Slash grew up around a varied set of musical tastes. When he moved to LA at the age of 12 he continued to exploit the freedoms he was given. It wasn't long before he met Steven Adler, a skateboarding school friend and the two skipped school and practiced guitar together. Slash was initially puzzled by the instrument but encouraged by Adler's basic attempts to play gave it a go himself. Within a short space of time Slash had overcome Adler's talents and Steven wisely moved on to something new (drums). Together they formed a band called Road Crew which Slash described as "...a great little band. Sort of like Metallica are now, but without a singer!".

Road Crew functioned jointly as an excuse to jam and an excuse to get wasted. Various musicians passed through their ranks but the band always consisted of the same core duo, and most of the time just the core duo! After a while Road Crew were introduced to Michael "Duff" McKagan, a punk-rocker who had arrived in LA from Seattle. McKagan played bass and, although disappointed to discover that Slash was a metaller, not a punk rocker, joined the band anyway. He didn't stay long, realising that Road Crew were really not going anywhere and moved on to join the fledgling Guns N' Roses.

Road Crew's big break came when they were invited to join Guns N' Roses on the tour that McKagan had lined up. Existing drummer Rob Gardener and guitarist Tracii Guns had pulled out and the vacancies were there to be filled. With nothing else to do, Slash and Adler joined the band and set about learning the band's set. 48 hours later Guns N' Roses, and the self-dubbed "Hell Tour", were on.