7 Wild Slash Stories That Still Blow My Mind (Beyond Sweet Child O' Mine)

Here's my read and comments on Slash's recent interview from Guitar World. The man went brutally honest about hating Sweet Child O' Mine, the GNR reunion, the new album update, all that good stuff. We even got into my own scary Montreal 1992 riot story. Wild episode.

But the thing about Slash is, the guy has been making rock for 40 years. Every time you think you've heard every story, there's another one underneath. So here are 7 Slash stories I didn't get to in the episode. Crank it up.

Listen to the episode: YouTube · Buzzsprout · Apple Podcasts · Spotify

1. Slash got his name from a Cassavetes actor

Real name: Saul Hudson. Born 1965, Hampstead, London. The "Slash" nickname didn't come from his guitar style or his stage attitude. It came from Seymour Cassel, the actor (you've seen him in basically every John Cassavetes film, plus Wes Anderson stuff later). Cassel was a family friend. He saw young Saul as a kid, said he was always darting around, always slashing through life. Started calling him Slash. The name stuck. Forever.

Imagine being 12 years old and the actor from Faces and Minnie and Moskowitz gives you your stage name. Most rock nicknames come from drunk bandmates. Slash's came from American indie cinema royalty. Wild beginning.

2. His mom designed costumes for David Bowie

This one knocks me out every time I think about it. Slash's mother, Ola Hudson, was a celebrated Hollywood costume designer. Her client list reads like a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame jacket: David Bowie, John Lennon, Diana Ross, the Pointer Sisters, Ringo Starr.

She designed the iconic black suit Bowie wore in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). And here's the kicker. Slash was a kid hanging around the house. Bowie used to come over. Imagine being 11 and David Bowie is just kicking it in your living room while your mom takes measurements. That has to do something to a future rock star's brain. Some people manifest stardom. Slash inhaled it from the time he could walk.

3. He auditioned for Poison and got rejected

Long before Appetite for Destruction, before GNR even existed, Slash tried out for Poison. Yes. THAT Poison. Bret Michaels and the boys. According to Slash himself, he made it through the audition based on his playing, but they passed because he refused to wear makeup and tease his hair into a poodle.

So he went off and helped form Guns N' Roses instead. Poison sold roughly 45 million records. GNR has sold over 100 million. The lesson here, kids: refuse the makeup. Always refuse the makeup.

4. The top hat cost five dollars

The most iconic accessory in rock history? Bought at a thrift store on Hollywood Boulevard in 1985 for five bucks. Five. Bucks.

Slash has told this story in interviews over the years. He needed a hat to keep his hair out of his face when he played, so he wandered into a vintage shop and grabbed the first thing that fit. Black, slightly too big, slightly weathered. He paired it with a cross belt buckle and a Les Paul, and a visual identity was born that has held up for 40 years and counting. The top hat is now in rock museums, in tribute statues, on Halloween costumes worldwide. Best $5 anyone in rock has ever spent.

5. He played the guitar solo on Michael Jackson's "Black or White"

If you've heard "Black or White" (1991), you've heard Slash. Yes. The dude shredding through the bridge of one of the best-selling pop singles of the 90s is Slash. He also played on Michael's "Give In to Me" from the same album.

The story is that Slash was working in a nearby studio, MJ heard he was around, and asked if he'd come over and lay down a track. Slash said yes because, I mean, when Michael Jackson asks, you say yes. The song hit number one in 20 countries. Slash got paid scale. But the cultural reach of that solo is bonkers. Anyone who watched MTV in 1991 has Slash's playing burned into their hippocampus, even if they didn't know it.

6. Velvet Revolver actually won a Grammy

Quick add to the post-GNR career story. We covered Snakepit and Velvet Revolver in the episode, but here's the part most people forget. Velvet Revolver's debut single "Slither" won the 2005 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.

The album Contraband hit number one on the Billboard 200. They sold around 4 million records before Scott Weiland's struggles ended the band. Slash basically had a second hugely successful rock career before reuniting with GNR. Few rock guitarists pull off the second-act trick. He nailed it. The Grammy mantelpiece is doing fine.

7. Slash and Lemmy were genuinely tight (it wasn't just a Motörhead reference)

You heard Slash say in the episode that GNR thought of themselves as a "Motörhead band." That's not just a passing reference. Slash and Lemmy Kilmister were genuine close friends for decades.

Lemmy guested on Slash's solo work. They held court together at the Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip, Lemmy's home base, more nights than anyone can count. After Lemmy died in 2015, Slash was visibly destroyed. He's said in interviews that Lemmy was the one guy in rock he genuinely looked up to. There are famous photos of the two of them, drinks in hand, telling stories that would make your hair curl. The Motörhead-band reference in the Sweet Child episode wasn't aspiration. It was a tribute to a real friendship.

Wear it loud

If you're the kind of fan who reads 7 Slash deep cuts on a weekend, you might want to wear the heritage too. Two picks from the collection that fit the vibe:

Rock Hand Sign Graphic Tee →
The universal salute. Slash would approve.

Volume Knob Rock Baseball Cap →
Because every Slash solo deserves to be turned up just a little louder.

Anyway

Those are 7 stories I wish I'd squeezed into the Slash episode. The man's life is a 60-year rock and roll novel and we've barely scratched the cover. If you haven't listened to the full episode, the YouTube embed is right at the top of this post.

Got a band you want me to dig into next? Hit me on YouTube, Facebook, or just drop me a message at its1louder.com. Always reading.

Crank it up 1 louder.

PJ Pat