Slash Enjoying Sobriety

Rocker Slash insists he's a better guitarist now he's given up alcohol - and a better father too. The former Guns N' Roses star checked into rehab to tackle his drinking problem, and insists that was all he needed to help him realize it was time to quit boozing for good.

And he claims Velvet Revolver fans are the beneficiaries of his sobriety - because he's a better guitarist than ever.

He tells Britain's Mojo magazine, "Wanting to do what I do to the best of my ability is a major motivation for me. I'm a helluva lot better guitar player since I've been sober."

And his sobriety has boosted his role as a dad: "You can't be loaded all the time. I tried that and it didn't work. They (kids) don't think to take a nap when you pass out on the floor."

But he'll never clean up so much that he becomes a yoga-loving, gym-using rocker, like so many of his once addicted peers.

He chuckles, "Working out and all that bullshit? I can't stand it... It's lame. In the month that I spent rehabilitating myself, I met all those characters with the yoga mats and the leotards, but I just didn't sign up."

Credits for the info to StarPulse.com.

Comments

[atc228]

He might be a better dad, but from what i've seen recently, he was a better guitarist when he was on coke and heroin. Slash is one of my idols, but honestly he has been doing the same thing over and over for the past two VR albums and on every TV appearance i have seen. I still don't think he is overrated, he just hasn't been living up to his legend status.

Its good for his health though, so good for him.

[recliner33]

atc228 wrote:

He might be a better dad, but from what i've seen recently, he was a better guitarist when he was on coke and heroin. Slash is one of my idols, but honestly he has been doing the same thing over and over for the past two VR albums and on every TV appearance i have seen. I still don't think he is overrated, he just hasn't been living up to his legend status.

Its good for his health though, so good for him.

Maybe creativity wise, he isn't as good of a guitarist since none of his newer stuff isn't groundbreaking or anything like that. But I think he just means that he plays guitar better on stage and stuff. I haven't seen him live but I bet he can play his old GNR songs better now then he did before. Sure, being on drugs and booze may help your guitar playing at first by making you more creative, but eventually it will turn on you and if slash kept using drugs and booze today he would be all washed up or maybe even dead. So good on him for quiting.

[eddy1201]

i disagree about creativity. i mean in a sense you got a point, hes not been as creative as the guns n roses days, but contraband was an awesome album. slither and fall to pieces - both great songs where he plays great guitar. and compared to todays bands hes still one of the ebst guitarists. the solos he plays are great. and i mean you cant expect everything he writes to be pure genius. i saw vr live recently before scott wieland left and slash was awesome, they all were

[Obie]

eddy1201 wrote:
the solos he plays are great. and i mean you cant expect everything he writes to be pure genius

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

[not_dead_enough]

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

Oh THANK GOD!!! I thought I was the only one here who wouldn't lick his ass if given the chance!

In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

[KillEmAll]

atc228 wrote:

He might be a better dad, but from what i've seen recently, he was a better guitarist when he was on coke and heroin. Slash is one of my idols, but honestly he has been doing the same thing over and over for the past two VR albums and on every TV appearance i have seen. I still don't think he is overrated, he just hasn't been living up to his legend status.

Its good for his health though, so good for him.

He was still addicted during the first VR album I believe. Don't think he got fully clean till they started work on the second album. Although its not better than the first...

[MAYNARD]

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

Oh THANK GOD!!! I thought I was the only one here who wouldn't lick his ass if given the chance!

In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

Then why hasn't Buckethead helped to sell 50 million records, plus hundreds of thousands of wah pedals, marshall amps, and les paul style guitars?

[not_dead_enough]

MAYNARD wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

Oh THANK GOD!!! I thought I was the only one here who wouldn't lick his ass if given the chance!

In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash


Then why hasn't Buckethead helped to sell 50 million records, plus hundreds of thousands of wah pedals, marshall amps, and les paul style guitars?

Two reasons:
-The average person is stupid, and a slurred-speaking chain smoker like Slash relates more to the average person than someone who actually can play guitar at a level above that commonly seen in gigs at bars.
-Buckethead is less marketable than Slash for obvious reasons, but remember that Buckethead has had many high-profile band offerings on the basis that he ditch the bucket, which he has refused to do every time. Love his style or hate it, Buckethead has remained true to what he started almost 2 decades ago in the face of lucrative contracts, which makes him more respectable than 99% of today's artists.

[psychokiller99]

Obie wrote:

eddy1201 wrote:
the solos he plays are great. and i mean you cant expect everything he writes to be pure genius


well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

five posts and this is already turning into a slash vs. whoever-the-**** debate. grow up and give it a rest guys, it's all a matter of opinion.

[xSubduex]

you mean why hasnt buckethead sold out?
because he's not an idiot
he does it for the music
and he is still underground...way underground, no need to sell out

[bricksgrenade72]

my favorite guitar player ever, i saw him with VR and alice in chains as my first concert, he was amazing, he was def drinkin and scott was drunk off his mind haha... its good thathes doin this, ill miss the iconic jack daniels tho, keep it up saul!

[SGstriker]

Slash = cool
Buckethead = cool

So drop the f*cking debate already.
Congrats Slash. You're one of my favorite guitar players and its nice to see that you are enjoying your sobriety.

[frankv]

MAYNARD wrote:

Then why hasn't Buckethead helped to sell 50 million records, plus hundreds of thousands of wah pedals, marshall amps, and les paul style guitars?

I've mentioned this in some thread before, but I'll repeat it. Songs become hits when the following things are in order:

- Marketing/airplay
- Catchy chorus
- Not a lot of thinking required
- Easy to remember lyrics
- Suitable for dancing and partying
- Luck

I think there were some more, but this pretty much sums it up.

[MAYNARD]

not_dead_enough wrote:
Two reasons:
-The average person is stupid, and a slurred-speaking chain smoker like Slash relates more to the average person than someone who actually can play guitar at a level above that commonly seen in gigs at bars.

-Buckethead is less marketable than Slash for obvious reasons, but remember that Buckethead has had many high-profile band offerings on the basis that he ditch the bucket, which he has refused to do every time. Love his style or hate it, Buckethead has remained true to what he started almost 2 decades ago in the face of lucrative contracts, which makes him more respectable than 99% of today's artists.

I have never heard a bar band guitarist bust out the solo for Paradise City.

The minute Buckethead joins a mainstream band is the minute that band loses all it's popularity.

I have heard tons of his music, and the reason it's not popular is b/c it's not that good.

A group of people flockin to listen Praxis is no different than a group of people flockin to hear GnR, besides the fact that people have never flocked to see Praxis.

[MAYNARD]

Oh, and Tom Morello popularized Buckethead's big gimick. Buckethead is sooooo groundbreaking.

[MAYNARD]

And the "he does it for the music" argument doesn't really apply here. Slash has been doin it for close to 30 years. I think it's safe to say he enjoys playin guitar.

[Local666Union]

MAYNARD wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:
Two reasons:
-The average person is stupid, and a slurred-speaking chain smoker like Slash relates more to the average person than someone who actually can play guitar at a level above that commonly seen in gigs at bars.

-Buckethead is less marketable than Slash for obvious reasons, but remember that Buckethead has had many high-profile band offerings on the basis that he ditch the bucket, which he has refused to do every time. Love his style or hate it, Buckethead has remained true to what he started almost 2 decades ago in the face of lucrative contracts, which makes him more respectable than 99% of today's artists.

I have never heard a bar band guitarist bust out the solo for Paradise City.

The minute Buckethead joins a mainstream band is the minute that band loses all it's popularity.

I have heard tons of his music, and the reason it's not popular is b/c it's not that good.

A group of people flockin to listen Praxis is no different than a group of people flockin to hear GnR, besides the fact that people have never flocked to see Praxis.

The reason Buckethead's music isn't popular is that his music just doesn't appeal to many people, not because it's not good.

Slash is overrated IMO. I'm not saying he's not a damn good player, but he's not the legend that everyone makes out of him.

[BabyAppeal78]

MAYNARD wrote:

Oh, and Tom Morello popularized Buckethead's big gimick. Buckethead is sooooo groundbreaking.

Please listen to the Population Override album before you say buckethead's music is 'gimmick' based.

[mustaineNslash]

the only reson people like buckethead is because he has a song on GH that everyone thinks is hard.

[Lin]

not_dead_enough wrote:
Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Are you calling everyone who drinks or smoke weak?

I think it's pretty weak that he can't drink in moderation and has to go for the easy way out by giving up all together.

[sucay]

you wont see all of slash's skills in a band like velvet revolver. its AWESOME that he is sober. keep it up man!

[MAYNARD]

Local666Union wrote:
Slash is overrated IMO. I'm not saying he's not a damn good player, but he's not the legend that everyone makes out of him.

Um, yeah he is.

Instantly recognizable by ear and by site, make him somewhat of a legend.

The stuff that Clapton played is much easier than the stuff Slash plays, so is Clapton not a legend?

Ya know, if it wasn't for Slash helpin make GnR famous, Buckethead would have never been heard of.

[MAYNARD]

BabyAppeal78 wrote:
Please listen to the Population Override album before you say buckethead's music is 'gimmick' based.

I didn't say it was gimmick based. The guy can obviously play guitar, but Morello was doin the on/off switch stuff before Buckethead.

Slash has his gimmicks too.

[Local666Union]

MAYNARD wrote:

Local666Union wrote:
Slash is overrated IMO. I'm not saying he's not a damn good player, but he's not the legend that everyone makes out of him.

Um, yeah he is.

Instantly recognizable by ear and by site, make him somewhat of a legend.

The stuff that Clapton played is much easier than the stuff Slash plays, so is Clapton not a legend?

Ya know, if it wasn't for Slash helpin make GnR famous, Buckethead would have never been heard of.

It's not about the technical spectrum of the playing...
What I ment was that all the idiots on youtube goes 'SLASH IS DA BEST GITAR PLAYER IN THE WORLDZZZ' just because they heard sweet child o' mine of welcome to the jungle from the GH games is ****ing dumb.

[useyourillusíon]

I love Slashs Snakepit
v. under rated

[MAYNARD]

Local666Union wrote:
It's not about the technical spectrum of the playing...
What I ment was that all the idiots on youtube goes 'SLASH IS DA BEST GITAR PLAYER IN THE WORLDZZZ' just because they heard sweet child o' mine of welcome to the jungle from the GH games is ****ing dumb.

Oh, I see. There are tons of guitarists out there that would get a better grade at Berklee, than Slash, but is that really what it's about?

If people appreciate that aspect, in everything, then maybe I will run for congress. After all I did memorize the constitution.

[useyourillusíon]

Local666Union wrote:

MAYNARD wrote:

Local666Union wrote:
Slash is overrated IMO. I'm not saying he's not a damn good player, but he's not the legend that everyone makes out of him.

Um, yeah he is.

Instantly recognizable by ear and by site, make him somewhat of a legend.

The stuff that Clapton played is much easier than the stuff Slash plays, so is Clapton not a legend?

Ya know, if it wasn't for Slash helpin make GnR famous, Buckethead would have never been heard of.
It's not about the technical spectrum of the playing...
What I ment was that all the idiots on youtube goes 'SLASH IS DA BEST GITAR PLAYER IN THE WORLDZZZ' just because they heard sweet child o' mine of welcome to the jungle from the GH games is ****ing dumb.

That's what everyone says about buckethead too though
he shreds for like 5 seconds then everyones like "omfg he's the best", same goes for Eruption by van halen, and voodoo child by hendrix, scarified by racer x (paul gilbert) the list goes on.

music isn't about being the best. not to me anyway :/

[C1osur3]

Comeback Kiddd :
Doess Slash enjoy being an A*****

+1,000

As most people know, the true man behind a legend usually is exaggerated...I'm not denying his skills as a guitarist...just simply stating that he's overrated.

P.S. Bucketead > Slash.

[C1osur3]

*Buckethead

Sorry about the doublepost.

[MAYNARD]

I have conversed with several people who have met him in recent years, and they were blown away by how nice of a guy he is.

Absolutely nothin like he plays himself up to be.

[PUNKfromNORWAY]

I will say Slash is a very good guitar player, at his point of music, I don't think John Petrucci or Buckethead could have done it better if they were the one to play solo in the old GnR songs, Slash may be overrated, but Angus Young? John Petrucci? Kirk Hammet???
I know Petrucci, Satriani and Buckethead are good, but being good at Guitar isn't to play faster than everybody else, it's about the feeling, I know Satriani has much feeling in his songs, but Petrucci?? I think he just want to play fast(don't like though)

[sowhat360]

Obie wrote:

eddy1201 wrote:
the solos he plays are great. and i mean you cant expect everything he writes to be pure genius

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

those guys are all good, but i prefer slash's style to all 3 you have listed....would i rather listen to a GNR album than a joe satriani album...asbolutely....the guitar work has great feeling to it...it may not be as flashy as satch but it does the job...i would compare slash to david gimour.....it's like ozzy said "don't show me a riff that'll impress joe satriani, show me a riff that makes a kid go buy a guitar."

[TJ1991]

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.
Oh THANK GOD!!! I thought I was the only one here who wouldn't lick his ass if given the chance!

In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

+100000

[SurfinWithSatch]

I'd firstly like to remind everyone here that in the GnR days the majority of riffs were written by Izzy NOT Slash. That's not to say Slash did nothing, which is far from the case. However the first building blocks for most songs were done by Izzy so lets stop the critisism of Slash's more recent work.

sowhat360 wrote:
those guys are all good, but i prefer slash's style to all 3 you have listed....would i rather listen to a GNR album than a joe satriani album...asbolutely....the guitar work has great feeling to it...it may not be as flashy as satch but it does the job...i would compare slash to david gimour.....it's like ozzy said "don't show me a riff that'll impress joe satriani, show me a riff that makes a kid go buy a guitar."

That is opinion, like everything else. Though one thing which constantly bugs me is where you say "the guitar has great feeling to it but is not as flashly as satch" because that is nonsense, saying satch has no feeling is like saying a lion doesnt eat meat.
Good day.

[MAYNARD]

PUNKfromNORWAY wrote:

I will say Slash is a very good guitar player, at his point of music, I don't think John Petrucci or Buckethead could have done it better if they were the one to play solo in the old GnR songs, Slash may be overrated, but Angus Young? John Petrucci? Kirk Hammet???
I know Petrucci, Satriani and Buckethead are good, but being good at Guitar isn't to play faster than everybody else, it's about the feeling, I know Satriani has much feeling in his songs, but Petrucci?? I think he just want to play fast(don't like though)

Couldn't have said it better. GnR sounds right when its more off the cuff style.

Buckethead, Vai, Satch etc etc etc can all play their asses off. That's not being argued.

I won't even get into the whole emotion argument b/c I think, most time it's pretty ridiculous.

No matter how much somebody practices, and how cleanly they play, some form of emotion is gonna come out.

[Cynoxx]

PUNKfromNORWAY wrote:

I will say Slash is a very good guitar player, at his point of music, I don't think John Petrucci or Buckethead could have done it better if they were the one to play solo in the old GnR songs, Slash may be overrated, but Angus Young? John Petrucci? Kirk Hammet???
I know Petrucci, Satriani and Buckethead are good, but being good at Guitar isn't to play faster than everybody else, it's about the feeling, I know Satriani has much feeling in his songs, but Petrucci?? I think he just want to play fast(don't like though)

Being a Petrucci fan, I can safely say that you are ignorant. You probably just saw the G3 concert in Tokyo (I agree, he did shred too much). Liste to ANY of the Dream Theater albums (Except maybe Train of Thought) and you'll see how talented he is.

Here's a link for example : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcadgg6uJkU&feature=related

[stratdud39]

slash rocks, and hes not overrated so stop sayin that.
i DO think that he did much better guitar work with gnr, though

[ghostofhendrix]

MAYNARD wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

Oh THANK GOD!!! I thought I was the only one here who wouldn't lick his ass if given the chance!

In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

Then why hasn't Buckethead helped to sell 50 million records, plus hundreds of thousands of wah pedals, marshall amps, and les paul style guitars?

Creatively Slash is pretty cool- his solo style for GnR just fitted perfectly. However, on the technical point of view slash would get completely owned by a lot of todays metalheads.

[yoursweatersux]

PUNKfromNORWAY wrote:

I will say Slash is a very good guitar player, at his point of music, I don't think John Petrucci or Buckethead could have done it better if they were the one to play solo in the old GnR songs, Slash may be overrated, but Angus Young? John Petrucci? Kirk Hammet???
I know Petrucci, Satriani and Buckethead are good, but being good at Guitar isn't to play faster than everybody else, it's about the feeling, I know Satriani has much feeling in his songs, but Petrucci?? I think he just want to play fast(don't like though)

1. I agree.
2. Norway rules! I live in the US but I'm mostly Norwegian and my neighbors across the street are from Norway. imho, Norwegians are the coolest people ever

[TheZookeeper]

*Counts how many posts are actually to do with Slash's sobriety*


...on one hand.

[tyler_coleman]

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

A lot of people don't understand that even the people that are perceived as greats (depending on who you are), Petrucci, Buckethead, Satriani, Hammett, Vai, Li, whomever... Even they have bad ideas. They have put in thousands of hours of practice and then reproduce the ideas and sounds that they like, and obviously you hear only the good ideas.

I think the difference between these people and guitarists like Slash and Angus Young is they put themselves out there a lot more and have different aspirations. Whether any single guitarist is "better" than another is up to whomever is judging them, decidedly.

Another important thing to think about is that when these guys were younger and in their prime, they were coming up with new ideas that many people hadn't seen before. That's why a lot of guitarists that stick around get criticized for "not changing" or playing the same material. They have a sound they like and they put it out there.

Don't think that some artists consistently have only good ideas; the listener usually only hears the ideas that they enjoy, and doesn't hear the bad ideas that come from practice or experience.

[BlueSmoke]

If Slash can better his game like Stevie Ray Vaughan (legend before and bigger legend after) did after sobering up, then he might earn that "legend" status again in a lot of people's mind.
This reminds me why I love the guitar. What other instrument can cause so many people to play so differently, cause so many fans to be so loyal, and cause this much ruckus on a website?

[scott-john-666]

g n r and vr arent about who can play the most scales arppegios etc. its about rock n roll same as aerosmith, rose tattoo, acdc, kiss, the rolling stones, its about that sensation you feel when you listen to a song and the whole world seems to evaporate around you. further more all the c unts bitching about smoking and drinking get off your high horse, everyone born with in the last 70 or so years has known smoking is addictive and if we choose to smoke its our ****ing choice, it doesnt make someone weak if they choose to do something they like regardless of the helf hazards.

[scott-john-666]

health hazards i meant

[Marley167]

SurfinWithSatch wrote:

I'd firstly like to remind everyone here that in the GnR days the majority of riffs were written by Izzy NOT Slash. That's not to say Slash did nothing, which is far from the case. However the first building blocks for most songs were done by Izzy so lets stop the critisism of Slash's more recent work.
sowhat360 wrote:
those guys are all good, but i prefer slash's style to all 3 you have listed....would i rather listen to a GNR album than a joe satriani album...asbolutely....the guitar work has great feeling to it...it may not be as flashy as satch but it does the job...i would compare slash to david gimour.....it's like ozzy said "don't show me a riff that'll impress joe satriani, show me a riff that makes a kid go buy a guitar."
That is opinion, like everything else. Though one thing which constantly bugs me is where you say "the guitar has great feeling to it but is not as flashly as satch" because that is nonsense, saying satch has no feeling is like saying a lion doesnt eat meat.
Good day.

+100000

[TheZookeeper]

BlueSmoke wrote:

If Slash can better his game like Stevie Ray Vaughan (legend before and bigger legend after) did after sobering up, then he might earn that "legend" status again in a lot of people's mind.
This reminds me why I love the guitar. What other instrument can cause so many people to play so differently, cause so many fans to be so loyal, and cause this much ruckus on a website?

Trombone...?


Wait... No.

[Ichimaru]

mustaineNslash wrote:

the only reson people like buckethead is because he has a song on GH that everyone thinks is hard.

Actually, you'll find that most, if not all people who ever listened to more Buckethead songs than 'Jordan' will dislike the fact that the song is on Guitar Hero because it gives off the impression that he's 'just another shredder', when he's so much more than that.

[sav46e]

I hate the old debate buckethead is better than slash. seen them both live myself n cause slash is my hero ifound him better, was a different experience watchin him n thats what music is about. sum1 will always cum along and play faster than u, what matters though is how the persons music makes u feel and I felt more watchin slash. buckethead also ruined nvember rain when I seen him in GnR.

love slash tho so like to read anythin about him

[uhh_me?]

stop battling about whether Slash or Buckethead is better.

checked.

[srq89]

He's much tighter live now than he was with Guns. I haven't seen guns live but I have seen Velvet REvolver live, and comparing that to many of the Guns live stuff, he sounds tighter and kept together better with VR.

[axejam123]

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.
Oh THANK GOD!!! I thought I was the only one here who wouldn't lick his ass if given the chance!

In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

Well first of all, not ALL of the stuff those guys write is genius. Petrucci? no way, half the time its just ridiculously fast and heavy distortion. Dont get me wrong, im all for ballsy, fast solos and chunky riffs, but theyre far from genius. And Buckethead < Slash, because slash has a) appealed to way more people, not just guitar players (much in the same way some guys like clapton and page did; you might have heard of them) and b) has been around for much longer and proves he can still hang with the best. So check back in 20 years and tell me that buckethead > slash, then maybe we'll have an argument. not that buckethead is bad; he's just not an icon. and obviously, i personally prefer guitarists who mesh with a band and make good songs as opposed to mostly solo guitarists.

Anyways, this is good for him. He's my guitar idol, but i never liked the idea of him as a drunk pop. this is good news.

[greekboy slim]

it's like ozzy said "don't show me a riff that'll impress joe satriani, show me a riff that makes a kid go buy a guitar."

Techincality and speed doesn't make you a better guitarist. Satriani, Petrucci yeah they can shred. But that's all they do. And to compare Slash to these guys just doesn't work. It's not what his bands are about. He just goes out and plays, it's about the song/music overall, not just major shreddage over some light drums and bass. That's a different style like Herman Li or whatever his name is from DF. He goes out there, plays some pac man sounds, and it's all good. Whatever, they're gonna attract different fans than a guitarist such as Angus Young who just puts out a few chords and a lead or two. You can't compare them. There's guitarists who shred and ones that jam. To me, there's a difference.

I'm not saying one is better than the other because that's the wonderful thing about music. It's all based on opinion. I don't think there's a "best guitarist" just a group of 30 or so that are separated from the others due to their unique style.

So all I'm getting at is this, don't compare guitarists, everyone's entitled to their opinion. And you can say oh _____ is better, but it really just shows how little you know.

[bassdrum]

He should quit smoking cigarettes.

[slash_rocks2005]

this arguing is so stupid. apples and oranges. i love both guitarists.

back in the GNR days it didn't seem that slash had much of a problem sounding good an all. not from the live videos anyways, sometimes it sounded more like axl had too much to drink.

and like mentioned before, let's remember that slash only had half to do w/ the guitarwork in GNR. Izzy is the most underrated member of that band.

i love buckethead and i love slash. and i second whoever said earlier that guitarist/bands get a bad rap for 'never changing their sound'. like AC/DC and slash, their sound hasn't changed b/c they found a sound that WORKS and they LIKE. I buy an AC/DC album b/c it sounds like AC/DC. santanna is the same way. i prefer guitarists not to change their tone every new album.

[CQB_241]

Once a loser always a loser...

[ozzynator]

Good to hear he is sober, he is a good guitarist but he is so overrated he annoys me.

[metal-murnanes]

Just because slash doesnt play 100 notes per-****ing-second-all-the-****ing-time means that he's over rated. He plays awesomely when he plays fast, he just doesnt do it all the time. he does it in moderation. which IMO owns CONSTANT WALLS OF NOTES.

[rancidryan]

im pleased he s stopped for his kids sakes if not his own but do we want to know? his stuff really not great vai>slash

[MTVget0FFtheAIR]

oh my god shut the **** up. nobody cares who you like more, ****in whiny school girls.

not really much in the article, but it's a cool insight.

[C1osur3]

scott-john-666 wrote:

g n r and vr arent about who can play the most scales arppegios etc. its about rock n roll same as aerosmith, rose tattoo, acdc, kiss, the rolling stones, its about that sensation you feel when you listen to a song and the whole world seems to evaporate around you. further more all the c unts bitching about smoking and drinking get off your high horse, everyone born with in the last 70 or so years has known smoking is addictive and if we choose to smoke its our ****ing choice, it doesnt make someone weak if they choose to do something they like regardless of the helf hazards.

I think that sensation you feel is referred to as a headache...probably from the high pitched vocals (i.e. ACDC, GNR, etc...).

Just because it's called classic rock doesn't consider it a classic.

[Armagedn]

Obie wrote:

eddy1201 wrote:
the solos he plays are great. and i mean you cant expect everything he writes to be pure genius

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

Umm... Excuse me? Buckethead sucks. Just because he plays fast doesn't make him good. All he does is play really fast chromatic scales. Slash can actually write something original.

[Power123]

Slash is not overated at all. i saw him live and he did a five minute solo just playing f*****g fast, just because he doesnt do it on record doesnt mean he cant do it! he prefers to write solo's that give feeling and fit the song better. for that he is a ledgend and that he writes riffs(yes i know izzy was responsible too) that kids lisen to even today and are inspired to pick up guitars, thats what makes a true ledgend!

[Glam-Hammer]

ghostofhendrix :
Creatively Slash is pretty cool- his solo style for GnR just fitted perfectly. However, on the technical point of view slash would get completely owned by a lot of todays metalheads.

Technicality accounts for nothing.
Its what you enjoy listening to more.

[TDAJGuitarist]

atc228 wrote:

He might be a better dad, but from what i've seen recently, he was a better guitarist when he was on coke and heroin. Slash is one of my idols, but honestly he has been doing the same thing over and over for the past two VR albums and on every TV appearance i have seen. I still don't think he is overrated, he just hasn't been living up to his legend status.

Its good for his health though, so good for him.

I agree with the statement about the Repetitiveness of his solos....But he is MUCH more tight nowadays...When he was high, he was VERY sloppy....

[a god]

why do they keep saying "insists"
idk about the rest, but im getting the tone that the author doesnt believe slash...anyone else or is it just me?

[@ir_pele]

Guys stop trying to compare these kind of guitarists..!Can u compare God vs Alah or Bhuda??Theyre all guitar Gods different to each other but still GODS!!


I f**in' love u Slash ur THE best
-----Its a matter of opinion lol-----

[LedFloyd77]

david gilmour > everyone

[Dithindious]

LedFloyd77 wrote:
david gilmour > everyone

Wow what a brilliant comment about Slash :/

Good on the guy for stayin Sober. Hopefully he gets more stuff written, perhaps with some new faces! I've always felt he was the talented guy stuck dragin his friends up to his level. Hopefully he keeps himself healthy though!

[str84ever]

recliner33 wrote:

atc228 wrote:

He might be a better dad, but from what i've seen recently, he was a better guitarist when he was on coke and heroin. Slash is one of my idols, but honestly he has been doing the same thing over and over for the past two VR albums and on every TV appearance i have seen. I still don't think he is overrated, he just hasn't been living up to his legend status.

Its good for his health though, so good for him.
Maybe creativity wise, he isn't as good of a guitarist since none of his newer stuff isn't groundbreaking or anything like that. But I think he just means that he plays guitar better on stage and stuff. I haven't seen him live but I bet he can play his old GNR songs better now then he did before. Sure, being on drugs and booze may help your guitar playing at first by making you more creative, but eventually it will turn on you and if slash kept using drugs and booze today he would be all washed up or maybe even dead. So good on him for quiting.

None of his old stuff was groundbreaking either... he can just play guitar well thats it, i wouldn't say his playing is anything original.

[say5ss2]

i think the people that say that "slash has feeling in his solos and petrucci just shreds", are just complete noobs when it comes to appreciating musical talent. In the sense that they cant keep up with the musical flow and genius of a shred piece. There are thousands of guitarists that can shred but y do u think that there are only a handful that are always remembered.

People like slash will never reach the creative and technical levels of guitarists like satch or malmsteen. On a side note guitarists that normally are solo are solo for a reason. That is that they cant stand their musical genius be ruined by some sloppy choruses(for example) so that some dumb 12 year girl can sing along to it and by the album.
Also and tom dick and harry can play a GNR riff or solo only a year or two after picking up the guitar

[say5ss2]

Correction...Its supposed to be ANY Tom dick or harry...

[Feel bad inc.]

Good on him.

On the argument everyone is having, you're dumb. Slash is not ground breaking, all of his fantastic solo's are not actually that difficult if you look at them, its nothing new, nothing fantastic. His a very cliche' overrated guitarist creativly. Not saying he cant play guitar well, just that he isnt a legend that everyone says he is.

[LedBeatlesgtrst]

MAYNARD wrote:

Local666Union wrote:
Slash is overrated IMO. I'm not saying he's not a damn good player, but he's not the legend that everyone makes out of him.

Um, yeah he is.

Instantly recognizable by ear and by site, make him somewhat of a legend.

The stuff that Clapton played is much easier than the stuff Slash plays, so is Clapton not a legend?

Ya know, if it wasn't for Slash helpin make GnR famous, Buckethead would have never been heard of.

Um. A fast Clapton solo is probably harder than a Slash solo. And they have different playing styles so it is hard to compare those two. Try guitarists in the same genre.

[dgme92]

I'm sick of this debate. Slash commented on his SOBRIETY. I for one, am delighted Slash is contented with sobriety and getting on with life. Yet there is this pathetic argument UGers feel the need to argue about who the better guitar player is.

Slash's a great player, written some really great songs, seen it all. Buckethead is a great player, written some really great songs, seen it all. Jesus, there's not much difference bar a bucket/top hat and some faster/slower playing.

Seriously, some people here need to get over themselves. No one is going to take your opinion and make it law/truth, so don't push it on somebody else.

[Avenged.InFlame]

Obie
In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

wtf..... theres no way that hes better, just because hes new than slash doesnt mean anything except that slash is better, get a life, along with all you idiots that think bucket head is better, anybody that can use a killswitch can do what that overrated retard can do

[RUSTDOGG666]

Its good that Slash is staying sober. Wouldn't want alcohol to consume his life yet. We already lost Dime I know it wasnt to alcohol but still. Lets keep Slash around for a while. Glad he's improving his health and not trying to shorten his life.

[Opus Pocus]

What Slash is doing is great I think. But he might need to see about that chain smoking habit as well. Can't be good for him.

Everyone just needs to get over themselves. Buckethead and Slash are both great musicians, but fighting over who is better is like comparing apples to oranges.

[Avenged.InFlame]

greekboy slim wrote:

it's like ozzy said "don't show me a riff that'll impress joe satriani, show me a riff that makes a kid go buy a guitar."

Techincality and speed doesn't make you a better guitarist. Satriani, Petrucci yeah they can shred. But that's all they do. And to compare Slash to these guys just doesn't work. It's not what his bands are about. He just goes out and plays, it's about the song/music overall, not just major shreddage over some light drums and bass. That's a different style like Herman Li or whatever his name is from DF. He goes out there, plays some pac man sounds, and it's all good. Whatever, they're gonna attract different fans than a guitarist such as Angus Young who just puts out a few chords and a lead or two. You can't compare them. There's guitarists who shred and ones that jam. To me, there's a difference.

I'm not saying one is better than the other because that's the wonderful thing about music. It's all based on opinion. I don't think there's a "best guitarist" just a group of 30 or so that are separated from the others due to their unique style.

So all I'm getting at is this, don't compare guitarists, everyone's entitled to their opinion. And you can say oh _____ is better, but it really just shows how little you know.

im sure that your not looking deep into things, if you could shred like petrucci and vai can, then im pretty sure you could do ANYTHING else humanly possible on a guitar, think..... use your brain.... stop picking out the guitarist because they can be fast, listen to surfing with the alien, bad horsey, cryin, or burning down mountain, then bring your dumbass back here and tell me all they ever do is shred. oh and another note, just because everyone shreds, doesnt mean its easy, learn to recognize talent.

[Otnip]

Avenged.InFlame wrote:

greekboy slim wrote:

it's like ozzy said "don't show me a riff that'll impress joe satriani, show me a riff that makes a kid go buy a guitar."

Techincality and speed doesn't make you a better guitarist. Satriani, Petrucci yeah they can shred. But that's all they do. And to compare Slash to these guys just doesn't work. It's not what his bands are about. He just goes out and plays, it's about the song/music overall, not just major shreddage over some light drums and bass. That's a different style like Herman Li or whatever his name is from DF. He goes out there, plays some pac man sounds, and it's all good. Whatever, they're gonna attract different fans than a guitarist such as Angus Young who just puts out a few chords and a lead or two. You can't compare them. There's guitarists who shred and ones that jam. To me, there's a difference.

I'm not saying one is better than the other because that's the wonderful thing about music. It's all based on opinion. I don't think there's a "best guitarist" just a group of 30 or so that are separated from the others due to their unique style.

So all I'm getting at is this, don't compare guitarists, everyone's entitled to their opinion. And you can say oh _____ is better, but it really just shows how little you know.

im sure that your not looking deep into things, if you could shred like petrucci and vai can, then im pretty sure you could do ANYTHING else humanly possible on a guitar, think..... use your brain.... stop picking out the guitarist because they can be fast, listen to surfing with the alien, bad horsey, cryin, or burning down mountain, then bring your dumbass back here and tell me all they ever do is shred. oh and another note, just because everyone shreds, doesnt mean its easy, learn to recognize talent.

How can I completely disagree with your first post but completely agree with your second? I'm pretty sure 8 finger tapping doesn't require the use of a killswitch... Thats not all Buckethead does, and I've watched like 5 youtube videos of him during live performance.

[Footzyrama]

Alot of this, who's the best guitarist shit is a bit retarded.

People like buckethead etc. play shred for a living. Slash can't do that, if he started writing songs with just 3 minutes of shred in very few people would bother buying it cause it's not what we want to hear from him.

He's playing what he needs to, to fit into his bands style of music.

Different genre's mean it's too difficult to compare what there level of playing is.

So drop this ____ VS ____ crap. and say kudos to slash for kicking a habit thats shaped his life for years.,

[Otnip]

Excuse me for not mentioning this, on a Slash related note, good for him. Better to go through life pure and not drunk and whatever. How much room does that leave for you to be yourself in situations like that?

[Estranged86]

So... I'm new here, but looks to me like people click on articles about people they want to make negative comments about, and just let it fly. I like Slash. A lot. That's why I was interested in the article. I don't read Steve Vai articles because he's not my cup of tea. I have an opinion on why I don't prefer his style of playing, but I know that nobody really gives a hot **** what I think about him, and I don't really care what he's doing, so I don't read those articles or voice my opinion. I think anyone who leaves a derogatory remark about a guy who is happy because he's getting healthy is a prick, and should probably spend less time talking about how he'll never be as technical as Petrucci, and spend more time practicing butchering his solos on their Ibanezes. I hate to climb higher on the soapbox, but if you can't at least appreciate Slash for what he represents and embodies, then you're just not rock n' roll. End of story.

[Gh057]

TheZookeeper wrote:

BlueSmoke wrote:

If Slash can better his game like Stevie Ray Vaughan (legend before and bigger legend after) did after sobering up, then he might earn that "legend" status again in a lot of people's mind.
This reminds me why I love the guitar. What other instrument can cause so many people to play so differently, cause so many fans to be so loyal, and cause this much ruckus on a website?


Trombone...?


Wait... No.

+1

[Slashisgod4]

butckethead can only play really fast
his solos are not melodic and genius like slashs but rather just a bunch of fast shit
plus the feeling and soul that slash puts in to his work and on stage and his style make him the best

[Vantage]

Slashisgod4 wrote:

butckethead can only play really fast
his solos are not melodic and genius like slashs but rather just a bunch of fast shit
plus the feeling and soul that slash puts in to his work and on stage and his style make him the best

LOL

Way to be not biased. And yes, I like both guitarists.

But saying that Bucket can only play fast and has no emotion is moronic.

FFS, I bet you haven't even given him a chance. Since he has a lot of melodic albums and songs.

[KennethJay]

I love Buckethead, and I love Slash
Both of them are great, but Buckethead... if you start going deeper than just his guitar hero single "Jordan" (Which is ****ing ridiculous on how many people base Buckethead of that one song...)you would really see that Buckethead is truely an awe aspiring songwriter, and not just a -laughs- gimick head (...kill switch... which is what half of you base Buckethead of). I just wish people won't base freaking artists of one song. Especially Buckethead, whom I adore as one of my most favorite idols.

And... how can you guys say Satriani and Vai are mindless shreders? Do you people even listen to their music? Just because they're technical to the extreme doesn't mean they don't have songs without emotion.

and Slash... yes he is extremely overrated, but mediocre? Wow... that's an extremely stupid comment

[greekboy slim]

im sure that your not looking deep into things, if you could shred like petrucci and vai can, then im pretty sure you could do ANYTHING else humanly possible on a guitar, think..... use your brain.... stop picking out the guitarist because they can be fast, listen to surfing with the alien, bad horsey, cryin, or burning down mountain, then bring your dumbass back here and tell me all they ever do is shred. oh and another note, just because everyone shreds, doesnt mean its easy, learn to recognize talent.

steve vai is one of my favorite guitarists. and i also NEVER said they CAN'T do anything other than shred. they just don't. I know talent from STevie Ray Vaughan to Kirk Hammet, I'm pretty diversified when it comes to rock guitarists. I don't stick to just metal, or blues rooted guitarists. I like almost all of them. So don't assume I just like one and don't even any other. Look at my fav guitarists, I like almost all of them except very few such as (yes I know I'll get shot for saying this) Eric Clapton.
I love Steve Vai and never said the only thing he could do was shred. I was just making on example of a shredder vs. jammer or whatever you would call someone like Angus Young.



And whoever said they disagreed with my first post...I'm a bit confused...that was my second post I've ever made on UG. And also the ONLY one on this thread.

[FrenchyFungus]

Slashisgod4 wrote:

butckethead can only play really fast
his solos are not melodic and genius like slashs but rather just a bunch of fast shit
plus the feeling and soul that slash puts in to his work and on stage and his style make him the best

Go listen to Colma, then come back and apologise.

[whitebluesboy]

The oddest part about all this was when he was like "working out and all that bull" because no homo but slash is a dude who is kinda muscular but he claims he doesn't work out? Confusing.

[Sway!]

Is it just me, or do people want to see less boring shredders and more Rock and Roll. Sure, they can play fast, but once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Slash's riffs and licks have gone down in history.

In my opinion everyone complains about new bands not being as good anymore, that's because you have all these shredders inspiring kids to play fast and not write songs! We need more songwriters, and only then will we get another Beatles, Zepplin, Oasis etc.

[priestfan76]

Obie wrote:

eddy1201 wrote:
the solos he plays are great. and i mean you cant expect everything he writes to be pure genius


well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

I dont thin its fair to make the comparison to those guys.Slash is great, no doubt.BUt those guys are all gods.Best in the world.THey are in classes of their own.And on topic, good for slash for cleaning up

[priestfan76]

Sway! wrote:

will we get another Beatles, Zepplin, Oasis etc.

IM sorry for the double post, but you put the beatles and OASIS in the same sentence as Zeppelin?!

[Spartan070sarge]

Slash is my number one hero of all time musically and to an extent morally, so I am very glad to hear that he is in better health and a better father, but to be honest, I liked his work in Guns better. Not to say I don't like VR, they are my favorite still with the founding members band.

[Sway!]

IM sorry for the double post, but you put the beatles and OASIS in the same sentence as Zeppelin?!

Noel Gallagher is a great songwriter, never appriciated him before, but lyrically and melodicly i don't think many people could top him, very underated imo, but most people have only heard wonderwall, dlbia and champagne supernova and that saddens me haha.

And you don't like The Beatles?

[Uranutan]

MAYNARD wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

Obie wrote:

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

Oh THANK GOD!!! I thought I was the only one here who wouldn't lick his ass if given the chance!

In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

Then why hasn't Buckethead helped to sell 50 million records, plus hundreds of thousands of wah pedals, marshall amps, and les paul style guitars?

Buckethead doesn't make radio friendly pop-hard rock.

[SurfinWithSatch]

All this "Satriani and Petrucci can only shred, that's it" is making my head hurt. If you people are gonna try to talk smack about successful musicians then please, I urge you, get your facts straight before you post such nonsense. That goes for the people knocking Slash, Buckethead and anyone else for that matter, it seems to me that people just come on here and talk about stuff they really have no clue about. Just because you heard that one riff by someone you thought was in a particular manner does not mean that is all they do.

To sum up how about, perhaps for just this one little article everyone raises their mental age above 2 and we stop all this bitching about who's better than who because that is what just about every article on this site turns into and it's beginning to get boring. Well done Slash for cleaning up your act.

[FarFromDead]

To be honest with you I would listen to anything by Slash any days as opposed to Dream theater because I dont think Petrucci is all that good. Sure, he can shread like a mother, and he has great technic, but Petrucci sounds like everyone else who goes to SCHOOL to be a guitarist. Thats right, I said school. He has a style which has no feeling and no originality. I would rather listen to a solo with an immense ammount of feeling behind it, that listen to someone pump out 100 notes a second. Dream theaters sound is just that. A Wall of noise, and nothing more. Technical? I think not. It drives me nuts how many people can even compare a guitarist who sounds like every other guitarist in his graduating year of school as directly opposed to someone who plays with originality and feeling.

[Opus Pocus]

Sway! wrote:

Is it just me, or do people want to see less boring shredders and more Rock and Roll. Sure, they can play fast, but once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Slash's riffs and licks have gone down in history.

In my opinion everyone complains about new bands not being as good anymore, that's because you have all these shredders inspiring kids to play fast and not write songs! We need more songwriters, and only then will we get another Beatles, Zepplin, Oasis etc.

Listen to Opeth. Simple.

[guitargodderyck]

Slash is a legend, he may not the best, but he is ****ing great!

[trickie]

Dude... Satriani and petrucci really do suck ass, im sorry to break it to you but shredding does not = music.

And just to be fair i youtubed Satriani and clicked on the first vid to refresh my memory on why i crossed this dude off, and yeah i had to turn it off cause my speakers were on and i didnt want to embarrass myself infront of my neigbors.

These fools just dont put any soul into their stuff. I'm not the biggest Slash fan but at least he adds a little soul to his work.

[SchitzoJoe]

Avenged.InFlame wrote:

Obie
In language UG users understand:
Buckethead > Slash

wtf..... theres no way that hes better, just because hes new than slash doesnt mean anything except that slash is better, get a life, along with all you idiots that think bucket head is better, anybody that can use a killswitch can do what that overrated retard can do

And once again, another person who has only heard Jordan, most likely from GH.

[SurfinWithSatch]

trickie wrote:

Dude... Satriani and petrucci really do suck ass, im sorry to break it to you but shredding does not = music.

And just to be fair i youtubed Satriani and clicked on the first vid to refresh my memory on why i crossed this dude off, and yeah i had to turn it off cause my speakers were on and i didnt want to embarrass myself infront of my neigbors.

These fools just dont put any soul into their stuff. I'm not the biggest Slash fan but at least he adds a little soul to his work.

I hate to break it to you but Satriani is NOT a shredder. I agree Petrucci is a shredder most certainly but saying Satriani has no feeling is rediculous and you've obviously never seen him live or listened to one of his ALBUMS. You may not like his music, and that is fair enough, but that is no reason to make up nonsense like that. For instance I don't like Slayer, do I go around saying "they suck ass" no, because they don't suck ass, they are good at what they do and just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's bad.

[InTheFlesh!]

SurfinWithSatch wrote:

trickie wrote:

Dude... Satriani and petrucci really do suck ass, im sorry to break it to you but shredding does not = music.

And just to be fair i youtubed Satriani and clicked on the first vid to refresh my memory on why i crossed this dude off, and yeah i had to turn it off cause my speakers were on and i didnt want to embarrass myself infront of my neigbors.

These fools just dont put any soul into their stuff. I'm not the biggest Slash fan but at least he adds a little soul to his work.
I hate to break it to you but Satriani is NOT a shredder. I agree Petrucci is a shredder most certainly but saying Satriani has no feeling is rediculous and you've obviously never seen him live or listened to one of his ALBUMS. You may not like his music, and that is fair enough, but that is no reason to make up nonsense like that. For instance I don't like Slayer, do I go around saying "they suck ass" no, because they don't suck ass, they are good at what they do and just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's bad.

It's preposterous to say Petrucci is a shredder and to follow up saying Satch is not.

[not_dead_enough]

Lin wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:
Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.



Are you calling everyone who drinks or smoke weak?

Smokes, yes.

[Toasty25000]

I like how this turned into a guitar debate....

Good for you Slash, keep it up

[Tumble-weed]

Good news for Slash.

In other news, Scott Weiland Enjoying Alcohol Abuse.

[Imperial]

Why the hell does every Slash thread turn into "BUCKETHEAD PWNORS TEH SLASH" "SLASH PWONERS TEH BUCKETHS" debate, and everyone argues who is better? Buckethead is far better technically, Slash has a great feel to his guitar playing, and Buckethead can do some great emotion filled songs too. I like both, but neither is better than the other. Let people have the right to hold an opinion, it doesn't mean its fact.

Who cares if Buckethead shreds like a beast and Slash doesn't? Who cares that Slash sold x number of y's when Buckethead didn't. Let people enjoy their music.

[deafening]

not_dead_enough wrote:
Two reasons:
-The average person is stupid, and a slurred-speaking chain smoker like Slash relates more to the average person than someone who actually can play guitar at a level above that commonly seen in gigs at bars.
-Buckethead is less marketable than Slash for obvious reasons, but remember that Buckethead has had many high-profile band offerings on the basis that he ditch the bucket, which he has refused to do every time. Love his style or hate it, Buckethead has remained true to what he started almost 2 decades ago in the face of lucrative contracts, which makes him more respectable than 99% of today's artists.

+1, you are glorious

slash is awesome...ish, just not the best

[deafening]

-2 tho, and u lose ur glory for making a gross overgeneralization about smokers..

[holden93]

Kudos to Slash for kicking it. Good to see he has the willpower to do it.

To everyone who is arguing about who is the best guitarist: In all my time on this website, I have yet to see a single news article in which there was no arguing or bashing of a certain band or guitarist. I don't think I've even seen one without the words "Sell out" somewhere on the page.

All of you bashing one guitarist or the other only serve to prove your own ignorance. Sure, plenty of guitarists are more technical than others, but saying they're better is an idiotic statement. I have a very large taste in the musical spectrum, from artists like Metallica, Kamelot, Iron Maiden, Slayer, and the like, to artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, to Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Looking right there, many of quite obviously more technical than the others.

Generalizing guitarists by saying things like, "All of Slash's songs are simple," or "All Satch, Vai, and Petrucci can do is shred, they have no emotion," is nothing more than pure ignorance. If you say things like that, how many of that artist's songs have you honestly heard?

To be fair, I'll post a few videos to TRY to show a bit about these guitarists. Who is best is total opinion.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F4fPv450OYM
http://youtube.c om/watch?v=t25AOSxZZkI (Just watch the guy, how is that not emotion?)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=6CfEaSmdtGU (Watch his face)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4ZSTFRKIjbs

[Bodom87]

Slash is and will always be over rated in my opinion

[Caseyizzle]

TDAJGuitarist wrote:

I agree with the statement about the Repetitiveness of his solos....But he is MUCH more tight nowadays...When he was high, he was VERY sloppy....

his solos aren't repetitive... he just plays some of the same licks, its not like he can come up with 10 new licks everyday, because almost all have been used, if you say his solos are repitive, im sorry but your retarded, that thing you think is "repetitive" is actually his own style, which means you can tell its him playing no matter what, his solo's aren't repetitive your just a stupid typical guitarist that doesn't really understand his playing...

[lowtek]

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

don't knock it until you experience it and overcome it. . and if you had, you probably wouldn't sound like such a narrow-minded naive idiot.

[Caseyizzle]

FarFromDead wrote:

To be honest with you I would listen to anything by Slash any days as opposed to Dream theater because I dont think Petrucci is all that good. Sure, he can shread like a mother, and he has great technic, but Petrucci sounds like everyone else who goes to SCHOOL to be a guitarist. Thats right, I said school. He has a style which has no feeling and no originality. I would rather listen to a solo with an immense ammount of feeling behind it, that listen to someone pump out 100 notes a second. Dream theaters sound is just that. A Wall of noise, and nothing more. Technical? I think not. It drives me nuts how many people can even compare a guitarist who sounds like every other guitarist in his graduating year of school as directly opposed to someone who plays with originality and feeling.

+100000

[pootoob]

Slash is not over-rated. Just because he doesn't rely solely on shred in every single song doesn't mean he isn't awesome. He is one of the most tasteful guitarists ever.
Oh, and as for the Buckethead V Slash thing, how exactly has buckethead not sold out? he has made a cd in virtually every single genre in teh world (including drum n bass), if Metallica did as buckethead did, everyone would lampoon them... oh wait... they already do

[Caseyizzle]

Estranged86 wrote:

So... I'm new here, but looks to me like people click on articles about people they want to make negative comments about, and just let it fly. I like Slash. A lot. That's why I was interested in the article. I don't read Steve Vai articles because he's not my cup of tea. I have an opinion on why I don't prefer his style of playing, but I know that nobody really gives a hot **** what I think about him, and I don't really care what he's doing, so I don't read those articles or voice my opinion. I think anyone who leaves a derogatory remark about a guy who is happy because he's getting healthy is a prick, and should probably spend less time talking about how he'll never be as technical as Petrucci, and spend more time practicing butchering his solos on their Ibanezes. I hate to climb higher on the soapbox, but if you can't at least appreciate Slash for what he represents and embodies, then you're just not rock n' roll. End of story.

best comment i've ever heard, couldn't have said it better +100000

[pootoob]

Oh and also, have you ever considered that Slash doesn't 'shred', because he doesn't like shred? I mean, does anybody criticize Jimi Hendrix because he doesn't shred? NO. Well, logically if they do to Slash, they should to Jimmy, cos after all speed=skill right?

[thedarkblues06]

Caseyizzle wrote:

Estranged86 wrote:

So... I'm new here, but looks to me like people click on articles about people they want to make negative comments about, and just let it fly. I like Slash. A lot. That's why I was interested in the article. I don't read Steve Vai articles because he's not my cup of tea. I have an opinion on why I don't prefer his style of playing, but I know that nobody really gives a hot **** what I think about him, and I don't really care what he's doing, so I don't read those articles or voice my opinion. I think anyone who leaves a derogatory remark about a guy who is happy because he's getting healthy is a prick, and should probably spend less time talking about how he'll never be as technical as Petrucci, and spend more time practicing butchering his solos on their Ibanezes. I hate to climb higher on the soapbox, but if you can't at least appreciate Slash for what he represents and embodies, then you're just not rock n' roll. End of story.


best comment i've ever heard, couldn't have said it better +100000

I agree. Everyone else's comments should die. Because this comment right here, contains BRAINS...

[Shredder Guitar]

this is kinda funny cause i was reading his autobio today and was at the part where his friends and family make him go to rehab and he just gets in the rehab owners face and says "**** this. im gone. Seeya." just made me chuckle at how much the tables have turned, and all for the better. good for him

[guitar_hero543]

That seriously one of the best moves I've ever seen a guitarist do....way to go Slash, all I hope all other guitarists can say the same in the future. The best thing is also that he admits that its helping his playing which sets a good example for all guitarists.

[not_dead_enough]

lowtek wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:

Well...if he still smokes, then he's still weak and dependent. He can't preach about health until he kicks his tar-inhaling habit, and there's no mention of that here.

don't knock it until you experience it and overcome it. . and if you had, you probably wouldn't sound like such a narrow-minded naive idiot.

No YOU sound naive by making such an assumption about me. Why do you assume I've never smoked? I have and it's disgusting. Lung/throat cancer killed my great uncle and these days the education in most societies is sufficient in teaching people the health risks from a young age. Hence, there is no longer the excuse of not knowing ny better etc. Quite frankly...if you smoke, you're a fool, no ifs or buts, whether you're a rockstar, a friend of mine or my boss. There is nothing redeeming about it at all.

And I know plenty of people who have successfully quit smoking with willpower alone, so those who try and fail time and time again are weak. If you are reading this and are trying to quit smoking, then that's what I say to you. Not that I mind though, Australia taxes cigarettes heavily and I don't particularly mind the legions of cancer patients-in-waiting subsidising my taxes.

[mr. ...]

[quote]MAYNARD wrote:


The stuff that Clapton played is much easier than the stuff Slash plays, so is Clapton not a legend?

quote]
it doesnt matter how hard it is to play. it only matters if its good or not. for example, some technical deathmetal bands play the most impossible guitar parts, but it doesnt sound good. half the time simple things sound better IMO. i said IMO

[Shinsen88]

I respect him for this.

[Ali-b912]

maybe now he is doing better then he used to, and not in a technical sense? he isnt the most technical guitarist, but i love the more melodic style of soloing more. he was pretty damned good at that, so maybe hes gotten better at the melodic stuff alot of us love him for.

[slashedaxl103]

Local666Union wrote:

MAYNARD wrote:

not_dead_enough wrote:
Two reasons:
-The average person is stupid, and a slurred-speaking chain smoker like Slash relates more to the average person than someone who actually can play guitar at a level above that commonly seen in gigs at bars.

-Buckethead is less marketable than Slash for obvious reasons, but remember that Buckethead has had many high-profile band offerings on the basis that he ditch the bucket, which he has refused to do every time. Love his style or hate it, Buckethead has remained true to what he started almost 2 decades ago in the face of lucrative contracts, which makes him more respectable than 99% of today's artists.

I have never heard a bar band guitarist bust out the solo for Paradise City.

The minute Buckethead joins a mainstream band is the minute that band loses all it's popularity.

I have heard tons of his music, and the reason it's not popular is b/c it's not that good.

A group of people flockin to listen Praxis is no different than a group of people flockin to hear GnR, besides the fact that people have never flocked to see Praxis.

The reason Buckethead's music isn't popular is that his music just doesn't appeal to many people, not because it's not good.

Slash is overrated IMO. I'm not saying he's not a damn good player, but he's not the legend that everyone makes out of him.

You dont have to shred to be considered a legend of the guitar. He plays with feeling, which IMO is more enjoyable to listen to then mindless shredding.

Did hendrix shred?? Did clapton shred??

[Ali-b912]

slashedaxl103 wrote:

You dont have to shred to be considered a legend of the guitar. He plays with feeling, which IMO is more enjoyable to listen to then mindless shredding.

Did hendrix shred?? Did clapton shred??

shredding isnt always mindless. i reckon it will be great when you have the shredding combined with the melodic or whatever the hell you call it (assuming that doesnt exist). slash can kind of do both either way tho...

[ajaxender12]

God damn it. Theres more to guitar playing than just playing fast! Slash's solos are probably my favourites, because they are fantastic and really fit the song they're in perfectly. Is he as skillful at guitar as the other guys listed here? Maybe not. But the stuff he writes is at least as good.

[Selvinator]

Good for Slash. I've had some friends trying to sober up too, and I've witnessed how hard it can be.

Fighting over the best guitarist is dumb :/
Everyone is going to have their opinion as to who the "best" guitar player is or who the "best" anything is, however, their opinion is not necessarily true. Slash, Buckethead, and all of the other guitar players listed in the previous posts have obviously inspired a lot of people since everyone is bitching at one another about who the best is. You may not like a particular guitarist, but it's immature as hell to go around bashing other guitar players saying that they have NO talent. If the guitars players really did have NO talent, then I think that everyone would be able to agree on that. I may not be crazy about a certain guitar player's style, like Buckethead's for instance, but I'm not going to go around talking shit about him cuz because he obviously loves playing music, and he has inspired plenty of guitar players. Just respect the fact that they inspire other musicians, because in the end, if no musician ever felt inspired, then music would suck.

[littleleo88]

Selvinator wrote:

Good for Slash. I've had some friends trying to sober up too, and I've witnessed how hard it can be.

Fighting over the best guitarist is dumb :/
Everyone is going to have their opinion as to who the "best" guitar player is or who the "best" anything is, however, their opinion is not necessarily true. Slash, Buckethead, and all of the other guitar players listed in the previous posts have obviously inspired a lot of people since everyone is bitching at one another about who the best is. You may not like a particular guitarist, but it's immature as hell to go around bashing other guitar players saying that they have NO talent. If the guitars players really did have NO talent, then I think that everyone would be able to agree on that. I may not be crazy about a certain guitar player's style, like Buckethead's for instance, but I'm not going to go around talking shit about him cuz because he obviously loves playing music, and he has inspired plenty of guitar players. Just respect the fact that they inspire other musicians, because in the end, if no musician ever felt inspired, then music would suck.

+10!
*shakes hand*

[uberphreak]

Sorry for the double post, but I forgot to mention that I think it's very good of Slash to give up the drink for the good of his family, and for himself. A very commendable thing to do. +100 to Slash.

[Pony_Rocker]

maybe buckethead got beaten up alot as a kid and has a bust up face with a crooked nose nd a half closed eye and no teeth and things like that... so he wont take the bucket off 2 show himself... nothing bout selling out or not selling out

[FenrirXE]

go slash

[_Tenacious_]

I cant believe people still compare guitarists who play different stlyes. It's impossible to say petrucci or satriani or buckethead or Slash are better/worse than each other. Some of them may be faster and others are more creative but it all depends on what you like. Not everyone will connect with a piece of music, but when you do - you think its the best piece of music ever simply because you can hear/think/feel the purpose of the guitar and every single hand movement across the frets.

Thats what i get from slash most. Good for him for quiting Im sure he's got a good number of years of awesome guitar to come still.

[glamdreams]

any 1 out there to support the fact that slash is enjoying sobreity?i mean, lets not talk bout whos better or the loser at this point o time.coz i believe that most of us here (even me)would know how hard it is and how it feels to quit these things.let all GET A LIFE!!!gud job,my sweet child!

[FRAQ@AQ]

slash is still one of the coolest guys in rock business and he was a always one of my major motivations to start playing and practicing guitar. i love his music and his style.
i know that a lot of people feel that way. so everytime there is a slash news, i really hate it if the trolls come out of their stinking caves and try to convice people that he is overrated or that xy is muuuuch better. stfu. slash = rock`n roll and fun. the other guys that became named so often are more like scientists to me. but that`s just my opinion.

[Korzack]

SGstriker wrote:

Slash = cool
Buckethead = cool

So drop the f*cking debate already.
Congrats Slash. You're one of my favorite guitar players and its nice to see that you are enjoying your sobriety.

Thanks for the common sense man.
An idol of mine - hes' no more the cartoonish 'rock star' character, but thats' all right - 'Do It For The Kids' as they say. Doing something like that does take quite a bit to pull off, and I commend him for that - Okay, so it does rule out my 'if I ever meet the guy, I'll buy him a drink' but maybe he'll still be smoking by that point...

[STEALmyDOG]

i still dont understand why people compare buckethead and slash!!! please tell me! how are they related other than the fact they play guitar?

[ed_the_head]

everybody knows what happened when Metallica decided to go on rehab
=)

[not_dead_enough]

STEALmyDOG wrote:

i still dont understand why people compare buckethead and slash!!! please tell me! how are they related other than the fact they play guitar?

Buckethead replaced Slash in GnR.

[iplayguitar0001]

way to go slash!!!!!

[metal-murnanes]

thedarkblues06 :
Caseyizzle wrote:

Estranged86 wrote:

So... I'm new here, but looks to me like people click on articles about people they want to make negative comments about, and just let it fly. I like Slash. A lot. That's why I was interested in the article. I don't read Steve Vai articles because he's not my cup of tea. I have an opinion on why I don't prefer his style of playing, but I know that nobody really gives a hot **** what I think about him, and I don't really care what he's doing, so I don't read those articles or voice my opinion. I think anyone who leaves a derogatory remark about a guy who is happy because he's getting healthy is a prick, and should probably spend less time talking about how he'll never be as technical as Petrucci, and spend more time practicing butchering his solos on their Ibanezes. I hate to climb higher on the soapbox, but if you can't at least appreciate Slash for what he represents and embodies, then you're just not rock n' roll. End of story.


best comment i've ever heard, couldn't have said it better +100000



I agree. Everyone else's comments should die. Because this comment right here, contains BRAINS...

You sir, win. you win all. be my friend =D

[pootoob]

Good for Slash.
He is the embodiment of good old rock n roll, and good times. Champion.

[Lost_Rose]

Obie wrote:

eddy1201 wrote:
the solos he plays are great. and i mean you cant expect everything he writes to be pure genius

well theres people like buckethead and petrucci and satriani and paul gilbert who constantly write pure genius stuff.

slash really isnt as good as you all make him out to be. he is mediocre at best.

Sheesh someone dicks speed.....

They cant write as good a piece of music as Slash. He has proven it time and time again... Only idiots with one track minds like yourself feel different.

[Ebucra]

this isn't a debate,

if you wanna debate, go to the forums,

On topic, it is hard to get away from something that is addicting like acohol, but good for slash, being a better father is more important than being a better guitarist.

[niceGUYeddie]

congrats 2 slash on his sobriety, just finnished readin his book(excellent read) he duff n adler sound like they fit in the ammount of drugs n boose in 6years that it took the stones 4 decades 2 consume. he's a legend because of the tunes he plays,his swagger, the bands hes played in, and for surviving: the 80's the90's the chemicals and AXL ROSE. GUNS STARTIN BLEEDING WHEN IZZY LEFT BUT DIED PROPER WHEN SLASH LEFT.

[hendrix 666]

yu guys needa get ova it.

its his life, his choice wat he duz.

hes my idol an no1 can change my mind about that.

so y be on here, all night talking about jack sh1t