SLASH (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) is taking part in G-TARanaki, New Zealand’s only international guitar festival which brings some of the world’s best guitarists to educate, entertain and inspire music lovers, which will be held from August 11-15 in New Plymouth, Taranaki.

Scott Kara from NZ Herald News spoke to the guitar legend about the upcoming event. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

NZ Herald News: Have you done a show like G-Taranaki before, because it could be part concert, part guitar tutorial almost?

Slash: "That's what I'm hoping it's not [laughs]. For me, we're just going to be a band and do the thing we do. It's not about showing off guitar skills. But it's definitely an interesting concept, and I've never played an event like this, so we'll just sort of show up and do our thing."

NZ Herald News: Who are you looking forward to playing with and seeing?

Slash: "I'm good friends with Uli Jon Roth (the German guitarist who made his name in the SCORPIONS), and I'm a huge fan of his playing. I don't think I've ever seen Uli play as a solo artist and he's pretty fantastic. And then there's Jennifer Batten. There are so many. There's going to be a lot of twanging going on and it's going to be one of those things where it's going to be a barbecue, the likes of which I have attended before."

NZ Herald News: So who are some of your favourite guitarists - and the ones who influenced you most?

Slash: "Oh the list is endless. Just about anybody who has picked up a guitar that has any feel whatsoever, prior to me picking up a guitar, I was heavily influenced by. So there are people you'd expect to hear like Pete Townshend, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and those guys. But then there's those who I think are great since then, like the Young brothers (Angus and Malcolm from AC/DC), the guys from AEROSMITH, Rick Nielsen from CHEAP TRICK, Billy Gibbons (ZZ TOP), and Elliot Easton from THE CARS is a fantastic guitarist. But then JOE WALSH, B.B KING, BUDDY GUY ... I mean I could go on. I love guitar, and blues-driven guitar especially."

Read the entire interview here.