Slash has been active over the last month in Utah. During the Sundance Film Festival, he held a press conference to announce his new motion picture production company, Slasher Films, then hosted a kickoff party that same evening at the House of Blues on Main Street. One week later, he played a diverse, deep set of tracks to an eager audience at the Depot Club in Salt Lake, in support of his new solo album.
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Slash for five minutes between events.
Ben: Welcome back to Park City. I think that the question was already posed about you have making any guest appearances in your films during the press conference…
Slash: You never know, right? Actually, I appeared in an episode of Tales from the Crypt years ago. Just don’t ask me to try to act.
Ben: What’s your all-time favorite slasher movie?
Slash: With all things considered, most of my all-time favorite scary movies aren’t really slasher movies. When you think of slasher films, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it horror, is it special effects, or is it an hour of gore?
What comes to mind for me with a classic horror movie is trying to get you involved with a great story and great characters that you can appreciate. Make it very scary psychologically; lay down a great foundation for the movie, create a great scary movie like the Omen. I wanted to create the type of movie company that makes you want to sit back in the theater with your friends and get scared.
Ben: Speaking of a great horror movie, have you seen the show about Roger Corman (Corman’s World) and his horror movies that debuted this weekend here at Sundance?
Slash: (Laughing) No.
Ben: Classic horrible monsters and low budgets.
Slash: Classic terror, man.
Matt: Congrats on the production company and releasing here at Sundance. As far as the idea for Slasher Films, I remember when you were coming up with Matt and Duff a few years ago. Was that when the idea first came up?
Slash: No, not at all. This thing really came out of nowhere. There is something amazing here (at Sundance), even with all of these guys around here trying to make deals and this and that, there is a still a very pure sense of wanting to create and make movies. I just like to hang out in the spirit of it here.
What happened as far as the production company is concerned is that I had this conversation with Rob Eric from Scout Productions. He was a friend of my wife. I just had this conversation with him, and he had done Transsiberian, which was amazing. He found out that I’m a hardcore horror fan. So the next morning we have a conversation about starting a production company and brought his knowledge to the forefront. About a year went by and he had found this script that he thought was great. He gave me a copy of the script, and I liked it. Now actually we have four scripts. They came out of nowhere. I’m so engrossed in music and so involved that it was hard for me to pull aside for a second and think of doing something else. It sort of keyed on me, and as soon as I could step away from the music, it presented itself.
Ben: Do you mind if we ask you a music related question?
Slash: (Laughing) No. As long as it’s not about a Guns N’ Roses reunion tour.
Ben: How is the search for the new Velvet Revolver singer going?
Slash: I actually don’t really have any updates on that. It’s something that has been just sort of floating, and there hasn’t been a lot of activity lately.