Slash Almost Joined Poison Instead of Guns N' Roses in 1985

As the lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses, Slash became the most famous, most recognizable face of the band - sorry, Axl Rose. From his long curly locks to his unusually tall top hats, he's created an identity that's become synonymous with rock legend.

But in an alternate universe, Slash's signature silhouette almost never came to be. Before he ended up in Guns N' Roses, Slash auditioned for a rival '80s rock band and came dangerously close to joining. Had he done so, his signature look would have been completely different.

Slash Almost Took C.C. DeVille's Spot In Poison

In 1985, Poison was looking for a new guitarist. So singer Bret Michaels, drumer Rikki Rockett, and bassist Bobby Dall held auditions to find one. One of the guitarists who auditioned was Slash.

"This was before he was in Guns, obviously, but he had the same look back then, he was very cool," Michaels told Louder. "He had that kind of Rolling Stones-type cool that he still has. He came into our rehearsal room and he played every song we had, note perfect. He was very rock'n'roll."

DeVille, on the other hand, left an entirely different impression. "The dude's got this f***in' hair everywhere and he's like - and this is before he's even plugged in - he's like, ‘Man, I ain't playing any of your songs, I've got a riff you can use,'" recounted Rockket. "And the riff he's got is 'Talk Dirty to Me'..."

The decision ultimately came down to Slash and DeVille. But Slash realized that while he jammed with the band musically, he didn't quite jam with them aesthetically.

"We had a definite difference of opinion as to what it was all about-image issues, clothing issues," he told Music Aficionado (via Far Out). "I knew it wasn't going to click. They asked me if I planned on wearing jeans and a T-shirt on stage, and I said, ‘Yeah.' As I was walking out, C.C. DeVille was walking in," he continued, noting that the future Poison guitarist was "dressed to the nines" with "makeup on" and hair "all done up."

While being rejected from anything is a bruise to the ego, Slash doesn't harbor any resentment. "Had it worked out and I'd gotten the gig, it wouldn't have lasted long," he said. "I wasn't right for them".

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 4:30 AM.