Last Saturday, former Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe's show at the Whisky a Go Go looked a little different than usual – with a certain guitar legend joining the ranks.
Monroe introduced none other than “Mr. Slash” – before diving straight into their rendition of Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride, with Slash wielding his characteristic Les Paul Standard and satiating the appetite of the classic rock fans in the audience with an abundance of guitar solos.
Monroe then prefaced the next tune, his own, Dead, Jail or Rock ’N’ Roll, with, “Last time we were here, in ’89, we played with Slash on this stage. I don't remember what we did... maybe the same song.”
A bit more recently than 1989, the Guns N' Roses guitarist had guested on Monroe’s single, I Live Too Fast to Die Young, from the 2022 album of the same name.
At the time, Monroe had commented, “Slash is one of the nicest guys that I know and one of rock's greatest guitarists as he's maintained the spontaneity, the human touch and the heartfelt kick-ass attitude in his playing. I figured this would be a good one for him to play a solo on. He said he loved the song and that it's super-catchy.”
Slash’s penchant for collaborations cannot be understated – with the guitarist guesting on no fewer than 10 tracks over the past two years alone, including a surprise appearance at the 2024 Oscars for I’m Just Ken, from the Barbie movie.
“I like playing and I like working, for want of a better word,” Slash told Guitar World. “I’m really not good at just sort of sitting around and spinning my wheels. I can do it for a few hours, or a day, but I can’t go weeks like that. My mind would go crazy.”
Last year, the veteran guitarist organized the inaugural edition of the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival in celebration of his blues album Orgy of the Damned – with a handpicked lineup including the Warren Haynes Band, Larkin Poe, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and Samantha Fish.
