Slash Speaks! Rolling Stone Interview 08/14/2018

[Stress Fracture]

Quote

 

Did you really think that Coachella could’ve been it for the Guns reunion?

Originally, it was just to do those first couple of shows, and that was a gas. I missed being on a stage with Axl and Duff

And Dizzy too?

Who?

 

 

[millionflies]

4 hours ago, DieselDaisy said:

Slash has a great way of criticising people without criticising them - even praising them. It is marvelous. The key is what he doesn't say I suppose. He could have said Frank was ''excellent'' and that he and Frank possess a ''great rapport'' and so forth but,

Quote

Well, no, he (Frank) doesn’t play like either of those guys (Adler and Sorum), but he’s been doing it for longer than I was ever in the band [laughs]. So he’s got his thing on lock, yeah.

It is hardly eulogistic, is it, that Frank doesn't play like Adler and Sorum, and that he possesses (Guns N' Roses) longevity haha?

That's what stuck in my mind after reading the interview. You have to think twice about his answers.

As many people already stated, this interviewer did really a good job! In spite of some vague answers or the ones where you have to read between the lines, I'm glad at least some of the questions many fans had, were answered. And I understand and approve the way Slash deals with the questions on the relationship to Axl. If there is sort of a deal "let's not talk about this to the media" it shows a grown-up attitude in my opinion.

Quote

I mean, obviously you don’t want to say anything to knock this all off course . . .
I’m not worried about fucking it up. (…) Having Axl and I get back together and sort of work out our differences and start moving forward, was sort of a shock. . . . And it’s been really a wonderful experience, and I’ve been having really a great time with it, and everybody’s been getting along great. And the fuckin’ fans have been amazing. And it’s just sort of a blessing to have it go that way, you know, especially a band that’s been around – or not around, depending on, you know, all the different lineup changes and all that kind of stuff — for so long. So, it’s been really nice to be riding this wave.

Makes me  because of mentioning the fans and the joy about touring, but on the other hand I'm getting a feeling of "enjoy it while it lasts"

[jacdaniel]

As expected, he side stepped pretty much everything. And has some talent to do that 😀 

Must be frustrating trying to do an interview for your solo album and having to side step all those questions on the spot. 

No wonder he ends up contradicting himself. It's just a case of given whatever answer suits at the time to get out of the question.

 

[jamillos]

All in all, I think it’s fine. If he didn’t want any GNR questions, he would have had to say so at the beginning, which he didn’t. On the other hand, it would have been weird to completely rule it out, as he knows people are eager to learn some new stuff – after all, we still don’t know very much, despite the 3-year touring. 
I say we’ll see next year. Slash may be touring intermittently, but unless Guns embark on yet another leg, there should be time to seriously start working with the new material, whatever there may be. I just hope Axl won’t fully commit to Angus, wrecking his neck and wasting time that could be devoted to his own band. A guest performance would be awesome, obviously. 
You can’t expect Slash to undermine what they’ve achieved so far. 

[wasted]

Humans are really a post-truth species at this point, can’t expect Slash to be solving the riddles of GNR. 

[adamsapple]

CD 10th anniversary lineup reunion starts now.

[HollyWoodRose84]

Can’t feel bad for Slash. I mean, come on. More people want to know about GnR than his side project. It’s always going to be like that. The easiest way to shut everyone up would be to have them all do an actual interview, fully answer every question and then move on. The general public clearly wants new music from this band. How many sold out stadium shows has Slash, Duff or Ax performed on their own with their own solo projects? Exactly. Just answer everyone’s questions instead of being annoyed that you’re being asked the questions that every body wants answers to. 

[TeeJay410]

Slash really is so good at those statements framed as compliments because he doesn’t have nice things to say. “Oh Frank? Oh yeah, he has been playing drums for a long time.”

I’m also bummed out he hated Velvet Revolver so much. I understand he was going through serious issues but Contraband was a foundational album for me, it’s like finding out your entire childhood your parents hated each other but we’re just staying together because they had to.

[Rovim]

Just now, wasted said:

Humans are really a post-truth species at this point, can’t expect Slash to be solving the riddles of GNR. 

Pitman should write a book.

[wasted]

26 minutes ago, Rovim said:

Pitman should write a book.

Flamenco Beats and Towels: The Real Truth (Introduction by MPC3000)

[wasted]

41 minutes ago, adamsapple said:

CD 10th anniversary lineup reunion starts now.

Bucket needs the money after divorcing his pet Chicken. 

[AXL_N_DIZZY]

32 minutes ago, TeeJay410 said:

I’m also bummed out he hated Velvet Revolver so much. I understand he was going through serious issues but Contraband was a foundational album for me, it’s like finding out your entire childhood your parents hated each other but we’re just staying together because they had to.

Yep. Kind of like me w/the Illusions. I only got into the band at the very tail end of Appetite- so my whole “central” experience with Guns is via the UYI-era when I was 15-17 years old. For all I could tell it was the most triumphant, kick ass moment in time for any rock band I’ve ever seen. Of course there was turmoil at certain points, but seemed like they were having an absolute blast together- and Tokyo Vids and Makin F’n Videos cultivated that idea. Turns out they were all pretty miserable, coming apart at the seams, and today are pretty cautious/ambivalent about it all as compared to Appetite- or even Chinese.

Oh well- at least the best of the UYI material (my favorite) remains some all-time great stuff despite the experiences of the creators. Maybe you can similarly still enjoy Contraband...

[jacdaniel]

The sad part of these interviews is that he never gets to mention much about his new album. I read the interviews today and I still don't know anything about the songs. I didn't even hear him mention a release date

[appetite4illusions]

Slash once declared himself very passive-aggressive and I think this interview is the personification of that.

You can feel the disdain in the phrasing of the words, the economy of the answers and most of all, in the inference of backhanded complements. He wants to sell his little solo album but he's let this other issue fester into a tumor of speculation and interest. I think he resents the fact that he is the one who has to go out naked before the media and endure their barrage of cabbage and controversy, all to sell the third solo album of a rinky-dink side project (sorry, Conspirators).

 

We live in an age of constant information; information overload. Information at the drop of a hat. When an entertainment entity goes years without providing any of that to their fans, it reaches critical mass. I really apprecitated the question about Instagram and modern media and how Guns, were never and can never, be a band that exists in that realm.

[Kwick1]

@appetite4illusions, I tend to agree. Slash's statements are very passive aggressive which tells us a lot. I think the interviewer did a great job asking the questions most of us would like to ask ourselves. 

What I don't agree with is that GnR does not exist in modern media. It's true they will never likely have a large official social media platform such as a 30 Seconds to Mars but GnR has lived and thrived in this unofficial social media realm. That is until recently. 

[Towelie]

40 minutes ago, jacdaniel said:

The sad part of these interviews is that he never gets to mention much about his new album. I read the interviews today and I still don't know anything about the songs. I didn't even hear him mention a release date

The interviewer focused on the things that people actually care about. Interest in SMKC is minimal compared to that of GNR and for Slash to get uptight about that is a bit naive of him. 

He better get used to it, because interest and speculation in new Guns material is always going to overshadow Slash's solo work.

[Gackt]

My take-aways from this interview:

• I use an adblocker so I don't give a shit about if Rolling Stones gets extra clicks or not for their article
• Slash is extremely careful not to say something that will offend Axl or TB
• he thinks Fortus is good and Frank is shit
• considers himself more of a hired hand than a member of the band
• is cool with performing ChiDem tracks, OIAM's omission was a quick decision by the band
• would much rather talk about the new Conspirators album and Myles Kennedy than talk about GNR's history

Sad part is if he requested no GNR-related questions for interviews to focus on Conspirators at least for a month, the dirtsheets will just take that as a "Slash distancing himself from Guns" story.  I can see why he's frustrated.

[moreblack]

Of course he likes Fortus, he wanted him for his solo band didn't he?

[CAFC Nick]

33 minutes ago, moreblack said:

Of course he likes Fortus, he wanted him for his solo band didn't he?

Correct.

Source: https://www.loudersound.com/news/richard-fortus-couldnt-leave-guns-n-roses-for-slash-band

[killuridols]

7 hours ago, BOSSY78 said:

Further proof of what I was thinking as reading the article, which was, bet the interviewer has been to this forum.

He asked questions discussed here.

Not much of a proof when you know a publication like Rolling Stone (similar to any other big media) has all the digital tools available today to track clicks.

As soon as an article goes live, you can go check in your Ads panel how the article is performing, the keywords and the incoming clicks show exactly where the audience is coming from.

He doesn't need to monitor this forum at all. The software they have at the newsroom lets them know automatically every single website and social network where the article is being mentioned, posted, linked, etc.

Just because he defended his work doesn't mean he might not be a fan of the band himself or that his questions were all "lifted" from here. And if they were, then he did his job very well, but the wording and the edition of the interview pretty much belong to Rolling Stone stylebook.

[dgnr]

What a funny interview!  Ah Slash...Gotta love him and his passive-aggressiveness, bless him  Wonder if Axl's blood is boiling already 

But, really, props to the journalist...Great questions!

[killuridols]

4 minutes ago, dgnr said:

Wonder if Axl's blood is boiling already 

If the Monterrey and Asian dates are cancelled.... 

[Estrangedfx]

Gotta love Brian Hiatt, the journalist who conducted this interview. If you don't recall, he was a BIG supporter of Axl/Chinese Democracy early on.

When the original leak of "Better" surfaced in 2006, he gave it a rave review (in Rolling Stone, as a must-have Download), said something along the lines of "This is amongst the best tunes Axls ever written, simultaneously the poppiest,yet heaviest GNR tune to date. Axl, release this thing! It already sounds better than Velvet Revolver." Ouch. 

It's nice to see he touched upon that in the interview, loving to hear them playing CD tracks during this tour, even after all these years.

Pretty hilarious too see him call out Slash (as a liar, more less) on Slash's Snakepit '95 release intentions, throwing Slash's own book in his face, so to speak. Priceless. 

Later on, he continued his praise, when Appetite had its 25'th anniversary, they did a cover story, and he didn't neglect to once again, point out several Chinese Democracy tracks as highlights, as to what Axl had "Been up to". 

David Fricke, longtime Rolling Stone journalist, who did indeed give Chinese Democracy it's 4-star review, had similar praise. 

Anyway, all in all, a pretty great interview.  

Edited August 15, 2018 by Estrangedfx

[DTV88]

This was a much better interview than I expected. Of course Slash is going to try and not get too controversial regarding GnR. If you were making $300k per show, wouldn't you try and keep it going?

[Georgina Arriaga]

49 minutes ago, dgnr said:

What a funny interview!  Ah Slash...Gotta love him and his passive-aggressiveness, bless him  Wonder if Axl's blood is boiling already 

But, really, props to the journalist...Great questions!

Why it would be boiling? He didn't speak bad of Axl....the question about new music...he didn't want to touch that, but other than that...I don't get why Axl could be angry.