Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash told how he met with the band’s rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin in his recent interview with Guitar World. The musician also revealed that one of his works about Aerosmith brought them together, which would be the beginning of everything.
Slash first discovered Aerosmith when he was a teenager who wanted to hang with girls older than him. So, after one of them invited him to her house, she played the band’s fourth studio album entitled ‘Rocks,’ released on May 14, 1976. He listened to the record, and it can be defined as one of his inspirations for learning guitar and becoming a professional musician. Slash stated that he wanted to know the guitar riffs from ‘Back In The Saddle.’
Therefore it’s not surprising that Slash drew Aerosmith members on the stage, and it was such a good sketch that people thought that the guitarist could be a very successful artist. Along with receiving positive comments, the drawing helped him meet with his future bandmate and Hollywood Rose member Izzy Stradlin who came to meet the person that did it. Slash was working at Hollywood Music Store, where he saw the rhythm guitarist for the first time.
Then, they started to hang out, and Slash listened to a demo from Hollywood Rose in which he heard the band’s vocalist Axl Rose’s voice back then. Shortly after these unforgettable moments, Hollywood Rose became Guns N’ Roses, and the boy who had an Aerosmith drawing became the band’s guitarist in 1985. Almost every GN’R fan says they are pleased about this meeting which shaped the band’s future and style.
Slash said in his interview that:
“Izzy came in one day because he had seen a drawing I had done of Aerosmith, and he was looking for the guy who made it. That was the first time we ever met. Then, later on, we hooked up, and he played me his demo. That was the first time I heard Axl.”
You can listen to the song below.
