Slash is a musician who has been defined by his image. An image he apparently crafted in a single evening of shoplifting.
While some musicians, like Calculon, choose to radically alter their appearance every few years to stay relevant, Slash has essentially rocked the same look for over 3 decades now. That look of course is a pimpin’ tophat, a giant pair of sunglasses and a bag of fucks emptier than a drug addict’s piggy bank.
According to Slash, this particular manner of dress was chosen specifically because it simultaneously makes him an easily distinguishable figure on stage while also covering his face and eyes. The latter of which is especially useful because Slash suffers from crippling stage fright and he finds it easier to rip bitchin’ guitar solos when he can’t see his audience.
As for the former, Slash has admitted that his iconic top hat was more of a last minute thing, admitting in past interviews that he stole the shit out of it mere hours before his first ever big gig in a fit of desperation. According to the guitarist, he was strolling around LA trying to calm his nerves when he saw a top hat in a store window. After trying the hat on and realising that it made him look cool as fuck, he decided to just try his luck and simply walk out of the store wearing it, reasoning that if anyone stopped him he could just say he’d forgotten it was there and hope they’d buy it.
Apparently Slash suited the hat so much that nobody in the store paid any attention to it floating out of the front door atop his head. Realising he’d just got away away with committing petty theft once, Slash walked into another store, stole a belt and wrapped it around the hat to make it look a little more stylish then peaced the hell out. This is both hilarious and amazing because it means that Slash was able to walk into a fancy LA store and steal an expensive belt while wearing a giant hat and nobody nearby noticed.
Knowing this it’s no wonder that he’s rocked this look for 3 decades, it’s obvious that it either looks so natural on him that he blends into the scenery or it obscures his face so well it basically makes him invisible.
