Slash has never been slow in offering props to his fellow players. Game recognizes game. But when the Guns N’ Roses icon shared a video of shred enigma Buckethead tearing it up in a live jam with Primus frontman/bassist Les Claypool, it really struck a chord – and Buckethead wanted to repay the compliment.
Buckethead, AKA Brian Patrick Carroll, took to Facebook to thank Slash, and to share some thoughts on what it was actually like to be lead guitarist in Guns N’ Roses and not be Slash.
That, when you think about it, is pretty mind-blowing, and yet Buckethead held that job down for nigh-on four years between 2000 and 2004. He admits it wasn’t easy. In fact, no matter how technically on-point he was, Buckethead feels he just couldn’t quite nail Slash’s style.
“Just wanted to say that Slash is one of the greats of all time, as everyone knows,” he wrote. “He was involved in writing music and his guitar playing transcends decades, and to reach such a wide amount of people playing really incredible guitar is such a rare thing. In the time that I was involved in attempting to play his parts never really could I have captured the essence of him.”
Should this surprise us? Perhaps nobody could. We can imitate other player’s styles but we can never truly replicate what makes them them. It would always be a performance with an asterisk next to it.
That W. Axl Rose hired Buckethead for the job was fascinating in and of itself. At a certain remove, these two players could not be much more different.
Slash is hewn from the classic-rock of the ‘70s, his bearing of the Gibson Les Paul an anachronistic counterpoint to ‘80s Sunset Strip’s fevered obsession with all things pointy and Floyd-equipped. He is leather trousers, plaid shirt and aviators.
Buckethead? He looks and sounds like he has been dropped here from the moon. He plays the guitar with the eponymous family-sized KFC bucket on his head, identity shielded by a mask, and has a preference for next-generation electrics and custom-built Gibson and Jackson guitars.
Even when he picks up a Les Paul it is bone-white and equipped with arcade-style buttons for engaging a kill-switch on command. Okay, so maybe they both have a taste of top hats, kind of. Stylistically, they orbit different suns.
Slash did not hold back in his praise for the “next-level” Buckethead and Claypool, and the clip he posts of Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains performing live is pretty darn gnarly. It could do with some exposure, too.
C2B3, as it they were known, comprised Buckethead on guitar, Claypool on bass/vocals, Parliament-Funkadelic alum Bernie Worrell on keyboards, with former Primus drummer Brain supplying the beats. They played on the outer limits. They were not for everyone.
“This is some of the FUNKIEST music you'll ever hear!” writes Slash. “Buckethead and Les Claypool of Primus creating pure magic together. The bass lines are absolutely insane and Buckethead’s guitar work is next level as always.
“If you love funk, progressive rock, or just incredible musicianship, this jam will blow your mind! Both legends pushing each other to new heights. Support Buckethead whenever you can!”
Earlier this year, Buckethead gave a rare interview to Bootsy Collins – but answered the questions through his guitar.
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