Ahead of their stadium tour of Australia and New Zealand later this year, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash joins a new episode of the Rolling Stone Uncut podcast.
In a podcast exclusive ahead of the local run, the rock icon sat down with Editor-in-Chief Neil Griffiths to talk all about the band’s current world tour, 10 years since the reunion began and when fans can expect that long-awaited album.
In particular, Slash spoke about reuniting with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose after their bitter falling out.
“You’re talking to somebody who had no inclination of rejoining the band, and there was nothing in the cards about that happening,” he said. “It just sort of happened out of the blue.”
On the episode, Slash also shares updates on his solo music, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, and looks back on the emotional final Ozzy Osbourne concert in Birmingham earlier this year.
Watch below or listen to the full episode on Apple Music and Spotify (subscribe and follow!).
Reconnecting with Axl Rose
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“The actual issues between Axl and I weren’t insurmountable. It really had to do with other people that had gotten involved and exacerbated the issues that we had. Without them around, it was really easy for me and Axl to get past it — we haven’t had one fucking fight the whole 10 years we’ve been together this time around.
“Axl got in touch with me through management, and that wasn’t about Guns N’ Roses getting back together at the time — that was really about mending the fences. He and I had dinner, and everything just blossomed from there.”
New Guns N’ Roses music is coming
“It’s gonna happen. I just don’t know when. It’s getting closer and closer — we were in the studio recently. It’s just a matter of when it happens.”
“It was like that with the Use Your Illusion albums — nothing was going on, and then all of a sudden we just locked in and did it, and everything moves really quickly. That time is coming with Guns pretty soon, so it will happen.”
He wouldn’t be drawn on a date, tentative or otherwise. “I’d be lying,” he said.
The last time with Ozzy Osbourne and playing the Birmingham concert
“It was supposed to be just me and Duff doing it. Tom Morello called everybody, and everybody wanted to be part of it. There was such a massive feeling of warmth and camaraderie with all the different musicians, and there was no attitude, no egos — it was all checked at the door.
“I’ve never witnessed anything in my career so far that was as special as that particular event — not knowing that we were gonna lose Ozzy in whatever it was, a month or six weeks, which was a mind-blowing shock.”
“Everybody wanted to go back and pay homage to Ozzy. I got Axl back there to meet Ozzy for the first time — Axl was always a fan of Ozzy’s, but what Axl didn’t know was Ozzy was a huge fan of his.”
