Both of Slash's parents were involved in the music industry. His mother was African American and designed costumes for David Bowie and other artists. His father was an English artist who designed album covers for singers like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Slash was originally born Saul Hudson in England but moved to Los Angeles to live with his mother when he was 5.
Slash's nickname was given to him by a childhood friend who thought he was always in a hurry, running around from one thing to the next. He started playing guitar after watching a music teacher play "Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones. As a teenager, Slash was a champion BMX rider, but he decided to give up sports for music. From then on, Slash practised guitar for up to 12 hours a day, every day.
In the early '80s, Slash joined a band called Hollywood Rose which already featured future Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin. Slash also auditioned to be in the glam metal band Poison, but he didn't make the cut. In 1985 and 1986, Hollywood Rose filled out its lineup with Duff MacKagan on bass and Steven Adler on drums and gained notoriety by opening up for bigger bands at several L.A. venues such as Whisky A Go-Go and The Troubadour.
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