Slash commends American rock band: 'Timeless'

Slash regards American band MC5 as one with “timeless” music and attitude for its raw energy and rebelliousness.

The British-American guitarist, famed for his work with Guns N' Roses, said he was drawn to music that has energy and feeling, not just perfect playing.

Slash, 60, said his early music taste included many rock and punk bands, but MC5 stood out the most. He liked their loud, fast, and aggressive style.

“MC5 was the first real American punk-rock band I identified with. MC5 is timeless because of that attitude, the volume of it, and the brashness of it. [They were an] elevated level of teenage rebellion. [I] loved the idea of sticking the finger in the face of authority,” Far Out Magazine quoted the rocker.

Slash said MC5 felt different from other bands at the time. Their music was more direct and loud, and it went against the softer psychedelic styles that were popular then.

MC5’s influence, he suggested, helped shape the development of both punk and heavy rock that followed in later decades.

Slash also said that even though his own guitar style is more polished, he still respects MC5’s raw sound and attitude.

He has even performed their music live, bringing his own interpretation to their work but kept their original energy in his own way.