10 Musicians Who Almost Joined The Wrong Band
2. Slash - Poison
As the glam rock movement reached maximum capacity, Poison were the most straight ahead glam band of them all, whose songs were full of pop hooks rather than metallic aggression. Moving to LA from Pennsylvania, the band were dealt a bit of bad luck when guitarist Matt Smith decided to travel back East.
In searching for a band, guitarist Saul Hudson (not yet known as Slash) auditioned for the open guitarist slot. While Slash affirmed that he nailed the audition, he was not completely sold on the glam look the band was cultivating. According to the guitarist, everything was going smooth but then he started to get confused when the conversation shifted from music to what shoes the band were supposed to wear onstage.
Looking at the moccasins on his feet, Slash left the audition knowing that his fashion sense would not sit well in the Poison aesthetic. As he headed out the door, guitarist CC Deville was next in line dressed to impress, which led him to eventually snag the gig as Poison's six-stringer. Luckily, Slash's rejection led him to Guns N Roses, whose straight-ahead approach to rock and roll was about to flip the glam rock scene on its head.