Slash Explains Why He Loves Live Albums, Recalls Introducing Axl Rose to Ozzy For the First Time

On Nov. 7, Slash will release his latest live album, Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival, which celebrates his love of the blues as well as his studio album, Orgy of the Damned. Ahead of its release, the legendary guitarist joined Loudwire Nights (Oct. 23) to dive into it.

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

"We just recorded one of the shows and we sort of mixed it and that was it," Slash told host Chuck Armstrong about the new live album.

"I love the spontaneity of [it]. As a kid, when I first started buying records in earnest for myself, I always bought people's live records first because that was always my favorite way to really get to know a band — to hear what their live presentation was all about."

Slash attempted to capture, as he put it, the "raw, fly by the seat of your pants, live rock and roll thing" on Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival.

"I think live is the best vehicle for blues," he said.

"I think even in the studio, anytime you're listening to a blues record, it should just be a live recording of one take without any embellishments. Blues is really about that kind of raw, in-the-moment soul and sort of passion and what happens when you emote in that moment."

Not surprisingly, the live album that Slash recalls being the one that really showed him the power of that raw soul was B.B. King's Live at the Regal.

"That was the record that my grandmother turned me onto, to listen to where all my rock guitar influences got their shit from," he shared.

"It was a pinnacle moment for me because it really sort of was like that eureka moment. Like, oh, that's where all this other stuff comes from."

When Guns N' Roses Honored Black Sabbath at Back to the Beginning

Slash also took some time to discuss what it was like for Guns N' Roses to be part of Back to the Beginning as they paid tribute to Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne with four covers in their six-song set.

"It was amazing, that was definitely one of those major kind of events that everybody was there for all the right reasons," he said.

"There was such a camaraderie in the production itself, with all the different bands and the crew."

Slash admitted that when Tom Morello first called him, it was going to be just him and Duff McKagan jamming together. Soon, Axl Rose was into the idea and then as they started rehearsing, Richard Fortus and Isaac Carpenter joined in. It didn't take long for them to decide to do it as Guns N' Roses.

"Then we get there and it was just such an outpouring of love and appreciation for Ozzy and Sabbath," Slash said.

"Everybody was there because of that ... It was really a momentous occasion and very indelible. That was the only event like that I've been a part of since I've been in this business."

Slash Introduced Axl Rose to Ozzy Osbourne

Another momentous experience at Back to the Beginning was when Slash had the opportunity to introduce Axl to Ozzy. Until that point, the two had never met.

"Ozzy and I first met ages ago and we've been friends ever since," Slash explained.

"It's not like Ozzy was coming down to Guns N' Roses shows all the time, but I'd get up and jam with Ozzy and see him. But they never crossed paths, so that was the first time."

READ MORE: Zakk Wylde Is Ready For New Black Label Society Album, Opens Up About Final Performance With Ozzy

Slash shared that something Ozzy often told him was how much he loved Axl, so it was a special moment to be able to make that connection in Birmingham.

"For Ozzy to tell Axl that and Axl to really see that genuine respect that Ozzy had for him, [it] was huge for Axl," he said.

"That was a big deal."

What Else Did Slash Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What it was like hearing the news of Ozzy's passing: "I had no idea. I got that phone call that he was gone and it just blew my mind. I text with him two days before that about going to the studio, so it was pretty devastating. But that said, man, he couldn't have left this planet in a better way than he did, you know?"
• Why he's excited for RUSH to be back together: "[Alex Lifeson] and I hung out [a few years ago] and had a great time, went to dinner and talked about all kinds of different stuff. But I could tell he was really itching to go out and play and he didn't want to go out and play in whatever thrown together thing. He wanted to do something, but he didn't seem to know what he wanted to do. I got that feeling and I sort of felt bad for him because I know how I would feel. There's a certain amount of frustration with not being able to just do what you want to do. So with this announcement, I thought, man, that's so cool. They're going to go out there and they've got a great drummer and they're going to go out there and play."
• What it was like touring on the S.E.R.P.E.N.T Festival: "It was a different kind of crowd than what I'm used to and it was very down to earth and very soulful and just sort of — there's something about it. You'd have those moments inside of a song here or an entire song might have that kind of vibe. You just maybe look into the crowd for a second and just see that connection that you're having and really sort of, time stands still for a second and you really digest that. It's really cool."

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Slash joined Loudwire Nights on Thursday, Oct. 23; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.