2024.06.01 - Le Parisien - Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash releases solo album: "My grandmother introduced me to the blues"

Original article in French:
https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/musique/slash-le-guitariste-de-guns-nroses-sort-un-disque-solo-cest-ma-grand-mere-qui-ma-ouvert-au-blues-01-06-2024-777TVH2AANBMLMFNX5PEUZJF34.php

Translation:
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Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash releases solo album: "My grandmother introduced me to the blues".

The legendary guitarist took advantage of a break in his Guns N' Roses schedule to record a blues- and soul-oriented album, "Orgy Of The Damned". He took the opportunity to invite a few friends, such as Demi Lovato or Iggy Pop, and others from AC/DC, Aerosmith, ZZ Top...

By Michel Valentin

It's unlikely that we'll be seeing a new studio album any time soon, but in the meantime, Slash, the band's guitarist, is keeping busy. He regularly releases records with singer Myles Kennedy and his Conspirators, and plays concerts with them, most recently in Paris on April 29. But the man in the hat also took the time to fulfill one of his dreams: to record a solo blues opus.

The result, "Orgy Of The Damned", has been available for a few days now, and has ranked 12th in sales in France, and even 4th in terms of physical sales (CD and vinyl). Logical, since the result will appeal to everyone, not just hard rock fans, even though the record is full of guitar solos. But above all, it's a great vintage blues retrospective, with some of his greatest standards covered on it.

And Slash had the great idea of switching vocalists on each track, calling on such well-known figures as Brian Johnson (AC/DC) and Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) on "Killing Floor", Iggy Pop on "Awful Dream", Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company) on "Born Under A Bad Sign", Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) on "Hoochie Coochie Man", Beth Hart, or the more unexpected Demi Lovato on "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". A success from start to finish! As affable as ever, and never taking his dark glasses off, Slash explained the genesis of this project to us on the eve of his Paris concert.

Why a blues-oriented solo album, with a bit of soul?

SLASH: Some time ago, in the late 1990s, I had a cover band. We covered a lot of cool stuff, and played small venues and bars all over the U.S., and even came to Europe once. Nothing serious, though I would have liked to record that, but I never had the time. Recently, I had a few weeks' break from touring with Guns N'Roses, and I thought it was now or never.

How did you go about selecting the songs you wanted to cover?

There's some stuff that's well-known, of course, but there's also stuff that I grew up with. The riff on "Born Under a Bad Sign" really impressed me - I probably heard it before I even picked up my first guitar! I just had to cover it. The same goes for "Killing Floor". I must have heard "Living For The City" when I was 9, and it was my favorite Stevie Wonder song on the "Innervisions" album (1973). All these songs have sentimental value for me.

You've often spoken of the influence your parents had on your rock musical upbringing. Were they also the ones who introduced you to the blues and soul?

My grandmother did, when I was really young. I've always been a big music lover, and she realized that. I was into the British blues scene of the 1960s, and she turned me on to the old black blues guys and said, "This is the real thing." When I started playing guitar, around the age of 15, I became interested in rockers. But they were also blues guys, like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Mike Bloomfield, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter... They helped me rediscover the artists my grandmother had told me about.

You also take a few steps to the side on your album, with more soulful passages?

Yes, it's not just blues, it's also rock, rhythm'n'blues, soul - all the things that influenced me when I was a kid.

How did you recruit your singers? Just from your phone contacts?

No, I started from the songs, asking myself each time who I'd like to hear on them. It could be people I knew, or good friends, or complete strangers. But once I'd made up my mind, I'd contact them on the phone, or find their number via their manager or record company. I found that, when their voice matched the song, they invariably already knew it and liked it! Which was perfect, and meant they'd be motivated to deliver their interpretation.

Despite the fact that, at first glance, they were quite far removed from your musical universe, like Demi Lovato, for example?

We met once in a London hotel and had a long conversation about our respective over-indulgences. Anyway, we stayed in touch, and her voice came to mind for "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". It turns out that the lyrics resonated with her, and when she was in the studio, she delivered a really intense performance.

Did you get any rejections?

No. But I did have people who weren't available at the time of recording, and who got back to me, but too late. To be honest, the one I would have loved to have was Lemmy from Motörhead (who died in 2015). That would have been amazing!

How did your guests record? Remotely, or in the studio where you were?

All the instrumental parts were recorded live in the studio. And if the singer was nearby, we took advantage of that, as we did with Beth Hart, for example. For others, I travelled with the music on tape. For example, I went to Florida to meet Brian Johnson and oversee his vocal parts. Most of the time, I was there, but not always. For Billy Gibbons, I was on tour when he could record his part in Palm Springs, so he was on his own.

Tell us about Iggy Pop's participation on your album...

It wasn't originally planned. In fact, my bass player told me he'd read that Iggy had always dreamed of singing the blues. So I called him up, and he confirmed that he'd never had the chance to perform that kind of music. So I asked him what he'd like to cover, and he said "Awful Dream" by Lightning Hopkins. We arranged a recording session a week later, and he flew out and recorded in my studio in Los Angeles. Quite an experience!

What's new with Guns N' Roses?

The band will probably do something in 2025. When I finish my blues tour, I'll start work on an album with the Conspirators, and then I'll focus on Guns N' Roses. We'll see what comes out of that...