At the start of the ‘80s, KISS were in need of a new guitar player.
While Ace Frehley’s face appeared on the cover of Creatures of the Night, The Spaceman didn’t play a note according to Gene Simmons saying,
“We begged Ace to put his face on the cover. So even though his face is on the cover, he never played a stick, not one note.”
Before they hired Vinnie Vincent, there was a good chance the band could have gone with a young kid named Slash.
According to the guitarist’s long-time friend Marc Canter, Slash was in the running to replace Frehley saying,
“Paul Stanley called Slash when he was 17 and interviewed him to join Kiss when Ace Frehley left. Paul doesn’t even know this, ‘cause all Paul knows is that he called some kid; he had no idea the kid was Slash. Slash was working at a Hollywood music store, and the owner saw him plug into something and noodle around. So, the owner saw that Slash was extraordinary, and when he found out that Kiss was looking for a guitar player, he recommended Slash.”
Though Slash was already good enough to replace Frehley, Canter said his age kept him from joining saying,
“Paul Stanley called him, but Paul knew he was only 17, and that could be a problem legally. I’m not saying there aren’t musicians that are underage – there are – but touring with Kiss can be a liability. You don’t know what could happen with a 17-year-old kid. So, Slash made it through the phone interview, but they never took a look at him.”
While Canter stood by Slash’s talent, there’s a good chance Guns N Roses wouldn’t have happened if he passed the audition.
Despite the great guitar chops, it’s a red flag when you have to ask your parents’ permission before bringing your new guitarist out on tour.
Gene Simmons Says Ex-Guitarist "Sounded Like Yngwie Malmsteen on Crack"
Before Guns N' Roses, Slash Failed an Audition for Poison
