During a recent appearance on the “Appetite for Distortion” podcast, Exodus and Slayer guitarist Gary Holt took a moment to praise Slash, breaking down exactly what makes the top-hatted guitarist’s technique so special.
Before diving into his technical appreciation, Holt looked back on catching an intimate Guns N’ Roses gig at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. The concert was one of three exclusive warm-up shows the band played before launching their massive world tour in support of Use Your Illusion.
“I saw them when they did a one-off, super rad show at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. That was many years ago, and they went on hours late,” Holt recalled (via Loudwire). “I think they went on around midnight and doors were like at f**king 8 o’clock. They were f**king awesome, they were great. I was young, and the Warfield theater — my manager at the time, Bill Graham, owned the building — so I had a string of drink tickets about four feet long. So I was partying, having a good time.”
Beyond his skills on the fretboard, Holt emphasized how humble and kind the Guns N’ Roses legend is in person:
“Slash is the nicest guy I’ve ever met,” he enthused. “I’ve met him over the years a couple times with Slayer and he’s always been really nice to me. And I’m still shocked if anybody even knows who I am. I have no idea. My guitar tech teched for him when he did that thing with Bear McCreary. [Editors note: “The End of Tomorrow.“] … And Slash paid me a huge compliment. That’s awesome.”
The two guitarists recently crossed paths again last summer during Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert. Holt noted how Slash went out of his way to greet him backstage:
“When I saw him at ‘Back to the Beginning,’ he was walking one way from the stage and he stopped to say hi and caught my attention,” Holt said. “I didn’t want to bother anybody. And he’s just awesome. He’s one of my favorite guitar players. His intonation is perfect. He’s always perfectly in key with his solos.”
He then elaborated on the specific aspects of the guitarist’s playing that he admires the most:
“Bending notes, it’s easy to f**king miss that landing note. And intonation is everything. And I try to take that from his playing ’cause I’m the king of overbending. Just keep going. Bend it up more and you’ll eventually find a note.”
Holt also addressed the current status of Slayer. The thrash metal pioneers retired from full-time touring in 2019 but returned to the stage for a select number of festival appearances starting in 2024. Despite the successful reunion gigs, he made it clear that there are no plans to release new music or mount a full-scale tour anytime soon.
“We came back for some shows and we were really good,” he said. “We worked really hard to get there. We hadn’t played in years. And we had fun, and the vibe was great. And I think under those circumstances, I think that was the most important thing: Is everybody gonna have a great time and do this?”
As for what comes next, Holt kept expectations realistic but optimistic:
“It’s a take-it-by-year thing, whether we do a couple of shows — one show, two, three a year, who knows? But it’s cool ’cause a whole generation that never got to see it get the chance to see it. And as long as we’re having fun, maybe we’ll continue.”
