Nobody can deny that Slash has become synonymous with Guns N’ Roses. However, the backstory is a little more enticing than the guitarist would likely admit. Buckethead was briefly involved in the band before Slash took over as guitarist. Even though Buckethead only stayed with Guns N’ Roses for a short time in the early 2000s, his influence on the sound of the songs he worked on is noteworthy.
The guitarists who followed him, including Slash, had to catch up with his playing style and try to fit it into their wheelhouse in order to perform those songs live. Buckethead’s legacy lasted a long time after he left Guns N’ Roses. Constant comparisons between Slash and Buckethead divided nearly everyone in the scene, each taking sides.
Although Buckethead left GN’R in 2004, his legacy remained fresh in Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine’s mind. As he shared his thoughts on the subject in a 2008 interview with LA Weekly. He stated, “When I think of a guy wearing a hat, I think of Slash. Slash is an excellent guitarist and one of my favourites.”
As you might expect, there was a ‘but’ after this sentence. Mustaine continued, “But then you see someone like Buckethead. Buckethead is probably twice as good a guitar player as me and Slash combined. He can tolerate having fried chicken rubbed up against his face all night.
After Mustaine’s words spread throughout the rock scene, Slash was eager to share his thoughts on Buckethead. He went on to say, “That is true. Anybody who knows me knows that technically I couldn’t play my way out of a paper bag, or a Kentucky fried chicken bucket, for that matter.”
“I manage to do what it is I do, based on a certain kind of feel and sound”. Slash said when asked about his playing style. “I’m getting better, but I’ve never considered myself a technical guitarist. So he’s absolutely right.”
While all of the guitarists’ comparisons became the talk of the town, the long-awaited ‘Chinese Democracy‘ was finally released four years after Buckethead left the band. After years of back and forth and not settling, Slash rejoined Guns N’ Roses in 2016. He kicked off one of their most successful tours to date. The tour setlist obviously included tracks from the ‘Chinese Democracy’ album, which was on another level of musicality.
During the promotion of his own album ‘Living the Dream,’ Slash made some comments about Buckethead’s playing on the ‘Chinese Democracy’ album while speaking to Guitar World in 2018. Given that the dispute had been ongoing for over a decade, the guitarist appeared to be much more at ease praising Buckethead and his talents.
Slash went on to say, “I want to give credit where credit’s due. The guitar players that played on ‘Chinese Democracy,’ Buckethead being one of the main ones – are amazing guitar players.” He went on to say, “I have to give those guys a shoutout because that stuff was cool. Very different from what I usually do. So it’s been interesting to learn about some of the content on that record. I definitely had to figure out ways to adapt to it.”
It took more than a decade for Slash to admit that Buckethead’s talent had made a significant contribution to not only Guns N’ Roses’ work, but also to the rock and roll scene as a whole. He could finally put down the sword and appreciate Buckethead’s work on the ‘Chinese Democracy’ album, which made it unique and one for the books.
