When Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose issued a public statement last month declining his participation in the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, it upset longtime fans, made headlines, and – according to Slash – motivated the former members of the group to get up on stage and play the event.
In a new interview with Madison.com, Slash discussed the Rock Hall experience.
“It was a really nice event all around, and it was a special moment for all the guys that showed up,” said the guitarist. “It was a nightmare going into it, but when it actually happened it was like, ‘This is pretty cool.’”
“Going up there you feel very much part of something that is bigger than…all the stories, drugs, the fights and this and that and the other,” Slash continued. “There was a body of a music that had a significant impact. When you think about where we come from, which is really like sort of the back alleys of Hollywood and being just scourges of the neighborhood…it was like, ‘Wow. It was a pretty big thing we ended up doing.’”
Asked about his initial reaction to Axl’s letter, Slash revealed “The funny thing is we never would have played had he never written it. I think at one point he alluded he was at least going to go, and so we hadn’t really prepared to play at all. We were just going to show up as almost an obligatory thing — more for the fans than anything. But that letter set a fire that was like, ‘Okay, (bleep) it. We’re going to go play.’ So it really almost didn’t happen. And if it hadn’t been for that special letter it wouldn’t have.”
You can read Axl’s full letter here.
Guns N’ Roses' original lineup - Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler - along with later additions Matt Sorum and Dizzy Reed, were officially inducted as part of the Class Of 2012, which also included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beastie Boys, The Small Faces/The Faces, Donovan and Laura Nyro.
Former GNR members Slash, McKagan, Adler, Sorum and Gilby Clarke were on hand to perform (Clarke was not inducted) a few classics for the Cleveland crowd; the guys were joined by Myles Kennedy (Slash, Alter Bridge) on vocals.
Guns N' Roses Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame – Cleveland, OH – April 14, 2012
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