Slash: still rocking

By Mike Hamersly2/18/2011

Guitar fans - and especially Guns N’ Roses fans - need no introduction to Slash, who gave us the classic opening riff to the hard-rock hit Sweet Child O’ Mine (a highlight of this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, with Fergie providing vocals in place of ex-Guns singer Axl Rose). The ax-man who went on to anchor the band Velvet Revolver along with Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland is now on his own, touring with Ozzy Osbourne in support of his new album. He talked to The Miami Herald about the show, which hits the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.

What can we expect from your set?

It’s hard to really put it into words - easily said, it’s a really great rock ’n’ roll band. But it’s still sort of a new band, so it’s not like old-school for the sake of being old-school. It’s a raw band in that we just use guitars and amps. And we do a lot of cool stuff from my record that I just put out and also the Guns’ records and Velvet and Snakepit as well. So it’s a good snapshot of my whole catalog, and Myles Kennedy is singing, and I got a great back-up band. It’s a 50-minute set, so it’s a little trimmed-down from what we do on a headlining show.

How did you meet Ozzy, and what’s your relationship like with him?

We were introduced in a hotel back in 1989, and we’ve just been friends ever since. It’s just very casual, very cool. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s somebody that I respect as an artist who’s been around for a long time, who pioneered the business and is the king of heavy metal as we know it. And he’s just a really great, down-to-earth, no-bulls--- kind of character.

Are you still close with either Axl or Scott?

I haven’t spoken to Axl since 1996, so no. But I’m on good terms with Scott, yeah.