Slash plays music.
Saul Hudson ( born July 23 , 1965 ) , better known by his stage name Slash , is a British-American musician and songwriter . After leaving Guns N ' Roses in 1996 , he co-founded the supergroup Velvet Revolver , which re-established him as a mainstream performer in the mid to late 2000s . Guitar World ranked his guitar solo in `` November Rain '' No. 6 on their list of `` The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos '' in 2008 , and Total Guitar placed his riff in `` Sweet Child o ' Mine '' at No. 1 on their list of `` The 100 Greatest Riffs '' in 2004 . Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N ' Roses members Slash ( lead guitar ) , Duff McKagan ( bass , backing vocals ) , and Matt Sorum ( drums , backing vocals ) , alongside Dave Kushner ( rhythm guitar ) formerly of punk band Wasted Youth .