Guns N’ Roses: Slash: “I didn’t know about Brian May in ‘Atlas'”
In December 2025 Guns N’ Roses returned to releasing new music after 2023’s “The General” and “Perhaps” with two singles, “Nothin’” And “Atlas“. Behind this last song, however, lies a story that crosses the path of one of the band’s absolute references, which in a recent Slash interview he returned to tell how one of his long-time heroes.
Both songs released last December were in fact born during the very long and complex sessions of “Chinese democracy“, the latest album of unreleased songs released by Axl Rose’s band, released in 2008 after years of work, marked by continuous lineup changes – fromdeparture of Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum – and by the alternation of producers and musicians. The Queen guitarist also came into play in that context, taking part in several recordings, including an early incarnation of “Atlas”, then titled “Atlas Shrugged”. It was Roy Thomas Baker, the historic producer of Queen, who called Freddie Mercury’s former friend. In an interview with Uncut in 2011, May recalled: “Roy Thomas was doing some production for Guns N’ Roses at the time and he came up with the idea of contacting me to help them find a direction. I flew down there to meet him and he played me pretty much the whole album. We spent a long night talking, reflecting, imagining possible directions“. Brian May then said that he remained involved in the sessions in the following days, dedicating himself to experimenting without a specific objective, and writing more songs. Among these was “Catcher in the rye”, which would later end up on “Chinese democracy” in a version without his contributions.
The version released in December of “Atlas”, however, bears the guitar signature of Slash, who now – in a new interview for “Ultimate Classic Rock” – has confessed to having only recently discovered Brian May’s involvement in the initial phase of the song, remaining sincerely surprised. The Guns N’ Roses guitarist, who returned to the lineup in 2016, said:
“Until today, I didn’t even know that Brian played on that piece. If I had known, if I had heard it, maybe it would have been something I wanted to build on from Brian. Now that I know, it would be interesting to go back and hear what Brian had done.”
Over the years, Slash formed a bond with Brian Maywho he had the opportunity to meet often. In the early nineties the paths of the two guitarists crossed when May’s solo band, engaged in the “Back to the Light” tour, opened some dates for Guns N’ Roses during the “Use your illusion” tour. Around that same time, Slash and Brian May also ended up playing together for a television appearance on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in 1993, kicking off the a bond that has remained solid over time. In the recent interview with “Ultimate Classic Rock”, Slash reiterated:
“Brian is one of my favorite guitarists ever, but also one of my favorite songwriters. And I say songwriters because Queen’s stuff is truly epic. Queen was, in every way, one of our favorite bands, so working with Brian was an honor. Always has been. I’ve worked with him many times over the years.”
After having explained in a previous radio interview that Guns N’ Roses’ new work will contain only unreleased songs, no waste, in the chat for “Ultimate Classic Rock”, Slash made it known that he was eager to get back on the road and clarified that “Nothin’” and “Atlas” represent the last chapter linked to the “Chinese democracy” era, reiterating that subsequently the focus will be exclusively on unreleased material. However, Axl Rose’s associate didn’t deny the pleasure of having revisited those old recordings: “These songs were already done: basically there was the piece and it was a matter of understanding what my guitar interpretation would be”, he explained: “For me it’s fun, because I can write something on an already existing basis, and that requires a different set of tools than when you’re just writing for yourself”.
