Could a Guns N' Roses Reunion Be Happening?

This seemed about as likely as shivering away in a duffle coat as hell turns particularly chilly for this time of year.

But it looks like famous musical friends-turned-enemies Slash and Axl Rose may be on speaking terms again. Guitarist Slash was asked about a rumoured reconciliation in an interview on Swedish TV outlet Aftonbladet on Saturday and surprised everyone with his answer.

A reporter asked, "I've heard that you made friends with Axl Rose again. How was that possible after all those years?" To which Slash replied, "It was probably way overdue, you know, but it's, it's, it's, you know, it's very cool at this point, to...dispel some of that negative stuff that was going on for so long."

It may only be one sentence, but it's something we never thought we'd ever read.

When asked the inevitable reformation question, he replied “Oh, I couldn’t answer that one, though. All right, let’s get off the subject, ’cause, you know, that’s an old one.” But that's not a no - and he'd said in a previous interview earlier this year, "Never say never".

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The pair famously fell out as Guns N' Roses reached the world domination section of their career, in the aftermath of the two Use Your Illusion records in 1991, which saw Axl indulge in epic perfectionism, experimentation, while regularly appearing late on stage during the ensuing world tour, which grated against Slash's desire for a more straightforward rock and roll sound and a desire not to mess their fans around. The end came (after the disappointing covers album The Spaghetti Incident?) during a dispute over a 1994 cover of the Rolling Stones' song Sympathy For The Devil, when Axl asked a new rhythm guitarist, Paul Huge, to play on the track without consulting Slash, who then quit.

The subsequent years have seen a volley of abuse from Axl, who carried on the Guns N' Roses name with an entirely new backing band (besides keyboardist Dizzy Reed) towards Slash, describing him as a "cancer". Slash has always maintained more of a dignified stance, with his 2007 autobiography being relatively warm to Rose. The long-awaited new Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy finally emerged in 2008 and was better than many expected, although nothing like the band's heyday.

Given this first, tentative step, the next question is, inevitably: will they reform? Well, everyone thought Ian Brown and John Squire would never patch up their differences enough to play together in The Stone Roses again, but that happened. Admittedly, they never made the riches that Guns did back in the day and which both Axl and Slash have continued to make with their touring, though.

But if someone puts a big enough offer in we'll see what happens...

(Image: Rex)