Watch: SLASH Joins MICHAEL MONROE On Stage At Whisky A Go Go

Former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe was joined by GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash on stage last night (Saturday, April 12) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California for performances of the STEPPENWOLF cover “Magic Carpet Ride” and the Monroe song “Dead, Jail Or Rock ‘N’ Roll”. Also appearing with Monroe at the Whisky A Go Go was BLACK OAK ARKANSAS frontman Jim Dandy for a version of the latter band’s classic song “Rock ‘N’ Roll”. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Back in December 2015, just weeks before the GUNS N’ ROSES reunion was officially announced, Monroe said that a comeback of the classic lineup of GUNS N’ ROSES “wouldn’t make any sense” unless Slash and Axl Rose were able to “reconnect” on a personal and creative level first. He told Eddie Trunk‘s podcast: “Reunions suck. People ask me, ‘Do you think GUNS N’ ROSES will reunite?’ It wouldn’t make any sense unless Slash and Axl would reconnect and really get into a new kind of thing and start creating something new. Who wants to see guys put together forcibly and then go through the old stuff…? It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Monroe went on to say that a GUNS N’ ROSES reunion wouldn’t be the same unless one key ingredient was involved in the mix. He explained: “One thing we must not forget was Steven Adler, the original [GN’R] drummer. The first album [1987’s ‘Appetite For Destruction’], there’s a chemistry that is unlike anything they’ve done since. Because Steven Adler, he’s maybe not technically as great as [his replacement] Matt Sorum, who is also brilliant, but he had a kind of vibe; he was pushing, and he was playing a bit ahead of the beat. He had a style that was part of the chemistry, to me. The sound, the original sound of the band, he was an integral part of that.”

Even though HANOI ROCKS was formed in Finland, their trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including GUNS N’ ROSES and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

More than two years ago, Monroe released the video for the title track of his “I Live Too Fast To Die Young” solo album, featuring a guest guitar solo from Slash.

“Slash is one of the nicest guys that I know and one of rock’s greatest guitarists as he’s maintained the spontaneity, the human touch and the heartfelt kick-ass attitude in his playing,” Monroe said at the time. “I figured this would be a good one for him to play a solo on. He said he loved the song and that it’s super catchy.”

Asked in a 2007 interview if he ever felt jealous of GUNS N’ ROSES‘ commercial success, considering that GN’R openly cited HANOI ROCKS as a huge influence in the Axl Rose-fronted band’s early days, Monroe said: “No, I never felt that! Not at all! I was always happy for their success and they definitely earned it themselves. I’m thankful for them recognizing the HANOI ROCKS influence and talking about it in the press.”

He continued: “A lot of bands weren’t really that talented and they sold a lot of records and really just deliberately tried to fake something out of it with the looks and not having much to back it up with. But GUNS N’ ROSES really had their own thing and they were secure enough in themselves to quote HANOI ROCKS as an influence. Also, they released a lot of the old catalog in America with their Uzi Suicide label. So they were definitely paying homage to us and they were being very cool.

“I’ve never been envious of their success — quite the opposite; I’ve been very happy for them. I was part of it. I played on their records and I was happy to be part of it. It’s always fun working with those guys. Slash played the right kind of guitar because he grew up with HANOI and mine and Andy‘s [McCoy] playing. I actually did something with him for the movie ‘Coneheads’.”

Asked if he remembered the first time he met GUNS N’ ROSES, Monroe said: “I met Axl… he came to my video shoot in New York. I was shooting a video for ‘Dead, Jail Or Rock ‘N’ Roll’. He showed up and just came to say hi and he introduced himself. I got to talk to him and he was a big NAZARETH fan and I was, like, ‘Wow, a NAZARETH fan.’ He didn’t realize that ‘Not Faking It’ was a cover of a NAZARETH song. He had heard the record and he was really into it and he liked the song ‘Dead, Jail Or Rock ‘N’ Roll’, so I said ‘Why don’t you come up and do a couple of takes with us?’ He came up on stage and he ended up in the video. I got along with him great and I always had a nice time with him. I never had a problem with him. I hear all these horror stories, but he’s always been cool with me. It was fun working with those guys afterwards. Playing sax on their record and we did the duet ‘Ain’t It Fun’. That was magical and they have great star quality.”