SLASH On GUNS N' ROSES, Dating Porn Stars And Playing With MICHAEL JACKSON

Metro.co.uk recently conducted an interview with VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Metro.co.uk: What was the high point of your time in GUNS N' ROSES?

Slash: The whole thing was a high point. It was the best thing I could have got involved with. I always judged how successful we were by the response from the fans. Towards the end it was overwhelming. The biggest concerts we did were two Rock In Rio festivals, where we played to more than 190,000 people. Playing in front of that many people is a lot to take in so I hid behind the guitar, the hat, the hair, the cigarette — but you can definitely still feel them out there.

Metro.co.uk: You've worked with a variety of famous musicians. With whom did you get on best?

Slash: I really got on great with almost all of them. Michael Jackson's record was a special moment, so was working with Iggy Pop, Lenny Kravitz and Ray Charles. A not-so-great one was with Bob Dylan. That was a huge learning experience. I was recommended for a guitar solo on his track "Wiggle Wiggle" during one of his darker periods in the late 1980s. I put a solo on there that I was quite proud of and put an acoustic rhythm track underneath it. When I heard it, only the acoustic track was there. Apparently he took the solo off because it sounded too much like GUNS N' ROSES.

Metro.co.uk: That must have been disapointing.

Slash: A bit. It was one of my first sessions. If I knew then what I know now I'd have done things differently.

Playing to 190,000 people is a lot to take in so I hid behind the guitar, the hat, the hair and the cigarette

Metro.co.uk: What bands do you like at the moment?

Slash: FOO FIGHTERS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MEGADETH, WHITE STRIPES. Mostly bands that have been around for a while. There haven't been any new bands I've heard recently that have caught my ear.

Metro.co.uk: What was Michael Jackson like?

Slash: Very astute and professional — he knew exactly what he wanted me to do in the songs.

Metro.co.uk: What about as a person?

Slash: He was great. All that stuff about his extra-curricular sexual preferences — I hope isn't true. I never encountered anything like that. He was just a pleasure to work with.

Metro.co.uk: Will you ever work with Axl Rose again?

Slash: I always say "never say never" but it's not going to happen in the foreseeable future.

Metro.co.uk: Do you still collect pinball machines?

Slash: Yes, I just gave away a couple so now I only have 13. I want to get the new "King Kong" and the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" ones. My favourite is an old one called "Funhouse". They're programmed not to take money, or else I'd need a lot of loose change.

Metro.co.uk: What are the highs and lows of dating a porn star [Slash has gone out with at least two]?

Slash: It depends on the porn star. The sex is great and very uninhibited. The lows were getting too much of the same thing. It starts to feel like you're making a movie every time you have sex.

Read the entire interview at Metro.co.uk.