On February 11, 2022, Guns N’ Roses legend Slash released a new album with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. Simply titled “4,” it brings a total of 10 new songs, lasting just short of 44 minutes in total.
But at the same time, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a Guns N’ Roses album, let alone one with Slash in the lineup. Since it’s been almost three full decades after “The Spaghetti Incident?,” it’s only obvious that someone would ask Slash whether he sees GN’R as a side project at this point. That’s exactly what happened in a recent interview with the Guitar magazine. Slash answered:
“No, I’ve been thinking about this. I think one of the great things about [GNR] and why there’s such longevity, and I don’t wanna jinx it, but it’s because we don’t take it too seriously. Guns N’ Roses was obviously my entire life and that’s where I come from. I’ll always be part of it and I don’t mind being recognized as ‘that guy from that band’. At this point, I’ll probably do it till I’m pushing daisies.”
“It’s always been a lot of fun but it became a really big band, so the tension is palpable. Like with Velvet Revolver, everybody around that band had all these delusions of grandeur. Not the band itself, the people around it. It was very difficult, so it didn’t stand a chance long-term. With this band, it just sort of does what it does for the fun of it. I don’t think we’ve had any real expectations and we’re not trying to be huge or do anything apart from have a good time. That’s why it’s been so easy and gone by as quickly as it has. We spend a lot of time on the road and we just have a good time. Nobody really thinks about all the other bullshit.”
Of course, Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy is a huge part of Slash’s work. At the same time, he’s well-known for his reputation as one of the kindest people in rock music. When the interviewer said “Dare I say he has less of an ego than other singers you’ve worked with,” Slash replied:
“He’s a sweetheart of a guy, very laidback, and we seem to have creative chemistry. For the most part it’s effortless. I’m always working on stuff and if I have something I’ll just send it to him or play it during soundcheck or on the bus. He automatically gets into it and starts thinking of melodies. From the very first thing we recorded, which was Starlight back in 2010, it’s been that kind of writing relationship and I really don’t compare him to Scott or Axl, because they’re different people.”
“When Myles and I started working together for that first tour, I thought, ‘This is a lot of fun, I’ll do the next solo record with these guys if they’re into it.’ That’s what Apocalyptic Love [2012] was. Then we went out on tour and I wrote music for the next one [World on Fire, 2014]. It’s just been going on like that and here we are 10 years in.”
