Slash has often spoken fondly of his brief early-'90s collaboration with Michael Jackson, when the pair teamed up on the King of Pop's Dangerous album and for a handful of shows on the ensuing tour.
The Guns N' Roses guitarist quickly came to appreciate the professionalism of Jackson and his associates. Even though he was only 26 years old, he didn't take for granted the opportunity to work with a music icon.
"I'd do some shows here and there and it was fun because he was such a pro, and he was such a f---ing talent from on high," Slash recalled in a conversation with Kerrang! "That was the main thing: he was so amazingly musically fluid. Such a treat to be around."
When he was performing, Jackson thrived of course. But offstage presented more challenges.
Jackson had absolute power and control in his own circle, and Slash said it was apparent that the singer struggled with the unnatural dynamics of his personal life.
"Onstage, his whole professional thing was really where he clicked," the guitarist recalled. "When he wasn't working, or in production or whatever, it was then you could see that he was sort of at the mercy of his own success. All the people he had around him, the tugging, and the yes people, you could tell that he knew 90 percent of them were full of shit. I felt sorry for him in that sense."
Seeing Jackson's live production at work was awe-inspiring, Slash continued; it dwarfed Guns N' Roses own big-budget production. But he never got the feeling that Jackson was able to appreciate his accomplishments.
"The only time I really felt like he was in any kind of comfort zone was when he was actually onstage," Slash added.
Guns N' Roses recently announced its rescheduled tour dates for 2021.
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