There's a lot of interest in that SLASH and Velvet Revolver appearance in NYC on September 17 and 18. We've come up with more information on this. First, there will be no tickets sold to the public. The tickets will be distributed to sponsors for their use as prizes/giveaways. Miller Brewing Co. is sponsoring the event as the culmination of its celebration of the 50th year of rock and roll. We don't know who these sponsors are, though. If we hear anything, we'll let you know. SLASH is appearing on the first night with Lenny Kravitz, Alice Cooper and Bo Diddley (not just Lenny Kravitz) to do "Always on the Run"... at least. He will do a second number with James Brown, and we still don't know the name of that song. The second day, Velvet Revolver will appear. So one day is a SLASH solo thing, and the second day is a SLASH in VR thing. SLASH does a lot of solo work as you know. He has put together a corporation now to handle these solo requests. Arlett Vereecke (you may remember seeing her on the Behind the Music show) is the CEO of VHLA Ltd now...VHLA stands for Vereecke Hudson in Los Angeles. All publicity and scheduling of SLASH solo work will be done through her. As an example, Arlett is on her way to NYC now to assist SLASH on his September 17 appearance. She is a longtime friend and supporter of SLASH and will be an invaluable assistant to him.

Also Brian sent us more information on that TV Guide Emmy After Show Party. Velvet Revolver is providing the entertainment. It will take place in TV Guide Central just across the street from the Pacific Design Center in L.A. TV Guide Central will be built from the ground up into a "lavish environment" for the purpose of hosting this event. Last year, Foo Fighters entertained. The event is Sunday, September 19, so that weekend will be a busy one for SLASH and Velvet Revolver.

World Entertainment News Network reports that SLASH decided to quit heroin when he realized his addiction meant he could no longer play well. SLASH became addicted when he was in the early days of GNR and got to the point where he didn't care how he was feeling. He is quoted as saying that one thing he always had was his playing, and when he found he couldn't do that, he knew it was time to quit although it took some time. He said the first time he took heroin he found his favorite drug because cocaine puts you in a hyped up stage. He offered that the kind of personality most likely to do heroin is often a shy guy who wants to be cool and relaxed, but you get to such a low point on it that you don't care about your self-esteem. We think that ever since Scott started opening up about his addiction, the rest of the band has felt more at ease talking about their addictions, too. A strong caution from SLASH on drugs!

Izzy Stradlin left Guns N'Roses when the whole thing became just to much for him to cope with. Some fans feel that the band was never the same after that even though Gilby Clarke came in and did a yeoman's job learning the music and lyrics that Izzy helped put together. Sightings of Izzy have been few and far between, but fans that went to three Velvet Revolver shows saw Izzy onstage with his former bandmates! A near reunion of GNR took place at the Bologna, Italy show (9/5), Paris, France show (9/7) and Barcelona, Spain show (9/9). If you've been reading the reviews, you'll know that fans went crazy when Izzy appeared, SLASH put on his tophat and they launched into some of the old GNR tunes. No word if he will continue with the tour tonight in Madrid, but the three shows were unique so far! Mamo from Italy said the whole Bologna show was amazing with all the guys looking 15 years younger and there was so much excitement when Izzy took the stage! Mamo got to take pictures and Adam Day let him stay on stage with him! Frederic said the Paris show was awesome, and for the encore Scott said he had an old friend to introduce and out came Izzy to play "Used to Love Her" and "It's So Easy". Fantastic!

More reviews came in. Alex sent in a review where he mentions a place on his site featuring a photo of him with his idol SLASH! We also got one from Paco. He said the tophat was on the amp as the show began. VR started with "Cocksucker Blues" with SLASH playing his red BC Rich. The rest of the show was like the others except that sadly, no Izzy! The final song was "Negative Creep". Paco said Scott is a great frontman, and he forgot Axl completely! The band is a tight band. The only negative comment was that he was very close and the venue is small so the sound was compressed. This was his first SLASH concert, and SLASH did not disappoint...Paco said he has waited 10 years to see SLASH! Thanks, Paco!

Big news from Guitar World magazine for SLASH fans. They are planning a special "Legends" issue on SLASH that should be at the newsstands in late October. The magazine is a tribute to SLASH and his career. The entire issue is about Our Guy featuring recent and archival photos and interviews from past Guitar World interviews. SLASH will be in the company of such artists as Led Zep, Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan who all had their own "Legends" issue. So watch for that! On the subject of magazines, Vicki told us that the September issue of Hit Parader has a Velvet Revolver article (nothing new here) with a full-page color pinup of SLASH. He has his red doubleneck with him. Later in the magazine there's a full page pinup of VR, one of their promo pictures. Thanks, Vicki!

No news on just SLASH himself tonight, but there is a lot about Velvet Revolver. Velvet Revolver was nominated for and won (!!) Best International Newcomer in the Kerrang! 2004 Awards. The partying went on far in to the night, and we hope our guys had a great time. They deserve it. To read all about it, visit the Kerrang Awards 2004 Site. Lots of photos and descriptions. Great work, guys! Those of you in the UK know how big The Darkness is there, and they led the Kerrang awards. SLASH knows about them since Izzy turned him on to them. The Darkness made some good remarks about VR during an interview. Jason says this is definitely worth a listen. Check that interview- it's in English to hear more about The Darkness and their feelings about VR. Thanks, Jason!

When the band has a day off as they do today, they do a lot of promotional work to reach even more fans. On Labor Day, VR were guests on the German show TV Total. Here's where you can see that TV Total Interview Archive can be seen. See if you think the same as Ismar who sent in his comments. Odsoten from Slovakia sent us the link. Ismar said the only good thing was their musical performance since from the beginning it seemed to go wrong. Duff had on a lot of makeup. Ismar said that SLASH's hair was dyed really black and both SLASH and Dave wore sunglasses which freaked out the host. SLASH was smoking which also seemed to be a problem. He asked Slash if he really smoked or was that just for his image. And did they do drugs which they all replied is in the past. He asked Scott if he were drinking Coke Light. The host asked about the tour schedule and the guys couldn't get that straight. All in all, not a good host for them, but "Fall To Pieces" went very well. We hope you can see this yourself. The site is not in English, and we never could get the interview going. We think it's just too busy. Keep trying!

The Paris show was last night, and the big news is that Izzy Stradlin was there! He joined the band with "Used to Love Her" and "It's So Easy", and SLASH wore his trademark tophat. Just like old times, almost! Izzy hung out with the band before and after the show. Thanks to Brian and all the French fans who sent that in. We're all envious of you. Aurelie originally thought London was the best show, but now it's Paris and no wonder! A unique show!

Looking ahead, Velvet Revolver has been chosen for another big show. TV Guide, the largest weekly magazine in the world, announced plans for its second annual Emmy Awards After Party. It's a star-studdeed salute to the Emmys, the biggest night in TV, and it will feature a special performance by Velvet Revolver! The Emmys will be held Sunday, September 19th in Los Angeles. This is a big honor for Velvet Revolver, and we're sure a lot of rehearsal time will go into getting this just right. Let's hope their performance will be on TV. Another TV appearance is on VH1. VH1 is finally presenting its vh1(inside)out: the rise of Velvet Revolver. It covers the period from building the band through the band's first video. This is one that was made over a period of several years with a VH1 crew following the band around and taping. It should be an excellent show. The show times are: Thursday, September 30 at 9 pm ET, Friday, October 1 at midnight and again at 6pm that day. On Saturday, October 2, it will be shown at 2 am.

We have an interview on the Manchester gig that Lesley's been trying to get to us. It's a great story of a great day, so we'll let Lesley tell you all about it. Click Lesley to read about this show! Thanks, Lesley. And this picture goes with the story.

And here are some more pictures from Michael also from the Manchester Apollo gig. Thanks, Michael!

Updated 09/08/04

The new Gibson/Baldwin X-Press, the online newsletter for Gibson/Baldwin had a SLASH mention and photo. Ray sent this in to us. The photo caption says "Velvet Revolver's SLASH, posing away in the London Gibson/Baldwin Showroom." Have a look at SLASH surrounded by guitars and his new leather jacket. And if you go to the photo there are some more interesting facts. Check out SLASH at Gibson/Baldwin. Thanks, Ray!

We were too late to let you know that SLASH was going to make an appearance on the UK's BBC1 Radio today, but you can hear the interview in its entirety! The interview is done with questions from fans, so they're all over the place ranging from how many guitars do you have (between 80 and 90) and will GNR ever reunite (no). SLASH commented on how he was looking forward to the London show as they are a tough audience, and they really went wild. It was an honor to have Jimmy Page and Brian May in the audience. Well, listen for yourself. We're sure you'll enjoy it! Check it out at SLASH on BBC1.

As we told you, Velvet Revolver did a signing at the Virgin Megastore in Piccadilly Circus in London. Aurelie was there and says the signing was totally packed with the line going around the block. See, we told you to get there early! Aurelie said it was very hot inside and probably long and difficult for the guys, but they were very nice with Matt smiling at everybody and Scott smiling at nobody. Thanks, Aurelie!

Two longer interviews came in for Velvet Revolver in Glasgow. One is from Fiona, and the other from Nick. If you're still waiting for your show, these reviews really get you pumped. And don't forget...if you listened to SLASH on the BBC1 show, he said that Velvet Revolver is coming back to Europe to do a more extensive tour, so more of Europe is going to get a chance at them. Have a look at their reviews!

Rich went to the Manchester show,and when he wrote to us, he said that Velvet Revolver totally blew him away. He took a few pictures and has them up where anyone can see them. is the place to look. Thanks, Rich!

Aurelie was at the London show and said it was a great, amazing show with nothing seen like it before.Although it seemed like 10 minutes, it was 1:30. Duff and SLASH are thanked for coming to meet fans and taking pictures. SLASH is in very good shape and looks so young. Aurelie says that she and a bunch of other French fans will be in the audience next week for the Paris show! Thanks, Aurelie

Jason wants to enlist your help. Now that "Fall to Pieces" is on Launch.com, it would be cool to see it as the #1 video, so he's suggesting that everyone log on to launch and play "Fall to Pieces" at least once every day. Make it a habit...when your computer comes up or you go to email! Sounds like a plan.

Updated 09/03/04

Ever seen those Beatles or Presley action figures and wished they had one of SLASH? Your wish is coming true. McFarlane Toys is going to release a SLASH figure in July 2005. We personally own the prototype that was done awhile back for another toy company that went bust. SLASH said there were 5 errors in it, so we think he'll be very critical of the details this time. SLASH's remark on this whole event? "It's extremely flattering and humbling to be immortalized in plastic". The figure will be SLASH with top hat and leather jacket playing guitar. The price is an affordable $10-$12. In checking the McFarlane site on the net, they didn't have it there yet, but there were others like Motley Crue, Hendrix and others. SLASH is due out July 2005, so we'll look for him then.

So many times people write in asking how they can meet SLASH and get an autograph or a picture with him. If it's really important to you, then head to London's Virgin Megastore at Piccadilly Circus this Friday, September 3 where Velvet Revolver will be doing album signing. They are scheduled to start at 5 pm. They have an off night, so chances are they will be staying a couple of hours. We'd advise you to come and get in line much earlier. Forget bringing that GNR stuff. Confine yourself to one or two items so everyone has a fair chance at seeing the guys. Good luck! Thanks to Brian who passed along that alert from the UK.

Norm has been watching the Ross Halpin (rock photographer) site, and the news is that Ross has posted more Velvet Revolver photos. To see these, go to Halpin Photos. Norm also said that if you're looking for VR t-shirts and posters, try rockabilia.com. Thanks, Norm!

Dirk writes to us from Germany where he saw the "Fall To Pieces" single on sale. He bought it and scanned in the front artwork. Pretty cool. The single is due out September 13, so Derek got a sneak preview, we think. There's to be a two track single, a three track single and a DVD single coming out. Dirk said his was the three track single. The b-sides are "Surrender" (Cheap Trick) and a live version of "Fall To Pieces". We're envious, Dirk!

We were on vacation during some of the shows, so we'd like to go back and pick up the Dutch Lowlands festival first. Barry was there, and he let us know that you can listen to the show on this site. It's really great! Thanks, Barry! Boudewijn wrote about her experiences working the festival in the backstage area. He said SLASH was in perfect form, and the crowd went wild at the GNR songs. He found the guys waiting to do an interview backstage, and he went over to say hi to SLASH who was very friendly. SLASH asked him about the Coca Cola shirt he was wearing...did he work for them. He said it was just a big fake. He also told him that Cash and London were doing fine, but they were at home because Cash was too little to travel so far. Boudewijn shook hands with Duff and Matt and off they went to interviews. Thanks, Boudewijn! Speaking of the Netherlands, Annelaure said Velvet Revolver have made several TV appearances. One station, Ned3, aired 2 songs from the Lowland Festival and that great interview. MTV Netherlands featured "Mr. Brownstone", "Set Me Free" and "Slither". In the interview, Scott was not there. It seems he has to meditate after each show and drink carrot juice. Matt did practically the entire interview as the other guys seemed out of it. Every time SLASH said a work, he couldn't stop laughing. Annelaurie said the interview was a little disappointing, because they really didn't say much of anything. At the end of the interview, SLASH smashed a toy guitar on a toy drum kit! Thanks!

We've heard from Inga who was at the Rock Am See festival in Konstanz, Germany on August 28. She was near the front, and she said the band was not treated very well there. Some in the audience started up a Guns N'Roses chant in a way that really threatened to interrupt the whole show. Scott and Dave of course took the brunt of this embarrassment. Scott told the people to come on stage and sing for themselves if they wanted GNR and later threw his megaphone into the crowd. Inga said it was really too bad as most people there had been waiting a long time to see Velvet Revolver and hope that the band won't hold it against them. Alex went to the show in Munich, Germany, and his ears were still ringing when he sent in his review. They started with "Suckertrain Blues", then "Do It For The Kids". Alex said the whole room was so hot that everyone was just soaking wet. In some early reviews, some fans said the band seemed too profesional or tense to have fun, but not at Munich. The guys were definitely having a hell of a time. The band finished their set, and the first encore was started by Duff and SLASH doing some acoustic improvs and going into "Used to Love Her". Then came "Slither" with some long solos by Dave. For "Sex Type Thing", Matt got a guy from the audience and took him behind the drum kit. Second encore tore the roof off with "Mr. Brownstone" and "Negative Creep". As Alex says, "What A Show!"

Updated 09/01/04