In the long, strange history of rock music collaborations, few encounters are as famously awkward as the meeting between Bob Dylan and Slash. Both are undisputed legends—but when their worlds collided in 1990, the result was a song so bizarre that Slash has openly admitted he never wants to hear it again.
That song is Wiggle Wiggle, the much-maligned opening track of Dylan’s album Under the Red Sky. Featuring nursery-rhyme lyrics and a deliberately simplistic groove, the track stands as one of the strangest entries in Dylan’s vast catalog—and one of the most confusing moments of Slash’s career.
A Collision of Rock Royalty
At the time, Slash was riding the peak of success with Guns N’ Roses, known for blistering solos and dangerous swagger. Dylan, meanwhile, was deep into an experimental phase, inviting an all-star lineup of guests into the studio—including George Harrison, Elton John, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Slash arrived expecting to contribute his signature firepower. Instead, he found himself navigating a session that felt, by his own later description, “impossible.”
“Those Lyrics Are Just Nonsensical”
The confusion began with the song itself. “Wiggle Wiggle” features childlike lines such as “Wiggle wiggle wiggle like a bowl of soup,” delivered without irony. Slash has since admitted that he couldn’t make sense of the lyrics at all, saying he had no idea what Dylan was trying to communicate.
The lack of direction only deepened the frustration. Dylan reportedly offered minimal guidance, at one point suggesting Slash play in the style of Django Reinhardt—a far cry from the roaring leads that defined Sweet Child O’ Mine. The session was produced by Don Was, along with Dylan himself using his longtime pseudonym Jack Frost.
The Vanishing Guitar Solo
Slash’s biggest shock came after the album’s release. The guitarist had laid down what he believed was a strong lead performance—only to discover that most of it had been cut. Dylan reportedly felt the playing sounded “too much like Guns N’ Roses,” leaving Slash wondering why he had been invited in the first place.
On the final mix, his contribution is largely reduced to rhythm textures and subtle fills. Slash later described learning about the edits only after hearing the finished album, leading to an awkward conversation with the production team.
A Strange Footnote in Rock History
Despite Slash’s long-standing discomfort with the song, the story took an ironic turn in 2014 when he revisited “Wiggle Wiggle” for a Dylan tribute compilation alongside Aaron Freeman. What began as a baffling session had become a cult curiosity.
Today, “Wiggle Wiggle” endures not as a masterpiece, but as a reminder that even legends can clash creatively. For Slash, it remains proof that when Bob Dylan is in the room, nothing—not even a guitar hero’s reputation—guarantees clarity.