Issue 514

Slash Slash; the man in the top hat, the legendary former guitarist of Guns N' Roses, co-founding member of Velvet Revolver, horror movie enthusiast and soon to be Soundwave headliner. Of course, Slash's solo career is arguably only a recent venture announced by last year's self titled debut, which featured a who's who of guest musicians, notably vocalists to lend their personal performance interpretations to his music. "There are so many different vocalists involved, and all of the different experiences were meshed into one big session. The whole thing was really a lot of fun (to record)" he says. Discussions about the record lead me to ask about a particular song, Gotten - a softer acoustic track which stands out amongst the familiar heavy rock. "I wrote the music, and Adam Levine (the vocalist on the track) wrote the words. The music was something that I came up with on the acoustic guitar and I kept getting drawn to it, playing it, and always coming come back to it. At one stage, it didn't look like it was going anywhere, so I gave it to Adam, and he came up with those words." And as for who could possibly inspire such lyrics? "You know what, I never did stop and ask him," Slash replies. Guns N' Roses fans are all well aware of the infamous antics of the band in the early days. The extreme ups and downs, and eventual breakdown of the band were cause for intense media attention and speculation. No band member suffered as much than Steven Adler, the original drummer and founding member, Slash's friend since childhood. His recent autobiography 'My Appetite For Destruction' left many fans, and indeed, his former band members cringing at his dependency for drugs, which remained his coping mechanism until very recently. Adler came full circle and even appears with Slash on the album in Baby Can't Drive (only featured on the deluxe edition for the discerning fan). "He's out on the road and touring Europe right now, and he's having a blast," Slash comments. "I talk to him all the time. He's doing really, really well and I'm really proud of him." In translating the record to the Soundwave stage, Shalsh has recruited Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy to front his touring band, completed by Brent Fitz on drums and Todd Kerns on bass. Fans should expect to hear a combination of solo work, Guns n' Roses and Velvet Revolver classics, in a show Slash states will be an extension of his performances in Sydney last year. "It's a pretty high energy rock n' roll thing. Not a choreographed show, not a technical show and definitely not a big production kind of event. Just a live rock n' roll band that are spontaneous in the moment." It's a reflection of the down to earth nature of the man, who despite his extraordinary success remains solely focused upon the music he writes. "I have to keep doing stuff that excites me, so I'm always searching for fun, interesting and exciting things to do," he explains. "And all of those things still revolve around music. I just keep at it, I don't know exactly where it all comes from, but I'm fortunate because I probably love music more now than when I started, and a lot of people don't share that same sentiment, at least in my business." Amongst his immediate plans which include recording another album, this time with Myles Kennedy the sole vocalist, Slash has launched his own horror film company, 'Slasher Films'. Production is due to begin later this year, which begs the question what which films the rocker considers to be his favourite and the motivator for the project. "I have a lot of favourite movies!" he laughs. "It's really hard to pick just one, but I would probably say that one of my favourite movies of all time would be Jaws." But there will be no time for leisure in Australia, with fans no doubt expecting a performance to linger in their memory, a challenge which Slash is very eager to meet. "I'm thinking in the moment, about what's happening right now. The Australian audience has always been very sincere and genuine, so we're gearing up to give it our all and if we have some spare time, you know, I'll just wander off and find things to do." Slash will headline Soundwave at Bonython Park on Sat 5 Mar. By Sarah Maunder