Slash: Raised on the Sunset Strip

Friends and associates of superstar guitarist Slash recount his life story in filmmaker Martyn Atkins's admiring portrait. Slash himself also provides some of the narrative, although as singer and collaborator Myles Kennedy notes, he prefers to communicate through his instrument. Unlike many unknowns who moved to Hollywood to make their name, Saul Hudson (aka Slash) grew up surrounded by famous people, since his African-American mother, Ola Hudson, was a costume designer, and his British father, Anthony Hudson, was a graphic designer. Tony oversaw album covers for David Geffen's acts, including Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, while Ola designed costumes for the Pointer Sisters and David Bowie (with whom she had an affair). Nonetheless, Slash didn't start out as a musician: drawing and BMX bike racing were his primary childhood pursuits, until he discovered the guitar. Slash met Geffen when he was a child and says that the record magnate had no idea who he was when he signed Guns N' Roses. The musician explains that he owes his moniker to his friend Matt's father, actor Seymour Cassel, who marveled at the way Hudson was always zipping from one place to another. Band mates, including Steven Adler, remember their days in Guns N' Roses, which Slash left in 1995 (a departure that may explain the notable absence here of singer Axl Rose), while his ex-wife, Perla, talks about their children and the pacemaker that encouraged him to get clean. Other friends and inspirations, such as Alice Cooper and Dave Grohl, are also on hand to pay their respects. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)