Slash Speaks!

Just had a great interview with Slash, who comes to Tampa Oct. 6 with Velvet Revolver. A nice guy and a helluva quote. Nothing was off limits, no warnings from his PR people. The 42-year-old guitar god talked for about 30 minutes, covering everything from:

His addictions: "I'm a real loner. I'm not a social partier. I'm more like the closeted f---ing junkie." These days he says he's "reasonably clean."

His mystical top hat: "It's something I hide behind. Without it, I feel really naked."

His upcoming work on Guitar Hero 3: "I was obsessed with playing Guitar Hero 2. As a guitar player, it's actually harder to play than if you're not a player. I could do medium, but on expert, I can't pull the chords off!"

He even has his own autobiography hitting stores in November: Slash: It Seems Excessive But That Doesn't Mean It Didn't Happen.

And, of course, he talked about Axl and Guns N' Roses: "I'm so sick of it. It just doesn't go away....I haven't been keeping abreast of all of the [Guns N' Roses news]. I'm not really interested. It's been a long time since I left.... Besides the recorded music, the only thing that ties [Axl and I] together is everybody's fantasy about us getting back together."

About a reunion tour, Slash says: "The figures that have been thrown at us have been astronomical."

But alas, he says, it ain't gonna happen.

[Photo: Getty Images.]