Interview: Slash Talks LAYN Rocks Benefit Concert, Reveals Surprise Guest Steven Adler

Erin Broadley

Slash... not on a jet to Vegas

​There's an old photograph in Slash's autobiography of him and actor Charlie Sheen on a private jet, where they're probably headed to Las Vegas. Sheen wears the guitar legend's signature black top hat and mugs for the camera, while Slash, Heineken in hand, dons sunglasses and a silver vial necklace described in the caption as the one he used to keep "loaded with coke." But those days are long gone, and as comedian George Lopez joked on Monday alongside his "Lopez Tonight" talk show guests Slash and Sheen, there comes a point in a man's life when the party ends, the commitment to family begins, and playmates get replaced with your children's play dates.

Slash laughs as we begin our interview the morning after Lopez's show: "What's funny was I took my kids over to Charlie's house... he's got two daughters and I have two boys... so we've never been invited back. My kids are just so crazy. Girls are mellow, you know? They're very cool, quiet and collected. But boys are like fuckin' little mini Tarzans. They just run all over the place and scared the shit out of [the girls]. So anyways, so much for play dates with Charlie."

At this point we're both laughing, but playmates versus play dates aside, the real reason L.A. Weekly got Slash on the phone was to discuss his involvement with the Los Angeles Youth Network and the LAYN Rocks benefit concert happening this Sunday, November 22 at Avalon in Hollywood. As previously announced, the "Slash & Friends" charity event will be hosted by the aforementioned Lopez and feature performances by Ozzy Osbourne, Perry Farrell, Billy Idol, Travis Barker, Chester Bennington, Andrew Stockdale, Dave Navarro, Tom Morello and some surprise guests. Well, according to our conversation with Slash, one of those surprise guests will be none other than original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler.

Read the interview below for more about the concert, LAYN's efforts to help homeless youth, and Slash's own experiences with life on the streets.

Lina Lecaro

Slash and George Lopez

​L.A. Weekly: So about the LAYN Rocks benefit...

Slash: Yeah, it's this Sunday at the Avalon. My wife and I are both big supporters of the Los Angeles Youth Network which is this really cool non profit organization. Basically they take in homeless kids anywhere from 12 to 21 years old and give them a new lease on life. Most of them are either abused or in some kind of deep trouble. They've been through a lot at a young age. It gives them the wherewithal to get on their feet, get into the world, be independent and get their shit together. They really take good care of educating these kids on all different levels, housing them, all sorts of stuff. It's a great support group and I'm just amazed at how the kids have turned out. I'll go and visit on occasion and see what they've got going on. It's really cool to see the developments so we're trying to help LAYN stay on its feet because it's expensive to keep all these kids together.

L.A. Weekly: Do you find that these kids relate to you because of how open you've been about the shit you've gone through?