Axl Rose may have officially bowed out of Guns N’ Roses Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, but his former bandmate Slash reveals that he was hopeful the band “might be able to get it together and play.”

Most of the mystery surrounding Guns N’ Roses upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction has been alleviated. Now that the dust has settled, Slash has opened up about his feelings regarding the much-hyped event. “It’s great company to be in,” Slash tells Billboard of the honor. “I must say, I was hoping in my heart of hearts that we might be able to get it together and play, but wishful thinking; that’s not gonna be able to happen. So I was more excited about it when we got nominated [laughs].”

The fact that the estranged original lineup will not perform does means they will avoid the catastrophe that was Van Halen‘s 2007 Rock Hall induction — only Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony showed up and Slash’s Velvet Revolver stepped in to help out. “We played for them and it was a disaster,” Slash recalls. “It was an unpleasant scene being at the Van Halen thing and playing for them and David Lee Roth might come but he didn’t come. It gets very uptight. It’s a very formal event.”

Despite all the press and accolades surrounding his previous works of late, Slash is more than happy with his current band — Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. “I see no reason to see why if I was gonna do another record why I would do it with anybody else,” Slash says of his new band. “There’s Velvet Revolver; there’s Alter Bridge; there’s other things to take into account, but right now I’m just happy that we did this record together.”

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators release ‘Apocalyptic Love’ on May 22 and will embark on a supporting tour that kicks off May 3 in Baltimore, Md.

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