About

Slash was born in Hampstead, an affluent neighbourhood in London, England to a white Jewish English father and a Nigerian mother, both of whom were involved with show business. Slash's mother worked as a costume designer for David Bowie, and his father was an artist who contributed live ensembles to Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Slash was raised in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, until the age of 11, when he relocated to Los Angeles, California with his parents in the mid-1970s. He was given the nickname "Slash" by family friend Seymour Cassel, according to whom Saul "Was always in a hurry, zipping around from one thing to another."

At the age of 14, Slash was given his first guitar by his grandmother. Reveling in the artistry of his hard rock idols, he would spend several hours a day practicing. Eventually, his entire focus was put on music and he made the decision to quit school. In a Rolling Stone article, he remarked:

“My big awakening happened when I was fourteen. I'd been trying to get into this older girl's pants for a while, and she finally let me come over to her house. We hung out, smoked some pot and listened to Aerosmith's Rocks. It hit me like a ******** ton of bricks. I sat there listening to it over and over, and totally blew off this girl. I remember riding my bike back to my grandma's house knowing that my life had changed. Now I identified with something.”