As the lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses, Slash established himself as one
of hard rock's finest and most soulful soloists during the late '80s,
technically adept yet always firmly grounded in the gritty Aerosmith and
Stones licks he loved. Slash was born Saul Hudson on July 23, 1965 in
Stoke-on-Trent, England, to artistic parents both involved in the
entertainment industry; his mother was a clothing designer who worked on
David Bowie's film The Man Who Fell to Earth, and his father designed album
art for such artists as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. The family eventually
moved to Hollywood, where Hudson attended junior high, received his first
guitar, and met future G N' R drummer Steven Adler. With Hudson adopting
the nickname Slash, given to him by a family friend, the two formed a band
called Road Crew; although it proved unsuccessful, it was the vehicle
through which they met and eventually joined up with the other members of
Guns N' Roses. The Gunners debuted in June 1985, and even before Appetite
for Destruction was released in 1987, the band acquired a reputation as
notorious alcohol and drug abusers. As their popularity soared, the
reserved Slash established himself as an important part of the band's
visual image, with a top hat and a mound of shaggy black hair covering his
face as he typically staggered around the stage with a cigarette dangling
from his mouth.
Hedonistic excess consumed most of the band, with such incidents as Slash
and Duff McKagan's drunken, profane acceptance of the band's American Music
Award on live television. In 1990, opening for the Rolling Stones, Axl
Rose's infamous onstage pronouncement that he would leave the band if
certain members did not stop "dancing with Mr. Brownstone" (using heroin)
was primarily directed at Slash and Adler; Slash kicked his habit within a
year, but Adler did not and was fired. In 1992, Slash courted controversy
again with a product endorsement for Black Death vodka; later that year, he
was married to actress and model Renee Sorum, a union that lasted five
years.
Meanwhile, in spite of controversy and personnel turnovers, Guns N' Roses
had actually continued to record music; after the Use Your Illusion sets of
1991 and the 1993 punk covers album The Spaghetti Incident?, the band went
on hiatus. Slash formed a side project called Slash's Snakepit, which
consisted of fellow Gunners Matt Sorum (drums) and Gilby Clarke (guitar),
plus bassist Mike Inez and vocalist Eric Dover. The group released an album
in 1995 titled It's Five O'Clock Somewhere; Slash hit the road with a
slightly different touring lineup, with Brian Tichy and James Lomenso
signing on as the rhythm section, but as of this writing, nothing further
has been heard from the band. In 1996, Slash put together a different band
to play at a blues festival in Budapest; this outfit evolved into Slash's
Blues Ball, which to date has not recorded an album. It has been confirmed
that, owing to his unwillingness to follow Axl Rose's interest in playing
industrial and electronic music, Slash is no longer a member of Guns N'
Roses, although he has not ruled out future collaborations; rumors
circulated that he would either release a live album with the Blues Ball or
re-form the Snakepit with a new lead singer.
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Breaking Silience
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