It would be natural to expect Slash, the former guitarist of Guns N' Roses, to mourn the fact he's no longer part of that band. After all, when Guns N' Roses last recorded and toured in the early 1990s, the band was on top of the world, playing to packed stadiums, selling millions of albums and raking in enough money to live a lavish lifestyle.
But the guitarist, whose real name is Saul Hudson, doesn't voice any second thoughts about the path that found him leaving Guns N' Roses in 1996.
"I don't have any regrets at all," says Slash, who recently released his second post-Guns CD "Ain't Life Grand." "It's the kids that I regret, not losing, but disappointing (them) more than anything. Other than that, I'm really actually very relieved that I do what it is I do. I've got a killer band (Snakepit). I didn't reinvent the wheel, but I can continue on."
Slash's departure from Guns N' Roses in 1996 is just one episode in the long and twisted saga that began soon after the band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The group quickly became known for a catchy hard rock sound, an us-against-them attitude and a hard partying lifestyle.
And when Guns debuted in 1987 with the album "Appetite For Destruction," the band almost single-handedly brought back a raw, decadent edge to heavy metal. Sales of "Appetite For Destruction" soared. An EP, "G'n'R Lies," followed as the band continued to fill concert venues and work toward their ambitious next step - two separate albums, "Use Your Illusion Part I" and "Use Your Illusion Part II" - that were released simultaneously in 1991. A CD of covers, "The Spaghetti Incident," followed in 1993.
Along the way there were internal squabbles that led to the firings of drummer Steven Adler and guitarist Izzy Stradlin. There was also plenty of controversy, including the infamous 1991 riot at Riverport Amphitheatre that occurred after lead singer Axl Rose jumped into the crowd to confront an audience member who was taking pictures of the band and then abruptly stormed off the stage, ending the show in mid-set.
There were also controversial songs such as "One In A Million" that drew the wrath of gay rights groups for what they saw as homophobic lyrics, and the band's cover of a song written by mass murderer Charles Manson, "Look At Your Game, Girl."
"We didn't go out and try to create it," Slash says of the controversy. "It wasn't sort of like a Motley Crue thing where we tried to create controversy. ... We generated so much so attention just on our regular day-to-day (stuff). I don't know why." He says countless other bands have more than their share of controversy as well, but "It's just not been recognized."
Slash was somewhat vague in describing the factors that led to his split with Rose, particularly when it came to personal conflicts that may have existed between the two. As for musical issues, Slash says he and Rose had fundamental differences. Where he wanted to make an old-style Guns N' Roses album, Rose wanted to experiment and explore new musical directions.
"There's a basic truth to that," he says. "I was trying to get good at what we were basically getting good at, get better at it. Or maybe trying to not necessarily, this might sound simple-minded, but not necessarily expand on the initial idea, but just become so good at it. It seemed the natural course."
Even before leaving Guns N' Roses, Slash refused to be sidelined by the struggles to make a third Guns N' Roses CD. He formed Snakepit with Mike Inez (bassist from Alice In Chains), drummer Matt Sorum and guitarist Gilby Clarke (both from Guns N' Roses), and Jellyfish lead singer Eric Dover and released the CD "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" in 1995.
"The first (Snakepit) was actually sort of a temporary thing. It wasn't taken seriously. As much as I like it and it's cool, it was like everybody involved in that particular recording knew that we all had to go back to our respective day jobs," he says.
The same can't be said for today's Slash's Snakepit, which was formed with the intention of being an ongoing band. This lineup, which features singer Rod Jackson, bassist Johnny Blackout, rhythm guitarist Kerry Kelly and drummer Matt Laug, recorded the second Slash's Snakepit CD "Ain't Life Grand."
Released last fall, the CD is solid and more varied than the debut, but it retains much of the bluesy, hard-hitting sound of "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere." It's also more of a true group effort.
"Musically the (first) record was finished before we even got the singer. It was just the lyrics that were a collaborative effort and that was very last minute. On this one ("Ain't Life Grand") it was 100 percent collaborative."
Slash's Snakepit, Conquest
Where: Pop's, 408 Monsanto Boulevard, Sauget
When: 8 p.m. Friday
How much: $15
More info: 618-274-6720
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