Marc Canter, Slash’s best friend, has revealed to The Daily Mail how it was bassist Duff McKagan who hammered out a peace settlement – after Slash split from his wife.
Duff, he says, was the only person who spoke to both the warring ex-bandmates and could lead them to a peace settlement.
But he said one of the key elements fell into place after Slash split from his wife Perla Ferrar in 2014, 13 years after they married.
Ferrar managed Slash’s career and held executive posts in all of his companies, but the pair divorced in January last year.
Axl, he says, felt that Ferrar was ‘controlling’ and her presence was a key obstacle to any reunion.
‘Perla was out of the picture and Axl didn’t like Perla and the way she controls things,’ Canter, 51, said.
Canter said: ‘Duff was a big part in getting them back together. He was working with Axl again and is a good middle man. There was no-one else who communicated with Slash and Axl.
‘When Axl was venting about Slash, Duff was able to help him see things through Slash’s eyes.’
‘Axl put a live DVD out a couple of years ago that needed Slash’s permission because it was the old songs,’ he recalls.
‘Before that Slash would never sign off and Axl would never sign off if Slash wanted music.
‘Duff was somehow able to finagle Slash to sign off on that. Soon after that Axl signed off on one for Slash for Live at the Roxy. That was a sign of some kind of truce.
‘So the the old partnership was working together but not talking. Then they started licensing music for movies because, before, they weren’t doing that, because that requires all their signatures.’
