Words by Shayni Solanki
It’s been 37 years since Slash and the iconic original line-up of Guns N’ Roses debuted. Aged 68, Slash is still an icon – maybe even more so than ever.
Everybody knows Guns N’ Roses. I mean, come on: not only are Guns N’ Roses one of the greatest bands of all time, but they’re also simply a gift from above for giving us Saul ‘Slash’ Hudson, the lead guitarist for the band in their classic line-up.
British-born Hudson moved to the states at a young age and fell in love with metal. Fast forward a few years, Slash joined a low-key band called Guns N’ Roses. Since then, they’ve sold millions of albums worldwide, and even been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
One of his greatest feats remains the legendary guitar solo in the song ‘Sweet Child of Mine’. Probably one of the most recognisable riffs in history, Slash made it up on a whim. It may be the band’s most popular song, but Slash and the rest of the group still have loads of other hits under their belts.
Slash even collaborated with Michael Jackson, providing some guitar leads and solos for his songs. Not everyone can say they worked with the King of Pop, but Slash can. He can also call himself a consummate performer. Guns N’ Roses are famous (and sometimes infamous) for their performances. Jumping and running around the stage, diving into the crowd and what not – they did it all.
The thing with Slash is that he’s a natural. The iconic top hat and long curls combo towering over the electric guitar is a beauty to behold. Once his hat was paired with sunglasses, an iconic look was born. It’s a look he still rocks today, sporting the ensemble when performing with the recently reunited band at Glastonbury.
Slash really hasn’t lost his spark by any means, he’s probably even more iconic now than he was 10 or even 30 years ago. You may wonder what rock legends get up to after their great stints with their bands come to an end. For Slash, it’s featuring on the Barbie soundtrack. Yeah, you read that right.
Without spoiling this billion-dollar movie for latecomers, Slash has an electric guitar feature on Ryan Gosling’s song ‘Just Ken’. Greta Gerwig’s 2023 Barbie movie has broken records and boundaries. She really didn’t miss one beat.
Still at the top of his game, recent years have seen Slash give some amazing performances. When he performed with Steven Tyler, he stole the show – that’s a hard thing to take away from the Aerosmith lead.
Still performing with Guns N’ Roses even now, Slash still sounds and feels like that young guitarist trying to make a name for himself. Not only has he made a name for himself, he’s cemented himself as a rock legend.