2000.11.DD - CMJ - Interview with Slash

Story by Amy Sciarretto

The soft-spoken Slash needs no introduction. Our interview was two hours late, but sometimes you gotta make concessions to a star whose music changed your life and the lives of just about every other kid in your generation. Slash's Snakepit just released Ain't Life Grand on Koch Records.

I saw Slash's Snakepit open for AC/DC in August. But I got there in the middle of the set because I forgot that arena shows run a tight ship and always start on time. We even start on time when we play in clubs. I think we've been late only one time; we were 15 minutes late because we couldn't get a flight in. We're antsy because we wanna play.

How long has Slash's Snakepit been in existence?

Oh shit, that's a hard question to answer. [Long pause.] The first one doesn't count.

Why doesn't the first incarnation count?

We had a bunch of guys together, and we recorded stuff and called it Snakepit because I had snakes. But I was still in Guns then; it wasn't a permanent thing. This one is a career move. This is everybody's individual fucking-let's-lock-arms-and-do-it. Not for myself, but every individual in the band was like, "We gotta make this thing happen." It took a year to get it all together.

Why is it called Slash's Snakepit?

It was originally supposed to be called just Snakepit, but Geffen wanted Slash's Snakepit; they figured it would sell more records. Then there was this all-chick band from San Diego that popped out of nowhere named Snakepit. I drove out there to meet them, and they didn't want to give up the name. They were all in college and one wanted to give us a blow job. I was like, "My problem is Snakepit. You need to come up with a name." And she was like, "I know. Let's go to the bathroom." They had a three-song demo and they copyrighted it.

Do you think a lot of your fans from Guns N' Roses are surfacing?

I think the only issue having to do with GN'R fans is all the fans that got fucked over because the band broke up -- and they didn't deserve all that. Under the circumstances, well, someone is out there fucking rocking. We do, more or less, what Guns... It's a sensitive issue. What Guns was best at -- hard rock and guitar playing -- that's what I do now. I don't wanna say anything bad about the other guys; they're doing their own thing. But as far as going out as hard rock band and doing it, we're the only ones that are doing it.

Am I asking too many GN'R questions?

I don't wanna talk about Guns N' Roses. That's boring.

Do you think there will ever be a reunion? Because, to me, it ain't GN'R unless it's Axl, Slash, Stephen, Duff and Izzy.

A reunion? I wouldn't do a Guns gig unless the entire original lineup was there and it would be one show -- yeah, cool. Reunion gigs are... What's the word I'm looking for? Uh, it's cliché. For me to quit anything is a big thing in and of itself. So when I quit, I quit. As far as I'm concerned, I quit when it was still cool -- [with] still some semblance of cool left. I did what I had to do. We just went in different directions.

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Source:
https://web.archive.org/web/20030130030400/http:/www.gnrunlimited.com/articles/cmj-11-00.html