“In the time I was involved in attempting to play his parts, never really could I have captured the essence of him”: Buckethead reflects on his time in Guns N’ Roses as Slash pays tribute to the elusive virtuoso

Buckethead plays a bone-white Les Paul and performs in a basketball vest with... a KFC bucket on his head as a hat. On the right, a top-hatted, leather-jacket wearing Slash takes a solo on his Les Paul.

Slash has never been slow in offering props to his fellow players. Game recognizes game. But when the Guns N’ Roses icon shared a video of shred enigma Buckethead tearing it up in a live jam with Primus frontman/bassist Les Claypool, it really struck a chord – and Buckethead wanted to repay the compliment.

Buckethead, AKA Brian Patrick Carroll, took to Facebook to thank Slash, and to share some thoughts on what it was actually like to be lead guitarist in Guns N’ Roses and not be Slash.