Vicki from West Virginia got her copy of the March 2004 Guitar One. On the cover is "Where Are They Now?" They mention Izzy and Gilby Clarke. Izzy's article is really interesting as Mike Clink, one of GNR's producers, talks about him and says Izzy is a one-take kind of guy in music and in his lifestyle...he never sticks around long enough to be traced. They go on to say that Izzy's deft rhythmic playing and melodic songwriting fueled Appetite for Destruction, but by the early '90s, he'd had enough of Axl's indulgences and left the UYI tour. Izzy has now returned to his Stonesy roots recording with Rick Richard and Ian McLagan. In 2002, he jammed with SLASH again although he opted out as a full time member of Velvet Revolver which would have pleased the fans but again, too much of a commitment for Izzy. Izzy's latest import-only CD is On Down the Road.

About Gilby, he says that when he was in Guns, circumstances were uncontrollable at times but that he himself was never out of control and that everytime he plugged in, he played with his heart. His stint in GNR was '91-'93, and he still feels tight with many of the former members (now in Velvet Revolver). Gilby is candid about his feelings toward VR saying he's really happy for them, but he doesn't believe any of their followup bands will be as big as GNR. If VR does do really well, it helps everybody...it's "one for rock and roll". Thanks Vicki! These guys were two of our favorites, and it's always good to keep up with them.

In their "Opening Axe" Section, they review DVDs and rate the Guns UYI I (2.5 out of 5), UYI II also 2.5 out of 5 and Welcome to the Videos as 4 out of 5. Vicki says there's a nice color pic of SLASH, too. The text with the ratings says the UYI videos caught GNR on the downswing of their popularity (we think many other bands would kill for that level). The DVD is sharp, but the crowd doesn't show much excitement. (note: SLASH says this is somewhat of a culture thing with Japanese audiences. They are extremely polite and actually listen to the music which makes their country a top runner on the tour schedules. Any Japanese fans care to comment?). Then they go on to hammer the stage, Axl, etc. They say the scene stealer is SLASH's Keef (the Stones Keith Richards) licks on the cover of "Wild Horses" on UYI II, kickass till Axl chimes in on the chorus. Vicki says amen to that and so do we...stay out of the limelight, Axl. Good coverage in these two articles which we have only paraphrased here. Be sure to get your copy!

Q magazine, a UK publication, always seems to have some mention of SLASH. In the February 2004 issue, they interviewed The Darkness concerning their next video for "Love is Only a Feeling". Their guitar player answered this question, and it's a lot like SLASH would answer questions about what he felt were overblown, silly videos. Their bass player says the label wants to shoot a big budget video and guitarist Dan Hawkins says he wants to sabotage that. Dan's brother says he has a good idea...do your guitar solo on a mountain. Dan adds that "Just like SLASH. With loads of wind. Yeah, that'll be massive. That's great." Best of luck in doing a plain, simple video, guys!

We want to acknowledge a couple of tribute bands. First, we got a message from Kayleigh who sent in a picture of lead guitarist, Jon. She says that's not a SLASH wig, that's Jon's hair, and it naturally grows that way. Jon can play all of SLASH's solos including the Velvet Revolver ones played at the El Rey. Kayleigh is willing to share his pic, but not Jon himself! Chick magnet! Thanks, Kayleigh! There's another teeny GNR tribute band called Li'l GNR, and it's 5 young kids aged 5 to 11 dressed in GNR costumes. They can play your favorite tunes, but they have to be in bed by 8pm, or so their publicity claims! We doubt that the real SLASH has ever been asleep at 8pm! Thanks, LuAnn, and maybe London will form a band soon, too.

Sometimes we temporarily lose a story you send in. Here's one from Allen who saw Adler's Appetite's show in Las Vegas. He says it was awesome. No guys from the old Guns were there. Matt Sorum was said to be at the Metallica show at the Hard Rock. Kevin Dubrow from Quiet Riot was there, and Allen hung out with him for awhile. Allen said he was nice but not too wonderful. Then he met Steven himself, got 2 signed drumsticks, a New Year's hat signed and a picture. It was a great show, but it was in a really tiny venue with not so many people there. Allen was resting his arms on the stage. Imagine the competition for audiences in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve! Should have come to our town, Steven! According to Allen, Steven couldn't have looked better or more appreciative and was really doing what he wanted to do. Thanks, Allen, for that great review. Sorry it wasn't printed sooner!

And when we found that story from Allen, we found another. This reported on an MTV2 show that listed the top 22 bands of all time. Here we go:

1. Nirvana
2. Metallica
3. Guns N'Roses
4. U2
5. Radiohead
6. Linkin Park
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers
8. Green Day
9. Pearl Jam
10.NoDoubt
11.Smashing Pumpkins
12.Nine Inch Nails
13.The Cure
14.Oasis
15.Aerosmith
16.Korn
17.Dave Matthews Band
18.Alice in Chains
19.Phish
20.Limp Bizkit
21.Van Halen
22.R.E.M.
Some particularly odd choices and rankings, but we're glad to see Guns up there in the Top 5. Thanks, Allen!

Last week, a Velvet Revolver tour schedule was posted at various sites on the net. Even this site printed it, but clearly marked it as a rumour till we could talk to SLASH. On Friday, SLASH said there is nothing to this schedule, and he has no idea where these rumours come from. Of course, the band is going to tour, but the cities have not been decided. The states and Europe sound fine as far as continents go, but the specific countries and cities are all up in the air. Dates are completely off the mark. SLASH says when he has something official, he will be sure to let us know. Right now, the band is doing promotional work where the media is coming to them for interviews and photos. SLASH said last week he did three days in a row of this, all day long and needed a rest! When we spoke to him, he was playing with London. He said London is really big and can ride his little tricycle! Mom, Perla, is trying to relax while awaiting the birth of their second child and trying to keep up with London. SLASH was in a good mood, and he sounded just great.

There's a legal stumbling block for any Velvet Revolver tour, and that's Scott Weiland's continuing rehab difficulties. LuAnn and Brian found a lot of information on this around the web. On Friday, Scott appeared in two separate court hearings. First, there was the arraignment on driving under the influence of drugs. Scott pleaded not guilty. Then, he was ordered to another six months of lockdown rehab for walking away from or being discharged early (serving one month) from his previously six month ordered rehab. The court ruled that if he walks away again or tests positive for drugs, a bench order for his arrest will be issued for his arrest. Before all this happened, it looked like Scott would be done in May, and now it looks like July. This is the problem with a tour schedule at this time. SLASH says they are working to resolve this legal issue. Hopefully, they can get Scott released earlier with his drug problem resolved. On the matter of the driving under the influence, Scott is to appear in court on February 5, and his next progress report on the drug problem is due March 5. None of this should affect the single's release (March 8 for "Slither") or the album's release (May 11 for Contraband) unless the label decides to hold them back. At this time, the music is good to go.

SLASH's new signature guitar was introduced at NAMM, and already it is on the market! Patrik in Finland let us know that he bought one! He called import management and asked there if many of the new SLASH signature guitars would be coming to Finland. They told him just one would be sent there, and he bought it. Patrik says he has to wait for about 6 months before it comes to Finland. He said the sig cost quite a bit, 7.500,00 (not sure of currency). If you're looking for one, try ebay. Jonesy let us know there is one for sale at ebay for a minimum bid of 3500 English pounds. We leave all these currency conversions to you. You may do better by just checking in the country where you live.

Already some of the promotional pictures from Velvet Revolver are starting to pop up on the net. Radio station 99.3 The Fox in Vancouver has some real full screen beauties. You'll want to check out their whole flip book which also has some nice shots of SLASH hangouts like the Viper Room, the Rainbow, the Whisky, etc. The flip book is at 99.3 The Fox. Scroll down and click the SLASH thumbnail to pull up the VR flipbook. Not to be missed.

News Reported: 01/26/04

Guitarists out there have been studying the new SLASH signature guitar. Alex in England says that all the information you'll want to see on this is on the Gibson site. Highpoints to note are that the guitar has two Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II pickups (SLASHs' most common pickup choice and what many of you have on yours if you're trying to replicate his sound). The new item you'll notice is the Fishman Pickup which allows this guitar to sound like an acoustic/classical! You can even blend all the pickups together using a mini toggle switch. In appearance, the guitar is plain especially as compared with his first sig guitar, the Snakepit sig. Alex says that SLASH seems to be putting emphasis on how his new sig sounds as opposed to how it looks, and it looks like a real workhorse of a guitar! Thanks, Alex, for that great summary. Antoine and Nero sent in the address where you can read about the Fishman Pickup. You'll find that it is in fact a 3-way mini-toggle for the Fishman Powerbridge. Here's the Fishman site where you can read about this: Fishman Information.

Velvet Revolver is doing promotional interviews and photo shoots, and we should be seeing the results of that soon. SLASH took part in another photo shoot with his guitar hero, Joe Perry. There's a nice article and some fantastic photos of the greatest axemen in the world on the Aerosmith Fan Site. Check out those great pics of SLASH! Thanks, Norm, for sending this in.

Nero sent in the information that there's a new show on VH1 called "When Metal Ruled The World", and SLASH is there! Nero says it's really cool because they talk about SLASH and tell a funny story about him... that every time you see SLASH, he's wearing his tophat and has his bottle of Jack. An awesome show that Nero highly recommends. It repeats on Saturday, January 24 at 12am on VH1. Anne saw GNR music clips this week on a local Swiss TV station and is so ready to see Velvet Revolver!

Yesterday, Steven Adler turned 39! Happy Birthday, Steven. He and SLASH are the same age, and SLASH will celebrate his 39th on July 23. Thanks, Ray for sending that in.

Vicki got her March 2004 issue of Guitar World. The cover advertises their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time. SLASH comes in at #15, following Tony Iommi (#1), then Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield, then Angus & Malcolm Young, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde, Adam Jones, Kerry King & Jeff Hanneman, Dave Murray & Adrian Smith, Jimi Hendrix, Glenn Tipton & K K Downing and at #14 Ace Frehely and Paul Stanley. They say SLASH's shining moment was the "SCOM" solo. And in the brief note about him, they say that SLASH brought a "gutsy dose of swagger to late-Eighties metal...Armed with a top hat and a Les Paul and the second most-iconic Afro in guitardom, SLASH took a cue from the toxic protopunk abandom of the NY Dolls and made metal safe once again for nasty riffs and dizzy rhythms". There's also a tiny color picture. A good issue to get to read about the other 99! Thanks, Vicki!

News Reported: 01/23/04

Tonight's (1/21/04) news will not be published due to PC problems. We'll return this Friday, 1/23/04 with more news on SLASH and the boys, so keep those sightings coming in. If you're looking for the latest rumours on Velvet Revolver's tour and on the new album, check out Velvet Revolver's gigs and tours and VR's VR discography on this site. Thanks for your patience during our tech problems.

News Reported: 01/19/04

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) ended their winter conference in Anaheim, CA yesterday. The exhibit area was a popular one, and Clement made it to the Gibson booth to check out the eight new Gibson signature guitars, especially the SLASH one. He was generous enough to share some of his photos with us. He says he got to play the new SLASH sig unplugged, and it was cool. Clement says it is nothing out of the ordinary except for a small extra white toggle switch tucked in between the knobs. He said it felt lighter compared to most Les Pauls (good for those long onstage performances) and definitely much lighter than the Zakk Wylde sig. Clement owns the first SLASH sig Custom Shop and likes that one better. Note that this third picture shows the back of the headstock with "SL 01 Prototype" on it. This is the guitar SLASH worked on. Thanks, Clement!

We expect SLASH will be showing off that new sig guitar this year. Pauric from Ireland and a fan who goes by all_hale_SLASH sent in the information that the February 2004 issue of the UK's Total Guitar has an article called "50 Guitarists You Need to Hear This Year" which has both SLASH and Dave Kushner! The accompanying text talks about the forthcoming Velvet Revolver album, and there's a picture of VR in the studio. Their reason VR was on the list? "...because this is the only Guns' related album worth bothering with"! Thanks, guys.

As we mentioned last week, Contraband, the forthcoming VR debut album, had its release date pushed back once again...this time to May 11. The good news is that RCA's BMG site now has the album on its forthcoming list. The date says TBD (to be determined), but at least it's there. We've been told that the date is due both to allow Scott to finish his six month lockdown rehab and the label to do some promotions. The label has the album in their hands. It's just a matter of getting it in OUR hands. Thanks, Brian, for that date information.

Eric Kretz, ex-STP drummer was also at NAMM where he was asked about being part of a possible supergroup of ex-STP band members, ex-Black Crowes and ex-new GNRs, he said that "we have to wait and see what happens with Weiland..and what will happen after he gets out of rehab." Kretz is referring, we're told to a possible STP reunion.

There are some darling personal pics of SLASH and his family on slashonline.com. There are pics of London, SLASH and Perla, SLASH in the studio, a gorgeous passport photo, etc. If you can't get enough of just looking at SLASH, these are for you. Check them out at slashonline.com, click the 2003 Gallery.

AJ Diaz spotted a SLASH lookalike recently on Mad TV (comedy sketch show). They did a celebrity survivor skit, and one of the celebs was the SLASH lookalike in black leather pants, white shirt, black leather vest and tophat! He didn't have a speaking part but was just part of the background cast. Thanks, AJ!

News Reported: 01/19/04

At the end of last year, SLASH told us that Gibson was making a new signature guitar for him. The guitar was made with his specs, and he said all that was left was for the Gibson president to sign off on the paperwork so the Custom Shop could gear up to make the guitar. Some of you noticed the prototype in a picture around then. Well, the guitar is ready and just in time for NAMM 2004 in Anaheim which is going on right now. SLASH isn't going to be there this year, but his new sig guitar will be. Hopefully, some of you can get there and see it. Gibson has new signature guitars for these eight guitarists, and all can be seen at NAMM 2004. The guitarists are Duane Eddy, Jimmy Page, Zakk Wylde, Pete Townshend, SLASH, Wayne Static, Alan Bibey and Chet Atkins. The previous SLASH signature guitar was really striking with the Snakepit logo and the mother-of-pearl snake going up the neck and available only in bright red. The new one is much more subdued in appearance with a plain maple top, Custom Authentic finish (dark tobacco sunburst) but has some standout utility features. We want you to see all of this for yourself. Both LuAnn and Jim located the announcement. You might want to explore the entire Gibson site with emphasis on the NAMM announcements. At a minimum, check out these sections!

Gibson News & Events SLASH Sig

Here's another note from the Rip It UP people. This is the book about black rockers where there's a great interview with SLASH. There's going to be a Launch Party in New York City at CBGB/OMFUG on February 3. The public is invited and admission is just $10. Doors open at 7pm. The bands and times are:

8pm - Chocolate Genius
9pm - Suffrajett
10pm - Tamar Kali
11pm - Appollo Heights

The event is (tentatively) to be hosted by Vernon Reed of Living Colour. You know CBGB's...it's 315 Bowery in Manhattan. This is going to be a great event! Let us know if you go there and try to get some photos.

Band management is getting in gear for Velvet Revolver promotion. The band bio is out, and you can print off your own copy. Feel free to pass this on to anyone you know...not only friends but also rock stations in your area should have a copy. Let's do what we can do to promote the band! Click here for the Official VR Band Bio! Band management sneaked in some bad news with the bio; now they say the album will be released in May!

Vicki found a couple of mentions of Velvet Revolver. The March 2004 issue of Metal Edge (Damageplan on cover) has a two page article on VR with a big pic of them that the mag used as a poster of them awhile back. The article to look for is "Appetite for Reconstruction". Vicki said it's pretty much a rehash of everything we've read. It observes, "If Velvet Revolver can continue to make its way through and get on the road, it looks like--based on the ElRey Theater set--the group will be playing both Guns N'Roses and Stone Temple Pilots tunes." What do they think will be the fate of the 12 tracks on the debut album? The cover of the magazine lists VR first for "10 Breakthrough Bands for 2004". Vicki also got Blender, issue 23. There's a pic of Scott and a pic of the band inside. In a yellow circle it says, "Weiland Watch", and the title says, "Blockhead-Scott Weiland screws up again, is given another chance". Scott says he never set out to hurt people, but that he has hurt them indirectly and he regrets it. He goes on to say that VR is his saving grace and gives him a second chance to be born into rock & roll. Thanks, Vicki!

News Reported: 01/16/04

There are a couple of international reports today. Tony sent us word from the UK that on the Kerrang music channel there, it's Guns N'Roses Week! The GNR DVDs have just been released in Europe. They are: Welcome to the Videos, Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. The Illusion ones are the Live in Tokyo videos. There is no new material on the DVDs, just a different format from the VHS which you may already have. The Kerrang music channel is promoting the release by showing the live versions of "Civil War", "SCOM", "Nightrain", "YCBM", "Paradise City" and a couple of others. There's a contest to win copies of the DVDs and a DVD player. Tony said the main prize is a Gibson Les Paul! You'll have to watch to see how to enter. If you want to see a video, you vote for it, and Tony said this week every third or fourth video has been a Guns song, and the band seems to be as popular now as it ever was. So UK fans, get tuned into the Kerrang music channel and boost those GNR videos! Thanks, Tony!

This item is from Gagan, the craziest SLASH fan from Nepal. Gagan sent in an article that appeared in KTM Teen, a Nepali magazine. "KTM" is short for Kathmandu! Teens in Kathmandu are aware of what's going on with the top-hatted one. This article doesn't have so much new information, but it's reaching an audience far away and bringing them up to date. Since the rest of us are unlikely to see this magazine on the newsstand, we'll print the article here in its entirety and thank Gagan for sending it in!

Kathmandu Teen Article

Here's some more SLASH merchandise, also unofficial. Nero wrote and told us that there are SLASH and GNR stickers on ggstickers.com. If you're interested in stickers for your guitar, your fridge, notebooks, etc, check these out. There are three of SLASH (Items GR3, GR7 and L5) and the GNR name (Item 108). You'll also find skull pics of Izzy and Duff, but two pics of SLASH are not skulls! When you get to the site, scroll down and click Decal Designs. We've gotten things from them in the past with no problem. Thanks, Nero!

WBCN, a Boston radio station, has named its Top 100 Songs of 2003. At #45 is "Set Me Free" by Velvet Revolver! They list the label name as Decca. LuAnn found this for us, and we're pleased to pass this on to you. Michael says that the single is just now being played in France. Keep in mind that there was very little promotion for the single, and it just took off primarily by word of mouth. We sure would like to see another single soon!

LuAnn also sent us some information on the StepUp gig awhile back where Duff's wife Susan did a fashion show of her swimsuit line. The National Enquirer reports that one of the suits was made entirely of guitar picks! Caught at rock concerts? No doubt Susan has access to a large stash of picks. No word on whose picks were included and how they were positioned, but we'd like to think that a few SLASH picks made it.

News Reported: 01/14/04

Looks like Scott Weiland is in hot water again. Velvet Revolver's lead vocalist moved to a different lockdown rehab center with court approval. First he moved to another luxurious lockdown facility which seemed to be ok with the court, but now he's moved himself to Genesis in Hollywood which is not lockdown and sounds like it would be in the kind of neighborhood that would challenge his recovery. The court asked for a complete report on the switch when Scott had his probation status report on January 9, and a hearing on this is scheduled for January 23 when Weiland will also be arraigned for driving under the influence of drugs in October which led to this sequence of events. Let's hope Scott's rehab is not extended and his recovery is on the way. Still no comment from the band on any of this.

There's another confusing announcement going around that a new supergroup is being formed fronted by Chris Robinson (ex-Black Crowes), a couple of the ex-STP guys and "possibly some former member of GNR". This former GNR guy is NOT anyone from the original band...he's one of Axl's more recent cast-offs. We have heard it is Paul Tobias. If you think of all the people in GNR, starting with the original band, then continuing through Axl's iterations...what will the stage look like if/when GNR gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Should be just the original band but often the Hall adds in some later members. Will 15 names be engraved on the wall? Just some food for thought.

Ben sent in a SLASH and GNR mention from this month's Maxim issue. They had a list of the Top 25 dirtiest, nastiest and bad things in 80's rock. GNR was in there twice. The first was the GNR/Metallica show where Hetfield was badly hurt by the pyrotechnics, and Metallica had to leave the stage. Instead of Guns giving a full length or more show, Axl cut the show short and stormed off, causing a riot. The second was about SLASH. They say that SLASH hired a personal bodyguard to help him with his drinking problem...carry him home when he was too drunk to walk. We checked on that one. SLASH did have a bodyguard who sometimes did have to carry or half-carry him home, but the bodyguard was NEVER hired to do that. Ben said that in that same issue GNR was voted the Top Soap Opera of 2003. Amen to that one. One more...at the end of an article it had fill in the blank questions. The GNR one was a "Mr. Brownstone" trivia question. "I used to do a little...etc." and the answer was "so a little got more and more". Lots and lots of mentions! Go, guys with that publicity; and thanks, Ben!

Clement hits a lot of the Southern California shows, and he was at the Adler's Appetite January 8 show in Anaheim. No special guests there (none at the New Year's Eve gig either although Izzy was promised!). Clement said it was a super cool show, and it was great seeing Steven having fun behind the drum kit. They played almost all the Appetite... songs although they gave "Paradise City" a miss at the end. Clement caught a drumstick, and after the show Steven hung out by the stage to sign autographs and meet everyone. Clement's stick was duly signed as was his ticket, and he got a few picks. He also got a poster/calendar they were giving away. $20 well spent! Clement says there aren't many pics floating around because the House of Blues is super strict about photo taking. He did manage to sneak one of Steven after the show which he's sharing here with us. Thanks, Clement! We can only hope that Velvet Revolver will be as accessible to its fans when they finally break loose.

This SLASH mention is a little late - it's from the December issue of Guitar One and Pete from Melbourne sent it in. It's called the Battle of the Axes, and this is a summary of their analysis. In Round One, they compared Jimi Hendrix with Sonny Sharrock on Chops. According to the judges, Hendrix defeats Sharrock. Lyndsey Buckingham beats Joe Perry, SLASH beats John Frusciante, and Paul Gilbert defeats Dickey Betts. Round 2 is Tone and half the guitarists are out of the picture. Hendrix defeats Buckingham and SLASH beats out Gilbert. Round 3 is Originality. First they compared their clothing which they say "scream originality". A dead heat in the fashion department, but when it comes to guitar playing, there's no contest. "SLASH may have dragged licks from Jimmy Page and Joe Perry through the gutters of the Sunset Strip, but Hendrix transmuted the energy of blues and soul into a psychedelic supernova. Plus, no one ever treated a Strat with such ingenious cruelty." Hendrix is the winner! If SLASH had to lose to anyone, superstar Hendrix is fine with us.

News Reported: 01/12/04

Our copy of Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock 'N' Roll edited by Kandia Crazy Horse came, and there is an excellent interview with SLASH. The point of this whole book is to make known the black influence on rock. Some say that rock is black music played by white musicians. And some say that rock is the genre influenced by musicians of all races. And most of us just listen and don't pay much attention to the racial issues. In this book you'll find information on black rock musicians from Ike and Tina Turner to the Isley Brothers to Sly Stone, Hendrix, Prince ... and many others, including SLASH. The book is well researched and we recommend it. The SLASH interview comes at SLASH from an angle we rarely read about it...and it's a very recent one. SLASH is asked if he defines himself as a black musician to which he replies that he defines himself as a rock musician if he defines himself as anything. He says he is very proud of his black heritage and sees this as being very cool. One thing he clears up is that he is NOT a Jewish musician. He says that is because his first name is Saul, but he is not Jewish. He talks about his racial background (biracial)...and how it was dealing with a white midwesterner in GNR. The remarks he makes are just extremely interesting to all of us. We suggest you pick up the book (amazon has it) or get it at your local library. It's a totally new take on rock.

Erin and Brian sent in the information that a new book is coming out on Guns N'Roses. The title is The Band That Time Forgot: The Complete Unauthorized Biography of Guns N'Roses by Paul Stenning (about $14 at amazon). The book is due out May 1, but you can pre-order it now or wait till we review it! We've been told by a source close to the band that no one knows anything about it, so the promised interviews and pictures may or may not be worthwhile. We'll keep you posted.

More reading material and this sounds good. It's the March issue of Revolver that Vicki found on the newsstand. The cover says "Guns N'Roses The Dirtiest Story Ever Told + Velvet Revolver Cracks UP!" On page 7, there's a nice picture of Velvet Revolver with a story that contains some really dated information. They go on to album information which is interesting. The article also says this is not a one-off as they are signed for 3 albums. The band is a democracy despite all the stars involved. "There's no dictators" according to SLASH. Weiland says he doesn't feel like a rich rock star in a supergroup but more like an 18 year old forming his first garage band. On page 58, the story on GNR begins, and there's a really cool picture of SLASH according to Vicki. She says the article is sprinkled with the old, familiar GNR pics, and the article itself is a rehash of the old GNR story that we all know practically by heart. On page 68, they list the 25 most terrifyingly good live bands of all time with GNR coming in at #11. You'll want to read the accompanying text on this one. From Vicki's description, we're heading out to get this one tomorrow!

The other day we gave you a UK site that sells SLASH unofficial t-shirts. Helen wrote in to say that she has another source...same picture but in many different sizes and styles and all colors! See SLASH in pink! The url is djtees.com.

If you were looking forward to Adler's Appetite in the UK, there is going to be a delay on their getting there till February. The band is looking at May now. The band is only going to do one Hannover show in Germany not two as Steven's site says. The only show will be at the Garage on the 28th. No show on the 30th. Keri Kelli (ex-SLASH's Snakepit) is part of Adler's Appetite, and he's been busy helping out Kit Ashley (ex-Big Bang Babies vocalist) mix his solo album that is due out this summer on a German indie label.

News Reported: 01/09/04

The January edition of Classic Rock magazine sounds like a keeper. Danny from Dublin, Ireland tells us there's a cool full-page picture of SLASH in a "Jesus Christ pose". Also in the picture is a little girl. The photographer says she was begging for money while they were taking photos, so he took a photo of her in the picture and gave the little girl a copy. She spat on it and tore it up! Clearly, not a collector and not someone who understands the value to one! Thanks, Daniel!

Here are some more cool pics of SLASH that you can see right here. They are from the slide show on Velvet Revolver's Official Web Site, velvetrevolver.net. The sepia tones make a fine looking picture of our guy. These were added at the first of the year. Another new addition to that site is the re-opening of the forum (which they call Community) there. The forum at this time is unmoderated, and there are a lot what are called trolls. The troll posts a lot of hateful messages about the band, "spreading lies, starting controversies". Best to just ignore these as they are just looking for fights. It might be best to give this whole section a miss till they have a moderator.

Fans often write in looking for SLASH merchandise. There's SLASH's Snakepit merchandise on fansource.com, the Official Fanclub Site. There's always some on ebay. And here's a site that Danny sent us that has some cool SLASH t-shirts. We haven't personally ordered from them, and they are in the UK. If you're desperate for a SLASH t-shirt, their url is 8ball.co.uk.

Now's the time to show some support to Velvet Revolver! LuAnn found a poll on the Most Anticipated CD of 2004. This is on the Metal Sludge web site. Velvet Revolver is up against such bands as Aerosmith, Black Label Society, Judas Priest, Slipknot, Tesla and others. Right now Velvet Revolver is in the lead. Let's keep them that way!

Vote for Velvet Revolver!

Two game show mentions came in. Vicki said that on the December 26 Jeopardy show, there was a GNR clue in Double Jeopardy in the category "Rock & Roll Bookstore": "Danny Sugarman has written two biographies about the Doors and one called Appetite for Destruction about this group." No one knew the answer! xzii says that SLASH has a mention in the game "Trivial Purpose", a family game with a lot of questions you have to answer to get points. The questions are "things you should really know about the world". One question is "Which band does the guitarist SLASH play for?" The game is an old one, so the answer is GNR!

Here's something SLASH and you guitarists should be interested in. Time magazine named Gibson's Digital Guitar one of 2003's coolest inventions. In an article entitled "Digital Jamming", Time asks, "We've already got digital music files like MP3s and digital music players like the iPod, so why not create music with a digital instrument in the first place?" The Gibson Digital Guitar is the answer, and the resulting sound is much cleaner and less susceptible to all sorts of distortion, they say. Rock on! If you'd like to read all about it, it's at Gibson's Digital Guitar.

News Reported: 01/07/04

The 2004 Guitar World (Dave Grohl on the cover) has SLASH information for all the guitarists out there who want to get that SLASH sound. Vicki was good enough to type this in for us, and you'll most likely want to get out and get your own copy. On the last page of the magazine is an article called "A Vulgar Display of Power - The Great Rigs of the STars - Marshall Law - For SLASH, a Les Paul and Marshall set-up is the basis of his signature sound". Vicki says there's a nice pic of SLASH there, too. At the bottom of the short article, there's a detailed illustration of SLASH's rig, so you'll want to pick this up for the illustration if nothing else. If you want to get into the design philosophy, control issues, favorite piece of gear, secret weapon, then click here to read that article. Thanks, Vicki!

More on equipment mentions - if you go to www.jimdunlop.com, you'll see the Cry Baby section link on the home page. Click that, and there's a really cool picture of SLASH with his signature Gibson using his Wah pedal. It says "Go Back In Time SLASH Velvet Revolver". Thanks to Nero who sent that in.

The Hard Rocks have some cool memorabilia. Ray was in Phoenix and said this GNR memorabilia was the only item there. Darijus saw one that beats that. He was watching the Discovery Travel Channel, and they were talking about famous L.A. places. One was the Roxy, and there was a SLASH mention. The owner of the Roxy showed a Les Paul hanging on the wall broken to pieces. It comes from that infamous scene in the "Don't Cry" video where SLASH throws the guitar. The guitar survived the crash, SLASH signed it and gave it to the Roxy. As Darijus says, "That broken beauty is on the wall now...". So, if you're in the Roxy, take a picture and send it in so we can all see it! Thanks!

January 1 must have been the date to put new things on web sites. slashonline.com has new graphics and the new "Bodies" video. This site has Slash Jigsaw Puzzles from the Snakepit tour. LuAnn says that the Velvet Revolver official site has a continuous slide show on the home page at velvetrevolver.net, so be sure to check that out.

MTV.com has an article on their site about forthcoming albums and new bands in 2004. And yes, they mentioned Velvet Revolver. They sounded like they were a little "iffy" about the band. We think everyone has worried over the band's rocky start and the silence over these difficulties except for a blast at Rolling Stone and their own publicist awhile back. No one wants to see this band fail! This is their year and ours, too. Here's what MTV had to say:

MTV on VR in 2004

News Reported: 01/05/04

Last time we told you to be sure to visit the revamped slashonline.com site to see the new graphics and download the latest video, "Bodies". We have a new section of our own we'd like to draw your attention to. This one's just for fun - it's a SLASH Puzzles section. If you go to www.snakepit.org and click SLASH Puzzles, you'll find a list of 8 puzzles. They are made from candid photos sent in by fans during the SLASH's Snakepit tour. Click on the one you want to try, and you get the puzzle and music that plays throughout the time you are working it. The puzzles are easy and are just for fun. We hope you will enjoy them and remember the good times we had with SLASH's Snakepit.

That famous blabbermouth, blabbermouth.net reported two items on Velvet Revolver; and Brian and LuAnn sent these to us. We haven't gotten any official statement on these. The first is that the band is going back into the studio to work on one of the album tracks as Scott Weiland was said to be dissatisfied with how that one turned out. (How this fits with lockdown rehab, we don't know.) The second was that Scott has been moved to a smaller rehab center so that he could receive more individual help. He had been at Grandview in Pasadena and is now in Las Encinas in Pasadena. Scott has put in 2 months in rehab and is due back in court for a probation status report on January 9. Scott also faces an arraignment date to enter a plea to the charge of driving under the influence of drugs in October. That arraignment will be January 23. It's hard to tell the dates and places without a scorecard, but we'll keep you posted. The debut album Contraband is due out April 27 and includes 12 tracks from the more than 50 the band had written. Expect to hear some of those unreleased tracks on tour, we hope! Some of SLASH's Snakepit's great songs were judged (by SLASH) as best done live, so they didn't make the album but were done in concert.

Some fans have been curious about Adler's Appetite and what the shows are like. Phil went to the one in Dayton Ohio in late December. This was the one where Izzy was supposed to be onstage, but he didn't show up. Phil says this was the only negative thing he had to say. The show was great, and he got to meet Steven Adler and Keri Kelli after the show. Phil wrote a really interesting review, and we're going to let him tell you the whole story himself:

Adler's Appetite in Dayton

When you're next at the newsstand, you might want to pick up this magazine where Vicki found a SLASH mention. In the February 2004 issue of Guitar World in the article "Set List - Top 10 Rock Guitar Solos", there's a small picture of SLASH in black t-shirt and top hat coming in at #9. They say that the SLASH solo has a "blistering ascent up the E harmonic minor scale - which kicks the second guitar solo of this tune into high gear - the mad top-hatter single-handedly breathed new life into the wah-pedal sales." Rounding out the rest of the Top 10 which has #1 "Little Wing" by Stevie Ray Vaughan, #2 "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix, #3 "Eruption" by Eddie Van Halen, #4 "Freebird" by Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, #5 "Sultans of Swing" by Mark Knopfler, #6 "Stairwary to Heaven" by Jimmy Page, #7 "Crazy Train" by Randy Rhoads, #8 "Crossroads" by Eric Clapton, #10 Statesboro Blues" by Duane Allman. Vicki found a Velvet Revolver mention in the same magazine in their Riff Box. Under "2003 Best Riffs of the Year", "Set Me Free" heads the list! Here's what they said about it:

"Whew-- I'm not touching that song title. Sadly, Scott Weiland seems to create his best music when he's dancing with Mr. Brownstone, with one foot in the stir. But at least Slash and his motley crew are actually accomplishing more with this troubled singer than that other troubled singer has accomplished in too many years to count. Originally released on the soundtrack to The Hulk, this track unleashes what sounds like years of pent-up frustration, all harnessed in a dynamo of a pushing, pulling neo-classic riff. It's enough to make other guitarists green with envy."

With all these "Top" lists for 2003, we'd like to share our own list of the Top 10 SLASH events for 2003.

1. SLASH forms the new band called Velvet Revolver featuring ex-Gunners Matt Sorum (drums) and Duff McKagan (bass). Dave Kuchner (ex-Loaded on rhythm guitar) and Scott Weiland (ex-STP vocals).
2. SLASH's solo, "Love Theme from The Godfather" is nominated for a Grammy award.
3. SLASH does a week of co-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!
4. Velvet Revolver completes their debut album December 26. The album is to be released 4/27/04 with title Contraband. The band intends to begin touring early 2004.
5. SLASH announces that his wife Perla is expecting their second child in the summer of 2004.
6. SLASH plays with two one-off bands at the Iraqi Peace Demonstrations.
7. Guns N'Roses DVD's released in the US.
8. SLASH guests on albums by Elan, Matt Sorum, Yardbirds, Steve Lukather.
9. SLASH performs onstage with Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler for the first time since the Farm Aid show after which Steven was fired from GNR.
10. Far East Man DVD released in the US.

News Reported: 01/02/04