Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has opened up in regards to some of his bands early tunes, admitting that a a handful of them are “sort of sexist”.
Earlier this year, Guns N’ Roses released a ‘super deluxe’ version of their debut album, Appetite For Destruction. In addition to the classic record, it also included their Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide EP and 75% of their G N’ R Lies EP. Why only 75%, you ask? Well, that’s because the band decided against including the controversial track ‘One In A Million’.
While they kept the famously-misogynistic (albeit supposedly tongue-in-cheek) ‘Used To Love Her’, the group decided against including ‘One In A Million’ due to its gratuitous use of racial slurs in the lyrics.
While the band made no statement in regards to the removal of the song, it appears that members of Guns N’ Roses have grown up from their early days, with guitarist Slash now reflecting on some of their “sexist” early lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5rejzm3PhQ
In a recent interview with Yahoo! Music, Slash opened up again in regards to the #MeToo movement, noting that some of Guns N’ Roses’ early songs certainly wouldn’t fly today.
“I’ve never thought of that. It’s never crossed my mind,” the guitarist explained. “I mean, I think when the #MeToo thing really blew up, the thought crossed my mind of a bunch of musicians, not particular ones, but just musicians [who might be implicated]. But for the most part, as far as all the ones I know, it wasn’t like that.”
“We didn’t have that particular [predatory] relationship with girls. It was a lot more the other way around in some cases,” he continued. “Anyway, so some of the songs and all that were sort of sexist in their own way, but not to be taken that seriously. I don’t think they were malicious or anything.”
The guitarist also reflected on whether or not rock and roll music has become too politically correct in recent times, noting that many current bands still embody the attitudes prevalent in hard rock back in the ’80s.
“That sort of spirit, it’s still around,” Slash explained. “It’s still inherent in metal bands. It’s still inherent in young bands who have something that they want to express that maybe they’re not having the easiest time dealing with.”
“But that attitude really is not something fabricated, and so right now at this particular point in time, a lot of bands or a lot of artists are doing a lot of different things — and not much of it is really rock ‘n’ roll. There’s nothing to rebel against.”
“I think trying to figure out how to have the attitude in your music, and songs, and so forth, is probably difficult for a lot of young bands because now it’s about politics again. So we’ll see what that turns into.”
Slash’s comments come just a couple of weeks after he first addressed the #MeToo movement, noting that he was worried that false accusations could potentially ruin lives.
“I think the #MeToo movement is definitely justified – it’s actually way overdue.” the guitarist explained, but noted that it was ‘complicated’ “in the context of being in a fucking rock and roll band.”
“Fortunately, I’m taken, so I’m not dealing with all that, but I have to admit there were times I looked into my past and [as if he’s talking to himself]: ‘Well that was consensual.’”
“I never had a working relationship with anybody that I was, you know, trying to pressure into having sex or anything.” he continued. “The problem is that you could be falsely accused of something, but it almost doesn’t matter – it’s out there.”
“Even if you were to get your name cleared, the damage is already done. And that’s pretty sad.”
Check out Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Used To Love Her’:
