Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was on "CBS This Morning" Thursday to talk about his new song "Beneath The Savage Sun" and his partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to raise awareness of elephant poaching, but inevitably the conversation turned to the possibility of a GNR reunion.
Slash and GNR frontman Axl Rose have had a famously frosty relationship since Slash left the band in 1996.
"It's been one of those things that's been talked about by everyone but us four for the last 18, 19 years," he said when the subject was brought up. Asked when was the last time he spoke to Rose, he answered, "Well, we haven't really talked in a long time, but a lot of the tension that you were talking about has dissipated. We don't have all those issues anymore. It's not a lot of controversy. It's something that is more perpetuated by the media, more than anything."
Asked if he would want a reunion, he said, "I got to be careful what I say. If everybody wanted to do it and do it for the right reasons, I think the fans would love it. And I think it might be fun at some point to try and do that." You can watch the interview below.
Not exactly a confirmation of a reunion tour or album, but long-suffering GNR fans have been latching onto any sign of a reconciliation; in February, many fans felt encouraged by Slash's happy birthday tweet to Rose.
Happy Birthday @AxlRose iiii]; )'
— Slash (@Slash) February 6, 2015
The chasm between the two rock stars is, or at least was, particularly wide. As far back as 2002, Slash had arranged to attend a Guns N' Roses show in Las Vegas only to be visited by band representatives at his hotel room who told him that Rose had banned him from the venue, as MTV News reported at the time.
Slash currently records and tours with his band, The Conspirators. While they were on tour in South Africa, Slash and singer Myles Kennedy "witnessed the devastation of the elephants first-hand and knew they had to act," and they wrote the new song together, according to a press release.
"An elephant is killed every 15 minutes for its ivory and the result is the elephant population has declined 95 percent in the past century," Slash said in the release. "Seeing that these majestic animals are on the path to extinction, possibly within the next decade, we wrote 'Beneath The Savage Sun' and partnered with IFAW. Donate to IFAW's work to take action and protect elephants."
Fans can watch the video for "Beneath The Savage Sun" and get the song by donating to the IFAW via Slash's website.
