Slash going to ceremony, but says it’s ‘bittersweet’

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This article was published 23/03/2012 (5038 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Legendary guitarist Slash confirms he will be in attendance next month when Guns N’ Roses is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — along with at least some of his former bandmates — but has mixed feelings about it.

He feels honoured but also a bit turned off given that the hall has overlooked so many other great rock bands.

“It’s sort of a bittersweet thing too because there’s so many artists that aren’t inducted, that came way before Guns did, that really actually almost deserve more to be in there and they’re not in there, the guitarist said in an interview Wednesday, listing off Canadian band Rush, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick and Kiss as examples.

“So it’s really hard to sort of feel victorious… that to me just doesn’t seem right.”

Slash wouldn’t say much about the prospect of Guns N’ Roses reuniting to perform for the hall induction. He quit the band in 1996 and drummer Matt Sorum and bassist Duff McKagan left a year later. But frontman Axl Rose continued to tour under the band’s name and used the Guns N’ Roses moniker for his long-delayed album Chinese Democracy, even though no other original members were involved.

“It’s on (April) 14th and I don’t know anything about the details of it,” Slash said about the hall ceremony.

“I’ll be there and whoever else is going to be there — I’m pretty sure Duff will be there — we’ll just sort of take it as it comes.”

The other musical acts being inducted into the hall this year in the performer category are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Laura Nyro, the Small Faces/Faces, Beastie Boys, the Crickets, the Famous Flames, the Midnighters, the Comets, the Blue Caps and the Miracles.

Slash’s second solo album, Apocalyptic Love, is due out on May 22. He’s kicking off a tour on Friday in Toronto.

— The Canadian Press