A Minor Guns N’ Roses Reunion: Slash and Steven Adler Back Together Again

Even if it will be only a brief period of time … like, um, maybe one song … Adler and Slash will jam on stage for the Slash & Friends benefit concert in L.A.  The Slash & Friends concert is a fundraiser (dubbed LAYN ROCKS) for the Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN),  a non-profit organization providing services to homeless and runaway youth.

To Adler, this is the progress of his dream of being closer to Slash, and continue playing with Slash (Yes, he can’t let go). Other guests at the show will be Andrew Stockdale, Perry Farrell, Billy Idol, Ozzy, Travis Barker, Tom Morello, Dave Navarro, Franky Perez, to name a few. This will be the first Slash & Friends gig in L.A., too.

Adler also plays on the upcoming Slash & Friends album (Slash solo project) with all the other members of GNR except Axl Rose, of course. (Note: On wikipedia someone was nice enough to add: “because he is a dickhead” to explain Axl’s absence).

The real news is LAYN, a great organization. Below is a video about them. Check it out. Good cause.

Here is Slash in a previous endoresement of LAYN:

Related Links:

powerlinead.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/steven-adler-to-finally-go-on-tour-with-his-band-adlers-appetite/

powerlinead.wordpress.com/?s=Adler

An Online Lovefest Between Slash and Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine

This is a far cry from Dave’s relationship with Slayer’s Kerry King.

Slash tweeted that Megadeth’s new release, Endgame, “sounds killer.” In response, Dave Mustaine (right) immediately posted online:

“Slash and I have been friends for a really long time. I have played in concert with his band, and jammed with him in a cover band once. We used to hang and party, true, but I dug Slash the most for his amazing talent on guitar. I am honored he said that he likes it.”

Aaaaah! How nice. Maybe Kerry can get in on some of this?! Now, everybody: “Someones singing lord, kumbaya….

Ex-Guns N’ Roses Share Restraining Order

It seems Steven Adler would do almost anything to be as close of a buddy to Slash as he once was. Now they can share the same restraining order.

That’s pretty close.

Looks like some fan(atic) has stalked both Adler and Slash in the same bizarre fashion. And both “buds” were granted a restraining order against the woman. Check out more here at a TMZ.com exclusive.

It’s good to share with friends.

Steven Adler Believes It Was Axl Rose Who Ran Guns n’ Roses into the Ground

Steven Adler still can’t let go. Or they keep bringing it up to him: a GN’R reunion, a GN’R reunion, a GN’R reunion…

It’s never going to happen. Never. Go ahead, check with Vegas. The odds are worse than Plant pulling that stick out of his ass and joining Page to reunite Zeppelin.

What’s interesting is Adler’s ever-evolving opinions on Axl Rose, too. He recently told Dirty Rock Magazine:

“… the thing about Guns N’ Roses is, for starters, Axl [Rose] ran the whole thing into the ground and still is. It’s a shame. Two, he should have named his record W.A.R. — W. Axl Rose. Then I think it would have been a bigger hit. You know what?! It’s heartbreaking, because I was there from the beginning and helped get it started, and to see what he did and still doing, it’s hurtful. That, and I heard that some big rock agency offered us $150 million for us to do 20 shows. And that was very hurtful that Axl said no and doesn’t want to do it. Because that doesn’t happen.

The way Axl is, what I know of him, is he could make a call tomorrow and say, “OK, guys we’re doing it.” I’m not saying he’s going to call up and say, “I’m sorry guys, and we’re gonna do it.” (Laughs). And he is that way, so you never know. Tomorrow he could call up and say, “Let’s do this, guys.” As long as the five of us are alive, there’s an opportunity. But I can’t wait, I can’t wait, and I’m not going to wait.”

Forget a reunion, Steven. Axl won’t be calling. Work on your Appetite instead.

The past is the past… just like that photo of you above.

Duff McKagan Still Thinks Axl’s Voice is “Killer”

After watching the oddity of Slash play father figure on this week’s American Idol, I needed to read some down-to-earth ex-GNR news on the printed page.

In the new issue of Spin — in the Inquisition section — ex- GNR bassist Duff McKagan says this about his old singer’s new album:

Axl’s voice sounds killer.

Axl’s phone number is no longer on speed dial but…

I saw some really amazing stuff with Axl. We worked really well together. We were good friends. And I hope to perhaps have that friendship back one day, although it’s not something I wait around for.But I look forward to it.

Is Duff the nicest guy in rock, or what? Too bad Axl couldn’t take a few personality cues from his old bandmate.

And Duff has a lot more going on than American Idol. His side project Loaded (below) and their new album “Sick,” for one. And then, of course, there’s always Velvet Revolver, post-Scott Weiland.

In fact, if you haven’t heard, Duff’s Loaded are a pretty damn good band — always have been. Their punk-edged hard rock sound is at times more enthusiastically sharp than Velvet Revolver and more ballsy than the new-n-(un)improved GNR. Check out a video of “Sick” here. It’s great stuff.

And Loaded is on tour right now in America.

www.duff-loaded.com

Note: The Inquisition section does a cool Q&A one-pager. Spin has really impressed me of late. I dropped my readership awhile ago, but I am going to pick it up again. They are blowing away Rolling Stone and all the others right now.

Sign of the Apocolypse: Slash on American Idol

American Idol trying to do a show dedicated to hard rock (“Rock Night”) is like us trying to do a blog on classical music.

And then to have Slash as the show’s musical mentor… I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry (I chose to laugh instead).

Kris Allen commented that he nearly pissed his pants while jamming with Slash — and another singer, Adam Lambert, dressed up so Glam, he would have outdone a young buck Liberace.

One newspaper blog chose Lambert (above) as #1, anyway:

Best of the night: Vocally, I might give a slight edge to Allison, but on the whole package, it’s Adam. It’s always been Adam. It’s gonna be Adam until the end, and then we’ll see what happens once people have the ability to vote against him in a 1-on-1 scenario.

But for me, in the end, it all made for bad tv.

Finally — Steven Adler About Axl Rose: “F Him!”

Thatta boy, Adler! Ex-GNR drummer Steven Adler tells Psycho Babble TV:

“It would be nice if [the original Guns N' Roses lineup] could do a reunion. I know it would help me in my life. Because I’m afraid when I die I’m gonna have to come back again to finish what I started. And if I could finish what I started with the GN’R guys, as a band, I know I could die happy. But I’m not gonna wait for him (Axl Rose). I waited and cried for decades, and no more. Fuck him! Forget him! I’ve got Slash, my best friend, again, and he’s behind me. And I’ve got a great bunch of people, I’ve got great fans.”

Some of that was indeed psycho babble but at least Adler’s not begging Axl anymore. After all, Axl did pretty much call Adler an ambulance chaser (because of a lawsuit by Adler in the 90s… and, personally, I think Adler deserved some money).

Axl Rose: Slash is a “Cancer” and a “Whore for the Limelight”

Yeah, right. And all this coming from what many musicians consider to be a walking-and-talking human tumor.

Axl Rose was speaking to AOL’s Spinner.com about any chance of a Guns N’ Roses reunion. You know, of the Appetite For Destruction kind. And the trash-talk express pulled up.

“I suppose Duff (McKagan) could play guitar on something somewhere but there’s zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash. In a nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed, avoided — and the less anyone heard of him or his supporters the better.”

And as reported on Yahoo! News:

Rose was not even a fan of Slash’s guitar playing, claiming he has lost his edge and seems to be more passionate about being “a whore for the limelight.” As for the other former bandmates, Rose said rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin‘s recent guest turns on stage with the band were fun, but that his old Indiana buddy was not the most reliable collaborator.

And on the long-suffering drummer Steven Adler collaborating with him?:

“assorted ambulance-chasing attorneys … One gig or even a couple songs could mean years of behind-the-scenes legal aftermath.”

Wow. Looks like we are in the deep end of an Axl Rose mood swing right now.

I, for one, am now glad that there will be no reunion. I’m not sure I could stand it.

SLASH to Play Where Top Hats Were Once the Norm: An Inaugural Ball

Slash is one of the many who will be paying tribute to the new President today. The Velvet Revolver guitarist will perform in Heroes Red White And Blue Inaugural Ball.

For more information go to: heroball.org

Axl Rose Accuses Guitar Hero of “low life chicanery”

In an open letter, Axl goes off on the producers of Guitar Hero, and their use of “Welcome to the Jungle” (with Slash):

“Yes, Slash was in Guns and on ‘…Jungle’ and he has rights to perform it, but not to be represented in this context in association with Guns. And since they weren’t granted the license it’ll take some sorting.”

“[Slash] being [in] ‘Guitar Hero’‘s fine but not when Activison is using ‘…Jungle’… unauthorized.”

“I wasn’t broadsided. I read about it as it moved along but Activision continually denied it right up to the release. That’s some low life chicanery on all their parts.

Welcome to the Jungle indeed!

Critics called the letter “garbled.”

Axl seems to be our new Amy Winehouse, here on the PAD blog.