In 2023, Greta Gerwig's Barbie became a worldwide phenomenon – and, alongside it, a soundtrack that featured musical heavyweights such as Billie Eilish and Haim.
However, an even bigger surprise appearance came by way of Slash, who added his quintessential classic rock flavor to the track I'm Just Ken – sung by Ryan Gosling *ahem* Beach Ken – which also featured Wolfgang Van Halen and former Guns 'N Roses and Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese.
Slash further committed to the shtick by wielding his Les Paul at the 2024 Oscars, alongside Gosling... and a hundred Kens. And, according to the actor himself, that now-iconic performance hinged on Slash's appearance.
“I was just hoping that Slash would show up,” Gosling reveals in an interview with Josh Horowitz.
“I basically sold them on this idea that the only way I could do it is if we had – I forget what the number was – but, like, a hundred Kens, and a Busby Berkeley [pioneering film director and musical choreographer] number and Slash. I thought I gave them an impossible [task]. And they were like, ‘We'll do it.’”
There was one further – and significant – hurdle to overcome, however.
Gosling continues, “[They said], ‘Slash is going to be in Thailand the night before, he can't…’ And I was like, ‘Well, then I can't, because it's all about Slash at the end. We don't have Slash, we don't have a show.’”
Thankfully, Slash was also keen on the idea. “They're like, ‘Slash says he'll get on a plane and he'll do it,’” Gosling recalls.
“So we were rehearsing for weeks with the idea that Slash might come, even through to the dress rehearsal, right before we did the show. I came down the hallway and I saw this guitar case, and it had a skull with a top hat on it, and I knew that Slash had arrived.”
As for the Guns N’ Roses guitarist’s performance, Gosling aptly says, “He shredded. He was so cool. He had been working on the part, memorizing it. He just couldn't have been cooler, and he saved the day. I don't think that show works without Slash at the end.”
The Barbie movie spawned many trends, including ones that impacted the guitar world. Beach Ken turned out to be a guitar aficionado after all – even donning a Gibson Jerry Cantrell acoustic in the movie.
