Slash is selling home items at auction
Born and raised in England, Saul Hudson became an L.A. rock star with a one-syllable stage name that aptly describes his guitar-hero moves: Slash. As a founding member of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver and, later, as a Michael Jackson collaborator, Slash has stayed true to his vision of rock ‘n’ roll style: sunglasses, black leather jackets, skull jewelry and his trademark top hat. These are among the predictable 300-plus treasures being exhibited at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills before they hit the block on March 26 in a sale called “The Collection of Slash and Other Rock Legends.”
But Slash’s home furnishings in the auction — purchased during the last 25 years for four residences — strikes some unexpected chords. The 45-year-old rocker has collected Victoriana, Asian antiques, African carvings, Indian brass, contemporary custom furniture Tibetan textiles, Balinese paintings, cartoon and movie memorabilia and plenty of boy’s toys.
“There was a time before we had kids where our formal living room was nothing but pinball machines and arcade games,” Slash’s wife, Perla Hudson, said by e-mail. “We had 18 pinball machines at one time.”
The couple now lives with sons London and Cash in a Tuscan-inspired villa in Beverly Hills. Slash’s man cave still has a game room, Hudson said. A custom poker table sits 10 to 12 players. “We only have room for three pinball machines,” she said, “so every few months, when Slash gets tired of playing one, I replace it with one from storage.”
Slash, who released his first solo LP in 2010, answered questions by e-mail while on the road in Asia:
Why am I not surprised that Slash has a man cave?
That basement is my world. The staircase walls leading down to it are covered in a crocodile embossed leather. I have a small studio/office that is all custom built for my recording gear, collectibles and books. The room is painted burgundy with black soundproofing fabric, and the woods are very dark and rich. There is also a home theater (black leather chairs, black textured fabric on walls and black carpet) with one entire wall for the projection screen. The main area is a game room with a custom-made black poker table Perla had made as a gift to me. It has my logo embroidered in the middle. There are black leather chairs around it and dark hardwood floors with a custom made leopard area rug. The wallpaper is really cool — black with a gold-ish tone print over it that when you look carefully, you see the print comes together making skulls.
Why are you putting your old furniture up for auction?
About two years ago, we bought what you can call our “dream home.” We did some extensive remodeling. We didn’t move walls or anything, but we customized the entire house. We kept a few pieces, but Perla decorated it all entirely new, so we decided to auction all furnishings as well as a lot of clothes I’ve worn on stage over the years, jewelry, guitars and even a car. I’m donating proceeds to the Los Angeles Youth Network.
Where did you live before you found your dream house?
We have had everything from a wild tree house-looking place up Laurel Canyon, 1920s Spanish in the flats of Beverly Hills (this home supposedly had a speakeasy in the basement), a Zen-like contemporary in Sherman Oaks with amazing views of the valley and walls of windows, and a Hollywood Hills Spanish hacienda with Moroccan elements in the architecture. … Perla is Cuban and very ethnic, and I’m very bohemian. I guess you can say that’s our style.
To what extent do your wife and kids affect the way you live and decorate?
Since I got married, Perla has done all the decorating, and she has a great sense of style. We have the same likes and dislikes, so it makes it easier. She also “consults” with me on colors, fabrics and overall vibe for rooms. Before Perla, my first house was decorated by the set designers who did the [Guns N’ Roses] “Patience” video. My idea of decorating is pinball machines, dinosaur models and lots of snakes!
What’s the appeal of reptiles?
I love snakes, and I have had many over the years. There was a time when I was breeding them. I still have a very large anaconda.
And you have cobra candlesticks among your many brass objects. Did you display them as a collection?
I kept them all over the house. I acquired them slowly over the years. I’m not much of a shopper, but when I travel, if I see something really cool, I buy it and ship it home. I like unique items that have character.
That glass sculpture of a skull in a top hat certainly has character. The story?
It was made for me by a fan. I’m just attracted to skulls. Our new home is filled with them.
And yet you are auctioning those fantastic textiles with skeletons.
I was told they were Tibetan yoga mats. My wife purchased them from an antiques dealer. They were in our Hollywood Hills home and used for yoga, and then they were moved into the lounge of our Sherman Oaks home.
Why do you have so many dinosaurs?
I became obsessed with them as a child in England and never grew out of it. My favorites are mostly therapod dinosaurs. The dinosaurs we are auctioning off, I’ve had way before I even became a father. I had a 4-foot T-Rex in the entryway, and it used to freak some people out, but for the most part, he is pretty cute.
And that crazy glass table with a base made from dinosaur claws. Where did that live?
It was in my studio. Charlie Sheen gave it to me as a gift over 10 years ago.
Whoa. Are you regifting anything else to the auctioneer?
There are three black velvet Ralph Lauren pillows that were a gift from Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. And Perla bought a bench that was used in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and the original script hand-signed by Jack Nicholson himself. It was in our Hollywood Hills home in the hallway, and yes, we let people sit on it.
Of all the things you are putting up for auction, what will you really miss?
The half-circle-shaped sofa. If that sofa could talk! I had it in the corner of the living room of the first house I bought around 1989 — a very wild time in my life. It was burgundy velvet. When I hooked up with Perla and we were moving into our first house together, she wanted to get rid of it — as you can imagine. . . . So we compromised: We kept the frame, but she had all the cushions remade and reupholstered.
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