.” (laughs)

Interviewer: Right. Now, do you practice safe sex?

Slash: What? No, come on!

Interviewer: I mean, no, okay, alright, I just asked a question. Now I hear that there’s a bootleg-

Slash: I-

Interviewer: What were you gonna say? What were you gonna say?! Slash, I want-

Slash: (Laughs) I’m not answering that question.

Interviewer: What is this about – now I’ve been getting calls also on the request lines. By the way, will you go to the lines in a minute and answer some questions?

Slash: Yeah, sure, yeah.

Interviewer: Bootleg album, running around town?

Slash: There’s tons of them.

Interviewer: Everybody’s ass is up for grabs?

Slash: Yeah, I’ve seen it.

Interviewer: Now what is that, is that true?

Slash: Um…

Interviewer: Is there really a bootleg album running around town?

Slash: Yeah, yeah. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. It’s out there. It’s, you know, sort of cool. I like bootleg stuff.

Interviewer: Okay. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, Slash from Guns N’ Roses, absolutely the coolest. We’re gonna be right back with him. And you’re gonna go to the phones next?

Slash: Yeah.

Interviewer 2: And I’ll ask questions for him as well.

Slash: No, just go away (laughs).

(Laughter)

Interviewer 2: I’ll ask some questions as well.

Interviewer: George, later. Later, okay?

[Commercial/song break]

Interviewer: It must be one of your favorites.

Slash: Uh-uh, yeah.

Interviewer: The New Edition. You must see – they’re coming in concert. You’re gonna see them at the Amphitheater?

Slash: I got the dance version (laughs).

(Laughter)

Interviewer: Slash, ladies and gentlemen, from Guns N’ Roses is one of the hippiest, craziest – I mean, I’m so thrilled that you’re here. What the hell happened? One night nobodies, the next day instant major success.

Slash: Don’t ask me. I have no idea (laughs).

Interviewer: There’s just no explaining it, is it? I mean it’s just too unreal.

Slash: We just toured a lot. And I guess, you know, all the exposure or something just put it out there. I mean because really, there was no formula behind it.

Interviewer: Right.

Slash: It was very, like… nobody wanted to hear it (laughs). No one wanted to play it anyway. And so it just happened all of a sudden, and we’ve been on the road with Aerosmith, and on the road with Iron Maiden, and all these other bands, and it’s just been progressively picking up.

Interviewer: And you still pop in some of these L.A. nightclubs from what I understand? You pop in them-

Slash: You gotta do something, you know? (laughs)

Interviewer: Right, right. Tell me about the snake collection. [talks to someone in the studio]

Slash: I only have one now and his name is Clyde.

Interviewer: Oh, you’re down to one snake?

Slash: Yeah. I used to have 19, but I don’t have time to take care of them, so I got one.

Interviewer: Kind of a bitch for the landlord? What’s the deal with that?

Slash: No, it’s basically… Let’s see, what… The best thing was, I think, Axl’s sleeping on my bedroom floor and keeping him sort of subdued by this 14-foot snake that I used to have.

Interviewer: Oh my goodness…

Slash: But otherwise they’re just pets, you know.

Interviewer: All right. You’re gonna go to the lines now?

Slash: Yeah, sure.

Interviewer: All right. Hi, KIIS FM, you’re on the air with Slash. What’s your name?

Caller: Hello?

Interviewer: Hi, what’s your name?

Caller: Hi, this is Joy.

Interviewer: Joy, you got a question for him?

Joy: Yeah, when is your new album coming out?

Slash: Hi Joy. Um, I would hope in, like, early next summer.

Joy: Oh.

Slash: In a perfect world, yeah. That’s-

Joy: Really that late?

Slash: Huh?

Joy: That late?

Slash: Well, yeah. I mean, we have to go do it and we’re not going to start on it until, like, January or something.

Interviewer: All right. Thanks for calling.

Joy: All right, thanks.

Interviewer: KIIS FM, who’s this?

Caller: This is Sandy from (?)

Interviewer: Sandy!

Sandy: Hi, and I wanted to know where you got the name Slash.

Slash: One of my old best friends’ dad gave it to me. He just started calling me that around the house and it just stuck.

Interviewer: That’s it.

(Laughter)

Slash: I don’t know why.

Interviewer: Thanks for calling.

Sandy: Okay.

Interviewer: Hi, KIIS FM. Who’s this?

Caller: This is Chris.

Interviewer: Chris, what are you doing tonight?

Chris: Uh, not much.

Interviewer: All right, you’re hanging with Slash. What’s going on?

Chris: Um…

Slash: Um…

Chris: Are you gonna get any more new players or new people in Guns N’ Roses?

Slash: Yeah, we’re gonna get a brass section and we’re gonna get, like, a 12-piece orchestra (laughs).

(Laughter)

Interviewer: Now George, your time is coming. Your time is coming!

Interviewer 2: I have a few questions.

Interviewer: Your time is up.

Slash: (?) (laughs).

Interviewer: KIIS FM, who’s this?

Caller: This is Melissa.

Interviewer: You’ve got a question for Slash?

Melissa: Yeah. Slash, I want to tell you I love you and I think you have the cutest butt in the whole world.

Slash: (Laughs).

Melissa: And I want to ask you where you got your-

Interviewer: Your butt. Where did you get the butt? Where did it come from?

(Laughter)

Slash: What?

Interviewer: What was the question?

Melissa: Where did you get your start in music?

Slash: Where did I get my start in music… That would take a long time.

Interviewer: Who are some of your faves?

Slash: Basically, I started when I was, like, 14 or 15. I started playing guitar and I was listening to, like, Aerosmith and Cheap Trick, and Zeppelin, and all that same stuff.

Interviewer: Right.

Slash: And I just started and worked on it.

Interviewer: All right. KIIS FM, is this who I think it is?

Jamie Adler: It’s Jamie Adler.

Slash: No way!

Interviewer: This is Steven Adler’s brother, one of the members of…

Slash: Jamie! What’s happening?

Jamie Adler: What’s happening, Slash? What’s going on?

Slash: How are you?

Interviewer: So where’s your brother at right now?

Jamie Adler: The Bahamas, on cruise.

Slash: Uh-hah.

Interviewer: So, you basically know Slash. You don’t have a question.

Slash: No, you just called to screw with me, right?

Jamie Adler: Yeah (?)

(Laughter)

Slash: “It’s Jamie” (laughs).

Interviewer: Thanks for calling!

Slash: All right. See ya, dude.

Interviewer: I’ve got one question before we get into more… Explain the inside cover. What the hell is going on here?

Slash: It’s nothing-

Interviewer: Explain-

Slash: It’s just-

Interviewer: You know, talk to me about this.

Slash: You should talk to the… Well, alright. It’s just a painting. It was a postcard.

Interviewer: Now hold on. Hold on, I’m sorry. Now ladies and gentlemen, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m talking about the inside cover of the CD and also the album of… I don’t know what the heck it is, somebody’s (?) or something coming down on some sort of robot, and a woman with the breast hanging out and (?) What is that?

Slash: (?)

Interviewer: Yeah, what’s going on here?

Slash: It’s basically a painting by some guy named Robert Williams, who just - we saw a postcard and it looked cool, and we said, “Okay, album cover, fine.” So that was it, and then we got all these calls. All it is, is she was a robot vendor. I mean, all I could read out of it, it’s she sells robots, this robot rips her off, and then a big… I don’t know, it just looks cool, you know?

(Laughter)

Interviewer: All right-

Slash: I mean… you know.

Interviewer: George… Later, George.

George: I have some questions.

Slash: Well, we… yeah. Don’t worry about it. We’ve brought some panties for you.

(Laughter)

Interviewer: All right. I don’t want to… George (?). Never mind about him. (?) Hamilton is sitting here with Slash from Guns N’ Roses and we’re talking about 6 million sold…

Slash: (Chuckles).

Interviewer: 6 million sold!

Slash: I know. I know, it’s already…

Interviewer: You’re doing all right with the money and the cash flow?

Slash: I suppose so, I suppose so. I haven’t really spent that much money except for, like, going out to dinner with girls (laughs).

Interviewer: Right. Doing a lot of dating? Are you dating anybody serious? What’s going on?

Slash: Um, I’m sort of… No, I’m not really sure what...

Interviewer: Tracy Lords? What’s going on what Tracy Lords?

Slash: I’m-

Interviewer: Were you on MTV with her?

Slash: Yeah-

Interviewer: B.S. B.S.

Slash: Yeah, that was no big deal.

Interviewer: Was no big deal.

Slash: I might be playing on her record - you know, that kind of thing. It’s nothing serious.

Interviewer: I’m hearing rumors-

Slash: I know there’s rumors going everywhere, and I see it in the Star and the Enquirer and staff, and basically it’s… I haven’t said anything, you know, and I don’t think she’s said anything, so…

Interviewer: Right. What’s the deal with you and Dr. Ruth Westheimer? You had a run-in with her and you beat the hell out of her?

Slash: That was a relationship that didn’t happen. She got on my case and stuff (laughs). She’s giving me a hard time about it. You had to have been there (laughs).

George: Well, if she had a reason, young man. Maybe she had a reason.

Slash: You know, just shut up. I’m trying to talk to this guy (laughs).

George: Don’t tell me to shut up.

(Laughter)

George: Now please. I got some questions.

Interviewer: All right, George, back off. All right.

Slash: Uh-hah, u-hah.

Interviewer: So that never happened.

Slash: Way out, yeah, it didn’t happen.

Interviewer: All right, cool.

Slash: Sorry, I have a gun with his name on it. A bullet with his name on it.

Interviewer: George, you better back off, buddy, because he’s making business here, okay?

Slash: I went shooting the other day and my aim is really good, too, so…

Interviewer: Terrific. KIIS FM, who’s this?

Caller: Hello?

Interviewer: Hi! What’s your name?

Caller: Stacy (?)

Interviewer: You’re on the air with Slash.

Stacy: Hi!

Someone (in mocking voice): Hey!

Stacy: I just wanted to say that I really agree with that girl who talked about your butt, and you look rad and (?) Slash, by the way.

(Laughter)

Stacy: And also I wanted to know when the video for Paradise City is coming out.

Slash: We just went and did some edits on it last night, as a matter of fact. So it should be out really soon. It’s really cool, too. It’s a really cool video.

Stacy: Is it good? What’s in it?

Slash: It’s Giant Stadium and Donington – you know, in England.

Stacy: Uh-hah.

Slash: Those huge outdoor places, like 120 something thousand people. Anyway, they’re gonna rush me off this call in a second. But it’s real cool. It’s real manic and stuff. You’ll like it.

Stacy: Okay.

Interviewer: Thanks for calling KIIS.

Stacy: Bye.

Interviewer: Bye darling. Hi, KIIS FM, who’s this?

Caller: This is Derek.

Interviewer: Derek, what’re you doing?

Derek: Pretty good.

Interviewer: You’re on the air with Slash.

Derek: Yeah, I want to know where you got the name for the album.

Slash: The name for… It was on the postcard (laughs).

Derek: With that picture?

Slash: Yeah. It was like one package. We just, like, avoided the whole debate about trying to decide about what the album was going to be called and what the album cover was going to be. So it’s just like, we saw the picture and it was already called “Appetite for Destruction”. So, that was it.

Interviewer: Right, right.

Derek: All right, thanks.

Interviewer: Hey, hold on, okay?

Derek: Yeah.

Interviewer: Speaking of the album, one more question concerning the album, Slash, okay?

Slash: Yeah.

Interviewer: Checking this one time, okay? With… I don’t think I can say that word.

George: You cannot say that word.

Interviewer: I don’t think I can say it.

Slash: No, I don’t think you guys (?)

George: You cannot.

Interviewer: Maybe I might.

George: You cannot.

Slash: What is it?

Interviewer: Okay. “With your ...itch slap rapping and your…” (laughs)… “cocaine tongue”.

Slash: (talking at the same time) “Cocaine tongue”.

Interviewer: “You get nothing done”.

Slash: (talking at the same time) “You get nothing done.”

Interviewer: Now, what does that mean?

Slash: Well, think about it and just read it. I mean, it’s pretty self-explanatory.

Interviewer: Right.

Slash: And it’s lyrics to one of the new songs on the next record.

Interviewer: Oh, cool.

Slash: It’s a song called “You Could Be Mine”.

Interviewer: Okay. Very good.

[Break]

Interviewer: Out of nowhere man, these guys. So who’s this guy over here? Your bodyguard?

Slash: Who, mine?

Interviewer: Yeah. Because he looks like he’s really getting teed off at this whole situation. Is he doing all right here tonight?

Slash: He’s… (Laughs) Oh, am I on again? No…

(Laughter)

George: Yes, we are on the air. You are on the radio. We are on the air.

(Laughter)

Slash: He keeps me out of trouble, basically.

Interviewer: All the women downstairs in the Motown (?)

Slash: Yeah, it’s great.

Interviewer: You feel funny being in the Motown building, Slash?

Slash: Um, I didn’t even know. We were here and I saw this girl standing outside with the Guns N’ Roses record, and I said, “Look, there’s a girl with the Guns N’ Roses… Oh, we’re here. Oh, I see.”

Interviewer: All right. We’ll be right back to say goodbye to Slash after this tune. Hot one, Guns N’ Roses right here on KIIS FM.

[Break]

Interviewer: Yeah, 102.7 KIIS FM! Slash is here in the control room. 30 minutes taking people’s calls and everything, rapping with everybody.

Slash: Uh-hah…

Interviewer: Once again, thank you.

Slash: You’re welcome.

Interviewer: (?)

Slash: No, this is great. I’m having a good time.

Interviewer: So, it’s just amazing. KIIS FM is on your stuff now.

Slash: I know!

Interviewer: (?) bootlegs.

Slash: It’s, like, very bizarre.

George: I got a couple of questions.

Slash: No, just get lost. Get really lost (laughs).

Interviewer: He’s been waiting all night.

George: You promised I can ask these questions.

Slash: Alright.

George: Now may I have a moment of everybody’s time, please?

Slash: I don’t think- (laughs).

George: Slash?

Slash: Yeah.

George: I have a few questions. I’m standing right here. Can you see me, young man?

Slash: (Laughs) I think so.

George: First of all-

Slash: That’s you in the polyester blue shirt.

(Laughter)

George: Are you finished?

Slash: Yeah. I’m fine.

George: What community services have you performed in the last six months, Slash?

Slash: Um…

George: What benefits to our community have you performed?

Slash: Last night I think I watered someone’s lawn. I don’t know… (laughs).

(Laughter)

George: Fine. Fine. Now what are the chances of getting a proper haircut for you? I want a proper haircut. Perhaps-

Slash: Pretty slim, okay? Yeah? Right. Next? What’s the next one?

Interviewer: Just George, why don’t you get the hell out of here?!

George: I’ve got one final important question.

Interviewer: Why don’t you take off?!

George: Just what kind of an example-

Slash: Do you work with the PMRC or something? What is this… (laughs).

George: What kind of an example do think you’re setting for our youth-

Interviewer: All right. Now that’s enough-

George: You have skulls on the back cover. What does that mean? Thank you.

Slash: (Laughs) Nothing. Go off. (?)

Someone: I don’t have a problem with it all.

George: It doesn’t make sense.

Interviewer: Thank you, George. Slash?

Slash: Yeah?

Interviewer: He’s a real ass.

Slash: Yeah, yeah-

Interviewer: I apologize, but by management he’s got questions-

Slash: Yeah, it’s okay.

George: (?)

Slash: At least he enjoys himself. At least he’s happy.

Someone: They’re questions on the minds of plenty of parents, Slash.

Interviewer: I want to thank you-

George: (?)

Slash: (Laughs) I’m getting ready to really hit you, man.

Interviewer: Okay, I want to thank Geffen for bringing you by. You are the coolest and continued success-

Slash: Hey, dude.

Interviewer: 6 million sold. Now what is there (?) You brought some stuff?

Slash: Stuff I gotta, like, sign, you know?

Interviewer: You’re gonna sign some stuff for our listeners?

Slash: Yeah!

Interviewer: So okay, you got some albums, you got some one-one-ones, you got cassettes?

Slash: Yeah, we’re going to get a whole bunch of them done. It will be cool, because, you know…

Interviewer: Slash, thank you so much, man. All right, we’re gonna go in a few minutes, we’re gonna go to the lines, we’re gonna get started and Slash is going to sign-

[INXS’s “New Sensation” starts playing]

Slash: Oh, this is my favorite band! All right, see ya (laughs).

Interviewer: All right. Thanks for stopping by, Slash.

Blackstar wrote:

Transcript:

Such a cool listen. Good times!