Slash recently expressed his disinterest in collaborating with actor Ryan Gosling in the future during his latest conversation with Classic Rock.
The Guns N’ Roses guitarist and Wolfgang Van Halen participated at the 2024 Oscars to perform ‘I’m Just Ken’ from the ‘Barbie’ movie. The film featured Gosling as Ken. The song also had contributions from the Foo Fighters drummer Josh Reese and Jellyfish keyboardist Roger Manning.
No Plans For Future Collaborations
The interviewer asked Slash about any forthcoming projects with Gosling. The musician replied:
“No, no… Mark Ronson, who’s a dear friend of mine, asked me to record the song, which I did. The movie came out, and it was massive, and the song did really well, and so he asked me if I would do the performance at the Oscars – which originally I wasn’t going to do cos I was in f*cking Asia – but Hollywood managed to pull its weight and get me flown over there to perform this song.”
Behind The Scenes With Gosling
Slash continued, sharing his thoughts on Gosling’s performance at the night:
“Ryan was really cool; I had no idea what to expect. We hung out backstage, and he sung the sh*t out of the song – I’ve got to give him kudos; he made that whole production happen. But no, I don’t think I’m gonna do a record with him.”
The rocker also talked about his best moment from the Oscar night. He had a busy schedule, as he flew from Korea to Los Angeles and then to the Philippines. Even though it was a rushed trip, performing at the Oscars was a special experience for him.
The ‘Barbie’ Collaboration Received Backlash
However, some fans criticized his and Wolf’s involvement in the ‘Barbie’ movie project. A person accused them of ‘selling their souls to Hollywood.’ However, Van Halen was honored for being a part of the film. He shared on X after the Oscar performance:
“Sublime! (Thanks so much to Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in being on the score for ‘Barbie’ as well as last night’s performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’ at the Oscars. Honored to have played a small part in something so incredible).”
In May, Slash will release a new album titled ‘Orgy Of The Damned.’ It is a collection of blues covers featuring names like Billy Gibbons, Iggy Pop, and Paul Rodgers. Slash’s UK tour with his band, The Conspirators, will begin on March 28. The musician’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Blues Festival Tour will come to North America in July.
You can watch the ‘I’m Just Ken’ performance at the Oscars below.
